Chapter 967: The Lord of the Realm

Unlike the constellation and Northern Dipper phenomena of the Yu Xianmen, the Da Ri Ding Jie Array of the Da Ri Jian Ge was a brilliant, blazing sun hanging in the sky, faintly overlapping with the world’s own solar star, merging as one.

The brilliant light of the great sun illuminated the land of the small thousand-world—the Southern Frontier, the Western Desert, the Northern Plains, the Eastern Sea—every detail clear and visible, with precision exceeding three meters; the qi signatures of Nascent Soul cultivators and above were laid bare, utterly impossible to hide.

This was the strategic-level array of the immortal sect: the Da Ri Ding Jie Array!

The immortal sect relied on it to firmly control the small thousand-world, making internal subversion exceedingly rare.

“Let me see…”

Jiang Ding’s spiritual sense surged into the core of the Da Ri Ding Jie Array.

Instantly, countless streams of information flooded his spiritual sea, like tidal waves crashing through it; even a Soul Transformation-level soul struggled to bear it, forcing him to frantically categorize and sort every datum, rapidly skipping over irrelevant or expendable data.

Jiang Ding blocked over eighty percent of the information before his spiritual sea finally eased.

These data included the small thousand-world’s sunlight, seasonal winds, ocean tides, geological movements, shifts in earth veins and terrestrial qi, the impact of life population growth on the environment… and countless other details, covering every facet of the world.

It was as if a celestial-level information nexus had been installed upon the small thousand-world!

“This thing is undoubtedly the achievement of an immortal beyond Void Refinement!”

The moment Jiang Ding made contact, he understood.

The Ding Jie Array was one of the distinctions between native forces and immortal sect forces.

Judging by this, it was likely a legacy passed down by the Nine Immortal Sects from even more ancient ancestral masters—an achievement from an alien immortal civilization, not developed within this realm.

“This thing is extremely helpful for understanding the Jianjie Space…”

Jiang Ding’s gaze grew distant.

By comparing this true small thousand-world with the nascent Da Ri Jianjie Space in his brow, he immediately noticed many subtle disharmonies within the Jianjie Space.

If these could be gradually corrected, the growth of the Void Refinement-space prototype would accelerate.

This must be the subtle technique.

It was absent from the Da Ri lineage, because to the ancestral masters who compiled the Da Ri Jian Ge teachings, this was common knowledge—no need for explicit notation.

This was the depth gap between immortal sects and immortal clans, built from countless small details.

“Record this—it will help Lin Zhenjun and later cultivators who have forged Void Refinement spaces.”

Jiang Ding silently recorded it.

For now, he slowed his comprehension of the Jianjie Space prototype, redirecting his spiritual sense and sword intent toward the Da Ri Ding Jie Array’s reconnaissance and scanning array.

Hum!

High above, the Da Ri Ding Jie Array’s core, nearly merged with the solar star, suddenly flared.

Countless beams of light converged into a brilliant ray that struck the earth, covering tens of thousands of square kilometers—yet affecting no living beings, merely sweeping over them in passing.

This radiant beam from the Ding Jie Array slowly scanned the Northern Plains, illuminating every inch of grassland.

This scene resembled a Lord of the Realm inspecting his domain; countless living beings stood rigid with terror, frozen in place, daring not to move lest they invite catastrophic misunderstanding.

The golden beam continuously swept across the Northern Plains.

Several days later.

“Northern Plains—nothing.”

“Xi Ping’an and Bai Zu Tianjun are not in the Northern Plains.”

Jiang Ding retrieved a jade slip and recorded this result, along with the scanning process of the Ding Jie Array, to avoid oversight.

This result was likely reliable.

As long as no Void Refinement-level concealment was used, even Jiang Ding himself could not hide from the Ding Jie Array’s scan—he would inevitably be exposed, for this was a scan powered by the entire realm’s might, a strategic-level immortal achievement of extraordinary power.

“Continue scanning.”

“Western Desert—nothing… but I found a secret vault of the Bing Feng clan, containing a Bing Feng egg and a fortune… all mine…”

“Southern Frontier—nothing… but I discovered numerous fifth-rank heavenly treasures hidden in obscure corners, untouched by anyone…”

“Eastern Sea—nothing… Xi Ping’an has stripped it clean. Damn it! That was my money…”

“Huh?”

Jiang Ding’s gaze suddenly halted.

The golden solar beam sweeping across the Eastern Sea froze, piercing straight down onto an ordinary, unremarkable island in the endless ocean.

This island had no spiritual energy whatsoever; it was inhabited by many ordinary birds called Huo Lie Niao—entirely crimson, shaped like flames.

Immortal cultivators rarely passed here, and even if they did, they showed no interest, for these were mere mundane birds, useless to cultivation.

Now, the solar beam shone directly upon the flock of Huo Lie Niao.

“Guaa… Guaa…”

The flock shrieked in ugly cacophony, scattering in all directions, abandoning their beachside nests and unhatched eggs, crimson feathers flying wildly.

Only one Huo Lie Niao remained motionless.

This Huo Lie Niao was ordinary—just one among hundreds of thousands of nesting birds. When the brilliant solar beam struck, it had panicked and flapped like the rest, showing no anomaly.

But within the solar beam, a force of spatial solidification seized it, freezing all its movements.

“Friend, hasn’t it been sixty years since we last met?”

Jiang Ding nodded; his figure vanished in a flash of white teleportation light from the Hei Mo Palace of the Liu Dao Sect.

In the next instant, Jiang Ding appeared on this spiritually barren island, gazing at the Huo Lie Niao suspended in midair.

Its body was utterly still, its eyes darting in terror; from both spiritual sense and physical form, it was plainly a female Huo Lie Niao—a mere mundane bird.

“Friend Bai Zu,”

“It has been many years. I’ve missed you.”

Jiang Ding smiled faintly: “Sixty years ago, I visited the Wan Du Sect to pay my respects to you, but your wife claimed you were away on a long journey—I’ve regretted it ever since.”

“Yet now, here you are. How fortunate.”

Jing~

Jiang Ding’s hand rested on his sword hilt, slowly drawing it forth.

In the air, a thousand-li space instantly solidified; a crushing pressure, heavy as the ocean, as if a star had fallen, descended upon heaven and earth, forcing the ten-thousand-li churning sea into perfect stillness, smooth as a mirror, not a ripple remaining.

“Guaa… Guaa…”

The Huo Lie Niao still flailed its eyes in panic, just like a true mundane bird.

Jing!

The sword was fully drawn, descending.

The Huo Lie Niao’s body stiffened.

From beak, wings, and chest—a crimson line split open, tore apart—and instead of blood and flying feathers, a colossal centipede erupted, swelling like a balloon, its body gleaming gold and green, yet bearing the upper torso of a Daoist with an aura of transcendent grace.

“How did you find me?”

Bai Zu Tianjun’s voice was low, his gaze lifting toward the great Da Ri Ding Jie sun above; his mood grew darker.

“Was it this?”

“No wonder Xi Ping’an refused to hide with me—she flew straight out of the realm, refusing to linger even a moment.”

He sighed mournfully.