Immortals of the End Times

Within the Tiannan Secret Realm, Zhao Wuji gazed at the two beams of light that had been deciphered from the Yin-Yang Pearl within his sea of ​​consciousness, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes.

"The Soul-Chasing Technique and the Soul-Seizing Technique have finally been revealed."

After more than a month of arduous study and contemplation, he finally deciphered the two techniques completely.

At this moment, all four sets of spells within the fourth Yin Bead have been fully displayed, leaving no gaps, while the fourth Yang Bead only has two spells remaining.

With a slight thought, Zhao Wuji unleashed the "Soul-Chasing Technique," and a wisp of ghostly light burst forth from his fingertips.

Once this technique is used...

It can lock the enemy's soul across thousands or even tens of thousands of miles, making it difficult for them to escape tracking no matter where they hide.

Whether it's breaking illusions or attracting lost souls, it's all as easy as taking candy from a baby.

"Soul-capturing technique!"

His eyes sharpened.

Two eerie lights suddenly surged from his eyes, like captivating vortexes that made one's heart tremble.

This technique is extremely powerful and can forcibly seize the soul of another person.

At best, it can cause someone to lose consciousness and become completely subservient to it.

In severe cases, it can lead to the complete annihilation of the soul.

Furthermore, it possesses the ability to manipulate minds, making it arguably the most advanced puppetry technique.

If it directly attacks the soul, it can ignore the body's defenses and even includes dangerous methods such as extracting and devouring the soul to strengthen the spirit.

"This technique is quite similar to the art of exorcising spirits."

Zhao Wuji thought to himself.

If used in conjunction with the three arts of Spirit Communication, Soul Chasing, and Spirit Exorcism.

It is a supreme set of techniques specifically designed to subdue ghosts and spirits.

"In that case..."

He flipped his palm, revealing a Gu worm pill that contained Yang Xiong's nascent soul. "It's time to move on to the next step."

Zhao Wuji's eyes were cold, his two fingers pressed together like a sword.

Suddenly, he made a hand seal and pointed at the Gu worm pill that sealed Yang Xiong's nascent soul.

"Exorcise the spirits!"

The exorcism technique, with its golden light like chains, pierced through the insect core in an instant, binding and restraining the withered nascent soul within.

"Soul Chaser!"

A wisp of light burst forth from his fingertips, burrowing deep into the Nascent Soul's Purple Mansion like a venomous snake, precisely locking onto the hidden divine soul.

"Soul Capture!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes suddenly lit up, his pupils swirling like vortexes.

The Soul-Seizing Technique's dark light surged, transforming into an invisible giant hand that clenched tightly!
"what!!"

Yang Xiong's soul let out a shrill scream, as if it were being torn apart by a thousand knives, twisting and deforming amidst the intertwining of golden light and ghostly radiance.

"Young man! Who...who exactly are you!?"

The soul screamed in terror, struggling as fragments of memory flickered like a revolving lantern within the spell.

He, a dignified Nascent Soul True Monarch, had his soul extracted and his spirit refined by a Golden Core cultivator using such bizarre methods. Such supernatural power is definitely not something an ordinary cultivator can possess!
"If you want to know, I can satisfy you. I am the one who does not change my name or surname, the Old Ancestor of Tiannan."

Zhao Wuji smiled faintly, then suddenly clenched his five fingers.

"Swallow the soul!"

"Do not!!"

In despair, Yang Xiong's soul was completely devoured by the dark light, eventually transforming into an extremely pure Xuan Yin soul power, which flowed into Zhao Wuji's ancestral aperture between his eyebrows like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

"boom!"

A monstrous divine wave surged within Zhao Wuji's Purple Mansion, and the fluctuations of his soul power increased dramatically.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the five core divine thoughts were bathed in sweet rain, and profound Dao patterns even appeared on the originally illusory surface of the thought cores.

The power of divine sense increased rapidly at a visible speed. The vast galaxy of divine sense, which was originally comparable to the perfect Golden Core stage, now transformed into a surging galaxy that roared and grew as large as a river.

Five divine dragons could be vaguely seen rising from the Niwan Palace, stirring up the clouds and mist in the sea of ​​consciousness, and even the three inches above the crown of the head showed translucent ripples of divine soul.

