Chapter 11: No Way, This Is Way Too Insignificant

“You’re the weakest—stay behind!”

Zhou Qing suddenly turned to Lu Yaoyao.

The usually cold Lu Yaoyao smiled faintly, then nodded and stepped behind Zhou Qing.

The two weakest among them watched as the other seven stepped ahead into the passage.

The moment they entered, an overwhelming, vast weight—like a awakened dragon—crashed down from above.

Everyone’s faces flushed red; they bent their waists, pressed their hands to the ground, tightened their dantians, and slowly rose to their feet.

Then, like oxen sinking into a pond, they advanced slowly against gravity five times heavier than normal.

Fortunately, the wandering souls that had plunged deeper did not reappear, so the group quickened their pace.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing relaxed and exchanged a glance with Lu Yaoyao before stepping in.

The moment he entered, the weight slammed into him—he nearly fell, but gritted his teeth and slowly straightened his back, then moved forward step by step.

But after only a few dozen meters, a howling sound echoed from deep within the passage.

The vanished wandering souls reappeared, shrieking piercingly as they charged forward.

Everyone’s expressions changed instantly.

Yet before they could close in, blazing light erupted from each of their bodies.

The wandering souls let out agonized screams and recoiled.

“It works!”

Seeing this, everyone’s tense hearts finally eased.

But the wandering souls soon turned and charged toward Lu Yaoyao at the rear.

Lu Yaoyao’s body likewise emitted light, forcing them back.

Yet she quickly noticed something odd.

All the wandering souls were attacking her—completely ignoring Zhou Qing beside her.

Only when they concluded these intruders were prepared and could not be approached did they howl and retreat deeper.

They didn’t even test Zhou Qing—as if he were invisible.

What if he hadn’t been given the Yang Fire Talisman by the Grand Elder?

Zhou Qing himself froze, then realized something—his eyes gleamed sharply.

Right—these wandering souls were mostly Qi Condensation, but his talent skill [Lowered Presence] had been upgraded to LV2, giving him a 30% chance of being ignored even by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Instantly, Zhou Qing’s confidence soared—but to avoid suspicion, he feigned anger and shouted: “Hey hey hey, what are you doing? Can’t you see a living person? What’s this, disrespecting me?”

Lu Yaoyao hurriedly said: “Senior Brother Zhou, lower your voice—don’t lure them back.”

The seven ahead, hearing Zhou Qing’s angry shout, each frowned in displeasure.

Zhou Qing fell silent.

The group continued pushing forward under pressure, but soon, another howl echoed from the passage’s depths, accompanied by a chilling gust.

“Everyone, be careful!”

The Foundation Establishment peak senior at the front shouted, and the others immediately went on guard.

Immediately, a flood of wandering souls surged forward.

Everyone’s faces paled; spiritual power surged through them, ready for battle.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Indeed, these wandering souls charged forward recklessly—but the talismans on their bodies flared again, briefly repelling them.

Roar—

They charged again; some were reduced to ash by the blazing talisman runes, yet they showed no fear, rushing forward in waves.

“This won’t work—the talismans will be drained. Speed up and counterattack!”

Someone shouted. Though moving under fivefold pressure was slow, they were Foundation Establishment cultivators—could they really fear Qi Condensation wandering souls?

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Everyone drew their weapons and launched direct assaults—but the oppressive gravity above weighed like iron shackles on their shoulders.

Every lift of the arm, every step forward, demanded immense effort; the sluggishness of their internal spiritual power severely restricted them.

Colors of light flashed in the darkness; when swords pierced the phantom bodies of the wandering souls, no physical sound rang out—only ripples of energy spread outward.

The phantom souls seemed to feel pain, trembling slightly and retreating rapidly, their cries growing sharper.

This boosted everyone’s confidence; ignoring the icy chill traveling up their weapons, they intensified their assault and slowly pushed forward.

Of course, all this excluded Zhou Qing!

He stood frozen, watching the many wandering souls swarm the others, fighting fiercely.

“This is too much lack of presence!”

Zhou Qing muttered to himself, then turned to look at Lu Yaoyao nearby—she was under attack from over thirty wandering souls.

The Yang Fire Talisman glowed with intense light, repelling them while giving Lu Yaoyao openings to strike—luckily, she handled it effortlessly, showing no sign of danger.

Moreover, training under this gravity was immensely beneficial to her.

[Ignore Point +1]

Soon, a system prompt echoed in Zhou Qing’s mind—he suddenly brightened.

Right—the more tense and crowded the environment, the easier it was to generate ignore points.

Seizing the chance, he quietly crouched, hugged his head, and started farming points.

[Heart Insight Point +6]

As Lu Yaoyao, panting, slashed down the last wandering soul, she instinctively glanced at Zhou Qing—and froze.

Impressive—she’d cleared all the wandering souls so fast, though her current posture was… peculiar.

And the note above her head, originally [So Happy], instantly changed to [So Amazing].

Hearing the prompt, Zhou Qing instinctively looked at Lu Yaoyao—and sighed bitterly.

Seriously, why does your note always start with “So”?

And that jealous Senior Brother Li Daoxuan? Always acting like an Elder.

If you notice me, I can’t refresh my ignore points.

“Are you all alright?” A senior ahead, after clearing the wandering souls, turned to survey the surroundings and behind.

Seeing everyone had dealt with their foes, he suggested: “In such a short time, the Yang Fire Talismans granted by the Grand Elder have already lost half their power—we’ve barely started. For safety, shouldn’t we stick together and defend as one?”

The few resting exchanged glances, each harboring private thoughts.

Sure, you say that—but you’re the strongest among us. Once we’re safe, who’ll outpace you?

If you unlock the key first, the Grand Elder’s secret technique and No.3 Flame Spirit Blood Pool will be yours—what’s left for us?

Now we see clearly: the passage’s gravity grows stronger with strength, weaker with weakness—that’s why no one else was sent in.

It’s also our only chance to turn the tide.

Besides, the passage is silent now—maybe these were the only wandering souls.

“I think we should pass.”

“Yes, yes, let’s scatter—if danger comes, we can still watch each other’s backs.”

“Let’s move—don’t let the Grand Elders down.”

…………

They laughed it off, declining the proposal.

The Foundation Establishment peak senior who had suggested it frowned, snorted, and pressed forward under the pressure.

The others followed suit.

(End of Chapter)