"AHHHH!!!"
The moment Yan Zaizen passed through the Asura Phantom Realm's spatial entrance, he heard a hellish shriek of horror. Alarmed, he shifted his gaze to where it originated. Nearby was a man outfitted in white, heavy armor with black-strips clutching his head in intense pain. He had a late-Origin Core qi cultivation base but his current aura felt like it was being washed in erratic chaos.
"Wh-AHHH! Hel-AHHH!" The man screamed, trying to move his hand away from his head to clutch at his allies, but whenever he tried, he'd release a loud scream of horrific pain. It wasn't just him, but there were others who were similarly affected, their allies watching cautiously on the side. Some were transmitting their qi-essence or true-essence to support them, but others were speculating silently, obviously not wanting to take action without understanding the situation.
Only a few dozen people were affected, which made it seem like an isolated incident. Despite this, over ten thousand experts of various races and cultivations halted their steps to watch cautiously.
"This…" Startled, he couldn't help but feel some fear in his heart. Taking a deep breath, he inspected this new realm.
The realm looked like the representation of dusk filled with barren land. However, instead of silver moonlight, the red moon released crimson moonlight. The moon itself looked like a dim sun dipped in blood. It emanated a soul-constricting luminescence that seemed to give one a sensation of deep oppression. Its size was dozens of times larger than a normal moon, as if one could simply fly a few hundred li upwards and reach its surface.
Tang Li's eyes flickered at the commotion, his gaze turning towards the blood moon that hung perpetually in the sky like a god. "The Moon of Asura. It seems the rumor is true," he commented slowly, but there was no fear in his expression.
Furrowing his brows, Yan Zaizen recalled the records regarding the Asura Phantom Realm. Supposedly, the Moon of Asura had a suppressive and corroding effect on the soul, and only those with sufficient soul strength could stay safely within its radiance. If they didn't meet this requirement, the blood-color moonlight would slowly erode their soul.
As for why the vast majority of the group of ten thousand weren't affected, their soul cultivation had already reached the Perfect Nascent Soul or higher. As for those who were, they likely had soul cultivation bases that were inferior in comparison.
After everyone had discovered the oddity of the moonlight via various means, they started working together to shield their allies soul forms from erosion. However, if they didn't have a soul protective armament or talisman, it's likely their journey stops here.
"Be sure to protect your soul," Guàn Cui warned, her eyes looking about at the barren lands of the Asura Phantom Realm. Nodding subconsciously, Yan Zaizen looked at the area. The sheer size of the area was shocking. From records, a sub-realm had a similar surface area to an entire continental planet. Essentially, this realm size could be compared to the entirety of the Fallen Stars Continent, including the water that contained countless islands.
This was an immense size. Presba alone covered hundreds of thousands of li, let alone the entirety of the planet. If one estimated it, the size could reach billions of li in diameter!
Despite this vast size to explore, not a single group segregated from the whole. They seemed to be inspecting the area or developing various plans based on their deductions. He could feel several senses scan pass him and reach outwards in every direction. Various individuals were meditating with closed eyes or utilizing various forms of armaments to bolster their perception.
"Can you locate the Asura Phantom Palace?" Guàn Cui inquired, looking towards Yan Zaizen with calm eyes.
"I see, they're trying to locate the palace." He silently thought, his eyes looking to and fro from various areas. Considering the sheer size, it'll be smart to deduce a direction to follow. If they traveled in a single direction without any logical lead, they may end up wasting all of their time.
"I'll try." Yan Zaizen's eyes lit up. His spiritual sense started to spread outwards in the four directions like a torrential wave of inspection. Quite a few who were in meditation were immediately broken out of it, their eyes glistening with shock. When Yan Zaizen's soul entered the Aurora Soul Realm, his spiritual sense could at most reach fifty kilometers in distance. However, as he continued to progress in his cultivation and understanding of spiritual sense, his maximum range reached twenty-five thousand li of distance.
In comparison, the sheer size of the Asura Phantom Realm made it look insignificant. However, that was using pure spiritual sense.
SOURCE SONAR ART!
