Chapter 1589: Space Sand

The palace exuded an ancient and distant aura, as if it had stood there for countless years, giving a sense of vicissitudes spanning history.

"This should have been left by the ancient sage Ran Qiu. If there is a hereditary celestial talisman, it must be inside!" Luo Ruoxi said.

This palace was clearly extraordinary, not something ordinary people could build. The power and means contained within it were beyond even a Great Sage, and it was likely the work of Confucius's most formidable student.

Zhang Xuan nodded, putting aside the matter of the lightning tribulation. His Eye of Insight squirmed as he looked around, and after a moment, his expression turned solemn: "The traces end here. Without a doubt, those four have already entered. Let's hurry!"

Knowing this matter was more important, the three said nothing more and flew straight toward the palace before them.

The palace seemed not far away, perhaps just over ten kilometers. However, after flying for a while, they sensed something amiss. No matter how fast they flew, the palace remained in the same place, as if they weren't getting any closer.

"Could we be trapped in an illusion again?" Zhang Xuan's expression darkened.

Back in the Sword Pool left by Sword Elder, they had encountered a similar situation—like ghostly walling, no matter how they moved, they stayed in place. Was this the same?

"No!"

Sensing the problem, Luo Ruoxi furrowed her delicate brows: "If I'm not mistaken, this should be space sand!"

"Space sand?" Zhang Xuan was baffled, and even Wu Chen beside him seemed not to understand.

"I once read a similar description in an ancient text. Space sand is fragmented space like grains of sand, which together can form real space. But to travel through it is like rowing against the current—the faster you go, the faster it flows! No matter how strong you are, you can only stay in place, unable to advance a single step... That is, we appear to be flying normally, but the space within the space sand is flowing, offering no foothold. Naturally, we move like snails, making no progress!"

Luo Ruoxi explained.

"Such a thing exists?" Zhang Xuan was astonished.

He had never heard of space sand, but once Luo Ruoxi explained, he immediately understood. They were like a car stuck in a pulley system—the tires spin, the pulleys spin, and the two cancel each other out. No matter how much force they used, they stayed in place and couldn't move forward.

It was also like walking on frictionless ice—nowhere to push off, the more steps they took, the less they moved.

"If that's the case, we really can't advance. Then... how did those four get through here?"

Wu Chen was full of doubt.

If even they couldn't fly across, the four ahead weren't necessarily stronger than them. How did they pass through smoothly?

"They probably used some kind of treasure to stabilize the flow of space sand, like a dam blocking a flood. As long as the space sand doesn't flow, crossing it isn't difficult," Luo Ruoxi said.

"Then can't we use a spatial wormhole to jump directly into the palace, instead of flying?"

Zhang Xuan suggested.

Earlier, Wu Chen had used a secret technique to leap across millions of kilometers in an instant. The distance to the palace was only a dozen kilometers, so it should be even simpler.

"Spatial wormhole jumping is somewhat similar to a teleportation array—it can indeed shorten distances and traverse space. But... space sand is inherently unstable. If we use spatial secret techniques, I'm afraid it might cause spatial turbulence, which would be even more troublesome!"

Luo Ruoxi frowned.

Spatial turbulence—even an Indestructible Realm expert trapped in it would find it hard to survive, and more importantly, it would be difficult to escape. That would be worse than their current situation.

"So you're saying there's no way to get across?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

They couldn't fly across, and spatial jumping was out of the question. Could they only stare helplessly at the palace right before their eyes?

"Not necessarily. If we can stabilize the flowing space sand like those four did, we can enter easily," Luo Ruoxi said.

"Stabilize the space sand?"

Zhang Xuan looked at Wu Chen beside him.

This man had a profound understanding of space, no weaker than the experts of the Luo family. Perhaps he had a way.

"If I had the Luo family's Space-Stabilizing Pearl, I could do it... But as it is, I definitely can't," Wu Chen shook his head upon seeing Zhang Xuan's gaze.

"Space-Stabilizing Pearl?"

"That treasure was obtained by the Luo family's ancestor through a stroke of luck. It can stabilize space and calm turbulence. The space sand here flows constantly and offers no foothold, but with that pearl, it could definitely be sealed off!" Wu Chen nodded.

"So powerful?"

Zhang Xuan was amazed.

He had long heard that the little princess had refined the Space-Stabilizing Pearl, greatly increasing her cultivation and making her formidable. But he had never fought her; in his mind, she was still that innocent little girl who loved alchemy, called him teacher, and was respectful and polite.

Now hearing this, he realized how powerful the pearl was.

"The Space-Stabilizing Pearl is indeed powerful, and I feel that Luo Qiqi is still far from unleashing its full potential," Luo Ruoxi also nodded. "But it's useless to talk about it now. The pearl isn't here, and even if we went to get it, it would be too late."

"That's true..."

Zhang Xuan was helpless.

No matter how powerful the Space-Stabilizing Pearl was, it was useless if it wasn't here.

Besides, he had hurt Luo Qiqi so badly; even with his thick skin, he couldn't bring himself to borrow her clan's treasured artifact.

"Speaking of the Space-Stabilizing Pearl, I recall something... but never mind."

Wu Chen suddenly interjected, then stopped mid-sentence with a wry smile.

Zhang Xuan looked at him: "If you have an idea, speak freely."

"Actually, both the Luo family and the ancient sage Qiu Wu's understanding of space originated from the Space-Stabilizing Pearl. What they comprehended were true interpretations of sealing and stabilizing space... If one could comprehend such true interpretations, they might be able to stabilize the space sand here for a short time and fly across easily!"

Wu Chen said: "However, true interpretations are difficult to master, especially those of space, which are even harder than sword techniques... My current understanding of space took me countless years and studying numerous ancient texts to achieve..."

"If we divide space into the realms of shortening distances, teleportation, mastery, creation, and destruction, what realm would one need to reach to comprehend true interpretations?"

Pausing, Zhang Xuan thought of something and looked over.

"If divided into these realms, reaching the fourth, the creation realm, would mean comprehending such true interpretations," Wu Chen said after a moment's thought.

"The fourth?"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth lifted. He looked at Wu Chen again, his gaze burning: "You said you've studied many ancient texts on space... Do you have any with you now? Show me all of them!"