"Could it be... that time in this twilight world flows ten times faster than outside?"
Qin Chuan quickly grasped the key point.
If that were the case, by the time they returned, another year might have passed in the outside world.
By then, the rapidly reviving Xuanhuang Heaven would likely have sprouted a whole new batch of people like fresh crops ready for harvest.
However, now was not the time to think about such matters.
He looked seriously at Zhou Mo and Master Pang Qi and asked, "How did you enter that setting sun?"
"Well..."
The two exchanged a glance, hesitant to speak.
"Can't tell me?" Qin Chuan asked.
"Ahem, it's not that we can't, it's just... it's a little embarrassing," Master Pang Qi coughed awkwardly.
Qin Chuan silently stared at him.
Soon, Pang Qi couldn't hold out any longer and hurriedly said, "I'll tell you, I'll tell you! Actually, I accidentally fell into my own urine, and then I discovered that I could enter the setting sun through the reflection in the urine."
Qin Chuan was momentarily stunned.
Even Qin Zi gasped in shock. Such an absurd method—who would ever think of that?
"Does it have to be urine?" Qin Chuan asked.
"Water works too, but not just any place will do. We tried many spots, but only the place where I fell worked. I think I must have accidentally stumbled upon a key coordinate," Master Pang Qi explained awkwardly.
His luck seemed otherworldly, almost as if he was born for tomb robbing. However, falling into his own urine was hardly something to brag about.
"Where is that coordinate? Take us there," Qin Chuan commanded with no room for argument.
"This... Master Qin, does this mean you're finally getting involved?" Master Pang Qi's spirits lifted, his eyes gleaming.
To him, Qin Chuan, as his guide on the tomb-robbing path, must also be a master in this field. If Qin Chuan decided to act, it would certainly be something extraordinary!
"No, we're just going in to take a look," Qin Chuan replied calmly.
Given his current status, how could he stoop to such lowly deeds? Tomb robbing would tarnish his radiant image.
His interest in the Ancestral King's tomb stemmed from a suspicion that it might be connected to Ye Lingshuang.
In fact, there was a significant possibility that Ye Lingshuang was the reincarnation of the Dusk Clan's Ancestral King.
Isn't this how these stories always go?
"I see."
Master Pang Qi was a bit disappointed to learn that Qin Chuan was only going to take a peek, but he still said, "Alright, then."
He began to lead the way.
After a while, Qin Chuan and his group arrived at the location.
It was a sand dune.
On the ground was a basin-sized depression, and at the bottom were faint white marks, likely left behind by dried foam.
"This is the spot. Just pour water in, and when the setting sun is reflected, it creates a special passageway," Master Pang Qi proudly explained.
Splash!
With a wave of his hand, Qin Chuan summoned a stream of water from the rivers in his inner world, pouring it into the depression.
Soon, the water shimmered.
Once the ripples subsided, the reflection of the setting sun appeared on the water's surface, glowing red with a hint of purple.
Qin Chuan grabbed a handful of sand and gently sprinkled it into the water. He noticed that the sand didn't sink; it disappeared into thin air.
"This is truly amazing!" Qin Zi exclaimed in awe.
"Let's go."
Qin Chuan enveloped the group in a protective energy field and then shot into the water pool like a beam of white light.
Buzz!
In the next instant, they found themselves moving through a narrow, warm, and humid passage, which felt almost stifling.
Not long after...
They emerged into a completely new world.
"This... this..."
Qin Zi stared in disbelief at the scene before him: a massive divine tree, towering in the center of the setting sun.
It was immense.
Each branch was like a continent, and worlds floated around them like fruits hanging from the tree!
Even from this great distance, the tree exuded an overwhelming majesty. Up close, it was impossible to see its full form.
"Up there!"
At this moment, Ye Lingshuang's body trembled as she pointed to the top of the divine tree. "The thing summoning me is up there!"
So, Qin Chuan led the group as they flew toward the top of the tree. After a long journey, they finally reached the summit.
There, a vast ancient stone stele stood tall. Carved into the grayish stone were three golden characters: Ancestral King's Tomb.
"How do we get in?"
Qin Chuan glanced at Pang Qi and Zhou Mo.
"Let me do it!" Zhou Mo stepped forward, unfastened his belt, and pulled out a mysterious, black treasure from beneath his robes.
It was a Xuanwu Compass.
"Mystical arts determine the dragon's veins. The land forms checkpoints, eight barriers guard the gate. When these are broken, the path reveals the Yin and Yang of the Eight Trigrams!"
Chanting in a low voice, Zhou Mo tapped the head of the Xuanwu on the compass. Instantly, golden light spread out in all directions.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
A series of golden circles, resembling interlocking gears, appeared, displaying countless markings and symbols.
"It's time!"
Zhou Mo's eyes flashed, and his body flickered as he deftly stepped on one glowing coordinate after another. Each step caused the ground to tremble, and the stone stele pulsed with light.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Finally, the stone stele glowed fully.
"Something's wrong!"
Zhou Mo and Master Pang Qi, having experienced this before, immediately dropped to the ground, seemingly preparing for a blast of white light.
However, after lying flat for a while, no white light appeared. Instead, a gray vortex formed in the center of the stone stele.
"What the..."
The two exchanged puzzled glances, then awkwardly stood up, laughing sheepishly.
They had no idea that the white light they triggered last time had caused massive upheaval in the Nine Heavens Realm.
That beam of light was probably a one-time event.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, the sound of thunder and lightning filled the air. The group looked up to see islands, crackling with white lightning, rising from all directions as if they were emerging from below the horizon.
At that moment, the group stood above the setting sun, and these islands seemed to be rising from beneath it.
"Those islands!"
Qin Chuan's gaze sharpened. These were the same thirty-six islands that hovered above the Ancient City of Dusk.
"This is bad!!"
Zhou Mo and Master Pang Qi's faces turned pale, knowing firsthand how dangerous these islands were.
They wouldn't kill intruders directly, but they would blast them out, leaving the victims unconscious and randomly falling wherever they landed.
If their luck was bad, they might crash directly into the Ancient City of Dusk, which would be an especially miserable fate.
"Stand down! Retreat!" Qin Chuan shouted authoritatively, hoping his royal identity would control the islands.
But reality didn't match his expectations.
The islands continued to rise, and the lightning on their surfaces intensified, radiating a terrifying pressure. It was the kind of divine fury that made mortals tremble.
"Father, this..." Qin Zi's face filled with anxiety, his gaze conflicted. That awkward tension suggested he was unsure of the outcome, but the longer it dragged on, the more it threatened to turn into... embarrassment.
Ding! Detection indicates that the host is facing imminent social death. According to the insurance policy, this system will preserve the host's dignity!
The system's voice suddenly chimed in.
In the next moment, the rising islands shook violently. Then, the lightning on their surfaces dissipated, and they slowly sank back down.
"They really... retreated..."
"Hiss!!!"
Zhou Mo and Master Pang Qi were left speechless, their hearts filled with indescribable shock. All they could do was gasp in awe.