Chapter 710: Fire burns the Three Rainbow Falls, swords rise in the Cloud Dream Marsh

Hiss, hiss, hiss...

By the side of the great lake, a giant python flicked its long tongue, slithering in circles through the undergrowth.

If it were any other time, such behavior would be unremarkable.

But as it happened, all the phantom beasts were currently charging toward the Three Rainbow Falls, and for this giant python phantom beast not to follow the herd seemed truly strange.

Suddenly!

The python's body shuddered, its eyes grew dazed, and it slowly swayed its massive frame away from the lakeshore.

It was not until it had traveled several miles away that the daze in its eyes gradually dissipated.

It looked back at the great lake with confusion, but its attention was soon captured by the charge of its kin, and it joined the tide of giant beasts.

Above the great lake, the turbid waves rolled, seemingly stirred by the tremors nearby.

Beneath the great lake, Luo Chen let out a sigh of relief.

"Strange, I clearly dismantled the array yesterday, so why is the number of phantom beasts attracted still so high? It hasn't diminished at all."

"Could it be that within a radius of tens of thousands of miles, so many phantom beasts were lurking simultaneously?"

He was utterly baffled.

This trap, though hastily set, had still cost him quite a bit of effort.

To avoid being discovered by Lady Xu, the guardian of Gu Daosu, he had dismantled the array when only seven or eight phantom beasts had arrived.

Furthermore, he had pushed his own concealment techniques to the limit!

Although the situation was now somewhat out of control, there were still salvageable aspects.

Luo Chen looked up at the sky; the lake water was murky, impossible to see through.

"Too blurry!"

Luo Chen muttered, mobilizing a strand of pure magic power and beginning to slowly convert it.

Suddenly, he tapped a finger lightly against the water ripples in front of him.

"Cloud Chess Water Mirror, reflecting heaven and earth!"

Hum...

Visible ripples slowly spread through the water.

The clouds in the sky seemed to open a fissure, and strands of celestial light projected from the cloud layer onto the vast surface of the lake.

In an instant, this nameless great lake appeared magnificent and indescribably beautiful!

Such a spell was not profound.

But in terms of ingenuity, it was rare in this world!

It was Luo Chen's combination of a low-level Water Mirror Spell with the cloud patterns from the basics of array formations, with a hint of inspiration drawn from the Peach Garden Chess Array.

At this moment, the clouds in the sky were like chess pieces, dotting the space above the battlefield, gathering all the scenes together and imprinting them onto this water mirror of the great lake.

And the scenes from the outside world fell vividly into Luo Chen's sharp, alert eyes.

There was a beautiful woman in a rage, driving a jade hairpin to hang high in the air.

There were groups of True Persons gathered, holding their ground but watching like tigers.

There were even more than a dozen phantom beasts, led by a giant white eagle, launching a simultaneous charge toward the Three Rainbow Falls.

In the distance, one could vaguely see rolling dust, as if more formidable phantom beasts were approaching.

"The fun is getting a bit too big!"

Luo Chen pursed his lips; instead of worry, his eyes held an inexplicable excitement.

The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

Especially since he was not on the front lines, but rather the oriole waiting behind!

Slap!

Luo Chen slapped his palm against the small gray cauldron in front of him.

The Hunyuan Cauldron changed instantly, growing from a foot in size to a hundred feet, crouching on the bed of the great lake.

The massive mouth of the cauldron opened toward the outside world, like the gaping maw of a wild beast.

Luo Chen closed his eyes and opened them!

Whoosh!

A split soul, identical to his main soul, flew out from his sea of consciousness.

Without the protection of the sea of consciousness and without the Nascent Soul to carry it, the split soul felt extremely uncomfortable the moment it emerged, even underwater.

But he did not hesitate, diving directly into the Hunyuan Cauldron.

"With a split soul driving my natal magic treasure at full power, the might should be sufficient."

"But if I am exposed, relying on this alone will still be lacking."

Luo Chen's thoughts shifted, and he wiped his right hand forward.

His hands formed a sword gesture, controlling the Yu Tu Blood Sword to fall openly.

The Blood Sword appeared quietly. Luo Chen gripped it and then thrust it into the thick silt beside him.

"Next, everything is ready for the show to begin!"

Luo Chen lifted his neck slightly, focusing on the many scenes reflected on the lake surface.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

In the sky, the jade hairpin transformed into thousands of light shadows, then suddenly condensed, all of them piercing into a giant ape that had climbed onto the Three Rainbow Falls.

Boom!

In just a split second, the giant ape, which had climbed the sheer cliff as if it were nothing, had its form shattered, turning into vast white mist.

