"The Star Compass, the origin of array formations..."
Cui Fu explained as he worked, the general idea being that once the array formation sensing talismans he deployed detected any movement, they could pinpoint the Star Compass within this ancient battlefield.
Simultaneously, the sensing talismans could determine its general direction, thus increasing the probability of finding it.
Chu Fan nodded and waited patiently.
Ten minutes later, the yellow talisman etched with array formations in Cui Fu's hand suddenly emitted faint golden light.
"It's here, it really is here! I knew it would be!"
"Hahaha..."
Cui Fu was as excited as a child.
As the last disciple of the Dharma Sect, finding the Star Compass was his greatest wish in life. He had been working towards it for decades, and felt he wouldn't be able to rest in peace without accomplishing it.
Now that he had confirmed the Star Compass was indeed here, finding it was only a matter of time.
Chu Fan's brows relaxed, his mood also becoming lighter.
If the Star Compass wasn't here, they would have to deal with the encirclement of members from the Underworld Palace, which would not be worth it.
"Go!"
Suppressing his excitement, Cui Fu moved his hands, and the yellow talisman rose into the air. It circled around before heading straight towards the deepest part of the ancient battlefield.
"This..."
Seeing the direction the yellow talisman floated, Cui Fu's excitement froze, and Chu Fan's brows also slightly raised.
The deeper into the ancient battlefield they went, the higher the risk.
Having confirmed that the Star Compass was within this ancient battlefield, they had initially thought finding it wouldn't be too difficult. However, reality delivered a hard blow.
"How could it be like this?"
"Couldn't it be somewhere outside?"
After regaining his senses, Cui Fu's face was filled with disappointment, clearly finding it difficult to accept this reality.
With the Star Compass located in the deepest part of the ancient battlefield, the danger there was no different from not being in the ancient battlefield at all.
Before acting, Cui Fu had indeed hoped the Star Compass would be in this ancient battlefield.
But now, he rather wished it wasn't.
If it wasn't here, they could continue searching.
Being in the deepest part of the ancient battlefield was like having an insurmountable abyss between them.
The feeling of seeing it but being unable to reach it was agonizing.
Fate, sometimes, just loved to play tricks on people.
Chu Fan's mindset was slightly better than Cui Fu's. He took a deep breath, patted the old man's shoulder, and said with a smile, "Old man, there's nothing to not accept. Since it's here, let's find a way to get it!"
"If it wasn't here, who knows how much effort it would take to find it?"
Cui Fu thought about it and realized it was true. With Chu Fan around, even though the deeper parts of the ancient battlefield were dangerous, it wasn't entirely without hope.
After taking a few deep breaths to adjust his state, he said with anticipation, "Let's go!"
With the direction clear, the two of them quickened their pace.
Concurrently, Cui Fu explained to Chu Fan why his emotional reaction had been so drastic upon seeing the Star Compass's location in the deepest part of the ancient battlefield.
According to his understanding, the faction that initially occupied this area was extremely powerful.
Although they eventually declined, and the Demon Sect later occupied this place, the Demon Sect did not take full control.
The area occupied by the Demon Sect was only the ground they stood on. The deeper regions were designated as forbidden zones due to numerous dangers, and others were not permitted to venture there.
At this moment, he could only hope that the location of the Star Compass was still within the area the Demon Sect had occupied, rather than in regions that even the Demon Sect had not fully explored.
Hearing this, Chu Fan couldn't help but ask, "That's unlikely, right?"
"The Star Compass is an inanimate object. Unless someone brought it in, could it possibly wander into areas that haven't been explored?"
Cui Fu stroked his chin and thought it made sense. The Star Compass couldn't have moved into areas the Demon Sect hadn't even explored. Therefore, it was most likely in the deepest part of the region controlled by the Demon Sect, and his worries gradually eased.
With Chu Fan present, many hidden residual formations could be detected in advance, allowing them to easily avoid them.
Soon, the two of them entered the range of the remnants of the Demon Sect's structures.
The ground was crisscrossed with gullies, and countless bones lay scattered about, not even complete skeletons, indicating that the battles fought here were fierce.
There were also some items left behind by the people of that era on the ground. Cui Fu picked up a few and examined them, finding them either damaged or decayed, so he lost the inclination to pick up any more treasures and prepared to focus on finding the Star Compass.
After walking a distance, he noticed Chu Fan wasn't following and turned to see him still standing in place, looking towards the depths. He couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Are you scared by these tall buildings?"
The Demon Sect was always the Demon Sect. Their buildings were bizarrely shaped, and ferocious statues were found everywhere, truly giving off a very eerie feeling.
Chu Fan shook his head, withdrew his gaze from the deepest darkness behind the buildings, and said, "There's something inside, and it's alive!"
What?
There was still something alive?
Cui Fu's heart tightened, and he nervously asked, "This place has been abandoned for eighty to ninety years. Is there really something alive here?"
"Are you sure you didn't sense it incorrectly?"
Chu Fan curved his lips and said, "I wish I had sensed it incorrectly."
Just now, although the feeling of being watched was fleeting, he was extremely sure he hadn't misjudged. In the deepest part, there was a pair of eyes that had lingered on him for about a breath.
Even though it was only a brief moment, Chu Fan's sensation was incredibly clear, as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and all his hair stood on end.
Since he had grown stronger, he had never experienced such a feeling before, which even caused a hint of tension in his heart.
Realizing Chu Fan wasn't talking nonsense, Cui Fu's eyes also showed a trace of worry. He secretly prayed that nothing unexpected would happen.
The deepest part was already fraught with danger.
Given this harsh environment, if there was still something alive, it was safe to assume it was incredibly powerful, and Chu Fan might not even be its match.
Cui Fu did not want to provoke a terrifying existence; he just wanted to find the Star Compass quickly and then withdraw.
The sudden realization that there was something alive in the depths placed a mountain-like pressure on both of them. They lost the mood for idle chatter and began to search the surroundings quietly and meticulously, looking for the landing spot of the sensing talismans.
The Demon Sect ruins were vast. After searching for half an hour, they had only covered a small portion of the area.
Cui Fu pondered for a few seconds, then suddenly stopped, took out various items, and began to sense again.
The deeper parts were inherently dangerous, and the longer they stayed, the less safe it would be. Continuing to search aimlessly like this was a complete waste of time. Cui Fu thought of a method for continuous sensing and tracking, but he wasn't sure if it would work, so he could only try.
A stick of incense was constantly being twisted in Cui Fu's hand, and numerous array formations were laid upon it.
"Burn!"
Cui Fu let out a low cry, his eyes fixed intently on the tip of the incense.
If the incense could burn, the method would be viable.
If it couldn't burn, they would have to continue searching blindly.
As they waited nervously, a wisp of green smoke suddenly appeared at the tip of the incense, followed by a flash of sparks.
"Whoosh..."
Cui Fu exhaled a long breath, grinned at Chu Fan, and then, holding the burning incense, began to walk in the direction of the smoke.
The direction was still heading deeper.
As they walked, both of their expressions turned grim.