"I didn't expect this Immortal Fruit to have such a wondrous effect," Lu Fan marveled, "Truly worthy of being a treasure from the Divine Desolate Mountain!"
Just then, Zhao Hanxue also awoke. Her aura had grown significantly stronger, and she had now become a Half-Saint. She was filled with excitement. As the young lady of the Zhao family, she bore the mission of her clan. Achieving the Half-Saint realm was of immense significance to her.
"You're finally awake. Our spiritual energy is gradually recovering, which means the Divine Desolate Mountain is likely closing," Lu Fan warned. "We need to leave this place as soon as possible, or we might be in grave danger."
"But these Immortal Fruits..." Zhao Hanxue gazed at the fruit tree, reluctant to leave. Having finally found the Immortal Fruit tree, she felt disappointed at the thought of not taking any with her. After all, Immortal Fruits could nurture experts into the Saint realm, making them true divine treasures for the Zhao family.
"If this thing cannot be taken out, it is the rule of the Divine Desolate Mountain," Lu Fan stated plainly. "If we don't leave now, we might not be able to get out at all."
Zhao Hanxue felt helpless. She picked an Immortal Fruit, intending to take it with her, but it turned to ash shortly after. This filled her with despair.
At that moment, the entire Divine Desolate Mountain began to shake. In the sky, a grand palanquin appeared, pulled by nine dazzling phoenixes that seemed too magnificent to approach.
"Nine Phoenixes Pulling the Palanquin!"
Outside the Divine Desolate Mountain, the onlookers were struck with panic. They realized that the legends of ancient times were true.
"Nine Phoenixes Pulling the Palanquin, pulling divine beings!"
The crowd shouted, falling to their knees. They gazed at the nine phoenixes with trepidation. Such a spectacle appearing suddenly was profoundly moving for those who witnessed it.
"This is not good, we must leave quickly!" Lu Fan urged. "This is definitely not a good omen."
Zhao Hanxue nodded slightly. She could clearly sense a dangerous aura approaching. The appearance of the nine phoenixes did not seem like a positive sign.
With a rumbling sound, the nine phoenixes, pulling the palanquin, stepped towards the abyss, as if the abyss was their rightful destination.
Lu Fan and Zhao Hanxue, not daring to linger, turned and headed for the exit of the Divine Desolate Mountain. However, at that very moment, a surge of dark energy erupted from within the mountain range, engulfing the entire Divine Desolate Mountain.
On other peaks, seeing this scene, people scrambled to escape. They knew well that the Divine Desolate Mountain was about to close, and failure to leave would bring untold disaster. Unfortunately, they had not obtained any Immortal Fruits, returning from the Divine Desolate Mountain empty-handed.
"Fei Niao, follow me!" Tie Bao called out. "We need to leave this place quickly. This dark energy is extremely malevolent. If we get tainted by it, something terrible might happen."
"But we haven't gotten any Immortal Fruits!" Fei Niao frowned. "Are we truly coming here for nothing?"
"Just being able to come to the Divine Desolate Mountain and return alive is not for nothing," Tie Bao smiled. "At the very least, it is an experience for us."
With these words, Fei Niao nodded slightly. They had searched cautiously for a long time but still hadn't found any Immortal Fruits, leaving them quite helpless.
At this very moment, many white-haired elders despaired. Their purpose for coming to the Divine Desolate Mountain was to find Immortal Fruits. Now, their wishes were in vain. With the Divine Desolate Mountain about to close, they would lose their chance.
As they hesitated, a wave of dark energy enveloped them. Caught off guard, they were instantly submerged by the dark energy and vanished from existence, unable to even resist. Among them were even peerless powerhouses.
Sensing the terrifying nature of this dark energy, everyone panicked instantly, fleeing desperately towards the outside of the Divine Desolate Mountain. However, the dark energy was incredibly fast, impossible for them to evade. In the blink of an eye, everyone who had entered the Divine Desolate Mountain was engulfed by the dark energy, and screams echoed throughout the mountain.
"It's over, it's truly over!"
Outside the Divine Desolate Mountain, the crowd wore expressions of deep sorrow. They had not expected that the day the Divine Desolate Mountain opened would also be the day of a complete annihilation, with not a single person escaping from within.
Tie Bao and Fei Niao held hands tightly, but the moment they were enveloped by the dark energy, they turned into nothingness, with no trace left behind. The malevolent aura of the dark energy was fatally damaging to them.
"No, it can't be!" Hu Yu stood not far away, gazing at the Divine Desolate Mountain with a heavy heart. She had never imagined things would turn out this way. Lu Fan was still inside the Divine Desolate Mountain. If even the slightest thing went wrong, his life would be in peril.
"How could this happen!" Sect Master Tie Shan's face was ashen, rendering him speechless. He knew that Tie Bao and Fei Niao were likely doomed and would find it difficult to escape this time.
"Fortunately, not all members of the Tie Shan Sect entered. Otherwise, the sect would be annihilated," one elder sighed. "Elders Tie Bao and Fei Niao were benefactors to our Tie Shan Sect."
Concurrently, the Zhao family head's face was ashen. One of their old ancestors was inside, and now they were likely facing grave danger. This was a significant blow to the Zhao family. In the future, the Zhao family's status in the Triangle Domain would also be impacted.
"Master, it seems the old ancestor is likely doomed," an elder reported. "We should return. The Divine Desolate Mountain has already closed, and it's unlikely anyone will emerge alive."
"Alas," the Zhao family head sighed, his heart filled with helplessness. He had still hoped for the old ancestor's safe return, which would have made their Zhao family's position in the Triangle Domain unshakeable. But now, things had gone against his wishes.
"Family Head, the young lady has not returned to the clan!" Just then, a man rushed to report. "Could she have also entered the Divine Desolate Mountain?"
"What?" The Zhao family head trembled violently. "Xiao Xue hasn't returned home?"
"That's right, I only just received the news," the man nodded. "Given the young lady's personality, she would definitely enter the Divine Desolate Mountain. Perhaps..."
The Zhao family head's face turned ashen. If that were the case, it would be devastating news for their Zhao family. One was an old ancestor, and the other was a descendant of the Zhao family, both lost within the Divine Desolate Mountain.
"Family Head, do not overthink it. Perhaps the young lady went elsewhere and did not enter the Divine Desolate Mountain," an elder reminded him. "This matter may not be true."
"Let us hope so!" the Zhao family head sighed, harboring even more hatred towards the Divine Desolate Mountain.