Chapter 133: The Truth of the Cave Heaven

Fifteen minutes passed, and Han Yi still felt no changes within his body.

Unlike the Blood Bone Spirit Flower, which had triggered a palpable surge of vitality and physical elation upon consumption, the Stone Insect produced absolutely no discernible effect.

Under the scrutiny of his divine sense, the Stone Insect had simply been broken down by his powerful internal organs into nutrients and vanished without a trace.

"Is that it?" Han Yi frowned, growing restless. "Did that shaman deceive me?"

His brow furrowed, and he found it difficult to sit still. He had risked everything, even sacrificing the Chengying Sword. Three Wind Demon Daggers had been shattered, and another lost, leaving him with only three remaining. The cost had been substantial.

If all he had gained was a stone shaped like an insect, it would be a cruel joke.

However, Han Yi took a deep breath and steadied himself. The shaman likely hadn't lied. Perhaps the Stone Insect's unique composition required more time to manifest its effects.

Worrying wouldn't help. Han Yi shifted his Divine Soul to retrieve a magic artifact from his Storage Pouch, only to discover that he had no Mid-Grade sword artifacts left.

He possessed two items: the Top-Grade Golden Light Shuttle and the High-Grade Silver Vanity Mirror.

After a moment's thought, Han Yi transferred the Silver Vanity Mirror and the Flowing Cloud Sword to his temporary Storage Pouch. Realizing he needed to think bigger, he added the Golden Light Shuttle as well.

Next, the Grand Void Body prepared to step through the Light Gate and return to the Crimson Radiance Tribe, but it froze mid-stride.

It couldn't enter.

The Grand Void Body remained unchanged, and the Light Gate hadn't shifted. Yet when the Grand Void Body's leg touched the gate, it met an invisible barrier, as if striking a solid wall.

"What's going on?"

No one had ever explained how to handle this, but Han Yi didn't panic. He had encountered far stranger situations before, and panic never solved anything.

Just then, the Light Gate abruptly contracted into a single point of light.

Han Yi felt his Divine Soul automatically return to his physical body. Looking through his own eyes, he saw the Grand Void Body revert to a glowing orb, its Storage Pouch falling to the ground.

With a thought, Han Yi caught the pouch and retrieved it into his body.

The True Ascension Mark shattered into fragments, dissolving into the Grand Void Illusionary Realm. Before he could react, the realm itself crumbled, light and shadow swirling until Han Yi found himself standing beside Jade Capital Lake.

Around him were other disciples of the Profound Pill Sect, their faces etched with bewilderment.

"What's going on? I just revived in the Primitive Tribe, and suddenly I'm back in the Grand Void Illusionary Realm, and then—poof!—I'm out again?"

"I was about to kill a Winged Race warrior, and in the blink of an eye, I'm back here?"

"What happened?"

"I have no idea."

Han Yi was just as bewildered. He had no clue what was going on either.

"Silence."

Fu Xuanxu lightly pressed his palm against the void, silencing all voices with a single gesture.

"Something has changed. Jade Capital Mountain has announced that the Cave Heaven Trial is terminated immediately."

"We're returning to the Sect."

A flicker of confusion crossed Fu Xuanxu's eyes as well. However, even with his power, he couldn't investigate too deeply within Jade Capital Mountain.

Moreover, the Jade Capital Mountain Holy Land had unexpectedly refunded the fees for the Cave Heaven Trial slots. This was a stark departure from their usual domineering behavior.

Something major must have happened either within Jade Capital Mountain or the True Dawn Grand Void Heaven itself.

"Move out!"

Fu Xuanxu summoned his Tribulation Transcending Immortal Boat. With a sweeping wave of his sleeve, he gathered all the disciples and guided them aboard. The other two experts similarly boarded the Immortal Boat, and it retraced its path back.

On the Immortal Boat, Fu Xuanxu, Fu Canghai, and Su Changkong gathered all the disciples to inquire about the events that had transpired in the True Dawn Grand Void Heaven. Geng Changxu, ranked first on the Earth Ranking, and An Xin, ranked second, recounted everything in meticulous detail.

