The golden bead sensed the Power of the Heavenly Dao from the Snow Empress and slowly merged into her palm, entering her dantian. A vast amount of information flooded into the Snow Empress's mind like a tidal wave. It was the cultivation insights of the Human Emperor throughout his life, from Foundation Establishment to Dragon Transformation, from Dragon Transformation to the Heavenly Dao, and from the breakthrough of the Heavenly Dao, every step was crystal clear.
At the same time, the Human Emperor's primordial power was also transforming the Snow Empress's body. Her meridians became wider, her dantian deeper, and even her bones and muscles were constantly being strengthened. She felt as if her body had become a giant sponge, frantically absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.
One day, two days, three days...
Time passed day by day, and Snow Empress's cultivation level also improved rapidly. Early Heavenly Dao Realm, middle stage of the Heavenly Dao Realm, late stage of the Heavenly Dao Realm, peak stage of the Heavenly Dao Realm...
Finally, on the forty-ninth day of her seclusion, a crisp sound came from within the Snow Empress's body, as if something had shattered. Her consciousness instantly detached from her body and flew to the heavens, overlooking the entire world.
She saw the flow of spiritual energy, the growth of all things in the world, the passage of time, and the folding of space. She felt the vastness of the universe, the insignificance of life, and the laws governing the universe.
"Is this... the realm above Heaven's Dao?" the Snow Empress murmured to herself.
Her consciousness returned to her body, and she opened her eyes, which shone with a golden light, brighter and deeper than before. An unfathomable aura emanated from her, powerful yet serene, inspiring an irresistible urge to worship her.
"Congratulations on breaking through the Heavenly Dao Realm and reaching the state of oneness with Unity of Heaven and Man." The old man's voice came from behind.
Snow Empress stood up and turned to look at the old man. The old man still had that calm and composed demeanor, but there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
"Thank you for protecting me, Senior." Snow Empress bowed respectfully.
The old man waved his hand. "No need to thank me, it's all thanks to your own efforts. Now, you have enough power to destroy the remaining array cores. However, there's something I must tell you."
"What is it?" Snow Empress asked.
The old man sighed, " The Demon Venerable's array cores aren't just for extracting spiritual energy. They have an even more important function—location. Once all the array cores are destroyed, the Demon Venerable will immediately know the location of the Spirit Source Secret Realm. At that time, he will spare no expense to send his strongest demon generals to cross the seal and destroy the Spring of the Spirit Source."
Snow Empress's expression changed. "Doesn't that mean that the moment the array's core is destroyed, the invasion of the Demon Realm will begin?"
"Indeed." The old man nodded. "Therefore, you must be fully prepared. Before destroying the last array eye, gather all righteous forces and lay a tight net around the Spirit Source Secret Realm to meet the demon race's attack. Only by blocking the demon race's attack and protecting the Spring of the Spirit Source can humanity have hope."
Snow Empress took a deep breath, her eyes flashing with determination. "Senior, rest assured, I understand what to do. I will return to the Ziwei Sect immediately to gather experts from all factions and prepare for battle."
"Go," the old man waved his hand. "I will wait for you here. Remember, time is running out. In six months at most, the Spring of the Spirit Source will completely dry up. Before that, all the array's cores must be destroyed."
Snow Empress nodded, leaped into the air, and transformed into a golden ray of light, flying towards the horizon.
After breaking through to the Heaven and Man as One Realm, Snow Empress's speed increased several times compared to before. In less than half a day, she returned to the Ziwei Sect.
Inside the Ziwei Hall, the leaders of various sects had already received the news and gathered together. The moment the Snow Empress entered the hall, everyone felt an unfathomable aura and involuntarily stood up.
"Holy Maiden, your cultivation level..." Qingyunzi stared wide-eyed at Snow Empress in disbelief.
The Snow Empress smiled slightly, "I've fortunately broken through a minor realm. Everyone, I have something important to announce."
She told everyone the truth about the Spirit Source Secret Realm, the Spring of the Spirit Source, the Demon Venerable's true purpose, and the impending great battle.
Silence fell over the hall; everyone's face was filled with shock.
"So that's how it is!" Daoist Kunlun spoke first. "No wonder the Demon Venerable went to such lengths; it was all to destroy the Spring of the Spirit Source! Holy Maiden, whatever you say, we will do!"
"That's right!" the Wudang Sect leader echoed. "We have to fight this battle, whether we want to or not. Rather than waiting to be killed, we should take the initiative!"
The Snow Empress looked around. "Everyone, this is a battle concerning the survival of the cultivation world, and we cannot afford the slightest mistake. We need to integrate all our forces and set up the most powerful defensive array around the Spirit Source Secret Realm. At the same time, we also need to send people to destroy the remaining five array eyes. These two things must be done simultaneously; if any link goes wrong, all our previous efforts will be in vain."
"Holy Maiden, leave the task of destroying the array's core to this old monk." The abbot of Shaolin, incarnation of Buddha Heart Incarnation, stepped forward. "Although I am but a wisp of Buddha's heart, destroying several array cores is more than enough for me."
Snow Empress shook her head. "Abbot, you have a more important task. The defensive formation needs your supervision. Shaolin's Buddhist formations are among the strongest in the world; only you can unleash their full power."
The abbot thought for a moment and nodded. "Very well. Then, who should we entrust with the task of destroying the array's core?"
The Snow Empress pondered for a moment, "I will go myself. I possess the cultivation of the Unity of Unity of Heaven and Man realm, making me the fastest and most efficient at destroying the array's core. Moreover, only I can sense the exact location of the array's core."
"But, Holy Maiden, it's too dangerous for you to go alone!" Qingyunzi said anxiously.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen." The Snow Empress smiled slightly. "Even if the Demon Venerable's true form were to descend, I would still have the strength to fight him. Let alone just a few array points?"
Although everyone was worried, seeing Snow Empress's confident demeanor, they didn't say anything more.
In the days that followed, all the sects began preparations in earnest. The six major sects —Ziwei Sect, Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, Qingcheng, and Kunlun —joined forces, along with other sects of all sizes, gathering a total of over 100,000 cultivators. This was the largest gathering in the history of the cultivation world, even more spectacular than the battle against the Underworld.
Under the unified schedule of the Ziwei Sect, all cultivators went to the East Sea in batches and set up layers of defenses in the sea area surrounding the Spirit Source Secret Realm. The Heavenly Dipper Big Dipper Great Formation, the Shaolin Arhat Great Formation Wudang True Martial Great Formation, the Emei Jade Maiden Great Formation... one formation after another was stacked on top of another, completely surrounding the entire sea area.
At the same time, the Snow Empress also began the operation to destroy the core of the formation.
After breaking through to the Heaven and Man as One Realm, her perception of spiritual energy became more acute, and she could clearly "see" the location of each array eye. The remaining five array eyes were hidden in the deep seas of the East Sea, South Sea, West Sea, and North Sea, as well as in the deepest abyss of the Land of Shenzhou.