"His divine sense flows like a river, manifesting extraordinary phenomena; this is already a sign that he is about to condense his nascent soul and primordial spirit."

Zhao Wuji was astonished.

But what followed was a massive amount of complex memories.

The secrets of the Yang family, the method of refining Xiang Yu's right arm, and collusion with the demon alliance.
Too many distracting thoughts.

Zhao Wuji frowned slightly and immediately made a hand seal.

"Drive away the spirits, suppress them!"

The exorcism technique, with its golden light like heavenly fire, swept away all the mixed memories in the soul.

Only a small portion of key information about Xiang Yu's remains, the Demon Alliance, and the Immortal Martial Sect remained; the rest vanished into thin air.
"call"

He exhaled a long breath, and the golden light in his eyes gradually faded.

The more details extracted from Yang Xiong's memories made his gaze narrow slightly.

The information sifted through this complex memory directly pinpointed the key pieces of information concerning the Immortal Martial Sect and the remains of King Xiang.

It turns out that after losing the support of the Demon Lord, Yang Xiong secretly colluded with the Immortal Martial Sect, intending to join forces to seize the Wang family.

The Immortal Martial Sect provided him with millennium-old Xuanqing bamboo to heal his injuries and help him recover.

"Immortal Martial Sect!"

A cold smile appeared on Zhao Wuji's lips, and a chilling glint flashed in his eyes.

He was naturally familiar with this old rival.

With Yang Xiong dead, Yan Haoyang, the sect leader of the Immortal Martial Sect, and Shi Xingyao, the Supreme Elder of the Immortal Martial Sect, will surely be restless and will probably come to "visit" them in the coming days to find out the truth.

"but."

Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes slightly.

If given the chance, he wouldn't mind taking care of this old enemy as well.

But now is not the best time.

Yan Haoyang is easy to talk to, since he hasn't broken through to the Nascent Soul stage yet.

However, the Supreme Elder Shi Xingyao was at the Nascent Soul stage, and was not as powerful as Yang Xiong.

This old monster was a genuine martial arts practitioner with formidable combat power, and he was uninjured.

Yang Xiong's greatest asset was Xiang Yu's right arm, but he had already taken it during their previous duel.

Even so, it took a tremendous amount of effort to kill that old dog.

Shi Xingyao's strength lies in his unparalleled martial arts prowess, making him extremely difficult to deal with.

"Let's stall for now. If we really can't hold out any longer, I can use the Disguise Technique to transform into Yang Xiong and communicate with him."

"Once I break through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, I will completely refine Xiang Yu's right arm and then face that old bastard again!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes were deep and unfathomable; he already had a plan in mind.

The most urgent task is still to focus on cultivation and improve one's strength.

In contrast, the clues about Xiang Yu's mutilated body in Yang Xiong's memory were more interesting to him.

All the clues converged on an ancient painting that had been passed down through generations of the Yang family.

In the scene, Xiang Yu, with disheveled hair and covered in blood, stares angrily at the sky with his single eye open, wielding his Overlord Halberd.

And above the sky
It wasn't just that cold and ruthless single eye of the Heavenly Dao.

Two more blurry figures, bound by chains, emerged from the clouds, descending upon the mortal realm with overwhelming divine might.

Although the faces of the two figures were not clearly visible, they exuded a suffocating sense of oppression.

It is as if the images in the painting alone can make the viewer's soul tremble.

"Invincible under heaven, yet an enemy comes from the sky?!"

Zhao Wuji was shaken, recalling the scene he had witnessed in the Zixiao Palace of Wudang Mountain in the Immortal Saint Sect.

After Zhang Zhenren ascended to the heavens, he also saw chains, as if powerful enemies existed in the clouds.

Now, the secrets passed down in the Yang family suggest that Xiang Yu's defeat was not simply due to the will of Heaven, but rather that a powerful being from the heavens intervened!
The two chained figures descending from the heavens in the scene are definitely not ordinary cultivators.

These two eerie beings, their bodies entangled in ancient runic chains, seemed to be bound by some powerful force.

One of the chained figures was slain by Xiang Yu with his Overlord Halberd; its body shattered and dissipated into a cloud of black mist.

