Qin Renhuang just became an immortal, and you told me this is the prehistoric time

However, Ying Xuan immediately saw that although Li Ruoyu had adopted a suppressive stance, the nine Dao diagrams were more of a hindrance than a killing blow; he hadn't truly intended to kill. Otherwise, given the terrifying strength he had previously displayed, most of these cultivators, at most at the second or third level of the Immortal Realm, would have already been killed or injured.

"Since you're in a difficult position, senior, I'll handle these people myself."

Ying Xuan spoke calmly, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

Upon hearing this, Li Ruoyu's old face stiffened slightly, as if he wanted to explain something.

Ying Xuan, however, gave him no more chances.

He raised his hand and gently tossed the jade tablet, which had turned black and white and was slowly rotating, towards the area below where the huge green wood phantom and the nine Dao diagrams were located.

"The Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiends, the Forbidden Cycle of Heaven."

The jade tablet slipped from his hand and instantly unfolded, transforming once again into the illusory array diagram that enveloped the heavens and earth. However, this time, the Yin and Yang energies circulated in the center of the array diagram, making it even more powerful than before! With lightning speed, the array diagram enveloped Li Ruoyu's "Azure Emperor Nine Slashes" phenomenon along with the nearly ten thousand cultivators suppressed below it all at once!

"Young friend, wait a moment!"

Li Ruoyu's expression changed, and she hurriedly spoke up.

He could sense that the formation Ying Xuan had set up this time was filled with murderous intent!
However, it was too late.

Within the array, the scene changed abruptly! Li Ruoyu's enormous illusory green tree and the nine Dao diagrams seemed to be trapped in an independent starry universe, enveloped and isolated by boundless stellar power and Yin-Yang energy, their connection with Li Ruoyu's main body instantly weakening! Meanwhile, the cultivators suppressed by the Dao diagrams were directly exposed within the array space!
In the next instant, the phantom images of 108 "Star Islands" flashed through the array space, like the scythe of death, slicing through the terrified crowd of cultivators.

"what--!"

"No! I am an elder of the Yao Guang Holy Land!"

"Spare me! Senior, spare me!"

"Our clan's ancestor was..."

The piercing screams, desperate pleas for mercy, and unwilling roars echoed within the array space, only to abruptly cease. Wherever the illusory image of the Star Island passed, whether it was a powerful figure from the second stage of the Immortal Realm, a king from the third stage, or even a few Dao Slayers who concealed their auras, they all shattered and vanished instantly like fragile bubbles.

Only a small amount of pure energy remained, which was absorbed by the formation, and... the magical weapons they carried or used fell to the ground with a clanging sound.

Within a few breaths, the array space returned to "silence." Nearly ten thousand "elites" and "old monsters" from various holy lands of the Big Dipper, ancient families, and branches of the Primordial Clan were completely annihilated!

Ying Xuan remained expressionless, then waved his hand again, collecting the tens of thousands of slightly inferior but still excellent magical artifacts and weapons that had been newly added to the array space. Every little bit helps; they might come in handy back in Qin.

"Young friend Ying Xuan! Show mercy! Stop right now!!"

Li Ruoyu's voice, filled with urgency and a hint of exasperation, finally broke through part of the array's blockade.

"These... these are mostly disciples and elders sent by various holy lands and aristocratic families to investigate! They are not all mortal enemies! If we kill them all, it may provoke public anger and create too many enemies for the human race!"

He was also feeling frustrated at that moment.

He originally intended to use these "spies" to test Ying Xuan and put some pressure on him, to see how he would respond. At the same time, he also had the idea of ​​using Ying Xuan to teach these arrogant and reckless guys a lesson.

But he never expected that Ying Xuan would act so decisively and ruthlessly, without any regard for right or wrong, directly crushing them all with the formation! This disaster... has gone too far! The Beidou human race is likely to be thrown into an uproar immediately!
Ying Xuan remained indifferent, as if the annihilation of nearly ten thousand cultivators and the plundering of tens of thousands of magical treasures with a wave of his hand were nothing more than brushing off a speck of dust from his sleeve.

He manipulated the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends Formation with his mind, guiding the last few strands of mixed and sparse life essence and residual spiritual power newly generated by the killing within the formation space to the 108 star islands as extra nourishment for the spiritual roots and herbs on them.

Only after confirming that there were no more "impurities" left did he slowly turn around and cast his gaze toward the old man Li Ruoyu of Zhuofeng outside the array space, whose expression was changing and who seemed to want to say something but couldn't.

"Senior Li, just now... it seemed you had something to say?"

Ying Xuan's voice was flat and emotionless.

Upon hearing this, Li Ruoyu's facial muscles twitched, and he could no longer contain himself, speaking with a pained expression.

