Standing out like a sore thumb in the middle of the leafless forest, a towering pyramid shaped stone structure pierced through the nearby leafless branches and stretched above the naked canopy formed by the surrounding trees.
From a glance, Xuan Hao recognized it as the altar or temple he had only seen from afar earlier on.
Still, even now, he couldn’t say for certain what the pyramid shaped stone structure before him was.
On one hand, it looked like some kind of ancient altar, but on the other hand, it could also just be some kind of unique temple. Both made sense given how an altar and temple alike could both serve as conduits for a powerful formation, becoming the outer shell of a foundational or central formation pillar.
A formation pillar that could very well be the main reason behind the soul eroding power that he and the other two Void Integration Realm cultivators found themselves subjected to, as this soul eroding power could in a sense just be a side effect of the formation pillar drawing strength from the void to sustain itself.
Of course, there was also a good chance that the soul eroding power was a kind of self-defense mechanism that had been put in place to protect the formation pillar. One specifically designed to counter the locals of the fragmented continent whose souls were far weaker than others at a similar cultivation realm that followed a different cultivation path.
In fact, he felt that this was a far more likely thing compared to the soul eroding power being some kind of unforeseen side effect that emerged because of how the potential formation pillar hiding inside the pyramid shaped stone structure drew power from the void.
"So... This is the altar or temple you mentioned? What are we waiting for, let’s get going immediately!" Standing beside Xuan Hao, the city lord of Desolate River City was the first to speak out upon seeing how the other two had decided to take their time admiring the pyramid shaped stone structure before them.
Understandably feeling a growing sense of pressure following the sudden explosive increase in strength that the soul eroding power experienced. Knowing that with his strength, he was entirely unable to resist the now strengthened soul eroding power even if he was prepared.
Although he might have had a few means to resist it before, the current soul eroding power had simply surpassed anything he could deal with at this point.
"Yes, let’s get going before the soul eroding power of this place erodes our souls completely..." Nodding his head in agreement with the city lord, the other Void Integration Realm cultivator was more than happy to agree with this fellow Void Integration Realm cultivator. Understanding that even someone at the Peak of the Void Integration Realm like himself was starting to find it difficult to resist that terrifying soul eroding power even by tapping into some of the trump cards he had acquired over the years that allowed him to survive even the attack of someone above the Void Integration Realm.
Feeling the somewhat intense gaze from the two who wanted nothing more than to get rid of the soul eroding power that was like a blade hanging above their head about to fall at any moment, Xuan Hao nodded his head in agreement with the two. Having already intended to explore the strange stone pyramid before him.
The only difference compared to him exploring it on his own being the fact that he could have these two scout the way for him and trigger any potential traps that might be waiting inside the strange stone pyramid.
In a way, this was also one of the main reasons he had brought the two along with him outside of their potential in assisting during battle if that was needed.
Whoosh~
Also understanding what they had to do, the two didn’t say anything after getting his agreement before they began approaching the stone pyramid without the slightest bit of hesitation.
Deadly as it might be for them to be the first to enter the stone pyramid given how they would have to tank any traps or deadly enemies that might be lurking inside, it was also an opportunity for them to claim any precious treasures that might be housed inside.
And if it turned out that there was passage leading away from the small island, they could even use the opportunity to escape before Xuan Hao could do anything to stop them.
"..."
Knowing just what these two were thinking about as they hurried off, Xuan Hao didn’t dare fall too far behind. Understanding very well that there was a very real chance that a way out of the island existed somewhere within the stone pyramid and those two might really end up finding it. Leaving behind some trap or delayed attack that would destroy the path after they used it, essentially stranding him on the small island.
Although he could use his divine sense to kill the two, he would still need a bit of time to do so and he wouldn’t be able to follow them once they entered a spatial passage if it was in any way similar to the one behind the invisible door, as the power behind that spatial channel had directly crushed his divine sense and simply didn’t allow him to use it to scout his surroundings nor even sense what awaited him on the other side.
While this might have had something to do with the spatial channel itself, he had a feeling it might also have had something to do with the turbulent spatial environment it was moving through, as those chaotic spatial currents that should have been raging outside the spatial channel were undoubtedly far from kind to the spatial channel itself and had already made him wonder how the spatial channel even remained stable in such an environment in the first place, though... He guessed it might have something to do with the spatial channel itself being part of the formation that guided those chaotic spatial channels through the river cutting the fragmented continent in half...
Entering the stone pyramid through a small entrance located on the top in the form of a spiral staircase that led down into the pyramid itself following behind the two Void Integration Realm cultivators leading the way, what unfolded before the three of them once inside the stone pyramid wasn’t exactly unexpected.
From the space inside the stone pyramid having expanded far beyond the space that should have been available from looking at it from the outside and the countless ancient formation symbols slowly moving along the edges of the inner walls. None of this was surprising as it looked like the pyramid itself was the foundational formation pillar Xuan Hao had originally suspected to be hidden inside the stone pyramid instead of the stone pyramid itself being the formation pillar.
Still, this was the expected part that was within the expectations of the three, the unexpected part came in the form of what awaited them at the very center of this formation pillar, as what could be described as an anomalous blob moved up and down in a strangely calming manner.
Of course, the blob in question was far from calming after Xuan Hao realized that the presence around this blob was familiar... And not the happy kind of familiarity, but instead the not so happy kind as the presence around the blob made it clear it was some sort of creature related to the Dao of Corruption.
The positive was the fact that this blob seemed to care little about their presence and completely ignored them.
The not so positive part was that this little blob was currently in the process of slowly assimilating or devouring what should be the core of the formation pillar. The origin of the soul eroding power that had ended up affecting the three of them also become clear, as it seemed to have been created through some unique interaction between the blob and the crystal core serving as the core of the pyramid shaped formation core.
How this happened, he had no idea but knowing that the Dao of Corruption was involved in the soul eroding power, he attempted to apply a bit of his own knowledge on the Dao of Corruption and found that he could more aptly resist the soul eroding power by mixing in his own Dao of Corruption.
Then again, it wasn’t so much him using the Dao of Corruption to resist the soul eroding power as it was him allowing the soul eroding power to sense the presence of the Dao of Corruption that now emerged around him and the two Void Integration Realm cultivators, causing some parts of the soul eroding power to retreat in what should be an attempt to avoid friendly fire. Unexpected, but undoubtedly welcome given how he didn’t really need to do much to lessen the pressure he faced protecting those two Void Integration Realm cultivators...
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