Everyone ascended, but I didn't get on board

Chapter 208 Autumn's Speculation

Qiu Ci and Juan Shan were both at the peak of the Celestial Realm. Although there were many strange beasts in front of them, their cultivation was sufficient to handle them. A sky full of sword light and magical energy appeared, and in less than a quarter of an hour, the continuous horde of beasts had dwindled by more than half.

However, the possessed beasts had no fear, only the instinct to attack. So even though the surroundings were piled high with corpses, the horde of beasts behind them still charged forward recklessly. If this continued, it would never end.

"Master," Juanshan called out worriedly, reminding him, "the demonic energy here seems to be increasing."

Qiu Ci looked around and found that it was indeed the case. Unconsciously, the surroundings became darker and darker, and the cold and dark aura was everywhere. If they had not taken precautions in advance, they would probably have been affected by the demonic energy and lost their minds like the strange beasts in front of them.

She grabbed the still whimpering dog system and pulled it back into her sea of ​​consciousness, saying in a deep voice, "Put Xiao Er away and leave this place."

Juanshan was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted, also taking Xiao Er into his sea of ​​consciousness and shielding himself from external senses. Sure enough, the beast horde, which had been intently watching the two attack, seemed momentarily confused, as if they had suddenly lost their target.

"go!"

Seizing their opportunity, the two leaped away into the distance. Their speed was incredible; in the blink of an eye, they had already shaken off the pack of beasts behind them. Unlike before, this time the pack did not pursue them.

"Master, what exactly is going on?" Juanshan, having also noticed something, asked in shock, "Could it be that the beasts that were chasing us just now were Lord Xingchen?"

“That’s right.” Qiu Ci nodded directly to confirm his guess before explaining, “I’ve been wondering why the temple would gather so many system owners, and why the bishop and priest were so sure that I would join them.”

The few people she had encountered who were bound to systems all became arrogant and self-important after believing themselves to be the chosen ones. Cultivation techniques, magical treasures, and spiritual power were all within their grasp, and becoming an immortal was a certainty. They were the people most afraid of others discovering the existence of their systems. They would never share them with anyone, and even if they were accidentally exposed, they would only want to kill each other to silence them.

However, the temple has more than thirty people bound to the system, and they can get along harmoniously, which is completely abnormal.

"Unless, they share common interests or... are enemies?" Juanshan also thought of this, his eyes widening suddenly. "Could it be because of demonic energy!"

Qiu Ci nodded. "I wasn't sure before, but the beast horde just now was clearly targeting the system. That means people bound to the system are more vulnerable to attacks from chaotic matter. They were certain we couldn't handle it and could only help the temple." That's why so many people bound to the system went to the temple; they must have known this too.

"So, the temple has a way to deal with this demonic energy?" Juanshan asked.

"Not necessarily," Qiu Ci shook his head and said, "If they really had a way, they wouldn't have built those city walls here."

"Then why..."

"There should only be a way to temporarily block the dark currents." She just didn't know what the way was, and the dog system had said that chaotic matter could not be eliminated at all, only sealed. Even Blue Star couldn't do it, so she didn't believe the temple would have a way.

"Did the Venerable Master come here just to confirm this?" Juanshan asked.

“It’s not just that.” Qiu Ci pointed to the still dim sky in the distance and said, “You also saw the power of these chaotic substances, but the dog system said that Blue Star has permanently sealed the chaotic substances. Since it’s permanent, it shouldn’t be allowed to escape again. But now it’s here, and coincidentally, the temple has a way to temporarily suppress it.”

Juanshan was taken aback, her brows furrowing immediately. "What you mean is that the temple is very likely the one that released the demonic energy. They broke the seal that the people of Blue Star made, causing the seal to be damaged." "It's unlikely to have been damaged." She pondered for a moment before continuing, "I think they must have taken something, which is why they released the demonic energy."

"Could it be something used to suppress demonic energy?" That's why the temple had a way to suppress demonic energy.

“I’m just guessing,” Qiu Ci continued, “but there must be something wrong with the place where it was sealed, which is why the chaotic matter escaped. Of course, there’s also the most important point.”

She paused, then said seriously, "Where do you think it would be that contains something to suppress demonic energy and permanently seal away chaotic matter?"

“…The base!” Juanshan blurted out, his eyes lighting up immediately.

Qiu Ci nodded. This was why she needed to rush to the far north; the location of their next base was very likely the place where the chaotic matter was sealed. She hadn't understood why the system hadn't been able to find the base's coordinates since they arrived on the Divine Radiance Continent.

Back then, whether in Lin Yuan or Lan Ru Continent, the system could find the approximate location even without specific coordinates. Only in Shen Hui Continent were there no clues at all. Now, looking back, the only possibility is interference from chaotic matter, which can transform order into disorder, making it impossible for the dog-like system to find.

Judging from the scene just now where those demonized beasts kept chasing them, the chaotic matter might still have a natural restraint on the system.

"The place with the highest concentration of chaotic matter should be where the base is located," she said definitively.

"But..." Juanshan looked up at the increasingly dark terrain ahead, his face full of worry, and said, "This is just the outer perimeter, and the demonic energy has already infected so many strange beasts. If we continue to go deeper, perhaps we will also be affected?"

Qiu Ci was also aware of this. They were fine now because there wasn't too much chaotic matter here, and their protective spiritual energy was enough to block it. But if they went deeper, even they might not be able to defend themselves at all times, and who knew if there would be other dangers inside.

She thought for a moment, then calmly communicated with her mind, "Damn system, do you have any way to shield us from the influence of chaotic matter?"

[Master, Xiao Er and I both have built-in antivirus programs, but chaotic matter will affect our calculations, and can only block it for up to thirty minutes.]

"That's enough." Now that we're here, we need to find out if the base is really inside.

Qiu Ci casually set up a teleportation array on the spot to facilitate their teleportation out. Then, without hesitation, he flew towards the depths of the dark tide.

After retracting the system's light projection, the beasts indeed stopped chasing them. However, this also meant they couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the base, so they had to use their divine sense to search carefully.

“Master, this demonic energy seems to be able to block our divine sense from probing.” Juanshan immediately noticed the problem.

With their cultivation levels, their divine senses could normally cover the entire continent, but now it seemed as if something was blocking their view, and they could only see a radius of a few miles. Qiu Ci understood that this was the effect of the chaotic matter.

"Go check the place with the strongest aura first," she instructed in a deep voice. They only had half an hour, and whether or not they found the base by then, they had to retreat first.

If we really can't find one, then we'll have to go back to cooperating with the temple.