Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1227 Yue Cheng
Qusi Mountain.

Light and color flowed through the mountains, and interlocking, finger-thin golden chains weaved across the mountaintop, illuminating patches of dim yellow light. On the central high platform, all the lights converged, their supernatural powers intersecting.

The Taoist priest beside him had a solemn expression, and the silver pattern between his eyebrows shone brightly. The radiance of the "Kujin" in his hand was like strands of silver thread, weaving through the golden chains, controlling them to rise and fall on the stage like swimming dragons.

The blue-robed cultivator on the other side stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with admiration and wonder. He remained silent for a long time, and after an unknown period of time, a woman slowly appeared beside him.

This woman wore a light blue robe, with delicate features and surrounded by supernatural powers. Just standing there, she exuded a constantly churning aura, her figure carrying an unusual sense of threatening to merge into the void. This caused the blue-robed youth to raise an eyebrow, looking over with considerable surprise, and say:

"You succeeded?"

"good."

Kuang Yu breathed a soft sigh of relief and said:

"Finally, it's done. Once this hurdle is overcome, things will be much easier from now on."

A hint of confusion flickered in her eyes as she asked:
"Who is this…"

Liao Luo nodded slightly and replied:
"Li's good friend is named Yuanbian..."

After a slight pause, the man's expression turned somewhat surprised and solemn as he replied:

"This fellow Daoist's mastery of array formations is simply divine... I have been a person who has traversed the world for hundreds of years. Although I am not proficient in array formations, I have seen many array masters, but I have never seen such a superb technique!"

Refining an array plate is by no means an easy task. Back then, Chang Xi first asked the Ziyan cultivator to create the array diagram, then found another cultivator to refine the array base embryo, and then brought back that golden plate to be handed over to the array master to be engraved. Not to mention how many favors were spent back and forth, just the back and forth and the time for nurturing would take ten years or even longer!

Qu Si and the Sun Dao lineage each have their own methods, such as using formations and refining weapons simultaneously to avoid the time needed for handover and nurturing. However, what they didn't expect was that the Daoist in front of them directly took out a [Distant Platform Hidden Gold Refining Method].

At first, Liao Luo didn't take it seriously. After all, no matter how good the things a rogue cultivator had were, how could they compare to the Qu Si lineage? But when the other party truly displayed his skills, he realized how powerful he was.

But Liu Changdie's impact on him didn't stop there. After the three of them finalized the details, this unknown rogue cultivator began to refine the product. Only then did they realize that not only was his lineage profound, but his cultivation and methods were also second to none. The combination of the two created the extraordinary sight before them!
'No wonder...no wonder he could make such a boast to Li Jiangqian...'

Upon hearing this, Kuang Yu's gaze also fell upon the golden lock. After a moment, a solemn expression gradually appeared in his eyes, and he whispered through his divine channel:

"Impressive... Whose methods are these?"

Liao Luo's expression changed slightly. He used his supernatural powers to cover his words and replied:

“I was just thinking about this too. This person doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. You see, he doesn’t have the great magic power to form a formation in one step, nor does he have any subtle immortal aura. Instead, he’s weaving a net like this. He should also be a type of Xuan.”

The woman frowned:

"Such a great path has never been recorded in the ancient texts... And it's a rogue cultivator, could it be [Chuyi Heaven]?"

Liao Luo pondered for a long time, then shook his head and said:

“I don’t think so… After all, [Chuyi Tian] doesn’t cultivate ‘Treasury Gold’… Besides… he doesn’t have any distinctive spiritual energy or spiritual treasures… To this day, he’s only using spiritual embryos. Would someone from Chuyi Tian look like this?”

Just as Kuang Yu was about to speak, she sensed a fluctuation in the void. A figure in purple robes stepped out and landed lightly. He first checked the golden lock on the high platform to see if it was correct. Seeing that Liu Changdie seemed relaxed and at ease, he then sat down in the pavilion, a smile on his face.
"My sister has emerged from seclusion, congratulations!"

For some reason, Kuang Yu felt inexplicably awkward upon seeing her. She smiled and said:
"Sister, what's wrong...?"

Tinglan let out a sigh and shook her head, saying:
"I was originally entrusted to refine array plates for the Li family, but then something happened in Yuyang, and I was sent there in a panic..."

Liao Luo's gaze held a hint of doubt:
"Why are you back so soon?"

Tinglan said:

"It was a false alarm... I heard that Master Chen went to the lake to seek elixirs, and just then Li Muyan came to test him. Master Chen was so frightened that he rushed back while begging for help, which caused a stir in the three prefectures. In the end, they all came up empty-handed. Now the news has even reached the palace."

