CRACKLE!
As the temporal energy flooded over, a deafening tremor shook the entire hall. The cracked hourglass shattered completely, its sands exploding outward in a storm of temporal energy.
The survivors stumbled, their faces paling as the energy coalesced into a visible barrier, sealing every exit.
"What's happening?!" Jian Feng shouted, his voice cracking with panic.
No one answered.
The air itself grew heavy, pressing down like an invisible weight. The cultivators who tried to force their way out found their bodies rebounding as if hitting an unyielding wall.
"We're trapped…" Lan Huiqian whispered, her fingers brushing against the invisible barrier.
Yun Lintian's eyes narrowed.
At the same time—
CRREEEAK—
A massive gate at the deepest part of the hall, one that had been sealed for eons, slowly began to open.
Darkness spilled out from within, thick and unnatural, as if swallowing the very light around it.
