Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 368 The Gap Leading to the Outside World

There are sturdy and stable things, but that's all relative.

To ensure a truly high-quality product, the color quality is still the most important factor.

At least the items whose color quality has been certified by the cheat code have not shown any deviations.

Unfortunately, his backpack contained neither golden items nor any red-glowing manuals, including the "Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source" manual. He had nothing of note to offer.

If you search further down, there are plenty of purple items, but no matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem very reliable.

It's the face of a sect, after all, and this is the most important security measure. Using a purple-grade item is really not presentable.

Unfortunately, he had just used up the membership bonuses he had saved in his backpack, so he couldn't gamble anymore. This time, he was really in a dilemma.

After much thought, Zhang Chengdao unconsciously shifted his gaze to the most prominent feature of the entire White Stone Mountain.

Seeking wood.

Even now, Zhang Chengdao doesn't know much about Xunmu.

Regardless of its red-light quality when it was still a small branch, or its remarkable performance now, it is a good candidate for a "core array device".

The reason it's only described as an "alternative" is because...

"Bro, you're not going to wander off, are you?"

Zhang Chengdao had a special conversation with Xunmu.

Unfortunately, the only response he received was the rustling sound of the branches and leaves of the Xunmu tree moving without any wind.

However, Zhang Chengdao didn't actually expect Xunmu to "answer," since a verbal agreement alone wasn't very binding, unless...

He stroked his chin, staring at the towering tree that seemed to pierce the clouds and exude a powerful life force, his mind racing.

Even cutting off a branch to craft it won't work. Leaving aside whether you can even cut it, even if you could, a branch detached from its original form—can it still be considered a Red Flash item?

As for refining the entire Seeking Wood into a core array artifact...

The moment the idea popped into Zhang Chengdao's head, he became more and more excited.

He once again extended his divine sense to Xunmu, tentatively conveying a clear "contract".

The general content of this "contract" is that it hopes to use Xunmu as the core of the mountain-protecting formation, and use its unparalleled stability and abundant vitality to support and nourish the formation.

In return, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the power of the earth veins gathered by the entire formation will also circulate through the Seeking Wood itself, which is equivalent to passing through the Seeking Wood first and nourishing it in the process.

Therefore, this is actually a mutually beneficial agreement.

Having conveyed his meaning, Zhang Chengdao quietly awaited Xunmu's response.

Unexpectedly, Xunmu responded in no time and quickly concluded the contract, as if afraid that Zhang Chengdao would go back on his word.

Zhang Chengdao was immediately overjoyed.

With the core array device and the previous auxiliary peaks, the preparations for the entire array are complete. All that's needed is to connect it step by step with spiritual power, then inscribe runes to make it work, and the task will be accomplished.

Zhang Chengdao was busy for several days. At the beginning, there were still disciples observing, but later, as more and more complicated runes appeared, most people couldn't understand them and gradually dispersed.

Until one quiet, still night, a deep, resonant hum suddenly resounded from the depths of the tree's roots...

The entire tree radiated a brilliant yet not dazzling emerald green light. This light did not merely envelop the tree trunk, but rather, like a living thing, it surged along the earth's veins and eight invisible spiritual energy links, instantly flowing towards the main peak, and then spreading outwards to the seven auxiliary peaks surrounding the main peak and the "Stone Dwelling Cave Heaven".

With a thunderous roar, the main peak was slowly lifted, and the eight auxiliary peaks also trembled at the same time, each bursting out with an unprecedentedly strong spiritual light, which intertwined with the emerald green light of the main peak, Xunmu, and soared into the sky, illuminating the night sky as if it were daytime.

Immediately afterwards, the spiritual energy surrounding White Stone Mountain began to flow continuously, with colorful clouds shimmering and spiritual light dazzling. Before long, a gigantic, translucent, milky-white "eggshell" radiating a boundless life force and immense pressure appeared in the airspace where the White Stone Immortal Sect was located.

This is the manifestation of the spiritual energy protective barrier naturally formed by the mountain-protecting formation. It will gradually disappear after operating for a period of time and once the spiritual energy within the barrier has calmed down.

However, calling it milky white is not quite accurate; it's more like a "multicolored white," because this translucent barrier is constantly filled with iridescent spiritual light, and even has specks of starlight twinkling within it—the result of the absorption of the five elements' spiritual energy and the light of the stars.

