Staying in the sect, controlling beasts and cultivating immortals

The Guixu Starship tore through the last spatial turbulence and plunged into a relatively stable shattered star field.

In the distance, the outline of the Central Continent resembled a lurking behemoth, shrouded in a hazy, withered mist of Dao principles, exuding a chilling aura of repulsion and corruption.

Nearby, floating meteorite belts and broken star debris form a natural barrier.

“This place is three thousand miles from the Central Continent. The concentration of withered Dao principles is relatively low, the space is relatively stable, and it is also shielded by meteorites.” Mo Heng’s voice was hoarse from the burning of the array soul. His fingertips traced a star map projection on the surface of the Myriad Transformations Returning to the Ruins Furnace, and several flashing coordinates were marked in red.

“We can build the ‘Guixu Wall’ as a foundation and use it as a temporary stepping stone.”

Yu Changsheng stood at the bow of the ship, his bare upper body covered in purple-gold cracks that flowed with chaotic primordial essence under the faint starlight, resonating with the starship beneath his feet.

His gaze swept over the weary yet determined crowd: Wang Cheng's newly formed chaotic bone arm was clenched into a fist, its dark golden luster concealing explosive power, the hidden pain in his internal organs forcibly suppressed; Chen Xueqing sat cross-legged in the illusory lotus platform, the halo of the Pure Lotus had become much more solid, but the emptiness deep within her essence still lingered; the Evil Beast and the Flame Dragon, one hidden and one revealed, guarded the two sides, their auras more robust than seven days ago, yet far from their peak. Hundreds of Guixu Camp soldiers and dozens of newly modified "Guixu Barrier War Puppets" stood solemnly awaiting orders.

"Mo Heng, deploy the 'Purple Mountain Returning to Ruins Enclosure'! With the Starship as the core!" Yu Changsheng gave the order, his voice deep but leaving no room for doubt.

"Yes!" Mo Heng responded, slamming his hands onto the furnace. The grayish flames of the Returning Void surged within the furnace, spreading along the dragon bones of the starship.

Wang Cheng roared, slamming his Chaotic Bone Arm heavily onto the deck, channeling violent chaotic power into it. Chen Xueqing lightly tapped her fingertip, and the illusory image of the Purifying Green Lotus merged into the core of the ship, providing pure and stabilizing power.

Under the control of the soldiers, the Guixu Barrier War Puppet quickly dispersed to the edge of the starship, the patterns on its armor lit up, actively absorbing the thin, lifeless energy in the star field.

Om-!
A pale purple light membrane rapidly expanded from the starship's center, instantly enveloping the asteroid belt within a ten-mile radius. On the surface of the light membrane, the majestic Purple Gold Mountain range appeared as ethereal shadows, even more solid and dense than in the deep pit, effectively isolating the withered Daoist mist spreading from the Central Plains.

Guided by the array, the shattered meteorites were kneaded as if by an invisible giant hand, forming a rough yet sturdy barrier that protected the core starship.

A temporary fortress, called "Guixu Outpost," which relies on the power of the Void and floats among the star debris, rises from the edge of the star field!

At the core of the sentry post, Yu Changsheng sat cross-legged.

The Sword of Annihilation was inserted diagonally in front of him, its blade covered with cracks and dark red divine patterns lying dormant, but the core of the Returning Void Star Orbit Compass at the hilt pulsated steadily.

He closed his eyes, his mind sinking into the depths of the almost collapsed Chaos Foundation, struggling to sense that distant yet originating power—the Qingzhou Imperial Palace, the central hub of the Divine Dynasty's fortune.

'Qingzhou...luck...' The thought coalesced in his shattered sea of ​​consciousness. The illusory image of the Chaos Emperor Seal between his brows emerged with difficulty, and the imprint of the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword at its core trembled almost imperceptibly.

Meanwhile, in the Qingzhou Imperial Palace, far beyond countless star fields.

The jade lotus platform enshrined at the core of the Chaos Emperor Array suddenly moved without wind, its petals unfurling and emitting an unprecedented radiance.

At the center of the lotus platform, a faint ray of purple-gold light stubbornly shone, piercing through layers of spatial barriers, and following the mysterious guidance of the imperial seal, shot towards the depths of the unknown star field!