Utilizing the superior-grade soul art, which had reached major-success, he could extend his range to reach hundreds of times greater than normal. Fifty million li of distance was immediately revealed with a sweeping sonar. As he searched, his eyes shone with a brilliant silver-blue light.
"Oh?!" Looking upwards, he was shocked. The Asura Phantom Palace wasn't located within the barren lands of Asura Phantom Realm, but it was located on the surface of the crimson-blood moon that hung brilliantly in the sky. He was just about to mention this when his eyes flickered. An almost imperceptible surge of illusory energy emanated from the crimson-blood moon.
"An Illusion?!" Taking a closer look, there was nothing wrong, as he could vividly perceive an elegant palace situated on its wide-surface. Even after verifying it for several minutes, it seemed the sensation he felt was purely his imagination.
"What is it?" Pinaka asked. As she was situated in Yan Zaizen's soul and linked by dao, she could feel his doubt and confusion. Having the Dao of Sovereign Ascension didn't mean you followed your first instincts with absolute confidence. It's when you have absolute confidence in your endeavor; you follow that instinct.
"The Moon of Asura seems to house the Asura Phantom Palace, but I could've sworn a trace of illusory energy fluctuated for a brief moment. However, I can't find it." He remarked, his brows furrowed even deeper. "Perhaps…"
Guàn Cui looked at Yan Zaizen with faint traces of impatience, the others were already formulating plans on their next course of action and seemed to have already discovered the palace's location. Was this boy truly useful? If not, then what good was he here?
Tang Li's eyes were closed, his spiritual perception surged outwards in all directions. Within his palm was a deep-blue orb the size of a palm. It radiated soft ripples of soul fluctuations, obviously an armament meant to enhance spiritual sense. It seemed he wasn't the type to willingly follow another without making sure. After a brief moment, "The Asura Phantom Palace is in the Moon of Asura. Tch, how intriguing." He had a smile on his face as if he thought how tricky the Asura Phantom Palace was.
Guàn Cui's eyes lit up, looking at the Moon of Asura. If that's the case, reaching that will take time. However, she felt slightly frustrated at Yan Zaizen's uselessness. Tang Li, who wasn't even there to be a sensory guide, had discovered the location before him. In that case, what reason did she need him?
Yan Zaizen, however, stared at the Moon of Asura. His gaze looked to be in a state of contemplation.
"OH!" Immediately, he looked shocked and excited. Gazing around, he could feel something as if it was constantly moving but always near. Despite his reaction, there were already a few groups who took to the skies, surging towards the blood moon with incredible speeds like blazing comets. Before long, they were like dots in the sky. Guàn Cui was just about to follow, but Yan Zaizen's reaction caused her to cease.
Tang Li, however, felt a little dissatisfied, but as he wasn't the leader, so he remained silent.
"It's not above," turning his gaze downwards, "It's below!" Just as he said that several individuals of profound cultivation bases shot into the ground like moles burrowing into the earth. While the White Crane Sect and Tang Li were shocked by this action, Ma Xiuren's eyes flashed with a mysterious light, and she clenched her tiny little fist.
BOOM!
She slammed it heavily into the ground, causing the earth itself to quake intensely. Her tiny fist contained a monstrous physical force, easily creating an empty tunnel that stretched for dozens of li downwards. Not offering any explanation, she jumped into the massive hole, and another resounding boom echoed seconds later.
She wasn't the only one, others were shrouding their bodies in qi, vital energy, or soul energy and tunneled into the earth. Some even had specially created tools for burrowing and their speed of doing so was exceptional. Guàn Cui and Tang Li revealed decisive gazes, jumping into the hole and following close behind Ma Xiuren. The other members of the White Crane Sect followed.
With shining eyes, Yan Zaizen felt shocked by the monstrous strength of this little girl. However, he didn't wait long, dropping down without hesitation.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Several heart-wrenching screams resounded outwards in horror. Turning back, he could see the Moon of Asura glow bright red, its radiance was filled with a soul-shaking aura. Several bodies of varying sizes dropped from the skies, no longer exuding any form of life or traces of a soul. Yan Zaizen's body shivered slightly, looking at the blood-red moon that seemed to have reaped their lives thoroughly.
"One wrong choice...your life could end."