The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

The moment the array base was embedded into the reserved interface, the entire mountainside trembled.

Four energy channels lit up simultaneously, displaying colors of gold, silver, gray, and black. The four beams of light intertwined, resembling four ropes entwined together.

As soon as Xiao Fan's array base was connected, the three streams of energy that were originally converging towards the array core immediately decreased by one-third. The third array base, which was suspended in the air, trembled violently, and the light on it dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The figure in the gray robe suddenly stood up.

The array base in the groove in front of him was still operating, and the two floating array bases on the left and right were barely maintaining their balance.

"Don't you still have one left?" The gray-robed man's voice wavered for the first time, hoarse and tinged with urgency. "The Grandmaster of the Void left four, I got three, and you hid the last one."

Xiao Fan advanced instead of retreating.

He locked his divine sense firmly onto the array base inserted into the interface, using his spiritual power to maintain its stable operation.

The distorted energy was slowly redistributing itself in the four channels, and the overly dense energy flows were also dispersing and evenly distributed throughout the array.

Xiao Fan said, "However, I can't let you place all three array bases in the array eye. The three forces are too concentrated to cover the entire array, and the Taiyin Rift will continue to seep in from the edges. Only by connecting all four can this area be sealed off."

The man in the gray robe was slightly taken aback.

He slowly withdrew the spiritual power that had been maintaining the third array base. The array base, which had been suspended in mid-air, did not fall after losing its support. Instead, it was gently pulled down onto the second reserved slot by Xiao Fan's power.

The two array bases connected simultaneously. The entire array shone brightly, and the dense runes on the four walls seemed to be infused with living water, operating according to some kind of law.

Upon seeing this, the gray-robed man suddenly laughed. The laughter was short and abrupt, and it was impossible to tell whether it was self-mockery or relief.

"I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly." The gray-robed man slowly sat down, placing his hands on his knees. "In these three years, I've traversed five bends and only found three. And in just a few months, you've discovered the first clue at Dry Bone Ridge."

Xiao Fan sat down opposite him. The four array bases were still merging, and he needed to maintain a supply of spiritual energy, so he couldn't leave for the time being.

Xiao Fan glanced at him and said, "Back when we were refining the Taiyin Embers in the Black Sand Sea, you said that the Nine Towers were only a temporary solution. Why didn't you say that sooner?"

The man in the gray robe lifted his hood, revealing a surprisingly young face.

The man looked to be in his early thirties, with a thin face and very light-colored eyes. He was calmly looking at Xiao Fan.

"You obtained the last array base. The path that the Grandmaster of the Void paved for you has been traversed. Whether you speak of it or not makes no difference."

As he spoke, he looked at the silver lightning patterns on Xiao Fan's body and continued, "Besides, you have the Thunderfire Token, which allows you to sense the pre-reserved slots in the formation. If I say another word, you'll cling to me, so I'd rather you come over alone."

Xiao Fan remained silent.

It must be said that what the other party said made a lot of sense. In Shahe Town, Black Sand Sea, Fire Spring Valley, and the Great Rift Valley, he always managed to discover some new clues in each place he visited.

These clues were precisely the direction that propelled him forward. Even without the gray-robed man's guidance, he would have arrived here.

"What is your name?" Xiao Fan asked.

"It's not important." He shook his head. The gray-robed man pulled down his hood. "You just need to know that I am a disciple of the Grandmaster of Pill Refining."

Before my master died, he left me three locations for the array bases. Once the seal on the Nine Towers loosens, I will activate this array.

He held up a finger and pointed to the flowing runes on the wall.

"Once the array's core is activated, it can cover the Yin Sha land within a radius of three thousand miles. However, I can only activate three array bases, which is insufficient to unleash its full power. Now, with you, I can activate this great array."

Between the two, four colors of light intertwined, forming a soft radiance, like a giant bead embedded in the center of the formation.

Xiao Fan could sense a mysterious connection between the array base in his sea of ​​consciousness and the array diagram underground.

From then on, no matter where he was, he could sense the operation of the array through the array base. It was like a mirror, reflecting the flow of Yin energy underground.

Within the mountain's interior, the turbulent air currents finally subsided. The four array bases were firmly inserted, and the entire array began to rotate at a constant speed. The originally dazzling light became as soft as water, like an ever-burning lamp.

The man in the gray robe stood up and dusted himself off.

"I'll go and finish the rest of the curves, so they can't be used against us."

He looked at Xiao Fan and said, "Now that you have the last piece of the array base, you can sense the status of the array at any time. If one day this lamp goes out, you can still find it."

He turned around, walked out of the mountainside, and cast a very long shadow.

Xiao Fan sat at the edge of the array's core, watching the warm light rotate quietly, sensing the unseen connection deep within his sea of ​​consciousness.

The chain was so clear and so stable, like a thin thread extending deep into the earth.

From now on, this formation will be his second pair of eyes.

After leaving the black hill, Xiao Fan did not immediately return to the heart of the Daqing Empire.

Before leaving, the man in the gray robe said something that seemed casual.

"Four hundred li to the southwest lies a misty valley. My master mentioned in his notes that the Grandmaster of Alchemy secluded himself there. I haven't been there yet, but you can go and take a look if you have time."

Four hundred li is a journey that can be completed in two or three days by carriage. And the fact that the Grandmaster of Alchemy had gone into seclusion in his early years was more appealing to Xiao Fan than any elixir or magic potion.

Upon hearing about the new route, Han Fei immediately changed direction and headed southwest. "This journey has lasted for more than half a month. Along the way, we haven't even found a decent town."

Xiao Fan took a biscuit from the carriage and handed it to him, "If you find anything in the valley, replenish your supplies there. We can always go around it; you won't go hungry anyway."

Han Fei muttered a few words while munching on a pancake, then fell silent.

Two days later, another major change occurred.

The originally undulating hills suddenly narrowed, and the terrain on both sides became steep, forming a long canyon.

Xiao Fan stood on the carriage shaft, looking at the rock walls on both sides of the canyon. The patterns on the rock walls were strange, neither like rock nor like magma, but more like spiral patterns, as if the entire rock had been twisted by some kind of force.