As the light faded, a whirlwind suddenly rose within the small canyon. This whirlwind was not large; to the assembled Core Formation cultivators, it was completely insignificant. Yet the aura that rushed forth from within it caused everyone's expressions to change instantly.
An aura—this was an aura from the Ancient Era. The Core Formation cultivators present, even if they had never entered an Ancient Secret Land, were not ignorant individuals. The desolate, ancient feeling within this aura was unmistakably a remnant from the Ancient Era.
At this moment, everyone believed it: there truly was an Ancient Secret Land here.
Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang exchanged a glance, both relaxing slightly. This aura could not be faked; City Lord Mei's words had become a bit more credible.
Once the whirlwind had settled somewhat, a six-pointed star formation diagram appeared at the center of the basin. At first glance, Mo Tiange felt even more reassured. With her formation attainments, she could naturally tell that this formation diagram was a genuine Ancient Era formation diagram.
"Esteemed juniors," City Lord Mei said loudly, "please come over."
Hearing this, the Core Formation cultivators on the small highland hesitated briefly before someone took the first step down. Seeing someone move, the others hesitated a moment longer, then followed suit.
Once everyone had descended into the basin, City Lord Mei said, "This Teleportation Array is what I discovered here. After entering the array, random teleportation will occur. Therefore, juniors who have decided to act together, please enter the array together—oh, and this array can teleport a maximum of five people at once. The elders should have informed you all of this earlier, correct?"
Upon hearing this, the dozen or so Core Formation cultivators shifted, each standing with their companions.
City Lord Mei swept his gaze over the crowd and revealed a smile. "Very well, let us begin."
After he spoke, for a moment, everyone was in a state of observation. People have a herd mentality; few are willing to be the first to step forward, and even cultivators are no exception. They all wanted to enter the secret land, but would entering truly be without other dangers? These were all uncertain matters.
After a while, someone finally stepped forward. "Senior Mei, my brothers and I will go first." It was the previously rather arrogant burly cultivator.
City Lord Mei smiled and said, "Since Junior Jinshi is willing to take the lead, naturally there is no problem. The three of you, please step onto the array."
Led by this burly cultivator, the three Demonic Cultivators each stepped onto the Teleportation Array. Instantly, light from the array brightened, enveloping the three of them. The light grew increasingly brilliant, and in a flash, the three disappeared from the Teleportation Array.
Mo Tiange frowned. Judging by the formation technique and the manifestation of the teleportation, this Teleportation Array was indeed an Ancient Era formation diagram. However, the speed of the teleportation seemed somewhat slow, as if it lacked sufficient Spiritual Qi. Could it be that the Spiritual Qi supporting this secret land was already running low? If so, was the secret land still intact?
Thinking of this, she glanced at City Lord Mei and the Starfall City elders. Their expressions were calm, as if they hadn't noticed this problem.
After pondering for a moment, she shook her head. Forget it. Regardless, since the Teleportation Array could activate, the secret land's Spiritual Qi should still be able to sustain it for a while, right? This problem could be left for later generations to worry about.
As she thought this, more and more people had stepped onto the Teleportation Array. Of the fifteen Core Formation cultivators, only seven remained in place. Apart from the three burly Demonic Cultivators, most others were acting alone or in pairs; groups of four like theirs were a minority.
After the green-robed swordsman stepped onto the Teleportation Array alone, Yong Ruyu said, "Fellow Daoists, shall we go as well?"
Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang both nodded, indicating they had no objections.
The four of them stepped onto the Teleportation Array together. A moment later, as the light faded and they looked at their surroundings, they were startled.
Around them, a cold wind howled and chaotic snowflakes blurred their vision—they were actually in the midst of a snowstorm.
Realizing this, Mo Tiange immediately waved her sleeve. With the aid of the Taiji Bagua Diagram, Spiritual Qi rippled, sweeping away the surrounding cold wind and snow particles, creating a clean space around the four of them.
Then, the four of them looked up, and their sense of astonishment grew even stronger.
As far as the eye could see, there was a vast icy plain with no end in sight. Ice mountains stood tall all around, with sharp icy peaks jutting out abruptly, creating a perilous environment. The four of them stood on the icy plain like four tiny ants, insignificant and almost negligible amidst the blizzard.
"What is this situation?" Qiu Chengruo was the first to exclaim, her gaze turning to Yong Ruyu.
Yong Ruyu frowned, seemingly uncertain himself, and looked at Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang. "Fellow Daoists, in your opinion, this is..."
This topic naturally fell to Mo Tiange to answer. While releasing her spiritual sense to probe, she said, "An Illusion Formation."
This was almost a statement of the obvious. They had entered the Ancient Secret Land via a Teleportation Array. Since this secret land was meant for trials, the appearance of an illogical scene before them was naturally an Illusion Formation. However, the problem lay in the fact that although everyone knew it was an Illusion Formation, they couldn't detect any traces of the formation.
"...Fellow Daoist Qin, what should we do?" Nie Wushang spoke up.
Mo Tiange didn't answer immediately. Instead, she retrieved the Taiji Bagua Diagram from her sleeve, gave her sleeve a shake, and pushed it forward. The Taiji Bagua Diagram unfurled in mid-air, the Taiji and Bagua symbols on it radiating dazzling Spiritual Qi light.
Seeing this diagram, the eyes of Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo both lit up. As disciples of a major sect, their discernment was naturally excellent. With one glance, they could tell this Taiji Bagua Diagram was a top-tier magical treasure.
