Earth Vein Qi-Can You See Me?

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed.

Early that morning, Xiao Chen went to the bow of the boat to enjoy the breeze and clear his mind.

I happened to see a large patch of pink and white lotus flowers blooming on a small island I was passing by.

Before we knew it, June had quietly arrived.

"So fast?"

Xiao Chen remembered that when they set off from Cloud Wave Sword Abode, it was End of March, and the chilly spring breeze was blowing apricot blossoms like rain.

Before we knew it, summer had arrived.

For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a sense of how quickly time flies.

"What? So fast?"

Gang Yuan True Monarch happened to come out for some fresh air and, upon hearing this, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Daoist Xiao, have you noticed anything unusual?"

He sounded tired as he spoke.

Over the past few days, they have encountered a total of eight Fourth-tier Defensive Formation, as well as dozens of Surveillance Array.

In order to study the Sea Race Intent and to reverse-engineer their Sea Race Array Dao, Gang Yuan True Monarch spent almost all his time among those massive Array Foundation.

Xiao Chen shook his head. "It's not anything unusual."

"It just suddenly dawned on me that more than two months have passed since we set off, and we haven't made any significant progress yet."

During this period, he did not even see the figure of the Sea Race Great Demon.

As they were talking, Iron Fan True Monarch also came over. "Hey, you can't say that."

"We've cleared out so many Fourth-tier Grand Array these past few days; we haven't been wasting our time."

"I completely understand Daoist Xiao's feelings right now. Thinking back to my younger days, I also had thoughts like 'time flies'."

"Especially at the beginning, when I took turns with my senior brother to cultivate in seclusion, it felt like a single seclusion would last for three to five years. How could it be so long?"

"Doesn't everyone get bored or find it tedious?"

"I gradually got used to it."

"Daoist Xiao may think two months is a long time now, but after a few years of Closed-door cultivation, I guarantee you won't think that way anymore."

For Nascent Soul True Lords, two months is not exactly a blink of an eye, but it is certainly not a long time either.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao is right!"

Suddenly, Gang Yuan True Monarch shouted, "It's been over two months since we set off!"

Um?

His shout caused not only Iron Fan True Monarch and Silver Hair True Monarch, but also several Golden Core Disciple nearby to turn their heads and look over.

Everyone looked at him with the same confusion, not understanding what he meant.

Even Xiao Chen was taken aback.

"Thanks to Fellow Daoist Xiao's reminder, I think I understand why the Sea Race has set up so many Fourth-tier Defensive Formation."

Gang Yuan True Monarch slapped his forehead, looking as if he had just realized something. "Because they want to buy us time!"

"Junior Brother Han Chuan delivered the intelligence the day before yesterday."

"They also encountered a total of seven Fourth-tier Defensive Formation, and not only were they placed in just as strange locations as we were, but they were also all completed within the last six months."

"Moreover, according to the information provided by Daoist Iron Fan earlier..."

"Before the Sea Race learned of our departure, they had already significantly reduced the frequency of their attacks, only launching an attack once every two or three days."

"So what did they do in between?"

"Did they go to rest?"

Gang Yuan True Monarch answered these two questions himself, "No, I now have reason to suspect that the Fourth-tier Defensive Formation we have encountered recently was hastily set up by the Sea Race at that time."

"Let's all think about this."

"If it weren't for so many powerful formations blocking our way, we should have already reunited with Junior Brother Han Chuan and the others by now."

"But right now, because we need to deal with so many Fourth-tier Grand Array, we've only cleared about half of the sea area together on both sides."

"If things continue as they are now..."

"It will most likely take us another month or so to break down these strange Defensive Formation."

"In other words, we've already wasted two months of our time before the battle in the Shallow Sky Sea has even begun."

They had actually considered this conjecture of Gang Yuan True Monarch before.

It was simply rejected at the time.

For the same reason as before, setting up a fourth-order formation is extremely costly. Wasting so many formation plates just to delay things for a few months is simply not worth it.

Therefore, Iron Fan True Monarch asked curiously, "But is it really worth it for the Sea Race to do this?"

