Chapter 368: Spirit of the Array (Bonus Chapter for Moon Tickets)

"Have all the demons of the Yuan Mo Sea come out?"

The White Sword Immortal was furious.

Even more furious than him were Peng Mo Zhenjun and the others trapped in the demon beast swarm.

"Damn it… why are we so cursed? We just entered the Yuan Mo Sea and already ran into a fourth-rank upper-tier demon beast?"

The red-clad, seductive female cultivator beside Peng Mo Zhenjun cursed.

A look of confusion also surfaced on Peng Mo Zhenjun's face.

They had used demon qi talismans at first without incident, avoiding any major demon beast clans, and penetrated deep into the Yuan Mo Sea.

Then, a fourth-rank upper-tier demon beast showed up.

After a fierce battle, the Peng Mo Island Master and his companions exhausted all their techniques, fighting their way backward, barely escaping—only to lose one of their companions.

And now, here, they had crashed straight into another demon beast swarm.

"Something's wrong…"

Peng Mo Island Master finally realized: "The demon qi talismans are flawed! Damn Tian Fu Zhenjun! When I escape this alive, I'll hunt you down to the ends of heaven and earth—I won't rest until we're dead to each other! Huh? Someone's coming?"

He was overjoyed.

This swarm of "Demon Electric Gills" was terrifying enough, but worse—they moved in packs; even a Grand Zhenjun would dread facing them.

He had no confidence he could escape unscathed.

Anyone arriving now was a variable—an unexpected twist in despair, possibly salvation!

…

"Such a massive swarm of Demon Electric Gills."

On the flying vessel, Fang Xing's spiritual sense swept through and calculated: "We can't bypass them… our vessel's speed won't let us outrun the pursuers while avoiding the Demon Electric Gills."

"I'll have to act—but if I do, my identity will be exposed. It'll be harder to move forward after."

The White Sword Immortal spoke.

"Forget it. Let me handle it."

Fang Xing stepped to the prow.

"Though the Golden Sword Line has been exiled for years, there are still many sword cultivators in the Yuan Shen Sword Sect who practice the Great Freedom Mystic Golden Sword Scripture. Your action and mine are the same, aren't they?"

The White Sword Immortal showed a hint of confusion.

"Not the same. My second Nascent Soul isn't trained in sword techniques."

Fang Xing smiled faintly.

Deciding to seize the Yuan Shen Sword Sect's opportunity meant they'd inevitably clash with powerful figures.

He had no reason to hide anything anymore.

BOOM!

As soon as he spoke, a terrifying spiritual pressure surged forth, forcing the White Sword Immortal to stagger back several steps and nearly fainting the Fire Dragon True Master.

"Nascent Soul late stage?"

"Your second Nascent Soul's cultivation has surpassed your main body? How is that possible?"

The White Sword Immortal's face was filled with astonishment.

Precisely because he had seen so much, he was utterly stunned!

Only then did Fang Xing's crown flash with spiritual light, revealing a black-green Wan Fa Ghost Nascent Soul.

It held a "Qing Yang Demon Lamp" in its hand and blew gently toward the rear.

HU HU!

Violet and cyan divine flames roared out, forming eighteen violet-cyan fire serpents that writhed and merged into two violet-cyan fire dragons.

One lunged at the Golden Lotus Bodhisattva; the other surged toward the vast black demonic cloud, several mu in size.

SIZZLE!

The violet-cyan flames met the demonic qi like boiling oil hitting cold water, exploding violently.

Sections of the demonic cloud collapsed, revealing partial true forms of the fourth-rank upper-tier demons: thick, black, slime-coated octopus tentacles.

On the tentacles were numerous suckers, spewing toxic fluids.

"Amitabha."

The Golden Lotus Bodhisattva, facing the violet-cyan fire dragons, dared not slacken; golden lotuses bloomed beneath his feet, forming an immovable Golden Lotus Dharma Body, barely holding back the violet-cyan sea of flame.

