For several thousand years after the Demon Clan subdued Kunpeng, an eerie tension permeated the Primordial Wilderness.
Taiyi led the Demon Clan army in sweeping through the surrounding regions.
Any tribe unwilling to submit either had its mountain gates shattered by the Eastern Emperor Bell or saw its core forces trapped and slaughtered by the River Diagram and Luo Book.
The northern Ice Clan and southern Blaze Clan fell one after another.
The remaining tribes were forced to relocate into Demon Clan territory and become vassals.
Though the Western Territory was spared due to its barren Spirit Veins, everyone there still felt threatened. Even Jieyin and Zhunti shut themselves away, focusing on refining the Good Corpses they had just severed.
The Demon Clan's might grew by the day. Dijun even expanded the Heavenly Court on the Sun Star and broadly invited great powers of the Primordial Wilderness to attend, clearly intending to establish the Demon Clan's status as the orthodox rulers of the Primordial Wilderness.
Yet the Witch Clan remained still. The Twelve Ancestral Witches continued to hold the Ancestor Witch Hall on the Central Continent, drilling Witch Clan warriors every day without ever crossing their boundaries.
This restraint secretly alarmed many Great Divine Power Users.
Zhenyuanzi guarded Wuzhuang Temple, wrapping the Ginseng Fruit Tree in layers of formations before setting up the Earth Book grand formation to envelop all of Longevity Mountain.
Hongyun hid in the Great Desolation Starry Sky, concealing his aura with the power of the stars.
Even Kunpeng, the ever-arrogant Demon Master, had reined in his edge and focused on creating Demon Clan script.
"The war between the Witch and Demon Clans will erupt sooner or later. It merely lacks a fuse." Some great powers sighed in private, but no one dared interfere.
On one side stood the Demon Clan, wielding authority over the starry sky and guarded by several Quasi-Sages.
On the other stood the united Witch Clan, whose physical bodies rivaled Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Neither side was something an ordinary power could afford to provoke.
The Primordial Wilderness thus fell into silence, with only the Demon Clan's footsteps of expansion growing ever clearer amid the quiet.
Beyond that silence, however, Penglai Immortal Island in the East Sea presented an entirely different scene.
The island's spiritual energy was so dense it had nearly liquefied, and Innate Spiritual Plants could be found everywhere.
The Twelve-Petal Pure World White Lotus hovered above a spiritual spring at the island's center, continuously radiating purifying halos.
Haotian stood on the treasure-refining platform beside the spring, dozens of rare materials circling him as he focused completely on refining a treasure.
On the treasure-refining platform, the foundation of a hall made from Chaos Spirit Wood had already taken shape.
Fine patterns covered the wood, forming the Heavenly Spirit Gathering Array that Haotian had deduced using the Primordial Heart Sutra.
Beneath the hall's foundation lay a layer of pale gold Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, capable of stabilizing the Earth Veins and preventing spiritual energy from leaking away.
The roof was polished from Innate Crystal mixed with Three Lights Divine Water, refracting seven-colored spiritual light as faint law runes flowed across it.
"Only a few final array patterns remain." Haotian raised a hand, and the Primordial Heaven-Measuring Ruler at his waist flew into his palm, its body blooming with golden Merit light.
He formed treasure-refining seals with his fingers, pressed the Heaven-Measuring Ruler against the Chaos Spirit Wood foundation, and slowly drew it across the surface.
As the Heaven-Measuring Ruler moved, pale cyan Space Law runes were carved into the wood grain one after another.
Every rune precisely corresponded to a node of the Heavenly Spirit Gathering Array.
As the runes descended, the surrounding spiritual energy suddenly converged upon the hall's foundation, forming a visible Spiritual Energy Vortex.
This was a treasure-refining method Haotian had created by combining the artifact-refining laws within the Primordial Heart Sutra.
It used Chaos materials as the foundation, innate spiritual materials as the skeleton, then incorporated the three core formations of space, spirit gathering, and defense.
This allowed the treasure not only to possess practical functions, but also to evolve alongside its owner's cultivation.
At that moment, he was carving the final Space Folding Array Pattern into the roof crystal.
This pattern was the most complex. It required the Space Law to be broken down into three thousand minute runes.
They then had to be arranged in the sequence of Taiji giving rise to Two Forms. Even the slightest error would ruin all prior effort.
Haotian concentrated, and beads of sweat appeared across his brow.
