Realm Turbulence

On the twenty-fifth day after entering the Yanyang Spiritual Realm, Shi Yu still had not found the Yanyang Xuancang Flame.

This journey into the spiritual realm was drawing to a close, and judging by the situation, it seemed unlikely she would gain anything in the remaining few days. Though she was somewhat disappointed, she did not dwell on her sorrow and quickly made her peace with it.

It wasn't entirely a wasted trip either. At least she had claimed Pei Yanji's storage ring, which was a remarkable haul in its own right.

Sinking her divine sense into the Fate-Tapping Bell, she saw that Little Seven was still sound asleep with no sign of waking. Not wanting to disturb it, Shi Yu retrieved her charcoal stove and earthenware pot, added some spiritual rice and jerked spirit beast meat, and poured in some water, planning to simmer a pot of porridge.

Over the past twenty-plus days, Shi Yu had mostly relied on Fasting Pills to satisfy her hunger so as not to waste any time. Now that finding the spiritual fire seemed hopeless, she ceased her obsessive search, deciding instead to treat herself to a cooked meal while contemplating how to spend her remaining days here.

However, right after she set the earthenware pot onto the stove, an extraordinarily surging and violent aura suddenly swept over from far away. The aura felt somewhat familiar; Shi Yu looked toward the distant horizon and saw a flame storm sweeping across the sky once again—the exact same storm she had encountered upon first entering the realm.

In an instant, crimson dust shrouded heaven and earth.

“Again?” Shi Yu flicked her sleeve, swiftly stowing away the stove and pot, feeling both exasperated and annoyed.

Just as she took a step to run away, another aura rose from the horizon, standing in distant opposition to the flame storm.

Slowly stepping out was a giant as towering as a mountain, composed of burning boulders.

“It's that Fire Spirit senior.” Shi Yu froze, her steps faltering in hesitation. “What is the connection between these two?”

Although the Fire Spirit Giant ignored her, it bore no malice. When it passed her previously, it had no intent to harm her; in fact, thanks to her Void Fissure Spiritual Flame, she had managed to siphon a strand of spiritual Qi from it, gaining tremendous benefits that propelled her straight into the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Realm.

Seeing the two entities apparently locked in a standoff and not heading in her direction, Shi Yu gradually halted, concealed her aura, and watched from afar.

As the Fire Spirit Giant appeared, the flame storm's sweeping advance came to a stop, swirling in place instead. The residual power of the hundred-li-wide storm slowly condensed, and its center grew increasingly solid. Before Shi Yu's astonished eyes, it shrank into a form nearly identical to the Fire Spirit Giant.

It was equally mountain-tall, its body composed of burning boulders.

However, its aura was far more violent, and the flames burning across its body were a dark crimson, intertwined with strange, thread-like black markings slithering through them.

The two Fire Spirit Giants stood face-to-face. In the next instant, both charged toward each other simultaneously, letting out earth-shattering roars. Their fists collided, triggering a surge of scorching sparks; the surrounding air warped from the intense heat, and the ground cracked open with deep fissures.

Even several hundred li away, Shi Yu felt a wave of heat blast against her face. Terrified, she hastily retreated.

“Where on earth did they come from?” And why were they clashing inside this spiritual realm?

The two collided using fists, feet, and even their heads. Every strike caused the earth to quake and the mountains to shake. The giant formed from the flame storm seemed to hold the upper hand; the thread-like black markings on its body multiplied, while the flames on the opposing Fire Spirit Giant grew visibly dimmer.

The force of their battle was far too terrifying. Merely watching from afar left Shi Yu feeling as though her divine soul was wavering. She had no choice but to guard her mind and run as far away as possible at full speed.

—A battle at this level was far beyond anything she could intervene in.

Yet, to her horror, Shi Yu discovered that the conflict between the two giants was causing the entire spiritual realm to tremble, and space itself seemed to become unstable.

This was no illusion. After integrating the Void Fissure Spiritual Flame, she had gained a subtle comprehension of the laws of space, making her naturally more sensitive to spatial changes. Right now, she clearly perceived signs that the spiritual realm was collapsing—fingernail-sized spatial fragments continuously peeled off and fell from the crimson sky.

