Even more surprisingly, dozens of familiar figures stood in bewilderment on the open ground at the center of the ruins.
They were the Eastern Divine Palace disciples who had previously been swallowed by the sandstream vortex! Their bodies were more or less covered in dust, and their faces were filled with lingering fear. Clearly, they too had gone through no small ordeal.
"Senior Brother Holy Son! Senior Sister Leng!"
One disciple spotted Hua Qiang and the others and ran over excitedly.
"After we were sucked into the vortex, everything spun around us. When we opened our eyes again, we were already here. We thought... we thought we would never see you again!"
Hua Qiang nodded, sweeping his gaze across the crowd. After counting their numbers, he discovered that aside from a few who had perished in the sandstorm, all the remaining disciples were safe and sound.
"It seems this is the secret realm on the second level of the Desolate Tomb," he said in a low voice. "The vortex was not a dead end, but an entrance leading here."
"Since it is a secret realm, there must be opportunities hidden within. Stay alert, split up and explore. If anyone finds anything, regroup immediately. Do not act on your own."
"We obey the Holy Son's command!"
The disciples answered in unison, then divided into several groups and headed toward palaces in different directions.
Hua Qiang and Leng Qingshuang walked side by side toward the relatively intact main hall deep within the ruins.
Along the palace walls, scattered bones could occasionally be seen—some human, some Demonic Beast. A brutal battle had clearly once taken place here.
Now and then, they found fragments of broken Magic Tools on the ground. Their spiritual energy had long since dissipated, yet the extraordinary quality of their