Snow Empress lectured for a whole day, from the methods of Foundation Establishment to the principles of spiritual energy circulation, from the pathways of meridians to the cultivation of the dantian. Her explanations were profound yet easy to understand, and even those with no cultivation foundation could understand seven or eight parts of it.
In the days that followed, other disciples of the Ziwei Sect also took to the stage to teach their respective cultivation methods. Various sects also sent their elite disciples to impart their sect's unique skills. The area outside the Ziwei Sect's mountain gate transformed into a huge cultivation arena, teeming with people and bustling with activity.
Meanwhile, the joint search team also began its operation. Each faction selected its most elite disciples, divided into dozens of small teams, to search for the array's core throughout the land. They traversed mountains and valleys, crossed forests and rivers, leaving no suspicious place unchecked.
A month later, two more key points of the formation were discovered and destroyed. But the remaining five key points remained nowhere to be found.
Ziwei Sect, back mountain.
Snow Empress sat alone on a huge rock, gazing at the distant sky. Moonlight shone on her, casting a long shadow of her.
"What are you thinking about?" a voice came from behind.
When Snow Empress turned around, she saw the abbot of Shaolin Temple, Buddha Heart Incarnation. He transformed into a faint black shadow and floated to Snow Empress's side.
"Abbot, what brings you here?" Snow Empress asked.
"I saw you standing here in a daze, so I came to check on you." The abbot sat down beside her. "Are you still worried about the formation's core?"
The Snow Empress nodded. "It's been a month, and we've only found two key points of the array. At this rate, by the time we find all the key points, the spiritual energy will probably be almost completely depleted."
The abbot was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Have you ever considered that the Demon Venerable's array core might not be on land?"
Snow Empress's heart skipped a beat. "The abbot means... at sea?"
"Indeed." The abbot nodded. "After the Battle of the East Sea, I've been wondering why the Demon Venerable chose a cave deep in the East Sea as the hiding place for his consciousness. Was it merely because it was remote and secluded? Later, I discovered that the spiritual energy fluctuations on the seabed near that cave were abnormally chaotic, as if a large amount of spiritual energy was being drawn away. At the time, I thought it was the Demon Venerable's consciousness absorbing spiritual energy and didn't pay much attention. But now, thinking back, I suspect that a key to a formation is hidden there."
Snow Empress suddenly stood up. "The abbot is right! I will immediately send people to the East Sea to investigate!"
"Wait a minute," the abbot stopped her. " The East Sea is vast, and its seabed is complex. Sending ordinary disciples there would likely be difficult to find. I suggest you go yourself. You possess the Power of the Heavenly Dao, and your perception of spiritual energy far surpasses that of ordinary people. You should be able to discover some clues."
The Snow Empress hesitated for a moment, "But, what about the Ziwei Sect..."
"Just leave it to Qingyunzi," the abbot said. "He has managed the Ziwei Sect very well over the past month, so you can rest assured. Besides, you might make some other discoveries on your trip to the East Sea."
Snow Empress thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright. Then I'll trouble the abbot to look after the Ziwei Sect for me. I'll set off tomorrow."
" Amitabha Buddha, go in peace." The abbot clasped his hands together, transformed into a black shadow, and disappeared into the night.
The next morning, Snow Empress left the Ziwei Sect alone and headed to the East Sea. She did not bring any attendants, because she knew that this operation required secrecy and speed, and that more people would only be a hindrance.
After a whirlwind journey, the Snow Empress arrived at the shores of the East Sea in half a day. Standing on the beach, she closed her eyes, released the Power of the Heavenly Dao, and sensed the fluctuations of spiritual energy around her.
As the abbot had predicted, the spiritual energy fluctuations deep within the East Sea were unusually chaotic. In one area, the spiritual energy seemed to be drawn by something, constantly converging in a certain direction.
"That's it!" Snow Empress opened her eyes, leaped into the sea, and swam towards the direction where the spiritual energy was gathering.
Deep in the East Sea, it was dark and icy. The Snow Empress activated her golden token, erecting a golden shield to keep the seawater out. She descended deeper and deeper, the surrounding light growing dimmer until she was completely enveloped in darkness.
But Snow Empress's perception became clearer and clearer. She could clearly "see" a huge crack deep in the sea, from which black Demonic Qi constantly surged, intertwining with spiritual energy to form a huge vortex. The spiritual energy was sucked into the vortex and disappeared without a trace.
"As expected, there's a formation!" Snow Empress quickened her pace and swam towards the crack.
Just as she was about to approach the crevice, suddenly, countless black tentacles surged out from it and coiled Entanglement Snow Empress. These tentacles were thicker and more powerful than those she had encountered in the East Sea cave, and each tentacle was covered with barbs that gleamed with a cold light.
"Hmph! A mere trick!" The Snow Empress snorted coldly, and the golden token burst forth with dazzling light, transforming into countless golden sword lights that slashed towards the tentacles.
"Swish swish swish!"
Wherever the golden sword light passed, the tentacles snapped and dissipated into black mist. But there were too many tentacles, continuously pouring out from the cracks, seemingly endless.
Snow Empress frowned. She knew that if this dragged on, her Power of the Heavenly Dao would eventually be exhausted. She had to end this quickly!
She took a deep breath, gathering the Power of the Heavenly Dao in her hands, and the golden token transformed into a massive golden longsword. Gripping the sword tightly, she slashed down fiercely towards the crack!
" The Sword of the Heavenly Dao - Splitting Heaven and Earth!"
"Boom--!"
Golden sword light cleaved through the darkness, splitting the seawater in two. The tentacles within the crack were instantly reduced to dust by the impact of the sword light. The sword light, undiminished in its momentum, pierced deep into the crack, shattering the array's core hidden within.
"Roar--!"
An angry roar came from the depths of the crevice, and the entire seabed trembled violently. Countless rocks flew out of the crevice, and the seawater became extremely turbid. Snow Empress steadied herself and was about to continue to go deeper when suddenly, a huge suction force came from the crevice and sucked her in.
"Not good!"
Snow Empress was startled and tried to break free, but the suction was too strong, and she couldn't resist it at all. Everything went black, and she lost consciousness.
After an unknown amount of time, Snow Empress slowly opened her eyes.
She found herself lying on a beach, with blue skies and white clouds overhead, and the warm sunshine bathing her. Around her was an unfamiliar coastline, and in the distance, a dense forest filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers—a scene of perfect tranquility.
"Where am I?" Snow Empress sat up, rubbing her still dizzy head. She checked her body and found that she was fine, but she had consumed too much of her Power of the Heavenly Dao and could not use it for the time being.
She stood up and looked around. The beach was small, surrounded by steep cliffs, with only one path leading into the depths of the forest. The concentration of spiritual energy in the air was astonishingly high, several times denser than that of the Ziwei Sect.
"Strange, why is the spiritual energy here so dense?" Snow Empress wondered. "Could it be that this place wasn't affected by the Demon Venerable's formation?"