Chapter 1019: The Profound World Great Array, the Grotto-Heaven Opens Once More

On the Great Qiu Terrace, a young man in white robes as pristine as snow stood proudly, holding a deep blue jade ruler.

Beneath his feet lay his opponent from the arena, a look of terror on their face.

"Is this your true strength?"

In that instant just now, the power the opponent erupted with had completely surpassed the Core Formation stage, leaving them utterly unable to react and defeating them in a single move.

Zhou Feiyou did not look at them, but instead swept his gaze across the surroundings, his brows slightly furrowed, as if lost in thought.

In the distance, the experts of the Dao Sect watching the battle sighed in endless admiration.

This junior from the Shi family had always held the reputation of a genius, and for this grand competition, everyone had high hopes for him, seeing him as a contender for the top three. Yet, he had been defeated so easily by Zhou Feiyou.

That momentary eruption of power had already surpassed the Core Formation stage, almost rivaling a Nascent Soul cultivator in the early stage.

"Worthy of being the beloved disciple of the Azure Blue Fairy!"

"In my opinion, I fear he hasn't even used his full strength yet."

"That wasn't his full strength? When I was at that realm, I didn't have such formidable magic power."

"I heard that Zhou Feiyou's signature spell rivals a Nascent Soul domain, known by the reputation of 'Qi Sea Floats in the Heavens, Ten Thousand Phenomena Profound.' Have you ever seen him cast that move?"

"Tsk tsk, the existence of a special Dao Body is truly monstrous. No wonder this child is called the next Shi Ju..."

"Watch your tongue!"

While the crowd was discussing, a handsome man flicked his sleeves and left, his brows hidden with displeasure.

It was none other than the current head of the Shi family, Shi Ju!

His cultivation realm was not particularly high, only at the sixth level of Nascent Soul.

But his actual combat strength was extremely formidable; it was rumored that when he was at the fourth level of Nascent Soul, he had once briefly exchanged blows with a Great Demon Emperor in the Eastern Wasteland without falling behind. A hundred years later, he was surely even more terrifying.

After the Supreme Elder of the Shi family fell at Heaven Peak, he took over the position of family head, becoming the current power-holder of the great Shi family.

The disciple who had just been defeated by Zhou Feiyou was a junior he favored, yet he had not expected the loss to be so thorough.

He was displeased by his clansman's failure, but even more furious that it was to the disciple of that wretched woman!

Facing Shi Ju's graceless and displeased departure, the crowd offered no comments.

Many knew that Shi Ju had been arrogant and overbearing since childhood, making him difficult to get along with. Especially after the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven competition, his personality had become even more volatile, frequently injuring others on a whim. It was said that he had lost to a guardian in the Grotto-Heaven and also lost a clone he had painstakingly refined; such a huge blow had made his personality increasingly extreme.

A Dao Sect Elder stepped forward to announce Zhou Feiyou's victory and notified him to rest for three days before participating in the subsequent matches.

Zhou Feiyou nodded calmly and then walked down from the Great Qiu Terrace.

Shi Miaoyin brought several junior brothers and sisters to happily welcome him.

Various sounds of congratulations and praise were endless.

However, Shi Miaoyin noticed that beneath Zhou Feiyou's seemingly calm expression, there was a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Junior Brother, what's wrong?"

Zhou Feiyou shook his head, his gaze still aimlessly searching the surroundings, but he found nothing.

"What exactly is it? Why did it give me such a heart-stopping feeling just now?"

"Is someone watching me?"

"If it were a sect elder, they could watch my match openly. If it were some petty scoundrel, with my spiritual sense which my Master evaluates as comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator, they surely wouldn't escape my eyes. But why did that feeling vanish in a flash?"

Zhou Feiyou's heart was in chaos at this moment.

The "strong enemy" he faced on the Great Qiu Terrace arena just now was not actually strong.

He could have taken them down using only ordinary spells and the Slaughtering Yin Ruler gifted by his ancestor, but because of a certain feeling of being watched, his mind fluctuated, and he subconsciously used his full strength.

The impression it gave others was naturally sensational, but no one knew the palpitation in his heart.

Exhaling a breath of frustration, Zhou Feiyou pushed away the crowd surrounding him.

"I'm a bit tired and want to go back to rest. My apologies."

The crowd was stunned.

Although they were not all from the Azure Blue Fairy's sect, they were all disciples of the Four Halls of the Tiannan Dao Palace.

There might have been competitions before, but they were limited to within the Tiannan Dao Palace, and the hierarchy had already been established.

Zhou Feiyou was the number one in Tiannan!

