He still vividly remembered that when he first returned to the Eastern Desolation, Gu Zuokai had told Luo Chen there was no teleportation array leading directly to Lingtian Pass.
Back then, he had been forced to borrow the Dongyang Sect's teleportation array, taking a long detour to get here.
Looking at it now, it was not that there was none, but rather that very few knew about it.
Since he had arrived rather early and still had to wait for the others, Luo Chen simply spread his divine sense to study the teleportation array while chatting casually with those who had already arrived.
Speaking of the six members of the strike team, aside from Jinling, with whom relations were strained, two of the other four got along quite well with him.
Even Pavilion Master Li of the Wan Jian Pavilion was hoping to ask him for help concocting pills.
Pavilion Master Li had not arrived late today either, and his eyes lit up upon seeing Luo Chen.
"Alchemy Grandmaster, how is your study of the recipe for the Jade Sovereign Clear Pupil Liquid coming along?"
"I've studied it a little. It's somewhat tricky."
"If even you say it's tricky, then that confirms it. This pill recipe was an ancient remnant recipe that the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect chanced upon. It uses the water method for refinement, which makes it extraordinarily difficult. Over hundreds of years, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect only managed to deduce a few low-tier recipes; they never dared attempt refining this medicine directly, let alone let their disciples test it lightly."
The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect indeed possessed a series of low-tier pill recipes beneficial to the eyes, such as Moistening Pearl Liquid, Lucid Fluid, and the like.
Looking at it now, those were in truth merely super-simplified versions of the ancient remnant recipe for Jade Sovereign Clear Pupil Liquid.
According to the description, long-term application of the complete Jade Sovereign Clear Pupil Liquid would leave a cultivator's eyes pure and unhindered, immune to illusions, and could even awaken an auxiliary ocular art.
Whether that final claim was true or false remained unknown, but even its most basic effect was something sword cultivators hungered for most.
Sword cultivators possessed immense offensive power, but were weak in self-defense. If ensnared by illusions or if their attacks went astray, they would find themselves in extreme peril.
This was why the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had persistently researched such recipes in earlier years.
After obtaining the supplemented, complete recipe from them, the Wan Jian Pavilion had impatiently sought out Luo Chen as well.
"If Fellow Daoist can refine this spiritual liquid and provide a steady supply to my Wan Jian Pavilion, I am willing to pay a handsome price."
"The ingredients are difficult to find," Luo Chen demurred.
"We can supply a portion from our end. Furthermore, I have heard that Fellow Daoist enjoys good ties with the Tianyuan Commerce Alliance. Their business spans the Five Continents, so they should be able to make up for any missing ingredients! My Wan Jian Pavilion will cover all the required spirit stones as well!"
Luo Chen was somewhat surprised. He had not expected the other party to be so relentless in pursuing this elixir.
He instinctively glanced at Pavilion Master Li's eyes.
Only now did he notice that Pavilion Master Li actually possessed double pupils!
Deep within those pupils lay an extremely tiny second pupil!
Unless one stared impolitely, or possessed powerful spiritual eyes like Luo Chen, almost no one would notice such an anomaly.
Seen in this light, Pavilion Master Li wanted to use the Jade Sovereign Clear Pupil Liquid to unlock the potential of his double pupils!
Luo Chen hesitated for a moment, but still declined: "I have been too busy recently..."
Seeing Luo Chen repeatedly decline, Pavilion Master Li asked urgently, "Is it because Lin Qingxuan once targeted the disciples of your sect? If it's because of that, I can act as a mediator and have him apologize to you in person!"
That was a rather boastful claim.
Lin Qingxuan was a rising talent who had earned the title of the Solitary Swan of the Sword World, and was now essentially the master of a sect.
Would he really apologize just because someone told him to?
Yet seeing Pavilion Master Li's confident demeanor, could it be that he truly had the clout to pull it off?
Just as Luo Chen was pondering how to respond, clear footsteps echoed from outside the cavern.
