Departure

Deep in the dungeon. Luo Chen held the small black figure, which was missing an arm and a leg like a battered wooden mallet, and murmured under his breath. To his surprise, the little black figure abruptly opened its eyes, its gaze brimming with life. Though its eyes bore the vicissitudes of age, they also carried the lofty ambition of a middle-aged man. It was none other than Han Zhan, who had supposedly perished earlier! The wooden figure’s lips moved as it spoke in human tongue. "Did you think it was a feign-death trick? Under the powerful assault of that mid-Nascent Soul Thunder Prison Divine Roc, this old man truly took a walk past the gates of hell. If not for this Nascent Soul-stage puppet bound to me in dual cultivation of life and soul, I'm afraid I would have perished on the spot." A death-substitute puppet? Luo Chen had always heard that the Han family of the Luoyun Sect possessed an ancestral secret technique for death-substitute puppets. Back in his days at Dahe Mill, he had seen Gao Tingyuan use one on the Dao Discussion Platform to "slay" Broken Blade Xu Renke. Later, in the ruins of the grandmaster Bai Ye's cave dwelling, Han Zhan's own grandson, Han Zheng, had also used a death-substitute puppet. Yet this was entirely different from before! In the past, what died had always been the puppet. This time, if he had not misjudged, Han Zhan's Nascent Soul had truly been utterly destroyed under the Thunder Prison Divine Roc's attack! Perhaps sensing Luo Chen's doubt, Han Zhan explained personally, "It was not a death-substitute technique, but the method of a second avatar. A puppet avatar and a second avatar are two different concepts. The former is a dead object, while the latter possesses my own Nascent Soul will and can be considered another me." "Another you?" Luo Chen's brow furrowed. "Then going by that, you still possess Nascent Soul-stage strength right now. In that case, with the Thunder Prison Divine Roc no longer here, you could simply slip away in secret." Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Han Zhan let out a bitter laugh. "Can little friend not see the wretched state I'm in?" Well, Luo Chen wasn't blind; he naturally saw it plain as day. This Nascent Soul puppet of Han Zhan's had suffered devastating blows from Wolf Emperor Aoxiao back during the battle of Tiangu Plain and had nearly been torn apart on the spot. The missing arm and leg were wounds left behind from that very encounter. Later, after being subdued, captured alive, and kept under strict guard by Qingshuang, he never had a chance to repair the puppet. Moreover, when the Thunder Prison Divine Roc had unleashed its might earlier, Han Zhan's true Nascent Soul was destroyed, and the partitioned portion of his divine soul suffered severe trauma just to shield Luo Chen. That was also the primary reason Luo Chen had managed to survive the shockwaves of that clash just now. The reason Luo Chen asked this was that he had truly been frightened by schemes! Tianyezi had put on such an upright, high-principled show before. He had constantly claimed he wanted to leave behind one last masterpiece before he died. Yet in truth, he had planted controlling measures inside Luo Chen's natal magic treasure, intending to seize ownership of it when battle erupted. For a cultivator, what could be more terrifying than having one's natal magic treasure suddenly fall under another's control in the midst of combat? Not a single one of these old Nascent Soul monsters was trustworthy! If Han Zhan still retained Nascent Soul-level combat strength, Luo Chen would not want to get involved with him in the slightest. It was precisely the man's current utterly weakened state, combined with the fact that he had saved Luo Chen's life and looked after him in ordinary times, that was the main reason Luo Chen had concealed Han Zhan's survival from the Thunder Prison Divine Roc. And the other reason was escape! Regardless of what strength the man possessed now, he still had the experience and vision of a Nascent Soul expert. In such chaos, could Han Zhan perhaps take him along when fleeing? However! A single sentence from Han Zhan shattered that notion. "Don't even think of escaping outside. In my current state, let alone Nascent Soul demon cultivators, even Golden Core cultivators like you could easily wipe me out. The world outside is tearing apart in battle; going out now is courting death!" Luo Chen's heart