You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

"It does have many functions, including satellite positioning, environmental reconnaissance, and communication. With it, efficiency can be greatly improved when operating in such complex environments."

Liu Yu, Uncle Li, and several other True Immortals also tried them on. True Immortal Liu Yun closed his eyes to sense for a moment, then opened them, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Exquisite craftsmanship!"
To be able to integrate such complex functions into such a tiny creation, and to be able to control it directly with divine thought… the Special Administration Bureau truly has a wealth of capable people.”

Master Qianmo was even more amazed.

"Hey!

This thing is great! It's much more convenient than a voice transmission talisman, and it can even display maps! I love it!

Master Yude also nodded in approval.

"With this, communication, location and exploration are much more convenient, saving time and effort. It's really good."

Seeing that everyone was already familiar with the basic operations, Jiang He said seriously.

"Gentlemen, the target coordinates for this operation have all been entered into your 'Listening' detectors."

"Using the method you just sensed, you can use your mind to retrieve the 'mission coordinates' and see them."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately did as instructed. Sure enough, on the 3D map, in addition to the green dot representing themselves, there were five conspicuous gold markers scattered in different directions. The closest one was near the entrance to the deep valley below, while the other four were located in the east, south, west, and north directions, at varying distances.

"There are a total of five coordinate points, corresponding to the five sources of abnormal fluctuations that we have detected."

Jiang He pointed to the map and explained.

"The most intense fluctuations are in the deep valley below, where the entrance is about to open, attracting the majority of attention."

However, the other four points are equally important and cannot be ignored, especially since, based on preliminary reconnaissance, the 'Heavenly Alliance' and 'Dark Star' seem more interested in them. We must split up and seize as much intelligence and resources as possible.

He looked around at the crowd.

"Here, the Special Administration Bureau has me, Qiu Niu, Su Meng, Xing San, and four special operations team members."

The Qingwei Sect has Sect Leader Chen, Elder Liu, Uncle Li, and six True Persons. In total… sixteen people. I propose we split into three groups, each exploring one of the three coordinate points.

The remaining two locations will be monitored remotely by personnel remaining at the base. We will adjust our plans accordingly if any unusual activity is detected.

After a moment's thought, Chen Yang spoke.

“Sure. Several of our Qingwei Sect masters know each other well and work together seamlessly, so we can form a team. Uncle Li and I will be in one team.”

The remaining team will be composed of Minister Jiang and the members of your Special Administration Bureau, how about that?

"This allocation is very reasonable."

Jiang He nodded, then looked at Qiu Niu and the others.

“Qiu Niu, you are strong and experienced. Why don’t you team up with Sect Leader Chen and Uncle Li? You can look out for each other.”

Qiuniu immediately patted his chest and said.

“No problem! I’d love to work with Commander Chen and Senior Li!”

"it is good."

Jianghe then made the arrangements.

"Then I'll team up with Xing San, Su Meng, and Elder Liu, the four of us."

The remaining four special operations team members were divided into two groups of two, one following Liu Yun Zhenren's team and the other following Master Chen's team, respectively, to be responsible for communication support and some auxiliary work.

Does anyone have any objections?

Everyone readily agreed. Master Liuyun's team had six masters, making them a formidable force.

Chen Yang's team has Chen Yang, Uncle Li, Qiu Niu, plus two special agents, making them a top-tier combat force.

Although Jiang He's team only had four members, Jiang He himself was quite capable, Xing San was good at attacking, Su Meng assisted with reconnaissance, and Liu Yu was meticulous, making it a fairly well-balanced combination.

With the group assignments finalized, Jiang He gave his final instructions.

"Remember, the 'listening' detector is our lifeline. In any situation, contact us through it first."

If the detector fails or is damaged, the spare detector is in the side pocket of your tactical vest.

Exercise extreme caution during the operation. Our primary objectives are to gather intelligence, acquire resources, and monitor the movements of the 'Heavenly Alliance' and 'Dark Star.' Conflict should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. However, if the other side provokes us or endangers our personnel or mission, we may retaliate as appropriate, prioritizing our own safety and the mission's success!

"understand!"

The crowd responded in unison.

Without further delay, the three teams each chose a direction according to the coordinates marked on the "Listening" detector and quickly disappeared into the dense jungle.

The team, consisting of Chen Yang, Uncle Li, Qiu Niu, and two special operations team members codenamed "Lynx" and "Night Hawk," is targeting a coordinate point located approximately eight kilometers to the east.