The other figure's chains were severed by Xiang Yu, and after breaking free of his restraints, he disappeared into the clouds and mist, his whereabouts unknown.

"Bound by chains, a powerful figure seized the opportunity to break free. Who was that person? And where is he now?"

Zhao Wuji pondered in his heart.

In the final scene, after Xiang Yu slays one of the chained figures, he himself is also greatly exhausted.

Ultimately, he was struck by the Heavenly Punishment Thunder of the One-Eyed Heavenly Dao, fell to the mortal realm, and was then surrounded by the chaotic army.

"Xiang Yu first fought against a powerful enemy from heaven, then suffered divine punishment, was surrounded after exhausting his strength, and finally committed suicide."

He frowned slightly, deep in thought.

"No wonder Xiang Yu's remains still possess such power. Perhaps his strength is something that some being in the heavens fears and targets?"

Zhao Wuji's eyes were deep, and he had a vague guess in his heart.

The appearance of those two chained figures in the ancient paintings passed down by the Yang family.

This may mean that the Heavenly Dao is not the only enemy above the Nine Heavens, but rather there exists a more complex situation.

Where did the figure who broke free of the chains go afterward?

He felt a little nervous.

I have a vague feeling that this matter may be related to the depletion of spiritual energy in later generations.

However, there are too few clues at the moment, so we can only make a note of them and wait for the truth to be revealed in the future.

Zhao Wuji looked at the Gu worm pill in his palm.

Now, within the Gu Insect Pill, only a mass of unclaimed Nascent Soul power remains, pure as crystal, with no trace of Yang Xiong remaining.

However, this Nascent Soul power is slowly dissipating due to the loss of the soul.

Zhao Wuji made a hand seal with his fingertips, and the Pill Manipulation Technique was unleashed.

With a soft "click," the pill opened, and the Dragon Scale Gu Worm hummed and scattered into a golden light, which he then put into his sleeve.

Yang Xiong's nascent soul was immediately exposed in the void, its dim purple light like a candle flickering in the wind, and strands of primordial spirit blood seeping from the spiderweb-like cracks on its surface.

"cut!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes flashed with golden light, and he pointed his fingers like a sword at his brow, using the Divine Exorcism Technique to separate his own consciousness.

"laugh!"

A wisp of brilliant divine consciousness was forcibly extracted like a golden thread, and the excruciating pain felt like a thousand needles piercing his dantian, instantly turning his face deathly pale.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the five core divine senses trembled simultaneously.

The originally dazzling light suddenly dimmed a bit.

The divine power, which had been surging like a great river, weakened by another 30%, causing the entire Purple Mansion to tremble.

Fortunately, the nourishment from absorbing Yang Xiong's soul was still there.

This damage is still within a controllable range and has not shaken the foundation.

Zhao Wuji dared not delay, and quickly formed hand seals, his fingertips flashing with spiritual light.

The spirit runes of the exorcism technique coiled around the wisp of divine consciousness like a golden cocoon, firmly enveloping it and stabilizing its form to prevent it from dissipating.

"go with!"

He gave a low shout.

That wisp of divine consciousness transformed into a golden stream of light, like a shooting star falling to earth, and instantly disappeared into the Nascent Soul's Purple Mansion.

"Boom!" In an instant, the vast power of the Nascent Soul swept over, and the violent true energy surged like a raging sea.

Zhao Wuji felt as if his separated divine consciousness was like a lone boat adrift in the sea, tossed about by towering waves.

Each wave of true energy that crashed in shook his divine consciousness, causing it to tremble and nearly collapse.

"town!"

He gritted his teeth and shouted sharply, changing the hand seals again.

The golden light of the exorcism technique suddenly erupted within the Nascent Soul's Purple Mansion, transforming into a profound array that forcefully opened up a stable sea of ​​consciousness between the raging Nascent Soul's eyebrows.

In an instant, the pure primordial spirit power that was about to dissipate was drawn together and gathered.

It attaches itself to the newly formed sea of ​​consciousness, constantly nourishing and growing stronger.

This gradually stabilized the power of divine consciousness, and even showed a subtle tendency to give back to it.

"It's finally resolved!"

Zhao Wuji breathed a sigh of relief. After gaining initial control of his nascent soul, he did not hesitate to control it to fly towards the demon tree.