sank steadily. At that exact moment, the rumbling inside Duzhen Hall grew louder and louder, interspersed with the enraged roars of the Thunder Prison Divine Roc and the low shouts of an elderly man. The instant he heard that elder's voice, Luo Chen's entire body shuddered. "It's him!" Han Zhan glanced at Luo Chen, seemingly catching on. "Perfected Shenyuan is personally storming Duzhen Hall despite the danger. It seems he's determined to capture you!" Luo Chen's expression turned exceedingly grim. Though he had only met Perfected Shenyuan of the Five Elements Divine Sect once, the impression was etched into his very bones. After all, that man harbored sinister intentions, scheming to use him, Luo Chen, as medicinal material to reverse-refine a Primordial Fetal Dao Body. How could he ever forget such a person? "From the looks of it, neither of us can escape through the outside," Han Zhan said in a low voice. Luo Chen's expression shifted erratically. If he missed this opportunity, he might truly never have another chance to escape in this lifetime. Yet if they couldn't get out, how could they flee... Suddenly, a thought surfaced in Luo Chen's mind. His gaze fell upon the small black wooden figure in his hand. "Senior previously displayed remarkable mastery over formations when refining my natal magic treasure. I wonder if you are knowledgeable about teleportation formations?" Han Zhan was taken aback, then suddenly realized what he meant. Though Qingshuang's Universe in the Sleeve was profound, she had yet to master it to its utmost, so it could only exert an overwhelming suppressing effect on cultivators an entire major realm below her. Against Nascent Soul cultivators like them, she had to defeat them first and dismantle their combat strength before storing them inside. Even when trapped within, so long as they remained conscious, Nascent Soul cultivators could still faintly perceive the outside world. When Qingshuang had transported them across tens of millions of li from the Great Snow Mountain into the depths of the Barren Mountains, she had relied on a spatial teleportation formation! He said with a hint of excitement, "I know a bit, a bit. But I wonder, where is that teleportation formation? Is it heavily guarded?" Luo Chen gave a faint sneer. "In a situation like this, even if there were heavy guards, they would have gone out to fight. Besides, I already have free access to that place." With that, without waiting to discuss further, he walked straight out of the dungeon. When he reached the doorway, he hesitated for a moment, but ultimately reached out and recalled an object. "After expending so much effort, how could I just leave it behind?" With Tianyezi's demise, Luo Chen had regained his psychic connection with the Hunyuan Cauldron. Only this time, instead of swallowing it into his qi sea, he carefully stored it away in his storage bag. Before resolving the hidden tricks planted inside the Hunyuan Cauldron, he did not dare swallow it into his belly so carelessly again. Luo Chen tucked the small black wooden figure at his waist and pressed forward alone. When he reached the third level, he hesitated for a brief instant, but only for an instant before moving past. Right now, he could barely protect himself; how could he have the spare strength to rescue others? This was a race against time. Reaching the Cangwu Treasury a step earlier and activating that teleportation formation was what mattered most. As Luo Chen reached the second level, Han Zhan suddenly spoke. "Hold on a moment. Let this old man cast a soul art on you." "A soul art?" "You didn't think the Five Elements Divine Sect targeted you without doing anything, did you?" Luo Chen's expression shifted slightly. He held Han Zhan up before him. The little black figure's single arm began laboriously forming hand seals. A moment later, a black light enveloped Luo Chen. After executing this technique, Han Zhan's aura plunged sharply. He said rather wearily, "With this soul art of mine, your divine soul fluctuations will be completely masked. As long as you don't actively project your divine sense, no one will notice you. However, your magic power fluctuations, as well as your aura..." Luo Chen felt a jolt of vigilance. "No matter, I have my own methods!" As he spoke, his hands formed a seal, as if unlocking some restriction. In the next breath, densely packed black threads abruptly surfaced across his body, creeping