Within the Array Formation, Bai Ze sensed everything in the Outer Landscape. He regulated his breathing and absorbed qi, sitting as motionless as an old monk in meditation, letting flowers and leaves drift down onto his body.
Within his Inner Landscape, his Primordial Spirit sat cross-legged, gazing at the dim space around him as thoughts intertwined.
Everything he sensed in the Outer Landscape was reflected back into his Inner Landscape.
Threads appeared out of nowhere, transforming into Array Formation patterns that interwove and staggered together, gradually spreading outward from beneath him.
As one node after another lit up,
before long, a magnificent grand array detached from the mountains, rocks, grass, and trees appeared.
Until it reached three hundred zhang!
He attached his thoughts to the mountains, rocks, grass, and trees within the Outer Landscape, carefully sensing the flow of Dao Essence through every patterned node.
This Dao Essence possessed an imposing momentum, yet it could perfectly merge with the artificial objects within nature, becoming one seamless whole.
Relying on his Insight Talent, he calmed himself and observed carefully, capturing the changes and patterns of those nodes containing Dao Essence.
Yet those nodes drifted about endlessly like mayflies. Bai Ze did not give up; instead, he found endless delight in it, thoroughly enjoying the thrill of each successful capture.
As his progress in the Outer Landscape continued, the array patterns in his Inner Landscape also slowly and methodically extended farther outward.
At that moment, time seemed utterly meaningless to him.
Until five hundred years later.
The Array Formation in his Inner Landscape began to tremble. He abruptly opened his eyes, his brows tightly furrowed.
"Only five hundred years have passed. Why am I already having trouble suppressing my cultivation?"
He immediately stopped comprehending the array, calmed his mind, and did his utmost to suppress the restless Primordial Spiritual Qi within his body.
In the small courtyard, Duobao and Guang Chengzi, having awakened from their cultivation, came before the array spirit as agreed.
They looked at Bai Ze, whose aura was unstable and on the verge of a breakthrough.
A trace of pain flashed through Duobao's eyes. Although he had long expected Bai Ze to break through, he had never imagined it would happen after merely five hundred years.
Fortunately, Brother Bai Ze had made rapid progress in Array Formations. According to their wager, the two Acquired Spirit Treasures were secure!
He then prepared to draw out his own essence blood.
But at that moment, Guang Chengzi spoke. "Junior Brother, no need to hurry. Bai Ze does not seem to intend to break through."
Upon hearing this, Duobao hurriedly looked over.
Though Bai Ze's brows were tightly knit and his aura was violent, it was eventually suppressed bit by bit.
"Brother Bai Ze really knows how to endure. After all this time, he can still hold himself back from breaking through."
Guang Chengzi smiled faintly, a thoughtful look appearing in his calm eyes.
"The Great Dao has countless paths. Bai Ze is so dedicated to tempering his fleshly True Form that it seems he intends to take the path of Force-Proving Dao."
Duobao was somewhat surprised. "That cannot be, can it? Force-Proving Dao is the most difficult path among the countless Great Daos.
With his talent in Array Formations, he should not choose this path.
Senior Brother, look. Five hundred years have passed, yet his grasp of the Prohibitive Array has increased by another hundred and fifty zhang!
Bai Ze is no fool. With such talent, would changing to Force-Proving Dao not be like cocooning himself in his own silk?"
Guang Chengzi's eyes flickered as he gave a soft laugh.
"Junior Brother, your words make sense. Since Chaos was opened, only Pangu has barely managed to attain Force-Proving Dao. All those who foolishly sought to achieve it ultimately changed to another path.
However, Junior Brother, do not forget that this Mountain-Guarding Forbidden Formation is easy to learn but difficult to master. The farther one progresses, the harder it becomes.
He has only mastered four hundred and fifty zhang so far. Once he reaches five hundred zhang, perhaps he will not advance so quickly."
Duobao nodded deeply, speaking from experience. He then turned to Guang Chengzi.
"Senior Brother, how long do you think it will take this Bai Ze to fully master it?"
Guang Chengzi silently calculated. Bai Ze's talent in the array path was indeed impressive, but no matter how great it was, would it not still take nearly ten thousand years?
"I think it will take at least around ten thousand years at the fastest. The margin of error should not exceed one thousand years."
Duobao looked at Bai Ze, his gaze flickering. He knew just how powerful Bai Ze's talent in the array path was! In his view, Bai Ze would only be faster than that estimate!
"I do not think so. How about we add another wager?"
Guang Chengzi glanced at Duobao. "No need. Losing two Spirit Treasures earlier was like cutting flesh from your body. If you lose again, will you not roll about on the ground?"
Duobao's expression fell. Was I really that obvious?
Time passed swiftly, and the years flew by.
Five hundred years later, Duobao and Guang Chengzi met again, only to find that Bai Ze had not broken through in cultivation, while his comprehension of the Prohibitive Array remained at five hundred zhang.
Looking at Bai Ze in seclusion, Duobao sighed. "It seems Brother Bai Ze has encountered an obstacle."
Guang Chengzi nodded slightly. "The operating principles of the first five hundred zhang and the latter five hundred zhang of the Prohibitive Array are worlds apart. Whether one can comprehend them depends on a single thought!
Yet that single thought has still blocked countless prodigies seeking entry into the mountain gate."
Hearing this, Duobao could not help recalling his own days when he had first entered the mountain gate. He had rapidly comprehended the first five hundred zhang as well, but the latter five hundred zhang had trapped him for several thousand years!
Duobao examined Bai Ze as he meditated, his brow slightly furrowed. "A thousand years have passed. Why has Brother Bai Ze still not chosen to break through?"
Guang Chengzi looked at Bai Ze within the Array Formation and could not help falling silent. If Bai Ze wished to perfect himself, spending five hundred years polishing his foundation would be understandable.
But now a thousand years had passed, and Bai Ze still had not broken through. That left them somewhat baffled.
After observing Bai Ze for a while, the two exchanged insights on the Dao for a hundred years. Seeing no sign of Bai Ze breaking through in either cultivation or Array Formations, they agreed to return here a thousand years later.
After Guang Chengzi left, Duobao remained and watched for a while longer, inwardly puzzled.
"What is Brother Bai Ze doing? Setting aside suppressing his cultivation, why has he stopped comprehending the Prohibitive Array as well?"
Within the Array Formation, Bai Ze let out a soft breath of Turbid Qi. He had originally planned to polish himself for five hundred years before breaking through, but after suppressing himself for so long,
he unexpectedly discovered some secrets of the fleshly body.
Now, when he examined himself inwardly, he found that his limbs, bones, and organs were crystalline and translucent, like white jade.
Only an arcane Inscription on one of his hand bones was especially striking!
This had naturally condensed from his fleshly body after he suppressed his cultivation for a thousand years.
This Inscription was incomparably profound. It had not arisen from comprehending the Dao, but had formed from the essence of his entire body after his fleshly body had been tempered to a certain realm.
He raised the palm bearing the Inscription and gently pushed it forward.
In an instant, fine spatial cracks appeared in the air.
Terrifying streams of Chaos Qi seeped out from them, corroding his palm.
Yet the bones in his hand glowed faintly. In an instant, they shattered the spreading Chaos Qi into nothingness.
As the surrounding array patterns flickered, the spatial cracks slowly closed. His palm remained as smooth as jade, without the slightest injury.
However, the exceptionally sturdy rocks of Kunlun Mountain were instantly corroded by the Chaos Qi, leaving behind numerous pits and holes.
Had the Prohibitive Array patterns not flickered and erased the remaining Chaos Qi, the damage suffered by this place would have been far worse!
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