"Young friend! How could you be so... so ruthless and decisive?! Although most of the cultivators in the formation just now were driven by covetousness, many of them were core disciples and elders from various holy lands and ancient families!"
Even... even several of my Tai Xuan Sect's peak masters' true disciples were secretly sent out to infiltrate and investigate! By wiping them all out, you've offended most of the top forces of the Beidou human race in one fell swoop!

He became more and more excited as he spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

"Not to mention... there is indeed a connection between the Tai Xuan Sect and the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land! You have gone on a killing spree near my Tai Xuan Sect territory, annihilating so many members of forces that may have some connection with the Ruthless Man's lineage... this... this is very likely to anger the protectors of the Forbidden Land!"
At that time, not only will you, young friend, be affected, but the very foundation of my Tai Xuan Sect's ten-thousand-year-old heritage will likely be severed! How... how can I face the ancestors of all generations?!

Li Ruoyu's eyes held not only anger, but also deep worry and lingering fear.

He was furious not only at Ying Xuan's ruthlessness, but also at how the other party had isolated and suppressed the power of heaven and earth around him when he set up the formation. This made him feel like he was stuck in a quagmire in that strange formation space, unable to exert his full strength despite his powerful cultivation. He could only watch helplessly as his disciples and other cultivators were slaughtered!

Ying Xuan listened quietly, his face expressionless. Only after Li Ruoyu finished speaking did he slowly open his mouth, his voice still calm.

"Are you done talking?"

Li Ruoyu was taken aback.

The next moment, Ying Xuan's figure did not move, but in Li Ruoyu's perception, it seemed to grow infinitely taller and expand in an instant! It was as if a giant phantom, with feet on the Milky Way and head on the sky, rose up from Ying Xuan's body, faintly enveloping the space of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Array that still covered the world!

An indescribable, terrifying aura, a mixture of supreme imperial majesty, the will of the vast stars, and the pressure of pure primordial spirit, crashed down on Li Ruoyu like a tangible tsunami!
"Ugh!" Li Ruoyu groaned, feeling the divine power within his sea of ​​suffering suddenly stagnate, his pores clogged, and his connection with the omnipresent laws and spiritual energy of heaven and earth severed by an invisible giant blade!

What terrified him even more was that beneath the seemingly youthful life force of the other party lay an absolute superior will that he had never felt before, a will that transcended all living beings! It was not a simple suppression of cultivation level, but an absolute difference in the essence of life and the status of authority!

He had no doubt that, being within the influence of the other party's strange formation, if the other party had a single thought, his cultivation level, which he had reached after thousands of years of cultivation and countless life-and-death experiences, would probably be destroyed in an instant, just like those cultivators!
This array space seems to completely isolate the inside from the outside, forming a self-contained entity. Here, the other party is the master! Even those ancient supreme beings who committed suicide, if they were cut off from their connection with the outside world and trapped in this array, would probably find it difficult to escape easily!

Cold sweat instantly soaked Li Ruoyu's back.

The anger and anguish on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of awe and dread stemming from an innate instinct for survival.

He took several steps back, straightening his slightly hunched body, then quickly bent down again, clasped his hands together, and respectfully performed a very solemn salute to Ying Xuan's seemingly towering figure, bowing his head deeply and not daring to raise it.

Ying Xuan's enormous phantom slowly receded, and his magnificent aura dissipated, but the invisible pressure still lingered in the air.

He looked at Li Ruoyu, who remained motionless in a bowing posture, and said calmly.

"Get up."

Li Ruoyu felt as if he had been granted a pardon and slowly straightened up, but his posture remained extremely respectful, with his hands at his sides, and he dared not question or criticize in the slightest.

Ying Xuan stopped looking at him, and with a thought, the surrounding scenery rippled and changed like water. In an instant, space shifted, and the two of them were back in the outside world, above the original site of Purple Mountain.

Below, the nine majestic mountain ranges that once guarded the area like dragons had vanished without a trace, leaving only a colossal, thousand-meter-deep, mirror-smooth crater in its place, as if an invisible, divine hand had forcibly scooped away a piece of the earth. A desolate and deathly atmosphere permeated the air, creating a stark contrast to the scene of Purple Mountain standing tall just moments before.

Ying Xuan looked down at the enormous devastation, then glanced at Li Ruoyu beside him, who was silent with a complicated expression, and spoke with a hint of sarcasm.

"Senior Li, you should take better care of your Tai Xuan Sect. Otherwise, it might become too deeply entangled with the Ruthless Man's lineage and be wiped out in the future turmoil."

Having said that, without paying any attention to Li Ruoyu's reaction, Ying Xuan's figure transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky and heading straight towards the direction of Beidou Central Continent—the location of the Undying Mountain!

