The instant Chen Ping stepped into the void passage, a force far more violent and chaotic than any previous spatial traversal swept over him!
The passage leading to Tenfold Heaven was extremely unstable, as if it might collapse at any moment. The surroundings were not a quiet darkness, but filled with dazzling, multicoloured void turbulence that was deadly in the extreme.
This turbulence acted like invisible blades, frantically slicing and tearing at Chen Ping’s protective immortal aura, producing a teeth-grinding “hiss” sound.
Chen Ping’s expression grew grave. He circulated his immortal power at full strength, layering defence after defence around his body while pushing his comprehension of space-time laws to the limit, attempting to find relatively stable paths amid the turbulence.
The Dragon-Slaying Sword was gripped tightly in his hand, ready at any moment to cleave open fatal spatial rifts.
However, the solidity and chaos of Tenfold Heaven’s barrier far exceeded his imagination.
A deep purple spatial storm, resembling a gigantic dragon, formed without warning. Carrying an aura of annihilation, it bore down directly on him!
“Not good!”
Chen Ping’s pupils contracted sharply. He pushed his power to its utmost, and the Dragon-Slaying Sword erupted with brilliant sword light, slashing fiercely at the storm!
“Boom!”
A violent collision exploded within the passage. Chen Ping felt an indescribable immense force strike him. His throat tightened, and fresh blood once again spilled from the corner of his mouth.
He desperately steadied his figure, but the passage became even more unstable from the impact. The surrounding space shattered inch by inch like a mirror!
“Crack… Bang!”
Finally, amid a spinning sensation of utter loss of control, Chen Ping’s protective immortal aura completely shattered. His entire body was flung out violently by an irresistible force from the collapsing void passage!
It seemed as though a long time had passed, yet also only an instant.
“Bang!!”
With a muffled thud, Chen Ping’s body crashed to the ground like a meteor, smashing a deep crater into the hard mountain rock.
The intense impact darkened his vision. His internal organs felt as if they had shifted position, and his bones groaned under the unbearable strain.
He lay at the bottom of the crater, coughing violently. Each cough brought up crimson flecks of blood.
Only after a long while did the dizziness and excruciating pain begin to ease slightly.
He struggled to lift his head and look around.
What met his eyes was a completely unfamiliar scene.
The sky was a profound azure blue, appearing extraordinarily vast and distant. The air was saturated with heaven-and-earth spiritual energy so dense it almost refused to dissipate, mingled with the fresh fragrance of various plants and grasses, as well as a faint, almost imperceptible aura of primordial savagery and ferocity.
He found himself atop a towering mountain peak. Gazing downward, he saw an endless expanse of vast forest stretching as far as the eye could see.
Ancient trees soared skyward, vines entwined them, and all manner of exotic flowers and rare herbs vied for beauty, each emitting extraordinary energy fluctuations.
The aura of laws here was utterly different from Ninth Heaven: heavier, more ancient, and far more vibrant.
The spatial structure was also astonishingly stable. Chen Ping sensed that tearing open space here would likely be several times more difficult than in Ninth Heaven.
“Is this… Tenfold Heaven?”
A trace of uncertainty and wariness filled Chen Ping’s heart.
He struggled to climb out of the deep crater, but the movement aggravated his internal and external injuries, causing him to groan involuntarily once more.
Subconsciously, he instinctively tried to call out in his sea of consciousness to that voice which had been both mentor and friend. “Senior, Senior Scarlet Cloud, have we arrived…”
His words abruptly halted.
Within his sea of consciousness, there was only emptiness.
Aside from the Great Luo Golden Canon and the Demon-Suppressing Tower quietly hovering there, the familiar soul fire with its hint of demonic nature was gone.
An indescribable sense of loss surged over Chen Ping like a tide, instantly overwhelming him.
All this time, no matter what dangers or predicaments he faced, Scarlet Cloud Demon Lord had always provided reminders or assistance at critical moments. That silent companionship had long since become a habit.
Now, with Scarlet Cloud Demon Lord having restored his physical body and gone to search for his Immortal Lady Lingyue, the empty sea of consciousness made Chen Ping truly feel, for the first time, what it meant to be utterly alone.
