On the Great Catalpa Plateau, a young man in snow-white robes stood tall and proud, an azure jade ruler in hand.
Beneath his feet lay his arena opponent, face stricken with terror.
"Is this your true strength?"
Just a moment ago, the power bursting from his opponent had completely surpassed the Core Formation stage, catching him totally off guard and leaving him defeated in a single strike.
Zhou Fuyou did not look down at him. Instead, his gaze swept over the surroundings, his brow furrowing slightly, lost in thought.
In the distance, the Dao Sect experts watching the matches were full of praise.
This junior of the Shi clan had long held a reputation as a genius, and great hopes had been placed on him in this grand tournament—poised to rank among the top five or even top three. Yet he had fallen so easily by Zhou Fuyou's hand.
That momentary burst of power had already surpassed Core Formation, virtually rivaling an early Nascent Soul cultivator.
"As expected of Fairy Qinglan's beloved disciple!"
"If you ask me, I'm afraid he hasn't even gone all out."
"That wasn't all out? Back when I was at his realm, I possessed no such overbearing magical power."
"This old man heard Zhou Fuyou's signature spell rivals a Nascent Soul domain, praised as 'Qi Sea Floating Heaven, myriad phenomena looming vast.' Did any of you see him use that move?"
"Tsk, tsk. Those blessed with special Dao bodies are truly unnatural. No wonder this lad is hailed as another Shi Ju..."
"Careful what you say!"
Amid the buzz of discussion, a handsome man flicked his sleeve and walked away, displeasure covertly etched between his brows.
It was none other than the contemporary head of the Shi clan, Shi Ju!
His cultivation realm was not exceptionally high, merely at the sixth layer of Nascent Soul.
Yet his prowess was formidable. Rumor had it that back when he was at the fourth layer of Nascent Soul, he had briefly clashed with a Great Demon Emperor in the Eastern Desolation without yielding ground. Over a century had passed since then; he was surely far more formidable now.
After the Shi clan's Supreme Elder perished at Heaven and Earth Peak, he took over as clan head, becoming the current master of the prominent Shi clan.
The disciple who had just lost to Zhou Fuyou was a junior he favored, yet he had not anticipated such a total defeat.
He was displeased with his clansman's failure, but even more furious that the boy had lost to that wretched woman's disciple!
In the face of Shi Ju's graceless departure, the onlookers offered no comment.
Many knew that Shi Ju had been proud and overbearing since youth, notoriously difficult to get along with. Following the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven tournament, his temperament had grown even more erratic, quick to lash out and harm others. Word was that he had been defeated by a Dao Protector within the grotto-heaven and had lost an avatar he had painstakingly forged. Such a crushing blow made his personality increasingly extreme.
A Dao Sect elder stepped forward to announce Zhou Fuyou's victory and instructed him to rest for three days before participating in the subsequent rounds.
Zhou Fuyou nodded calmly and walked down from the Great Catalpa Plateau.
Shi Miaoyin arrived happily with several junior brothers and sisters to greet him, with congratulations and praises sounding endlessly.
Yet Shi Miaoyin caught the faint trace of bewilderment lurking within Zhou Fuyou's eyes beneath his calm exterior.
"Junior Brother, what's the matter?"
Zhou Fuyou shook his head. His eyes continued to search the surroundings aimlessly, finding nothing.
*What on earth was that? Why did I feel such a terrifying shudder of unease just now?*
*Is someone watching me?*
*If it were a sect senior, they could watch my match openly and without disguise. If it were some petty rat, given my master's assessment that my divine sense rivals that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, they wouldn't escape my notice. But why did that feeling vanish in a flash?*
Zhou Fuyou's mind was in turmoil.
The "formidable foe" he had faced on the Great Catalpa Plateau arena had not actually been strong.
He could have subdued him using ordinary spells and the Yin-Slaying Ruler bestowed by his forebear. Yet that prickly feeling of a thorn in his back had shaken his composure, causing him to instinctively unleash his full might.
The spectacle it created was naturally sensational, but no one knew the palpitating dread in his heart.
Exhaling a breath of gloom, Zhou Fuyou stepped away from the surrounding crowd.
"I'm a bit tired and would like to head back to rest. Excuse me."
The group was taken aback.
Though not all of them studied under Fairy Qinglan, they were all disciples of the Four Palaces of Tiannan Dao Palace.
They might have sparred before, but those contests were confined to Tiannan Dao Palace and the hierarchy had already been settled.
Zhou Fuyou was number one in Tiannan!