Treasure refinement was not as easy as it seemed and still consumed a great deal of mental energy, yet the Heaven-Measuring Ruler at his fingertips remained as steady as a mountain.
Half an hour later, the final rune fell, and the roof crystal suddenly erupted with dazzling azure light.
The azure light intertwined with the golden spiritual light of the foundation and the white spiritual light of the hall itself, forming a tri-colored pillar that shot into the heavens.
"It's done!" Haotian sighed in relief and withdrew the Heaven-Measuring Ruler.
On the treasure-refining platform, the palm-sized miniature palace slowly floated into the air.
Its body was covered in tri-colored array patterns, while a faint Chaos aura lingered around its surface.
It had reached the rank of an acquired supreme treasure. Moreover, because it incorporated supreme materials such as Chaos Spirit Wood and Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, its defensive strength and compatibility with laws rivaled the finest Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.
With a thought from Haotian, the miniature palace began to grow in the wind.
In moments, it became a majestic palace spanning several thousand mu.
Crystal tiles covered its roof, reflecting Seven-colored Rosy Clouds.
Its pillars were made from flawless white Innate Jade Marrow, their surfaces carved with auspicious dragons and phoenixes.
Spiritual energy faintly flowed through the carvings. Above the main gate hung a pitch-black Chaos Stone Plaque.
The words "Penglai Hall" were traced upon it in golden Merit light. The strokes were ancient and forceful, with law runes faintly circulating within them. One glance inspired a sense of solemn majesty.
The palace gates themselves were forged from Chaos Spirit Wood, with a fist-sized Space Bead embedded in each door. It could stabilize space and automatically activate the Defense Array whenever the gates opened.
"Senior Brother, this Penglai Hall is so magnificent!" Jade Pool set down her spiritual hoe in the distant Spiritual Plant Garden and hurried over.
She had just planted seedlings of Innate Spiritual Roots brought from Jade Capital Mountain. A little spiritual soil still clung to her body, and her eyes were filled with amazement.
"Of course. Could your senior brother's eye for things and artifact-refining skill possibly be lacking?"
Haotian smiled and reached out to brush some spiritual soil from Jade Pool's shoulder, his tone carrying a touch of pride.
Then he took Jade Pool's hand and entered Penglai Hall with her.
The interior of the palace truly held a world of its own, its space folded and expanded ten thousandfold.
The first floor was a reception hall, furnished with tables and chairs made from Innate Spirit Crystals.
The surfaces of the tables and chairs were carved with Calming Patterns, allowing anyone seated there to calm their mind.
The second floor was a cultivation area divided into several hundred separate stone chambers.
Each stone chamber contained a Spirit Gathering Formation, and its spiritual energy was ten times denser than outside.
The chamber at the very center incorporated a large quantity of Enlightenment Stones, which could assist in comprehending laws.
The third floor was a storage area, with shelves made from Chaos Spirit Wood arranged in neat rows.
The shelves were carved with preservation patterns, ensuring that spiritual materials would never decay.
The top floor was an observation deck. A jade bed rested there, and one could look up to see the starry sky over the East Sea, while at night it could absorb the power of the stars.
"Even the cultivation chambers have so many Enlightenment Stones to assist with cultivation. Senior Brother, you really put so much thought into this!"
When Jade Pool reached the cultivation area, she could not help reaching out to touch the runes on the stone chamber walls, sensing the law aura contained within them.
Haotian nodded with a light laugh. "We'll be living in Penglai often from now on, so naturally we must properly arrange our residence. Let's go outside first."
Jade Pool naturally had no objection, but after arriving outside Penglai Hall, she frowned slightly.
"Still, with only one main hall, it feels somewhat plain. If we built a few side halls as well, such as an administrative hall for the Spiritual Plant Garden and an auxiliary hall for treasure refinement, it would be perfect."
"No rush." Haotian raised a hand and tousled Jade Pool's hair, his tone relaxed.
"Penglai Hall is enough for now. We can slowly build the side halls later."
"Next, I also want to reinforce the island's inherent Heavenly Defense Array. Once the Formation is strengthened, Penglai can be completely concealed, free from outside disturbances."
Jade Pool smiled and nodded. "That's true. We have plenty of time anyway."
As she spoke, she turned around, preparing to return to the Spiritual Plant Garden to continue tending the seedlings of Innate Spiritual Roots.
Haotian was also about to leave, but after taking only two steps, he stopped. A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes as his incarnation, Fengyin, sent him a transmission.
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