Chapter 764: In Xiao Yan

A resonant hum rang out as the Four Supremes poured countless Supreme Spirit Liquids downward; the Spirit Array beneath Zhu Ye's feet blazed with blinding radiance, a colossal Spiritual Vein extending into Wan Zhu Lin—suddenly, the entire Wan Zhu Lin erupted with overwhelming might, as if a terrifyingly potent Spirit Array were awakening!

Xiao Yan glanced at Zhu Ye, whose feet shimmered with glowing light, and smiled casually: "You do have some talent as a Spirit Array Master—you caught a hint of the truth and even borrowed a sliver of Wan Zhu Lin's inheritance power. But it's only a sliver. If you think that tiny fraction of the Trial Array's strength can kill me, you're naive. Only if you revive the inheritor of this legacy can you even hope to fight me. As for you? You're just an ant."

At these words, everyone drew a sharp breath. Many knew that a Secret Realm existed within Wan Zhu Lin, but none knew it had been seized by Zhu Baba.

What stunned everyone wasn't just that Zhu Ye could harness Wan Zhu Lin's inheritance power—but that a Earth Supreme's revival was barely enough to challenge this Yan Emperor?

The legacy Zhu Ye had guarded for so long must surely be that of an Earth Supreme!

For a moment, countless ancient elders from Ning Tian Continent exchanged bewildered glances, unsure whether Xiao Yan's words were true or not. The Earth Supreme was a terrifyingly boundless existence—and Xiao Yan claimed it was barely enough to fight him? This was absurdly arrogant!

"This is too arrogant! An Earth Supreme! How many Nine-Pin Sovereigns spend their entire lives unable to reach that realm!" A sect elder refused to believe Xiao Yan, calling his words utterly reckless.

Yet Zhu Ye truly possessed astonishing Spirit Array talent—he had deciphered the mysteries of the Earth Supreme's inherited Sealing Array and could even borrow its power, albeit only a fraction. Still, such talent was immensely powerful.

Across the vast Great Thousand World, Earth Supremes were already exceedingly rare—Spirit Array Patriarchs were rarer still!

"Blustering nonsense! Reckless ignorance!" Zhu Ye's face darkened to a chilling fury. "You have no idea what manner of power left this legacy. Today, I'll cut you down!"

"Words are useless," Xiao Yan smiled. "If even this scrap of an Array can kill me, you're dreaming. If you want to dream, wait till nightfall—go home and bite your fingers in your sleep."

Though Wan Zhu Lin's legacy held a Divine-Star Array rivaling an Earth Supreme, and Zhu Ye had borrowed even a sliver of its might, to Xiao Yan's eyes, it was utterly insignificant.

Had Xiao Yan not channeled all his Dou Qi into the Dou Technique instead of converting it to Spiritual Energy, his Emperor-Grade Dou Qi quality would have been nearly equal to ordinary Spiritual Energy—conversion wouldn't have diminished it, and becoming an Earth Supreme would have been effortless. Even a Divine-Star Array wouldn't have frightened him.

"Good! Good! Good!" Zhu Ye laughed bitterly, his voice icy. "Since you dare speak so boldly, I'll show you what a Divine-Star Array truly is—and what true invincibility means!"

With solemn expression, Zhu Ye focused his mind—and behind him, a Supreme Form materialized. But this Supreme Form was tiny, only a hundred meters tall, absurdly minuscule compared to others.

"What a tiny Supreme Form!"

"How can a Supreme Form be this small? Has he failed cultivation?"

"No—this is how it is. It's the 71st-ranked Supreme Form: Ten Thousand Spirit Bodies. This is the Spirit Array Master's Supreme Form—when activated, it amplifies the power of Spirit Arrays!"

As the Supreme Form appeared, a resonant hum echoed—and instantly, it merged into the Spirit Array beneath Zhu Ye's feet. At once, Wan Zhu Lin radiated an unparalleled, world-shaking aura.

The Spirit Array wasn't even fully formed yet, and no one had seen its true shape—but merely its aura made everyone tremble, shaking the entire Ning Tian Continent.

