The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

He walked down to the foot of the tower and briefly explained the situation to Ning Yao and the cultivator Cheng.

Cheng Xiushi readily agreed to lead his team to the east, while Ning Yao volunteered to take charge of the more distant areas to the north.

The two men, each with two team members, split up. Xiao Fan and the ancient man remained in the dilapidated disc chamber, awaiting news of the two marks.

Three days later, Cheng Xiushi sent word from the east that he had found the first seal in an ancient altar half-buried underground, and that he had taken it out without encountering any obstacles.

That evening, Ning Yao sent a message saying that the situation there was much more complicated than she had imagined, and that the mark on the edge of the gray area would likely require another team to explore.

Two new talismans were brought back to the third floor of the White Tower and placed around Xiao Fan's three talismans respectively.

When the five marks appeared simultaneously, the operational efficiency of the entire array core was greatly improved, and the spiritual energy veins on the gray land became clearer and more active.

Mo Yuan never appeared again, but the message he left behind before leaving gave Xiao Fan a deeper understanding of the formation on the third level.

He knew that Mo Yuan was currently exploring the Gray Zone alone. Their goals were the same, but their paths were different.

With the appearance of the five marks, the spiritual energy fluctuations in other parts of the Gray Domain became increasingly apparent.

While patrolling the southern part of the Gray Domain, members of the Silver Hammer Society discovered a strange group of about ten people approaching the White Tower from the south. The leader was a middle-aged cultivator wearing a dark blue robe with patterns that Xiao Fan did not recognize.

Xiao Fan saw the cultivator wearing a dark blue robe.

This man's surname is Yang, and he comes from a force called "Azure Flame Domain" in the southern part of the Gray Domain. His clan has been worshipping a seal for generations, and they sensed a huge spiritual energy fluctuation in the center of the Gray Domain, which is why they sent him here.

Yang Xiushi's attitude was much more polite than Mo Yuan and the others, but there was also a sense of scrutiny in it. He took out a seal from his pocket, which was exactly the same as the Dark Silver Plate, placed it on the table, and then pushed a cup of tea to Xiao Fan.

"Our request isn't much: that the Azure Flame Domain retains its southern passage after you activate the Gray Domain Hub. In exchange, we can lend you this seal to fully activate it, but I hope you can write a usage agreement."

Xiao Fan picked up the mark on the table and carefully sensed it. He found that this mark had the same reaction as the other five marks, and it was one of the seven marks of the Gray Domain.

He set down the mark and said solemnly, "Activating the core requires a one-time activation. I need to embed this mark in the magic array to keep it constantly active. In exchange, once the hub is opened, the southern passage will belong to the Azure Flame Domain, and the White Tower will not interfere."

After thinking for a moment, Master Yang extended his right hand and said, "It's a deal. When will we write down the agreement?"

"It'll be ready soon." Xiao Fan took out a piece of paper, wrote a simple contract on it, and the two of them signed it.

He brought the new seal to the third level, placing it alongside the previous five seals.

The moment the six runes were inlaid into the magic array, the entire white tower emitted a deep and long rumble, and the originally dim walls lit up with a soft light. Only the last rune was needed for the entire magic array to be fully activated.

Seeing that the tower had successfully resonated, Yang Xiushi relaxed. After greeting Xiao Fan, he led his men away through the southern passage.

Xiao Fan stood at the window on the third floor of the tower, watching the group of dark blue figures disappear into the southern part of the gray area, and then glanced at the fortress that was already half lit up.

All six marks were in their positions, except for the one in the north, which had not yet been removed.

Ning Yao has already led her team off. According to the information they received, they should be able to obtain the final mark in five days at most.

Five days later, Ning Yao returned to the camp. She arrived half a day earlier than expected, but her face was filled with undisguised excitement. As soon as she entered the room, she placed a small, dark silver plate wrapped in a soft cloth on the table on the third floor.

"I've obtained the seal in the north. It's a natural cave with a spiritual energy barrier similar to that of Yaoguang Valley. I opened it using the hammering technique of the Silver Hammer Society, combined with the Void Fire Guiding Technique you gave me."

She dusted herself off, took a step back, and watched as Xiao Fan placed the seventh seal into the last empty space in the formation.

When all seven marks were in place, the entire white tower shone with an unprecedented light.

The beam of light extended from the base of the tower all the way to the body of the tower, and finally converged into a thick beam of light that shot straight into the sky, just like the one Xiao Fan saw on the square tablet, only much larger in scale.

On all the walls of the third floor of the tower, a complete holographic projection lit up simultaneously, with the status of each node projected as a bright spot.

Xiao Fan stood in front of the holographic projection, watching the white beam of light guide the spiritual energy of the entire gray domain onto the predetermined route.

The "path to a higher realm" that the Grandmaster of Alchemy spoke of has finally appeared. At the northernmost point of the holographic projection, a new marker is slowly forming, as if a door has been pushed open.

He turned around, looked at Cheng Xiushi, then at Ning Yao, then at the members of the Silver Hammer Society, and then at the followers brought by the ancients, and said in a calm but heavy voice.

"The hub has been activated. Now we have new choices. Those who want to move forward, and those who want to stay and rest, can leave at any time. Either way, we are all worthy of witnessing the awakening of this white tower."

The room was silent. Master Cheng was the first to approach him, followed closely by Ning Yao and the others, along with two members of the Silver Hammer Society and the ancient man's attendant. The seven stood in a circle in front of the third floor of the White Tower, each with their own followers behind them.

The new mark on the holographic projection is like a bright lamp, constantly shining.

Xiao Fan pointed to the coordinates on the projection, which was the end of the gray area, in the northwest. There was an area there that was not marked, but the flow of spiritual energy could be clearly felt.

He gripped his short axe, turned around, faced the passageway behind the door, and strode forward. His footsteps echoed one after another on the empty stone floor of the third floor.