[Domain Expansion]
"Call----"
With a long, drawn-out breath, Qi Yun slowly finished his practice.
He looked up at True Person Xuanping was standing quietly beside him as a protector.
"Zecheng," Qi Yun said calmly, "Your dark aura is too conspicuous on this chessboard now. It's no longer appropriate for you to remain hidden."
"Let's return to the camp and recuperate. We can wait until the turmoil here subsides before seeking an opportunity to re-emerge."
Upon hearing this, True Person Xuanping Xuan Ping and replied, "I will obey my master's decree."
After speaking, he swayed and transformed into a condensed, pitch-black demonic light, directly plunging into the dark [Human Emperor Banner] floating to the side.
The banner swayed slightly, its surface shimmering with a soft, ethereal light.
With the leader gone, the three layers of outer sealing formations quietly dissipated.
Qi Yun raised his hand and summoned the Human Emperor Banner, which transformed into a streak of black light and disappeared into his sleeve.
He handled the situation cleanly and efficiently; the area where a fierce battle had just taken place and a Foundation Establishment True Person had perished was quickly restored to the ancient, deathly stillness of Lifeless Valley.
It left only a few barely perceptible traces, blending into the already chaotic spiritual background of the valley.
After doing all this, Qi Yun finally raised his head, his eyes deep and Lifeless Valley.
Deep in the sky, a colossal, half-real, half-illusory "chessboard" phantom was faintly suspended.
The chessboard has nineteen lines on each side, exuding an ancient charm. Its material is neither gold nor jade, seemingly both real and unreal, radiating a cold and absolute aura of rules.
At this moment, a few chess pieces are scattered sparsely on the chessboard.
There are 26 black pieces and 33 white pieces.
The black stones are as deep as ink, faintly shrouded in demonic energy; the white stones are as pure as snow, radiating a spiritual light that is either sharp or righteous.
Each chess piece represents Foundation Establishment True Person currently residing in the Lifeless Valley!
Black represents evil, white represents good.
The numbers clearly demonstrate the current balance of power between the top forces of the righteous and demonic factions within the valley.
Just as Qi Yun was intently observing the chessboard.
On the chessboard, a sudden change occurs!
Suddenly, the area representing the "righteous path" blazed with light, and ten brand-new, uniformly radiant yet exceptionally solid white phantoms appeared simultaneously without warning.
The appearance of these ten white stones was abrupt.
Immediately after, almost the very next instant these ten new white stones appeared.
On the other side of the chessboard, three previously stable black pieces suddenly began to flicker violently, their light fading unpredictably.
It lasted for less than a breath before, with a "poof," the light dissipated and it vanished completely from the chessboard!
With the annihilation of these three black pieces.
The ten newly appeared white chess pieces, their light uniform, also seemed to have completed their mission. Their light quickly dimmed and faded, disappearing from the chessboard as if they had never existed.
The whole process was so fast it felt like an illusion.
Qi Yun's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Three demonic True Person, instantly killed—" he muttered to himself, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes, "The Southern Yin Dynasty truly came prepared."
The number of True Person on both the righteous and demonic sides was originally twenty-six to thirty-three, putting the demonic path at a disadvantage from the start.
After this incident, the number of black stones decreased by three, bringing the total to twenty-three.
Twenty-three against thirty-three.
The gap between the top combatants of the two sides has widened to a full ten people!
This doesn't even include Southern Yin's hidden and terrifying methods.
"It's the [Imperial Apex Pagoda Army Formation] of the World-Suppressing Army" —Qi Yun knew it perfectly well.
During his time infiltrating the righteous faction, he gained a much deeper understanding of the elite army of Southern Yin.
The World-Suppressing Army is not solely reliant on the bravery of its soldiers; its core lies in an ancient Secret Method called the [Imperial Apex Pagoda Army Formation].
This formation can gather the Blood Qi and fighting spirit of hundreds of thousands of elite troops, and even a trace of the imperial fortune in the the Unseen. Through complex and rigorous Formation Art and the command of the general, it can forcibly break through individual limits and transcend boundaries.
It is a charade of using the True Person.
"With the power of the masses and the prestige of True Person, the army's formation crushes all individual warriors wherever it points—the Southern Yin Dynasty's ability to rule the South is no accident."
Qi Yun pondered to himself, and at the same time, he couldn't help but compare this formation with his newly acquired "Transforming the Body into a Formation" technique.
"In a sense, this imperial army formation does indeed bear some resemblance to my [Transforming the Body into a Formation] method." His eyes flashed.
Qi Yun's gaze returned to the illusory chessboard above his head, looking at the twenty-three somewhat lonely black pieces and the thirty-three white pieces with different lights.
The situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse for the demonic faction.
