The Four Seasons Complete!
Having successfully set up the [Cause-Settling and Effect-Resolving Grand Formation], Qi Yun and Cai Shen, the Wealth Connects to the Divine, did not linger and sped westward.
Their destination was the westernmost edge of the vast Northwest region.
The scenery along the way became increasingly desolate, with no greenery and little sign of life.
All that remains are the iron-gray rocky ground, the boundless gray-yellow shifting sands of the Gobi Desert, and the howling winds that rage year-round, as if trying to scatter all souls.
A few days later, a completely different scene came into view.
There was no land ahead; instead, towering sea cliffs, seemingly cleaved by a giant axe and falling vertically, stood before them!
The cliff face is over ten thousand feet high, and its entire surface is a dark black color formed by hundreds of millions of years of wind erosion and sea erosion. It is extremely hard and barren of any vegetation.
Below the cliff lies the legendary West Sea, a place where "no living beings enter, Ruins of Return."
The water of the West Sea is a deep blue that is almost inky black.
Heavy and viscous, without waves or ripples, its calmness was unsettling.
Above the sea, a layer of grayish-white mist that never dissipates is shrouded, within which a huge shadow slowly roams, exuding an ancient and Savage Wilderness aura.
Where the sea meets the sky, the light is distorted and blurred.
The Spiritual Qi was so thin it was almost nonexistent, and it was filled with a kind of "Ruins Qi" that was incompatible with the rules of the present world.
Ordinary cultivators who arrive here will find it difficult to make any progress in their cultivation, and if they stay for too long, their Dao Foundation may be eroded by the Ruins Qi, and their Divine Soul may become clouded.
But precisely because of this, the causal entanglements here are extremely simple and thin, almost like a blank sheet of paper, forming a stark contrast with the complex and vast causal relationships in the Northwest inland.
"Alright, this is it."
The golden statue of Cai Kun Wealth Connects to the Divine, sat on Qi Yun's shoulder, gazing at the scene before him that seemed to be at the edge of the world. He slowly spoke, his voice clear even in the howling sea breeze.
"In the Northwest, cause and effect are most thin and weak, like dust on a blank sheet of paper."
We'll wait here, hiding from the world.
I estimate that in a few more months, those old guys in the south, after repeatedly pondering my soulless body without any results, will eventually lose patience and personally take action to deduce the key points.
At that time, whether the [Cause-Settling and Effect-Resolving Grand Formation] can conceal the secrets of heaven will be revealed.
Qi Yun's gaze swept over the desolate, lifeless sea cliffs and the dark sea, and he asked, "If the great formation holds, then naturally there will be no worries."
What if... they can't hold on?
Cai Kun shrugged his tiny shoulders, a hint of almost nonchalant helplessness on his golden face. "What else can I do?"
"You die, and I get arrested."
"You're really taking it all in stride." Qi Yun chuckled, unmoved by the straightforward ending.
He was already aware of the risks involved, and from the moment he decided to hoard the spiritual essence of the Imperial Weapon, he was prepared to face the wrath of the True Lord.
The path to the summit is treacherous and fraught with obstacles, a constant struggle against nature, against others, and against oneself.
Now that he's taken that step, there's no going back.
It all depends on whether the chips in your hand can unlock that one in a million chance of survival.
Without another word, Qi Yun waved his sleeve, and several [Wind-Calming Talisman], glowing with azure light and swirling with runes, shot out, accurately striking the surrounding cliff walls.
The talisman took effect, and the raging sea wind within a hundred feet radius, powerful enough to tear apart refined iron, instantly became gentle and mild, leaving only a low whimper.
Immediately, he found a black boulder atop a cliff at the edge of the world, sat cross-legged with his palms facing upwards, and began to meditate in seclusion.
Cai Kun also quieted down. The little golden figure transformed into a barely perceptible golden ray, hidden among the folds of Qi Yun's robes. Its aura slowly merged with Qi Yun's own Daoist charm, and they both fell into silence.
Time flows slowly but steadily in this corner of the world that seems to have been forgotten.
