The stone chamber in the Immortal-Burying Abyss.
Dim candlelight flickered against the walls, stretching their shadows long.
Ji Chen held the Heavenly Strategy Pavilion's Compass, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.
The needle on the Compass spun wildly, giving off a piercing scraping sound, as though it might shatter at any moment.
"Token Master, the earth veins over at the Bottomless Abyss have started stirring again."
Ji Chen lowered his voice as he reported, afraid of disturbing the oppressive atmosphere in the stone chamber.
Zhou Xuan sat in a stone chair, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest with a rhythmic clatter.
"How much faster are the tremors than before?"
"Nearly thirty percent faster."
Ji Chen swallowed, staring at the markings on the Compass.
"And the fluctuations this time are extremely strange. They don't seem like a simple buildup of energy.
It's more like something deep within the earth veins is struggling frantically, trying to break free of some restraint."
Zhou Xuan stopped tapping his fingers.
He had already beaten the World Seed into complete submission. By rights, it should not have been causing such a commotion.
These tremors felt more like the earth veins themselves were rejecting some foreign force.
"Looks like I'll have to visit the Bottomless Abyss myself." Zhou Xuan rose and straightened his cuffs.
Just then, ripples spread across the formation's curtain of light outside the stone chamber.
Emperor Jiang Wu's rough voice came through the communication Jade Slip, carrying undisguised contempt.
"Token Master, those two old bastards, Hun Yuan and Wu Ji, have come running."
"They're kneeling outside, insisting on seeing you no matter what. We can't drive them away. Should I just throw them into the poison miasma to feed the Demon Beasts?"
Zhou Xuan raised an eyebrow.
Word of Old Ancestor