Yang Han gave a faint smile. "Because you should take a look behind you."
The God glanced back out of curiosity, only to see a surge of powerful Source energy barreling toward them. Before he could react, both he and Yang Han were swept away by the surge, each grabbing hold of something nearby.
Yang Han was wracked with pain, and after grabbing onto something, he found himself unable to move, sprawled on the ground. The God fared even worse—without the Heaven-Cold Seed, he couldn't withstand the overwhelming force and soon lost consciousness.
After half an hour, Yang Han was still conscious, but his body wouldn't respond. Lying there, he muttered under his breath, "Damn, I need to keep him muddled."
But his limbs wouldn't listen, so he could only keep lying there. The other Gods were in the same predicament—affected by the Source Surge, they were clearly no match for Elder Carl. While Elder Carl could move freely in the midst of the surge, the five of them struggled and were quickly injured one after another by him.
"Damn it, I didn't expect the Source Surge to hit right now," one of them cursed.
"That's just luck," Elder Carl said with a smile, then looked behind him, unsure how Yang Han and the others were doing. But at the moment, he couldn't go in to search for Yang Han's whereabouts, since the Source Surge had scattered them all.
After all, there were many tunnels here, and Divine Sense was limited. Even Gods couldn't recklessly wander around, so Elder Carl could only hope Yang Han was safe. He looked at the five and said, "You'll be able to move soon, right? What's wrong, can't hold on anymore?"
Frustrated, the five cursed inwardly. The Source Surge hit them hard, especially since they'd never stayed here before.
"I don't want to kill you. I know you won't go down so easily—if pushed, you'll definitely have a way out. But as for your companion, I can't say," Elder Carl said.
The five thought of their companion who'd gone deeper and were secretly alarmed, convinced Yang Han was as good as dead.
Yang Han wasn't doomed—he just couldn't move. When he finally regained mobility, half a day had passed. He hurried over to the God, found him unconscious, and checked his body. The God was saturated with leftover Source Surge energy—too much to digest, which caused his coma. Now Yang Han needed to keep him immobilized, but wasn't sure if his sealing methods would work.
He tried a few times, but found he couldn't seal the God, which left him frustrated. Damn it, what now? Helpless, Yang Han considered destroying the God's physical body.
"Not really," Yang Han shook his head.
"That's right. The artifact they've been after is the Chaos Power-Gathering Flask," King Haiten said with a smile. "It's a vessel that absorbs energy. I came here specifically to collect the Source Surge and bring it back to help my clan."
"Of course," King Haiten replied with a smile, producing a box with seven needles. He carefully inserted each needle into a different location.
Once all the needles were in place, King Haiten muttered something. The seven needles linked together, glowing faintly. He turned to Yang Han and said, "All done."
"Alright, I'll leave him to you," Yang Han said after a moment's thought.
"Leave him to me? Why not just kill him?" King Haiten asked, curious.
"Kill him? That'd be letting him off too easy. Right now, his body is just pure energy—if you can, you could absorb it bit by bit and gradually recover," Yang Han said with a smile.
"Here, take this," King Haiten placed a small, exquisitely crafted gourd in Yang Han's hand.
Yang Han was intrigued by the delicate, unusual gourd. "Aren't you afraid I'll just take it?"
"I'm not worried. If you really want it, I'd give it to you anyway. You did save my life," King Haiten replied with a smile.
Yang Han paused. "But isn't this the hope of your entire clan?" He didn't know the full story, but he could tell it was anything but simple.
"Are you out of your mind? Take a look at the situation you’re in right now," King Haiten said with a smirk.
Only then did the God realize he couldn't move—he was pinned down by seven needles, and his strength was almost completely drained. He panicked. "What did you do to me?"
"This? Let me explain it to you nice and slow," King Haiten said, grinning.
King Haiten patiently explained everything. When the God finished listening, his face went pale. "What?"
"Told you not to be so greedy. What, feeling regret now? Well, too late. I’m going to slowly drain the rest of your cultivation and let you see that Heaven-Battle Beasts aren’t so easy to mess with." With that, King Haiten began using his special method to absorb the God’s power for himself.
The God was terrified and in agony, regretting that he hadn’t just killed Yang Han when he had the chance.