Coming to the Dao Sect's ancestral home, the Lanke Mountain Range, for the competition this time, they all represented the Tiannan Dao Palace, and the rankings they achieved would eventually be fed back to the Tiannan Dao Palace that taught them in the form of rewards.

Yet, they did not expect Zhou Feiyou to still be so aloof.

Senior Sister Shi Miaoyin noticed that Zhou Feiyou's mood was off, and after he left, she briefly explained to the crowd.

"Shi Rui's strength is very high; defeating him took a great toll on Feiyou. In three days, he has to fight Gu Yu, so let's give him some time to recover!"

The crowd realized, and then began discussing Zhou Feiyou's next opponent, Gu Yu.

She was a woman from the Gu family, one of the twelve great houses, and was also famous as a genius in the Libei Continent, being a hot favorite to win this sixty-year grand competition, even above Shi Rui.

Such an opponent was indeed worth resting and recovering for, and treating with seriousness.

Three days later, it would surely be an extremely spectacular battle!

Zhou Feiyou, having left the Great Qiu Terrace, did not return to his residence to rest as he had said, but instead walked slowly along the scenic path in the Lanke Mountain Range.

He had been examining himself, searching for the source of the heart-palpitating feeling from earlier.

But he still found nothing.

He could only assume that perhaps he was overthinking, or that some high-level senior in the sect had inadvertently put too much pressure on him while watching the battle.

He could only think that perhaps he had overthought it, or that some senior with a profound cultivation base within the sect had unintentionally exerted too much pressure on him while watching the battle.

"Is this the Sitting-Forgetfulness Peak, which is as famous as the Stone Chamber Mountain? When my Master was apprenticed to the Chunyuan Ancestor back then, she practiced here for a long time. If I can break through the Nascent Soul stage in the future, my Master wants me to enter this mountain to practice and continue the Chunyuan lineage."

Zhou Feiyou stared at Sitting-Forgetfulness Peak for a long time, no expression visible on his face, and it was unclear whether he was satisfied or dissatisfied.

He resumed his steps, walking through the Lanke Mountain Range at varying speeds.

When the moon reached the treetops, he realized, without knowing it, that he had walked out of the vast Lanke Mountain Range.

In his ears was the sound of rolling waves, and the Shi River flowed eastward beneath his feet.

Suddenly!

Zhou Feiyou's gaze sharpened as he saw two figures standing side by side in the distance.

Seemingly sensing something, the two figures glanced at him and then left.

What kind of gazes were those?

One was as calm as a lake, its light like the moon, as if it could not muster any interest in him.

The other contained scrutiny, curiosity, and even a hint of astonishment.

"Are they senior brothers from the Dao Sect?"

Zhou Feiyou frowned and thought. He should have stepped forward, but for some reason, his feet remained rooted to the spot, subconsciously watching the two walk away.

"There are still two matches left; I cannot let complications arise!"

"My Master and the others have high hopes for me, and the Temple Master and the other three Hall Masters even joined forces to refine my natal magic treasure. I must win first place this time."

"Let's go back and get some good rest!"

Under the moonlight, the white figure went against the current and returned to the Lanke Mountain Range.

"Do you know that junior from just now?"

"I don't."

"How could you not know? He clearly performed extremely well on the Great Qiu Terrace, and his magic power is unparalleled in the world among his peers. Even I have never seen such an outstanding Core Formation cultivator in my life. Did you not notice him?"

"What does the senior want to say?"

"Hehe, I sensed some interesting things from him; he seems to have an inexplicable connection to you."

Luo Chen stopped his steps and looked at Li Canghai without any emotion.

Facing this reaction, Li Canghai became even more certain of the anomaly he had sensed earlier.

He was a Soul Transformation expert in the Dao of Arrays, and he saw the trends of the world and the flow of vital energy more clearly than normal Soul Transformation cultivators. A large amount of vital energy swirled around Zhou Feiyou, as if he could absorb it at will if he wished; no wonder the other party had reached the ninth level of Core Formation at such a young age.

And most importantly, the other party's soul aura might be able to deceive Nascent Soul cultivators, but it could not deceive him.

Especially when Luo Chen was standing right next to him!

The two must be connected!

Thinking of Luo Chen's daring to target the Tianyuan Dao Sect, he must have made some secret preparations under his audacity.

"That junior is your..."

"Senior Li!"

Luo Chen interrupted the other party's words; this was the first time Luo Chen had interrupted him since they had known each other.

Facing this impolite act, Li Canghai's eyes narrowed slightly.

Luo Chen seemed not to notice and said calmly: "You and I are only in a cooperative relationship, just as I did not pursue your purpose in targeting the Tianyuan Dao Sect, I also hope you do not interfere too much in my affairs."

Li Canghai gave a hollow laugh and then waved his hand.