Guixu Sentry Post is the key point of the formation.

The imperial seal between Yu Changsheng's brows suddenly burned intensely!
A slender yet incredibly strong purple-gold thread, ignoring the spatial barriers and the erosion of the withered mist, suddenly pierced through the purple light membrane of the Ruins Wall and fell precisely into the Emperor's Seal!
"Ah!" Yu Changsheng groaned, his body trembling violently. The purple-gold crack shone brightly, as if it was about to collapse again! Forcibly crossing the endless void to draw in fortune was a terrible burden on his already crumbling foundation.

But he gritted his teeth, his Chaos Emperor Blood circulating wildly, desperately locking in this connection.

The purple-gold threads took root and spread within the Imperial Seal. Though as faint as a candle flickering in the wind, they stubbornly conveyed the aura from Qingzhou—the stability of the Imperial Array, the prayers of the people, and the undiminished spiritual energy of heaven and earth!
This shared power was like sweet rain, nourishing his parched sea of ​​consciousness and foundation of the Dao. Although it was not enough to repair the cracks, it brought a rare sense of clarity and stability.

The humming of the Annihilation Sword beside him seemed to have subsided slightly.

Chen Xueqing immediately sensed the fluctuations in the Qi Link and Yu Changsheng's pain. Ignoring the loss of her own essence, she fully activated the Purifying Lotus.

The illusory image of the jade lotus platform appeared above Yu Changsheng's head, and a soft and pure emerald light enveloped him, like the gentlest pillar, trying its best to smooth out the shock to his Dao foundation caused by the impact of the Qi, and stabilizing that fragile purple-gold thread.

"It's done!" Mo Heng looked at the purple-gold light trace piercing through the void, reflected on the furnace and captured by the Guixu Star Orbit Compass, his voice filled with excitement and solemnity, "Destiny is tied together! His Majesty uses the Imperial Seal as a bridge and Qingzhou as the source, so we, in this desolate region, are not rootless duckweed!"

After three days of recuperation, the Guixu outpost remained as stable as a mountain under the protection of the illusory image of the Zijin Mountains.

Although the threads of Qingzhou's fortune were thin, they continuously nourished the array's core, not only temporarily slowing the deterioration of Yu Changsheng's Dao foundation but also imbuing the entire Guixu Enclosure's purple-gold light membrane with an indescribable "vitality" and resilience, significantly enhancing its resistance to withered Dao principles. After absorbing sufficient deathly energy, the Guixu Barrier War Puppet's armor exhibited even deeper Guixu patterns, and the condensed gray-black shield almost became substantial.

Beside the array's core, Yu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, a purple-gold light condensing deep within his pupils. He gazed at the colossal figure shrouded in gray mist in the Central Plains, his voice hoarse yet resolute. "The flow of fortune has begun; we cannot wait any longer. The Rifting Heaven Alliance's foundation lies in the Burial God Ridge, yet the Central Plains are vast, and the enemy's situation is unclear. We must have eyes and ears."

His gaze swept over the core group.

Wang Cheng, with his newly forged bone arm, possesses the strongest combat power, but his internal injuries have not yet healed, and he is too large a target, making him the primary target of the Rifting Sky Alliance's hunt. It is not advisable to act rashly against him.

Chen Xueqing, the Pure Lotus is the key to combating withering, but its source is depleted, so she needs to stay at the outpost to maintain the connection of fortune and the purification barrier.

Mo Heng, your array spirit is damaged. The Myriad Transformations Returning to the Void Furnace is the core for maintaining the Void Wall and repairing the battle puppets, and it cannot be separated from you.

"Ling Wuying," Yu Changsheng called out.

In the shadows, Ling Wuying, the commander of the Sky Patrol Army, appeared silently.

Mo Heng had crafted a flexible, gray-black metal prosthetic limb from the site of his severed arm using materials from the Ruins of Return. His aura was more restrained and profound than when he infiltrated the Flowing Sand City, and his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's.

"You once explored the Central Plains and knew its dangers. Now I appoint you as the vanguard once again."

Yu Changsheng raised his hand, and three items floated in front of Ling Wuying: the Annihilation Guide, which contained a trace of the Annihilation Sword's aura, could disturb the enemy's soul, and could serve as a weak protection and warning at critical moments.