Meanwhile, Yang Han was still sitting in meditation, cultivating. His cultivation had finally solidified at the Immortal Sovereign stage, and his strength was now several times greater than when he’d first arrived. Yang Han believed that if he went all out, he might really be able to fight a God head-on.
Of course, when Gods fight, they use their domains to attack at nearly thought-speed, making their strikes almost instantaneous.
That was what Yang Han was aiming for—hoping that one day he could do the same. For now, though, his reaction speed was nothing to scoff at. At least he wouldn’t get instantly hurt by a God and could defend himself on his own.
Yang Han would also inch forward every so often, curiosity burning inside him about what lay at the very deepest part of this place to create such a miraculous Source Surge.
If he weren’t worried about being too reckless and dying in the depths, Yang Han would’ve already rushed straight in ages ago.
So Yang Han stayed in the depths for quite a while, until he finally reached a barrier—a transparent membrane. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t break through it. It was maddening, and after months of failed attempts, he finally sighed, “Guess I’ll have to come back when I’m stronger.”
With no other choice, Yang Han picked a spot nearby and released Lin Yue and the others from the shell.
“This is the true depths of the Immortal-Fate Grotto. There’s no one else around, so hurry up and cultivate. The energy density here is at least tens of thousands of times higher than outside,” Yang Han said with a grin.
Everyone gasped at his words, but Yang Han added, “Every day, I’ll pull you all into the Spiral Shell for half an hour, since the Source Surge here is just too intense for you guys to handle.”
They didn’t really get it, but followed his lead anyway. So they all started cultivating here. King Haiten came out too, finding the place pretty fascinating—especially the barrier. He really wanted to see what was on the other side, but unfortunately, he wasn’t strong enough yet.
"Senior, what do you think is inside?" Yang Han asked, seeing King Haiten wasn't cultivating and feeling curious.
"I have no idea. But a place that generates such powerful energy every day has to be extraordinary. I once heard rumors about the Immortal-Fate Grotto, so I came to check it out—just happened to run into those people," King Haiten explained.
Hearing that King Haiten had come here for the same reason, Yang Han was surprised, but quickly calmed down. King Haiten picked a spot and sat to cultivate until Yang Han called everyone into the Spiral Shell. "I want to stay and try it out," King Haiten said.
Yang Han thought about it. King Haiten was stronger than those Gods—maybe he could handle it. Yang Han smiled, "Alright."
"I can't guarantee I can withstand it, so if I pass out, just drag me in afterward," King Haiten said. He wanted to feel the Source Surge for himself, even if it was risky—after all, Yang Han could endure it, and he admired that, even if he didn't know how Yang Han managed it.
Yang Han smiled. "No problem."
The two waited. After a while, the Source Surge finally arrived, roaring like a massive current. Their bodies were instantly filled with its power. Yang Han stayed conscious, but King Haiten struggled and eventually fainted.
When Yang Han could move again, he found plenty of residual energy inside King Haiten, so he used the Heaven-Cold Seed to absorb it all.
Once he'd finished, Yang Han smiled, "You're awake?"
King Haiten blinked awake. "What just happened?"
Yang Han explained. When King Haiten heard the story, he muttered, "Remarkable. This must be what I've been searching for."
"What is it you're looking for?" Yang Han asked, curious.
"That's right. Do you know what artifact they've been after?" King Haiten smiled.
Yang Han shook his head. "No idea."
"It's the Chaos Power-Gathering Flask—a vessel that absorbs energy. I came here to collect the Source Surge and bring it back to help my clan," King Haiten said.
Yang Han was stunned. With such an artifact, he could use it as a personal energy source for cultivation.
Seeing Yang Han's reaction, King Haiten smiled. "Looks like I'll have to rely on you."
"Rely on me?" Yang Han asked, puzzled.
"Yes. Every time the Source Surge comes, help me absorb it. I'm counting on you," King Haiten requested.
Yang Han thought about it. It was doable, but he worried King Haiten might try to snatch the artifact from him.
"Alright, but if you try anything, I'll throw you out," Yang Han warned.
King Haiten laughed. "Don't worry, I won't. I owe you my life, after all."
Yang Han nodded, feeling reassured. He kept the Chaos Power-Gathering Flask close, waiting for the next Source Surge.
That night, Yang Han and King Haiten cultivated together, waiting for the Source Surge to arrive.