Plan

"This Teleportation Array is not that Teleportation Array." Fang Che spoke with focused gravity. "The Teleportation Arrays within the Immortal Treasury were not laid down by human hands, but naturally evolved from heaven and earth. Their locations drifted unpredictably—perhaps a mountain, perhaps a lake—but they were mostly found where the qi currents of heaven and earth were dense. And there were quite a few of them."

Yan Qihu followed up at once. "Within this Immortal Treasury, most places rich in the qi currents of heaven and earth are occupied by demons, monsters, ghosts, and fiends. If we Rogue Cultivators do not join forces, trying to force our way through the Immortal Treasury alone would be harder than climbing to heaven."

"Half-Immortal Xu is well versed in mystic gate arts. Might you be able to read the feng shui and the lay of the mountains to locate the Teleportation Array?" someone asked, raising a brow and turning his head.

Xu Yan answered calmly, "I can give it a try. Perhaps something will come of it."

Someone laughed. "With Fellow Daoist Xu traveling alongside us, we can face the Immortal Treasury with a little more confidence."

The group of fifteen walked along, chatting and laughing.

They had arrived at Spirit-Sealing City relatively late. Fang Che led them to an unoccupied Ancient Pavilion in the city's eastern district.

They had planned for a long time before entering the Immortal Treasury. Clearly, they had come prepared.

This would serve as their temporary residence.

The Ancient Pavilion was fairly spacious, with more than twenty cave-abode rooms.

Fang Che took out an array disk. As he turned it and set up the Spirit-Protecting Array, he casually said, "Back at the Immortal Inn, I wanted to find Brother Xu, but discovered you were no longer at your old lodgings. You had not set up your stall those days either. I originally thought you had decided not to enter the Immortal Treasury, yet who would have thought I would meet you here?"

It was a long story.

Xu Yan had some attainments in mystic gate arts, and Fang Che had long intended to recruit him.

Those days, Xu Yan had happened to be in seclusion, cultivating his Qi Exhalation to completion. Then, on the day the Immortal Treasury opened, Fang Che saw with his own eyes that Xu Yan had not entered immediately. He had assumed Xu Yan did not plan to come in, only to encounter him here after all.

"The great path of cultivation is difficult with every step. If I cannot enter the Dao Academy this time, immortality will be beyond my reach in this life." Fang Che sighed, glancing at Xu Yan from the corner of his eye, with a trace of envy in his heart.

Xu Yan was only twenty, yet already at the first level of Pulse Opening. His talent and innate foundation clearly surpassed Fang Che's by far.

"Brother Fang need not belittle yourself. There are countless great talents in the world who bloom late. Fellow Daoist may not be unable to attain immortality," Xu Yan said in a deep voice.

"Thank you for the auspicious words, Fellow Daoist. Let us hope so."

Once the array had been set up, the fifteen sat in a circle within the Ancient Pavilion and began discussing their plans.

This group of Rogue Cultivators had been gathered by Fang Che. His cultivation was also the highest, at the third level of Pulse Opening, so he commanded considerable respect.

Unhurried and composed, Fang Che took a stack of talismans from his Qiankun Bag.

They were Gold Whistle Talismans. So long as one left a divine-sense imprint on them, they could transmit messages to other cultivators within a thousand li, reaching their destination in only half an incense stick's time.

"Everyone, we will split up from here on, in groups of two or three." Fang Che distributed the talismans and said solemnly, "Over the next few days, we will head out to search for teleportation sites. If you encounter demons, monsters, ghosts, or fiends, be sure to proceed cautiously. Avoid them whenever possible. Once you discover an Ancient Teleportation Array, notify the others immediately."

"We shall follow Fellow Daoist Fang's arrangements in all things."

Xu Yan also nodded in agreement.

He had already decided to travel with these people. They were all familiar faces and worthy of trust; it was far safer than acting alone.

Xu Yan, Yan Qihu, and a female cultivator named Yao Yu formed a group of three.

Fang Che swept his gaze across the crowd and said in a deep voice, "We will first gather information in the city today, then set off at dawn tomorrow!"

The streets of the city rang with unending clamor.

As the three walked, Yao Yu—though a woman of around thirty—was no weak cultivator. She had completed the second level of Pulse Opening and was faintly on the verge of a breakthrough.

She walked in front, her slender waist swaying with every step, brimming with mature charm. Yan Qihu narrowed his eyes as he watched from behind and laughed. "For the next few days, Brother Xu and I will be at Fairy Yao's disposal!"

Yao Yu turned back and rolled her eyes at him. Her eyes curved into crescents as she looked at Xu Yan. "Little Brother Xu, these dim eyes of mine will have to rely on you."

"It is my duty," Xu Yan said with a nod.

The three continued strolling.