Castellan Lingtian and Tianduzi arrived side by side.
"Now that everyone is here, perfect. There are a few matters I must impress upon you all,"
Tianduzi said with a chuckle.
Once he had drawn everyone's attention, he pointed at the array platform inside the cavern. "This array possesses the power of teleportation and spatial shift!"
Hearing this, Luo Chen gave an inward nod. It matched his own assessment.
He had even guessed that when Tianduzi had slipped into Lingtian Pass without anyone noticing, this array was precisely what he had used.
"In this raid, the key lies in the element of surprise.
"Charging straight in would expose us too easily. Descending out of thin air is what will catch them completely unawares.
"Shortly, I will personally preside over the array to teleport you to the designated location. During the teleportation, you must calm your minds, concentrate your focus, and shroud yourselves in mana. Otherwise, should any mishap occur, this old man will bear no responsibility."
The crowd nodded one after another.
With his foundation as a Tier 4 array master, Luo Chen deduced why Tianduzi gave such a warning.
Teleporting multiple Nascent Soul Zhenren at once—including late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivators like Castellan Lingtian—placed immense pressure on the array, consumed an enormous amount of spiritual energy, and placed extreme demands on the array master.
If the distance had not been relatively short, he likely would not have dared attempt such a risky scheme.
"Lastly, this old man has one final reminder. The existence of this array is Lingtian Pass's ultimate trump card. I trust none of you will leak word of it.
"If someone leaks it and is found out..."
Tianduzi narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked across the crowd.
Castellan Lingtian stepped forward and said in a chilling voice, "My Mingyuan Sect will be the first to hunt them down!"
Naturally, no one would court disaster at a time like this, and they all voiced their agreement.
"Alright, time is almost up. Step onto the platform, everyone. We'll send you across first, then Daoist Shenyuan and his group," Tianduzi suddenly said with a smile.
Such a swift change of expression would have caught lower-realm cultivators off guard, leaving them anxious and unsettled. But Luo Chen and the others were long accustomed to it; who among them didn't have their share of fickle moods?
Led by Castellan Lingtian, the six Nascent Soul cultivators stepped onto the array platform one after another.
Then they watched Tianduzi below, holding a compass in hand as he formed hand seals and chanted incantations.
Inlaid spirit stones were drained of vast quantities of spiritual energy, and the array lines lit up one by one.
Just before it fully activated, Pavilion Master Li paused, startled, then turned to Luo Chen in pleasant surprise.
Luo Chen had given a slight nod.
"Once we return, we can discuss the Jade Sovereign Clear Pupil Liquid in detail!"
Before Li could reply, spiritual radiance erupted!
A blazing brilliance soared upward, yet was forcibly suppressed by the cavern's containment array without leaking a single wisp.
Yet when the radiance dispersed, the seven people on the array platform were gone.
Tianduzi grunted.
"Getting old... barely handling just seven people.
"I wonder what kind of marvel the teleportation array over at Mount Cangwu was, to shift the entire Mount Cangwu away into thin air?"
As he muttered to himself, another group walked in.
It was the interception team led by Perfected Shenyuan.
"Everything was explained beforehand, so go right up!"
Tianduzi waved a large hand, showing not a trace of weariness on his face—far from the frail state he had just claimed in private.
...
"This is... the Badao Domain!"
High above in the azure empyrean, Castellan Lingtian held a black mirror that reflected the landscape of the earth beneath the Nine Heavens.
Among the terrain was a colossal gorge hundreds of li long, shocking to behold!
"It seems this short-range teleportation didn't deviate. We've arrived at the most ideal spot."
Castellan Lingtian smiled faintly, stowed the black mirror, and with a flip of his hand produced a crimson banner.
The moment this great banner appeared, the six beside him looked over, every one of them sensing an extraordinarily terrifying killing intent emanating from it.
"This is..." Daoist Tieguan said in shock. "Could it be the Tiandu Sect's Twelve Divine Baleful Array Flags of Dutian?"
"Indeed!"
