When the last person stepped onto the bronze staircase, the entrance behind them closed silently. In an instant, the expressions of all the cultivators shifted dramatically—the spiritual energy surging within their bodies vanished without a trace, like a receding tide.
"My spiritual energy... is gone?" Koizumi Masako unfolded her hands in panic. The Seven Treasures Glazed Fan, which once shimmered with light, was now dull and lifeless, indistinguishable from an ordinary folding fan. She tried to form hand seals and recite incantations, but failed to ignite even the most basic flame.
Looking around, the desert was boundless. The sand, scorched by the blazing sun, was as hot as charcoal, and every step sank ankle-deep into the shifting quicksand. Even more terrifying, eerie writhing traces occasionally swelled beneath the sand—some colossal creature was cruising under the sand layer.
Chapter 246