He curiously glanced around the clearing. The safe zone was much larger than he had anticipated, stretching out into a wide open field surrounded by towering trees that seemed to form a natural barrier against the dense mist.
“We should take a look around first,” Shen Yuan said with a thoughtful tone. “If there’s an artifact here, it’s likely hidden somewhere in this clearing.”
Han Qingyu looked at him in confusion, “But wouldn’t it have been discovered by the other cultivators if it was here?”
Shen Yuan lightly smiled at her words, “If it was that easy to find, then of course it would have been found by now.”
Wan Ling’s eyes lit up, “Are you saying it is being protected or hidden by something?”
Shen Yuan looked at the giant trees which seemed to be planted in a particular order before saying, “Let’s take a look around.”
Han Qingyu nodded her head. “Let’s split up and search. If you find anything out of place here, call out.”
Wan Ling agreed, unsheathing her sword just in case. “Be careful. Even if this is a safe zone, we can’t assume there won’t be traps or other dangers such as cultivators or bandits.” Stay updated via empire
Shen Yuan smiled, seeing the two of them being cautious as he also walked towards a different direction than the two of them.
“Hmm, let’s see whose luck will be better this time around.” Shen Yuan softly muttered while smiling slightly.
…
Wan Ling went towards the eastern side of the clearing, her sword faintly glowing with Radiant Qi as she gripped it tightly.
Her eyes scanned the area carefully, searching for anything unusual. As she moved, the faint hum of the Thunder Qi in the air grew slightly louder.
She abruptly stopped in her tracks, her gaze locking onto a patch of ground surrounded by towering trees.
Unlike the rest of the clearing, this particular spot seemed out of place. The trees were unnaturally longer than the rest of the trees despite being close together, their bark seemed to be infused with thunder essence.
“Senior Brother! Sister Han! Over here!” Wan Ling called out, her voice echoing through the quiet clearing.
Shen Yuan raised his head as her voice reached him, “Oh? Wan Ling as the lucky one?”
[You need to go there to confirm it.]
“Heh, I’m sure it’s the right place.” He shook his head as his thunder affinity was pulling him towards that direction, but since Wan Ling had already gone there, he didn’t want to rob her of her opportunity to perform excellently.
Han Qingyu also approached after hearing her voice. As she saw the two of them approaching, she pointed at the strange circle of trees, “This place feels… different. Like it’s disturbing the balance of this clearing.”
Shen Yuan’s gaze sharpened as he observed the area. He stepped closer, his Thunder Qi subtly resonating with the energy emanating from the trees.
After a moment of silence, he smiled faintly. “This isn’t just a random spot. It’s a naturally formed formation.”
Han Qingyu furrowed her brows, gripping her spear tightly. “A naturally formed formation? What does that mean?”
“It’s rare,” Shen Yuan began, crouching near the edge of the circle to inspect the ground. “Formations like this are usually man-made, crafted to guard, trap, or enhance something. But sometimes, in places rich with Spiritual Qi, nature itself shapes formations over time. This one seems to have grown around the Thunder Qi. It’s like this part of the forest has been severed from the rest, shielded by the laws.”
Wan Ling tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. “Does that mean there’s something inside worth protecting?”
Shen Yuan nodded. “Most likely. And judging by the intensity of the Thunder Qi here, it’s probably related to lightning. The formation is designed to keep intruders out.”
Han Qingyu looked at the crackling air, her expression thoughtful. “Then how do we get in?”
Shen Yuan stood up straight and said with a confident smirk. “Leave that to me. I’ll use my spatial skills to bypass the barrier.”
Wan Ling’s eyes widened slightly. “Spatial skills? I’ve heard of cultivators with those abilities, but they’re incredibly rare. You have Spatial Skills, Senior Brother? But weren’t you a thunder cultivator? Or Fire? I thought you had Fire and Thunder as Dual Elements.”
Han Qingyu’s eyes opened in shock as well. It was not every day that they heard of the legendary Spatial Cultivators after all. “I have heard that Spatial Cultivators are so rare that an entire zone might not even have a single one. You are truly incredible, Brother Yuan.”
But her voice turned worried as she looked at the invisible formation, “Are you sure you can handle it? What if the formation reacts aggressively?”
Shen Yuan chuckled softly and looked at Wan Ling, “Haha, I have more secrets than you guys can count. No need to get so shocked.”
His gaze then turned to Han Qingyu, “As for the formation, I will just improvise if something happens.”
Taking a deep breath, Shen Yuan focused his Qi, activating the Void Steps technique.
His body shimmered briefly as his spatial Qi intertwined with the natural energy of the barrier. With precise control, he placed his foot forward, stepping into the barrier. The air around him rippled like water disturbed by a pebble.
The barrier seemed to sense someone intruding inside as it began rippling softly, faint arcs of lightning sparkled against his Spatial Qi as the resistance increased, but Shen Yuan improvised.
Using Spatial Distortion, he bent the fabric of space around him, creating a narrow passage through the formation’s defenses.
Slowly, he passed through the barrier, disappearing from Han Qingyu’s and Wan Ling’s view.
Once inside the barrier, the air grew thicker with Thunder Qi, crackling softly in the silence. Shen Yuan found himself in a smaller clearing surrounded by tall, blue-tinged trees in a circle.
At the center of the clearing, embedded in the ground stood a spear. Its dark shaft pulsed faintly with energy, while arcs of lightning flashed past its surface, illuminating the ground surrounding it.
Shen Yuan’s eyes lit up as his gaze landed on the spear, “Damn, that’s a cool spear.”
He cautiously approached the spear, the hum of the weapon growing louder with each step. “So this is what created this formation,” he softly murmured while looking at the sleek body of the spear, “A Thunder Spear.”
The energy emanating from the weapon was powerful and wild, but Shen Yuan could sense something more—a consciousness, faintly present inside the spear.
The spear had a weapon spirit, his eyes lit up as even his own Crimson Devourer had not reached such a level yet. “A WEAPON SPIRIT!”
He walked forward and reached out to grab the spear.
ZAPP!
His hand flung back as the Thunder Spear refused to allow someone unworthy to wield it.
Raising an eyebrow, he calmed down and looked at the spear again, “You’re a proud one, huh?”
Thunder Qi seemed to be getting exuded from his body as his eyes focused on the dark body of the spear, “Don’t worry, I’m not here to take you forcefully. I will show you what I’m made of.”