I became an immortal in the mountains

Chapter 703 The Truth Within the Painting
Gu Yuanqing stood in the square in front of the Dao Palace, his eyes sparkling with starlight.

As he gradually figured out the locations of the foundation artifacts of the four main sword formations, the main structure of the Starry Sky Array was gradually being perfected in his mind, and he made subtle adjustments through continuous verification.

The power belonging to the other three within the Demon-Subduing Sword Domain had been completely dispelled or refined by Gu Yuanqing. Strands of divine thought, like spring rain, silently imprinted his divine soul mark on these seven array foundation artifacts.

The previous owners of these array foundation artifacts had long since perished in the river of time, making them ownerless. Gu Yuanqing was able to refine them quite quickly.

Although it would take many years to achieve complete mental connection with these arrays and control them as if they were extensions of one's own body, simple manipulation is no longer a problem.

Although Gu Yuanqing had a basic grasp of the array artifacts, all four sword arrays used their respective sword intents as the source of the array's power. Since he had never cultivated the Demon-Slaying Sword, forcibly driving it would make it difficult to unleash the power of the sword array, and it was even less effective than the sword array operating on its own.

Of course, Gu Yuanqing had no intention of relying on its power; he simply wanted to keep it under his control.

The situation of the Demon-Sealing Sword Domain and the Heavenly Demon Sword Domain is already precarious under the influence of the Demon-Slaying Sword Domain.

Both were fighting independently, while Gu Yuanqing was using the power of the Demon-Subduing Sword Domain to suppress the two sword formations.

The Demon-Subduing Sword was originally the foremost of the four swords, and so was the Demon-Subduing Sword Domain, which to some extent had the power to influence the other three sword domains.

With one side gaining and the other losing, the outcome is self-evident.

It's fair to say that defeat was only a matter of time.

More importantly, as Gu Yuanqing gained insights from playing chess with the old man in the painting and verified them with the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Array, he became increasingly familiar with the entire array.

Within the Zhou Tian Star Array, these four sword formations are only a part, but they are also the most important part. They are the most important means of killing within the array. Otherwise, the four swords would not be the key to unlocking the Qingping Dao Palace.

Therefore, Gu Yuanqing, who controls the Demon-Subduing Sword, also has the potential to control the entire sword formation. Even though controlling such a large formation would take far longer than controlling several sword formations, once he has it under his control, even if the Dao Palace were to seal it off, it would not be able to stop Gu Yuanqing.

Inside the Taoist palace.

The Heavenly Demon Sword Master, Qingxu Daoist, and Chi Jinyu all had faces as white as gold and lips as white as wax.

All three were considered highly skilled cultivators with abundant vital energy, yet they were almost completely exhausted in their battle with Gu Yuanqing.

Chi Jinyu, the master of the Demon-Slaying Sword, had his power contained within the Demon-Slaying Sword and hidden within the core of the Zhou Tian Grand Array. At most, it could only harass Gu Yuanqing.

The Heavenly Demon Sword Master and Qingxu Daoist are still struggling to hold on, and are in imminent danger of being destroyed at any moment.

In the painting of immortals hanging in the center of the main hall.

The man in blue had turned his head, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

Wisps of black energy emanated from the painting, eventually transforming into a figure that stood silently within the main hall.

"Truly, you are beyond redemption. I gave you the formation diagrams of the four great sword formations, yet you still managed to hold out for only a short while. Trash is trash. Only I can take action myself!"

The three people in the hall were completely unaware of the appearance of the man in blue.

Sensing something amiss in the main hall, they all turned to look at the painting of immortals on the wall.

Wisps of black energy could be seen spreading upwards from within, passing through the Dao Palace, and heading towards the Demon-Subduing Sword Domain along the Zhou Tian Star Array.

Sensing this aura, Gu Yuanqing raised an eyebrow.

"Did the person in the painting intervene?"

Gu Yuanqing was not surprised by this. Since that sword strike had occurred before, it meant that the Heavenly Demon Sword Master and the person in the painting had already colluded.

"This is a bit troublesome!"

This painting of an immortal hangs in the most central place of the Dao Palace, where the Dao Palace's heritage is also located. Gu Yuanqing had a brief encounter with it within the painting's realm, but he could see that the person in the painting was extraordinary.

Although it was only an avatar when they clashed in the painting, the fact that it could imprison Gu Yuanqing before he could react is quite remarkable.

The black aura in the painting was brought into the Northern Spring Realm by Gu Yuanqing. With his ability to observe mountains and control objects, he could tell that this aura had subtly surpassed the level of ordinary cultivators.

At least the true essence of the Undying Chaos Cultivator is far inferior to that.