Gang Yuan True Monarch, however, was already brimming with confidence. "If you ask me, it's definitely not worth it!"

"But over the past few days, we've discussed various possibilities, and other reasons are clearly less worthwhile."

"If the purpose is to hide traps in the Array Foundation, or to lure us into dividing our forces, the Sea Race have no reason to pay such a high cost."

"All in all."

"Having eliminated the impossible scenarios, the remaining explanation, however improbable it may seem, is very likely the truth!"

to be honest.

Even though Gang Yuan True Monarch has said this, the explanation still sounds very unreliable.

However, after he finished speaking this long string of words...

He turned to Xiao Dao and asked, "Daoist Xiao, the anomaly you just noticed must mean this, right?"

Um?

I?

Xiao Chen was stumped by his question. "Is that what I just meant?"

However, before he could explain that he had simply seen lotus flowers and felt a sudden surge of emotion, he realized that he hadn't actually seen them.

Iron Fan True Monarch chimed in, "Since it's Daoist Xiao's speculation, it's probably pretty close to the truth."

"These petty tricks of the Sea Race will certainly not escape Daoist Xiao's discerning eyes."

Silver Hair True Monarch nodded in agreement. "That's right, I also think Daoist Xiao's conjecture is very reasonable. After eliminating those impossible situations, this should be the reason."

oh?

Seeing that everyone agreed, Xiao Chen suddenly felt that this guess made some sense.

It's important to know that no Newly Promoted True Monarch have emerged this time.

The three Veteran True Lord present have lived for nearly two thousand years and are extremely experienced in life.

Since they all think it's fine, then it probably is.

So, the question that had been troubling everyone for a month finally had a corresponding answer.

"Although we don't yet know why the Sea Race want to stall for time, what the enemy is doing is exactly what we should do to stop them."

Gang Yuan True Monarch immediately suggested, "We need to speed up the cleaning process."

"I already have a lot of Core Array Foundation from the Sea Race. If I add Junior Brother Han Chuan's resources, it should be enough to break through them."

"If we encounter any new Defensive Formation later, we'll enter them together with Daoist Xiao."

"A swift and decisive victory is needed to disrupt the Sea Race ' plans."

For the next five days, the group held nothing back and brute-forced their way through the ten Defensive Formation they encountered.

They cleared the entire central area and successfully joined forces with Han Chuan True Monarch and others.

The Human Race's overall defensive line also advanced 60,000 li, facing off against the Sea Race's final Linked Grand Array.

Only five thousand li remained between the two sides, enough for them to see each other's Formation Flag fluttering in the wind.

This distance is already very close, even for Golden Core cultivator.

"Ahead lies one of only two Spirit Vein clusters within the Shallow Sky Sea."

Iron Fan True Monarch spread out a map, on which three red circles and seven blue circles were marked, representing three third-tier Spirit Vein and seven Second-Order Spirit Vein, respectively.

"Before the war, sixteen small cultivation Lineage lived together here."

"Including some independent cultivators, there are over ten thousand cultivators and approximately sixty million mortals living here year-round."

"According to the more than one hundred survivors we rescued before, one of the third-tier Spirit Vein is in a very good location, and its end can connect to the earth's veins."

"If the Sea Race can successfully guide the Earth Vein Qi, it will be equivalent to having an additional pseudo- Fourth-Order Spirit Vein at their disposal."

"Therefore, what we are likely facing is a super- Linked Grand Array built around a Fourth-Order Spirit Vein as its core and two third-tier Spirit Vein as its fulcrums."

"Theoretically speaking, its power is in no way inferior to a top-tier Mountain Protecting Grand Array."

Gang Yuan True Monarch then added, "In addition, we now have both good news and bad news."

"Let me tell you the good news first."

"If the Sea Race want to utilize the Earth Vein Qi, they can only set up formations that are heavy and defensive."

"This means that their formation likely lacks particularly powerful offensive methods."