Lady Xu had no time to rejoice in her successful strike; she shot into the sky like an arrow from a bow, her gaze fixed solely on the white eagle.

Her hands moved, her water sleeves flowing, turning as hard as steel in the blink of an eye.

She shook both sleeves, and they shot out like long spears.

The white eagle turned nimbly, dodging the two water sleeves with hair-breadth precision.

But just as it was about to break free, the two water sleeves instantly turned soft again, wrapping around its body.

"Get lost!"

Lady Xu's willow-leaf brows stood on end, her surging Nascent Soul mid-stage magic power pulling the white eagle and shaking it apart.

Yet the next moment, her expression changed again.

The white eagle spread its wings with all its might, and with a massive, surging force, it forcibly broke the water sleeves, then resolutely charged toward Lady Xu.

A silk handkerchief appeared in front of the woman, its light and shadow hazy.

Boom!

With just one strike, the white eagle flew backward for hundreds of feet.

And Lady Xu, like a meteorite, was smashed directly into the Three Rainbow Falls.

A large amount of smoke and dust filled the air, and circles of golden light spread throughout the mountain.

"Is that the Mountain-Suppressing Equilibrium Array?" Gu Yuan asked.

Gu Chen nodded, "Young Master has a keen eye; that is indeed one of the most famous Tier 4 mountain-protecting arrays of our sect."

Gu Yuan clicked his tongue in admiration: "Unexpectedly, for this Cave Heaven competition, the Gu family not only recalled Lady Xu but also had Brother Celebrity Dao Yin obtain the Lanke Black Chess, and they even set up a mountain-protecting array. Spending so much capital, no wonder Gu Daosu is ahead of us."

Gu Chen's expression was cold, "Without anyone presiding over it, this array cannot hold for long, especially since the spiritual veins in this realm are unstable, with no earth energy to support them; the foundation of the array is inherently shaky. With that white eagle, comparable to a Nascent Soul mid-stage, on the side, I fear Lady Xu cannot protect Gu Daosu."

"Cannot protect? Good!"

Gu Yuan chuckled lightly.

Next, it would depend on whether Lady Xu collapsed first or the array collapsed first.

Regardless of which, it meant Gu Daosu would lose his protection, and that state of sudden enlightenment would be broken.

When an array of this level appeared, the many cultivators watching exclaimed in surprise.

Such a great array is extremely difficult to set up!

And it consumes a great deal of materials.

For the Gu family to use it in a competition trial was truly extravagant.

But this was the foundation of the Twelve Great Houses; for a potential Soul Transformation seedling, they would willingly pay ten or twenty times more.

Mingyan watched this scene, envious and also somewhat worried.

"Qi Qi Shixiong, if even such a great array cannot protect Gu Daosu, then when the time comes..."

Before she could finish, True Person Long Yuan raised his hand to interrupt her.

"With me here, it is enough to protect you. And if you succeed and grasp the power of the origin, whether in this Cave Heaven or the outside world, you can move unhindered. When that time comes, you can protect me, and nothing will go wrong."

Mingyan nodded.

But her gaze, when looking at those giant beasts charging, was somewhat restless.

"Qi Qi Shixiong, with so many phantom beasts gathered here, should we..."

"Wait a bit longer, see how others act!"

True Person Long Yuan said calmly, his eyes unconsciously scanning the surroundings.

There were people in the forest, one old and one young; they must be the Wang family of Bochuan.

In a small mountain a few miles away, it looked unremarkable, but it had accidentally leaked a trace of aura earlier; if he remembered correctly, it should be Yu Xu of the Yu family. Since she had appeared, her guardian must also be nearby; the Gu cultivators of the Southern Border were not easy to deal with.

If it were only these people, it would be fine.

But Gu Yuan and Shi Ju of the three great houses were both watching like tigers, so if he wanted to take action to seize the benefits, it would be no less than pulling chestnuts from the fire.

He looked toward the clouds; Shi Ju and Qi Xiongcheng, carrying a purple-gold gourd, were standing there.

As he looked over, the other party also glanced back.

But for some reason, True Person Long Yuan felt as if a third party was watching him.

"Could there be others above the clouds?"

Just as he was in doubt, Lady Xu, who had been knocked into the mountain earlier, appeared again.

The golden light of the array slowly lifted her up.

Her hair was disheveled, her expression fierce.

An eagle's cry rang out in the sky, like a provocation.

But Lady Xu ignored the phantom beast's provocation, instead spreading her spiritual sense and sending out a transmission.

"Fellow sect members, will you not take action to help?"

No one responded.

She gritted her teeth and offered conditions.

"I will fully activate the Mountain-Suppressing Equilibrium Array to slaughter all the phantom beasts here. I will not take a single phantom core; I leave them for you to divide equally!"

