Tortoiseshell cracks spread, and all four quarters trembled.
The heavens groaned, the Black Stratagem shattered, and an entire, majestic Grotto-Heaven actually split open before their very eyes.
Looking up, they could even glimpse the dim Great Void through the cracks. The Immortal Island beneath their feet shook inexplicably, and the chain-linked stone bridges clattered.
Jiang Yang steadied himself, his expression grave.
"This is bad. A battle among Purple Mansion cultivators alone could never compromise the Black Stratagem's integrity. Some tremendous Transformation must have occurred."
Tai Pei'er's expression tightened as well, but she did not panic. From what she had witnessed in her previous life, the True Persons certainly lacked the ability to shatter a Grotto-Heaven. A Golden Nature demon must have manifested and was instinctively trying to break free of its barriers and flee into the Great Void.
Without this demon's interference, no fragment would later have fallen into the mortal realm to scatter opportunities, and outsiders would have had even less chance of learning what had happened within the Grotto-Heaven.
Of course, an ancient Grotto-Heaven like Southern Peak Heaven could draw upon the Mortal World's spirit vigor to repair its Black Stratagem, even if it sustained damage. It seemed poised to lose a corner of its secret realm, but the breach would close on its own within a year or so, leaving it suspended high in the Great Void as before.
She offered no explanation, instead following Jiang Yang's line of thought.
"After all, this concerns Golden Nature. No Transformation would be surprising. We need only remain careful."
Jiang Yang replied helplessly,
"A charge can always be contrived, and disaster can strike the innocent. How could mere caution protect us against that?"
"While they were fighting fiercely, they naturally had no attention to spare for anything else. But this