Chapter 760: The Four Sects

"This is truly absurd—more absurd and shocking than Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's legacy."

At this moment, as Xiao Yan clearly saw it, his inner shock far surpassed that of his initial discovery of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion beneath the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta. The Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion had been the most magnificent legacy Xiao Yan had ever seen—vast Heavenly Flame Square, twenty kinds of Heavenly Flame remains, and a colossal statue housing an entire sea of Heavenly Flames.

Yet, compared to this, that magnificent Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion seemed somewhat outshone.

In the center of this space, dense Spiritual Energy formed white mist that obscured the "truth," revealing only a colossal mountain barely visible within the cloud-sea of Spiritual Energy—this mountain was extremely tall, stretching across the sky, entirely wreathed in Spiritual Energy.

"This colossal mountain isn't an ordinary peak—it must be the Array Core of this Spirit Array." Upon seeing the mountain, Xun Er's expression also grew slightly grave.

This colossal mountain was no ordinary Shan Mai. Ordinary Spirit Arrays typically used several special Spirit Pillars as Array Cores to attract Heavenly Earth Spirit Qi, and these Spirit Arrays were forged from special ores.

The higher the level of the Spirit Array, the more precious the Spirit Pillars required.

"No wonder Xin Zhangsheng and others said that twenty years ago, Zhu Ye had the capability to dominate the entire Western Realm—yet he forbade external powerhouses from invading the Western Realm, never formed any faction, and lived alone in Wan Zhu Lin. Now I understand why." Xiao Yan now realized—if this colossal Spirit Pillar became known, it might draw the attention of Earth Supreme factions fighting over it.

This Spirit Pillar alone could construct a Divine-Star Spirit Array usable by an Earth Supreme.

Seeing this colossal mountain gave the illusion that the very ground it stood upon had been born when Ning Tian Continent first came into existence.

The mountain stretched across the sky; when one looked upward, atop its peak sat a massive Celestial Cube, emitting faint glimmers, radiating an aura of profound mystery.

"It seems Ning Tian Continent once produced beings surpassing Nine-Pin Sovereigns—this must be the legacy left behind by some Earth Supreme." Cai Lin's eyes narrowed, her serpent pupils seeming to pierce through the mist and gaze straight into its depths.

After all, Ning Tian Continent's area was no smaller than the Dou Qi Continent; even if it lay at the outer fringes of the Great Thousand World, it was still sufficient to birth an Earth Supreme.

"It seems that Spirit Array Master Zhu Ye used this colossal mountain as a Spirit Pillar and cultivated here for twenty years." Though Xiao Yixian's Eternal Calamity Poison had not yet been transformed, she already possessed considerable cultivation, and with her strong medicinal expertise, she immediately recognized that all medicinal materials here had grown for twenty years.

Although only twenty years had passed, the abundant Spiritual Energy here had greatly accelerated their growth.

"Twenty years…" Xiao Yan frowned, sensing something was not simple; he then pulled out the wooden cube he had seized from Zhu Ye's Spirit Array space and asked: "This might be the key to unlocking the legacy, but it clearly isn't that simple—if it were, Zhu Ye would have claimed it long ago."

"Xun Er, hold this—see if you can find a path up the mountain."

Xiao Yan had originally thought this was some Divine Weapon or artifact, but unexpectedly this thing was actually a key to unlocking the legacy.

Xiao Yan guessed that Zhu Ye had somehow obtained a stroke of fortune—a wooden cube—and then found this place, opening the Ruins. Yet although he opened it, he never obtained the legacy, spending twenty years studying here.

To prevent discovery, he had remained alone, guarding Wan Zhu Lin.

Xun Er made no pretense; she accepted the wooden cube Xiao Yan handed her.

"This is likely the legacy left by a Spirit Array Patriarch—the Celestial Cube above the heavens must be where the legacy resides."

"The problem is how we reach the summit. Zhu Ye studied for twenty years and never climbed it—it's certainly not easy." Only when Xiao Yan and the others reached the edge of the mist did they truly grasp how majestic the mountain was.

Even without attempting flight, Xiao Yan knew this place was surely flight-restricted—the very Space itself was sealed.

To reach the summit of this mountain, one must first pass through the Spiritual Energy mist, then climb to the peak.

After a moment of quiet thought, Xun Er said: "Brother Xiao Yan, perhaps I can try. This mist resembles the Spirit Array of Wan Zhu Lin—it's a special Sealing Array. That shielding Spirit Array outside was likely created by Zhu Ye by referencing this mist Array."

