Chapter 170: Totem Inscriptions

Taking any action at this moment was clearly most unwise. They simply had to wait until the black wind subsided.

Based on the previous rampage of the black wind, Lin Zhan analyzed that this was merely a gust rather than a continuous, unending gale. Therefore, by waiting a little longer, it would naturally die down.

Seizing this opportunity, Lin Zhan used his spiritual sense to check on the condition of his companions in the darkness.

Naturally, right beside him was Shui Xinhuan, that problematic little loli. However, ever since the appearance of Tan Qingxuan, a woman with the aura of an aloof beauty, Shui Xinhuan's behavior had grown somewhat abnormal. Although she still supported Lin Zhan unconditionally in all their actions, Lin Zhan always felt she had become unusually silent and kept a dejected look on her face.

This problematic little loli, had they been back home, would be right at the age of adolescent rebellion. Without proper communication and exchange, it was easy to leave behind irreparable emotional scars. Lin Zhan secretly resolved that once they got out of this secret cave, he would have a proper heart-to-heart talk with her.

Directly across from him at a short distance, Tan Qingxuan and the others sat cross-legged. Lin Zhan had a persistent feeling that he was being watched intently. The moment his spiritual sense swept over, that pair of clear yet somewhat profound eyes quickly darted away.

Had Tan Qingxuan been watching him all this time? Lin Zhan's face felt a bit warm. He was still wearing someone else's appearance after all, and in front of Tan Qingxuan, he inevitably felt somewhat unnatural.

As for the others, Fang Dagong was the simplest soul, entirely carefree. He was resting peacefully in a cross-legged position; as long as Tan Qingxuan was in his world, his universe was complete, perhaps with the addition of half of Lin Zhan.

As for Lian Ming, Lin Zhan had never really warmed up to him. The man possessed a bit of petty cleverness, but his demeanor seemed overly arrogant—crossing the line into sheer pretentiousness. Moreover, Lin Zhan suspected that his motives for staying close to Tan Qingxuan were somewhat impure. If it were genuine admiration and affection, that would be one thing, but if not, well, that spoke volumes.

Tan Qingxuan's senior sister, Zhi Hui, was a bit older and projected a mature, worldly-wise aura of indifference, treating everything as none of her business. Ever since Lin Zhan took on all the responsibility, she had remained strictly on the sidelines, moving only when action was required and meditating quietly when it wasn't.

She looked similar to Fang Dagong on the surface, yet they were fundamentally different.

As for the two from Wangxi Peak, they appeared eager to take the initiative and outwardly kept their grievances to themselves, but Lin Zhan always felt they were not people to be taken lightly. Once faced with genuine benefits and interests, whether they would behave like Gu Yuanzhou and Teng Sheng remained highly questionable.

When the sails are smooth and the wind is fair, the sinister nature of the human heart remains hidden. It is only when obstacles arise, lives are on the line, or human desires are truly tested that wicked individuals reveal their fox tails.

Lin Zhan was no longer the naive youth of the past. He was now learning to reflect, understanding how to analyze himself and the people around him.

A sudden, unexpected sense of enlightenment descended upon him, plunging Lin Zhan into a marvelous state of consciousness. During every such wandering trance, his spiritual sense experienced a growth spurt.

Shui Xinhuan, who had recently contracted the strange malady of excessive sleepiness, seemed to sense something. Rousing herself from her drowsy state, she shifted her position slightly. Without disturbing Lin Zhan, she subconsciously shielded him in her corner, feeling deep down that he needed someone to guard him at this moment, and she was the only one who could fulfill that role.

The gale seemed to be growing stronger without end. Unbeknownst to anyone, the entire rock cavern began to revolve around the giant hairy beast. The cavern was shaped like a sphere, and those apertures and stone doors shifted and changed their original positions due to this rotation.

The wheel of creation spiritual qi within Lin Zhan's body gradually drifted out of his physical form alongside this rotation, resembling a rising sun within the pitch-black tunnel—a sight dazzling enough to blind ordinary eyes. Fortunately, everyone present was a cultivator and used spiritual power to protect their vision.

At this moment, the spiritual wheel of creation seemed entirely beyond Lin Zhan's control, as he was deeply immersed in the state of sudden enlightenment and unable to extricate himself. The spiritual wheel spun faster and faster, rising higher and higher as it sliced through the rock overhead and bored deep into the ceiling. This spectacle left Tan Qingxuan and the others utterly dumbstruck.

Shui Xinhuan was the most anxious of all. She sprang to her feet, her gaze tracking the movement of the spiritual wheel. The moment the wheel broke through the cavern ceiling and vanished, she immediately summoned her Red-Tailed Scorpion Queen to stand guard beside her in front of Lin Zhan.

At that instant, if anyone dared to step forward and disturb Lin Zhan, she was ready to fight them to the death.

That razor-sharp wheel of spiritual power blasted through the barrier of the rock strata, broke out into the open space of the massive outer cavern, and charged against the black wind straight toward the giant hairy beast...

Lin Zhan and his companions trapped inside the tunnel could not see that the totem inscriptions on the top of the giant hairy monster's head were now emitting a radiance even more dazzling and blinding than the wheel of creation spiritual qi.

The raging black wind thoroughly tormented Wuming and his group, who had remained outside the stone door.

Originally, as the time approached the mark of nearly an hour, Wuming led his few companions eagerly rushing into the stone door, hoping to quickly close the distance between themselves and Lin Zhan's group.

However, the passage—previously smooth as a mirror, narrow yet level—suddenly sprouted several portals along the stone walls for no apparent reason. Immediately following this, the black wind roared out from these openings, instantly shattering and scattering their carefully organized formation.

At first, they could still rely on their spiritual power to maintain their balance, but as the wind intensified and black Qi billowed around them, their energy reserves depleted rapidly. Gradually, some of them began to panic and scramble in chaos. Their robes fluttered wildly, tearing and shredding until their garments were in tatters, reduced ultimately to dust, leaving them completely naked.

The entire process was filled with a darkly comedic flavor. Of course, since this group of people were all men, they did not have quite as many taboos to worry about. Yet running and crawling naked along the cold, hard stone path while being blown and hurled about one after another was an utterly miserable experience. If two people happened to collide and fly through the air embraced in each other's arms, the sight would undoubtedly have been even harder to look at.

They had experienced the black wind once before, but it had never been this terrifying. After being blown and tossed through several violent somersaults out of the cave entrance, the few of them managed to huddle away in various hiding spots, barely clinging to life.

Physical torment was a minor matter; as for the extent of their psychological trauma, that remained unknown.

It was said that later, after the wind finally stopped, these individuals held a solemn Azure Ice Oath. Anyone who dared to leak word of this incident would cough up blood and die a miserable death without a peaceful end.

The Azure Ice Oath was the only type of oath within the Azure Ice World bound by the heavenly laws of Azure Ice, costing several thousand superior-grade spiritual stones each time it was cast.

To prevent the shameful and tragic truth from leaking, every single one of them bled a fortune from their pockets to pool together this sum of spiritual stones.

Of course, the period spent waiting for the black wind to subside was, for them, the darkest experience of their lives—an ordeal that lasted a full several hours.