Chapter 271: Collective Amnesia?

Even if they couldn’t obtain cultivation methods beyond the Martial God realm, as long as they were fortunate enough to find a single epoch-defying treasure, this journey would still be worthwhile.

Amid such fervent desire, the entire Yang Concealment Five Elements Formation emitted the sound of shattering under immense strain.

“Quick! The formation is about to collapse. Everyone, keep attacking!”

Countless Laws poured in, and the surface of the formation barrier was now covered in dense cracks, as if it could be breached at any moment.

An hour later.

A small hole was finally breached at the forefront of the formation.

Crack, crack, crack, crack—

Finally, the formation dissolved into streams of light and vanished.

In an instant, phantom images of pavilions and towers materialized, and countless towering structures rose from the ground.

Ancient melodies echoed faintly in the air, emitting high-pitched cries.

These structures seemed to stretch across time and space, arriving before the crowd from thousands of miles away.

This was not a Sect but more like a complete world.

Mist and waves stretched endlessly, and the increasingly complete appearance of the Sect gradually unfolded before everyone’s eyes.

Someone attempted to force their way in before the Sect fully manifested, only to be repelled by an overwhelming pressure that scattered their Divine Sense.

Thus, no one dared to force their way in.

More and more structures of the Sect appeared before everyone’s eyes, yet no one dared to step forward.

Mountains, Immortal Caves, and figures who had existed countless ages ago…

Until a mountain gate stood before the crowd.

All illusory images vanished, leaving only a stone gate behind.

Old, silent, and seemingly unremarkable.

The stone gate was plain, yet it concealed the entire Sect.

Whether viewed from the front or the back, only that symmetrical stone gate could be seen.

As if telling you: To enter the Sect, you must pass through this stone gate.

Everyone assumed there would be some kind of Assessment or, at the very least, a requirement for a specific key to enter.

But just as they were feeling disappointed, the gate slowly began to open.

No Assessment, no key required—it simply welcomed their arrival.

This unusual scene left the powerful cultivators bewildered.

“Well… who goes first?”

“Th-this… Brother Wang should go first. After all, the Opportunity seems destined for you.”

“No, no, Brother Li should go first. I’m actually not in such a hurry.”

Just as everyone was pondering whether this was a trap, a gray figure strode past the crowd, head held high, and stepped directly into the stone gate.

Soon, the Sky Demon vanished from sight.

“Brother Li, I’ll go first after all!”

“Brother Wang, let me scout the way. I’ll go first!”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

More powerful cultivators transformed into streams of light and rushed into the stone gate.

Xiao Chunwei smiled as he watched the crowd. “Everyone, let’s rely on our own abilities in the treasure hunt.”

With that, he too entered the stone gate.

Jiang Yan remained silent, quietly casting the Law of the Jungle on Xiao Chunwei before stepping into the stone gate.

Inside the stone gate, there was only endless darkness. At the far end of the darkness, a faint spot of light slowly emerged, growing larger until it filled Jiang Yan’s entire field of vision.

In that instant, a dizzying sensation washed over him, and Jiang Yan, for some unknown reason, closed his eyes in exhaustion.

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

Jiang Yan slowly opened his eyes, and the scene before him had completely changed.

There was no ethereal, immortal aura or serene, jade-like reflections as he had imagined, nor were there pavilions, towers, palaces, or Secret Realms as he had fantasized.

His surroundings were bare stone walls, with a gourd and a blue-steel sword hanging on them.

In front of him, a stone table was displayed, next to a low stone stool. The surfaces were clean, looking as though they were regularly cleaned.

On the stone table, there was also a stack of unknown books, along with ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones.

“Have I arrived at some ancient Cultivator’s Immortal Cave?”

Only then did he realize he was sitting cross-legged on a stone bed. As he was about to stand up, he was tugged by the fabric of his clothes, feeling something strange.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that his clothing had been completely changed.

With a sweep of his Spiritual Power, he noticed he was wearing a coarse cloth outer garment with narrow sleeves and a short shirt. His long hair was tied up with a white ribbon. His face was still the same, but his entire demeanor had changed significantly.

Combined with his current location, Jiang Yan instinctively suspected he had undergone Transmigration once again.

“Have I… arrived in another world?”

As soon as this thought emerged, he quickly shook his head.

“No, no. My name is Jiang Yan. I entered this ancient Sect this time to search for treasure.”

After confirming his identity, Jiang Yan quickly walked out of the cave to figure out the absurd situation before him.

Ahead was a sheer cliff.

Jiang Yan stepped into the air and flew toward the opposite side.

Looking back, he was utterly shocked.

He saw that the cliff face was expansive, with dozens of Immortal Caves present. A sweep of his Spiritual Power revealed several people inside reading and cultivating, uttering words that didn’t fit this era, leaving Jiang Yan completely bewildered.

“What exactly happened?”

These people should have been powerful Martial Gods from the outside world who came to search for treasure. Why were they now squatting in mountain caves studying like lunatics?

Moreover, their expressions showed no sense of incongruity; instead, they seemed to take it all for granted.

“This so-called ancient Sect is strange.”

Muttering to himself, Jiang Yan was about to investigate other areas when he bumped into a gray figure.

“Junior Brother! Junior Brother! I finally found you!”

Sky Demon was dressed in the same coarse cloth garments as him, resembling a menial Disciple from a novel. Panting, he ran over to convey a message to Jiang Yan.

“Junior Brother? You’re calling me Junior Brother?”

Sky Demon took several deep breaths, waiting until his breathing steadied, then looked up at Jiang Yan with confusion. “If you’re not my Junior Brother, then who are you?”

He reached out to touch Jiang Yan’s forehead. “Junior Brother, are you sick?”

Jiang Yan swatted his hand away. “Then who are you?”

Sky Demon pointed at himself. “Me?”

“Of course, I’m your Senior Brother. Don’t you remember? We entered the Sect together, and since I’m older than you, I call you Junior Brother.”

Jiang Yan narrowed his eyes, observing Sky Demon’s expression, which didn’t seem fake, and said calmly, “I see. Senior Brother, why were you looking for me?”

“Right!” Sky Demon slapped his thigh. “Senior Brother Xuan Nan entered the inner Sect yesterday and vowed to seek revenge on you, Junior Brother!”

“Junior Brother, you should run. If Senior Brother Xuan Nan finds you, you’ll get beaten up again.”

“Xuan Nan…” Jiang Yan silently repeated the name, realizing that not only he and Sky Demon but everyone who had entered the Sect… had gone mad.

“What kind of method could interfere with so many powerful Martial Gods? And is it possible that I’m the only one in this Sect who hasn’t lost my mind?”

To verify this answer, he looked at Sky Demon.

“Where does Xuan Nan live?”

Upon hearing this, Sky Demon was greatly alarmed.

“Junior Brother, have you lost your mind? Instead of running now, you’re asking where he lives? If we don’t run soon, once Senior Brother Xuan Nan finds us, we won’t be able to escape!”

Jiang Yan pulled Sky Demon and flew back to his own cave.

“Then I shall wait for that Xuan Nan to return.”