"Be careful. Don't force yourself. We don't need to rush this legacy," Xiao Yan said.

Xun Er nodded lightly, then stepped forward with delicate steps, approaching the mist. Her jade fingers pinched the void, and rapid streams of Spiritual Energy coalesced upon her fingertips, forming a unique Spiritual Seal.

"Go." Xun Er flicked her fingers lightly; the Spiritual Seal drifted slowly into the mist.

Among Spirit Array Masters, duels are fought in the Heart Eye State—the one who first perceives the opponent's Array flaws wins. This mist before them clearly tested whether a Spirit Array Master possessed true Heart Eye State—the ability to see through the illusion.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!! As Xun Er's Spiritual Seal entered the mist, the dense mist before them suddenly dimmed.

The next instant, the mist churned violently; strange scenes suddenly emerged within it—bizarre, surreal imagery, distant shapes resembling cloud clusters, existing between substance and illusion. Then the scene shifted—the mist revealed black soil, vast as a ten-thousand-zhang Shen Yuan, appearing terrifyingly real.

The mist continued to churn, images flashing rapidly past—sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Xiao Yan and the others made no haste, standing guard around Xun Er in silent wait.

"These mist scenes conceal the Array nodes. Xun Er must send her Spiritual Seal into the Array to locate these nodes within the illusions and remove them one by one to break the Spirit Array," Xiao Yixian observed for a long while before finally discerning the truth.

This mist Spirit Array had no offensive power, yet it resembled countless images layered together—suddenly, one seemed to witness scenes of epic battles, each illusion shifting constantly, like pages turning in a colossal picture book.

If one entered the mist, their Soul Spirit would vanish within it, never returning—far more terrifying than the Dream Nightmare Mist of the Refining Heaven Ancient Formation. The Dream Nightmare Mist held only one illusion; this mist held countless ones, making it impossible to distinguish them, let alone locate and dismantle the Array nodes within.

A single misstep could damage the Soul Spirit—this was the Spirit Array duel between Spirit Array Masters.

"Xun Er won't finish quickly. I'll guard her here. Xiao Yan, you and Xiao Yixian search for any Treasures—collect the precious medicinal materials," Cai Lin said.

Harvesting medicinal materials required special methods; damaging them would weaken their efficacy and lower Elixir quality. Only Xiao Yixian and Xiao Yan knew how to harvest according to the medicinal properties of each herb.

Xiao Yan nodded. "Thank you, Cai Lin."

Cai Lin shook her head lightly. "Don't worry—harvest the Spirit Herbs. I'll protect Xun Er. You two be careful—this is still an unknown realm."

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian no longer hesitated. Xiao Yan's Pill Alchemy was gradually adapting to the Great Thousand World—he needed higher-grade medicinal materials to refine Spiritual-Level Elixirs.

The highest-level Elixir Xiao Yan could currently refine was the Sovereign Pill, because its medicinal materials were easy to obtain. But Spiritual-Level Elixirs were hindered by lack of materials. Moreover, Xiao Yan currently had no Pill Formulas—he had to reverse-engineer both the Formula and the Alchemy Technique from the Elixirs themselves, while also identifying which medicinal materials were used.

Under severe lack of knowledge regarding Great Thousand World medicinal materials, acquiring so many precious herbs allowed him to compare them one by one and deduce the required ingredients.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian nearly dug a thousand chi deep—once, to uproot an ancient vine, they tunneled through the earth, even hanging upside-down from a sheer cliff, holding their breath as they waited for a cluster of Spirit Herbs to bloom.

They dug with great delight.

Yet joyful moments always pass swiftly. Five days later, at the western border of Ning Tian Continent, space suddenly twisted—BOOM! The Western Realm's protective Spirit Array was instantly shattered.

"Bad news! Bad news! It's the Tian Huang Sect's powerhouses!"

"Also the Corpse Cloud Sect, Evil Wolf Fleet, and Volcano Nation! Four Sects are invading the Western Realm!!"

"Immediately notify the Supreme Ones!"

In that instant, several figures moved with extreme speed—judging by their velocity, they were formidable powerhouses, undoubtedly of Supreme rank.

Even Nine-Pin Spirit Arrays could not withstand them; within moments, all Spirit Arrays were destroyed.

An old man whose cultivation reached Soul Spirit Trial shouted loudly: "Escape! Disaster has come! Four Factions are attacking the Western Realm—they've come for revenge!!"

