Great sages stepped forward to report. "Over these years, we have eradicated a total of thirteen great sage minions of the Divine Ruins. Several great sages form a team within the Big Dipper Star Domain to keep a close eye on the Divine Ruins and stay in constant contact."
They stared at every move of the Divine Ruins from afar, so that any cultivator emerging from the ruins could not escape the eyes of the several great sages.
Moreover, every time minions of the Divine Ruins were discovered, several great sages would encircle and annihilate them. Unless protected by an imperial weapon, the people of the Divine Ruins simply could not escape.
They had also probed more than half of the pond raised by the master of the Demonic Art. According to the great sages, guided by demonic art cultivators who had defected to them, they easily found many traces of the demonic art.
Based on this, they drew a star map, upon which every dark, glossy dot represented a star polluted by the demonic art.
Through years of development, the methods to deal with the Divine Ruins had become systematic and varied, and many methods had been derived to restrain the master of the Demonic Art.
"Good. Keep it up. If the Divine Ruins make any major moves, report it promptly and prepare for evacuation."
Zhang Huan exhorted the other party to be extremely careful, as he was going to take a trip out.
If the master of the Demonic Art could no longer endure it and suddenly rushed out wielding an imperial weapon, the Demonic Court would be wiped out in one fell swoop while the great sages were unprepared. He had to guard against this.
The Demonic Court still lacked top-tier foundations, and Zhang Huan could not sit guard at headquarters all the time. If it were guarded by a side of the imperial array, there would be nothing to worry about.
Taking the momentum of the stars as an array, Zhang Huan made the star where the headquarters was situated vanish and quietly left.
Reaching the Quasi-Emperor realm meant he had almost reached the pinnacle of the cultivation path. Wanting to improve even slightly was exceptionally difficult. Unless aided by fortuitous encounters, it was common for cultivation to stall for centuries.
If he wanted to improve rapidly, seeking opportunities was the best method. Zhang Huan had previously advanced all the way to the Third Layer Heaven Quasi-Emperor, completely exhausting his foundation.
Now, if he still wished to rapidly advance, he needed external help to accumulate a sufficient foundation for him in a short time.
Relying on his impression, Zhang Huan headed toward a set of coordinates, targeting the Underworld first.
In his memory, the Underworld had always harbored schemes, carrying out meticulous plans on a battlefield with secrets far simpler than they appeared on the surface.
He would take this opportunity to thoroughly investigate, take a bite out of the Underworld by the way, and acquire a few more corpse pills; he was confident he could charge into the Fourth Layer Heaven Quasi-Emperor.
The Underworld possessed vast resources, and the supreme great medicines they refined had exceptional efficacy, providing no small assistance even to quasi-emperors.
Without a further ado, Zhang Huan headed for the Canglan Star Domain.
For hundreds of years, this place had transformed into a battlefield. Various major powers poured into it, each establishing their own camp, investing countless resources, and engaging in ceaseless slaughter and strife.
Such madness was all for a fairy plant that shook heaven and earth—the Demon God Flower.
Even the Underworld had fought until their eyes were red, endlessly pouring in new supplies and cultivators. The great powers had fought tooth and nail until things had only recently quieted down, though friction still persisted even now.
This was one of the hottest places in the universe, its fame no less than that of the ancient path.
Zhang Huan saw the banners of the major sacred grounds of the Big Dipper here. The sacred bodies and the Golden Clan encompassed almost all the top-tier forces in the universe, all striving against each other and refusing to yield for the sake of the Demon God Flower.
In the past, there had still been some minor forces here, but as time passed, they either withdrew or were gradually annexed, leaving behind only behemoths.
The Underworld occupied an ancient star surging with dead aura, making it very easy to recognize. A chain of laws connected it to a half-destroyed, emerald-green ancient star.
The other major powers were the same; the territories they occupied were similarly connected to the emerald-green ancient star by chains of laws, mutually guarding this half-destroyed planet.