In coming to the Dao Sect's ancestral grounds in the Lanke Mountain Range for this tournament, they all represented Tiannan Dao Palace. The rankings they earned would ultimately be fed back in the form of rewards to Tiannan Dao Palace, which had nurtured them.
They had not expected Zhou Fuyou to remain so aloof.
Eldest Senior Sister Shi Miaoyin sensed that Zhou Fuyou's mood was off. After he departed, she offered a brief explanation to the others.
"Shi Rui is very strong. Defeating him took a heavy toll on Fuyou. Three days from now, he must face Gu Yu. Let's give him time to recover!"
Realization dawned on everyone, and they turned to discussing Zhou Fuyou's next opponent, Gu Yu.
She was a woman from the Gu clan, one of the Twelve Great Clans, and equally renowned across Libei Continent as a genius. She was a top favorite to win the crown of this Jiazi Tournament, ranked even above Shi Rui.
Facing an opponent like that indeed warranted proper rest and recovery, as well as solemn preparation.
Three days later, there would surely be a breathtaking clash!
***
Having left the Great Catalpa Plateau, Zhou Fuyou did not return to his residence to rest as he had claimed. Instead, he wandered slowly along scenic mountain paths through the Lanke Mountain Range.
He kept examining himself, searching for the source of that palpitation from earlier.
But he still found nothing.
He could only assume he was overthinking, or perhaps some profound elder of the sect had unintentionally exerted excessive pressure on him while watching the match.
Passing by a mist-shrouded grand mountain, Zhou Fuyou paused his steps.
"Is this Zuowang Peak, renowned alongside Stone Chamber Mountain? When Master studied under Ancestor Chun Yuan in the past, she cultivated here for a long time. Master hopes that if I break through to the Nascent Soul stage in the future, I can enter this mountain to cultivate and carry on Chun Yuan's lineage."
Zhou Fuyou gazed at Zuowang Peak for a long time, his face devoid of emotion, impossible to tell whether he was satisfied or dissatisfied.
He began walking again, his pace varying between brisk and sluggish through the Lanke Mountain Range.
When the moon hung high in the sky, he had unwittingly walked past the sprawling expanse of the Lanke Mountain Range.
The rumbling roar of surging waves filled his ears as the Shi River flowed eastward beneath his feet.
Suddenly!
Zhou Fuyou's eyes narrowed. In the distance, he saw two figures standing side by side.
As if sensing something, the two figures glanced at him, then turned and departed.
What kind of gazes were those?
One was calm as a still lake, its light like the moon, showing not the slightest interest in him.
The other held scrutinizing curiosity, tinged even with a trace of astonishment.
*Are they senior brothers from the Dao Sect?*
Zhou Fuyou wondered with a furrowed brow. He ought to have approached them, but for some reason, his feet remained firmly rooted to the spot, instinctively watching them walk away.
*I still have two matches left. I cannot afford any distractions!*
*Master and the others place high hopes on me. The Palace Master and the other three Hall Masters even joined hands to forge a lifebound magic treasure for me. I must seize first place this time.*
*Better to go back and rest properly!*
Under the blanket of moonlight, the white-robed figure traveled upstream, returning to the Lanke Mountain Range.
***
"Do you know that junior from just now?"
"I do not."
"How could you not? He performed so brilliantly on the Great Catalpa Plateau, with magical power unmatched among his peers in this generation. Even I have never seen such an exceptional Core Formation cultivator in my lifetime. Did you really not notice him?"
"What are you trying to say, Senior?"
"Hehe, I sensed something interesting from him. It seems he has some inexplicable connection with you."
Luo Chen halted his steps, looking at Li Canghai without a shred of emotion.
Seeing this reaction, Li Canghai grew even more certain of the abnormality he had sensed earlier.
He was a Soul Formation grandmaster of the Dao of arrays, and his perception of the overarching trends of heaven and earth and the flows of origin qi was far sharper than that of ordinary Soul Formation cultivators. A vast amount of origin qi swirled around Zhou Fuyou, as if the young man could absorb it at will whenever he pleased. No wonder he had attained the ninth layer of Core Formation at such a young age.
Most importantly, while the youth's soul aura might deceive Nascent Soul cultivators, it could not deceive him.
Especially with Luo Chen standing right beside him!
The two were bound to have a connection!
Recalling how Luo Chen dared to target the Tianyuan Dao Sect, such audacity must surely be backed by secret preparations.
"That junior is your—"
"Senior Li!"
Luo Chen cut him off. Since they had first met, this was the first time Luo Chen had ever interrupted him.
Facing this disrespectful act, Li Canghai slightly narrowed his eyes.
