Shi Yi was immersed in the joy of his breakthrough, feeling the surging power within him. With a gentle clench of his fist, he crushed the air, producing a series of sharp cracks. Spiritual power flowed through his meridians like mighty rivers, circulating through the array patterns constructed within his body. Each cycle made his aura more solid.
Just then, a voice as cool and clear as moonlight sounded behind him. "Your flesh has grown stronger and tougher, your bones are as sturdy as divine metal, and your blood flows thick and heavy as mercury. Divine radiance permeates your entire body, and even your pores breathe rays of light... it seems your strength has improved again!"
Though the voice was calm, it sent a jolt through Shi Yi's heart. Without turning, he knew it belonged to his unfathomable master, the Double Pupils Woman. He turned and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Master. Have you emerged from seclusion?"
In the sunlight, the Double Pupils Woman wore a simple, old-fashioned gray robe, and galaxies seemed to revolve within her eyes. She nodded slightly, a trace of weariness seemingly flashing in their depths. "I was contemplating the Great Dao when I sensed the spiritual energy within a hundred li converging in this direction, so I followed its path here."
Shi Yi's expression grew solemn at her words. "Master, I have entered the array formation realm and finished inscribing one corner of a grand array. I never expected its first activation to disturb your secluded cultivation. Please forgive me."
A grand array capable of devouring spiritual energy for cultivation immediately aroused the Double Pupils Woman's interest. Her gaze shifted slightly, and a meaningful smile curved her lips. "Oh? What mysteries does this array hold?"
A wonderful experience, wonderfully thoughtful.
Shi Yi answered respectfully, "I have only inscribed one corner of the grand array so far, and its full power has yet to manifest. At present, it can only gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to aid my cultivation." With that, his hand seals shifted, and the array patterns within his body abruptly lit up. In an instant, the surrounding spiritual energy surged madly into him like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.
When Shi Yi stopped and looked up, he found his master's expression had become utterly grave. More terrifying still was the pressure radiating from her-her formerly restrained aura was now fully unleashed, and countless ancient runes emerged from the void, slowly revolving around her. Her terrifying aura spread outward in wave after wave, shattering the surrounding space inch by inch as fine black cracks spread like a spiderweb. An appalling number of runes radiated from her body, stretching across the entire sky. The clouds overhead were blasted apart and vanished, thunder rolled, and the whole great hall trembled, as though it might collapse at any moment.
As the Double Pupils Woman's aura erupted, Shi Yi felt like a solitary leaf cast into a raging ocean whose waves reached the heavens, liable to be crushed to dust by that vast pressure at any moment.
Her once languid, ethereal eyes had now fully assumed their double-pupiled form. Wherever their light fell, galaxies shattered, all things fell into extinction, and chaos churned, as though countless universes were being born and destroyed in cycles within her eyes. That gaze was so profound that it seemed capable of swallowing everything. None would dare meet it directly, lest they sink into its depths and never escape for all eternity.
Now, she stared at Shi Yi with her double pupils at their absolute peak. Her gaze was like a blade, seemingly intent on dissecting every inch of his flesh and every strand of his soul. Every hair on Shi Yi's body stood on end. He felt that everything about him-his flesh, bones, bloodline, and even the secrets deep within his soul-had been laid completely bare. Instinctively, he tried to circulate his runes to resist, only to discover in horror that before this power, he was as helpless to struggle as an ant!
Fortunately, that terrifying sensation of being seen through completely lasted only an instant. To Shi Yi, however, it felt as though long ages had passed, each breath an ordeal of ten thousand years.
Inside the resplendent hall, Shi Yi stared blankly at his transcendent master. His own double pupils, reflecting the birth and destruction of stars, were filled with confusion. He could not understand why his master, normally as cool and aloof as an immortal banished from heaven, had suddenly unleashed such horrifying pressure.
"The grand array you just described..." The Double Pupils Woman's gaze shifted slightly, her voice still ethereal and clear. "I saw no condensed array patterns within your body. This must involve some forbidden inheritance. Even the Heavenly Dao is preventing it from appearing in the world and becoming known to others."
She gazed at Shi Yi, galaxies revolving in the depths of her eyes. "Remember, until you are strong enough, do not let anyone else learn of this array's existence. Nor should you activate it frequently, lest..." She paused briefly. "You bring utter destruction upon yourself."
Shi Yi's mind shook violently, as though a thunderclap had exploded within his sea of consciousness. He had clearly activated the grand array's patterns, yet even someone as powerful as his master, who stood at the very pinnacle of this world, had failed to see them. Something so far beyond all reason left him as bewildered as if he had fallen into clouds and mist. The blood and vital energy within him churned like boiling magma, refusing to settle for a long time.
Shi Yi did not attempt to invent an explanation for the array's origins-before an existence of this caliber, any unnecessary excuse would only expose more flaws. Such beings could deduce countless possibilities from the tiniest inconsistency.
"Something else? When did another presence appear inside me?" Shi Yi knitted his brows, his face full of confusion.
At the Double Pupils Woman's instruction, he sat cross-legged and swept his divine sense through every inch of his body like a gently trickling stream. At last, deep within his sea of consciousness, he detected a faintly flickering rune mark.
This rune was extraordinarily mysterious-it seemed rooted in his sea of consciousness, yet also appeared to drift through another dimension. Stranger still, it resonated subtly with his own soul. An occasional thread of silver light flowed across its surface; without a deliberate search, it would have been easily overlooked.
Shi Yi immediately activated his double pupils. In an instant, the rune's true form appeared before his eyes in perfect detail: a magnificent pattern woven from countless laws of space and time, each line containing the mighty power to traverse past and present.
A space-time rune! Shi Yi's heart jolted violently. He knew well that in this world, the Dao of space and time had always been among the most profound mysteries. "Time is king, space is sovereign" was no empty saying. Even Gu's Treasure Art, powerful as it was among the treasure arts of the Ten Fiends, touched only the tip of the iceberg of the Dao of space and time.
A bold thought flashed through his mind: If I can comprehend this rune, given enough time, I might create a peerless divine ability that rivals the treasure arts of the Ten Fiends!
But a moment later, confusion arose again-why had such a divine marvel appeared within him? His memories returned to the day the profound ice shattered, to the instant he was swallowed by spatial turbulence... So that was it! This rune must have traveled across with me back then. In that case, it could count as an unconventional "first-generation supreme bone."
After learning that Shi Yi had gone out alone to temper himself and slay fierce beasts while she was in seclusion, the Double Pupils Woman narrowed her eyes slightly. Within them, galaxies were born and extinguished, and an inscrutable light flowed. She quietly studied the youth before her, her gaze sweeping over his entire body with an almost tangible weight. A chill immediately ran down Shi Yi's spine, and every hair on his body stood on end.
"You certainly have some nerve." The Double Pupils Woman's voice carried a hint of coldness, yet beneath it lay a trace of concern that was almost impossible to discern. She lightly waved her fair hand, and a streak of light entered Shi Yi's brow. A three-dimensional map of the entire Secret Realm immediately unfolded within his sea of consciousness.
When he saw the densely packed danger markers on the map, Shi Yi could not help drawing in
a sharp breath-the Secret Realm was crawling with powerful fierce beasts, and several terrifying beings of the true god realm even held dominion there. With his current cultivation, if he encountered one by accident, he would likely have no chance even to flee.
"If this palace were not located at the heart of the forbidden zone..." The Double Pupils Woman gave Shi Yi a meaningful glance. Though she left her words unfinished, they already filled the youth with lingering dread. Only then did he realize that his safe return had been sheer luck.