The area within the painting also appears somewhat eerie. It is a place of inheritance, yet it harbors such risks, which inevitably makes one ponder deeply.

Moreover, as Gu Yuanqing gained a deeper understanding of the Zhou Tian Star Array, his aura also followed the array's pathways into the Dao Palace.

When he sensed the aura of the person in the painting appearing in the Zhou Tian Grand Array, he immediately discerned something in his mind.

"The Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Array of Qingping Cave must be connected to that painting, otherwise its aura would be unable to enter the array!"

This is actually common sense. For example, the reason why Gu Yuanqing was able to compete with the Heavenly Demon Sword Master and others in the Zhou Tian Star Array was because they controlled certain key points in the array, which allowed them to enter from the inside.

If any external energy enters, it will immediately trigger a backlash from the Zhou Tian Star Array. The same applies to the power of the people in the painting appearing within the Star Array!
All sorts of information gathered in Gu Yuanqing's mind, and he recalled the scene of the mountain road in the painting.

As they traveled upwards into unfamiliar territory, Gu Yuanqing, knowing full well that there were many elaborate arrangements in the painting, naturally couldn't have done nothing.

He is quite accomplished in array formations, and his array formation skills are basically derived from the Demon Subduing Sword, which is in line with the Dao Palace's heritage.

Even if he didn't see much when he went up the mountain, now that he has verified his understanding of the Way of Chess through the Zhou Tian Star Formation and the old man's chess battle, his understanding of the Way of Chess is different. In particular, after gaining a better understanding of the Zhou Tian Star Formation, he can see something else when he looks back at what he saw on the way up the mountain.

A vague guess had already formed in my mind.

"Perhaps this Zhou Tian Star Array serves as a protective barrier for the entire Qingping Cave Heaven, but internally it is used to suppress this painting within the Dao Palace."

Although there is no concrete evidence yet, Gu Yuanqing believes that this guess is very likely!
Of course, he didn't think about it any further at the moment. He would be able to verify it once he took control of the Dao Palace in the future.

His most important task right now is to win this war!
The person in the painting is not like the Heavenly Demon Sword Master and others; their strength is unfathomable, and even Gu Yuanqing himself is not absolutely confident that he can defeat them.

However, it seems that the power conveyed by the figures in the painting is limited, and they cannot be as powerful as depicted in the painting.

However, it is very familiar with the Zhou Tian Star Array. Even though its power seems unable to control the array, its power itself is the most difficult thing to deal with.

This power, when transformed into sword intent, is incomparably pure. For the same wisp of sword energy, Gu Yuanqing would need to expend dozens of times more power to deal with it. If it were to be used as an illusion, it would be infinitely variable, even appearing right before his eyes, making it difficult for Gu Yuanqing's divine sense to detect.

His attack on Gu Yuanqing seemed to be weaker than that of the Heavenly Demon Sword Master, but its threat far outweighed that of the Heavenly Demon Sword Master.

Moreover, this wisp of ink will cling to Gu Yuanqing's divine sense and true essence, like a maggot clinging to his bones. Only by erasing his own true essence and divine sense can he stop it from spreading upwards.

Gu Yuanqing dared not underestimate him and was cautious in every aspect of the confrontation.

Because the person in the painting intervened, the Heavenly Demon Sword Master and Qingxu Daoist were given a brief respite.

Inside the Beiquan Cave, Gu Yuanqing frowned.

The person in the painting was far more difficult to deal with than expected, and if the situation was as he had guessed, it meant that the great formation in the painting could no longer completely suppress the power of the person in the painting.

This is what truly makes Gu Yuanqing wary; once this painting gets completely out of control, the consequences are self-evident!
Within the boundaries of the painting.

The weather changed drastically, and the whole world descended into chaos.

The entire mountain turned pitch black. The man in blue stood on the blue stone, his hair flying wildly, his aura violent, and black flames soaring into the sky.

Above the mountaintop, the phantom of the Zhou Tian Star Array appeared, with four sword phantoms descending and the stars locking the mountain in place as they rotated.

Runes shimmered, sword energy darted about, and magical artifacts revealed themselves around the mountains.

The figures that were originally standing on the road down the mountain were now scattered in different places, and the positions they were in were clearly those of the Big Dipper.

Each of them held a magical weapon, staring solemnly at the man in blue!

They activated their respective magical treasures and the power of the magic array to seal off the power of the person in the painting.

The man in blue robes, his eyes filled with venom, laughed maniacally with a ferocious expression: "This formation has imprisoned me for hundreds of thousands of years. Once I break free, I will make you wish you were dead. Oh, I forgot, perhaps you are already dead. What remains here are merely remnants of your souls existing only because of the immortal energy within the painting. But rest assured, even if you are dead, I have plenty of ways to torture you. If you are still alive, I will find your true selves and make you taste everything I have endured!"