"Friends, lend me your strength! If we can unleash Wan Zhu Lin's Array's full power, we'll surely slay the enemy!" Zhu Ye's expression turned grave—he dared not underestimate this. Even with twenty years of study, he alone could barely harness even a fraction of the Divine-Star Array's power.

"Understood! We'll give everything!" Hearing this, Youtianhuang and the others erupted in ecstatic joy—they hadn't believed Zhu Ye could fully control a Divine-Star Array! That was an Array capable of rivaling an Earth Supreme!!

"Shatter!" Youtianhuang and the three other Supremes summoned their Supreme Forms without hesitation—and immediately self-detonated them. The Forms exploded, streams of Spiritual Energy flowing like rivers into Zhu Ye's body.

With the four Supremes' aid, Zhu Ye's power surged—rocketing from the peak of Seven-Star Sovereign to the level of Nine-Pin Sovereign!

"Damn, they're going all out!"

"Even if Supreme Forms can be reshaped, self-detonating them carries a terrible cost!"

"The Yan Emperor is in danger!"

"Stop chattering and just run already!"

In an instant, countless figures retreated, fleeing far away, withdrawing to the distant horizon to watch.

If the Divine-Star Array unleashed its full force, the entire Xin Region would be obliterated!

A resonant hum rang out—Zhu Ye, now empowered, roared and spat a mouthful of essence blood. A sizzling sound echoed.

In that instant, an unimaginable freezing cold erupted from Wan Zhu Lin, filling heaven and earth. In that moment, the entire world became an ice tomb—even colder than Nine Underworld's Ice Tomb by ten or even a hundred times!

Countless bamboos atop Wan Zhu Lin turned to ice-bamboo. Snow began falling across the entire Xin Region. Heaven and earth froze. Ten thousand miles of snow drifted. The rolling mountains became ice peaks, each one encased in bone-chilling ice. Cities were frozen solid.

This sight was utterly terrifying—the Array's emergence had frozen the entire realm!

Many strong ones who had retreated to the edge of the sky trembled at the sight—if they had still been standing on the battlefield, they would have been frozen into ice statues!

As Zhu Ye controlled the Array, a sizzling sound rose from his entire body. Ice began spreading from his soles, instantly threatening to freeze him solid—even his own immense power couldn't resist this freezing force.

If even the Array's controller couldn't withstand it, how terrifying must the Array truly be?

"Hahaha! Even if you possess a mysterious flame, so what? The Ice Soul Divine Seal Array—even an Earth Supreme cannot escape being frozen solid!!" Zhu Ye roared. In that instant, it was as if the sun, moon, and stars erupted with blinding radiance.

Zhu Ye raised both hands. Infinite freezing energy surged from the Array atop Wan Zhu Lin, coalescing above his head into a single ice-white gem.

Moments later, a thunderous boom echoed—the freezing power reached its limit. The entire space grew fragile and shattered instantly, dissolving into countless ice shards, as if the world itself had been destroyed. Ice fragments floated endlessly through the heavens.

Clearly, this Array could freeze an entire small continent!

Seeing Zhu Ye fully unleash the Trial Array of Wan Zhu Lin's legacy, Xiao Yan beneath his hood suddenly smiled with a sinister twist.

"Sometimes stupidity is innate—even divine Pills can't cure it. You studied this legacy for twenty years and still fell for my trick—I genuinely admire you." Xiao Yan felt a pang of mischief, rubbing his nose. "To obtain this legacy requires more than just Spirit Array talent—strength is indispensable. Still, thank you for providing the Supreme Spirit Liquids. You helped activate the Demonic Array."

Remember—there were only five people here. Xun Er had been inside Wan Zhu Lin all along!

Trial Arrays often test more than talent—strength is essential. Merely possessing talent isn't enough. Wan Zhu Lin's Trial Array required not just talent to unravel, but immense power. Xun Er, at peak Seven-Star Sovereign, lacked the strength to break it.

"You! Impossible! I studied for twenty years just to borrow a fraction!" Zhu Ye's face turned ashen, as if seeing a ghost. A terrifying thought struck him.