even over the corners of his eyes and his lips. Yinwei Formation, fully deployed! In this manner, not the slightest trace of his aura leaked out. Press onward! When he reached the first floor, he happened to see the Thunder Prison Divine Roc wielding a whip crackling with black lightning, frantically attacking an elderly man. "Go assist Lord Youquan! Leave this old bastard to me!" The surrounding Nascent Soul demon cultivators took their orders and rushed out of Duzhen Hall together. Once everyone had departed, the elderly man's aura erupted violently. "A mere mid-Nascent Soul stage, and you truly thought this old man was easy to deal with?" As he spoke, a five-colored miniature pagoda above his head poured down rays of brilliance, enveloping both himself and the Thunder Prison Divine Roc. Shielded by the five-colored brilliance, the elder showed no fear in the face of the Thunder Prison Divine Roc's onslaught, reaching out bare-handed to seize the Thunder-Striking Whip. Then, a heave, a yank, and a fling! Boom! He hurled the Thunder Prison Divine Roc directly into a corner of the great hall. Glancing at the severely wounded Thunder Prison Divine Roc, the elder gave a cold snort and strode toward the dungeon. In the shadows of a corner, Luo Chen watched this scene, his pupils constricting. "Perfected Shenyuan is actually this formidable!" The Thunder Prison Divine Roc, who had been imperious and domineering before Tianyezi and Han Zhan, had no power to resist before Perfected Shenyuan. "Did you really think late-Nascent Soul grand cultivators were a dime a dozen?" Clinging to Luo Chen, Han Zhan used the soul art from earlier to transmit his voice: "The three of them failed against Qingshuang not because they were weak, but because that Qingshuang comprehended the power of laws while still in the Nascent Soul stage—and the most terrifying, bizarre Space Law at that. In reality, figures like Perfected Shenyuan and Ancestor Hehuan are already the pinnacle existences beneath the Soul Transformation realm in the Mountain Sea Realm. They have never put opponents below the late-Nascent Soul stage in their eyes." Luo Chen nodded secretly. Earlier, he had indeed underestimated late-Nascent Soul grand cultivators. "Still, this Thunder Prison Divine Roc truly lives up to its bloodline inherited from the Desolate Beast Thunder Roc!" Han Zhan said suddenly. The next moment. A berserk aura surged from the depths of the hall. Immediately, a colossal beast spanning hundreds of zhang spread its wings, completely leveling the grand hall. "Old bastard, where do you think you're going!" With a furious roar, its body abruptly shrank to around three zhang. Lightning flashed across its frame as it turned into a streak of rushing thunder and bolted in the direction Perfected Shenyuan had gone. Luo Chen's eyelids twitched violently. None of these figures was easy to handle! Right now, however, he had no time to dwell on that. "This way!" Picking a familiar route, he channeled the Carefree Wander technique and darted swiftly forward. In the sky above Mount Cangwu. Having freed himself, Youquan cast a glance at the collapsed Duzhen Hall, the ruthless edge on his face deepening. ... "This is the place!" Creak... A shrill sound rang out as Luo Chen pushed open a set of heavy doors. Stretching before his eyes were miniature landscapes: mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, flora, deserts, drifting white clouds, and the heavenly constellations. This sight sent a tremor through Luo Chen's heart, though it was his first time setting foot here. At the very center of these many wonders sat an enormous platform inscribed with countless formation runes—so intricate that a single glance made one dizzy. Pata! The small black wooden figure hopped down from Luo Chen's hand, balanced on its single foot, and gazed at the area with glowing eyes. "This! This! This!" Three consecutive exclamations of "This!" revealed Han Zhan's sheer excitement. Luo Chen asked worriedly, "What is it? Is the formation too complex? Can Senior activate it?" Han Zhan laughed out loud, pointing toward the edges of the formation. "Activate it?" "Can't you see those embedded supreme-grade spirit stones?" Luo Chen paused, his gaze instinctively falling upon rows of colorful diamond-shaped crystals. He had assumed they were formation materials, never imagining they were spirit stones. After all, the spirit stones he had handled previously