Chapter Seventy-Five: I Will Lead Them Away

With a series of crisp cracking sounds, the carved figures on the cliff face began to reach out their hands, pressing them against the stone as if to push their bodies out. Some had already emerged halfway, their massive feet stamping into the ground and leaving deep craters, the tremor causing loose stones to slide down and clouds of dust to rise.

These were not spirits, but puppets powered and controlled by spiritual energy. Being corporeal, Shen Wan could see them clearly.

There was no room for hesitation; if one of these things landed a punch, it would be a real blow, and he wouldn't be able to withstand it. Grabbing Yun Yi and Gu Zhiping by their sleeves, he broke into a run.

Both were startled awake, and seeing the scene behind them, cold sweat broke out on their foreheads. Spiritual energy gathered beneath their feet; though it had no effect, in the end it was Shen Wan who dragged the two along as they fled in a frantic sprint.

Fortunately, the stone figures moved slowly, affording them enough time to escape.

The three raced toward the forest, feeling increasingly intense tremors beneath their feet. Though the stone figures lacked agility, their strides were enormous—within moments, they were already visible in the trio's line of sight.

Panic intensified, yet the closer they drew to the forest, the less progress they seemed to make. The woods were right before them, but no matter how they ran, they could not reach them, as if the forest were at the edge of the sky, forever out of reach.

For the first time, Shen Wan felt genuine bewilderment. As someone without spiritual cultivation, he should not be susceptible to illusions. Clearly, what lay before him was not a product of spiritual power.

“Could it be... a mirage?”

Doubt gnawed at his heart, and suddenly the scene ahead grew increasingly blurred, as if it never existed. The closer they got, the more it seemed to fade.

Until the forest vanished, the mist disappeared, and even the enormous fortress in the clouds was gone.

In its place, a vast cliff appeared, bottomless, with edges thousands of meters apart.

The trio halted, just shy of a hundred meters from the precipice.

This time it was not like the unreachable fortress in the clouds—they had no choice but to stop.

The pitch-black chasm cut off their path, stretching endlessly on either side.

“Is this really a mirage?” Shen Wan could only cling to this explanation.

For right at the edge of the cliff, dozens of colossal iron chains rose upward, connecting all the way to the underside of a gigantic mountain floating in the sky. The mountain hung suspended, its edges lush with foliage, shrouded in mist; atop it, the faint outline of a building’s roof could be discerned.

From below, the full structure could not be seen, but Shen Wan and his companions realized that the fortress they had seen in the clouds was actually in the heavens.

If this was not a mirage, what else could it be?

Shen Wan was speechless, but the rumbling behind them grew stronger.

Dozens of massive stone statues, wielding farming implements, bore down on them.

“We’re... really done for,” he muttered.

No road ahead, pursuers behind, nowhere to escape.

Yun Yi stepped forward, weaving a spell to raise a wall of fire hundreds of meters away.

Gu Zhiping was not idle either, retrieving several magical treasures from his storage pouch—items he had claimed as his own at the Sage Treasure Pavilion—and had them orbit the group, ready for action.

The stone statues were utterly unafraid of the flames, striding through with ease and suffering no harm.

Shen Wan’s heart sank. Glancing at the massive chains behind them, he finally gritted his teeth and made the same decision he had when he parted ways with Wu Xi and the others.

“You two, climb up the chains.”

As soon as he spoke, the other two shot him a look.

After a brief pause, they glanced at the enormous chains. Perhaps it was the only way out—a path worth trying.

“Alright!”

No more words were needed. Both turned and vaulted onto the chains.

Just as they began to climb, they noticed that Shen Wan still stood below, unmoving.

“Aren’t you coming?” Yun Yi called anxiously.

Shen Wan had no time to explain—should he say he couldn’t climb? Seeing the two already on the chains, he didn’t even have time for a farewell, and instead sprinted east along the cliff edge.

“I’ll draw the enemy away! You two go on, don’t worry about me...”

