Chapter 142 - The Gate and the Return Threads
Chapter 142: Chapter 142 - The Gate and the Return Threads
The location of the Fallen-Star Sanctuary was beyond the eastern boundary, deep into the mist-covered wilderness.
When Radiant Sky Sect arrived, the area was already crowded.
Ancient stone platforms stood across the cracked earth.
Farther ahead, a huge distorted space hung in the air.
It looked like a wound that had not decided whether to open or close.
On the central platform, Yue Cangyu stood with several elders from the City Lord Mansion.
The pressure coming from the Sanctuary had already filled the world.
When the last faction entered the formation area, Yue Cangyu raised one hand.
The voices across the platforms gradually faded.
"The time has come."
His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly through the mist and across every faction.
"The Fallen-Star Sanctuary has begun opening earlier than predicted. Since every faction holding entry slots is now present, the gate will be stabilized immediately."
He looked toward the distorted space ahead.
"You may now feed the spirit stones to the gate."
The moment his words fell, the elders of the major factions moved.
Storage rings flashed.
High-grade spirit stones appeared one after another, forming small hills of pure spiritual light.
The ancient formation beneath the platforms lit up.
Lines of light spread across the ground and flowed toward the distorted space like rivers returning to a sea.
Li Xuanzong watched for a moment. Then he turned and walked toward the Myriad Swords Sect.
At the Myriad Swords Sect side, Elder Jian Wuchen was standing with his hands behind his back, smiling faintly.
When he saw Li Xuanzong walking over, the smile remained.
Only the corner of his eye tightened.
"Sect Master Li," Jian Wuchen said gently. "At such an important moment, you still have the leisure to visit my Myriad Swords Sect?"
Li Xuanzong smiled.
"Elder Jian is too polite. This Li came only because Elder Jian is a person who keeps his promises."
Jian Wuchen’s face did not change.
Several Myriad Swords elders behind him stiffened.
Li Xuanzong continued, "The million High-Grade Spirit Stones promised earlier should be handed over now. The gate is opening. Delay would be improper."
For a breath, the air around Myriad Swords Sect became very quiet.
Jian Wuchen’s smile deepened.
It was still gentle.
But somehow, it made people feel that a snake had opened its eyes under spring flowers.
"Naturally," Jian Wuchen said. "My Myriad Swords Sect has never lacked sincerity."
He took out a storage ring.
Before handing it over, he added, "I only hope Radiant Sky Sect disciples will remember that fortune gained too easily may become difficult to carry."
Li Xuanzong accepted the storage ring and swept it with his spiritual sense.
The amount was correct.
His smile became warmer.
"Elder Jian is truly generous."
Jian Wuchen’s fingers paused.
Li Xuanzong put the storage ring away.
"With such support from Myriad Swords Sect, our Radiant Sky disciples will surely remember this kindness."
The Myriad Swords elders looked as if they had swallowed sword tips.
Jian Wuchen’s smile did not fall.
But the spring flowers around the snake had clearly withered a little.
Li Xuanzong turned and walked back.
Han Yuelin watched with admiration.
"As expected of Sect Master."
Qin Baoshan nodded.
"Sect Master retrieved what was owed."
Han Yuelin said, "And polished the blade after retrieving it."
Su Bai thought the description was accurate.
Lu Canghai laughed softly.
"Learn well. This is called taking spirit stones without drawing a sword."
While the factions fed spirit stones into the formation, the elders from the City Lord Mansion also began moving.
Silver light rose from the central platform.
It separated into countless thin strands, each one no thicker than a hair.
The strands looked fragile. But every cultivator present could feel the spatial power hidden within them.
Yue Cangyu spoke again.
"The City Lord Mansion will now attach Spatial Return Threads to all entrants."
Several young cultivators became visibly tense.
Yue Cangyu’s gaze swept across them.
"These threads are not chains. They are not treasures for you to command. They are the return marks that connect you to the outside formation."
An elder from the City Lord Mansion walked to the first group of disciples.
A silver thread floated down.
It touched a young cultivator’s brow.
The cultivator instinctively held his breath.
The thread melted inward without pain.
For a breath, a faint silver line appeared around his wrist.
Then it sank beneath the skin.
The cultivator looked at his hand in surprise.
Soon, the threads descended one after another.
They touched brows, wrists, or heart centers depending on each cultivator’s aura.
Then they disappeared into the body.
When Liu Meng’s turn came, she stood very still.
A silver thread touched her brow and melted into her aura.
A faint line wrapped around her wrist like moonlight, then vanished.
Liu Meng exhaled softly.
"It feels strange."
Qin Baoshan asked, "Painful?"
