Chapter 245: The Call from Lingkong Xuange (Requesting Monthly Votes!)

Huaxia, Shanxi Province, a certain unremarkable valley.

At the deepest point of this valley lay an entrance resembling a cave; though its exterior was dilapidated, the interior was immaculately clean, clearly having been tidied in advance.

At this moment, the clone of Chu Xuan stood before the entrance, holding a pale golden Buddha statue, his eyes behind the glasses calm and expressionless, revealing no emotion—yet somehow, he gave the impression that he was waiting for something.

Hum!

A shadow surged forward with a gale, then abruptly halted before the clone, snatching the Buddha statue from his hand.

The clone of Chu Xuan showed no anger, allowing the other to take the statue without resistance, merely saying softly, "You've come."

"What, do you think I shouldn't have come?"

Wu Xian snorted, squinting at the cave entrance ahead; his X-ray vision pierced through rock and darkness, reaching deep into the cave's core, where he saw a vast square covered in white crystal stones—exactly as described in the original.

【Come!】

As he thought this, Wu Xian suddenly felt a tremor in his heart; a faint voice echoed in his ears, as if something within was calling to him, brimming with anticipation and longing.

What's going on? Does Lingkong Xuange have illusion traps?

After two seconds of thought, Wu Xian decided to ignore it—for his instinct told him this voice held no danger, and perhaps immense benefit.

For one who had awakened the Four Lights of the Mind, such instinct was more trustworthy than any clue or intelligence.

"I'm pressed for time, no time to waste with you—if you can keep up, follow me!"

Wu Xian had no intention of conversing with the clone of Chu Xuan; his form flickered and shot straight into the cave, moving so fast it resembled teleportation.

Seconds later, Wu Xian arrived at the square covered in white energy crystals; after scanning the area, he fixed his gaze on the lotus platform at the center—the entrance to the ruin, and the only key: the Buddha statue in his hand.

Click!

Without hesitation, Wu Xian flew to the lotus platform, lifted the Buddha statue, and pressed it into a recess at its center.

Instantly, countless fine threads of light appeared across the statue's surface, converging into intricate runes.

Then, the entire square shuddered violently, and all surrounding scenery began descending at incredible speed—as if the square had become an elevator, plunging deep underground.

Glancing back, he saw the clone of Chu Xuan had somehow arrived on the square; Wu Xian smirked but said nothing, instead attempting to establish a mental link with the Zhongzhou team.

As expected, it failed.

"Of course—once this ruin activates, it severs all contact with the outside world. Even my storage space seems sealed… tsk. This is troublesome."

Wu Xian narrowed his eyes; he'd just remembered that Lingkong Xuange forbade the use of storage-space items.

Also, entering Lingkong Xuange's true form triggers some restriction—within a short time, the ruin collapses. He wasn't sure if this alternate state would retain that rule.

"Chu Xuan… I'll call you that for now."

Wu Xian turned to face the clone of Chu Xuan, his tone serious: "In the future you've seen, did this Lingkong Xuange collapse in the end? And the Zao Hua Jade Disc… I'm actually curious about that too."

"How about this: we split the cultivation texts evenly. For artifacts, I'll take a loss—I'll take only three. The Zao Hua Jade Disc is mine; all other artifacts are yours."

Yes, unquestionably, this was a trap.

In the standard setting, most artifacts in Lingkong Xuange had been tampered with—reportedly fitted with something like trackers.

If a Lunhuizhe took them away, the Muhouzhiren might not use them to invade the Main God Space—but within a Lunhui world, they could still track down the Lunhuizhe and ambush them.

Only three artifacts in Lingkong Xuange were guaranteed to be clean.

The Golden-Hooped Rod of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven (high-quality replica), the broken Dong Huang Bell, and the Zao Hua Jade Disc—these were the three items Wu Xian intended to take.

Originally, Wu Xian planned to simply seize them by force; after all, he was already inside Lingkong Xuange, and he'd deliberately avoided mentioning any contract with the clone, freeing himself from its constraints.

Thus, if he wished, he could simply take everything he wanted by strength alone—no need to negotiate with the clone of Chu Xuan.

But this was Chu Xuan—he never acted without backup. He might have a hidden card, like a fragment of the Investiture of the Gods.

What? The clone says he didn't get it.

Hmph… you'd believe a lie from a genius? You must not have woken up yet!

Wu Xian had already prepared for the possibility that the clone would pull out the Investiture of the Gods from his ass—so to be safe, he decided to test Chu Xuan first, to see if he knew about Lingkong Xuange's hidden traps.

Though the odds were high he knew, what if—just maybe—he didn't?

…

Under Wu Xian's expectant gaze, the clone of Chu Xuan remained expressionless, silent as a statue, showing no intention to answer.

Wu Xian smirked—and just then, the square's descent halted abruptly. Darkness enveloped them briefly, then ahead, a sliver of light grew clear, revealing its true form.

Aside from a central library pavilion, the rest of the area was blank—like the square beneath his feet, utterly empty yet impossibly vast, stretching beyond sight.

From afar, it resembled a continent, suspended alone in the black void.

Several kilometers below this blank land, a dim red glow emanated; Wu Xian glanced down—the source was a sea of molten lava, evoking thoughts of Earth's core.

Of course, something else drew Wu Xian's attention far more.

Directly before the library pavilion floated a colossal sphere, roughly fifty cubic meters in volume.

Its light and hue were identical to the great sphere in the Main God Space—save for its size, there was no difference whatsoever.

【Come! Hurry! Come!】

At that moment, the strange voice sounded again—clearer than before.

Wu Xian's heart stirred; following the sensation, he looked—and realized the voice originated from within Lingkong Xuange itself.

Could it be…?

Realizing a possibility, Wu Xian's eyes flashed; he ignored the clone of Chu Xuan behind him and shot forward like lightning toward Lingkong Xuange.

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Requesting monthly votes!

(End of chapter)