Such a huge commotion has awakened the entire White Stone Immortal Sect.

Many disciples, without even wearing trousers, rushed out of their rooms in their outer garments and slippers to join the fun.

In an instant, the disciples' quarters were brightly lit, and the disciples ran out in twos and threes, looking up and all of them were speechless.

The sight was a riot of colors beyond description, as if the vast starry sky were pressing down upon us. This illusion of manipulating the heavens and the earth, controlling the sun, moon and stars with "human power" left everyone in a daze.

At this moment, after successfully activating the entire formation, Zhang Chengdao was caught in a state of shock and confusion.

Searching for wood...

They've pierced through this world of martial arts and cultivation!
Zhang Chengdao landed at the base of the Xunmu tree, staring at the scattered black holes around its roots, his brows furrowed.

The moment the great formation started operating, Xunmu grew even taller. It's hard to say whether the Immortal Alliance was startled, but I was certainly startled.

But what truly terrified him was that as the tree grew taller, many dark "cavities" appeared at its roots.

These "voids" are pure black, like "doors" leading to an unknown world.

Zhang Chengdao tentatively manipulated some pebbles and leaves to fly inside, but they disappeared without a trace, like mud oxen sinking into the sea.

What are all these?

Since he couldn't figure it out, Zhang Chengdao decided to ask.

Anyway, it was something Xunmu made, so it should know... right?

[It's a passage, a passage to beyond this world.] Xunmu really knew!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengdao's eyes lit up, and he immediately took out the Name-Calling Mirror from his backpack to notify He Yu.

He Yu arrived even faster, flying over in a short while, covered in dust, with the Soul-Binding Rope he used for overtime work still hanging in his hand.

"Um……"

Upon seeing the dense cluster of small black holes before him, He Yu's initial excitement vanished.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, these can indeed be called passages to the outside world, but you can't just wander into them!"

He Yu, heartbroken, began to explain to Zhang Chengdao: "This kind of passage is a gap created after the world's barriers were shaken. You need to know that beyond this world is not just a larger world, but other worlds!"

He Yu pointed to those dark, empty spaces, his expression solemn: "In the vast universe, the number of worlds is countless and inexhaustible, and it is impossible to predict which world these passages connect to! It could be a desolate place where spiritual energy is depleted, a purgatory overrun by demons, or a desperate place with completely different rules where our cultivation foundation would collapse once we step into it!"

He paused, looked at Zhang Chengdao, and said in an unprecedentedly serious tone: "Fellow Daoist Zhang, do you know why we cultivators, even those with extraordinary cultivation, rarely hear of anyone who voluntarily breaks through realms to travel far away?"
"It's not that I'm unwilling, but that I dare not! These naturally formed world rifts are the most dangerous and unpredictable. Nine out of ten who enter will perish, and even if one survives, he or she will be crippled! Even those great masters who specialize in the Dao of Space need to spend countless years deduce and locate the location and refine protective treasures before they dare to try to explore the unknown realm."

"Like this...like this, so many and extremely unstable clusters of passages naturally torn apart by the growth of spirit trees..."

As He Yu spoke, he pointed to the dense black dots at the roots of the tree, his lips twitching slightly before adding, "This is no passage; it's clearly a deadly trap!"

After hearing this, Zhang Chengdao's expression turned somewhat awkward.

He originally thought he had found some shortcut to a new world that would allow He Yu and himself to go home early, but he never expected it to be such a dangerous existence.

but……

"But now that this has happened, does it mean that the world is starting to crumble?"

It wasn't that Zhang Chengdao was overly optimistic, but from a certain perspective, it was indeed a good omen.

"That's one way to look at it, but with our abilities, it would take at least another thousand years to truly break through the world's barriers..."

He Yu smiled and nodded, saying, "But with your talent, you might be able to cultivate to a level even stronger than I was before, in less than a thousand years. At that time, breaking through the world barrier won't be too difficult."

Hearing this, Zhang Chengdao became happy.

Although he possesses unparalleled advantages in this world, and is unique in terms of status, identity, and wealth, the loneliness of living in a foreign land is something he can never erase.