Castellan Lingtian said with deep feeling, "For this battle, Tianduzi has truly contributed immensely, even lending out his sect's foundational treasure. Although I am not skilled in formations and cannot fully activate this array, as long as I set it up according to Fellow Daoist Tianduzi's method, the entire Badao Domain will be shrouded. When that happens, all living beings may enter, but none may leave!"
With that, he swept a smiling gaze across the group.
"Fellow Daoists, do not hold back in this fight!"
Then, raising both hands, twelve crimson banners unfurled in unison.
Bursts of vast mana poured into them as his fingers formed incantation seals.
The remaining six looked at one another, the words "may enter, but none may leave" still echoing in their minds!
It seemed they truly had to give this battle everything they had.
"As fortune has it, perched high above the Nine Heavens, I can test the technique I recently mastered," Sovereign Jiuling suddenly said. Then, oblivious to those around him, he sat cross-legged.
As he breathed and circulated his art, beams of light converged upon him continuously from within the azure empyrean.
As the light gathered, Sovereign Jiuling's aura surged violently, instilling a creeping sense of dread in everyone's hearts.
Elder Fu sighed. "Very well. If we don't act, fine; but once we do, it is best to strike with lethal force. This old man must also make some advance preparations."
Three talismans drifted out.
One turned into a ghostly light and seeped between his brows.
One appeared ordinary and stuck to his body.
The last one remained held in reserve, flashing with intense spiritual light.
The remaining four looked at one another.
Clearly, this battle was no longer merely a raid.
It was an annihilation campaign!
From the moment the Tiandu Sect's sect-guarding slaughter array emerged, everyone understood with chilling clarity what Castellan Lingtian had meant when he said, "Make them feel the pain!"
Luo Chen felt a different emotion.
Once, Commander Qixi had led seven Demon Emperors in a raid on Lingtian Pass from the azure empyrean.
Now, they were paying them back in their own coin.
It seemed aerial supremacy within the azure empyrean was exceedingly crucial!
No wonder Tianduzi had set up the Zhou Heavenly Constellation Array the moment he arrived at Lingtian Pass, safeguarding it in every direction.
Now that they were all gathering their momentum, he could hardly remain idle.
Conveniently, he too wanted to see what kind of might the Qingyang Great Handprint would unleash when built up to its full strength.
"Fellow Daoists, I shall begin as well!"
Luo Chen drifted downward, moving away from the others to hover in the void below.
His Nascent Soul domain unfolded abruptly, spanning a full thousand li!
Sitting cross-legged within, Luo Chen used his Nascent Soul to stir the vast, wandering spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Move by move, his hands began forming mudras.
The five fingers of his right hand curled into a fist, then slowly unfurled into an open palm—the original seal of the Qingyang Great Handprint: the Innate Seal.
His left hand bent and extended in patterns of three long and two short—the Spirit Subjugation Seal used to enslave demon beast spirits.
With the two seals superimposing, the complete version of the Qingyang Great Handprint gradually materialized.
The surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth began pouring into the handprint.
Paying no mind to his surroundings, he channeled the spiritual energy, using his tremendous soul power to forcibly suppress the handprint's eruption.
Meanwhile, up in the azure empyrean, aside from Pavilion Master Li who remained motionless, the other two also made their moves.
Jinling brought out a golden plume, channeling mana into it as he gathered momentum to strike.
Daoist Tieguan held a dark iron Taoist abbey in his palm and gripped an archaic iron ruler, lightly tapping the stone stele on the miniature abbey as if performing an awakening rite.
...
Time felt as though it had stretched on for ages, yet in truth, merely a hundred breaths had passed.
A low cry reached everyone's ears: "Go!"
Luo Chen opened his eyes and saw twelve streaks of light raining down in different directions like falling meteors.
Their speed was blinding!
The beings below barely had time to react before a furious roar abruptly detonated: "What contemptible rats dare trespass?!"
"Strike!"
Castellan Lingtian barked his command and took the lead, plummeting downward.