He controls the heartwood of towering trees.

The trunk split open into a deep, dark hole, as if opening a giant mouth to swallow the nascent soul.

"boom!!"

The moment the nascent soul entered the tree's core, the entire demon tree trembled violently. Dark purple demonic patterns appeared on its black bark, and its branches and leaves danced wildly like giant pythons, lashing out at the void with a "crackling" sound.

Zhao Wuji's consciousness trembled violently, and for a moment he seemed to connect with the demon tree through his senses.

The roots spread out underground like writhing dragons, and each leaf became an extended limb.

However, the fusion of the Nascent Soul power and the wooden meridians was still somewhat sluggish. The demonic tree's spiritual power would sometimes surge dramatically, as if a Nascent Soul True Monarch had descended, and at other times it would plummet back to the late Golden Core stage.
It even contained a strong demonic aura, making its aura complex and difficult to discern. Although it was easy to control, it still felt somewhat stiff.

"rise!"

With a slight thought, Zhao Wuji sent out three thick tree branches that suddenly pierced through the mountain rocks a hundred feet away like giant spears, sending up a shower of rubble.

"Using a nascent soul to reside within the tree's heart and control it as an avatar is indeed feasible; however, it doesn't seem to be quite harmonious yet."

Just as he was about to examine it closely, the fourth Yang Pearl suddenly trembled violently within his sea of ​​consciousness, and the second set of tadpole-shaped characters, like an inverted galaxy, suddenly became bright.
"It must be the clone technique!"

Although the newly emerged tadpole-like script has not been fully deciphered, Zhao Wuji is already certain that it must be the technique of 'cloning'.

"As I continue to refine the tree demon clone and allow my nascent soul to merge seamlessly with it, this technique will naturally come to fruition, and may even help the tree demon clone reach the true strength of the nascent soul level."

Zhao Wuji clenched his fist, and the main trunk of the demon tree immediately glowed with bright purple patterns. He was controlling the three dragon-like branches to lash out in the air.

Suddenly, his eyebrows twitched slightly, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

With absolute control over the Tiannan Secret Realm, a familiar figure swept across my heart like a gentle breeze.

Li Shiyu's spiritual energy fluctuations rippled outwards from the entrance of the secret realm, transforming into streaks of light that swept in almost instantly.

This usually majestic empress was dressed casually in a moon-white robe.

Her flowing sleeves fluttered in the wind, and the silk sash at her waist perfectly outlined her graceful figure.

She gracefully landed beneath the demon tree, and upon seeing Zhao Wuji's figure, her slender fingers lightly twirled her flowing black hair. Her lips pouted slightly: "Zhao Lang, now that you are the number one swordsman of the Qilin Sword Sect, you've probably forgotten that in this little corner of Tiannan, there's a young woman waiting for you day and night."

Before she could finish speaking, she felt a lightness around her as Zhao Wuji chuckled and pulled her into his arms. "Is Your Majesty upset that I've neglected you?"

"You rebellious subject."

Li Shiyu scoffed, her imperial majesty completely vanished, and lightly punched his chest with her fist: "Who gave you permission to be so unruly when we meet... um."

The unspoken words were suddenly sealed away.

Suddenly, the trunk of the demon tree behind them glowed with a lustrous purple light, and its branches hung down like a curtain, enveloping the two figures in a misty spiritual fog, creating a private world.

The jade hairpin in Li Shiyu's hair had slipped out at some point, and her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, covering the grass. Her collarbone, as if made of solidified cream, was slightly open at the neckline of her robe.

"Six years and you've only reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm?"

Zhao Wuji's fingertips brushed across her dantian, causing her delicate body to tremble slightly: "It's alright, you should be breaking through to the late stage soon, but... it seems that Your Majesty's cultivation is still not diligent enough."

"It's clearly your fault as the senior disciple for failing to provide proper guidance."

Li Shiyu's eyes were as shimmering as spring water, and she suddenly bit her lip and groaned.

Three demonic tree branches, like serpents, coiled around her ankles, channeling spiritual energy that flowed through her meridians, surprising her greatly.

The next day.

The glow of the sunset faded.