"No. It feels like..."
She searched for the right words.
"Like there is a door behind me, but I cannot turn around to see it."
Yue Cangyu heard this from the platform and nodded faintly.
"That is close enough."
Finally, the thread came to Su Bai.
Su Bai looked at the silver light.
For a moment, he was slightly concerned. His body had never been very polite to outside influences.
The thread touched his brow.
It melted inward, then he waited...
"..."
Nothing reversed.
Su Bai silently relaxed.
The thread settled into his aura without pain.
Su Bai was satisfied.
Its only purpose was to pull the entrant back to reality when the Sanctuary closed. Since it was not trying to harm him, his body did not seem to object.
That was good.
If the return thread had been reversed into something strange, explaining it would have been troublesome.
...
After all the entrants received their Spatial Return Threads, Yue Cangyu raised his hand again.
The ground formations continued swallowing spiritual energy.
The distorted space ahead became larger.
The mist around it began to rotate.
Yue Cangyu’s voice became heavier.
"Listen carefully."
The young cultivators across the platforms focused.
"The Spatial Return Thread is not a guarantee of life."
Those words immediately chilled the atmosphere.
"It is only a path left behind you. When the Sanctuary closes, it will try to call you back. But heavy miasma, sealed regions, spatial storms, and damaged Boundary Pillars may weaken or even sever it."
Several faces changed.
Yue Cangyu continued.
"If the thread breaks, the outside world may no longer be able to pull you out."
The mist churned behind him.
His robes moved in the wind.
"After entering, do not trust your landing position. The Sanctuary does not send everyone to the same place. Even disciples from the same faction may be scattered."
Radiant Sky Sect disciples exchanged glances.
They had already prepared for this.
"First, confirm your body’s condition."
"Second, confirm whether your Spatial Return Thread is stable."
"Third, inspect your surroundings."
"Fourth, check miasma intrusion."
"Fifth, find landmarks or Boundary Pillars before chasing treasures."
His gaze became sharp.
"If you encounter a Boundary Pillar, do not damage it. Do not carve it. Do not draw power from it. Do not treat it as an inheritance object."
Some disciples who had been thinking exactly that quietly lowered their eyes.
Yue Cangyu saw them.
He pretended not to.
"If a Boundary Pillar is unstable, avoid fighting near it if possible. If it is under attack, protect it if you have the ability. If you do not have the ability, leave and live long enough to report it."
His voice lowered.
"One more thing."
The entire platform became silent.
"If the mist calls your name, do not answer."
A cold wind passed through the crowd.
"If you hear the voice of a dead relative, do not follow it."
"If you see a road where there should be no road, test it before stepping."
"If you meet another disciple, confirm their identity before trusting them."
Yue Cangyu paused.
Then said, "And if you find yourself in a place where even the Spatial Return Thread feels distant, leave immediately."
No one laughed.
Yue Cangyu was not trying to frighten them.
He was trying to keep them alive.
Lu Canghai stood beside Li Xuanzong and looked at the old city lord for a long moment.
Then his gaze shifted toward the mist.
Li Xuanzong also became silent.
Among the younger generation, the atmosphere changed.
There was still anticipation.
But it had become sharper.
Danger was natural on the path of cultivation.
No one who came here had expected a safe garden.
High danger meant high fortune.
High risk meant high reward.
Su Bai looked at the gate and thought about that phrase.
High risk, high reward.
For most people, that was a saying. For him, it had become uncomfortably literal.
He smiled faintly.
Just then, the final box of spirit stones fell into the formation.
Boom.
The sound did not come from the ground.
It came from space itself.
The distorted wound ahead suddenly expanded.
Red-gray mist exploded outward and struck the surrounding barriers.
The formation pillars lit up one after another.
Ancient runes burned like stars.
The half-formed gate became clear.
It was vast. Wide enough to swallow an army.
Inside the portal was not darkness, but a moving haze of red light, broken shadows, and drifting fragments of ruined stone.
A pressure surged out.
The moment it arrived, many young cultivators changed expression.
Several weaker ones bent their knees slightly.
Some Foundation Establishment cultivators immediately raised Qi barriers.
Su Bai felt the pressure touch him.
For a breath, he finally understood why Foundation Establishment Realm was the minimum requirement.
This pressure alone would make Qi Condensation cultivators collapse before they even entered.
Then Su Bai’s body reacted.
The suppressive force sank into him.
The next moment, it changed.
His Dantian stirred and the Crystalline Tree Spirit Root rustled faintly.
Su Bai blinked.
He felt refreshed. His body had once again treated danger as nourishment.
Su Bai looked at the gate.