All five were agile and nimble, moving through the woods like the wind at an extremely fast speed.

Qiuniu led the way, carrying an exaggeratedly shaped alloy hammer, and warily scanned his surroundings. Uncle Li followed silently on the flank like a ghost, his presence completely concealed.

The two special operations team members were also experienced, and they maintained a suitable tactical distance from Chen Yang, one in front and one behind.

Within minutes, they arrived at their target area.

This is a relatively open clearing in the woods, with the ground covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves and moss.

In the center of the open space, there was a complex pattern about three zhang in diameter, outlined by strange lines that shimmered with a faint silver light!

"Teleportation array!"

Chen Yang's gaze sharpened, and he immediately recognized him.

The pattern and structure of this design were seven or eight parts similar to the ancient teleportation arrays he had encountered before, only more complex and the spatial fluctuations it emitted were more subtle, making it extremely difficult to detect unless one got close.

At this moment, the formation is emitting a stable, soft silver light, clearly indicating that it has been activated and is ready for use at any time.

Uncle Li squatted down and carefully examined the edges of the formation and the surrounding traces, then whispered.

"Sect Leader, judging from the footprints and lingering aura here, quite a few people must have left through this formation not long ago. The soil is very fresh, and the aura is mixed, indicating at least four or five different groups of people."

Qiuniu gripped the heavy hammer tightly and grinned.

"Looks like we've come to the right place!"

Those who arrived first have probably all been teleported into the so-called 'Immortal Realm'!
"Commander Chen, Senior Li, shall we go in too?"

Chen Yang nodded, his gaze sweeping over the formation.

"Ok.

However, the situation at the other end of the teleportation array is unknown, so everyone must be careful. After entering the array, try to stay close together to avoid being separated during the teleportation process.

"understand!"

Qiu Niu and the two special operations team members responded in unison. Uncle Li also nodded silently.

Without further hesitation, the five stepped into the center of the silver-glowing array.

As the person who understood the formation best, Chen Yang took the initiative to take on the task of activating the formation.

He took out a mid-grade spirit stone and, following the energy flow nodes of the array patterns, precisely embedded the spirit stone into a groove in the core of the array.

"Om-"

The moment the spirit stone was embedded, the entire formation shone brightly with silver light! The complex patterns seemed to be infused with life, flowing rapidly and forming a dazzling pillar of light that completely enveloped the five people.

A powerful spatial suction force came, accompanied by a familiar, strange feeling as if the body was being stretched and compressed, and a slight jolt.

My vision was filled with a blinding silvery white, and my five senses were briefly distorted and stripped away.

He didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps just a moment, perhaps a long time. When the feeling of being pulled apart by space disappeared and he regained a sense of solid ground beneath his feet, Chen Yang suddenly opened his eyes and quickly looked around.

As far as the eye can see, there is an endless, dense primeval forest that blocks out the sky!

The ancient trees, towering and ancient, have stood for countless years, their vines twining like giant pythons, their thick layers of fallen leaves exuding a damp, decaying scent. Light filters through the layers of branches and leaves, becoming dim and dappled.

The air was filled with a dense, almost impenetrable spiritual energy, but it was also mixed with an ancient, wild, and even slightly oppressive atmosphere.

What sank even deeper into Chen Yang's heart was that Uncle Li, Qiu Niu, and the two special operations team members had all vanished without a trace! He was all alone in the vast forest clearing.

"The teleportation has been scattered..."

Chen Yang immediately tried to contact his companions using the "Listening" detector.

However, all that came from behind me was a silent busy tone, and on the status bar at the edge of my field of vision.

The icons for "communication connection" and "satellite positioning" have turned into glaring red crosses. Only "local time" and basic environmental parameter monitoring are still barely working, but they are extremely unstable, and the data is fluctuating wildly.

"The detector failed here... Is it due to a special spatial barrier, or are the rules here different?"

Chen Yang frowned and tried to inject a wisp of his divine sense to probe the inside of the detector. He found that its core spiritual energy circuit seemed to be interfered with by an invisible force field, making its operation sluggish.

Just as he was pondering a solution, Li Rou's voice rang in his mind, carrying a hint of solemnity and realization.

“Master, this place… is not an ordinary ruin or secret realm.”

This is more like a 'trial ground'.

"The Trial Grounds?"

Chen Yang's heart stirred.

"The kind of blessed land used to test disciples?"

