Chapter 616: Forcibly Dragged Into the Abyss

Immediately after, a soft yet irresistible glow burst from the surface of the small seal, and the resisting dark-gold light receded like melting snow and ice.

"Click."

The Turtle-Knob Seal sank perfectly into the square groove.

The entire stargazing platform shuddered violently!

At the moment the small seal locked into place, a fragmented thought flowed into his Consciousness Sea without the slightest obstruction.

It was a remnant of consciousness that had weathered thousands of years of time, almost completely worn away.

A weathered voice echoed faintly in the depths of Su Ming's soul.

"Descendant... to have broken my seal in the body of a foreign race... it seems heaven's will has not yet run its course."

"This gate, having inherited my purpose, may now be opened."

"Yet I too lack the power to defy heaven... the World Gate is shattered, and the laws are in chaos."

"Half an hour is the limit. Past that, all will be destroyed together."

"The road ahead is long... tread carefully."

The voice gradually faded, eventually dissolving completely into nothingness.

Su Ming stood still, slowly withdrawing his hand.

Yan Wuji's residual thought had acknowledged him.

He turned, his gaze sweeping like a blade across the azure water curtain enveloping the World Gate.

"Master, time to get to work."

...

The azure water curtain flowed slowly across the stargazing platform, emitting a faint sound like a stream in a deep ravine.

Su Ming stood before the Ruo Shui World Gate, his face pale, but his eyes exceptionally calm. He raised his right hand, a wisp of condensed Ruo Shui spiritual energy gathering at his fingertips as he probed forward inch by inch along the outermost layer of the water curtain.

He was conducting his final check of every formation node.

"The seventy-second Solidify-rune node, spiritual energy flow is slightly faster by half a breath."

Su Ming murmured softly, flicking his fingertip as he injected a heavier strand of spiritual energy into it, forcibly suppressing the flow rate there.

The entire water curtain trembled, then became even more unified as a whole.

He took a deep breath and slowly withdrew his hand, his fingers unconsciously sliding into his sleeve to gently caress the ice-cold Turtle-Knob Seal.

As his fingertip traced across its surface, he could still feel the faint connection from Yan Wuji's residual thought, carrying a trace of desolation, and a trace of expectation.

"Cheep-"

Ying, perched on his shoulder, suddenly let out an uneasy cry.

Her golden eye rings began spinning rapidly, and the black feathers on her body stood on end one by one, making her look like a burst black spiky ball. Her sharp claws dug tightly into Su Ming's shoulder armor, clearly sensing some strange aura coming from the other end of the World Gate.

Su Ming raised his left hand and gently pressed it on Ying's head, stroking along the grain of her feathers twice.

"Don't be afraid." Su Ming said in a low voice, as if comforting Ying, and also as if speaking to himself. "Master, I'm ready."

In the depths of his Consciousness Sea, the flame of the Reflection Lonely Lamp flickered gently.

Lin Yu's soul body hovered in the void, his azure glow steady and profound.

"Steady your mind."

Lin Yu's voice sounded in Su Ming's mind, devoid of his usual playfulness and teasing, replaced by a calm as deep and immovable as a mountain.

"Remember, this is the first time you're actively stepping into a completely unknown domain. No matter what you see, observe first, then act."

Su Ming nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the flowing water curtain ahead.

"I understand." Su Ming replied in his mind. "This is nothing more than a high-stakes gamble. I've calculated every escape route, what remains is up to heaven's will."

"Stop spouting that fancy nonsense at this old man." Lin Yu snorted coldly, his soul body's glow brightening slightly. "Heaven's will can go to hell, the cards in your hand are what truly matter."

A faint curve tugged at the corner of Su Ming's mouth.

Of course he hadn't forgotten.

Su Ming silently tallied in his mind, "The World Gate is incomplete. Even with the Ruo Shui formation wrapping it, spatial turbulence could still tear my physical body apart in an instant. The worst-case scenario is being crushed by law collision, but with my early Golden Core cultivation as a foundation, plus the enhanced physical body from the Kintsugi-repaired Dao foundation, I might be able to endure two breaths."

His gaze flickered. "The Spirit Nourishing True Explanation's later chapters are hidden in the Spirit Realm, that's the only chance for Master to recover. If I can find it, I can completely sever the hidden danger of his soul body dissipating. This reward is worth risking half my life for."

Su Ming's fingers lightly traced the edge of his storage pouch.

"The Grand Teleportation Talisman bestowed by Master Xuanheng, the Soul-Stabilizing Talisman given by Senior Brother Luo Feng, the lifebound formation plate nourished within my Dantian, and..."

He felt the pulsation of the Border Defense True Seal deep in his Dantian.

"Half of the Border Defense True Seal's origin power."

Su Ming took a deep breath, his eyes becoming utterly resolute.

"Master, everything is ready."

"Then get to it. Stop dragging your feet. If the earth veins actually blow up while we're standing here, the two of us will become fossils together in this godforsaken place." Lin Yu urged impatiently, but if one listened carefully, one could tell his speech was slightly slower than usual, clearly suppressing his nervousness.

Su Ming hesitated no longer. Both hands formed seals in front of his chest.

"Humm-"

The Ruo Shui spiritual energy within his body surged like a boiling river, rushing wildly through his extraordinary meridians.

The next instant, all three tokens were activated simultaneously!

The Turtle-Knob Seal in his sleeve emitted a dark-golden glow, like a beating heart, radiating a majestic imperial aura; the Border Defense True Seal in his Dantian grew scorching hot, like burning coals, crazily devouring Su Ming's spiritual energy; and the Xuantian Ring deep in his Consciousness Sea let out a high-pitched hum, sending ripples of tangible soul power spreading outward.

Three distinct beams of light converged with a thunderous crash before Su Ming's chest.

One dark-gold, one blood-red, one azure-blue, the three forces merged perfectly together, transforming into a brilliant pillar of light as thick as a bucket, plunging straight into the very center of the Ruo Shui World Gate!

"Splash-"

The previously calm azure water curtain, the moment it was struck by the pillar of light, began to tremble violently.

Countless droplets scattered, and layer upon layer of enormous ripples spread across the water curtain's surface.

In the deepest part of the water curtain, the blurry star chart reflection began to rapidly magnify. Dim stars one after another, thick dark-gold chains one after another, grew increasingly clear within the warped phantom.

Suddenly, Su Ming felt the world spin around him.

His divine sense felt as though it had been lassoed by an invisible, brutal cable, being frantically dragged toward the depths of the water curtain by a terrifying force.

It was as if tens of thousands of invisible threads had pierced into his Consciousness Sea, yanking desperately at his awareness.

"Urgh..."

Su Ming let out a muffled groan, fine beads of sweat instantly covering his forehead. He clenched his jaw so hard that the taste of blood from his tongue kept him barely clinging to his last thread of clarity.

"Lifebound formation plate, steady me!"

He roared inwardly, and the blue-white formation plate within his Dantian spun wildly, releasing wave after wave of ice-blue formation imprints to forcibly protect his faltering Spiritual Platform.