Li Shiyu nestled lazily in Zhao Wuji's arms, her long black hair cascading down like a waterfall. Suddenly, she furrowed her brows slightly and said, "Why were those branches so unruly and causing such trouble?"

Zhao Wuji felt that half of the spiritual potential along his spine was already emitting purple light.

The rich purple-gold color flowed like a river of stars, and he couldn't help but chuckle with satisfaction: "I have already refined this demon tree. I was just adding to the fun earlier to let you see it."

"Don't do it again next time."

Li Shiyu's ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed, her slender fingers gently gathered her disheveled hair, and her slightly swollen lips still held a hint of alluring moisture.

Suddenly, her eyes flickered, and she whispered, "Unless... you bring Zhixia with you next time."

"Hahaha!" Zhao Wuji laughed loudly, and after agreeing, he stroked the spiritual patterns on her back with his fingertips.

Seeing that seventy percent of the spiritual aptitude had turned into purple, like the morning glow reflecting on snow, one couldn't help but exclaim, "This method of enhancing spiritual aptitude is truly profound."

Not to mention Li Shiyu's improvement, his own spiritual talent has increased from Qingxia to half of Ziguang, which has increased his spellcasting speed by at least three times.

The speed of cultivation and the speed of spiritual energy recovery also increase several times or even ten times.

However, in the vast land of Kyushu, though ordinary people are as numerous as sand, a woman like Li Shiyu, who possesses both the Xuan Yin Body and the Golden Radiance Spiritual Talent, is still one in a million.

It's even more difficult than finding a pearl in the ocean.

This woman was indeed a bluebird who relentlessly pursued his sword light until death.

Let Li Shiyu take the opportunity to cultivate in the Tiannan Secret Realm for a longer period of time, and leave after breaking through to the late stage of the Condensation Realm.

Zhao Wuji himself flashed away and quietly left the secret realm, returning to the Qilin Sword Sect for quiet cultivation.

With everything now settled, he sat cross-legged in his cave on Qingyu Peak, his mind focused on the Yin-Yang Pearl, deducing the progress of his cultivation.

"With my current progress in cultivating immortality, if I follow the steps and the conventional methods, I will be able to achieve my goals."

Before the ancient sword domain opened, it's likely that even their cultivation level would be difficult to break through to the late Golden Core stage.

"On the other hand, Wu Xiandao's progress is rapid. If he can use some demon blood and demon cores to cultivate, he may be able to break through to the late stage of the True Form Realm when he enters the Ancient Sword Domain."

Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered slightly as he thought of those beastly friends.

"Unfortunately, Golden Core Demon Kings are quite cunning now, making them difficult to hunt. I wonder if Little Jade Fox and Xiong Ba have made any progress?"

Just as he was pondering this, a clang of sword energy suddenly rang out outside the cave, indicating that a guest had arrived.

He scanned the area outside the cave with his divine sense.

But outside, seven sword cultivators stood tall like pine trees.

The three at the front wore elders' cloud-patterned sword robes, while the four disciples behind them all carried sword cases. They were all holding their breath and not daring to even flutter their robes.

"Elder Tang Zexin of Xuejian Peak, along with his disciples, requests an audience with Master Zhao, the First Swordsman."

The elderly man at the head of the group bowed deeply, his long, snow-white beard trembling in the wind: "I have been studying the 'Splitting Light Sword Technique' for thirty years, but I am still one step away from mastering it. I hope Your Highness can give me some pointers."

The two middle-aged elders behind him bowed at the same time, and the one on the left presented a gilded sword box: "This is a sword pellet forged from Northern Darkness Cold Iron, as a token of our appreciation."

The female cultivator on the right presented a jade pot: "Millennial Misty Peak Spirit Tea can cleanse the sword heart. I hope True Person Zhao will accept it with a smile."

The four young disciples all knelt down on one knee.

The most handsome young man in white rested his forehead on the sword: "Disciple Mu Jianchen is willing to serve Your Highness with this sword for a year, just to see it once!"

"This group of people is truly sincere!"

Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow slightly.

This time he had some free time and could offer some guidance.

With a flick of his wide sleeves, the stone gate burst open with a roar.

Everyone just felt a blur in front of their eyes.

Zhao Wuji's purple-gold figure was already standing outside the cave.