The other top thirty Peak Qi Refinement disciples and the top one hundred senior Ninth Layer disciples supplemented their accounts, piecing together a comprehensive review of the disciples' experiences within the True Dawn Grand Void Heaven.

Each disciple shared their personal experiences, naturally omitting any mention of the Grand Void Tokens. Those who had exchanged their tokens for spiritual objects or enhanced their Divine Soul's Comprehension naturally remained silent about their acquisitions.

As for how those who had acquired treasures managed to extract them from the Cave Heaven World into the Grand Void Illusionary Realm, that remained a matter of individual resourcefulness and skill.

However, the Cave Heaven Trial had lasted barely two months. Even with extraordinary abilities, few could have replicated Han Yi's feat of first obtaining a Grand Void Token Fragment and then seizing the Jade Capital Grand Void Token.

This outcome wasn't solely due to strength; luck played a significant role.

"It seems the problem isn't with Jade Capital Mountain itself, but rather with the True Dawn Grand Void Heaven," Fu Xuanxu concluded.

After hearing the disciples' accounts, Fu Xuanxu pondered for a moment before concluding, "Although the trial lasted only two months, encountering the Jade Capital Grand Void Token meant the intensity and difficulty were several times greater than before. The overall benefits might actually surpass those of previous expeditions."

Fu Xuanxu nodded in satisfaction.

A brief silence fell as the disciples dispersed across the Immortal Boat, settling into meditation to digest the gains from their short but intense Cave Heaven Trial.

Han Yi found a quiet corner and sat cross-legged, his thoughts turning to his own gains and losses.

He had lost a sword artifact and a dagger but acquired a mysterious Stone Insect capable of transforming one's Root Bone, along with a fragment of Primordial Qi from the True Dawn Grand Void Heaven.

That's right. The True Ascension Mark that had transformed into his Grand Void Body had been reclaimed by the Grand Void Illusionary Realm. However, the True Ascension Mark he had exchanged with the Shaman for his Storage Pouch remained. After exiting the Grand Void Illusionary Realm, it detached from the spare Storage Pouch and reformed into a wisp of ethereal light, now quietly hovering within Han Yi's primary Storage Pouch.

The balance between gains and losses proved difficult to assess.

Beyond his personal gains, Han Yi also replayed the battle in Imperial Demon City in his mind, distilling the events into its simplest form.

Shortly after Li Changsheng, the mysterious cultivator suspected to be the master of the True Dawn Grand Void Heaven and a Transformation God Stage Great Power from Jade Capital Mountain, annihilated a ten-meter-tall Demon Race warrior and obtained the Burial Cloth, the entire True Dawn Grand Void Heaven abruptly shut down, forcibly evacuating all participants.

This prompted a single phrase to surface in Han Yi's mind:

Version Update.

If the Cave Heaven World were likened to an online game, the Burial Cloth would be akin to a patch. Li Changsheng, having acquired it, was now like a backend maintenance technician. Before applying the patch, he needed to temporarily shut down the server. Once the update was complete, the world would reopen with the new version.

This line of reasoning led Han Yi to vaguely perceive the truth behind the True Dawn Grand Void Heaven.

He shook his head. Such profound matters remained far beyond his current reach.

"Junior Brother Han, did you obtain any gains?" Feng Jingyu, his usual cold demeanor softening, leaned in to ask. Compared to their departure, an invisible aura of bloodthirst now clung to him. Even his casual gestures seemed to hint at hidden killing intent.

This quality was forged in the crucible of slaughter, born from both killing and witnessing death. It was a natural byproduct of prolonged immersion in such an environment.

In truth, Feng Jingyu wasn't alone. Every cultivator on the Immortal Boat shared this aura, including Han Yi, who found it increasingly difficult to suppress his own bloodlust.

This temperament would only gradually dissipate after a month or two back at the sect, as the ingrained intent softened into natural restraint.