Even so, he was pinned in place, unable to advance.

"Good."

"Advancing to Nascent Soul late stage has greatly increased the power of the violet-cyan divine flame… after absorbing Southern Ming Li Fire and many other spiritual flames."

"Too bad… the Qing Yang Demon Lamp is slightly too low-grade."

"If I had a fifth-rank demon lamp, perhaps I could attempt to refine the 'Wan Hua Spirit Flame' into it?"

Fang Xing thought to himself.

Southern Ming Li Fire wasn't even his most powerful flame—the silver Wan Hua Spirit Flame in the Wan Hua Cauldron was!

If he could also use the Wan Hua Spirit Flame as a flame seed, adding it to the violet-cyan divine flame, its power would become even more terrifying.

Unfortunately, he had tried several times and couldn't budge the silver flame an inch.

"Nascent Soul late stage Grand Zhenjun?"

In the front, among the Demon Electric Gills, Peng Mo Zhenjun's Great Peng Dharma Body appeared, barely holding up against countless demonic lightning bolts.

Suddenly, he saw Fang Xing unleashing his power—and his eyes bulged.

His vision was sharp; he had clearly recognized the attacker as the "Ming Kun Island Master!"

"Ming Kun Island Master is already Nascent Soul late stage? Did I really not misread him last time?"

"No wonder he refused to team up with me—Grand Zhenjuns naturally have better circles and friends…"

Peng Mo Island Master gave a self-deprecating laugh, thick with bitterness.

Fang Xing didn't care about Peng Mo Island Master's mood.

After slightly blocking the two Grand Zhenjuns behind him, he gestured with one hand, and a peculiar feather fan appeared in his grasp.

It was the fourth-rank upper-tier Yun Yi Feng Yu Fan!

"Actually, I still have a fourth-rank upper-tier refined corpse in my pouch… too bad it belongs to Yu Xue Grand Zhenjun—it'd expose my identity as a remnant of the Sword Sect."

He mentally grumbled, pouring his Nascent Soul late stage spiritual power into the Yun Yi Feng Yu Fan.

JIU!

Countless feathers drifted down, turning the heavens and earth suddenly white.

Then, amid a piercing phoenix cry, a terrifying giant bird silhouette appeared, its wings spanning over a hundred zhang.

It looked haughty, like the legendary spirit bird "White Phoenix," its tail feathers extremely long, radiating a chilling coldness as it flew into the thundercloud formed by the Demon Electric Gills.

CRACK!

CRACK!

The heavens froze, the earth turned icy, water instantly turned to ice.

Lines of Demon Electric Gills were frozen into ice rods, crashing onto the frozen sea surface and shattering into countless crimson ice shards.

Demon beast bodies weren't this fragile—this was the result of all life force being frozen solid, the bodies long dead and decayed…

"Go!"

A Nascent Soul late stage Grand Zhenjun's strike with a fourth-rank upper-tier spiritual treasure shattered the demon beast swarm's encirclement, creating a gap.

Not only Fang Xing and the White Sword Immortal, but Peng Mo Island Master and the other female Zhenjun seized the chance, activating secret techniques to burst through.

SHOO SHOO!

Several streaks of light shot out of the demon beast swarm; Fang Xing's spiritual sense turned back and saw the Golden Lotus Bodhisattva, unluckily, now the new target of the Demon Electric Gills, surrounded by the beasts and the fourth-rank upper-tier octopus demon behind.

"Wanted to divert the danger? Serves you right!"

After flying ten thousand li, Peng Mo Zhenjun approached: "Ming Kun Island Master, thank you for the rescue—I'll never forget this great kindness. This is 'Yao Chi Zhenjun'…"

The seductive woman's eyes nearly dripped water: "Ming Kun Island Master, my spiritual power is nearly exhausted—could I possibly rest briefly on your precious vessel?" "No."

Fang Xing refused bluntly, ignoring Yao Chi Zhenjun's furious expression, and walked away.