Southern Yin not only has the upper hand in terms of apparent strength, but also possesses the [Imperial Apex Pagoda Army Formation], a trump card that can disrupt the local balance at any time.
"Great True Person of the Four Northwestern Sects —if you don't make a move soon, the black pieces on this chessboard will likely be devoured completely."
At that time, with the momentum of a great victory, Southern Yin will search for the Imperial Weapon. Will you "stalker birds" still be able to sit still?
Just as Qi Yun's mind raced, weighing the rise and fall of good and evil on the chessboard...
Deep within the Sea of Consciousness, the vast and boundless [Great Luo Heaven], which constantly operates and deduces the origin of all laws, trembled very slightly without any warning!
A sudden, almost instinctive impulse, stemming from his own profound understanding of the Dao Path, subtly connects to the key to his advancement to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage —the [Four Seasons] wondrous object—that he had been searching for for three years without success!
"Hmm?" Qi Yun's eyes suddenly narrowed, a clear look of surprise flashing across his face.
The clues to the [Four Seasons] suddenly emerge at this moment, in this place, amidst this chaotic killing spree?
Immediately suppressing all distracting thoughts about the chess game, the Imperial Weapon, and the outcome of the battle between good and evil, Qi Yun calmed his mind completely.
Like an ancient mirror wiped clean of dust, it reflects itself clearly.
Carefully trace and sense that subtle tremor originating from the depths of the [Great Luo Heaven], related to the [Four Seasons].
A moment later, Qi Yun suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes.
His eyes blazed with a sudden burst of light, filled with the clarity of sudden enlightenment and an irrepressible, exuberant radiance!
"I see!
The "Four Seasons" do not refer to the literal spring, summer, autumn, and winter, nor are they simply the Lunzhuan of birth, aging, sickness, and death!
He muttered to himself, his voice filled with a sense of sudden enlightenment and exhilaration.
The so-called "Four Seasons" are the four fundamental orders of the Heaven and Earth's Long River of Time!
These are the four basic states that all things must go through from nothingness to existence, from cause to effect!
"And the wisp I sense right now—is the first of these four fundamental orders—[The Origin of Beginnings]!"
"Only by creating a cause and effect of sufficient magnitude in the universe can one possibly capture even a trace of this [Origin of Beginnings]----"
"It turns out that the reason I was unable to get started before was not because I was looking for the wrong spiritual objects or using the wrong methods, but because the timing was not right."
In ordinary times, the cause and effect of heaven and earth flow smoothly, and the [Origin of Beginnings] is hidden and not revealed. How can it be sought?
"And right now—"
Qi Yun raised his eyes and looked again at the black and white chess pieces on the illusory chessboard, at the Lifeless Valley, which was the gathering place for the Southern Yin Dynasty's hundreds of years of plotting, the deep schemes of the Four Northwestern Sects, and the lives and ambitions of countless elite cultivators from both the righteous and demonic paths.
"The legend of the Imperial Weapon triggers a millennium of karma, the war between good and evil involves billions of lives, the game begins, a life-or-death struggle ensues----"
Isn't this precisely a grand cause and effect event that sweeps across a region, enough to disrupt the balance of the universe?
As long as I bring about this great cause and effect.
That [Origin of Beginnings] is now in my possession!
It's even possible to seize the subsequent [Four Seasons]!
This matter concerns the very foundation of his own Dao Path and the gateway to advancement to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. Qi Yun no longer hesitated or hesitated.
All of the previous actions, whether it was espionage or observing the situation, were aimed at seizing profits and understanding the overall picture.
"It seems this casual game won't be going to happen." Qi Yun's lips curled into a slight smile, his expression brimming with eager anticipation and decisiveness.
"Since that's the case, then let's just—turn the world upside down!"
Before he finished speaking, he no longer concealed his presence or suppressed his aura.
Boom!
A profound, vast, supreme, and domineering aura erupted from his body!
His dark blue Daoist robe billowed like a flag, fluttering in the wind.
With the most direct and domineering attitude, it soared into the sky and sped away towards the deepest part of Lifeless Valley, where the causal entanglement was most intense in the chessboard perception, and where the killing aura and ancient meanings were faintly intertwined!
By personally engaging with the situation, we can directly address the core of cause and effect!
He was determined to seize the Origin of Beginnings.
Where the rainbow passed, the deathly mist swirled and retreated, and the gray-white rock walls cast distorted and trembling shadows.
On that illusory chessboard, a black piece that was originally dim suddenly shone brightly.
Its brilliance instantly attracted countless gazes, both overt and covert, both inside and outside the chessboard.
Deep within the Lifeless Valley.
A strange region called "Bewildering Dust Barrier".
This place is perpetually shrouded in a fine, grayish-white, almost silvery haze.
At this moment, three streaks of light pierced through the dense dust like plowshares, closely pursuing a shadowy, flickering figure ahead.
