ninety thousand miles

Chapter 703 Spindle
The divine bird that stretched across the sky suddenly sank down, its wings spread wide, and billions of feathers flew out, while violent streams of light crashed and clashed throughout the formation.

The ear-piercing sound of tearing cloth rang out one after another.

The runes were torn apart by the light stream, the spiritual patterns of the array broke inch by inch, and cultivators kept falling into the sea.

The sea broke free from its restraints, roaring as it surged into the sky, its white foam spraying for miles.

At this time, the formation had not been completely destroyed.

The surviving monks are still holding their positions, or are struggling to climb back to their positions.

"Residual Star Reversal, Guide." The old palace master's voice rang out again. He stepped on the Dipper and guided the array to repair himself.

Except for the oscillating light position, the rest of the equipment has barely resumed operation.

The old palace master glanced at the Yao Guang position out of the corner of his eye. The one guarding the position was Guan Xu Zhenren from the Xuanwei Sect. With his cultivation level, he wouldn't be easily broken through by the divine bird.

"Yuheng, proceed with the punishment." The old palace master continued to give instructions.

Master Chu, seated on the Jade Balance throne, rose to his feet in response, his white robes billowing. All the light feathers were drawn toward him. He gripped his sword, its light meeting the billions of light feathers head-on. The light feathers and the sword light intertwined and entwined, and fine cracks gradually appeared on the blade.

The divine bird took flight once more.

"Tianji Returns to the Ruins, Ignite!" the old palace master shouted.

The Hall Master of Cangming immediately pointed his fingers like a sword and drew a line in the air, reigniting the Glazed Pure Fire. The flames burned like thorns on the sea surface, reconnecting the shattered formation.

The position of Yaoguang was also restored to its original state.

Under the firelight, the cultivators within the formation stood like boulders on the sea.

The old palace master raised his head and looked at the divine bird.

The divine bird spread its enormous wings and flew towards the old palace master.

The old palace master stepped out of the great formation and blocked the divine bird from a high place.

The ancient sword is drawn.

The sword energy surged a hundred feet, slashing straight at the divine bird's claws!
"Clang—" A deafening roar shook the heavens, the waves collapsed, and the enormous body of the divine bird trembled.

Immediately afterwards, the sword aura swiftly retracted and then surged forth, splitting into countless streams of light that swept upwards and fiercely attacked the divine bird's chest and abdomen! The divine bird's body erupted with golden light, and its feathers flew out again, but it was still struck by one of the sword auras, causing it to take a step back.

The old palace master stood solemnly with his sword, while the divine bird's wings drooped slightly. The man and the bird stood locked in a standoff on the sea.

……

Yao Shuang suddenly clenched her hands, closed her eyes, and only opened them again after a long while, her face showing the lingering fear of surviving a disaster.

Lao Xiaokai noticed her unusual behavior and asked, "What happened outside?"

"The divine bird has broken through the formation," Yao Shuang said.

"Is it that easy?" Lao laughed and said sarcastically. "Have you found Chi Lin yet?"

"I don't know yet," Yao Shuang said.

"How did you break it?" Lao asked with a smile.

Yao Shuang fell silent.

Lao smiled and said, "At this point... maybe I have a solution? Even if you think I'm unreliable, what harm could it do you to listen to my suggestion?"

"Speaking of which, how old are you? Several hundred years old, maybe even over a thousand? Yet you're still so petty?"

"Suddenly, images of cultivators entering the secret realm appeared in the sky," Yao Shuang said.

"Many died?" Lao asked with a smile. Yao Shuang said, "No, that's the Tai Su Domain. The images of cultivators in the sky are meant to lure us in, and once we see them, we'll become immersed in the profound Dao path hidden within the Tai Su Domain."

"If I hadn't been in my safe haven and hadn't previously come into contact with the Tai Su Domain, I would have already been immersed in that profound Dao intent." Yao Shuang briefly described what had happened in the outside world to Lao Xiaokai and Gong Erpangsan.

She said, "The cultivators in the secret realm are all already addicted... and their chances of survival are slim."

"What about Big Brother? What about Senior Brother Wen?" Gong Er asked anxiously.

“I didn’t dare look too closely, just a quick glance. They weren’t among the people I saw,” Yao Shuang said.

"The divine bird broke the formation in the instant when the cultivator's mind was disturbed by the Tai Su Domain." She paused again and said, "Now Chi Lin has taken control of the Tai Su Domain and the Luo Xia Secret Realm, and the old palace master is confronting him."

"Only by finding the root of his consciousness can we break the deadlock," Lao Xiaokai said.

His gaze swept across Yao Shuang and Gong Erpang's faces, his tone filled with exaggerated regret, "What a pity, the opportunity is fleeting. You were able to contribute a little earlier, but now you can't leave here at all. Once you go out, you'll be drowning in it. Without your help, I'm powerless to do anything."

"Won't you become addicted?" Gong Er questioned.

“I’m a doctor, what would I be obsessed with? I don’t understand any of it,” Lao said with a smile. “So your older brother won’t be obsessed with it either. His sound is a way to restrain the Tai Su Domain.”

Gong Er and Pang San both breathed a sigh of relief.

Gong Er said, "There will definitely be a turning point."

Pang San then asked, "Can the cultivators outside resist the Tai Su Domain?"

“Their resolve is firm enough, but…” Yao Shuang lowered her eyes, “but they will still reveal weaknesses in the face of the Tai Su Domain…”

She suddenly frowned, raised her hand, and gestured for Lao Xiaokai to be quiet. After a moment, she made a hand seal and said to Lao Xiaokai, "The old palace master said you can go ahead and do it."

"The opportunity has passed..." Before Lao Xiaokai could finish speaking, Yao Shuang interrupted him.

She said, "The old palace master said he would fully cooperate with you and that Senior Jiang and I would be at your beck and call."

Lao Xiaokai then fell silent.

What are your concerns?

The old palace master's voice rang in Lao Xiaokai's ears.

"Didn't you disagree just now?" Lao Xiaokai asked, looking at the illusory figure of the old palace master in front of him.

"All the cultivators in the Nine Seas are following my orders. If I couldn't firmly believe that my arrangements were the best, they wouldn't be willing to entrust their cultivation and lives to me," the old palace master replied.

"And now?" Lao asked with a smile.

“When things get out of my control, I should also be decisive enough to try other possibilities.” After explaining, the old palace master went straight to the point, saying, “How can we cooperate with you?”

Lao Xiaokai didn't mince words. He stood up, holding the spindle, and said, "My goal is to find Chi Lin's root consciousness and destroy it. As for the Tai Su Domain and the Luo Xia Secret Realm, I can't do anything about them."

The old palace master replied, "Understood, leave it to us."

“There’s another problem,” Yao Shuang said. “The Tai Su Domain is projected down, and the root consciousness is hidden within it. But the real Tai Su Domain is still in the Upper Realm.”

Lao laughed and said, "It doesn't matter." He paused for a moment and said, "I do have a way to enter the Sunset Secret Realm. Even if it transforms into a divine bird, as long as its essence is the Sunset Secret Realm, I should be able to enter."

“You’ll take me to its vicinity,” Law said, raising his spindle. “I’ll use it to tear a gash.”

"Do you want to enter the secret realm now?" Yao Shuang asked.

“No, what good would it do me to get in?” Lao Xiaokai shook his head and said, “But that momentary distortion will reveal some things that were originally hidden.”

(End of this chapter)