…

Across the Yuan Mo Sea, cultivators displayed their own arts, using various demon beasts as barriers.

Meanwhile, as days passed, the seven demonic stars above the Hanhai Immortal Realm's sky grew ever brighter.

At the center of the Yuan Mo Sea.

Beneath the sea, a pale white glow shimmered, pushing aside vast amounts of seawater.

At the unfathomably deep seabed, the ground was dry, revealing a ruin.

Above, a white light blazed like the sun, protecting everything.

The ruin was vast, filled with endless palace complexes, sudden peaks, spirit herb gardens…

And walls bristling with broken swords, towering cloud pavilions.

It was the Yuan Shen Sword Sect's mountain gate!

At the deepest part of the mountain gate, within an ancient stone hall.

Utter silence. Thick layers of dust covered the floor—no one had come here in ages.

On a green stone bed lay a middle-aged man.

His eyebrows slanted sharply upward, his features sharp and clear, his crown full and radiant—he must have been a rare beauty in the immortal world in his youth.

More unforgettable still was the sharp, piercing aura he carried.

Suddenly!

A wisp of malevolent energy seeped into the stone hall, causing the handsome middle-aged man to open his eyes: "A thousand years… Seven Demons Breach the Curse… My time is running out…"

With a thought, every ruin within the Soul Sword Sect came clearly into view.

Even the movements of the major demonic beast clans within the Demon Sea, the activities of the fourth-rank supreme demonic beast kings—alongside the shadows of countless cultivators and the actions of Nascent Soul elders—all flashed before his eyes.

Finally, the handsome middle-aged man's gaze turned to the deepest reaches of the Soul Sword Sect, to a hidden small realm.

Within this small realm, spiritual energy gathered like a lake, surrounded by all manner of rare flowers and exotic herbs.

At the center of the spiritual lake lay an island.

The island was barren and lifeless, starkly contrasting the vibrant surroundings of the lake.

At the very center of the island stood a stone platform.

Upon the platform rested an ancient bronze cauldron!

The cauldron was ancient, vast… radiating an inexplicable aura, within which a silver, paste-like substance slowly coalesced.

The handsome middle-aged man's gaze swept over it, then fixed on the cauldron's legs.

At the center of the stone platform, there was a massive "crystal"!

The crystal appeared naturally embedded within the stone platform, held down by the three legs of the bronze cauldron.

At the heart of the crystal floated a blurred black shadow, barely humanoid, its body covered in purple-black scales.

Pierced through its chest was an ancient flying sword!

Suddenly!

The shadow opened its eyes, a flash of red light flickering within.

"Did you sense the chance to break the seal? Too bad… you have no opportunity left."

The handsome middle-aged man murmured, and waved his hand.

Five paintings suddenly materialized before him, three of which centered on a single spiritual vessel.

"All five of our Black Iron Sword Tokens have been gathered… too bad, only four heirs."

The handsome middle-aged man glanced at Gong Feiyun, then turned away with undisguised revulsion toward the "Old Demon of Wuji Hall": "Our sect's legacy will never go to a demonic cultivator!"

He extended his hand, as if plucking a zither string.

Instantly, the dim white glow enveloping the Soul Sword Sect's gate blazed fiercely, then expanded a thousandfold, swallowing the entire Demon Sea whole…

When the white light faded, several cultivators had vanished.

…

"Hm?"

Fang Xing felt a flash of white light, as if riding a teleportation array.

With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he saw Fire Dragon True Man offered no resistance, while Tai Bai Immortal's face bore a hint of delight—he too made no move to resist.

The world spun wildly.

When he reappeared, he stood within an ancient stone hall.

Thick layers of dust coated the floor; seated upon a green stone bed ahead was a handsome middle-aged man.

His aura was ethereal, unlike that of a living being!

"Sword of Killing Line, Feng Taibai, bows before the Array Spirit elder!"