"As a result, the Song Emperor summoned me, and all the immortals went. The Celestial Ceremonies Bureau also wanted to appear, so I had no choice but to go into the palace with them. This has been going on until now..."

"Seeking elixirs?"

Liao Luo remained noncommittal, only casually saying:
"The situation is truly turbulent—it's astonishing that even a secret like whether a master enters or leaves the county could be so easily leaked. It seems that the news spread as soon as Master Chen left, indicating that the Chen family is not clean."

These words made Tinglan shake her head. She said:

"I just heard some news in the palace that the Qing family possesses a treasure, obtained from Wanling Heaven years ago. It's a crucial artifact of the 'Heavenly Commander's' sect, possessing some investigative abilities. While Wangyue Lake is difficult to investigate, searching Yuyang would be a piece of cake..."

"That's why Li Muyan left so easily, and no one could stop him."

Kuang Yu looked somewhat worried and asked:

"In that case, are there any arrangements made for the western defense line?"

Mentioning this matter, Tinglan's eyes showed amazement, and she said softly:
"The Song Emperor has ordered Qiu Hu to garrison Yuyang, and Qing Hu has gone there as well. He has also sent Chen Wenyao, Si Xunhui, and others with Xuan and troops to guard the area... On the contrary, it is Old Master Chen..."

"The master settled him in Mushroom Forest Plain."

Upon hearing this, Liao Luo immediately nodded and replied:
"Does Your Excellency mean... that Western Shu still harbors ambitions to covet the moon?"

"Why not?"

Tinglan smiled and said:
"If that weren't the case, why would this array require so many of us to work together? That prince is quite resourceful, going to every sect and clan to search for spiritual resources, going door to door, making a huge fuss—it's hard to say whether the Li family is really that lacking in spiritual resources, but with all this, who wouldn't think that Western Shu is going to take over Huzhou?"

An expression of admiration appeared in her eyes as she said:

"Now even the emperor can't pretend not to see it, after all, this subject has just expanded the territory of the Song Dynasty by a thousand miles, so naturally he has to show his appreciation."

Liao Luo, however, had other thoughts and sneered:
"Unfortunately, he doesn't have much power left. With Yang Ruiyi gone, he must be completely lost. Isn't this a warning from the underworld? Without the Yang family... your Great Song Dynasty..."

"Uncle Master!"

Kuang Yu quickly spoke up to stop him, interrupting his words. Ting Lan simply pretended not to hear, lowered her eyes and sipped her tea. After a moment, the three of them were stunned, and suddenly raised their heads to look at the sky!
'So fast! '

The Taoist in mid-air became solemn, slightly touched his chest, and spat out a mouthful of blood essence. The golden chains, stimulated, began to tighten, pulling all the Lesser Yang Light inward, appearing extremely heavy. Countless golden rays intertwined, clearly indicating that the final step had been reached.

'How ruthless!'

'He's only been on the mountain for a short time! With our help... this speed is already incredibly fast. Why rush things? Isn't this pushing himself too hard?'

Originally, it would have been about half a year before they reached the final stage of attacking together. Unexpectedly, upon seeing Tinglan return, Liu Changdie decisively and suddenly damaged his vital energy to nourish the array plate. How could she just stand by and watch? She also made a quick decision to help, her figure rising like purple qi, already standing high up, with rolling purple clouds drifting down, covering all the golden chains with purple light.

Liao Luo raised his sleeve, his expression solemn. Vast streams of water surged from his sleeve, swirling and merging in the air like an endless, boundless sea, lifting up all the brilliance.

With the combined efforts of these three immortals, the golden lock in the sky finally became lighter, emitting a tinkling sound. As the sky brightened, it continued to converge inwards, with light and shadow intermingling, finally condensing into a single point of gold.

"it is good!"

Although Liu Changdie had exhausted his supernatural powers and was somewhat swaying, his eyes were bright, and the silver light in his palm continued to bloom, catching the golden light, turning it downwards, and already putting it into his sleeve.

From beginning to end, apart from Liu Changdie, no one else could see the true appearance of this array plate.

The array plate is extremely important. For an array master like him, just having seen the array plate of a great array once greatly increases his chances of breaking it! After all, he always regarded the Li family's affairs as his own, so he simply smiled and said politely:
"This thing cannot be exposed to light, and is being nurtured by my 'treasury gold'."

The masters present were all of profound lineage and were already trying to avoid suspicion, so naturally no one minded. After Liu Changdie took a few deep breaths and his pale face recovered, Liao Luo finally spoke, sighing:
"Amazing!"

This is the absolute truth. Even Tinglan pales in comparison to Liu Changdie. In the eyes of this Master Qu Sishan, there is no one in Jiangnan today who can reliably defeat him in terms of formations.
'Perhaps a hundred years from now, with Ning Wan's talent in array formations, she will be able to rival him.'