Many stalls on both sides of the street sold maps of the first half of the Immortal Treasury. Most were fakes and could not be trusted. Even the genuine ones only covered part of the area.

Only the prodigies of the great clans likely possessed complete maps. But ten days had already passed, and those true prodigies were already tens of thousands of li away. They did not lack spiritual wealth or spiritual treasures; upon entering the Immortal Treasury, they sought to seize the lead at the fastest possible speed.

When they reached the center of the ancient city, they found a ruined Ancient Dao Field. It spanned three hundred zhang in both length and width, towering and majestic with an extraordinary presence.

The Ancient Dao Field was shrouded by an array, and divine abilities and spells could be used within.

At this moment, many people had gathered around it, while more than a hundred cultivators inside were sparring with Dao arts and divine abilities.

Xu Yan glanced over from the corner of his eye and discovered that the group from Nine Star Kui Island was also present, standing within a stone pavilion.

At their head, Huangfu Ziyang sat on a stone bench, watching the spell battles in the Dao Field with an indifferent expression. Murong Yan stood beside him, saying something.

Xu Yan felt a faint knot of anxiety in his heart.

If these great-clan people truly investigated the cause of those three deaths, it would be troublesome. Xu Yan believed he had destroyed the corpses and wiped away the traces cleanly enough, but heaven knew what secret arts these clans might still possess.

However, they seemed to have forgotten those three already and did not mention the matter.

"Where has my cousin gone?" Huangfu Ziyang asked coldly.

Murong Yan's eyes shifted. Looking somewhat awkward, he slowly said, "Young Master, Miss Murong is likely more than ten thousand li away. The Gold Whistle Flying Sword can no longer reach her..."

"What?!"

Hearing this, Huangfu Ziyang's eyes flew wide open. Losing some of his composure, he abruptly rose from the bench and immediately said, "Send everyone out to search for Teleportation Arrays. Put up notices throughout the city. So long as anyone is willing to provide information on an Ancient Teleportation Array, spiritual wealth and spiritual treasures will not be an issue."

"Yes, Young Master."

Murong Yan curled his lips imperceptibly, glancing sidelong at this young master of the main family.

His words were respectful, but in his heart, his contempt had reached the extreme.

He stepped down from the pavilion. As he passed Xu Yan, he noticed him from the corner of his eye, stopped, and said in surprise, "Isn't this Half-Immortal Xu? If you have any news of a Teleportation Array, be sure to inform me at once. My young master will reward you handsomely."

As he spoke, he directly took out a Sound Transmission Talisman from his Qiankun Bag and handed it to Xu Yan.

"Certainly." Xu Yan accepted it directly, his expression calm.

With that, the man hurried off again in great haste.

Xu Yan's group did not leave immediately. Instead, they entered the Ancient Dao Field, where divine abilities and spells could be used.

Xu Yan took out the Green Pattern Dharma Sword and practiced Hundred Sword Art.

This sword-art divine ability contained the arts of sword control and sword division. Sword control naturally meant controlling a dharma sword after it left one's hand, while sword division used Mystic Qi to manifest Mystic Qi swords of similar power to accompany the main sword in battle.

Once this divine ability was mastered, one could control a hundred swords.

Xu Yan flicked a finger, and the Green Pattern Sword left his hand. He tested it briefly, first guiding the sword to circle through the air. Once he grew proficient in controlling it, he silently recited the sword-division incantation.

In an instant!

The Green Pattern Sword trembled and split into two. The newly divided Green Pattern Sword looked identical to the original in the eyes of others, but Xu Yan could sense that the divided dharma sword possessed far less power.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—

Xu Yan held two fingers together, controlling the flying swords with complete concentration. This art was not only tied to the depth of one's Mystic Qi, but also placed extreme demands on a cultivator's divine sense.

With Xu Yan's current divine sense and mana cultivation, he could control no more than six swords at once.

With a thought, mana surged forth with a howl, and his divine sense spread wide.

Six Green Pattern Dharma Swords, carrying rolling Primordial Mystic Qi and his own Gale Wind Breath, circled through the sky with piercing sharpness.

"Little Brother Xu, what exquisite sword-control arts." Yao Yu watched from the side, her eyes shining.

The might of Xu Yan's art was no small matter. Once unleashed in attack, it was like a raging storm that made hearts tremble. Primordial Chaos Mana was already exceptionally domineering, and with the amplification of the Green Pattern Dharma Sword, its power became even greater!

After practicing divine abilities in the Dao Field for a while,

Xu Yan's group of three returned to their cave-abodes in the Ancient Pavilion.

After tightly shutting the door to his cave abode, Xu Yan closed his eyes to rest for a moment. Then he took out the remaining Earth Spirit Spring water and that bottle of Dragon Breath Pulse-Opening Pills from his Qiankun Bag.