"good."

Li Rou affirmed.

"Judging from the spatial structure, the composition of spiritual energy, and the faint fluctuations of rules used to regulate the state of the trial participants and record the trial process, this is indeed a standard large-scale trial ground."

Typically, only large-scale, well-established blessed lands would expend resources to establish and maintain such independent trial spaces, used for selecting and honing inner disciples.

Chen Yang pressed for an answer.

"What is the purpose of setting up this trial ground? Is it to screen those who enter? Or is there some other motive?"

Li Rou pondered.

"That's hard to guess. It might be an ancient training ground left over from some blessed land, which has been reactivated due to the revival of spiritual energy."

It's also possible that some beings deliberately opened it to attract cultivators from the mortal world, perhaps for the purpose of observation, selection, or even... harvesting.

However, since it is a trial ground, it is usually not set up as an absolute dead end; there is often a chance for survival and rewards.

Moreover, these trials usually have time limits.

"Time limit?"

"right.

When entering this time-distorted trial space from the outside, the flow of time is usually different inside and outside. Only three days may have passed outside, but three months or even longer may have passed inside.

This is to provide the trainees with sufficient opportunities for training and growth within the limited external timeframe.

Li Rou explained.

"Take a look at the time on your detector. Isn't it moving extremely slowly, or even stopped?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang immediately looked at the time displayed on the "Listening" detector. Sure enough, the number representing seconds was changing so slightly that it was almost imperceptible, as if it had frozen in time. Only by staring intently could one barely detect its extremely slow change.

The numbers representing minutes and hours are frozen in time.

"Time... almost stood still."

Chen Yang said in a deep voice.

"It's not stagnation, it's that the flow of time here is extremely slowed down compared to the outside world."

Correcting the imbalance by moving away from the soft.

"You can consider three days outside as the upper limit of time here."

Three days will pass outside, and the rules here will naturally 'exclude' the trial participants. Pay attention to the virtual clock icon; once it slowly completes three full rotations, it's probably time to leave.

Of course, there might also be a setting where you can leave after completing specific trial objectives ahead of time.

"Time difference..."

Chen Yang seemed to be deep in thought.

"If one cultivates here..."

"In theory, cultivating here is equivalent to having dozens or even hundreds of times more 'effective time' than outside."

Flexible interface.

"But this is only in theory. The Trial Grounds are fraught with danger, and it is difficult to focus one's mind entirely on cultivation."

Moreover, an excessively slow passage of time is also a test of one's temperament, easily causing feelings of prolonged time, loneliness, and anxiety.

Chen Yang nodded, temporarily suppressing his idea of ​​using the time difference to cultivate, and was more concerned about the safety of his companions.

"Li Rou, my friends have been teleported to different places. Are they in danger? Is this trial ground itself a deadly threat?"

"The design of the Trial Grounds itself usually does not set up a deadly situation that can lead to certain death. Instead, it is more about testing, tempering, and elimination. The real danger often comes from other competitors who enter the trial together, as well as 'unexpected' events that may exist in the trial environment that are beyond the trial participants' ability to cope with."

Li Rou analyzed.

"Your friends are all quite strong. As long as you are careful, you should have no problem dealing with the challenges of the trial itself."

But if you encounter someone from the 'Heavenly Alliance' or 'Dark Star'... well, that's hard to say.

In this place with its unique rules and severed communication, murder and robbery are incredibly convenient.

Chen Yang's eyes turned cold.

"We must find them as soon as possible, at least to reunite some of them. Li Rou, are you familiar with the interior of this trial grounds? Is there any way to pinpoint their location, or find the others?"

Li Rou remained silent for a moment, seemingly sensing something carefully.

"I'm sorry, Master."

This trial ground is not the Azure Heaven Immortal Ruins; I know nothing about its internal structure. My senses are also greatly limited here; I can only sense the energy flow and life force within a very small surrounding area.

If you want to find someone, you'll probably have to find out for yourself.

but……"

"But what?"

"However, isn't your purpose in entering this place to seek the opportunity of 'immortal traces'?"

Li Rou reminded her.

"Trial grounds often have some 'reward points,' such as secret chambers containing cultivation techniques, elixirs, and magic treasures, or blessed lands with exceptionally rich spiritual energy, suitable for breakthroughs."

These places are usually the focal points where trial participants gather and compete. You might try to find these places; the chances of encountering your companions there are much higher. (End of Chapter)