Fifty-six: Ruins — Elemental Null Space (Part II)

The site of the ancient magical civilization was unknown to both Gu Feng and Flame Demon; neither had visited before. However, Flame Demon brought along two disciples to serve as guides, and soon enough they found the ruins.

Staring at the pitch-black entrance, Flame Demon wondered aloud, “What’s going on—are the ruins underground?”

His disciple, a mage himself, hurried forward to explain, “Master, the underground is only part of the ruins. The artifacts we found from the ancient magical civilization were accessed via a teleportation array within the underground ruins, which transported us to an unknown space. But originally, there were magical lighting devices inside the cave; someone must have extinguished them.”

“Who else but Water Rou’er, that troublesome girl?” Flame Demon grumbled, instructing everyone to retrieve their lighting devices before entering.

Given that Water Rou’er had snuffed out the cave’s illumination, everyone was wary of her traps. Gu Feng activated a magical shield and handed a scroll to the Grand Sage. “Magical shield. It lasts for thirty minutes. If we’re attacked, just get to the center of our group.”

In truth, as plane agents, Gu Feng, Wood, and their companions possessed shield functions within their plane systems, but for safety’s sake, everyone prepared accordingly. Baldhead activated his colony armor, Wood gathered his true essence and summoned the Azure Sword, and Lu Daoxuan cast a skill upon himself, resulting in a transparent oval-shaped shield similar to Gu Feng’s. Zi Gui’s method was the most peculiar—he pressed his chest, and his clothing shimmered with a metallic sheen. Noticing others’ curious gazes, he boasted, “This is combat gear developed in our homeland over nearly a century. It enhances human sensory abilities tenfold and has many other marvelous applications!”

Once everyone was ready, they followed Flame Demon into the passage. For safety, Wood initially wanted to store Mu Siyu in the ‘Harem,’ but she insisted on staying outside. Wood reasoned that with Cloud Immortal and Fearless One nearby, her safety would be assured and agreed.

Though the entrance was barely taller than a person and only wide enough for two to walk side by side, after descending for half an hour, they arrived at an expansive underground plaza—about a thousand meters in length and breadth, paved with tiles, with several dark passages branching out from the sides, their destinations unknown. In the center stood a towering pillar, faintly adorned with reliefs visible under the lighting, though too far to make out clearly.

“Relax! There’s no toxic gas here. After such long ventilation, any poisonous gases must have dissipated,” Zi Gui said, having his robot analyze the air upon entering the plaza, confirming there were no issues.

“So this is the place? Where were those ancient magical artifacts found?” Gu Feng asked Flame Demon’s people.

“Master, sir, please follow me!” Flame Demon’s disciple led them to the base of the central pillar. “Here is a teleportation array. We discovered the ancient magical artifacts through this array.”

Upon closer inspection, they saw a large spatial teleportation array encircling the pillar.

“We have no idea where this array transports us. There’s no lighting equipment there, yet it’s as bright as day, and there are mechanical magic puppets…” the disciple explained. Wood turned his attention to the reliefs on the pillar. They were intriguing: airships, mechanical magic puppets, and magical light swords. Wood realized these depicted information from the ancient magical civilization. Though their energy sources and cultures differed, their technology appeared strikingly similar. The mechanical puppets resembled robots, and the magical light swords were akin to high-energy oscillating blades. Most notably, the final set of reliefs depicted crowds boarding magical airships, suggesting magic had entered the realm of civilian use.

As Wood studied these carefully, Gu Feng called out, “Wood, hurry into the teleportation array!”

“Wait a moment!” Lu Daoxuan interjected suddenly. “Strange—why is this teleportation array still functional?”

Everyone was puzzled by his question.

Lu Daoxuan explained, “If that woman extinguished the lighting in the passage, it means she didn’t want us to follow her. Therefore, she must have a special purpose—not just investigating the mutated guards!”

His reasoning struck a chord. If she were merely investigating the mutated guards, she should have joined forces with them. Her desire for secrecy revealed another motive.

“So logically, she ought to sabotage the teleportation array.”

Lu Daoxuan’s deduction alerted the group. Gu Feng, as a Spatial Sage, knew teleportation arrays fell within his domain. He carefully examined the array, then raised his head, frowning. “The spatial coordinates have been altered. Looks like someone wants to send us to a dangerous place!”

No sooner had he spoken than the array flashed, someone activated it, and in an instant, one of Flame Demon’s disciples had set the array in motion.