Yue Cangyu’s voice rang out.
"You may now enter."
At once, the young cultivators moved.
Artifacts rose. Protective lights bloomed. Sword Qi, lotus light, sun flame, mechanism shields, poison veils, calculation plates, and talisman barriers appeared across the platforms.
Many disciples rushed forward immediately.
No one wanted to fall behind.
No one wanted others to seize the first opportunity.
Treasure was always more attractive when one imagined someone else taking it first.
The first group entered the portal.
Their figures vanished into red light.
The second group followed.
Then the third.
The gate swallowed them without sound.
Radiant Sky Sect did not move.
Neither did several of the smarter factions.
Zhuge Jing stood with the Zhuge Clan, feather fan still in hand, watching the flow of entrants.
Lin Weiyang held back the Divine Artificer Citadel disciples and adjusted the bronze mechanism beside her.
Tang Ziyan remained still beside the Tang Clan, her gaze occasionally passing over the mist.
Bai Zhi and the Glass-Lotus Holy See also waited.
Han Yuelin sighed.
"They run fast."
Li Xuanzong said calmly, "Let them."
Lu Canghai added, "The first mouthful is not always the best."
Su Bai thought of his master’s earlier warning.
If a treasure sat alone in a suspiciously clean place, assume it had already eaten someone.
The same might apply to a gate.
After the first surge passed, the platform became less chaotic.
Su Bai exhaled softly.
Then he stepped forward.
He did not raise a Qi barrier.
He did not activate a protective artifact.
He did not even take out an Immaculate Lotus-Heart Pill.
He simply walked toward the portal.
The suppressive force struck him directly.
His robes moved. His black hair shifted slightly. But his steps did not slow.
Behind him, Liu Meng’s eyes widened.
Qin Baoshan took one step forward instinctively and raised his shield.
Then he paused.
He realized Su Bai did not need protection.
But the others did.
Qin Baoshan shifted his stance.
The shield light spread backward, covering Liu Meng, Han Yuelin, and Ji Ruyue.
Liu Meng released a gentle layer of verdant flame around herself.
Han Yuelin rested one hand on his sword and smiled.
Ji Ruyue’s frost Qi gathered beneath her feet.
The four followed Su Bai.
Their pace was steady.
Across the platforms, many people noticed.
Some younger cultivators frowned.
"He is not using protection?"
"Arrogant."
"Does he think the Sanctuary pressure is a breeze?"
Others narrowed their eyes.
Zhuge Jing’s fan paused for half a breath.
Lin Weiyang’s bronze mechanism clicked softly.
Tang Ziyan watched Su Bai’s back without speaking.
Bai Zhi’s brows moved slightly.
Among the elders, several expressions changed.
Those with shallow eyes saw arrogance.
Those with better eyes saw something else.
The pressure from the gate was real.
Su Bai was not resisting it.
He was receiving it.
And he was still walking normally.
Jian Wuchen stared for a moment.
His smile did not move, but his eyes became colder.
Li Xuanzong stood with his hands behind his back, expression calm.
Lu Canghai looked proud for exactly one breath.
Then he hid it badly.
Yue Cangyu watched Su Bai approach the portal.
His gaze deepened.
For some reason, the mist around the gate seemed to curl slightly toward that pale young man.
Su Bai reached the edge of the portal.
The red-gray light reflected in his eyes.
The Spatial Return Thread inside his aura trembled once.
It did not break.
The Petrified Calamity-Magnet in his system inventory pulsed softly.
Su Bai looked ahead.
Then he stepped through.
The world folded.
For a breath, there was no sound. Only a distant sensation of falling through a door that did not exist.
Behind him, Qin Baoshan, Liu Meng, Han Yuelin, and Ji Ruyue entered one after another.
Soon, the remaining factions also moved.
The young cultivators passed through the gate in waves.
One figure after another vanished into red mist and broken light.
At last, the final disciple entered.
The platforms outside became quiet.
Only the elders remained.
The portal still stood between heaven and earth.
Countless faint silver lines extended from the outside formation into its depths.
Spatial Return Threads.
Some were clear.
Some flickered slightly.
Some were already trembling under the pressure of the Sanctuary.
The elders looked at those threads in silence.
No one spoke lightly now.
Once the young generation entered, their lives were no longer fully in the hands of their sects.
Yue Cangyu stood on the central platform and stared at the gate.
Lu Canghai’s gaze met his across the mist.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Yue Cangyu nodded once.
Lu Canghai nodded back.
It was a silent understanding.
Whatever was inside the Fallen-Star Sanctuary, the children had already crossed the threshold.
Now, the outside world could only watch the threads and wait.