The other five followed right behind him.
As he passed Luo Chen, Jinling glanced aside, his pupils constricting sharply.
A handprint hovered before Luo Chen.
The five fingers were proportioned with distinct lengths, and the palm lines were visible down to the finest detail.
It was so lifelike that it was virtually indistinguishable from a real hand.
Yet clearly, it was not Luo Chen's flesh-and-blood hand, but one manifested from mana.
"What spell is that?"
He had no time to ponder. Under full-throttle acceleration, the mountains and terrain of the Badao Domain were already coming into faint view.
The twelve great banners transformed into twelve heaven-reaching pillars of light, encompassing the entire region of tens of thousands of li.
Baleful qi swept through the land, and a crimson haze began to spread.
A man with a rhinoceros horn on his head, marked by a sword scar, forcibly broke through the array's restraints and charged out.
When he saw the six figures, his expression shifted drastically.
"You..."
"Fellow Daoist Qixi, your opponent is me!"
Before his voice finished echoing, Castellan Lingtian blocked his path.
Then, without looking back, the Castellan declared, "Everyone, slaughter to your heart's content!"
Sovereign Jiuling was the first to charge into the grand array.
His momentum was so overwhelming that even Qixi's eyelids twitched upon catching sight of him.
Such a formidable foe—none of the Demon Emperors under his command could possibly stop him!
Without a second thought, Qixi bellowed, "Thunder Prison, you promised to make one move on my behalf! Stop this man at once!"
Lightning flickered within the Badao Domain.
A figure materialized, blocking Sovereign Jiuling's path.
"Who goes there?"
"Sovereign Jiuling!"
Sovereign Jiuling answered as nine-colored radiance swirled around him, transforming into a river of light that surged downward.
Swish!
With just a single clash, Thunder Prison felt as though facing a mortal enemy.
Engulfed within the river of light, he erupted with layer upon layer of thunderous brilliance.
A furious roar sounded from within the lightning: "You think yourself worthy of the title Sovereign?!"
What answered him was not Sovereign Jiuling's words, but the colossal tumult erupting all around.
Pavilion Master Li entered the array, unleashing thousands of sword qi arcs.
Daoist Tieguan touched down, plunging directly into the heart of the Badao Domain. The dark iron Taoist abbey stood erected in the ocean of demon beasts, rumbling as it expanded rapidly.
Any beast that charged in—every single one struck by the iron ruler's light—vanished without a trace, as if swallowed whole by the abbey.
Holding his golden plume, True Person Jinling stood in midair, two Demon Emperors barring his way.
Elder Fu was forced to a halt, gazing cautiously around him as wave after wave of cicada chirps rang out from an unknown source.
Above the Badao Domain, Castellan Lingtian frowned slightly.
"A slight complication. An extra Demon Emperor has appeared. Why is this Thunder Prison Divine Roc still lingering here?"
Across from him, Commander Qixi sneered.
"Leaving the two of us aside, in terms of top-tier combat strength, it's seven against five—the advantage is on our side. What's more, this is our home territory. Even by sheer numbers, tens of millions of demon beasts will bury you all alive. Ye Lingtian, your calculations have failed!"
Castellan Lingtian drew a deep breath. "Regardless of the outcome down in the array, I will have that bull's head of yours!"
"Arrogant boast!" Commander Qixi barked. Then, facing the earth below, he unleashed a terrifying roar.
Every low-tier demon beast that heard the sound surged violently toward the Nascent Soul Zhenren who had entered the array.
Just as he said, through sheer numbers alone, they would drown the five Nascent Souls within.
However!
The human side numbered more than five on this expedition.
Just as the two late-stage Nascent Soul powerhouses clashed, the corner of Commander Qixi's eye caught a streak of flowing light.
A single glance filled him with shock and fury.
Descending from the heavens, a colossal palm veiled the sky!
A white-robed figure, trailing the rumbling, advancing palm print, drifted serenely into the grand array.
Chapter 818