ranged from low-grade to top-grade, none of which had any distinct colors. How could he have known that supreme-grade spirit stones were actually colored? Han Zhan hopped around the massive formation on one leg, looking rather comical. Yet the excitement in his voice could not be faked. "The master of this place is truly magnificent!" "To keep so many materials and supreme-grade spirit stones prepped and ready at all times, in a state that can be activated on a whim." "Such grandeur makes it look less like an extraordinarily precious teleportation formation and more like an everyday conveyance for stepping out the front door." Luo Chen swallowed hard. Treating a precious teleportation formation capable of reaching across the Mountain Sea Realm as an ordinary mode of transport? Good heavens! That was truly lavish! "Since that's the case, it becomes simple. We only need to deduce the incantation to activate the formation. Fortunately, while Tianyezi and I were in the dungeon, we frequently studied the spatial restrictions Qingshuang left on us, so I'm no stranger to this kind of spatial teleportation formation." Curious, Luo Chen asked, "You were already studying Qingshuang's spatial restrictions back then?" Han Zhan replied without turning his head, "Indeed. How could men of our caliber willingly remain subject to others? Truth be told, when refining the Hunyuan Cauldron for you, we specifically invited the demonic woman Qingshuang to participate so we could test and verify her spatial restriction techniques. Otherwise, did you really think Tianyezi was that kind-hearted?" The corners of Luo Chen's mouth twitched. He realized his understanding of these old Nascent Soul monsters had been far too one-sided. Even when imprisoned, they still fought relentlessly to find a way out. Unlike them, the Golden Core cultivators, who could only sit and wait for death. However, now was not the time to probe deeper into such matters. Seeing Han Zhan deep in thought, Luo Chen couldn't help asking, "With your attainments in formations, roughly how long will it take you to unravel this formation?" Han Zhan paused, hesitating. "At the quickest, three days; at the longest..." Three days? By then, the tea would already be cold! And that wasn't even a certainty. Han Zhan said somewhat sheepishly, "My formation studies were pursued alongside puppet craft and sword formations; they haven't reached the level of unraveling a grand formation in an instant. Actually, in my view, if Mount Cangwu wins this battle, you can leave me here to slowly decipher it, and when I'm done, I'll take you away with me. If Mount Cangwu loses, the Soul Transformation grandmaster of the Mingyuan Sect will naturally rescue us." Luo Chen's expression darkened. Han Zhan could guess roughly what he was thinking. Concocting Emperor Flowing Liquid and Transformation Pills for the demon race—once the Mingyuan Sect discovered such deeds after rescuing them, Luo Chen would certainly face a terrible end. The demons of Mount Cangwu might value him for his alchemy skills. But the Mingyuan Sect? That was a Soul Transformation sacred ground that had produced an Alchemy Saint! Even though that Alchemy Saint had later parted ways with the Mingyuan Sect and departed for the Central Plains, the Mingyuan Sect possessed an unfathomable foundation. How could they lack a mere Tier 3 alchemist? Han Zhan consoled, "There's nothing I can do; my capabilities are limited to this. If only we had the corresponding key." "A key?" Luo Chen was taken aback. Han Zhan nodded. "Yes. This spatial teleportation formation clearly wasn't built for Qingshuang's sole use, but for others. Not everyone is proficient in spatial restrictions. With such a massive teleportation array, if an accident occurred during transit, wouldn't they be done for? Thus, there must be a corresponding key or token to ensure ease of activation and safe passage." Hearing this explanation, Luo Chen's heart stirred. With a flip of his wrist, a green feather appeared in his hand. It was the very token Youquan had handed over to him, originating from Qingshuang. Normally, it was used to grant him free passage in and out of the dungeon to draw Nascent Soul essence blood from Tianyezi. Upon seeing this green feather, Han Zhan let out a low gasp. "A Qingluan feather!" "With this, it won't take three days—give me just a short moment, and I can activate the formation!" Luo Chen held the Qingluan