Liu Changdie felt the other party was being polite, so he bowed and replied:

"Thank you both for your help!"

So they entered the pavilion, sat down, and poured tea. Tinglan shook her head and said:

“You are overseas and do not know his reputation, but I have heard of him long ago!”

Liu Changdie understood her meaning. In his youth, he had traveled far and wide, disrupting many of the layouts of the Purple Mansion. Thus, he felt both nostalgic and bitter, and quietly said:

"Back then, I thought the road ahead was endless, and I was reckless and ignorant. Now I realize I'm as light as a feather, insignificant..."

With Fu Xun's demise, Liu Changdie was filled with grief and despair. The casual expression of the Shaoyang Dragon King, one of the Four Divine Powers, seemed still vivid in his mind—he believed that by wielding divine powers, even if the lineage was severed, at least he could protect a region…

'In truth… even a demon king with three supernatural powers is nothing special… and I am no one you gentlemen care about or are wary of; I've long since discarded you like worn-out shoes! If it weren't for the Li family, I wouldn't have been able to protect myself!'

He had long known that his lineage had been betrayed by someone, and that he wouldn't have survived to this day if he hadn't been betrayed. Yet, he had clearly and unmistakably heard this address directed at him from the mouth of this direct descendant of the dragon:
'A useless chess piece!'

He thought he had been schemed against, he thought he was in a lot of trouble, and he suspected that someone was watching him wherever he went. In reality, it was just a joke. The bitterness he once felt from being suppressed by the supernatural powers had turned into arrogance. In fact, after casually severing his path, Liu Changdie was like a bug, and no one would even give him a second glance!
These days, things have been sorted out and sorted out, and I feel calmer now. Liu Changdie quietly held his cup and smiled:

"Let's not talk about these troublesome matters... I wonder how things are back home?"

Tinglan briefly recounted Li's whereabouts. Liu Changdie's eyes flickered slightly, he nodded, and said softly:

"The array base within the sea is complete, and the array plate has been forged. I'll take this opportunity to go there and nurture the array plate along the way."

Indeed, the words of that Shaoyang Dragon King were like a heavy hammer, shattering all his thoughts into nothingness. By now, Liu Changdie had little left to care about. Apart from Wangyue Lake, where he had experienced birth, aging, sickness, and death in his previous life, there were few things left for him to cherish.

'Since… I'm already a useless piece, I'm not afraid of bringing any trouble to the lake. Judging from the Dragon King's tone, even if I do bring trouble, my master isn't afraid at all. Why should I stay overseas and not move forward?'

Furthermore…

His gaze, deep and unfocused, finally settled on the path he had severed.

'To find the lineage of "Kujin," one cannot remain at the ends of the earth... Even if there is only a trace in this world, it must be within the sea...'

The Taoist priest stood up, bowed, and took his leave before disappearing into the void. Qu Si and his companions were not familiar with him, so they were unsurprised. Ting Lan, however, recognized him, and her eyes flickered slightly.

'That's strange... He usually guards the island overseas, but he's returned today. It seems he can't interfere in the great battle or infringe upon the Li family's karma, but setting up the great formation is no problem.'

Having been away for so many years, Tinglan naturally had her own guesses. She secretly noted them down and, without lingering, said seriously:
"I came back under the pretext of tidying up Jinghai. Now that the array plate is finished, I must rush back immediately... I won't bother you any longer."

She hurried north, and the atmosphere on the mountain suddenly became empty, filled with the heavy weight of an impending storm. Kuang Yu raised her eyebrows and said:
Where is Nanwu?

He is currently refining his supernatural powers.

Liao Luo sighed and said:

"I've been busy these past few days. My immortal foundation has been fully formed and is ready to be used at any time. I was just worried that something might happen if there was no one on the mountain. Now that you've come out of seclusion, I can retire with peace of mind..."

Before he could finish speaking, he noticed that the woman in front of him had turned her head and looked at him with surprise. A moment later, Liao Luo also looked at the high platform and stood up in shock.

The sky was dark and swirling with clouds, as if the sounds of battle were about to erupt. A fierce wind blew, and hailstones of all sizes fell from the sky, pelting the trees with a crackling sound.

Within those clouds, yin and yang energies converged, shifting and changing. The Great Void sensed this and sent down dark cracks, where spiritual energy surged and churned like boiling water.

'The celestial phenomena are unusual!'

A look of surprise and doubt flashed in the woman's eyes. She took a step forward, exchanged a glance with the Taoist beside her, and began to form a hand seal. The surprise and doubt in her eyes finally transformed into intense joy:

'The play... is done!'