C322 Destroying the Formation
Deep within the Absence Relic, nestled amid a range of towering mountains, there stood a grand and majestic formation against the night sky. The square formation was held aloft by four robust marble pillars, gleaming with a crystalline sheen in the moonlight. This shimmer caused the space around it to ripple incessantly.
Nearby, rows of modest wooden huts housed disciples of the Spirit Void Sect. Seated on meditation mats, they clutched Spirit Stones, drawing in the Spiritual Qi to further their cultivation.
Before the formation lay a compass, linked to the grand array, its purpose to pinpoint direction and target. A middle-aged man, clad in a dark robe and adorned with a feathered crown, sat above the compass, conversing with several individuals. Among them were members of the Thunder Sect, the Cold Yin Sect, and cultivators from various other sects.
"Brother Fan, is there truly a secret realm here?" inquired a Cloud Water Sect female cultivator, her colorful attire adorned with patterns resembling flowing streams. She had only recently reached the Yin God Stage and carried herself with a certain nonchalance. As she spoke, she playfully exhaled in the direction of the feather-crowned man from the Spirit Void Sect.
Fan He gave her a brief look, his interest clearly lacking. "You should pose that question to the Ancient Desolate Sect," he replied dismissively.
"The Ancient Desolate Sect hasn't sent anyone specifically to the Absence Relic," Wang Yuan of the Cloud Water Sect remarked with a sigh. "That's the odd part. Everyone talks about Shen Feiqing's master discovering a secret realm here, yet why has no one from the Ancient Desolate Sect shown up?"
The others shared this sense of mystery. The seven lower sects—Spirit Void Sect, Silver Moon Sect, Thunder Sect, Cold Yin Sect, Taiyuan Sect, and Cloud Water Sect—had all dispatched their disciples and elders. Yet the Ancient Desolate Sect, expected to be the most proactive, was conspicuously absent.
And what of Shen Feiqing, the sect's forsaken disciple? Wasn't she supposed to have been executed by the Ancient Desolate Sect?
"Shen Feiqing's master has merely vanished from our world; his death remains unconfirmed," Fan He mused, his brow furrowed as he gazed at the space teleportation array meticulously crafted by the Spirit Void Sect. "It seems the Ancient Desolate Sect might still be concerned about his presence. That's probably why they've labeled Shen Feiqing as an outcast rather than a traitor."
As soon as he spoke, everyone around him adopted a contemplative demeanor.
That individual had once been a figure of considerable renown in the Heavenly Source Continent. Before his departure to the realms beyond, he was embroiled in a fierce dispute with the current patriarch of the Ancient Desolate Sect over the leadership position.
Following his defeat, he left the continent in a fit of rage and never returned. His absence dealt a significant blow to the Ancient Desolate Sect. Had he remained, had he still been alive, it was conceivable that the sect could have risen from the bottom of the seven lesser sects to a higher standing.
The Cloud Water Sect, which was ranked just above them, had even braced itself for the possibility of being overtaken by the Ancient Desolate Sect.
His conflict with the current Sect Master greatly weakened the Ancient Desolate Sect. When he ventured beyond, he took several of the sect's powerhouses with him, none of whom returned.
His most cherished and esteemed direct disciple, Shen Feiqing, was left behind due to her insufficient cultivation level, which did not meet the criteria to venture beyond the realm.
The sect regarded him as a rebellious traitor, and Shen Feiqing, being his direct disciple, would face more than just expulsion if his death were to be confirmed.
"Is he truly as fearsome as the rumors suggest?" a woman from the Cloud Water Sect whispered to herself.
Fan He let out a disdainful snort and replied, "In our Spirit Void Sect, he's considered a formidable adversary. Your Cloud Water Sect should count yourselves lucky that he hasn't returned; otherwise, being surpassed by the Ancient Desolate Sect would be a certainty."
With that, he dismissed the poorly regarded woman from the Cloud Water Sect from his attention.