The Guixu Star Orbit Sub-Disk, hastily crafted by Mo Heng, may lack the power of the original, but it can determine location, record maps, and avoid spatial traps within a certain range.

The Pure Lotus Seed, bestowed upon Chen Xueqing, contains the power to purify the world. It can heal serious injuries, temporarily dispel decay and erosion, and perfectly conceal one's presence.

"Select ten scouts from the Guixu Camp, all of whom must possess exceptional agility, be adept at concealment and disguise, and be skilled in adaptability. Each scout should carry a secondary plate, a jade token, and a green lotus seed." Yu Changsheng's instructions were clear.

"Primary objective: to ascertain the distribution of the withered mist on the outskirts of Zhongzhou, the troop strength and rotation of the outposts on the outskirts of the Rift Sky Alliance, the energy anomalies in the direction of Burial God Ridge, and the attitude of scattered cultivators towards the Divine Dynasty. This is a three-month period, and the message will be transmitted via the secondary disk. The Azure Lotus Seed shall not be used unless in dire circumstances. Survival is the top priority!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Ling Wuying knelt on one knee, accepting the three treasures with both hands, his voice resolute. He knew full well that this journey would be ten times more perilous than that of Liusha City.

Half an hour later, a "Guixu Shadow Shuttle," which had been urgently modified by Mo Heng using Guixu materials and was only a few feet long, silently slid out of the purple light membrane of the Guixu sentry post, like an inconspicuous gray fish.

The surface of the Hidden Shadow Shuttle was adorned with patterns resembling the Void Returning Realm, perfectly blending into the star field background and the shadows of the meteorites. Inside the shuttle, Ling Wuying and ten elite scouts from the Void Returning Realm Camp, like scales in the dark night, silently swam towards the Central Continent shrouded in the mist of death—this journey was called "Hidden Scales"!
Like a ghost, the Guixu Shadow Shuttle flew close to the withered mist layer at the edge of the Central Continent. The grayish-white mist churned, exuding an unsettling, decaying stench, constantly eroding the Guixu protective layer of the shuttle, emitting a faint hissing sound.

Ling Wuying stared intently at the Guixu Star Orbit sub-disk. On the light screen projected by the sub-disk, the outline of the Central Continent was covered by large areas of gray-white, representing withered mist. Only a few areas showed thin pale gray or blank spaces, like isolated islands in a sea of ​​mist.

"Commander, the secondary display shows that the fog density near 'Bone-Dry Gorge' three hundred miles ahead has dropped by 70%, which is suspected to be the entrance to a 'safe' passage controlled by the Sky-Splitting Alliance."

A scout skilled in formations whispered, tracing a winding dotted line on the light screen with his finger, "But the energy reactions on the high ground on both sides are dense, as if there are fixed outposts."

A cold glint flashed in Ling Wuying's eyes.

He took out a Pure Lotus Seed, but did not consume it; he simply held it in his palm. The lotus seed emitted an extremely faint emerald halo, enveloping his entire body.

He carefully attached a wisp of his divine sense to it, like the finest probe, using the natural repulsion and purification properties of the Cleansing Power against the withered Dao Principles to silently penetrate the mist layer and extend towards the Dry Bone Gorge.

The entrance to the Dry Bone Gorge is narrow, with steep cliffs thousands of feet high on both sides, covered with the ghastly white skeletons of giant beasts.

At the top of the cliffs on both sides of the gorge, there stands a menacing watchtower built of obsidian and bones, with gray-red crystals floating on top of the towers, emitting scanning ripples.

At the foot of the tower stood about fifty Burial God Guards clad in dark red bone armor, as well as several patrolling puppets resembling skeletal hounds with ghostly blue soul flames flickering in their eye sockets.

Inside the canyon, the mist was thin, and distorted runes could be vaguely seen flashing on the ground, clearly some kind of trigger-based warning array.

Occasionally, a cultivator clad in a gray robe and exuding a mixed aura enters or exits the canyon under the supervision of the Burial God Guard. They must present a bone token and undergo crystal scanning.

