There was none of the dizzying disorientation they had imagined from traveling through space, nor any savage energy tearing at them.
The instant they plunged into the rift of nothingness, Ye Chen felt an extremely viscous, icy "void" envelop him. The primordial chaos purple qi spontaneously formed a protective cocoon of light, sheltering him and his ten followers firmly within it. Beyond the cocoon lay absolute darkness and silence. Their senses were stripped away, and the concepts of time and space grew indistinct.
The sensation did not last long. Perhaps it was an instant, perhaps an eternity.
Suddenly, an immense repulsive force struck, as though the entire world were rejecting their existence. The protective cocoon trembled violently, emitting a hum as it buckled beneath the strain.
"Hold steady!" Ye Chen barked, pouring out the primordial chaos purple qi within him without reservation to reinforce the cocoon. He could sense that the laws of this realm were utterly unlike those of the Three Thousand Great Worlds, steeped in a certain... decay, incompleteness, and suffocating oppression.
"Pop—"
As though squeezing out of a bubble that resisted them at every turn, the cocoon finally broke through some boundary, and the pressure abruptly vanished!
Blinding light flooded in. Chaotic, savage spiritual energy washed over the cocoon like floodwaters bursting through a dam, mingled with the heavy stench of blood, killing intent, and an indescribably ancient, untamed aura.
"Boom!"
The cocoon slammed into the ground with a thunderous, muffled crash, gouging a shallow crater in the hard, dark-red bedrock. The purple light dissipated, revealing eleven somewhat bedraggled figures within.
The moment their feet touched solid ground, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, only to be utterly stunned by the sight before them.
The sky was a murky yellow, as though shrouded in endless dust. Neither sun, moon, nor stars were visible, only an oppressive vista of seemingly eternal dusk. Though the spiritual energy permeating the air was abundant, it was extraordinarily violent. Even breathing it into their lungs brought a burning sensation, and refining it demanded several times the mental effort required in the Ye Clan's Ancestral Grounds.
As far as the eye could see stretched a boundless crimson wasteland. The earth was cracked and dry, its sparse vegetation grotesque in shape, mostly thorny shrubs of dark purple or inky green that exuded faint traces of poisonous miasma. In the distance, rolling black mountain ranges rose like the spines of colossal beasts. Their slopes were barren, with enormous, stark-white skeletons of unknown creatures faintly visible, half-buried among them.
More chilling still, the fabric of space here was extremely fragile. Fine spatial cracks, visible to the naked eye, flashed and vanished in the void like black lightning, emitting teeth-grating hisses. A low, vicious howl of wind echoed throughout the world.
"What... what godforsaken place is this?" Shi Meng's eyes widened. Feeling the uncomfortably savage spiritual energy in the air, he instinctively circulated his cultivation technique. An ocher halo rose over his skin, keeping out the killing intent that sought to corrode his body. "Why is the spiritual energy here so filthy and violent? This is even worse than the Marrow-Eroding Abyss where the clan punishes criminals!"
Ye Ling's pretty face turned pale. As someone attuned to the Life Law, she was the most sensitive to vitality. What she sensed now was the near-hopeless "depletion" and "struggle" pervading this world. "The laws of this realm... are incomplete. For life to emerge and endure here, it must pay a price more than ten times greater than in our world."
Mo Yu emerged from the shadow of a rock, his voice graver than ever before. "Young Master, space in this realm is extremely unstable. My stealth technique is suffering severe interference. Moreover, I can sense countless thoughts filled with malice and greed watching us from the shadows." He held a pitch-black dagger, scanning their surroundings warily.
Ye Yun said nothing. He merely unfastened the ancient sword from his back and held it in his hand. Keen Sword Qi circulated on its own, slashing apart the tainted spiritual energy and killing intent that drew near.
Ye Chen stood where he was, chaotic light swirling within his Dual Pupils as he carefully sensed this unfamiliar world. What he perceived was clearer and more profound than what anyone else could feel.
"The Great Dao is flawed..." he murmured, finally understanding where the "discomfort" and "sluggishness" Emperor Xuanwu had mentioned came from. The laws of this world were like an old garment covered in patches and on the verge of falling apart. They barely kept functioning, yet every part of them betrayed discord and decline. Even the primordial chaos purple qi within him circulated with a faint sluggishness here, as though subject to some invisible suppression.
At the same time, however, the Nameless Fragment tucked against his chest radiated an unprecedented "warmth," even conveying a faint sense of "joy," as though it had returned home. The twisted symbols on its surface also seemed to have grown somewhat clearer after entering this realm.
"Young Master, where... where have we ended up?" Ye Xiaoshan's face was pale. Clutching the ancient books and that fragmentary page tightly against his chest, he spoke with fear and bewilderment. "Can we still go back?"
That question weighed on everyone's mind.
Ye Chen drew a deep breath and suppressed the turmoil within him. Since we're here, we must settle in. He was the Ye Clan's young master, the pillar everyone relied upon. He could not reveal the slightest panic now.
"This is certainly not any realm within the Three Thousand Great Worlds," Ye Chen analyzed calmly. "The fabric of space, the laws of the world, and the nature of its spiritual energy are all completely different. If my guess is correct, we passed through that rift and broke into an... unknown, independent world."
He glanced at the warm fragmentary page in his hand and continued, "Since we're here, we must settle in. This place may be dangerous, but it also holds opportunities. A land unrecorded in our Lineage's texts must harbor secrets unrecorded there as well. As for returning..."
He paused, sweeping his gaze over them. "That rift is extremely unstable, and it rejects Immortal Emperors like Uncle Xuan. If we want to return, we may need to find a stable spatial node in this realm, or... discover a way to control its laws."
His words were steady and firm, carrying a convincing composure that eased their panic somewhat.
"Young Master is right!" Shi Meng was the first to respond, speaking in his deep, rumbling voice. "Who cares whether this is a dragon's pool or a tiger's den? With us brothers together, what is there to fear? This is just the thing to loosen up our muscles!"
Ye Ling also worked to steady her breathing and broke into a smile. "Though the environment is harsh, this place is not entirely devoid of life. I can sense some extraordinarily tenacious spiritual herbs, some of which have even mutated. Perhaps we'll reap an unexpected harvest."
Just then, Mo Yu suddenly barked, "Something is approaching! Fast, and full of hostility!"
Everyone instantly went on guard, taking advantageous positions as their magical treasures glimmered faintly.
Beneath the distant, murky yellow sky, dozens of blood-red figures came racing toward the site of their landing like hyenas scenting blood! Their forms varied: some resembled humans covered in scales, while others were wholly twisted demonic beasts. Without exception, however, dense Blood Fiend Qi coiled around them, and their eyes glowed red with greed and madness.
"Prepare to engage!" The ancient sword in Ye Yun's hand rang out with a clear, resonant cry. Sword Qi surged skyward, still incomparably sharp despite the suppression of this realm's laws!
Ye Chen stood where he was, watching the charging intruders with a calm gaze. Instead, the corners of his lips curved into a faint smile.
They had only just arrived in another world, and already "guests" were coming to their door.
Perfect. He could use this chance to learn exactly what sort of "rules" governed this broken, unfamiliar world.
Before you continue