The Frosty Sword hovered three feet in front of him, its frost-like patterns reflecting off the surrounding grass and trees, making them appear as if covered in white frost.

"Since you've come to ask for my advice, then take a good look."

Zhao Wuji spoke succinctly, standing with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with an unfathomable sword intent.

"Look at the sword!"

The two words are like gold and jade striking each other.

With a casual flick of his wrist, the Frost Soul Flying Sword traced a mysterious trajectory in the air, and as the blade trembled slightly, it split into twelve ice rainbows.

Each sword light's trajectory subtly corresponded to the celestial constellations, yet they all converged into one just before touching the center of everyone's brows.

The sword light seemed to contain countless variations as it differentiated, yet it returned to its original simplicity, pointing directly to the essence of swordsmanship.

"Qiang!"

As the echo of the sword's cry lingered, Elder Tang's sword suddenly drew three inches from its sheath on its own. Sensing a higher level of sword intent, the natal sword spontaneously sharpened its blade.

"I see!"

The female swordsman exclaimed in surprise, as if she had grasped something, "The so-called 'splitting light and transforming shadows' is not a change in sword moves, but rather..."

She pointed her fingers together to form a sword, and wisps of sword energy emanated from her fingertips and danced around.

If you encounter a swordsman on the road, you must present your sword.

Watching Zhao Wuji's insightful and comprehensive guidance on swordsmanship, the sword cultivators felt their minds clear and their previously obscure thoughts suddenly became clear, as if enlightened by a sudden awakening, and they gained a great deal of understanding.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness!"

Finally, everyone was convinced and bowed respectfully, offering their gifts.

"good!"

Zhao Wuji nodded slightly, secretly praising these people for their good manners.

A gentle breeze suddenly swept through his sleeve, and the sword pellet and the spirit tea vanished without a trace.

As he turned around, he said calmly:

"If anyone else wishes to see the sword, they may come again tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM)."

Not long after.

The news that "the First Sword Master, Tian Qilin, has emerged from seclusion to instruct on the way of swordsmanship" spread like wildfire throughout the sect.

This attracted even more sword cultivators to flock to the area and take up advantageous positions in advance.

Outside the cave of the First Sword Master, figures quickly appeared, and sword energy surged like a tide, as if ten thousand swords were paying homage.

Many disciples did not intend to compete for a spot in the Nine Provinces Sword Cultivation Grand Tournament, but they still longed to receive guidance from the First Sword Master.

This is a golden opportunity.

Zhao Wuji simply opened his cave for seven consecutive days to discuss swordsmanship and offer guidance, attracting fellow cultivators from the peak to come and seek his instruction like a swarm of locusts crossing a river.

Soon, the summit was filled with sword energy amidst the clouds, and occasionally, those who had an epiphany would let out a long roar and break through their cultivation realm.

More cultivators arrived on their swords, but there were no better spots to observe the swords; they could only watch from mid-air.

In just seven days, the grand occasion of Tian Qilin's guidance on swordsmanship spread like wildfire throughout the sect, making its reputation even greater.

However, by the time of Yin on the eighth day, Zhao Wuji was demonstrating the wonder of "Sword Qi Thunder Sound" to his thirty-sixth disciple.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, in the dream realm constructed by the Dream Marriage Technique, Yang Su suddenly transmitted his urgent dream message:
"My lord! Yan Haoyang, the sect leader of the Immortal Martial Sect, has come to visit and declared that he will not leave until he sees the patriarch. I can no longer stop him. He seems to have sensed something."

"Yan Haoyang is indeed arrogant."

The sword finger suddenly retracted, and countless sword shadows, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, disappeared into the Cold Soul Sword.

Zhao Wuji, dressed in a purple-gold unicorn robe that fluttered without wind, stood calmly in front of the cave entrance and said to the crowd who were still comprehending the sword intent, "Everyone, the sword competition we have been holding for the past few days ends here. I have other matters to attend to. Please leave!"

Without waiting for a response, he turned and stepped into the cave. As his sleeves billowed, a gust of wind rose, and the stone door of the cave behind him slammed shut with a loud bang.

To completely shut out those bewildered, regretful, and even disappointed glances.

In the backyard of the cave, the eerie light of the teleportation array suddenly shone brightly. (End of Chapter)