Xiao Yan sighed helplessly. Xun Er's cultivation talent—until now—remained the highest he'd ever seen.

He'd never heard of Xun Er struggling with cultivation, never heard her ask for help. For her, cultivation was effortless, simple. Back at Jia Nan Academy, Xiao Yan had doubted he could outmatch her at the same age.

She had always been the top of the Gu Clan!

"That's the gap in talent. What took you twenty years, someone else accomplished in seven days."

In Wan Zhu Lin, Zhu Ye's spatial Array had already been shattered by the freezing force. The entire world had become a frozen wasteland due to the Array's activation.

Now, Wan Zhu Lin was the Array's core. Within this colossal Spirit Array, even time and space were frozen. All life was dead. The dense bamboo around them had turned to ice-bamboo. From afar, it was a pure, white world—beautiful in its deathly stillness.

In this frozen world, where no life should exist, a slender figure stood atop the Array.

Her figure, lightly bound, revealed every graceful curve. Her black hair cascaded down. As the snow brushed lightly against her, it carried a refined, fragrant scent that stirred the heart.

In this lifeless Array, such a scene defied description—a perfect, unparalleled vision—truly breathtakingly beautiful.

Xun Er smiled faintly, her slender hand sweeping—countless Spiritual Seals she had long prepared transformed into a silver river circling around her. Instantly, the ice-bamboo spun, snow flew, and heaven and earth bent to her will.

That's the gap in talent. What some spend lifetimes failing to comprehend, others grasp effortlessly with a glance.

This was a Spirit Array Master's Trial—testing one's connection to Spirit Arrays. But unraveling it required too many things. Xun Er and the others weren't from the Great Thousand World—they lacked even Supreme Spirit Liquids. So they had no choice but to play along.

Xiao Yan deliberately provoked Zhu Ye, aiming to exhaust him into activating the Array.

How could the tracking Spirit Array left by Mu Fang possibly escape Xiao Yan's Imperial Soul Force? Xiao Yan had known all along that Zhu Ye hadn't given up—he'd been waiting to ambush them, hoping they'd break the legacy open so he could reap the benefits.

So they played along with the plan.

Xun Er's jade hands danced, and one after another Spiritual Seal flew into the critical nodes of the Spirit Array; each Spiritual Seal precisely covered the seals left by Zhu Ye, and even began to seize absolute control of the Spirit Array.

A Spirit Array is lifeless—it requires a person to control it.

Xun Er's movements held not the slightest stiffness; every gesture flowed effortlessly. She walked step by step upon the Spirit Array, as if treading upon empty air, each step graceful, each step falling under her command.

"Look, what is that!!!" Before the words could finish, just as Zhu Ye had just condensed his ice bead, someone screamed, staring at the colossal ice pillar that had suddenly appeared in Wan Zhu Lin.

Because the spatial shielding Spirit Array had been broken, everything inside Wan Zhu Lin was now fully revealed.

That colossal ice pillar was the Spirit Gathering Pillar of Wan Zhu Lin's Spirit Array; at this very moment, the massive Spirit Gathering Pillar shook violently, revealing its true form!

It was a severed, sky-piercing ice bamboo—its entire body ice-white, bare of a single branch, like a mere rod.

Boom—the ice bead Zhu Ye had condensed shattered instantly; he lost control of the Spirit Array!!

"Impossible impossible impossible impossible. Impossible!"

"You couldn't possibly have mastered the entire Spirit Array in seven days!!" Zhu Ye's eyes twisted with fury as he roared wildly—this was more unbearable for a man who had absolute confidence in his Spirit Array Master talent than death itself!

Zhu Ye was the kind who had always scored perfect marks on every exam; throughout his life, his Spirit Array talent had never lost. Naturally, he could not accept this.

At this moment, Xun Er, standing at the center of the Spirit Array, lightly tapped her jade hand—hum—the ice bamboo dripped a single ice bead, and the white bead shimmered with faint rays of light.

Xun Er's gaze was calm, standing in the icy world like a Nine Heavens immortal, neither joyful nor sorrowful, she spoke softly: "In Brother Xiao Yan's words, you're just a..."