As the sun rises and the moon sets, as the tides ebb and flow, only the fierce winds and the Ruins Qi flow eternally.
Qi Yun was like a stubborn rock rooted in the Black Cliff, its aura gradually merging with this desolate and remote region.
Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.
This happened at midnight, when the Ruins Tide was at its lowest point.
The ink-black sea was as calm as a black mirror, reflecting the sparse yet exceptionally large and bright ancient stars in the sky.
There was no wind at the top of the cliff, and all was quiet except for the faint, ever-present Ruins Qi that rose and fell gently like breath.
At that moment, Qi Yun, who was sitting cross-legged on the giant rock, suddenly opened his eyes!
His eyes were no longer the deep black they usually held, but instead burst forth with a dazzling, almost blinding, nine-colored divine light!
At the same time, behind him, a vast and boundless void appeared, containing the birth and death of all things and the flow of chaos—[Great
[Luo Tian] suddenly appeared!
It's here!
The Southern True Lord's investigation of cause and effect traversed endless mountains and rivers, disregarding the barriers of time and space, and arrived with overwhelming force!
Qi Yun's mind tensed to the extreme in an instant, and all his thoughts sank into his Purple Mansion, merging with [Great Luo Heaven].
At the same time, he sensed the [Cause-Settling and Effect-Resolving Grand Formation] that he had personally set up in the distant direction of Lifeless Valley.
In his perception, an indescribable "power" descended.
Above the Lifeless Valley, a gigantic, formless hand, seemingly encompassing heaven and earth, crashed down.
Then, in an incomprehensible way, they examined all the "traces" and "connections" that had occurred in the Lifeless Valley area over the past few months, and even longer.
A single thought from the True Lord!
Caressing the cause and effect!
Qi Yun "saw" that the invisible "giant hand" first brushed over the intense Daoist aura left by the seven Great True Person ' struggle for the Imperial Weapon, pausing briefly as if confirming the details.
Then it precisely "probeed" the various strange phenomena in the final moments before the Imperial Weapon was taken away by Celestial Master Chen.
The Cause-Settling and Effect-Resolving Grand Formation] has begun operation!
The power of the Formation Art is invisible and formless, yet it counters this with a clever "deception" and "cover-up".
When the True Lord's thoughts touched the pre-set [Residual Cause], the great formation immediately responded with a corresponding, meticulously woven [False Effect].
[Due to the erosion of time, the inner spirituality of the Imperial Weapon was damaged. It was then pursued and intercepted by the Great True Person. After excessive depletion, its spirituality finally extinguished completely, and it was suppressed and taken away along with its physical body.]
The entire process is logically consistent, with a complete causal chain, and matches most of the "traces" left at the scene.
The True Lord's mind seemed to accept this explanation.
They did not dwell too much on the reason why the Imperial Weapon itself had fallen into obscurity.
After all, Imperial Weapon are mysterious and beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, and all sorts of situations can arise.
However, just when Qi Yun thought he was about to get away with it.
Just as that invisible "giant hand" was about to leave the Lifeless Valley area, its fingertips made an extremely subtle "hook" in a very remote, almost nonexistent corner.
That place had already been collected by the [Cause-Settling and Effect-Resolving Grand Formation] as [Residual Cause].
But this gentle "hook" seemed to unveil an extremely subtle crease.
The True Lord's thoughts suddenly stopped!
Immediately, a gaze far more concentrated and focused than before, like a mirror magnified a billion times, suddenly enveloped that insignificant "anomaly"!
The [Cause-Settling and Effect-Resolving Grand Formation] operates frantically, its grayish-white confusing power attempting to reinforce the [False Effect] disguise.
But how terrifying is the True Lord's insight?
Under the True Lord's all-encompassing "Mirror of Enlightenment," that anomaly became clearer and clearer, more and more incongruous!
The "False Effect's" disguise began to fluctuate violently, revealing a barely perceptible crack that was about to be exposed!
Once this crack widens, the True Lord can follow the clues and trace back to the source of this unique Daoist charm.
Even though Qi Yun was located on the edge of the West Sea, where karma was thin, he might not be able to completely escape it!
Crisis, a close call!