“You—” Flame Demon managed to shout in anger, but before they could react, their vision blurred and they were transported to another space. Instantly, they felt themselves pulled downward by a powerful force. Looking around, they saw nothing but cliffs and precipices, the abyss below pitch-black and bottomless. They were suspended in midair.

“This is bad—it’s the bottomless abyss!” Flame Demon’s disciple cried out. The group immediately employed their abilities to resist the suction force. Baldhead’s colony armor sprouted bone wings, keeping him aloft. Zi Gui and Lu Daoxuan floated in midair, evidently able to resist the abyss’s gravitational pull.

Wood channeled his true essence, using air manipulation to stand in the void, holding Mu Siyu and the Grand Sage close. Soft warmth filled his arms, and Wood sensed the Grand Sage stiffen for a moment before clutching him tightly, likely feeling the danger of their predicament.

“Master, my flying spell isn’t working… Help!” Flame Demon’s guiding disciple realized he couldn’t connect with the elements, panicking. Flame Demon exclaimed, “Element-null space… That girl is truly cunning!”

Fortunately, the Sword Saint and two Grand Sword Sect members who accompanied him could briefly fly using air manipulation and reached out to support the others.

“This is bad, the abyss’s suction is too strong—it drains our energy rapidly. If we don’t escape soon, none of us will make it!” the Sword Saint said gravely.

“Fearless One, transform!” Wood commanded quietly. Fearless One morphed into a flying vessel and positioned itself beneath the group, supporting them, allowing everyone to breathe easier.

“Where’s Gu Feng?” Wood glanced around, noticing his absence.

“I’m here!” Waves shimmered atop the flying vessel as Gu Feng returned via instant teleportation.

“Damn, how could there be an element-null barrier here? I failed to notice and kept casting flying and levitation spells, all useless, nearly got dragged into the abyss. If not for my spatial magic training, I’d be dead. Water Rou’er is so vicious—I won’t let her off easily!” Gu Feng cursed as soon as he landed.

Flame Demon thanked him, “Brother Gu, I owe you today. If not for your mechanical magic puppet, we’d all have been ruined by that girl.”

Gu Feng rolled his eyes and pointed at Wood. “Don’t thank me—this puppet belongs to my brother here!”

Flame Demon hastily bowed to Wood. “Thank you, young brother!” He then turned to Gu Feng, “Brother Gu, this is an element-null space—only your spatial magic retains its power. We’re counting on you to deal with that girl!”

Gu Feng responded bitterly, “Let’s talk about it when we get out.” Then he said, “Flame Demon, this time we suffered because of you. You didn’t vet your disciples carefully—turns out there was a spy from the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. If your disciple hadn’t activated the teleportation array, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Flame Demon growled, “When I met this kid during my cultivation years, his magical talent was extraordinary, so I took him as a disciple for ten years. Who would’ve guessed he’d betray me? When we get back, I’ll deal with him myself.” He glared at another disciple, who hurriedly protested, “Master, I would never betray you. I’ve followed you for twenty years and specialize in fire magic—how could I be a spy for the Kingdom of Ice and Snow? Besides, if I were in league with my fellow disciple, why would I be transported here with you?”

Flame Demon considered this, his tone softening, “Hard to say—the other disciple also has a fire magic constitution.” His voice relaxed somewhat.

The disciple, knowing his master’s temper, especially in moments of anger, quickly replied, “Yes!” and stood quietly beside him.

Wood instructed Fearless One to ascend the cliff. Along the way, Baldhead asked, “Zi Gui, what are you using to resist the gravity?”

Zi Gui grinned, “Combat gear with an anti-gravity system. But Lu, what are you using to resist the abyss’s pull?”

“Sky Dance technique—non-magical,” Lu Daoxuan replied calmly. “Gu Feng, seems spatial magic isn’t affected by element-null spaces?”

“Of course,” Gu Feng said proudly. “Spatial and temporal magic are considered divine arts—outside the realm of elemental magic, immune to element-null spaces.”

While they spoke, the group had flown out of the bottomless abyss. Looking down at the pitch-dark space, a chill ran through their hearts. Outside the abyss, there was no lighting, yet it was as bright as day. Wood looked up, astonished. “Above us… Is that water? Are we in an underwater space?”

The others followed his gaze—indeed, above was a vast expanse of blue, transparent seawater, teeming with strange and colorful fish swimming by. Looking beneath their feet, they saw sandy terrain dotted with strange rocks and aquatic plants, evidence that this was once the seabed. This space must have formed ages ago.

“What an extraordinary ancient magical civilization!” Gu Feng exclaimed. “To construct such a vast space beneath the sea.”