The black flames continuously impacted the grand formation within the painting, and wisps of power broke through the flaws created by the passage of time. These forces overflowed from the painting and entered the Qingping Dao Palace, invading the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Formation and attacking Gu Yuanqing.

“If this continues, we can’t hold on. Qingping Dao Palace has been without a successor for too long, and the great formation is already incomplete, making its suppressive power much weaker!” said the old man in hemp robes.

"With this painting demon freed, the cultivation world will likely be plunged into chaos and bloodshed once again. Even a Void Immortal might not be able to suppress him!"

"We are merely imprinted with supernatural powers, and we have only done our best. If we cannot suppress him, it is simply fate!" said the man with bronze skin and a rugged appearance.

"We have done our best and left the rest to fate. We, the successive masters of Qingping Palace, have done what we should. The rise and fall of the righteous and the demonic are simply the way of heaven and earth, so we need not worry too much!"

The conversation ended there.

As the man in blue said, they were not real people, nor even divine soul clones; they were merely supernatural imprints left to suppress the painting, and thus remained here due to the power within the painting.

……

Within the North Spring Cave.

While fighting the figure in the painting, Gu Yuanqing continued to deduce the changes of the Zhou Tian Star Array.

If everything is as he guessed, then the solution to the predicament is still the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Array itself.

The person in the painting hadn't made a move before, but now that he has, it shows that he doesn't want to completely control the formation!
If that's the case, then he'll want to control it even more!
Otherwise, once they escape, you might be the one facing the risk!

No one knows what kind of methods this person has, but judging from the fact that he even pulled his own mind into the painting, his power is impossible to defend against!
Gu Yuanqing also took it seriously, and he fully empowered the Northern Spring Cave Heaven, causing the entire cave heaven to tremble slightly. All kinds of spirit beasts and even cultivators within the cave heaven felt slightly uneasy.

Li Chengyi rushed to the top of the mountain, but did not dare to get too close.

He had never seen his father wield such power before; even from a distance, he could feel the terrifying aura emanating from him.

Although he knew his father wouldn't hurt him, the difference in their life levels made him feel his heart and soul tremble.

He could tell that his father was fighting a powerful enemy, and he dared not disturb him, his expression filled with worry. He knew that his father had opened the Qingping Cave Heaven, and it was obvious that a powerful enemy had entered the Qingping Cave Heaven.

Gu Yuanqing, however, sensed his presence, smiled faintly, and transmitted his voice, saying, "It's alright, nothing serious will happen!"

Li Shi'an, Li Haotian, Ji Dai, and the others did not ascend the mountain peak because Li Chengyi possessed Gu Yuanqing's power. Unless it was a specific time, Li Chengyi could move freely, but they could not. Without Gu Yuanqing's permission, they could not even set foot on the main peak.

Moreover, after so many years, Gu Yuanqing's status in their hearts is no longer what it used to be!

After exchanging a few words with Li Chengyi, Gu Yuanqing said nothing more.

"Father, be careful!" Li Chengyi said solemnly before retreating.

Since it was a major battle, he couldn't offer any real help. If something unexpected happened and the enemy's power broke through space to launch a counterattack, his father would have to be distracted by taking care of him.

Gu Yuanqing focused all his attention on the Zhou Tian Star Array, and when he became completely serious, he used all his strength.

The Demon-Subduing Sword has reached its ultimate level, releasing sword intent and sword light that even caused the void to tremble.

No one could have predicted that Gu Yuanqing's power would reach such a level. Originally, the Heavenly Demon Sword Master and others felt that the pressure on them was slightly reduced because of the person in the painting. But in the blink of an eye, the original storm suddenly turned into a raging tsunami!

An unparalleled power surged into the Demon-Sealing Sword Domain and the Demon-Slaying Sword Domain in an instant. The Heavenly Demon Sword Master and Qingxu Daoist relaxed their minds slightly because the power had just weakened, as if the taut string had loosened a little.

And it was this relaxation that allowed them to face even stronger forces, completely shattering the previously stalemate and leading to a complete collapse!
Faced with Gu Yuanqing's power, they were like a lone boat sailing on a stormy sea, utterly powerless to resist.

Gu Yuanqing's power swept across the area they occupied in an instant, crushing their remaining power like a millstone before entering the array.

The heads of the Heavenly Demon Sword Master and the Pure Void Daoist were simultaneously jerked backward, as if struck by a heavy hammer, and they spat out mouthfuls of blood.

"Useless!" the figure in the painting sighed softly.

(End of this chapter)