Tai Bai Immortal bowed deeply.

"Myriad Marvels Line, Fire Dragon True Man, bows before the Array Spirit elder!"

Fire Dragon True Man froze, then his face lit up with ecstatic joy as he hastily paid full homage.

"Immortal Ascension Line, Gong Feiyun, greets the Array Spirit Lord."

In the stone hall, besides Fang Xing and the other two, there was a fourth person.

Dressed in flowing white robes, his demeanor elegant, like a celestial being exiled to earth, his cultivation had reached Nascent Soul late stage.

"Golden Sword Line, Fang Xing, greets the Array Spirit."

Fang Xing gave a casual bow, whereupon Tai Bai Immortal rose, glaring at Gong Feiyun: "Your line betrayed the Soul Sword Sect long ago—you were cast out! How dare you come here?"

Gong Feiyun clenched his lips, saying nothing.

Fang Xing glanced at the man, then studied the Array Spirit with interest: 'Is this… an artificial intelligence born of cultivation technology? Seems to have rich emotions.'

Unbeknownst to him, Gong Feiyun's heart was trembling: 'No wonder this is a pseudo-sixth-rank array—it forcibly relocated me even under Yu Tianzun's watch… But Yu Tianzun seems to have foreseen this, even entrusted me with the Black Iron Sword Token.'

"What is a Sword Sect?"

The handsome middle-aged man smiled faintly: "The Soul Sword Sect has long been destroyed. In my view, anyone who cultivates our sect's Sword Scripture and holds a Black Iron Sword Token is an heir… As for demonic cultivators who come seeking to plunder the tokens—kill one, kill them all!"

"Enough…"

He seemed uninterested in the matter, turning to Fang Xing and the other three: "As the last surviving elder of the Soul Sword Sect, I ought to have been dignified, watching you youngsters struggle through trials, endure hardships, and finally arrive before me… But I'm too lazy. I simply moved you here directly—saved you a great deal of time. I'm sure you won't blame me. If anyone refuses, say so now, and I'll send you right back out!"

"Of course we accept!"

The four of them quickly affirmed their willingness.

Why walk the long, painful path through countless restrictions and arrays, battling from the outer edges inward, when a shortcut exists? That would be foolish.

'This Array Spirit's personality is quite the old rascal… I wonder which elder's disposition he inherited?'

Fang Xing mentally grumbled: 'But this "pseudo"…?'

For an elder spirit claiming to be the Soul Sword Sect's patriarch, it was perfectly reasonable.

In many sects, if an elder's pet beast was kept, it was called the "Second Patriarch."

This Array Spirit's age likely surpassed even Nascent Soul elders.

"Alright, I know why you've come… the Void-Cutting Sword Scripture, the chance to become a Nascent Soul, the sect's ultimate treasures, pills, secret techniques…"

The handsome middle-aged man scanned them all, a sly smile curling his lips: "All of these are here! But whether you can take them depends on your strength and talent."

At these words, the atmosphere in the hall subtly shifted.

Tai Bai Immortal's gaze swept the room, ignoring Fire Dragon True Man entirely, fixing on Fang Xing: 'Though Mingkun has a late-stage Nascent Soul as his second body, if the sect tests sword heart or sword technique… his talent in the sword path is far inferior to mine. My only real rival is Gong Feiyun!'

Gong Feiyun tensed, stepping back from Fang Xing and the others, knowing he had become the target. But as a late-stage Nascent Soul Great Sword Lord, he was certain his talent, cultivation, and sword heart far surpassed these three—no, Fire Dragon True Man wasn't even a real opponent. He only needed to defeat two mid-stage Nascent Souls—his odds were excellent!

'A trial…' Fang Xing rubbed his chin.

This Array Spirit had effectively invited thieves in—the core of the array was here, and these Nascent Souls couldn't possibly cause any disturbance. But if I summoned my true self… I could shatter the entire array and give this Array Spirit a real surprise!

(End of Chapter)