In that life-or-death moment--
At the top of the cliff, the nine-colored divine light in Qi Yun's eyes surged to its maximum.
Divine Ability - [Wield Myriad Laws]!
He remotely activated the [Cause-Settling and Effect-Resolving Grand Formation], which he had personally set up, deep within the Lifeless Valley!
"Give me—together!"
Simultaneously, pale golden blood seeped from Qi Yun's seven orifices, his aura fluctuated violently, and the [Great Luo Heaven] phenomenon shook incessantly.
He was doing something extremely dangerous.
With Foundation Establishment level body, he forcibly repaired the causal disguise under the True Lord level of investigation.
This is tantamount to a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
If he is not careful, the True Lord's will will follow this strand of interference and directly backfire on him, annihilating his body and soul!
But he had no choice!
If we don't fight, we'll just sit and wait to be exposed!
The immense power of [Wield Myriad Laws] combined with the array power of [The Cause-Settling and Effect-Resolving Grand Formation] to transform into an invisible yet extremely resilient "needle for mending the heavens," instantly "stitching" the "False Effect" mark that was about to crack!
It's not about defying the True Lord's will, because that would be a death wish!
Instead, it cleverly and discreetly filled in the gap!
This move can only be described as incredibly bold.
If the slightest fluctuation is detected by the True Lord, he will instantly unleash a thunderous rage.
"You little rascal—you've got some guts!"
The Wealth Connects to the Divine, who had already sighed at the impending failure, was surprised to see Qi Yun daring to play tricks right under the True Lord's nose.
"Since that's the case, then I'll take the gamble with you!"
With a leap, he landed on Qi Yun's head. The Wealth Connects to the Divine chanted ancient syllables, and his body transformed back into the towering golden tree, from which boundless spiritual light continuously flowed into Qi Yun's body.
With the assistance of the Wealth Connects to the Divine, Qi Yun's previously crumbling aura instantly returned to its peak, even becoming stronger.
The nine-colored divine light in his eyes almost solidified, even causing the West Sea beside him to ripple with rolling waves.
Under the combined embellishment of [Wield Myriad Laws] and [The Cause-Settling and Effect-Resolving Grand Formation].
The "crack" that was about to be revealed paused slightly.
Then—slowly, and with great difficulty, it was mended!
The concentrated will of the True Lord scanned and deduced the "wrinkles" that had been quietly repaired for several breaths.
In the end, he accepted the cover-up provided by the [False Effect].
The suffocating feeling of being "stared" slowly receded like the tide.
They completely left the Valley of Lifeless Valley and vanished into the the Unseen.
The True Lord's investigation has come to an end.
"Puff--!"
At the top of the West Sea Cliff, Qi Yun suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood containing a faint golden light. His face instantly turned ashen, and his aura weakened to the extreme. After the [Great Luo Heaven] phenomenon flashed violently, it suddenly withdrew into his body.
Those few short breaths had almost drained his mind and Law Power, and he had also suffered unimaginable backlash.
However, at this very moment, when his mind relaxed, he was trying his best to regulate his breathing, and his Dao heart was stirred by the fact that he had survived the calamity.
Deep within the Purple Mansion, the three clusters of [Origin of Beginnings], [Origin of Flourishing], and [Mystery of Suspension and Concealment] that had been nurtured for so long simultaneously shone brightly!
The three clusters of inspiration no longer hovered independently, but slowly converged and merged towards the central point.
At the core of that fusion, a brand new, initially faint as a mustard seed, but rapidly expanding, dim radiance quietly emerged and manifested!
This radiance was incredibly profound, as if it could absorb all light, color, and even concepts.
It is the final one among the [Four Seasons] wondrous objects – the [Concealment of the Ruins of Return].
With the Four Seasons gathered at the edge of the West Sea, amidst the aftershocks of the True Lord's investigation and the profound realization on the brink of life and death, the transformation was finally perfected!
As Qi Yun sensed the four intertwined and perfectly cyclical spiritual energies within his Purple Mansion, a relieved smile slowly appeared on his pale face.
He has finally collected all four [Four Seasons].