Ling Wuying withdrew his divine sense, and the luster of the green lotus seed in his palm dimmed slightly. "The Dry Bone Gorge is a trap." His voice was icy. "It is ostensibly a passage, but in reality, it is a sieve. There are hidden sentries on the high ground on both sides, and the gorge's earth runes are linked. Scanning crystals can break through high-level concealment. The elite Burial God Guards guard it, and ordinary cultivators cannot enter without authorization."

He glanced at the secondary display panel; next to the dotted line representing the "safe" channel on the light screen, a glaring blood-red "high-risk" mark was displayed. The information was simultaneously transmitted back to the Ruins Outpost.

"Change route, detour around the outer perimeter of the 'Rotten Swamp Forest'," Ling Wuying decisively ordered.

The Rotten Swamp Forest is displayed in dark gray on the sub-board, representing the unknown and danger, but also implying that it may not be fully under the control of the Sky Rift Alliance.

Deep within the swamp forest, a thick, impenetrable, dark green miasma writhed like a living thing, swallowing all light and sound.

Ling Wuying was maneuvering the Guixu Shadow Shuttle, a miniature shuttle that Mo Heng had meticulously modified with the Wanhua Guixu Furnace and incorporated some of the technology of the Annihilation War Puppet. At this moment, it was struggling to traverse the venomous swamp and the gaps between the twisted ancient trees.

The surface of the shuttle is covered with a layer of dull gray light film, a miniature application of the Guixuyuan technology, which stubbornly resists the dual erosion of high concentration of withering principles and deadly miasma.

Ten of the most elite Guixu Camp scouts held their breath, their Guixu Barrier armor glowing with intermittent runes, drawing upon the scarce harmful energy in the environment to transform it into weak protection.

"Commander, three hundred feet to the left front, the energy reading is unusually active, not according to the Rift Sky Alliance's standard... There is a life reaction, the number is unknown, and the energy attribute... is mixed with withering and... a trace of strange purification power?" A scout in charge of detection lowered his voice, his tone filled with disbelief and confusion.

The Guixu Star Orbit sub-disc in his hand trembled slightly. On the projected light screen, the glaring red dot representing the Rift Sky Alliance's Burial God Guard was deliberately avoided. In the deeper core area of ​​the swamp, an irregular pale green light spot was flickering. Its energy fluctuations were incongruous with the surrounding deathly environment, yet strangely integrated into it.

Ling Wuying, with his single arm, controlled the rune disk of the Shadow Shuttle, the newly attached Guixu metal prosthetic limb gleaming with a cold, hard luster. His brows were furrowed, and the light and shadow of the Star Orbit sub-disc were reflected in his pupils.

"The power of purification? In the heart of the Central Plains, polluted by the Rift Alliance and permeated with withered Dao principles?" He thought of Chen Xueqing's Purifying Lotus, but the feeling was completely different, more primitive and wild, with the fishy smell of the swamp.

"Avoid the Burial God Guards' patrol route and observe closely. Master Mo Heng's modified stealth runes are activated at full power. Everyone, activate the Purifying Lotus Seed Secondary Concealment Mode!"

He gave the order decisively.

The life-saving item bestowed by Chen Xueqing was now being used as a means of deep stealth. A faint, almost imperceptible lotus fragrance permeated the shuttle, further neutralizing the invading miasma and suppressing their life force to a minimum.

Like a slippery eel, the Shadow Shuttle silently slithered into the deeper swamp. The sight before them sent a chill down the spines of even the seasoned scouts.

Beneath a natural dome formed by the intertwined roots of enormous, decaying prehistoric trees lies a simple yet extraordinary village.

The buildings, constructed from glowing moss-covered decaying wood, resilient vines, and some kind of corrosion-resistant black mineral, are cleverly attached to giant roots, beneath which lies a bubbling, toxic swamp. In the center of the village, a strange plant with a twisted shape and a faint, soft white light emanating from its tip stands out most strikingly.

Even more astonishing were the "residents"—they were tall and thin, with skin in varying shades of dark green or grayish-brown, as if they had assimilated into the swamp, their faces had bark-like patterns, and their pupils shimmered with a ghostly green or pale gold light in the dim light.

They moved swiftly and silently, traversing the mud and giant trees with ease. Occasionally, a faint yet resilient purifying white light would flicker across the simple stone spears or bone blades in their hands, dispelling any approaching poisonous insects or overly dense miasma. (End of Chapter)