If he had a choice, he would actually prefer to go back to that world of nine-to-five workaholics, where at least after get off work he could play a few games with his buddies, or meet up with friends at a barbecue stand on the weekend for a few beers...

Of course, it would be even better if I could occasionally return to this world for some more fun. If not, I'll just consider it as playing an immersive, large-scale virtual reality game...

Just as he was lost in thought, he heard He Yu sigh again: "Alas, that is true, but we can't just leave these things unattended."

"Of course, such a small gap is not easily accessible to ordinary people, and the cultivators who do manage to get in are certainly aware of the risks and wouldn't do something so foolish. But leaving it like this is still a potential hazard."

"Therefore, the most urgent task now is to find a way to temporarily 'block' or 'hide' these passages. If they are left exposed here, people will not be able to pass through, but they will also inhale innocent lives, which is not good either."

"Moreover, with my limited knowledge, I cannot guess what lies behind these passages, and they may inevitably attract some strange beings that roam outside the world."

"Or, if some powerful but unfriendly being on the other side notices and forcibly breaks through the world barrier of this world, that would be a catastrophe!"

These words startled Zhang Chengdao. He nodded in deep agreement, staring at the passageways and pondering a solution.

"Fellow Daoist He, what do you think about creating a lake at the bottom of this pit?"

He Yu immediately understood Zhang Chengdao's plan, and he continued, "It can't be an ordinary lake. It must be either extremely cold or extremely hot. We need to set up sealing and concealment formations here to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

“That’s exactly what I was thinking. When I was searching for your remains in Liao, I happened to find your bones. However, after so many years, the world has changed so much that only a small piece remains. How about this?”

As Zhang Chengdao spoke, he took out the "immortal bone" that he had recently found through Hu Yun (Hu Santai's grandmother) from his backpack.

Above the Nascent Soul stage, the corpses left behind after natural death through physical disintegration are naturally "refined" by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The flesh and blood return to heaven and earth, while the bones form a rare spiritual material, namely "immortal bones".

This kind of spiritual material was once listed as a forbidden item in many immortal civilizations, because if it were allowed, people would worry that groups blinded by greed would deliberately harm cultivators in order to concoct immortal bones.

However, such bans are usually lifted not long afterward.

Firstly, immortal bones are very difficult to artificially create. This is because once a cultivator above the Nascent Soul stage, or even just above the Core Formation stage, dies an unnatural death, they will leave behind a considerable amount of resentment and malevolence in their corpse. As a result, forget about immortal bones; it would be considered lucky if these corpses didn't cause any negative effects.

Secondly, while the term "immortal bone" sounds appealing, it's actually not very useful. There are plenty of other spiritual materials that can replace its effects. Unless someone has a particular aesthetic or fetish, people don't have any obsessive pursuit of this kind of thing, so its value isn't enough to make someone take the risk.

However, immortal bones are not very valuable; they are only found in the world of immortal civilization.

In the current world of martial arts and cultivation, where spiritual energy is reviving, its value is still very high.

At least keep it in your backpack; it's a purple-grade spiritual material!

Looking at the tiny piece of immortal bone in Zhang Chengdao's palm, which gleamed like white jade, He Yu felt a strange sensation rising in his heart.

Looking at my own bones... it feels kind of awkward.

In the first place, he thought it was strange that Zhang Chengdao had taken in his own bones, so he told Zhang Chengdao about it. These immortal bones were naturally given to him as payment...

At that moment, seeing this small piece of bone, He Yu inexplicably felt a chill run down his arm...

He coughed lightly and replied, "Yes, it is possible, but its quality is neutral. With some methods, although ordinary lake water can be transformed into spiritual lake water, it cannot be refined into extremely cold or extremely hot lake water."

Zhang Chengdao smiled upon hearing this, and in the blink of an eye, he took out a black bead that was somewhat glowing from his backpack, saying, "This one isn't difficult either. I have a bead here that contains cold-attribute spiritual energy, which can be used to assist you!"

He found this in Yiwulü Mountain, where Murong Ruyan and the others discovered the legend of the "Snow Doll". According to Hu Yun later, there were only two in total, which were the eyes of the "Snow Doll". One was accidentally bound to Lu Mao'er, and the other was kept by Zhang Chengdao, which is this one.

(End of this chapter)