As if unaware, Luo Chen said calmly, "You and I are merely in a cooperative relationship. Just as I did not press you about your motive for targeting the Tianyuan Dao Sect, I hope you will not meddle too much in my affairs."
Li Canghai let out an amused chuckle, waving his hand.
"This old man was overthinking things."
Luo Chen pursued the matter no further, his gaze looking into the distance.
"Let's go. Let us see the God Descent Array you spoke of!"
The two swayed their figures, soaring straight up to the ninth heaven. Calling forth clouds and mist to conceal themselves, they flew beyond Dongyuan Continent.
Leaving the continent and crossing the vast ocean, they finally paused amid a layer of clouds.
Their gazes fell together onto an island below.
Tiandi Island!
Rather than an island, it was more like a smaller continent.
The shattered Heaven and Earth Peak lay quietly there, as if it had always been so.
Yet the world knew that Heaven and Earth Peak had once connected heaven and earth; its current state had only lasted a century or so.
"Just as you said, Senior, an obscure grand array has indeed been laid on Tiandi Island, drawing earth qi continuously through the seabed. Is that the God Descent Array?"
"Indeed. That is the renowned ancient array of the Mystic Realm, the God Descent Array." Li Canghai nodded, yearning flickering in his eyes. "Legend has it that the God Descent Array was devised by people of the Mystic Realm to communicate with the divine wills of immortals who had ascended to the Immortal Realm. It is exceedingly profound. Had I not learned of this array from Demonic Lord Liantian's heritage, I fear I would not have recognized it either."
At this point, Li Canghai cast a half-smiling glance at Luo Chen.
"Little friend, you also seemed to have entered the Sunken Sea. I wonder, did you gain anything in that Land of the Fallen Demon?"
Luo Chen replied candidly, "A modest gain. I obtained the Demon Lord's alchemy heritage."
*As expected!* Li Canghai thought.
Ever since parting ways with Luo Chen in the Blue Ice Sea near the Ice Palace, he had conducted a careful investigation of him.
He discovered that, like himself, Luo Chen had entered the Sunken Sea.
Upon emerging, he was pursued by Moon Hermit.
That proved he certainly had not returned empty-handed; he must have reaped some major reward that prompted Moon Hermit's relentless pursuit.
In his estimation, it was highly likely Luo Chen had obtained an alchemy heritage; otherwise, one could not explain how he possessed such heaven-defying alchemical attainments.
However, Li Canghai himself felt little greed for it.
A heritage was just a heritage; being able to absorb, digest, and advance to Soul Formation depended on one's own fate.
He did not believe that snatching it would allow him to achieve anything in alchemy.
Rather than seizing it, befriending the man was better, as it meant forming ties with an alchemical Soul Formation sovereign for the future.
Pulling his thoughts back, Li Canghai cleared his throat lightly and pointed below to explain, "The activation conditions for this God Descent Array are exceedingly harsh. First and foremost, it requires a beacon!"
"What is a beacon?"
"In the literal sense, it can be understood as a road marker or a spatial heading. But in our terms as cultivators, you can view it as something capable of cross-realm communication, such as divine will, bloodline, or even magic treasures."
"The Star Gate?"
"The Dao Sect's spirit treasure, the Star Gate, is indeed such an existence, and its effect is exceptional. But for Liancheng to go to such great lengths to lay down the God Descent Array shows he either lacks the Star Gate, or has it but cannot use it."
"Continue, Senior."
"A beacon is relative. It is needed not only for the object of invocation, but also on the side doing the pleading. The intact Heaven and Earth Peak could serve as a geographic beacon for positioning. However, using the God Descent Array to summon a Mystic Realm powerhouse down to this realm requires an amount of energy rarely seen in the world. Tiandi Island alone is far from enough!"
Luo Chen's eyes flickered with thought as he surmised, "According to you, Senior, Tiandi Island alone is insufficient, which is why Liancheng intends to reunite the Central Plains, attempting to use the power of an entire continent to support the descent of an upper-realm powerhouse?"
Li Canghai nodded, voicing his admiration: "If it were merely summoning an existence below Soul Formation across realms, Tiandi Island itself would suffice. But if the earth qi of the Central Plains must be mobilized, the power of the descending existence is utterly terrifying—most likely a Void Refining existence!"
The universe was boundless, space infinite.
According to the records of the *Mystic Realm Records*, the Mystic Realm was not adjacent to the Mountain Sea Realm, but separated by an immense distance.
To descend across such a vast distance, and at the realm of a Void Refining existence not permitted in this world, mobilizing the power of an entire continent might even be considered minimal.
Luo Chen did not want to see that scene come to pass.