"In other words, when we break through the formation, we can focus more on fighting the Great Demon, and we can even consider asking Junior Brother Rift Void and the others for help."

He was referring to an attack method similar to the "Illuminating Void Divine Light" that Xiao Chen had encountered before.

Normally, such an attack, almost equivalent to the full power of Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator, would greatly deter those who dared to challenge the formation. Moreover, this time, the Sea Race also had Fourth-Order great demon guarding the formation.

If we don't need to worry about this, then everyone's safety when charging into battle will be greatly improved.

"As for the bad news, that's also because of this."

Gang Yuan True Monarch explained, "With the protection of the Earth Vein Qi, the restrictions and Array Foundation of the entire formation will become more solid and harder to damage."

"We may be facing a tough battle ahead."

"The key issue is that this makes it really hard to say how much time it will take."

I had just guessed that the Sea Race might be intentionally stalling for time, and now I have to face this bad news.

It can only be said that they were somewhat unlucky.

"So now all we need to do is break through this last great formation, and then we can advance unimpeded, right?"

Xiao Chen was quite confident. "Since they're all holed up here, let's try to surround them and wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Although it's Linked Grand Array, it's not complicated to break through once you find the key points.

"Uh, this is probably the last one."

Gang Yuan True Monarch reminded them, "The Sea Race has also set up an illusion array in front of the Linked Grand Array to conceal the true situation inside and prevent detection."

"Of course, strictly speaking, the illusion array is just a smokescreen and shouldn't be taken seriously."

Actually, there are two more large formations.

"Oh, I see."

After all, this was Xiao Chen's first time facing such a large-scale battle, so he inevitably lacked experience.

However, he didn't care much about that, and instead humbly asked for advice, "Daoist Gang Yuan, you have more experience in this area, what should we do next?"

It's not shameful to ask questions when you don't understand something. Once you learn it, you'll understand next time.

However, even Gang Yuan True Monarch didn't have a good solution in this regard. "Right now we're almost completely in the dark, and it's difficult to analyze the specific situation."

"Our top priority is to deal with that illusion array so that we can obtain more intelligence."

"But now that we're here, there's a high probability that a Great Demon is guarding the illusion array."

"We currently know neither the other party's true strength nor whether there are any hidden Profound Mystery within that illusion array."

"I wonder which fellow Daoist would be willing to step forward and try to find out their true nature?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Qian Shu True Monarch volunteered, "Since we're facing an illusion array, let me send a puppet to give it a try."

Thousand Machines Valley excels in puppetry and is most adept at countering illusionary formations.

After all, even the most powerful illusions are difficult to work on inanimate objects.

Of course, advanced illusions can bypass the puppets and directly bewitch the Puppet Master behind them by following their Divine Sense.

However, that would create an additional layer of separation, making it difficult for the Puppet Master to fall for the attack if they were prepared.

The group then set off together and stopped about a hundred miles from the Sea Race's formation.

Standing here, you can clearly see that thick fog is surrounding the area ahead, blocking everyone's path.

"Daoist Qian Shu, then it's up to you."

Iron Fan True Monarch took out a large Iron Fan and summoned it in advance, covering his head like an umbrella. "We will be here to protect you."

The others also took out their Spirit Artifact and prepared them.

In an instant, everyone was surrounded by a dazzling array of colors.

"No problem, no problem."

Qian Shu True Monarch smiled slightly, took out a sachet, and gently sniffed it.

Then, reaching down to his waist, he pulled out a White Jade doll about the size of a little finger.

He muttered incantations and tossed the object into the air.

In the blink of an eye, the puppet swelled to the size of True Person, revealing itself to be a handsome Sword Cultivator.

Even more amazingly, it seemed to come alive.

First, he turned his neck, then reached out and drew the sword from his waist to examine it.

Finally, he turned around, gave a Sword Holding Ceremony to Qian Shu True Monarch, then turned solemnly and stepped into the illusion array.

To be honest, although I don't know how powerful this puppet is, it looks pretty useful.

After the Sword Cultivator puppet fell into the illusion array, Qian Shu True Monarch closed his eyes and began to concentrate on manipulating the puppet to break the array.