Zii—the ice bead instantly shot out a brilliant, crystalline beam, striking straight toward Zhu Ye and the others.

Zii—as the brilliant crystalline beam struck Zhu Ye, along its entire path every peak in Xin Region was frozen to absolute limits; though the beam did not target those places, the terrifying cold still froze the mountains solid.

The next instant, those frozen peaks erupted with booming sounds—each mountain shattered like broken ice lollipops, instantly crumbling under the terrifying force, all mountains pulverized at once.

The freezing power far exceeded anyone's imagination; its strength was unimaginable. Hearing the zii, the ice instantly froze ten thousand li of land—the three colossal ships of Tian Huang Sect, E Lang Tuo, and Volcano Nation, along with the Blood Cloud of Shi Yun Sect, were all instantly frozen midair, trapped like space itself.

In that flash of lightning, zii—the sound rang out, and Zhu Ye, even the Four Supremes, were all frozen solid; Zhu Ye remained in his wild, disbelieving posture, while the other Four Supremes tried to flee with their soul cores.

But the beam's speed was too fast—even soul cores and Supreme Seas were frozen, utterly impossible to escape.

In that instant, heaven and earth were frozen; not just Zhu Ye, but the entire world became a colossal ice block, within which all disciples and Elders of the Four Sects, all mountains and rivers, were encased.

The world inside this ice block halted instantly—even time itself ceased flowing, let alone anything else.

Before this colossal ice block, the cold pierced the bone; no one dared approach—anyone near such ice would struggle to endure its overwhelming chill.

In an instant, everyone shivered, hair standing on end; those who had retreated to the horizon trembled violently, exhaling white vapor, unable to withstand such cold.

At this moment, heaven and earth fell utterly silent; everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the colossal ice block before them.

Everyone had assumed Zhu Ye's control of the Divine-Star Spirit Array meant certain victory—yet all of it had been a trap!!

That terrifying Spirit Array had instantly flipped, becoming a weapon to harvest their lives!

"My heavens!"

"Too terrifying!"

"This was just a borrowed power?! If it were a true Divine-Star Spirit Array, wouldn't it freeze Ning Tian Continent into a single ice block?!"

Hearing this, even ancestors who had lived for thousands of years shuddered—this array's power was truly terrifying!

"One blow wipes out Four Sects, slays a Rank Nine Spirit Array Grandmaster!"

"Ning Tian Continent is about to change hands."

Xiao Yan stared at the colossal ice block before him and slowly shook his head: "This power is only equivalent to a lower Earth Supreme's full strike. Barely passable."

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, everyone sucked in a breath—but no one dared call him arrogant anymore, not even those who wanted to.

Xiao Yan slapped his palm forward—boom—the entire colossal ice block instantly turned to ice shards; the frozen people, along with their soul cores, turned to ice dust and scattered with the wind, dead beyond revival.

In Wan Zhu Lin, Xun Er heard Xiao Yan's boastful tone and couldn't help covering her mouth with a light laugh; she waved her slender hand—the Spirit Array vanished, the frost across Wan Zhu Lin slowly melted, the ice turned into Spirit Liquid, and the bamboo upon Wan Zhu Lin regained vitality once more.

The difference this time? In the center of Wan Zhu Lin stood a single sky-piercing Zhu Bamboo.

"I remember now! Legends say that in ancient times, Ning Tian Continent was named so because this continent once had a Heavenly Bamboo—a bamboo that pierced the heavens, drawing energy from the infinite stars of the Great Thousand World."

"But later, that Heavenly Bamboo was taken away—yet it turns out the Heavenly Bamboo had always been here, in Wan Zhu Lin!"

Instantly, all of Ning Tian Continent buzzed with chatter.

"You're still talking about bamboo? The leaders of the Four Sects are all dead—even the Supreme Elders are wiped out. What will Ning Tian Continent become now?"

Gradually, the people of Ning Tian Continent realized it—this continent would inevitably welcome a new master!

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It might sound unbelievable, but yesterday at noon I took a nap, then woke up to find it was midnight. So yesterday's updates were missing—I'm making up ten thousand characters now.

(End of Chapter)