During the flight, a strange feeling swept through Ying Xuan's mind. He had just refined the Undying Emperor's dojo, and now he was about to head to the forbidden zone of another being named "Undying"... He and the word "Undying" in this world seemed to have a special connection, or perhaps... a karmic entanglement?
“In this world, every cultivator seeks longevity and desires immortality. Yet, those who claim to be ‘immortal’ are the ones whose residences and lineages I have repeatedly sought out…”

Ying Xuan's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, and he nearly burst out laughing.

This contrast is quite ironic.

Having ascended to a sufficiently high point in the void, far removed from the disturbances and prying eyes of the Beidou Continent, Ying Xuan halted his escape.

He flipped his hand and took out the jade pendant, which had turned into black and white and was slowly spinning, and tossed it into the air in front of him.

"Om-!"

The jade tablet shone brightly, instantly unfolding into a massive, illusory array covering thousands of miles! Within the array, the yin and yang energies flowed like dragons, and the illusory images of one hundred and eight star islands appeared and disappeared, emanating a vast aura that suppressed the universe. This was none other than the greatly enhanced "Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiends Grand Array"!
Ying Xuan took a step forward, his figure disappearing into the array diagram, once again entering the array space that was completely under his control.

Inside the space, the scene was slightly different from before. The massive amount of life essence and mixed spiritual power generated from refining Purple Mountain and killing the Heavenly Empress and nearly ten thousand cultivators had now been completely absorbed by the countless spiritual roots and herbs growing on the one hundred and eight star islands.

Looking around, each island is like a legendary fairy garden, filled with spiritual energy and shimmering with auspicious light. Everywhere you look, there are rare spiritual plants that are at least a thousand years old and full of spiritual power, many of which are even ten thousand years old, radiating an alluring precious light and medicinal fragrance.

Ying Xuan did not go directly to the core island. Instead, with a slight thought, he collected hundreds of different kinds of spiritual fruits with the most abundant spiritual energy from various islands.

These spiritual fruits vary in size, some like longan, some like fists, and some even like infants. But without exception, the spiritual power contained within them is pure and abundant. Any one of them is enough to fill the entire sea of ​​suffering of a cultivator in the Life Spring Realm!
He casually picked up a crimson exotic fruit and put it in his mouth. The fruit melted instantly in his mouth, transforming into a clear, sweet, yet powerful and pure stream of spiritual energy that flowed down his throat and directly into his dantian.

The Bitter Sea rippled slightly, quickly absorbing and transforming this portion of spiritual energy. Then, even more refined and gentle life energy surged from the Bitter Sea spring, seeping into the cells of his body that were somewhat "thirsty" and "tired" from forcibly refining the "Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends Formation" earlier.

Like parched seedlings receiving a gentle rain, the cells regained some vitality and luster. However, Ying Xuan could clearly feel that this amount of spiritual energy was far from sufficient for his body, which was about to cross the threshold of becoming an Earth Immortal and was severely depleted by the Sea of ​​Bitterness.

"Relying solely on the natural spiritual power of these spiritual fruits, it would take who knows how long to recover to my peak condition."

Ying Xuan shook his head slightly.

With the trip to the Immortal Mountain imminent, he had no time to recuperate slowly.

His gaze sharpened, and he sat cross-legged atop the mountain peak of the core island. His hands formed hand seals, and he chanted incantations.

"The Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends, the stars revolve throughout the heavens, their spirits converge in one place, aiding my cultivation!"

As the incantation was activated, the entire Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Array accelerated its operation! The 108 star islands began to move along even more mysterious and complex trajectories, their starlight connected to each other, and their spiritual energy exchanged, forming an incomparably vast and highly efficient "circulation network of spiritual energy"!
Immediately afterwards, an irresistible and terrifying suction force erupted from each of the star islands, its target being the countless spiritual roots and herbs growing on the islands!

"Rustling..."

As if an invisible autumn wind had swept by, the branches and leaves of the ancient and spiritually rich plants on the island trembled slightly. The pure spiritual energy of the plants, which had accumulated for thousands of years, was forcibly but relatively gently extracted by this suction force, turning into streams of spiritual energy of different colors, all exuding a fresh fragrance of plants.

From all directions and from all the islands, they converged in a mighty torrent toward the core island located at the very center of the array space—where Ying Xuan was!

Ying Xuan carefully avoided directly absorbing the faint life essence that those spiritual plants might contain, and dared not touch any life essence left over from the cultivators he had previously refined.

He merely used the purification and refinement capabilities of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends Formation to extract the purest, gentlest, and most attribute-free parts of the spiritual energy of these plants and trees, gathering them into a pure and vast torrent of spiritual energy! (End of Chapter)