“The spiritual realm is disintegrating.” Sensing the spatial ripples around her growing increasingly violent, as if on the verge of collapsing at any moment, Shi Yu couldn't help but pull out her Yanyang Token. However, because her time was not yet up, the token showed no sign of activating to take her out of this realm.

She could only press forward with all her strength, searching for a place where space remained relatively stable.

Right then, Shi Yu spotted two familiar figures fleeing just like her.

“Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu.” They, too, must have been affected by the commotion of the two fighting giants and were fleeing in this direction.

The two also noticed her. Without a word, the three ran tacitly in the same direction.

Shi Yu was more sensitive to spatial fluctuations and noticed that space was sturdier toward the other side ahead. She called out to warn them, “This way!”

She had no close ties with these two, and had even had a minor verbal spat with Yin Wenzhou. But having competed on the same stage, such minor friction amounted to nothing in the face of life and death.

Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu hesitated, unable to trust her completely. Trading a glance, they saw Shi Yu darting in that direction without looking back. Gritting their teeth, they followed: “Let's go!”

Fortunately, in this direction, the spatial fluctuations were indeed weaker. Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu breathed a slight sigh of relief, feeling surprised by Shi Yu's ability to accurately identify the escape route.

“Brother Yin,” Qin Qingmu panted suddenly, “we just need to hold on until our Yanyang Tokens take effect and transport us out.”

Yin Wenzhou nodded repeatedly. “It should be soon.”

As soon as he spoke, Yin Wenzhou realized that the two of them only needed to endure until then, but... what about Shi Yu?

The tokens were bound to each individual. Shi Yu held the token with the longest duration, which wouldn't activate for another five days. What state would this realm be in after five days? Could she possibly survive until then?

A reward that originally belonged solely to the champion has now turned into a death warrant, Qin Qingmu thought to herself, unable to suppress a wave of relief and lingering dread. It seemed that failing to win first place had been a blessing in disguise.

Looking at Shi Yu again, she couldn't help but feel a mixture of pity and complex emotions—alongside an indescribable, secret joy.

However, since they still needed Shi Yu to lead the way, neither Qin Qingmu nor Yin Wenzhou was foolish enough to say anything aloud.

An incense stick's time later, the battle between the two Fire Spirit Giants reached an unknown climax. In a single instant, heaven and earth changed color. The dust on the ground was drawn in by a powerful engulfing force, spinning like a tornado.

The entire space shook even more violently as spatial fragments fell like rain. Endless spiritual energy charged wildly through the void as if driven mad, while countless forces tore desperately from all directions. Centered on the two giants, a massive avalanche-like shockwave exploded, and boundless air currents expanded outward at unimaginable speeds!

The red mountain peaks Shi Yu and the others had traversed were shattered into pieces in an instant under the impact of this vast power! Upon impact, the fragments immediately ground down into fine powder.

This apocalyptic scene caused the faces of all three to turn pale.

Fortunately, at this moment, the Yanyang Tokens in the hands of Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu lit up simultaneously.

Small spatial vortices began to form beside the two of them.

Qin Qingmu suddenly gasped with relief. “Brother Yin, let's go!”

Yet Yin Wenzhou hesitated for a fraction of a second. He suddenly turned toward Shi Yu and reached out his hand: “Quick! Come out with me!”

Shi Yu froze for a moment.

The spatial vortex generated by the Yanyang Token was narrow and thin, barely wide enough for one person. If two were to enter together, no one knew what unpredictable danger might occur. Yet Yin Wenzhou had gritted his teeth and reached out to her as if his mind were made up.

Because Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu possessed Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, they could drive escape lights and traveled faster, putting them a short distance ahead of Shi Yu.

Shi Yu took a deep breath and sped up. But just a moment before she could grab Yin Wenzhou's hand, Qin Qingmu beside him seemed to be hit by something. Crying out in surprise, she threw herself directly into Yin Wenzhou's arms.

Struck by her impact, Yin Wenzhou's posture faltered. In that single moment of delay, the two tumbled into the spatial vortex created by the Yanyang Token, vanishing right before Shi Yu's eyes.