Chu Xuan burst forth from the cave and immediately headed towards the nearest teleportation array, his destination already clearly in mind. It was the teleportation array leading to Mystic Azure Star. Hence, Chu Xuan discarded all his disguises, revealing his true appearance.
On his way to the Mystic Azure teleportation array, he saw throngs of cultivators rushing towards it, each one eager not to be even a step behind the others. Yet, spatial rifts could form randomly without any warning, and if a small rift appeared, one might only sustain minor injuries.
However, a large rift could swallow a person whole. The terrifying prospect of running alongside someone one moment and then seeing them vanish the next was profoundly unsettling, giving one a chilling reminder of their own mortality.
Chu Xuan also witnessed a Nascent Soul cultivator, who had been leading the charge, get swallowed by a spatial rift in the blink of an eye—a stark and abrupt separation.
However, Chu Xuan found himself strangely spared from frequent rift occurrences. Even when rifts did appear, he was quick to spot and avoid them.
He noticed that several monks from the Celestial Sound Zen Temple and sword cultivators from the Majestic Sword Sect were also making their way to the Mystic Azure teleportation array, and they too encountered fewer spatial rifts. Clearly, one's personal merit seemed to play a role in reducing the frequency of such rifts around them.
Thus, Chu Xuan's pace quickened, and he gradually caught up with the crowd. He had no desire to be at the forefront nor linger at the back; blending into the crowd was optimal.
The Mystic Azure teleportation array was not far now. Within less than two hours, he had merged with the crowd and reached the array. However, it was already heavily guarded by cultivators from the Reincarnation Divine Sect.
Despite the pressing crowd, the Reincarnation Divine Sect's cultivators showed no sign of yielding. The cultivators were stopped as effectively as a tidal wave by a sluice gate.
Chu Xuan looked towards the clustered Reincarnation Divine Sect cultivators and discreetly moved to the back of the crowd. The blockade of the teleportation array was to secure the coveted Taotie Seed. Now that even their Saint Child was gone, the Reincarnation Divine Sect was bound to investigate thoroughly.
Under normal circumstances, no cultivator would be allowed to leave, but with the extraterrestrial battlefield on the brink of collapse, the pressure might become unbearable for the Reincarnation Divine Sect cultivators, eventually forcing them to open a path. For now, Chu Xuan's task was simply to wait.
A Nascent Soul cultivator from the Reincarnation Divine Sect surged his Spiritual Qi, his voice spreading far and wide.
"Divine Sect orders! A precious treasure has been lost on this battlefield; the teleportation array allows entry but no exit! Everyone stay where you are! Do not move!"
Initially, the cultivators, intimidated by the authority of the Reincarnation Divine Sect, dared not stir. However, as spatial rifts began to appear amidst the crowd, the increasing threat of death set them on edge. The crowd grew restless, and even the Reincarnation Divine Sect's cultivators felt a tingle of fear watching the agitated masses.
"Look behind! Behind!" someone suddenly shouted, drawing attention to changes occurring at their rear.
Many cultivators turned to see the ground in the distance inexplicably collapsing—not merely collapsing, but vanishing as if a higher being had taken a bite out of the earth. The rifts were spreading toward the teleportation array, and soon, swallowing everyone was merely a matter of time.
Seeing this, the cultivators' scalps tingled with horror. They glared angrily at the Reincarnation Divine Sect's cultivators.
"Why won't you let us use the teleportation array?"
"The extraterrestrial battlefield is collapsing! Let us leave!"
"How can your sect commit such demonic acts? Please, make way!"
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