Chapter 52: The Taiji Formation

The stone at the center of the Taiji symbol began to spin, and a faint sound of a flute seemed to echo in his ears, slipping into his mind unguarded, like the wails of lost souls and restless ghosts crying out beside him.

The deafening noise contorted their faces, yet standing within the circular indentation of the Taiji, they could still feel the fierce wind whipping at their clothes.

Xuan Yue’s expression changed drastically; his sturdy body could not withstand the pressure and stumbled backward.

After a moment, the eerie wind and cries gradually ceased.

Xuan Yue opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing within them.

The stone before him, now surrounded by a whirlwind, charged directly at him.

He lifted both feet and firmly planted them on the ground, clasped his hands together with palms facing outward, and channeled his inner energy from his dantian throughout his body.

In the blink of an eye, his palms had already caught the stone.

His face turned grim as his body bent into a bow shape; with his hands holding the stone close to his chest, he made a clockwise rotation and returned to the center. Then, with a thrust of his arms, inner energy surged explosively through his meridians.

The stone, streaming with radiant light, shot back to its original spot, bouncing in the air as if mocking Xuan Yue.

Squinting, Xuan Yue watched as the stone spun in the air with a strangely human-like grace, seemingly turning itself around and then darting toward a hollowed-out cave opposite.

Seeing this, Xuan Yue furrowed his brows sharply, slowly withdrawing his arms. Each palm bore a black semicircle; when joined together, they perfectly matched the stone’s outline.

Ignoring everything else, Xuan Yue sprinted toward the hollow.

Suddenly, a chaotic noise erupted in his ears. He raised an eyebrow as rubble fell from above the cave opening. Surveying his surroundings, he noticed that the four once unbreakable pillars were now covered with dense, intricate patterns, as if slashed by swords or inscribed with sharp blades.

Stones continually cascaded from the cave ceiling, and some mysterious, eerie force caused Xuan Yue’s complexion to shift dramatically. The black marks at the center of his palms began to radiate heat.

Gritting his teeth, he released the black stains from his palms. They stuck to the sheer cliff walls nearby as he darted toward another indentation deep within the cave.

Signs of recent artificial excavation were evident around him. The cave seemed bottomless. Only when Xuan Yue exhaled the breath he had been holding did he see the exit.

He had maintained intense concentration throughout his descent, holding his breath—a skill he, as a master, could sustain for about fifteen minutes. He was surprised the cave extended so far; he almost ran out of air.

If he ran full speed, it would still take nearly fifteen minutes. He could cover three thousand miles in that time, and the cave’s length barely matched that distance.

If a single person were to dig this cave, how long would it take?

Outside was pitch black. Looking around, layered contours stretched boundlessly.

Countless tiny white specks floated in the sky, faintly illuminating the surroundings. They were halfway up a mountain peak; looking down, lush green trees were dusted with snow, tinted like sugar-coated candy, sweet and inviting.

The stone they had been chasing had long vanished, and Xuan Yue blinked, spotting a hollow leading into a forest.

“That’s a forbidden area!” someone beside him warned.

“According to records, it should be a meteorite!”

“A meteorite forbidden zone!” Xuan Yue frowned. “Let’s go check it out!”

The Kilimanjaro forest was perilous in the dark night, but thankfully, the white snow lit the woods. Though the snow lowered the temperature, Xuan Yue and his companions felt no fear.

“He has already adapted to the Blue Planet’s environment,” a man dressed in black said solemnly, facing a stone pillar.

“Every time, he charges ahead first, but this time he stumbled!” a floating stone emitted an eerie voice.

Had Xuan Yue been there, he would have noticed that this stone could indeed produce sound.

“But every time, his gains have been proportional to his efforts!” the man in black said gravely.

“This time, it might not be so,” came the reply.

“How so?” the man in black inquired.

“This time, his life force was shattered by someone, and his memories lost. How can he recover? Even if he does, the Blue Planet will have already been punished by us!”

“But he is still our zero!”

“Yet he cannot return to the Genesis! He is bound to the Blue Planet, and we cannot find him!”

Suddenly, the patterns on the floating stone’s surface began to glow brightly.

“I see.”