feather before Han Zhan. "Then I trouble Senior!" "Easily done, easily done." Having obtained the Qingluan feather, Han Zhan channeled his meager magic power into it. Instantly, a layer of misty green light radiated outward, enveloping him. He began traversing the formation, nodding from time to time. The more he used the Qingluan feather, the more astonished he became. "This treasure isn't an ordinary feather from a Qingluan; it genuinely contains a trace of her spatial law power. Luo Chen, these demon beasts of Mount Cangwu truly treated you well!" Luo Chen smiled awkwardly. To take, one must first give. Their kindness toward him was purely out of self-interest. At the very least, during his hurried glance outside Duzhen Hall earlier, he had caught sight of Youquan withdrawing from the combat zone. The crow-headed, human-bodied form Youquan displayed was clearly the result of taking the Transformation Pill Luo Chen had personally concocted. Something had likely gone awry, leaving the transformation incomplete. In any case, it couldn't be a flaw in the quality of Luo Chen's pills! ... The third level of the dungeon! A figure arrived in a flash. According to the directions from that Soul Transformation ancestor of the Mingyuan Sect, this was where the human cultivators were imprisoned. Perfected Shenyuan charged inside. Before him stood the Golden Core cultivators, who had heard the commotion and were standing anxiously in their cells. Upon seeing his arrival, Haoranzi and the others were momentarily stunned. Perfected Shenyuan repeatedly waved his magic power, causing crackling sounds across the cells, but after several attempts, he failed to breach the cages. Too rushed! Perfected Shenyuan's expression darkened, and he immediately demanded, "Where is Luo Chen of the Luotian Sect?" Haoranzi and the others were taken aback. They naturally recognized him as a human Nascent Soul cultivator; otherwise, he wouldn't be trying to rescue them. "Reporting to Senior, Fellow Daoist Luo Chen was taken out for interrogation three years ago and never returned. We fear he has already met with misfortune!" Perfected Shenyuan was taken aback, and then his expression shifted in shock. "Nonsense! He is clearly alive and well. This old man could still sense his aura right here earlier..." Suddenly, Perfected Shenyuan's face fell. He had been here just earlier, so where had he gone now? And what was this about leaving three years ago and never returning? While his thoughts churned, a streak of rushing thunder tore through the corridor. "Old man, come accept your death!" Perfected Shenyuan turned around and slapped the five-colored miniature pagoda. Five-colored light once again engulfed the rushing thunder. "Noisy pest!" This time, he was truly moved to kill. Opening his mouth, he spat out a translucent miniature flying sword. With a single strike, the surging might blasted the struggling Thunder Prison Divine Roc backward into a corner of the dungeon. Perfected Shenyuan gave a cold snort and made a beckoning gesture. The translucent miniature sword flew back, crossing dozens of cells in the blink of an eye. Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Wherever it passed, the restrictions on the cells were violently torn apart. "Follow me out first!" Perfected Shenyuan turned around. Then he saw a figure in the corner struggling to stand up. A fierce gleam flashed across the elder's face. "Damn you, you deserve to die!" The translucent miniature sword flew out once more. ... In the sky above Mount Cangwu. Youquan surveyed the entire battlefield. Ten Nascent Soul-stage demon cultivators had split into two groups, besieging Ancestor Hehuan and Monk Huiping. Though they held a numerical advantage, they were actually on the back foot. Even after revealing their true forms and deploying their signature techniques, under the refined methods of the two late-Nascent Soul cultivators, they couldn't withstand a single exchange. Casualties had already begun to mount! And on the most crucial battlefield, Qingshuang—renowned as the top combatant below Soul Transformation among the demon race—was being thoroughly suppressed by the black-robed human elder. The opponent had even produced a hoop-shaped magic treasure and was chanting an incantation. One ring of brilliance after another descended toward Qingshuang's true Qingluan form. As more brilliance clung to her, the Qingluan's resistance grew weaker and