The entire small world had begun to shatter.
A spatial rift tore through it, splitting it in two. Fortunately, Chu Tian's side, though separated from the other half, remained stable for a time.
However, Chu Tian was anxious. At their current speed, reaching the exit seemed doubtful. As the small world collapsed, gravity became erratic, making even his god-tier body struggle to move. The collapsing space behind them was far faster than their progress.
"You go first!" Chu Tian suddenly stopped. A powerful aura erupted, enveloping Lin Qingyuan and the other two, propelling them forward. In that brief moment of pause, the collapsing space reached Chu Tian. His form was consumed by the rift.
Faintly, they could see Chu Tian still struggling towards them, countless spatial currents striking his body. Yet, he seemed to be flying further and further away.
"Chu Tian!"
"Brother!"
Lin Qingyuan and Lin Qiaoqiao's faces were grim. Ling'er, however, remained calm. She grabbed the two. "Let's go quickly, or we'll all die here, and Chu Tian's sacrifice will be in vain!"
Pulled by Ling'er, Lin Qingyuan and Lin Qiaoqiao quickly exited.
"What do we do? Big Brother was swallowed by the space!" Lin Qingyuan collapsed onto the ground after emerging. Lin Qiaoqiao and Ling'er were silent. Being swallowed by space meant certain death; no one could withstand the tearing force.
"It's all my fault. How could I be so careless, forgetting the most important rule? When the coffins in the Great Tomb are disturbed, the tomb will inevitably collapse. Why didn't I bring you out sooner!" Lin Qingyuan sat on the ground, hitting his head.
"Stop hitting yourself, or you'll truly become stupid. Don't worry, he won't die!" A voice suddenly came from behind them.
The three froze, turning their heads. Their eyes widened. "Chu Tian... You... You... You died?" Behind them stood a transparent soul, identical to Chu Tian.
"Stop guessing. I am Chu Qiankun, and I am not dead either! This place is strange, why is my physical body gone!"
Chu Qiankun was Chu Tian's clone, formed from his丹田 (dāntián - energy center). Chu Tian had already fashioned a body for him. The powerful aura that had erupted from Chu Tian moments ago, taking Lin Qingyuan and the others away, was Chu Qiankun. Chu Tian had instructed him to do so because, due to his unique nature, Chu Qiankun was unaffected by gravity. Thus, in their predicament, only he could quickly move the three away.
"Chu Qiankun? Where's Chu Tian? He..."
"He won't die. Never mind a spatial rift, he's experienced cosmic storms before! As long as he can find his way back, it's not a big deal!" Chu Qiankun waved dismissively.
"But the hardest part of a spatial rift is finding the way back!" Ling'er was very worried.
"That's what I'm here for. He threw me out to be his guiding light here." Chu Qiankun was somewhat vexed. The last time Chu Tian was lost in the cosmic plane, it was through their connection that he found his way back.
"Is that so?" Lin Qingyuan asked, though his eyes brightened, clearly believing Chu Qiankun.
"Yes, kid, let's go. I'm your second brother now, and I'll look after you!" Chu Qiankun, with a domineering air, clapped Lin Qingyuan on the shoulder.
"Huh?" Lin Qingyuan was taken aback. Chu Qiankun had already turned and headed towards the Spirit Shuttle.
"Aren't we waiting here?" Lin Qingyuan took a couple of steps after him.
"Aren't we rushing to the Sea of Netherworld? We'll go ahead. When he returns, he'll find us directly!"
...
At this moment, Chu Tian was in a world of darkness. The space here was entirely different from when he was lost before. Back then, there was at least some light; it was as if every part of that world emitted a dim glow. This world, however, was different. It seemed to absorb all light. Even with Chu Tian's cultivation, he could only vaguely see his own fingers.
He took out a high-intensity spotlight flashlight. Upon turning it on, its beam illuminated less than half a foot, as if the light itself was being absorbed by the space.
"Damn, did I fall into a black hole?" Chu Tian knew that black holes absorbed light. Was this place like the legendary black hole?
Since he couldn't see, Chu Tian closed his eyes. Here, divine sense was far more useful than his eyes. To his relief, his divine sense was still effective. However, after the Great Tomb had completely shattered, he had thrown Chu Qiankun out to act as a guiding beacon. He was trying to tear through the spatial barrier to return, even faster than he could run.
Yet, he now found his plan had gone awry. He couldn't sense his clone's location; all connection was severed.
"Is the spatial barrier here too thick?" Acting on the principle of not waiting for death, Chu Tian began to move rapidly in the darkness. As he moved, after an unknown amount of time, the connection still hadn't appeared. He had to stop again.
"Did I mess up this time?" Chu Tian grew anxious.
Suddenly, he felt a strong light appear, piercing his eyelids, accompanied by a scorching aura. Within his divine sense, the world instantly turned white. The entire heaven and earth became blindingly bright – a brightness beyond perception.
This sudden change sent a chill down Chu Tian's spine. He felt a prickling sensation, as if something was watching him. Yet, his divine sense was a blur; he could see nothing. But the prickling feeling made him certain that a creature was nearby, constantly observing him.
"What kind of thing hides its face? Come out!" Chu Tian's aura exploded as he unleashed a blast in one direction.
*Boom...*
A sonic boom echoed through the space. But Chu Tian knew he had hit nothing.
*Swish...*
After his attack, the space plunged back into darkness. Chu Tian instinctively opened his eyes. However, the moment he did, the space became bright again. The blinding light caused Chu Tian to feel dizzy. Simultaneously, he felt a powerful gust of wind sweeping towards him.