As soon as he spoke, the old man who should have guarded the border abandoned his duty—his strength was like an egg against a stone. He boarded his flying vessel and fled at top speed.

Seeing this reaction, many Sect disciples guarding the border were merely stunned, failing to grasp the severity—only a few cautious, experienced cultivators immediately departed.

"Sound the alarm! Prepare defenses!" Someone suddenly shouted.

DONG DONG DONG!! Instantly, a deafening alarm bell rang through the sky, echoing across all Four Regions. Upon hearing this alarm, some Sect Factions reacted swiftly, activating Spirit Arrays to seal their gates and mountain passes—only leaving behind surveillance Arrays.

"They've finally come. I knew Tian Huang Sect, Corpse Cloud Sect, and the other Four Sects wouldn't swallow this humiliation." The head of an independent Western Realm Sect stared at the projected light membrane of the Spirit Array, speaking gravely.

For these mid- and small-sized Sects, territorial wars meant nothing—they didn't care who ruled; they only wished to preserve themselves and watch quietly.

BOOM BOOM BOOM! At that moment, Xin Region suddenly shook violently—then came a thunderous crash as a colossal wave surged upward from its depths.

That was a crimson tidal wave, ten thousand zhang high, blood-red and blinding; suddenly surging into the sky like the roar of gods and demons, within the crimson wave countless robed disciples joined hands to manipulate the colossal tide, and in the wave stood a ten-thousand-zhang Supreme bodily form, its entire body like a ruby.

"It's the Corpse Cloud Sect—flee quickly!!" At this moment, deep within the Xin Region, powerful cultivators surged into the sky, attempting to escape the towering wave.

But as the wave crashed forward with a rumbling roar, it seemed to possess an unimaginable suction; a hissing sound arose, and the blood of the cultivators who had just surged upward shot out from their bodies, instantly sucked into the wave.

In an instant, the blood qi of a living cultivator was forcibly extracted; his body became riddled with countless tiny holes, and once all blood qi was drained, only skin and bone remained—the cultivator died, collapsing to the ground as a withered corpse.

Boom—boom—boom! Amid a series of thunderous roars, the crimson tide surged forward at terrifying speed, wildly expanding outward.

"Ah!"

"Help!"

Screams echoed throughout the Xin Region; as the crimson tide crashed upon them, each cultivator had all their blood qi drained, instantly reduced to skin stretched over bone, and died.

The Corpse Cloud Sect's divine technique was terrifying—it could drain the blood qi of living beings, instantly turning any life into a withered corpse, leaving only skin and bone, not a single strand of blood qi behind.

A hum sounded—Xin Zhangsheng, who had only recently broken through to the Supreme realm, appeared from the main city of the Xin Region and roared: "Raise the Array!"

A blinding Golden Light Spirit Array emerged, enveloping the entire main city of the Xin Region, halting the inexplicable loss of blood qi.

"Xin Zhangsheng, you cannot handle this—have your behind-the-scenes person step forward, or the entire Xin Region will be left with not a single living soul." Upon the crimson Supreme bodily form, a figure sat cross-legged atop its shoulder.

"Blood Chenghai, Grand Elder of the Corpse Cloud Sect!" The elder speaking near Xin Zhangsheng's face turned grim; the Corpse Cloud Sect was one of the top Sects on the Ning Tian Continent, housing many Supreme cultivators, and among them, Grand Elder Blood Chenghai's Cultivation Realm had reached Seven-Star Sovereign, possessing an extremely powerful Supreme bodily form.

Blood Chenghai glanced at Xin Zhangsheng and said indifferently: "You defeated the Second Elder? You couldn't have done it alone—you're a One-Star Sovereign who hasn't even cultivated a Supreme bodily form."

"If the person behind you doesn't show themselves, I'll pull them out myself."

Hearing this, Xin Zhangsheng's expression changed, but he had no recourse—after all, the Spirit Palace's Venerables were not under his command.

"It seems you won't yield until you see the coffin." Blood Chenghai waved his hand; with a whoosh, endless seas of blood transformed into towering waves crashing over the entire Xin Region.

Boom! The terrifying crimson wave instantly shattered the protective Spirit Array above the main city of the Xin Region; faced with the sky-obscuring sea of blood, Xin Zhangsheng and the others felt utter despair.

"Don't speak too boldly—Open Mountain Seal!"

At the critical moment, a low voice rang out; somehow, a figure in black robes had appeared.

(End of Chapter)