"It was my overthinking."

Luo Chen did not pursue it further and looked into the distance.

"Let's go, let's go and see that God-Descending Great Array you mentioned!"

The two figures flickered and soared into the nine heavens, summoning clouds and mist to cover themselves, and flew toward the outside of the Dongyuan Continent.

Leaving the continent and crossing the vast ocean, they finally stopped in a layer of clouds.

Both their gazes fell on an island below.

Heaven-Earth Island!

Rather than an island, it was more like a smaller continent.

The broken Heaven Peak lay quietly there, as if it had always been like that.

However, everyone in the world knew that Heaven Peak once connected heaven and earth, and it had only looked like this for a little over a hundred years.

"As the senior said, there is indeed a secret great array laid out on Heaven-Earth Island, constantly absorbing earth energy through the seabed. Could that be the God-Descending Array?"

"Yes, that is the famous ancient array in the Profound World, the God-Descending Array." Li Canghai nodded, a look of longing appearing in his eyes: "Legend has it that the God-Descending Array was set up by people in the Profound World to communicate with the divine thoughts of immortals who had ascended to the Immortal World. It is extremely profound; if I hadn't learned about this array from the inheritance of the Heaven-Refining Demon Lord, I fear I wouldn't have recognized it either."

Speaking of this, Li Canghai looked at Luo Chen with a half-smile.

"Little friend seems to have also entered the Sinking Sea. I wonder if you gained anything in that land of fallen demons?"

Luo Chen said frankly: "I gained a little, I obtained the Demon Lord's alchemy inheritance."

Li Canghai thought to himself, as expected!

Since parting with Luo Chen in the Blue Ice Sea area of the Ice Extreme Palace, he had specifically investigated Luo Chen carefully.

He discovered that, like himself, the other party had also entered the Sinking Sea.

After coming out, he was hunted by the Moon Wanderer.

That meant the other party definitely did not return empty-handed and must have obtained some major gains, which was why the Moon Wanderer pursued him relentlessly.

And in his speculation, it was highly likely that Luo Chen obtained the alchemy inheritance; otherwise, he could not explain how the other party possessed such heaven-defying alchemy attainments.

However, Li Canghai himself did not covet it much.

Inheritance is inheritance; whether one can absorb and digest it, and advance to Soul Transformation, depends on one's own fate.

He did not believe that if he snatched it, he could achieve anything in alchemy.

Rather than snatching, it was better to befriend the other party, so that he could get to know an alchemy Soul Transformation expert in the future.

Withdrawing his thoughts, Li Canghai coughed lightly and pointed to the bottom to introduce: "The activation conditions for this God-Descending Array are extremely harsh. The first thing needed is a Dao Mark!"

"What is a Dao Mark?"

"Literally, it can be understood as a road sign, spatial direction, etc. But in the understanding of our practitioners, you can think of it as something that can communicate across boundaries, such as divine thoughts, bloodlines, or even magic treasures."

"Star Gate?"

"The Dao Sect's spirit treasure Star Gate is indeed such an existence, and the effect is very good. But Lian Cheng would rather go to great lengths to set up the God-Descending Array, which shows that he does not have a Star Gate, or he has one but cannot use it."

"Senior, please continue."

"A Dao Mark is relative; it is not just the object of prayer, but there also needs to be a corresponding existence on the side of the prayer. The complete Heaven Peak could serve as a landmark for positioning. But to summon a Profound World expert to the lower realm through the God-Descending Array, the amount of energy required is rare in the world. At the very least, relying on this Heaven-Earth Island alone is not enough!"

Luo Chen showed a thoughtful look and speculated: "According to the senior's statement, relying on Heaven-Earth Island is not enough, so Lian Cheng intends to reunite the Central Continent, attempting to use the power of a continent to carry the descent of an upper-realm expert?"

Li Canghai nodded and sighed in admiration: "If it were just to summon an existence below Soul Transformation across boundaries, relying on Heaven-Earth Island itself would be enough. But if the earth energy of the Central Continent needs to be used, the strength of the descending existence would be terrifying, and it is highly likely to be an existence of the Void Refinement stage!"

The universe is vast, and space is infinite.

According to the records in the "Profound World Secret Record," the Profound World is not adjacent to the Mountain-Sea World, and the distance is extremely far.

To descend across such a long distance, and with a cultivation realm of the Void Refinement stage which is not allowed by this world, using the power of a continent might even be considered small.

Luo Chen did not want to see that scene appear.