Atop this central, half-destroyed ancient star, several strands of Supreme Dao Aura hovered, mutually unhindered, as though they had reached a certain tacit understanding and coexisted harmoniously.
"This is the location of the Demon God Flower. It is about to mature!"
Aside from cracked soil and rocks, the only thing drifting across the planet was a four-colored divine flower showering petals across the sky. It was nearly mature, exuding fragrance. Zhang Huan deduced that it would undoubtedly mature completely within a few years.
He looked at the chaos within the star domain, filled with star fragments and traces of magical battles. The most vital habitat of the Demon God Flower had been battered until it was fragmented, and the major powers had clearly fought so fiercely that even the Demon God Flower had nearly been obliterated.
He wondered if this tragic state of battle was related to the Extreme Dao War from years ago.
Regardless, the major powers seemed to have reached a consensus to protect the Demon God Flower, setting up certain restrictions and leaving behind safeguards to jointly guard it.
Between the chains of laws and the personal garrison of Supreme Emperor Weapons, they had clearly staked everything to protect the Demon God Flower.
Because of this, it could be kept safe at least until the Demon God Flower matured.
However, it was unknown how these forces would contend to edge out the ultimate winner.
Zhang Huan surmised.
Judging by the tempers and dispositions of these forces, Zhang Huan felt that even if a victor emerged from the contention, things would not end well, and a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering battle would likely erupt.
They were all parties who could flip the table and dared to do so; the current scene of mutual check and balance was merely the brief tranquility before the storm.
Zhang Huan concealed himself within the void, quietly approaching the ancient star occupied by the Underworld.
Below was a domain gate reaching straight to the sky, and a five-colored altar covered more than half of the ancient star.
This was the domain gate that received Underworld cultivators, paired with the one in the Underworld, and the law symbols on it matched.
The remaining areas were zones where cultivators resided. The Underworld had strict hierarchies, ordered by rank, and the lowest-tier cultivators could only live in mortal mud-brick houses.
The higher the rank, the better the living quarters. Looking into the distance, fluctuations of great sage level emanated from a hall in the deepest part, and there was more than one.
Quasi-emperor auras had not manifested.
Zhang Huan pondered that given the vast foundation of the Underworld, if there were not a single quasi-emperor here, it would seem unreasonable.
Among the cultivators who had traveled on the transmission array with him previously were quasi-emperors of the Underworld, and one had carried an imperial weapon; that was already a matter of a dozen years ago.
By this time, the quasi-emperors of the Underworld were probably fully prepared, and they must have possessed some method to conceal their auras, simply not having displayed it yet.
The atmosphere of the giant star possessed a defensive array; casually breaking in would arouse alertness, so Zhang Huan stayed in the void above the Underworld.
Looking around, the Mysterious Bird Egg he had heard of in the Underworld was also not to be found. It was presumably kept under strict guard by the Underworld's quasi-emperors. After all, the matter was of great importance and closely tied to the Underworld's scheming; being strict with guard duties was entirely justified.
After waiting for a while, the domain gate on the planet began to shine, and the five-colored altar welcomed arrivals. Zhang Huan sensed that several people were rapidly crossing the void, being transmitted over.
The strengths of these individuals varied, but they all came from the Underworld!
Most were outer sages who had joined the Underworld, radiating vitality and lacking the death aura entwining those native to the Underworld, yet sorrow was etched on all their faces.
Even before Zhang Huan left the Underworld, someone had told him that eight or nine out of ten sages dispatched by the Underworld to the battlefield were outer sages, having sensed that something was wrong.
Even after so long, they were still dispatching outer sages; anyone without knowledge of the inside story could sense the abnormality.
Zhang Huan split off a wisp of spiritual sense, concealed it within a small tripod capable of isolating spiritual sense, and cast it using divine arts while these outer sages crossed the void, lightning-fast, hiding it behind a sage.