weaker. Yet even so, that black-robed elder stubbornly refused to step onto Mount Cangwu, remaining strictly at its outer perimeter. "Enough!" Youquan glanced in another direction, then turned around. "Xiao Qing, come back!" "Want to leave? After costing this old man so much effort, how could it be that simple?" The black-robed elder laughed boisterously, flicking his fingers to launch three drops of black water hurtling toward Qingshuang. Facing these three drops of black water, Qingshuang let out a piercing cry, her entire body blazing with green light. Beneath that shriek, Zhoukong Hall on Mount Cangwu seemed to resonate. In the next breath, a divine rainbow shot forth, enveloping her. Treading upon the divine rainbow, Qingshuang regained her mastery over space. "Return!" With a flash, she returned from beyond the mountain. The moment she landed, before she could even speak, she stumbled, nearly collapsing to the ground. On her back, the three drops of black water had turned into three black spots, continuously corroding her physique. Seeing his prey about to escape using the mountain's geographical advantage, the unhurried black-robed elder grew somewhat vexed and angry. "I intended to capture you without harming your cultivation, yet you insisted on obstinate resistance! Then do not blame this old man for ruthlessly destroying a flower—I'll beat you half to death before refining you into a spirit beast ring." He took a stride forward, barely slower than Qingshuang, and stepped onto Mount Cangwu right behind her. It was precisely at this moment. An ominous premonition suddenly seized his heart. A sudden inner premonition always had a reason! The black-robed elder snapped his head up. Unnoticed, Youquan had left the collapsed Duzhen Hall and arrived at the grand entrance of Tongxuan Hall, which hung high amid the clouds. His gloomy eyes looked down coldly upon the wreckage of Mount Cangwu. His hands formed a lotus seal, which then abruptly blossomed outward. "I summon the Monarch's divine ability!" Boom! Tongxuan Hall shook violently! Across the ten thousand li expanse of Mount Cangwu, the earth convulsed like an earth dragon rolling, tearing wide open. Pillars of fire reached toward the heavens, shooting skyward. And inside Tongxuan Hall, misty vapors billowed as an incomparably surging, blistering heat swept across the eight directions. Earthly fire surged; heavenly fire descended. A single spark flew from the misty vapor and transformed in the blink of an eye into an endless wave of flame. Inside the dungeon, the twenty-odd Golden Core cultivators who had just escaped watched in helpless bewilderment as fire spontaneously ignited across their bodies. "This is..." Without feeling a thing, they simply vanished into nothingness, leaving not even a speck of ash behind. Perfected Shenyuan, who was about to completely finish off the Thunder Prison Divine Roc, turned pale with terror. The translucent miniature sword transformed into a streak of sword light enveloping him. Throwing all caution to the wind, he forcibly flew out of the dungeon. Just as he emerged, he saw two wailing figures on the ground flying toward the outside. From afar, they looked like two massive balls of fire. "Damn it, what strange flames!" Perfected Shenyuan felt his flying sword—which he had tempered for centuries and had already attained the rank of a true artifact—melting away continuously. "Ancestor, save me!" He fled while crying out for help. Yet how could that black-robed elder spare the hands to save him? Treading upon a void abyss, the sound of surging waves rose from below to clash head-on against the celestial might. Yet under that boundless flame, it fell back at every turn. Seeing this, Perfected Shenyuan could no longer afford to hesitate. With his own eyes, he watched Monk Huiping of the Tianji Zen Sect perish with a smile beneath those bizarre flames. He watched Ancestor Hehuan deploy every technique, the six qis soaring into the air, yet unable to shake off the clinging flames. "Shatter!" Forming a spirit seal, Perfected Shenyuan decisively detonated his translucent miniature sword. The immense concussive force propelled him toward the exterior of the mountain. Yet even so, the eerie flames clung to him like maggots on a bone, circling around him. The five-colored miniature pagoda erupted with spiritual light once more, cloaking him completely. At that exact moment, the black-robed elder used