Soon, his expression tightened, and his Mnemonic became much more rapid.

At the same time, strong fluctuations of Spiritual Power emanated from within the illusion array, indicating that a battle had already begun.

"Found it! It was a Stone Fish causing the trouble."

A moment later, Qian Shu True Monarch smiled slightly and immediately used Secret Method Formula to amplify the puppet by forming hand seals.

Immediately afterwards, a loud sword cry rang out from within the great formation.

Although the crowd couldn't see the specific situation inside, they could still sense a sharp Sword Intent flashing by through the thick fog.

However, after waiting for a while, the fog showed no signs of lessening.

This puzzled even Qian Shu True Monarch: "Hmm? Why hasn't the formation been dispelled?"

So he manipulated the puppets and began trying to destroy the Array Foundation.

Another quarter of an hour passed quickly.

A fine layer of sweat had formed on the forehead of Qian Shu True Monarch.

It seems to be going through some difficulties.

Suddenly, a strong surge of Spiritual Power erupted from within the illusion array ahead.

The next instant, Qian Shu True Monarch trembled.

A string of small bells hanging from her waist began to shake violently, producing a loud, clear ringing sound.

Those around who heard this felt instantly calmed and at ease.

Qian Shu True Monarch, also startled by the sound of the bell, suddenly opened his eyes. "Oh no, my White Jade Sword!"

But immediately afterward, he reversed the hand seal without hesitation.

A loud explosion echoed within the illusion array, destroying its own puppet.

He then opened his mouth and coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face visibly paling.

The result is already quite clear: the Human Race has had a bad start.

The powerful Great Demon guarding the Sea Race's illusion array seems quite formidable.

"Daoist Qian Shu, are you alright?"

Gang Yuan True Monarch immediately asked with concern, "Do you need to go back and rest?"

Qian Shu True Monarch waved his hand, paused for three breaths, and then replied, "I'm fine."

"I was just caught off guard and fell into that beast's illusion. Luckily, I knew beforehand that I had to break through the illusion array, so I used the Mind Clarifying Incense to refresh myself, and I also had the Calming Bell to protect myself."

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief for him.

However, this makes the illusion array in front of them a big problem.

It should be noted that even Qian Shu True Monarch, separated by a puppet, needed spiritual objects and Spirit Artifact to break free from the illusion's influence.

Wouldn't the others be at an even greater disadvantage if they went in?

The crucial point is that right now, everyone is still completely clueless about what's going on inside; they have no idea what's happening.

Thinking of this, everyone's expressions turned somewhat grim.

Unexpectedly, a mere illusion array has stopped everyone here, preventing them from even seeing the Linked Grand Array behind it, let alone breaking through them.

Fortunately, Qian Shu True Monarch carefully recalled what had just happened.

However, he took the initiative to speak up and provide information, "Fellow Daoists, although I was just caught in that beast's illusion, with the help of Mind Clarifying Incense, I was able to see its true appearance."

"It's not Stone Fish inside, but a Mutated Ice Crystal Jellyfish."

Upon hearing this, Crane Cry True Monarch's eyes lit up.

He immediately asked, "Daoist Qian Shu, is that a jellyfish with many tentacles, each about ten zhang long, and small blue ice balls at the end of its tail?"

"Back in the Listening Wave Sea, this beast harassed my junior brother and me multiple times."

Qian Shu True Monarch nodded quickly. "That's right, both characteristics match, it should be the same Demon Beast."

So it was Great Demon I'd seen before.

Gang Yuan True Monarch hurriedly asked, "Since that's the case, does Fellow Crane Daoist Friend have a way to deal with it?"

However, Crane Cry True Monarch frowned. "This... I'm afraid it's not so easy to say."

"Fellow Daoists, you may not know this, but that beast not only possesses the cultivation of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, but it is also unlike a normal Ice Crystal Jellyfish."

"Not only is his Bloodline Mutation related to illusion magic, but he also possesses extremely high Spiritual Intelligence and has cultivated an additional, very powerful illusion magic technique."

