Feeling the different shadows from all over the ancient sect heading towards him, Xuan Hao didn't dare stay around and continue to fight the shadows floating above the entrance to the ancient sect. Instead choosing to move deeper inside the ancient sect in search for a way out of his current situation.
In the back of his mind, Xuan Hao began to understand what the quest given to him by the system meant with him having to explore the ruins of the long-forgotten sect and look for a way to escape before dying.
If he really could not find a way to escape, the shadows approaching him from all directions really would end up killing him!
…
"Wha-what was that!?"
At the same time Xuan Hao entered the ancient sect ruins, the young boy who had been continuing along the paved stone road towards what he believed to be a way out of the ancient sect ruins, froze on the spot as he could clearly hear Xuan Hao clashing with the shadows in the distance.
Even if he tried his best not to show it, the young boy was extremely afraid deep down and the battle taking place in the distance only further increased the young boy's fear. Especially considering that he had just recently consumed his last detoxification pill and was running out of time before the poison inside the miasma would consume him like it had almost done when he first arrived at the ancient sect.
Although he had no idea what was happening, he did not take long to understand that the shadows he had seen passing by him just a few minutes earlier should be involved in the battle taking place in the distance.
Luckily the fighting is taking place in the opposite direction from where I'm going!
Letting out a sigh of relief as he thought this to himself, the young boy continued forward after without wasting a single second. After all, he at most had ten minutes left before the detoxification pill would lose its effect and the poison in the miasma would kill him!
Unfortunately for the young boy, he was unknowingly moving deeper and deeper inside the ancient sect without even knowing that he was nowhere near the entrance to the ancient sect that he thought he was going towards…
If Xuan Hao was there to observe the young boy as he moved along the paved stone road, he would long since have realized that the young boy was trapped in some sort of formation that slowly seemed to be guiding him deeper and deeper inside the ancient sect without his knowledge!
"This- A gate! Did I finally find a way out!?"
Just at this moment, the young boy who had spent over thirty minutes running on the paved stone road without seeing anything other than the majestic looking ancient buildings on either side of him could not help exclaiming in surprise after seeing a large gate appearing at the edge of his vision.
Swish-!
Soon enough, this surprise turned into happiness as the young boy charged toward the gate that appeared at the edge of his vision. Understanding very well that other than getting out of the ancient sect, he would also have to find a place where the mist was thin enough for someone like himself to survive without the help of the detoxification pill.
"Haha! It really is a gate leading outside!"
Arriving in front of the gate, the young boy could not help exclaiming full of happiness after discovering that there was a large flower field on the other side of the gate.
Even if there was still miasma covering this large flower field, the young boy could clearly feel that the miasma on the other side of the gate was far weaker and should be something he would be able to endure even without the help of the detoxification pill!
Not hesitating for more than a few seconds, the young boy took a step forward and entered the flower field on the other side of the large gate-
Creak~!
Unaware of the fact that the gate behind him slowly closed after he entered before thousands upon thousands of demonic eyes appeared all over the gate. All greedily staring towards the young boy's back.
"Hm? Did I sense wrong? I could have sworn I felt someone looking towards me just now…" Muttering this to himself as he turned around and looked towards the gate that had closed behind him in confusion, the young boy didn't think too much about it before continuing to move deeper inside the flower field. Believing that he had already left the ancient sect and was making his way out of the dangerous area that the ancient sect's ruins were located inside of.
As for worrying about the gate that had closed behind him… The young boy didn't even think about this, as to him, it still looked like the gate was open and he could make his way back 'inside' the ancient sect anytime he wanted to!
Of course, he would not do something like that even if he wanted to. After all, he had already run out of detoxification pills!
Like this, the young boy made his way deeper and deeper inside the flower field. Unaware of the fact that what he was walking through was not a flower field, but something completely different…
…
BOOM-!
Just how many of these things are there!?
Crushing a shadow that had suddenly appeared behind him and killing all of the soulless snakes inside Xuan Hao could not help frowning as he looked into the distance where close to a dozen similar shadows were flying towards him.
After he had entered the ancient sect and had begun exploring the place looking for a way to escape from the ancient sect ruins, he had not gotten more than a few seconds to himself before one of the shadows caught up to him and attacked him.
Although he could easily deal with a single one of them, doing so would buy enough time for more of them to show up and if he didn't leave fast enough, he would end up getting surrounded and killed by them when they combined their strength to attack him!
Considering all of this, Xuan Hao wanted to find the way out mentioned by the system as fast as possible. After all, other than having to constantly escape from the shadows that were trying their best to eliminate him, he also had to worry about any other dangers that might be present inside the ancient sect.
One of the things he was worried about, was where the shadows had come from, they had only been created recently through the snakes in the poisonous grass plain surrounding the ancient sect outside!
Bang!
"Hm?"
Just at this moment as he knocked another of the shadows flying into the distance, Xuan Hao narrowed both his eyes as he looked towards a large gate that appeared at the edge of his divine sense located in the middle of a paved stone road.
Even from a distance, Xuan Hao could clearly sense the massive formation that surrounded the area around this gate twisting the space around so one would always end up in front of the gate in the end.
"Although this formation had its core damaged, it should still have the power to deceive someone in the earlier stages of the Domain Lord Realm… If it was not damaged, I doubt I would have been able to even discover it!" Muttering this to himself as he was careful not to enter the massive formation surrounding the gate, Xuan Hao felt curious about the gate that was located in the middle of this massive formation.
Even if he was still far away from it, he could still clearly feel that the gate acted as a portal of some sort that was connected to another location inside the ancient sect ruins…
Is this perhaps the chance to escape the ancient sect ruins that the quest mentioned?
Thinking this to himself as he looked debated whether or not to enter the massive formation to take a closer look, Xuan Hao continued moving to avoid the shadows surrounding him.
BOOOOOOM-!
"This… Looks like I'm going to check out the gate…" Feeling a terrifying aura far surpassing even that of the spear of dark blue light that had been thrown after him when he escaped from the group of Soul Ascension Realm Expert suddenly erupting not too far away from him, Xuan Hao didn't dare waste even a single second as he entered the massive formation before moving towards the gate at the centre of it.
No matter how bad the situation on the other side of the gate in the centre of the formation was, it would almost certainly be better than having to fight with whatever creature was behind the terrifying aura he had just felt!
Swish-!
Not thinking too much after having come to a decision, Xuan Hao rushed towards the gate located at the centre of the formation…