"Not only that, I have seven extra phantom cores on me, originally intended as backups for Su'er. If you help me resolve this predicament, these seven phantom cores will also be gifted to you!"

Finally, she said in a deep voice: "Those who take action will gain the friendship of my Gu family!"

With that, she stopped persuading and devoted herself entirely to presiding over the array.

Circle after circle of golden light spread out from the Three Rainbow Falls.

All phantom beasts entering the fifty-mile radius felt as if they had a mountain on their heads, their movements slowing down several times over.

Not only that, but stone cones condensed in the air, piercing toward those phantom beasts.

On the earth, bursts of tremors erupted.

She was actually using her own power to drive the array to attack all the phantom beasts!

Everyone knew that this was something that could not be sustained.

Just as they expected.

Lady Xu's face grew paler and paler, and her Nascent Soul mid-stage aura was constantly fading as she presided over the array.

"After all, she is not an array master; relying on brute cultivation to preside over the array is too strenuous."

In the forest, the old man among the old and young evaluated it thus.

The youth beside him watched for a while, then suddenly said: "Clan Elder, you should take action!"

The old man looked at the youth, "For what?"

The youth smiled slightly, "Phantom cores, the friendship of the Gu family; besides, Brother Gu has a decent friendship with me in the sect, helping him out is no harm."

"Fine, then I will follow your words."

The old man replied, stepped out of the forest, flicked his wrist, and a verdant bamboo staff extended, striking at a phantom beast.

His sudden action seemed to break the balance.

Not long after, others began to take action to help.

With the array's assistance, these Nascent Soul cultivators were like fish in water, slaughtering Tier 4 phantom beasts much more easily than usual.

Even Shi Ju and his companion did not stand high in the clouds, entering the array to help.

It was just that, unlike the others, these two were Shi Ju taking action while Qi Xiongcheng assisted on the side.

Shi Ju's performance in taking action was no less than these guardians invited by various families, and in some aspects, even more so.

Between the opening and closing of a folding fan, a scorching, tyrannical flame swept across the wilderness.

In an instant, a large number of phantom beasts had their forms shattered, turning into vast white mist and scattering in the air.

Phantom cores darted through the air at incredible speeds, with large amounts of clouds and mist constantly gathering toward them.

Qi Xiongcheng kept Shi Ju's instructions in mind, mobilizing the Li Li Ziyang Gourd to absorb the clouds and mist, capturing as many of those phantom cores as possible.

Divide equally?

Impossible!

Since Shi Ju had taken action, it was impossible for him to divide them equally with others.

On the contrary, others were making wedding clothes for him, especially with the assistance of the mountain-protecting array, making his hunting of phantom beasts like a fish in water.

"Old Ghost, how many phantom cores have you collected?"

Shi Ju asked while fighting the phantom beasts.

"Currently one."

Shi Ju frowned, "Why so slow? In such a short time, at least five phantom beasts have been killed, and you've only collected one phantom core?"

Qi Xiongcheng had bitterness he couldn't express; for some reason, another force was pulling those clouds and mist, making it extremely difficult for him to collect the phantom cores.

He only assumed the phantom beasts were too strong and that he had spent too little time refining the Li Li Ziyang Gourd.

Shi Ju suppressed the irritation in his heart, "You just try your best to collect the phantom cores; tell me when you reach five."

Five phantom cores would make the trip worthwhile.

But, is five enough for the Young Master?

Qi Xiongcheng was puzzled, but his hands did not stop for a second.

The people present gradually noticed something strange.

The phantom beasts killed by everyone began to disappear before their phantom cores could be collected.

If it were one or two, it would be fine, but in a short time, several phantom beasts had neither condensed their forms nor left behind phantom cores.

Finally, someone saw Qi Xiongcheng, who was not participating in the battle but was constantly mobilizing the Li Li Ziyang Gourd.

"What are you doing?" Gu Chen asked suddenly.

Qi Xiongcheng kept his mouth shut.

Shi Ju withdrew from the battle, and Qi Xiongcheng nodded at him, which meant at least five phantom cores had been collected.

Then, there was no need to fight to the death for others.

"My Shi family does things without needing to explain to you!"

Afterward, ignoring the livid Gu Chen, Shi Ju raised his folding fan and fanned hard toward the Three Rainbow Falls close at hand!

He laughed wildly:

"Gu Daosu, you should come out and see this scenery too!"

A monstrous fire cloud, accompanied by a gale, surged upward against the current.

Wherever it passed, the golden light of the array dissipated inch by inch.

Any mountain-protecting array is extremely difficult to break from the outside, but if attacked from the inside...