"It must be stopped! Formerly, the Tianyuan Dao Sect used the spirit treasure Lanke Chessboard to suppress the spiritual opportunity of an entire continent. With the collapse of the Central Plains, the Lanke Chessboard was also severely damaged. A century or so has not been enough for it to recover, which is why the Dao Sect chose to reunite the Central Plains through arrays. If we destroy those arrays and prevent the Central Plains from reuniting, can we stop the God Descent Array from activating?"
"Indeed we could, but that only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. After all, arrays can be rebuilt at any time. Frequent sabotage will inevitably invite a retaliatory counterattack from the Tianyuan Dao Sect. Can you endure that?" Li Canghai countered.
Luo Chen shook his head. To say nothing of him, even Li Canghai could not withstand a full-scale counterattack from the Tianyuan Dao Sect.
Across the world, only Monarch Qixia could make the Tianyuan Dao Sect wary, to the point that Ancestor Liancheng dared not step half a foot into the Eastern Desolation.
Li Canghai smiled. "Therefore, the best way to stop the God Descent Array from activating is to find the optimal moment. At the very onset of its activation, destroy the core hub array that reunites the Central Plains. That way, not only will the God Descent Array fail to summon the upper-realm powerhouse, but Liancheng himself, as the one presiding over the array, will suffer severe backlash. At that time, when you and I strike to slay him, we will never have to fear the Tianyuan Dao Sect's retaliation again."
Luo Chen's eyes flashed. Striking explosively at the moment the array was activated, causing the opponent to fall short and suffer backlash?
That was indeed the best method!
"Wait, then. It should only be about a year or so. While we wait, this old man can also study this profound God Descent Array."
"Didn't you say Liancheng is on Tiandi Island?"
"We will only observe from afar without drawing close. With my methods, I can still glimpse its workings, and Liancheng won't discover us."
"Is that so? Then I might as well take a look too!"
"You?" Li Canghai paused, then laughed heartily. "I almost forgot, your attainments in array dao are rather remarkable as well."
Luo Chen smiled faintly. He was indeed quite curious about such a specialized array.
It could allow an immortal's divine will to descend, or enable weaker Soul Formation powerhouses or even Void Refining True Monarchs to descend to the mortal realm. If utilized well, when he ascended and left the Mountain Sea Realm in the future, he might still maintain contact with his old friends here.
To avoid detection by Ancestor Liancheng, the two kept their distance from Tiandi Island, but each employed their own methods to peer into conditions on the island.
Arrays placed importance on form, yet were not bound by rigid rules. In the eyes of grandmasters of array dao, an array was more an evolution of the overarching trends of heaven and earth.
Thus, by observing changes in this pocket of heaven and earth, one could reverse-engineer the principles of the array.
This was Li Canghai's method.
Luo Chen's was simpler: he merely looked with his physical eyes.
Amid such observation, time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly!
"Someone has landed on the island."
Startled by Li Canghai's divine sense transmission, Luo Chen instinctively looked toward the shore of Tiandi Island.
A good forty or fifty people were disembarking from a flying boat, stepping onto the land of Tiandi Island.
Most were Nascent Soul cultivators, with only ten younger ones at Core Formation.
Luo Chen's eyes narrowed. He saw Zhou Fuyou.
Just then, Li Canghai drew close.
"That junior is among them too."
Luo Chen said nothing, merely curious about what this group had come here to do.
Li Canghai looked equally intrigued, observing the situation from afar. But soon, his expression shifted slightly.
"Watch your concealment!"
With that, he waved his hand, and a streak of flowing light enveloped their figures.
In the next moment, from within the broken Heaven and Earth Peak on Tiandi Island, a booming voice rang out.
"Have they arrived?"
"Reporting to Ancestor, everyone has assembled. We request Ancestor to open the grotto-heaven gates!"
"Mm."
Following a faint response, two giant hands condensed of magical power reached out from within the fractured Heaven and Earth Peak, grasping at a certain patch of empty space below the mountain.
The two giant hands seemed to sink into the spatial barrier, slowly prying it apart.
*Rumble!*
A colossal roar erupted, the earth trembling and the nearby seawater churning ceaselessly.
A tearing rip resounded, and a vast deluge of white clouds and mist billowed out, completely blanketing Tiandi Island.
Having done all this, the two giant hands slowly dissolved, and the previous voice sounded once more.
"Go in. Ke Lianshan is waiting for you inside."
Clearly, forcibly tearing open that space had taken a great toll even on him; his voice had grown noticeably wearier.
Far in the distance, Luo Chen looked upon this familiar scene, his expression filled with shock and uncertainty.
"The Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven has been opened?"
Chapter 1071