He did not choose cultivators of too high a realm; although they knew more, they were also easier to expose, and arousing the Underworld's alertness would cause losses that outweighed the gains.
This group of cultivators smoothly arrived at the ancient star, and upon stepping off the five-colored altar, they were immediately taken to the camp, placed under restrictions so they could not resist, and obediently carried out their respective tasks.
As time passed, Zhang Huan learned of many circumstances.
There was indeed an agreement among the major powers: every interval of time, cultivators from two forces were selected to fight to the death on the battlefield, spanning all tiers. The sole purpose was consumption, pitting their respective foundations against one another.
Whichever side could not hold on would exit the stage, otherwise the rotation would continue.
It was a very vicious stratagem, forcing the major powers to suffer heavy damage even before the Demon God Flower matured, so that when the time came to contend for the Demon God Flower, their momentum would be diminished.
Without needing to think, this rule had been spearheaded by the Underworld.
Only they could treat the lives of high-level cultivators so carelessly. The Underworld had already fought several battles and suffered heavy losses, yet they still eagerly persisted.
The various factions had suffered excessive damage from fighting endlessly, and some forces had quietly begun throwing matches. The Underworld knew this but did not expose it, continuing to use outer sages to trade for the lives of other factions' cultivators.
Such a dark heart, Zhang Huan muttered inwardly. Not a single thing in this Underworld was good.
No wonder they made outer sages go to the battlefield; they were being utilized as expendable materials, while the Underworld begrudged risking its own nether generals.
Upon arriving at the battlefield, they were controlled, no different from war slaves, only executing orders, with even life and death determined by others.
Looking across the void toward the other forces, the fluctuations at the great sage level were not even enough for the number of factions, likely heavily depleted and unable to match the profound foundation of the Underworld.
Because of this, the Underworld's advantage became even greater; after all, their sheer number of cultivators crushed the other forces.
Zhang Huan looked afar again toward the several Supreme Emperor Weapons on the central, ruined planet.
However, in the end, it still comes down to the war between supreme daos.
Even if the other factions were weakened and suppressed by Supreme Emperor Weapons, the Underworld would not so easily seize the ultimate fruit.
Suddenly, Zhang Huan narrowed his gaze and looked into the distance.
His line of sight intersected with the imperial weapons, looking deeper into the void.
Several shattered, ruined star fragments emitted a Source Art aura imperceptible to ordinary people.
This was—
Zhang Huan concealed his figure and observed closely. The fragments were entirely devoid of life, yet he discovered some Source Art imprints at their core.
Zhang Huan became alert. Someone had come here and carved these things. Their purpose was imperceptible; the divine patterns and symbols engraved upon them were very simple, and a beginner could learn them through bitter practice.
Following the trajectory of the Source Art, he discovered several more imprints, which together with imprints from other directions formed the pivot of a massive Source Art array, operating unceasingly.
It was alive, activated at an unknown time.
Zhang Huan traversed the star domain, carefully inspecting them one by one, and discovered that the mastermind's methods were extraordinarily superb, even deeper than Zhang Huan's in the Dao of Source Arts. If this Source Art array covering an entire star domain were a killing array, its might would be infinitely terrifying.
Studying every detail within it, this Source Art array possessed no aggressiveness; it achieved the pinnacle in isolating auras and spiritual sense, and its true function was to conceal another layer of the array.
An array like this was merely used to pull wool over people's eyes, almost deceiving even a quasi-emperor with profound attainments in Source Arts like Zhang Huan. How terrifying would the other layer of the array it concealed be?
So that's how it is. People of the Underworld, what fine methods.
Zhang Huan caught a wisp of aura, similar to one he had previously perceived on the magical array of the ancient star occupied by the Underworld in the battlefield.
That magical array had masked the most crucial array core and shared the same origin with this super array covering an entire star domain. Neither possessed aggressiveness, and perhaps it was the key used to manipulate the array.
