The two full-power attacks met in the center of the cracked platform. Golden energy and thickened Yang collided with enough force to split the stone completely. At the same moment the deeper sealed area reacted.
A cold, ancient pressure rose from far below the floating platforms. It was heavier and older than anything the group had faced so far — denser than the shadow lord, older than the seals they had already broken. The black mist itself seemed to pull inward toward a point deeper in the realm.
The rival staggered under the combined force of Wei Chen's attack and the sudden ancient pressure. Wei Chen felt the fragment pulse hard in response, feeding him another clear surge of Yang. He used the opening to drive the rival back across the broken platform.
Around them the rest of the group adjusted quickly. Tigress Yu and Zhao Yin cut down the residual shadow energy that had begun rising faster under the new pressure. Huo Yan worked with Lan Qing and Mei Yun, their ice-flame mix creating controlled bursts that kept the shifting platforms from becoming completely unstable. The disciples held the edges and finished anything that slipped past.
The ancient pressure continued to rise. It did not attack directly yet, but every cultivator on the platforms could feel it watching.
Wei Chen did not let the rival recover. He pressed forward with the denser Yang the fragment now supplied, forcing the rival to defend rather than counter. The golden energy still carried real weight, but the rival's earlier advantage was gone.
During a short stretch where the rival was forced to block a rapid sequence of bursts, the pressure on the surrounding platforms eased just enough. Wei Chen moved past Tigress Yu, checked the cut on her arm, then rubbed her firmly between her legs while speaking low.
"Still with me."
She gave a short breath and pressed against his hand for a few seconds before he turned back.
A little later, while the disciples cleared broken stone, Wei Chen pulled Zhao Yin close behind a more stable section. He guided her down, pushed into her mouth, and moved with controlled rhythm while the main fight continued nearby. She took him quietly until he pulled back and returned to the rival.
The ancient pressure grew heavier. Some of the older residual seals that had not yet fully broken began to crack under it. New shadow energy started to form in the mist.
Tigress Yu and Zhao Yin moved to cut it down before it could gather. Huo Yan and the ice queens launched a strong combined blast that cleared a wider path. The disciples held formation.
In a brief opening after a heavy exchange with the rival, Wei Chen found Lan Qing steadying her breathing. He dropped lower, parted her legs, and licked her with focused pressure until her thighs tensed and she came with a soft, controlled sound. He stood, wiped his mouth, and moved back into position.
Mei Yun received a short moment while she prepared another cast. He stood behind her, cupped her breasts, and moved his thumbs across her nipples as he spoke close to her ear.
"Keep the mix ready. Something older is waking."
She nodded, a light flush on her face, and continued.
The rival refused to retreat. He gathered what golden energy he had left and forced another heavy clash. Wei Chen met it with the fragment's power and drove him back again. The platform under them split further.
The ancient pressure spiked.
A deep, resonant sound rolled up from below the floating platforms. The black mist parted in a wide circle, and a much larger sealed structure became visible in the distance — an ancient gate of pure darkness far older than the one they had already broken.
The rival's eyes narrowed as he felt it too.
Wei Chen felt the claimed fragment pulse one more time, as if warning him.
The deeper gate was beginning to open.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2026
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Next Chapter: 170 - The Deeper Gate
The ancient pressure fully reveals a far older sealed gate as both Wei Chen and the rival are forced to confront what is waking beneath the realm.