Chapter 897: Hidden crisis

As Xu Hei spoke, he was secretly observing.

The middle-aged cultivator glanced around, his Divine Sense sweeping the ground as if searching for something.

The elder in front of him scrutinized Xu Hei and asked, "Has anything unusual happened here?"

As he spoke, a strange melody reached Xu Hei's ears. It was a tune that affected the mind, causing lower-level cultivators to inadvertently speak the truth, unable to lie.

Xu Hei instinctively replied, "There are strange noises underground..."

Before he finished speaking, the middle-aged cultivator immediately exclaimed, "Found it!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Both of them vanished from the spot, like shadows diving into the depths of the ground, right where Xu Hei had been digging earlier.

The next second—

"Boom!!"

A violent explosion erupted, sending Xu Hei and his horse flying. The horse turned into a mist of blood, dead beyond doubt.

Xu Hei was also blasted a thousand feet away, spitting blood. Ignoring his injuries, he forcibly summoned the Spiritual Power he had recovered earlier, attaching it to his feet, and sprinted madly into the distance.

Fortunately, the commotion did not spread towards him but grew further away.

Before long, it disappeared at the edge of the desert.

"What the hell?"

Xu Hei panted heavily, his heart still pounding with fear.

The cultivators from the Flying Spirit Platform appearing here were likely related to him, but those two seemed to be investigating something, overlooking him.

And the mysterious creature underground was probably what they were after.

"Never mind, escaping is more important."

Xu Hei scrambled and crawled, fleeing in the direction he had come from.

Without his horse, Xu Hei could only travel on foot, taking Xu Bai with him. With his stamina, he could only last as long as a stick of incense.

At this moment, Xu Bai, around Xu Hei's neck, suddenly emitted a faint green light. Under this light, Xu Hei's exhausted body began to recover automatically.

This recovery speed was far superior to eating sandworms!

"The Law of Life!"

Xu Hei felt the power of the law, his speed increasing as he fled tens of thousands of feet in one breath.

However, the green light did not last long and soon dissipated.

Xu Hei stopped in his tracks, looking at the unconscious white snake around his neck, and said, "Xu Bai, thank you!"

Xu Hei resumed his journey, dragging his weary body towards the Qingshan Sect.

This time, it took him three full days to find the people of the Qingshan Sect.

Four days had passed, and they were still waiting for him.

"Brother Xu, you're finally back!"

Gu Qianqian hurried over, relieved to see Xu Hei safe and sound.

Although they had agreed to wait only two days, they ended up waiting four, partly due to Hei Huang's insistence and partly because having Xu Hei around greatly increased their safety.

"What happened?" Xu Yanran asked.

"Attacked by sandworms, lost the horse..." Xu Hei made up an excuse and then said, "I'll compensate you."

"As long as you're okay."

After a brief rest, the group set off immediately for their target city.

They had been out for too long and needed to speed up to avoid any mishaps.

"What really happened?" Hei Huang inquired telepathically.

Xu Hei took a deep breath and said, "The Flying Spirit Platform."

He roughly described the previous events to Hei Huang.

"They're probably here to catch us," Hei Huang said.

"What happens if the Flying Spirit Platform catches us?" Xu Hei asked urgently.

"Those who ascend from the mortal realm must register at the Flying Spirit Platform and are then sent to mine or something. It's the standard procedure," Hei Huang explained.

"What?" Xu Hei's expression changed, then turned peculiar as he asked, "Wait! How do you know this?"

"I read it in ancient texts."

"What ancient texts?"

"Jiang Liuyu's ancient texts."

"......"

Xu Hei was at a loss for words.

Logically, the Flying Spirit Platform didn't seem like an evil force. The elder's questioning used Divine Sense guidance, not the Soul Searching Technique.

It seemed that even if caught, there wouldn't be any life-threatening danger!

However, Xu Hei's cultivation hadn't recovered yet, and he didn't want too much contact with those of higher realms!

One must always be cautious.

Moreover, he possessed the Demon God Cauldron, a divine artifact. If the Jiang family targeted him, they would certainly investigate those who ascended from the mortal realm.

The Jiang family frequently descended to the mortal realm, wantonly breaking its rules. There might be Jiang family spies within the Flying Spirit Platform.

With this in mind, Xu Hei was determined not to interact with anyone from the Flying Spirit Platform. It was a huge trouble!

Hei Huang also realized something and spent the following days meditating and cultivating, fully focused on recovery.

For the next seven days, the group encountered no trouble.

Seven days later, a magnificent ancient city appeared at the horizon.

This city, named Tiandou City, was located in the western territory of the human race, an unremarkable small city.

Within the city, numerous families and sects coexisted, with complex power dynamics. The Qingshan Sect was just a very inconspicuous small sect, with its strongest Sect Master Jiang Qingshan only at the Elemental Infant stage.

To establish a foothold and claim territory in Tiandou City, one needed at least Divine Transformation stage cultivation.

It was said that the City Lord of Tiandou City was a Void Shattering Stage cultivator, who would only appear when the city faced great calamity.

After understanding the information about Tiandou City, the group entered the city.

…………

Deep within the Golden Sand Desert.

Two disheveled, blood-soaked figures hovered in the air, panting heavily.

One of them had a severed arm, slowly regenerating. The other was in no better condition, holding a cracked ancient seal Magical Treasure, with a weak aura, quickly refining a pill.

"Senior Brother, perhaps we should request reinforcements. We've been chasing this beast for seven days without killing it, and our primordial spirits have been injured. If this continues, we might face unexpected changes or even be exhausted to death!" the middle-aged man beside him panted.

Half a month ago, the Flying Spirit Platform received orders to investigate the site of a space storm to see if there were any ascenders from the mortal realm.

But as soon as they arrived, they were attacked by a Void Beast, and the first group of investigators perished on the spot.

Afterwards, the Flying Spirit Platform dispatched the two of them to provide support and hunt the Void Beast.

Little did they know, the beast's strength far exceeded their expectations. Even as mid-stage Void Shattering cultivators, burning their primordial spirits, they repeatedly failed to take it down and were instead injured.

As for investigating the suspected ascenders from the mortal realm, that matter had long been forgotten.

"This beast was injured by my Soul Shattering Seal. It won't last much longer. Let's give it one more try. I'm eighty percent sure we can kill it," the elder in a green robe said fiercely.

The two discussed for a while and quickly established their next plan.

"This space storm is really troublesome. No ascenders appeared, but instead, it brought out a Void Beast," the middle-aged man in a green robe shook his head, troubled.

At this moment, a flash of insight struck the elder's mind, and he suddenly thought of something.

"Wait! Ascenders from the mortal realm?"

The elder in a green robe's pupils shrank as he quickly recalled the previous scenes.