When the Demon God Flower matured, the gazes of the major powers would turn toward the center, rushing over to vie for it, while the Underworld unleashed the array it had long since prepared—
For the Underworld to dare make such stealthy preparations, it evidently wanted to pull off a massive coup, completely disregarding even several imperial weapons. Such rabid madness meant a true imperial array was perhaps hidden here.
There were other backup plans as yet unknown, but if the Underworld dared to do this, it certainly had its own designs.
Just thinking about it was spine-chilling. The Underworld's schemes in this era were too startling, simply peerless through the ages.
No wonder they went to such great lengths to exhaust the major powers and fill the quota with outer sages; they intended for everyone to die in this star domain to accomplish the Underworld's objectives.
Everything was a trap. The Underworld had long since made all preparations, waiting for the cultivators of the major powers to enter the game and bare their fangs at the most critical moment.
The meteorite beneath his feet suddenly reacted. White light burst forth abruptly from the Source Art array imprints; it was disintegrating, about to reveal a corner of a heaven-shaking killing array, and Zhang Huan blasted backward.
In the distance, at the very center of the battlefield, where the Demon God Flower was located, tens of thousands of Order Divine Chains pierced heaven and earth, dropping beams of divine light, dazzling and illuminating the firmament!
No one expected that the Demon God Flower would actually bloom at this moment.
Petals burst into blossom one after another, releasing thousands of auspicious colors and myriad strands of rosy glow, incomparably magnificent. Various ripples spread, continuously evolving the most primordial dao.
Four-colored divine light of earth, wind, water, and fire intertwined upon the flower, causing it to become brilliant and dazzling. Flower petals drifted, sparkling and shimmering, while fragrant aromas diffused.
Once bloomed, the fragrance was thick and rich, captivating one's mind and soul. It contained the dao strength of heaven and earth, brimming with spiritual essence and a formidable Life Aura.
Several Supreme Emperor Weapons awakened simultaneously, imperial auras pervading. They had waited for a long time; the final moment had arrived.
On the other side, within the ancient star occupied by the Underworld, several quasi-emperors wore eerie smiles, their gazes fixed upon the Mysterious Bird Egg covered in pitch-black divine patterns.
The mysterious bird was originally an auspicious beast of heaven and earth, but at this moment it revealed an evil aura. Tastes of death and decay emanated from within it, and the black dao markings on the eggshell flickered like breathing, letting one know this was not a dead egg.
"Undead spirits take possession of the mysterious bird egg, devouring it before the life within is born to inherit everything it has."
A quasi-emperor laughed a strange giegie sound, his voice gloomy, harsh, and hoarse.
Though its origin would be damaged and fall short of a true mysterious bird, sacrificing the flesh and blood of tens of thousands of high-level cultivators to devour and transform it into an Undead Mysterious Bird, coupled with the Demon God Flower to complete its foundation and cultivated with secret techniques, its potential would likewise be limitless.
This hard-won atavistic mysterious bird egg must be put to good use.
The higher-ups of the Underworld, including the Underworld Lord, placed high hopes upon it.
To this end, offending some Supreme Dao forces was of no consequence. Most high-tier cultivators in the universe came from major powers, and now gathered in one place, they would all become the source of the Undead Mysterious Bird.
If the Underworld could produce yet another emperor, all living things in this universe would simply be within reach.
The world would become an amusement park of undying corpses and specters, and ancient stars would reproduce scenes of ancient corpses running amok—this was precisely the pursuit of the Underworld's quasi-emperors.
Within the eggshell, a feeble voice whimpered, as though unwilling to dissipate, desperately putting up a final resistance. The golden dao markings had retreated to the most primordial place.
Pity that no one answered it, and the quasi-emperors revealed crazed laughter.
"The supreme dao killing array brought from the Underworld—even imperial weapons cannot retreat unscathed, let alone..."
The Source Art array shattered, shaking the starry sky, and amidst the terrified gazes of the crowd, a complete imperial array was revealed.
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