Mo Tiange observed the flow of the Taiji and Bagua symbols on the diagram, then closed her eyes to sense the surrounding Five Elements and Yin-Yang energies. After a while, she opened her eyes and said, "Indeed, it is an Illusion Formation."
Seeing her speak with such certainty, Yong Ruyu's face showed delight as he asked, "Can Fellow Daoist Qin see through it?"
Mo Tiange gave a slight smile, put away the Taiji Bagua Diagram, and said, "Fellow Daoist Yong, don't get your hopes up too high. I can indeed tell this is an Illusion Formation, but this formation is quite sophisticated. As for how to break it, I have no leads for the moment."
Yong Ruyu waved his hand. "Since this is an Ancient Era trial site, it's perfectly normal for Fellow Daoist Qin to be unable to break the formation immediately. If you could discern the key to breaking it with just a glance, your formation attainments would be far too astonishing."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange couldn't help but smile. Yong Ruyu's words were correct. Even though she knew some Ancient Era formation techniques and was even versed in the Profound Mechanism Formation Book, she was, after all, a cultivator of the present era, not an Ancient Era person. How could she break the formation immediately? She had simply set too high a standard for herself.
"Then what should we do now?" Qiu Chengruo asked with a worried expression. "We only have three days. Senior Brother and I are not well-versed in formations and probably can't be of much help. Fellow Daoist Tian Can, are you knowledgeable in formation techniques?"
Nie Wushang silently shook her head.
Qiu Chengruo sighed. "Then does that mean we can only rely on Fellow Daoist Qin alone?"
"Fellow Daoist Qiu, don't be anxious," Mo Tiange said calmly. "Think about it: if you were alone and entered this formation, what would you do?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Chengruo tilted her head in thought. "Alone... I would probably try using some formation-breaking items first. If that didn't work, I'd try taking action on this icy plain, causing Spiritual Qi disturbances. By suppressing the Spiritual Qi here at that time, I might pass the trial... If that still didn't work, then I'd have no choice but to endure these three days and withdraw regretfully."
"Exactly," Mo Tiange said. "Trial sites, while often employing formations, are not meant to test the trial-taker's formation attainments. Therefore, we should simply undergo the trial according to conventional experience."
In this world, those who truly understand formations are few, yet trials are inseparable from formations. Thus, the true purpose of these formations is not to trap people but to have trial-takers undergo certain tests. If the trial-taker's strength is sufficient or their thinking is clever, they pass; there's no need to actually break the formation.
"Fellow Daoist Qin's reasoning is sound," Yong Ruyu nodded in agreement. "Junior Sister, think about the trial methods within our own sect. Aren't they the same? Even if this is an Ancient Era site, it cannot escape the scope of a trial. We need not worry too much."
"Mmm." As soon as Yong Ruyu spoke, Qiu Chengruo's expression improved considerably.
With the four of them reaching a consensus, Mo Tiange waved her hand, dispersing the barrier she had just set up. "Let's each use our own Spiritual Qi for protection. This is likely one of the tests."
Hearing this, the other three immediately raised their Spiritual Qi shields, blocking the wind and snow outside.
Nie Wushang, however, cast a deep glance at Mo Tiange. A flicker of amusement passed through her eyes, but she didn't say anything more.
She knew that the reason Mo Tiange had dispersed the barrier was because protecting all four of them alone was somewhat taxing for her, not because it was part of the test. However, she didn't think Mo Tiange's action was wrong. In this Ancient Secret Land, where they still couldn't grasp the full situation, it wasn't the time for indiscriminate sympathy. She herself was also at the Core Formation mid-stage and didn't need Mo Tiange's protection. As for Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo, if they lacked sufficient strength, she and Mo Tiange were not responsible for their lives.
Once everything was prepared, Mo Tiange said, "Let's go. This is a trial Illusion Formation. As soon as we start moving, it should trigger Spiritual Qi disturbances."
Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo nodded together and followed Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang, taking steps forward. The senior brother and junior sister were at the Core Formation early-stage, while Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang were at the Core Formation mid-stage. It was only natural to defer to them. Moreover, Mo Tiange possessed a spiritual treasure and was quite familiar with formations, so she naturally became their leader.
As the four of them took steps, the surrounding Spiritual Qi began to stir. This disturbance grew increasingly intense, gradually forming a Spiritual Qi vortex around them. This vortex was not obvious; if described as a circle, its range was quite large, so the other three didn't sense it.
But Mo Tiange had the Taiji Bagua Diagram in her sleeve, which allowed her to perceive the surrounding Spiritual Qi fluctuations with exquisite precision. If their arrival on this icy plain meant they had entered the trial's map, then the formation of this Spiritual Qi vortex signaled the true arrival of the trial.
"Be careful," Mo Tiange warned, sensing the Spiritual Qi vortex becoming increasingly distinct. "We have already triggered the formation. The trial could come at any moment."
Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo nodded gravely, and Nie Wushang also wore a solemn expression.
This was an Ancient Secret Land; none of them had forgotten that. Ancient Divine Abilities were subtle, profound, and ineffable, beyond the reach of today's cultivators. With just a slight carelessness, they could be instantly defeated. They had agreed to City Lord Mei's request and entered the secret land to witness Ancient Divine Abilities and comprehend their mysteries. If they were defeated immediately upon encountering them, they would lose the meaning of the trial.
The wind around them grew stronger, mixed with snow particles rushing toward them. Although it didn't truly harm their physical bodies, it made their senses perceive an overwhelming, sky-filling momentum.
By this time, the Spiritual Qi vortex had fully formed, like a giant maw, lunging down toward them.