He then bowed his head, playing with a jade plate in his hands, and murmured, "Odd, there's been no word from Jin Lin at all."
Wong Jinlin possessed an identical jade plate, which allowed for effortless communication and the exchange of thoughts across ten thousand miles.
Yet, inexplicably, the last message from Wong Jinlin merely mentioned his visit to an unusual mid-lake island and witnessing Shen Feiqing's fall onto the isle. Since then, silence.
Despite repeated inquiries, Wong Jinlin's lack of response was beginning to unsettle him.
He was acutely aware that Wong Jinlin was the chosen successor of Taoist Chongxiao. With Taoist Chongxiao's Yang God cultivation and no longer harboring hopes of fatherhood, he had raised Wong Jinlin as his own son.
In the Absence Relic, he served merely as a supervisor, tasked by Taoist Chongxiao with monitoring the space teleportation array.
The true decision-maker was Wang Jinlin.
Taoist Chongxiao was confident that neither the Silvermoon Empire nor the Divine Might Empire would dare to cross Wang Jinlin, which is why he was appointed to this role.
"Just make sure nothing goes wrong, or else..."
Staring at the still jade plates, Fan He grew increasingly anxious, fearing an incident involving Wang Jinlin that could provoke Taoist Chongxiao. He dreaded the thought of this infamous elder emerging from seclusion to intervene personally.
"A floating island!"
The exclamation jolted someone.
Snapped out of his reverie, Fan He hurried to look and immediately spotted an island drifting in under the moonlight.
The island exuded a familiar dragon's breath. Narrowing his eyes, he could just make out strands of silver dragon sinew and droplets of dragon blood seeping into the earth.
"The flesh and blood of Bai Shuang!"
Fan He's face paled as he let out an alarmed cry, warning everyone to be on guard.
His shout sent a ripple of panic through the cultivators from the seven major sects gathered at the teleportation array.
"Hu! Hu! Hu!"
Thick clouds of rainbow-colored miasma burst forth from the island, surging toward them.
Amidst the miasma, a tumultuous surge of vital energy was palpable, revealing seven massive pythons with chilling, murderous gazes fixed upon them.
Upon spotting the pythons, Fan He's complexion shifted once more as he bellowed, "Python Queen Xu Zixi!"
As a member of the Spirit Void Sect charged with defending the teleportation array at the Absence Relic, he was well-versed in the practitioners from both the Divine Might and Silvermoon Empires.
The Python Queen Xu Zixi was a figure he watched closely, her image etched deeply in his mind.
But hadn't she been aboard the gilded treasure ship with Wei Wujiang not long ago?
What business did Xu Zixi have here?
Before he could piece it together, the miasma and the seven menacing pythons were already bearing down on them.
Simultaneously, the floating island made its approach toward the space teleportation array.
Yan Qiling's silhouette emerged abruptly from a tear in the fabric of space.
He offered Yu Yuan on the island a slight smile before transforming into a shadowy streak of black light, diving into the space teleportation array—a costly creation of the Spirit Void Sect, supported by four massive stone pillars.
The array, a square construction of jade, was a web of densely interwoven light patterns.
Within it, golden light shimmered and flowed like molten gold.
As Yan Qiling's dark radiance touched the array, the intricate golden light was immediately tainted with black, its course forcibly altered.
"Given his expertise in spatial powers, constructing a teleportation array is beyond him," the White-robed Imperial Advisor explained to Yu Yuan with a smile. "But simple destruction? Disabling the array temporarily? That he can manage."
"We're here to ensure he can sabotage the teleportation array without interference," Xu Zixi stated.
Zhou Cangmin let out a soft laugh.
The next instant, his overwhelming soul consciousness swept over the island like a myriad of razor-sharp blades.
"Puff! Puff! Puff!"
Fan He and the other practitioners gathered were extinguished, their souls shattered.