"We must stop it! The Tianyuan Dao Sect once used the spirit treasure Lanke Chessboard to suppress the spiritual energy of a continent. With the collapse of the Central Continent, the Lanke Chessboard was also severely damaged, and a hundred years of time is not enough for it to recover, which is why the Dao Sect chose to use an array to reunite the Central Continent. If we destroy those arrays and make the Central Continent unable to reunite, can we stop the activation of the God-Descending Array?"

"It is indeed possible, but this is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause. After all, the array can be rebuilt at any time, but frequent destruction will inevitably bring about a counterattack from the Tianyuan Dao Sect. Can you bear it?" Li Canghai asked back.

Luo Chen shook his head; let alone him, even Li Canghai could not bear the counterattack of the Tianyuan Dao Sect.

In the world, only Qixia Yuanjun alone could make the Tianyuan Dao Sect wary, and even Ancestor Lian Cheng dared not step half a step into the Eastern Wasteland.

Li Canghai smiled: "Therefore, the best way to stop the activation of the God-Descending Array is to find the best timing. At the very beginning of its activation, destroy the hub array that reunites the Central Continent. In this way, not only will the God-Descending Array be unable to successfully summon upper-realm experts, but Lian Cheng himself, who presides over this array, will also suffer a backlash. At that time, you and I will strike together and kill him, and we will no longer have to fear the counterattack of the Tianyuan Dao Sect."

Luo Chen's eyes flashed; strike violently at the moment the array starts, making the other party fail, and even causing a backlash?

This is indeed the best way!

"Wait, it should be about a year or so. Taking advantage of this time, I will also study this profound God-Descending Array."

"Didn't you say Lian Cheng is on Heaven-Earth Island?"

"Only observe from afar, do not get close. With my methods, I can also see the clues, and Lian Cheng will not be able to discover us."

"Is that so? Then I will also take a look!"

"You?" Li Canghai was stunned for a moment, then reacted and laughed out loud, "I forgot, your array attainments are also quite extraordinary."

Luo Chen smiled slightly; he was indeed quite curious about this special array.

It could allow immortal divine thoughts to descend, and could also allow weaker Soul Transformation experts and even Void Refinement True Lords to descend to the mortal world. If used well, after he ascends and leaves the Mountain-Sea World, he might be able to continue to maintain contact with his old friends in the Mountain-Sea World.

To avoid being discovered by Ancestor Lian Cheng, the two stayed far away from Heaven-Earth Island, but they each had their own methods to peek at the situation on the island.

Arrays focus on form, but are not confined to rules; in the eyes of array experts, arrays are more of an evolution of the world's trends.

Therefore, observing the changes in this world can conversely deduce the principles of the array.

This was Li Canghai's method.

And Luo Chen's was simpler; he just used his naked eyes to look.

In this observation, time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

Suddenly!

"Someone has gone to the island."

Luo Chen was awakened by Li Canghai's divine sense transmission and subconsciously looked toward the shore of Heaven-Earth Island.

A full forty or fifty people were getting off a flying boat and stepping onto the land of Heaven-Earth Island.

Most of them were Nascent Soul cultivators, and only ten younger ones were Core Formation cultivators.

Luo Chen's gaze sharpened; he saw Zhou Feiyou.

Just at this moment, Li Canghai also moved closer.

"That junior is also among them."

Luo Chen did not speak, just curious, what were these people doing here?

Li Canghai also looked extremely curious, observing the situation there from afar, but soon his expression changed slightly.

"Be careful to hide!"

After saying this, his hand moved, and a streak of light covered the two of them.

The next moment, a grand voice sounded from within the broken Heaven Peak on Heaven-Earth Island.

"Have they arrived?"

"Reporting to the Ancestor, everyone has arrived, please open the Grotto-Heaven gate!"

"Hmm."

After a faint response, two giant hands transformed by magic power reached out from within the broken Heaven Peak and grabbed at a void somewhere below the mountain.

The two giant hands seemed to be embedded in the spatial barrier and then pried outward bit by bit.

Rumble!

A loud noise roared, the earth trembled, and the nearby seawater surged endlessly.

Only a "tear" sound was heard, and then a large amount of white clouds and mist emerged, completely shrouding the entire Heaven-Earth Island.

After doing all this, the two giant hands slowly disappeared, and the previous voice sounded again.

"Go in, Ke Lianshan is waiting for you inside."

Clearly, forcibly opening that piece of space seemed to be very strenuous for this person, and even the voice became a bit tired.

And in the distance, Luo Chen looked at this familiar scene with a look of suspicion.

"The Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven has been opened?"

"Go in; Ke Lianshan is waiting for you inside."

Clearly, forcibly opening that space seemed to be extremely strenuous for this person; even their voice had become somewhat weary.

In the distance, Luo Chen watched this familiar scene with a look of shock and uncertainty.

"The Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven has been opened?"