Both pursuers were Foundation Establishment True Person, and their auras caused the surrounding dust to churn violently, forming chaotic vortices.
The fleeing figure ahead was a Devil Cultivator cultivator dressed in a ghastly green robe, his face withered like an old man. He was surrounded by a tangible "Pestilence Death Qi," and wherever he passed, the dust was stained with a sickly gray-green.
He was none other than the infamous elder of the "Five Decays Cult".
He was weak and feeble, clearly having suffered a serious injury.
Three streaks of light followed behind, each with a distinct aura, yet all pure and powerful.
The three were not from the same clan, yet they cooperated seamlessly.
Xuanhengzi used the Star Law to lock down space, disrupting the opponent's escape technique.
Fairy Shuyu used her secret flower arrangement techniques to restrain and erode the other side.
The Qiaoshanke, on the other hand, used the True Intention of the Heart Sword to directly intimidate and kill when he found an opening.
The elder of the Five Decays Cult charged left and right, his Pestilence Death Qi constantly colliding and dissipating with star power, floral fragrance, and spiritual threads, splashing up puffs of strange spiritual light fragments, yet his movements grew slower and slower.
They were on the verge of being completely trapped.
Just as Xuanhengzi changed his hand gestures, the seven points of starlight suddenly contracted, transforming into seven condensed star ropes, about to wrap around him; Fairy Shuyu's pure white spiritual silk had already touched the edge of the Devil Cultivator death aura; the Sword Intent in Qiaoshanke's eyes had solidified into a tangible substance, and just as the wooden sword was about to be drawn, a hum sounded!
A strange, slight tremor swept through the dusty space without warning.
The next instant, a streak of light suddenly cut into the center of the battlefield, standing between the three righteous True Person and the elder of the Five Decays Cult!
As the rainbow light faded, a young Daoist priest with a calm and composed expression was revealed, dressed in a dark blue Daoist robe.
The three True Person abruptly stopped their pursuit, their faces all showing solemn expressions.
Another demon has arrived----
Qi Yun calmly swept his gaze over the three men, and simply said, "I'll protect this man. You three, please leave."
His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.
"Arrogant!" Fairy Shuyu frowned slightly. She had cultivated for hundreds of years and had never been so disrespected.
With a gentle wave of her hand, the illusory pink spirit flower suddenly shone brightly, and an extremely rich and unique fragrance that penetrated straight to the Purple Mansion silently spread.
This is the most Higher Vehicle technique of "Smelling Fragrance to Inquire into the Dao," which aims to instantly discern the origins of the opponent's Cultivation Method and simultaneously bewilder their mind.
"Don't hide your true colors, let this fairy see your origins!"
"Everyone saw it; they attacked first."
The exotic fragrance enveloped his body, yet Qi Yun didn't even flinch.
He simply raised his right index finger and pointed it lightly at the illusory pink spirit flower.
[Supreme Mystery Register] - [Severing Ties and Scattering Blossoms Talisman]!
Smack
A soft sound, like a bubble bursting.
The pink phantom of the spirit flower, which had gathered much of Fairy Shuyu's mental and magical Law Power, suddenly and without warning began to disintegrate and dissipate from its very core, turning into primordial fragments of spiritual light, as if it had never existed.
The connection between her Divine Soul and spirit was forcibly severed. Fairy Shuyu's delicate body trembled slightly, she let out a muffled groan, and horror flashed in her eyes.
Her "Soul-Intoxicating Flower" had its Daoist structure so casually "dispersed" by the other party?!
"Be careful! This fiend's methods are unpredictable!"
Fairy Shuyu urgently warned, and at the same time, the azure ice flowers and pure white spiritual silk shone brightly, protecting her in front of her.
The Qiaoshanke's usually calm gaze suddenly sharpened like a sword.
The sheathless wooden sword that had been hanging at his waist emitted a clear, melodious sound like a dragon's roar, and then leaped into his hand on its own.
There was no dazzling sword light, no grand momentum.
The Qiaoshanke simply thrust out his sword.
This sword strike was neither aimed at Qi Yun's physical body nor at Law Power node.
Rather, it was the Unseen unseen Qi Yun connected this world, the elder of the Five Decays Cult, and even the faint "causal link" that had just been established between the three of them!
The Green Cliff Heart Sword severs cause and effect!
As the Sword Intent approached, Qi Yun's gaze finally flickered, revealing a hint of surprise.
"The Way of the Heart Sword? Interesting."
Unfortunately, you're only in the Early Foundation Establishment Stage.
That sword strike was still too light!
Before he finished speaking, a vast and majestic array suddenly appeared beneath Qi Yun's feet, shaking the four corners of the earth.
[The Northern Defense Grand Formation is deployed in the domain]