Chapter 1732: Exploration

The civil and military officials, accustomed to witnessing major events, were now dumbfounded, staring at the mountain peak that had suddenly lost half its height.

After a long silence, some officials finally came to their senses. "Where is the Emperor?" This question seemed to trigger a chain reaction, like the first domino falling. All the officials immediately became agitated. "Yes, where is the Emperor?"

Those loyal to Prince Qi searched everywhere for him, but with half the mountain gone, how could they hope to find a single person?

There were many experts present, but even they couldn't detect any vital energy around them. It was as if everyone who had been on the mountain had simply vanished into thin air.

It was well-known that the Emperor's cultivation was prodigious, his presence as undeniable as the sun, no matter the time or place. For everyone to be unable to sense even a trace of his aura was unprecedented.

"Has... has the Emperor passed away?" an official stammered, his voice trembling.

"Silence! The Emperor's power is unmatched. How could he possibly pass away!" Meng Yi snapped, glaring at the official.

"But..." the official began, only to be sharply interrupted by Bi Qi.

"There are no 'buts'," Bi Qi said with a grim face. "It's more likely the Emperor pursued the fight to another location and simply can't return immediately."

This theory was widely accepted. The Emperor's invincibility was too deeply ingrained in people's minds; even if several more Earth Immortals appeared, it wouldn't cause him to vanish completely without a trace—at least a body would remain.

The most plausible explanation was that the battle had taken them elsewhere. Earth Immortals could travel thousands of miles overnight, a feat beyond their comprehension.

Therefore, it was more probable that he had been drawn into a distant battle with an enemy, and news would surely emerge in a few days.

At this point, Bi Qi quickly declared, "Seal off a hundred-mile radius around Purple Mountain. Furthermore, no one is permitted to reveal even a whisper of today's events, or they will be charged with treason!"

"Yes!" With this decisive command, the panicking officials gradually calmed down. Pei Zheng and others from Prince Qi's faction exchanged worried glances amongst themselves.

Other high-ranking officials, such as Bi Zi'ang, began to think proactively, their eyes gleaming with ambition. In their view, the current situation demanded an immediate return to the capital to seize control.

Only the younger generation, like Murong Qinghe, truly worried for Zu An's safety, unsure if he had ascended to the Golden Summit just before the incident.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zu An's heart turned cold after being drawn into the vortex. He had just overheard the conversation between the Sacrificial Wine and Zhao Hao, who mentioned that even Earth Immortals couldn't endure the void for long. With his current cultivation, wouldn't he quickly perish, body and soul?

His heart was heavy with regret. He would never see Chu Yan, Da Manman, Yan Luo, and the others again. They would surely be heartbroken to learn of his demise.

And Sang Qian's unborn child, who would grow up without a father. He hoped the child would rely on Dandan and have a strong support system. Despite his profound regret, he had no regrets about his choice; he would have despised himself if he hadn't tried to save the woman he loved from danger.

A torrent of thoughts flooded his mind before he quickly lost consciousness. In a daze, he seemed to see Yan Xuehen and the other women rushing to save him, but it was too late to stop what was happening. The next second, he completely fainted.

He didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but he gradually awoke. He looked around and found himself in a desolate wilderness. The distant sky was dim, as if dusk were approaching.

The surrounding forest was dark and deep, punctuated by strange, hooting calls like those of night owls. Although it wasn't yet night, the air was intensely cold, a chilling sensation that seemed to penetrate the very soul, unlike ordinary low temperatures.

He was perplexed. What was happening? This place bore no resemblance to the descriptions of the void. Could it be that he hadn't been pulled into the void after all, but simply flung somewhere near Purple Mountain?

Just then, a soft groan came from nearby, and a beautiful woman slowly stirred awake.

"Honglei!" Zu An's heart soared with joy at the sight of her. He had believed he was doomed, so finding her still with him was an unexpected miracle.

Upon seeing him, Qiu Honglei's eyes instantly reddened, and her voice quivered with a hint of a sob. "Am I... am I dreaming?"

"You're not dreaming. We're still alive," Zu An confirmed. With his current cultivation, discerning whether he was truly alive was no challenge.

Especially after his encounters with the Wu clan and their dream-related battles, he had developed a method for distinguishing between reality and dreams.

Realizing they were both alive, Qiu Honglei could no longer hold back. She threw herself into his arms, sobbing with relief. "A'Zu, you're never allowed to take such a huge risk to save me again. I'd rather you live than both of us die together." Only then did they notice their hands were still tightly clasped. Recalling how desperately they had clung to each other just before falling into the vortex, a sweet warmth filled their hearts, and they instinctively tightened their grip, unwilling to let go.

A gentle smile touched Zu An's lips. He freed one hand to gently caress her soft hair. "I want you to live too." Qiu Honglei nestled into his embrace, feeling the warmth radiating from his chest. She felt like the happiest person in the world at that moment, certain her master would approve... *Huh?*

She suddenly sat bolt upright, her face paling. "Master... where's Master? It seemed Master, Priestess Yan, and Miss Xie were all sucked in with us. Where are they?" Zu An's heart jumped as he recalled the scene, and he frantically searched their surroundings. Unfortunately, all he saw was endless tall grass and gnarled, twisted trees. There was no sign of anyone else.

Qiu Honglei searched frantically but found nothing, her face instantly turning ashen. "A'Zu, could Master and the others have been sent to that void place?" Zu An felt a pang of apprehension but still reassured her. "Don't worry, I don't think so. If we weren't transported to the void, they probably weren't either. It's often like a secret realm: even if people enter at the same time, they can be distributed to different locations. We'll search slowly, and we'll find them eventually. Their cultivation levels aren't low, so they should be able to protect themselves." He had immediately used his vital energy to examine this world and noticed that some of its laws differed significantly from those of his previous life—a distinction noticeable to a cultivator of his level.

Thus, this wasn't simply near Purple Mountain; they had arrived in a completely different world. Having entered various secret realms countless times, he was already accustomed to such occurrences.

"I hope so," Qiu Honglei said, calming slightly. She looked around, unable to suppress a shiver.

"Where are we? There's a peculiar chill here."

"I don't know, but the Yin energy here feels quite strong," Zu An replied, nodding.

"Let's find somewhere to spend the night nearby first," Zu An suggested. "It's getting dark, and I have a strong feeling that staying in this forest after nightfall isn't a good idea." Qiu Honglei hummed in agreement. The two quickly began exploring the forest. The dense undergrowth and thorny bushes posed no difficulty for cultivators, and they soon traversed an area, eventually discovering a small path almost completely hidden by weeds.

"If there's a path, we shouldn't be too far from human civilization," Qiu Honglei said, breathing a sigh of relief. Zu An's expression, however, remained grim. "Have you noticed something?" he asked. "We haven't seen a single animal since we arrived."