The Grand Formation Opens

That adorably fierce yet aggrieved complaint was mingled with the strange ripples left behind by the explosion.

Like a drop of cold water splashing into boiling oil, it instantly exploded among the Three Pure Ones.

Yuanshi's heart suddenly clenched.

A rare flicker of panic crossed his usually impassive face.

The mysteries of Formations, the secrets of heaven, Karma—

all of them were cast beyond the clouds at that moment.

All that remained in his mind was the fleeting glimpse of that tender little figure he had seen during the Taiji Diagram's deduction,

along with that clear sound of crying.

She was hurt?!

What had caused that explosion?

Could something have gone wrong in her cultivation?

Or had she encountered some danger that even this Innate Grand Formation could not entirely shut out?

An anxiety unlike any he had ever known gripped his mind.

He even unconsciously stepped forward.

The Dao aura around him rippled out of control, carrying an indescribable urgency and concern.

Tongtian was even more direct, nearly drawing his sword again.

"Are they fighting inside? That was quite a commotion! We..."

He looked toward Laozi and Yuanshi, his meaning clear.

Stop waiting and find a way to charge in and take a look!

Laozi raised a hand and gently pressed it down through the air.

He restrained the somewhat agitated Yuanshi and the eager Tongtian.

"Calm your hearts."

Laozi's voice remained even, yet it carried a strangely soothing force.

"It is neither an external enemy nor Qi Deviation.

Judging by the fluctuations, Vitality is abundant and there is no Malevolent Qi.

It seems more like... she was refining something,

and lost control of the heat."

Though Laozi had not witnessed it himself, he could already infer most of the truth from the aura that had dispersed.

The explosion contained no destructive energy.

Rather, it was overflowing life essence and Five Elements spiritual essence that had not been properly restrained.

It was more like...

a child playing with fire and accidentally burning down the stove.

Tongtian froze for a moment at those words.

Then an exceedingly strange expression appeared on his face.

He wanted to laugh, but felt the occasion was inappropriate,

so he held it in with all his might, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"Refining, refining something? And causing such a huge commotion? This little one... she's got some skills!"

He immediately found it immensely amusing.

The taut string in Yuanshi's heart loosened slightly, but his worry did not entirely fade.

Even if the refinement had failed, the aftershock of that explosion...

She was so young. Had she hurt herself?

He even imagined a tiny, soot-covered figure wiping away tears.

The image lightly touched some soft corner deep within his Dao Heart, stirring up a fine, aching tenderness.

They could not wait any longer.

He had to go in!

This thought had never been so strong.

But this damned Innate Grand Formation...

Just as Yuanshi was burning with anxiety and was about to disregard Laozi's advice,

preparing to knock upon the formation as gently as possible,

even if it meant suffering backlash, just to make some noise and alert whoever was inside—

Laozi spoke again. His gaze seemed to pierce through the invisible barrier and glimpse a deeper connection.

"Gather your thoughts and still all conflict.

Guide your Dao auras close, slowly,

do not force it. Sense what is natural."

His words contained some profound guidance.

This was not a method to break the Formation, but a form of acknowledgment and resonance.

Yuanshi understood at once.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing all his agitation as he sank his mind into its deepest depths.

The Dao aura around him flowed like moonlight, warm and clear.

It slowly spread toward the Innate Grand Formation.

Seeing this, Tongtian found it troublesome, but followed suit.

He drew back the sharpness of his Dao aura and extended it outward like a stream flowing into a river.

Laozi, meanwhile, was the most natural of all. It was as though he had always been one with this heaven and earth, already resonating harmoniously with his surroundings.

And at the very instant the three Dao auras touched the Primordial Guardian Array together—

a miracle occurred.

The formation's light screen, which had previously been seamless and rejected all outside things,

suddenly rippled as though ice had met the warm sun,

or as though an old friend had heard their agreed secret signal!

It was not rejection, but a gentle, soothing resonance!

Somewhere in the unseen, it seemed as though an invisible hand quietly moved a hidden mechanism.

Silently nodding, it granted permission to pass.

A soft yet pleasant hum of the Great Dao rang out.

Above the empty sea ahead, the light began to twist violently like rippling water.

Endless clouds and mist emerged from the void, then swiftly parted to either side as though an invisible curtain had been drawn open.

Beyond the clouds and mist, the Immortal Island itself did not immediately appear.

Instead, there emerged a transparent formation wall, thin as cicada wings and gleaming with a seven-colored glazed radiance.

Gentle ripples spread across its surface.

At the center of the ripples,

a wavering gap in the Light Gate, only wide enough for one person to pass through,

slowly emerged and stabilized.

Beyond the gate,

Innate Spiritual Energy so dense it was almost suffocating rushed toward them.

The gate had opened!

Tongtian's eyes lit up, and he could not help but prepare to rush in first.

"Wait."

Laozi spoke calmly, though his gaze turned toward Yuanshi with a trace of meaning difficult to discern.

Yuanshi stared blankly at the Light Gate, emotions surging through his heart like waves.

Worry, anticipation, nervousness, and a bewilderment almost like the timidity of returning home...

The tangled emotions caused this Great Expert, who had weathered all the storms of the Prehistoric World, to hesitate for a moment.

He took a deep breath and steadied himself.

In the end, concern won out.

He straightened his robes, which were not even the slightest bit disheveled, as though the gesture could calm the waves in his heart.

He stepped forward first.

His figure flashed.

Like a stream of Clear Radiance, he flowed into the Light Gate and vanished.

Laozi followed close behind, his steps unhurried,

as though he were merely entering his own courtyard.

Tongtian had long since run out of patience. His body transformed into a swift streak of light and shot inside.

The moment Tongtian entered, the ripples on the Light Gate gave a slight tremble.

Like a water droplet returning to the sea, it instantly closed as before.

The outer seven-colored glazed formation wall vanished, while the churning clouds and mist closed again, sealing away all auras and sights as though nothing had ever happened.