"Back then at the Listening Wave Sea, I relied on my ancestral ' Spirit Awakening Talisman to protect myself, but even so, I almost fell victim to it several times."

"Now that the illusion array is enhanced, his illusion techniques should be even more advanced."

"If we charge straight into the enemy formation, even the Spirit Awakening Talisman might not be effective."

After he said that, everyone finally understood.

No wonder even though Qian Shu True Monarch was separated by a layer, he almost fell for it. It turns out that this was a special Great Demon that had cultivated illusion magic.

Such Great Demon, whose Bloodline Mutation and Law Technique are perfectly compatible, are often more difficult to deal with than Human Race cultivators of the same cultivation level.

There's nothing you can do; they're simply ahead of you in terms of Innate Ability.

"It's alright, at least we've figured out the Great Demon guarding the illusion array today."

Gang Yuan True Monarch promptly spoke up to encourage them, "Let me go back and do some research, and create some Formation Flag that can suppress illusion arrays."

"Let's all brainstorm ways to Illusion Countering."

"We can start over once we're all ready."

His suggestion was the safest; now that they knew the situation of the Great Demon inside, dealing with it was only a matter of time.

The only problem is that it will take more time.

"No need to make another trip!"

Xiao Chen spoke up, "I also have some experience in dealing with illusions. Please wait a moment while I go and give it a try."

He had originally thought that since Qian Shu True Monarch had taken the initiative to speak, there was no need for him to compete with him.

But given the current situation, we still have to rely on the Divinity Veil protection.

Of course, nominally, it was because he had cultivated a Secret Method to Illusion Countering.

As a rumored Hidden Dao Heritage Successor, it's quite normal for him to possess some Secret Method, right?

"Daoist Xiao, this illusion array also has four levels; the combination of the two makes it extremely difficult."

Gang Yuan True Monarch asked with concern, "Are you absolutely certain?"

"Actually, making the Formation Flag doesn't take much time."

The others also spoke up to advise against it, saying there was no need to rush.

But Xiao Chen smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, everyone, I'll be right back."

Having said that, he flashed and entered the illusion array in a few breaths.

Strangely enough, the mist surrounding this illusion array, of unknown origin, caused even a tiny bit to weigh a ton when it touched a person.

With this thing blocking the way outside the illusion array, it undoubtedly adds another layer of challenge for intruders.

The key issue is that you don't know if it has any other effects besides being heavy.

Xiao Chen activated the Four Symbols Suppressing Mountain Shield and tried to activate the Vermilion Bird Spirit Pattern, but he couldn't burn away the mist.

However, he didn't linger and went straight to the innermost part.

For others, entering the illusion array means entering the most dangerous place.

But for Xiao Chen, it felt like coming home.

He spotted the Ice Crystal Jellyfish floating on the surface of the sea at a glance.

The elaborate illusions designed by the other party to mislead them had no effect whatsoever.

"Azure Wave Piercing Bone Needle!"

Xiao Chen didn't waste any words with it and threw three Flying Needle.

The Ice Crystal Jellyfish, seeing that another Human Race cultivator had broken in, was already working hard to weave Illusion Realm.

Suddenly, it became clear that the other party seemed to be coming directly for them.

Ah, can you see me?

No, no, no, it must have been a fluke.

Caught off guard, it had no choice but to temporarily activate its Demonic Essence to condense a barrier on its body surface.

Then he tried to move his body to create some distance.

In the blink of an eye, its response was already at its best.

But it's still far from enough.

The hastily constructed barrier was as fragile as paper, easily pierced by the Azure Wave Piercing Bone Needle.

Although its movements were not slow, it was still not fast enough in the face of Law Technique.

Even more outrageous is...

After the Law Technique was cast, the Ice Crystal Jellyfish was surprised to see that Xiao Chen completely ignored the layers of illusions and restrictions.

It charged straight towards its location.

Despite the numerous pre-set illusions being triggered along the way, it remained completely unmoved.

Holy crap, you can actually see me!