Lady Xu, who was using all her strength to suppress the white eagle, saw this scene and was instantly torn with grief.

"No!"

In the distance.

Gu Yuan, who had not participated in the battle, nodded slightly.

"Sure enough, Shi Ju has never been one to follow the rules; how could he be so kind as to help Gu Daosu? This is also fine; I can harvest phantom cores, and Gu Daosu cannot maintain his state of sudden enlightenment. Moreover, this grudge won't be settled on me."

Rumble...

A deafening sound rang out, the once beautiful Three Rainbow Falls instantly ceased flowing, and a large amount of mountain rock fell.

The entire great mountain began to tremble.

And without the array's assistance, Lady Xu, whose cultivation had long since declined, could not block the white eagle.

The opponent turned into a ray of light, charging straight toward the location of the Three Rainbow Falls.

Lady Xu's eyes were filled with despair, but her body resolutely blocked the direct path of the opponent's impact.

One person and one beast collided in an instant, then plunged into the great mountain without the slightest hesitation.

Smoke and dust rose, and the earth trembled.

Everyone instantly withdrew, leaping into the high sky to watch this scene.

"Can Lady Xu survive?"

"I fear not; she had already used a forbidden technique to forcibly raise her cultivation, and then was countered by Shi Ju breaking the array; with this impact from the white eagle, I fear she is ten deaths and no life."

"What about Gu Daosu?"

"With such a big commotion, the state of sudden enlightenment certainly cannot be maintained."

Just as everyone was discussing,

Whoosh!

A brilliant pillar of light shot into the sky.

Accompanying it was a giant eagle that had been thrown out.

The giant eagle flipped several times in the air, finally stopping its form, looking viciously toward the location of the former Three Rainbow Falls.

In the broken waterfall, a young man with picturesque features stood at the moss-covered cave entrance, holding a bronze mirror. Behind him, Lady Xu sat slumped on the ground; although her aura was weak, she was alive after all.

Seeing this scene, everyone was shocked!

Gu Daosu had woken up!

And he had even taken action himself, forcibly repelling the giant eagle.

Could it be that he had already successfully grasped the power of the origin?

"Haha, he didn't succeed after all! He used the Gu family's Wuwang Treasure Mirror; that wasn't his own power at all."

Shi Ju laughed wildly, feeling extremely proud of his success.

Everyone looked at the bronze mirror, revealing expressions of sudden realization.

The Gu family's Wuwang Treasure Mirror was quite famous; its power lay in its ability to store a cultivator's full-strength strike, and it could store it several times.

Clearly, that strike just now was not Gu Daosu's ability, but the credit of the Wuwang Treasure Mirror.

In the broken mountain.

Lady Xu asked weakly: "Did you fail?"

Gu Daosu sighed, "Just a little, just a little short."

Just a little short?

Lady Xu, while feeling regretful, felt a thick anger rising in her eyes.

"It's all Shi Ju's fault!"

If not for Shi Ju's counterattack, breaking the Mountain-Suppressing Equilibrium Array, even if she had to sacrifice her life, she could have bought enough time for Gu Daosu's sudden enlightenment.

Everything was his fault!

After they got out, their Gu family would definitely make the Shi family give an account!

However!

"It's not his fault."

While Lady Xu was stunned, Gu Daosu held the bronze mirror high, shining it toward heaven and earth from afar.

While reflecting heaven and earth with the mirror, he whispered slowly.

"During my sudden enlightenment, I sensed something strange in this territory. Someone harbored evil intentions, using an array to disturb my spiritual energy. This person is the real culprit; Shi Ju and the others were merely chess pieces in the game, manipulated by someone."

"Found you!"

Suddenly!

The clouds dissipated, and the sky ripples surged.

The Wuwang Treasure Mirror emitted a piercing cyan light, stopping over a great lake in the distance.

Gu Daosu said loudly:

"Fellow Daoist, have you seen enough?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice.

The lake water was calm, but the surrounding clouds and mist gathered, like a dreamlike marsh, extremely ethereal.

If not for the light of the treasure mirror shining, everyone would not have been able to see the calm water surface that looked like a mirror.

And those strands of clouds and mist, constantly being sucked into the lake, were precisely the phantom beasts whose forms had been shattered.

When they looked over, they happened to see a phantom core being silently sucked into the great lake.

This scene needed no explanation; everyone understood the reason for it.

Not to mention how they were thinking in their hearts.

Between heaven and earth, only a light laugh was heard.

Afterward, in everyone's eyes, a flash of blood-red color was reflected.

A sword light shot into the sky from the cloud-like, dream-like marsh! ===== CHAPTER 711 =====