some unknown method to forcibly break free from Mount Cangwu's perimeter. Standing outside the mountain with a flagging aura, he gazed in terror at the sea of flames consuming mountain and valley. "Ancestor!!!" "Save me!!!" "Useless trash!" The black-robed elder cursed furiously. Two drops of black water flew from his fingertips, darting toward Perfected Shenyuan and Ancestor Hehuan. However, it was already too late. Under the scorching of the terrifying fire, Ancestor Hehuan dissolved into nothingness in midair. Perfected Shenyuan fared marginally better; the five-colored brilliance circulated, buying him a sliver of time through the principle of endless regeneration until the black-robed elder's rescue arrived. Even so, his aura had dwindled almost to nothing, and his entire body was charred like coal. ... "Is this Qixia's Nirvana Holy Fire?" In the far distance, Monarch Pingshan Ditian watched this scene with eyes brimming with dread. Such power—even someone as proud as him dared not become too entangled with it. And this was merely a minor measure left behind by Primordial Monarch Qixia at a whim. It was difficult to imagine how terrifying it would be if she wielded it in person. Even a sacred ground with upper-realm inheritance like the Mingyuan Sect had a Soul Transformation grandmaster who could not confront it head-on. Thinking of this, a trace of regret surfaced in him. If Qixia found out that his indulgence had brought about this calamity on Mount Cangwu, would she hold it against him? Yet soon, determination returned to his gaze. Those who achieve great things do not sweat the small stuff! What if she was Primordial Monarch Qixia? In the depths of the Eastern Desolation, there were beings no weaker than her. Even for himself, while he might not be a match, ensuring his own survival was well within his power. "Still, after expending this measure, does Mount Cangwu have any foundation left?" Ditian pursed his lips. He knew Primordial Monarch Qixia had never cared to manage a faction. Mount Cangwu was merely a temporary resting place for her; leaving behind a protective measure was already an act of grace. ... Deep in the underground palace, the Cangwu Treasury. Endless waves of fire rolled inward. In that moment, Luo Chen's face drained of color. Yet bizarrely, when those illusory flames reached his side, they abruptly halted and receded like an ebbing tide. "Eh?" Luo Chen was stunned. Just as he marveled at this, a miserable screech suddenly erupted from the formation. "Ah..." Wails echoed from within the small black wooden figure. Waves of surging Nascent Soul power poured out, yet before these eerie flames—even though their power had deliberately been weakened countless times over—it was still like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, an overestimation of its own strength. Luo Chen's eyes twitched furiously. The power Han Zhan was unleashing now didn't look the least bit weak and helpless like he had claimed earlier! Right at that moment, Han Zhan roared, "Luo Chen, get into the formation, quickly!" "Coming!" Luo Chen took a step into the formation, catching the Qingluan feather Han Zhan pushed toward him. The small black wooden figure stood upon the ground with great difficulty, looking like a piece of burnt coal. "I have activated the formation; it heads toward the Great Snow Mountain. But I am now... do not betray me!" With those words, it fell completely silent. Holding the charred black figure in one hand, Luo Chen quietly watched as layers of light erupted along the formation's runes. His gaze swept over the receding flames outside. Because this was a vital formation hub, the flames' power had been diminished countless times over. Yet even so, Han Zhan had been severely wounded. It was hard to imagine how terrifying it would be if the master of this flame wielded it personally. Primordial Monarch Qixia? As he murmured, the grand formation shuddered, and the two figures on the platform vanished without a trace. Shortly after their disappearance, the brilliant light of the formation gradually subsided. Yet in the next moment! Light erupted, soaring skyward and piercing straight into the nine heavens! Boundless spiritual radiance enveloped the three grand halls of Mount Cangwu: Tongxuan, Zhoukong, and Duzhen. Watching this scene from the distance, the black-robed elder's expression turned exceedingly grim. "The Great Teleportation Divine Ability!"