His voice faded into the distance, leaving the two standing dumbfounded atop the chain.

“Wouldn’t it be better if we all climbed together? Why’s he running?” They exchanged a puzzled look, but it was already too late to go after him.

The enormous stone statues were right before them; their spot was still unsafe—one swing of a hoe could easily reach them.

They hurriedly invoked the Clear Wind Step spell, which this time worked again. Vaulting upward, they quickly climbed dozens of meters.

Looking down, the stone statues stood at the cliff’s edge, none advancing. They made no move to attack the chains or pursue the two, instead standing silently as if they had returned to a state of unconsciousness, guarding their post without leaving.

The two breathed a sigh of relief, but a sudden realization dawned.

“They... aren’t chasing Senior Brother?” Gu Zhiping murmured, gazing at Yun Yi in disbelief, seeking an answer.

Yun Yi swallowed, indicating she was just as clueless.

Now, descending was impossible, and Shen Wan had vanished from sight.

Looking up at the floating mountain above, Yun Yi said in a stern voice, “Staying here won’t help. Come, let’s go up.”

Gu Zhiping hesitated, looking in the direction Shen Wan had disappeared, but as Yun Yi said, the two couldn’t stay on the chains forever.

Finally, he gritted his teeth. “Let’s go!”

With that, they began their ascent.

Yun Yi furrowed her brows, also glancing toward Shen Wan’s vanished path, a trace of worry rising in her heart.

“Please... keep yourself safe,” she whispered, so softly only she could hear. Looking up at Gu Zhiping, who had already started climbing, she bit her lip, summoned her spiritual power, and began to ascend as well.

Meanwhile, Shen Wan dared not look back, running as if spurred by a shot of adrenaline.

Inside him, two divine veins surged, restoring and sustaining his stamina.

Once he’d run a few miles, all was silent behind him.

Shen Wan didn’t know that the statues only pursued unknown spiritual entities, and as a non-spiritual cultivator, he was simply ignored.

But he had no mind to analyze any of this—panting, he gradually slowed after covering two or three miles, cautiously observing his surroundings.

Behind him was utter silence, no sign of danger.

The stone statues hadn’t followed him.

He finally stopped, the breeze brushing past his feet, leaving him speechless.

“Was I... just being melodramatic?” he muttered, covering his face in embarrassment.

Looking at the pitch-black abyss and the rows of iron chains, he admitted that even if he were given ten times the courage, he’d never dare climb.

Now, separated from the others and unable to regroup, he was once again alone.

Looking back, returning was impossible; he had to find another way.

He turned away from the cliff, heading in the opposite direction.

That was the valley where they had first appeared, but after a wide detour, he found himself on the valley’s other side.

There was no gorge like before, nor any stone statues.

Recalling those terrifying statues, Shen Wan shuddered.

Fortunately, this side seemed safe.

Standing at the foot of the valley, he surveyed his surroundings—there was no cave or any passageway.

Clearly, this was a dead end.

Considering his options, left would lead back to the previous gorge, while right was unknown.

Should he go left or right? Shen Wan hesitated, but suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, something flashed.

“Huh?” He looked up instinctively, and saw, halfway up the valley wall, a dilapidated temple suspended in midair.

From below, the temple didn’t appear large, but its sudden presence was unsettling.

Shen Wan swallowed and edged a few meters to the side, finally getting a full view of the temple.

It was truly decrepit—a gaping hole in the roof, with barely any tiles left. The faded wooden pillars, one already leaning, were propped against the stone wall, preventing collapse.

Descending from the temple, a stone stairway appeared.

The steps wound downward, embedded in the cliff, their angle steep, disappearing into the thicket below.

Shen Wan hurried forward, parting the tall grass, and sure enough, the stairs extended all the way to the ground. If not for the grass, they would have been invisible.

Smacking his lips, he could tell this was man-made, which eased his apprehension somewhat.

With no other routes available, he looked once more at the ruined temple above.

Steeling himself, Shen Wan set foot on the stone steps.