Bury Fast, Build Fast

It took them a day longer than usual to return to Broken Soul Ridge.

After four days of flying, Divine Lord Zhenyuan and Zhang Xuezhou finally carried the Empress Dowager to Duanhun Ridge.

Are we just going to bury the Empress Dowager like this?

On the cloud palanquin, the Empress Dowager was covered in a jade burial suit, her breath no longer coming from her nostrils.

However, the Empress Dowager still had a false lifespan and did not fall into complete death.

Zhang Xuezhou wasn't averse to burying the dead, but the fact that the Empress Dowager was buried before she was truly dead made him feel uneasy.

"A borrowed life doesn't count as a life," Divine Lord Zhenyuan said after a moment of silence. "She's no different from being dead right now. Burying her sooner or later is the same as burying her!"

"Can our Longevity Fruit Tree withstand the evil Sha Qi emanating from her?"

"Excrement and urine are what plants and trees love, and the longevity fruit tree has an even stronger palate; it's probably overjoyed!"

Zhang Xuezhou asked again, Divine Lord Zhenyuan shrugged, indicating that the Empress Dowager's illness was just a pile of fertilizer for the Longevity Fruit Tree.

Protected by a jade burial suit, the Empress Dowager was able to retain a complete corpse even after being drained and devoured.

"Should we ask?" Zhang Xuezhou asked, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"It would be even crueler to wake up Fellow Daoist Dou and then ask him such a question!"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan sighed, then reached out and grabbed at the longevity fruit tree.

Without waiting for the roots of the Longevity Fruit Tree to extend and grab it, he directly dug a pit for the Longevity Fruit Tree and then fanned the Empress Dowager from the cloud sedan chair into it.

After mending the sleeves, the Empress Dowager was buried in the charred soil of the Wantao Garden.

"It will take some time for the Longevity Fruit Tree to drain her energy, so let's not just wait here. Fellow Daoist Dou gave me a batch of array stones and artifacts, and also the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Array. You are knowledgeable in array formations, so help me figure out how to set it up!"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan once again spread his sleeves, and a pile of array stones and divination stones tumbled down from within his sleeves.

These array stones and divination stones vary in color and size, some as large as a human head and some as small as a goose egg. They also contain array components such as gold threads, bells, flying blades, wooden stakes, copper coins, and goldware.

"The Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation involves seventy-two array stones, one hundred and forty-four trigram stones, and sixty-four array components. This formation is characterized by its intricate and complex design, capable of confusing opponents, generating powerful array strikes, concealing the figure of the master, and serving as a warning system!"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan was extremely satisfied with the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation, which almost met all his needs.

He earned money by attending noble banquets in Chang'an City, but after half a month he only had three divination stones. He also managed to acquire a formation material, which was of medium to high quality.

However, he complied with the Empress Dowager's request, and every item he received was a masterpiece.

This is something that Divine Lord Zhenyuan struggled to collect even after decades of robbery, and it's also something that Daojun could never lend out in a complete set.

It's not that Daojun is unwilling, but rather that Daojun lacks the necessary resources. In fact, the protective formation of the Daojun's Yedie River Holy Land, is likely inferior to the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation.

"This formation is ingenious, especially the formation diagram, which is very detailed. We only need to study it and adapt it before we can set up the formation," Zhang Xuezhou praised.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan's knowledge of formations is theoretical; he has never actually set up a formation, and the Kunlun Sacred Land has no area for him to set up formations.

However, Divine Lord Zhenyuan also consulted the wrong person. Zhang Xuezhou had been practicing formations for many years, but he was all talk and no action, and had never done anything productive except cause destruction.

At this point, construction was needed, but both men only had theoretical knowledge; their practical skills were roughly equal.

But in this desolate and wild area, Divine Lord Zhenyuan had no one else to rely on.

Regardless of whether the project succeeds or fails, he needs to get started.

He invited Zhang Xuezhou, Zhang Xuezhou was also eager to try, feeling that he finally had a chance to demonstrate his array formation skills.

"Let's measure the dimensions of this secret realm, determine its cardinal directions and core location, first establish the formation's center, then calculate the remaining seventy-one points!"

"The core of this secret realm should be where the Longevity Fruit Tree fell to the ground!"

"Then let's insert a Shouyang Stone first!"

"Now that the main positions of the Nine Palaces have been determined, we still need to find the main positions of the Eight Trigrams!"

The formation draws upon the power of mountains and rivers, which sounds sophisticated, but setting it up is not much different from laying electrical wires.

If we consider the array stones as energy sources connected to electricity, then the divination stones are like switches, and the array components are like various instruments and equipment that utilize electricity.

Once things started, Zhang Xuezhou didn't hold back when he helped with the tinkering; his actions were so outrageous that even Divine Lord Zhenyuan felt it was absurd.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan always believed that setting up an array was a matter that required caution, but Zhang Xuezhou's steps were rather rough and fast, and he had already determined the result before he could carefully consider and confirm it.

He ultimately attributed this to his poor temperament, his excessive concern for gains and losses, and the fact that his skill in formations was inferior to Zhang Xuezhou's, which led to this situation where he was outmatched.

After changing his mindset, Divine Lord Zhenyuan also let go of his inhibitions and focused on teamwork.

"The Primordial Chaos Formation of the Kunlun Sacred Land took ten years to set up, but we only took ten hours to set up the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation!"

This secret place is called Soul-Severing Ridge. It gets its name from the great cultivators who perished here, and it is just a single mountain range.

Seventy-two array stones and one hundred and forty-four divination stones were thrown into Broken Soul Ridge. Divine Lord Zhenyuan felt that the speed at which the array was set up was incredibly fast, which made him sigh in amazement.

"The Kunlun Sacred Land is vast, with many interconnected secret areas and complex mountain ranges and geological formations. Duanhun Ridge, on the other hand, is just one mountain, making the setup much simpler," Zhang Xuezhou said. "I originally thought that the foundation of this Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation would only take an hour or two to complete by following the diagram, but it actually took a whole day and night!"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan felt the formation time was too short, while Zhang Xuezhou felt it was too long.

The two exchanged a glance, and Divine Lord Zhenyuan reached out and pinched the many divination stones he had touched, feeling a slight sense of control over them.

To make the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation work, it obviously requires continuous practice to achieve complete control.

However, this sense of control and operability also proves that the arrangement of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation is correct, and from a technical point of view, it has indeed been a success.

Next, simply place the corresponding array devices in the corresponding areas to complete the creation of the corresponding array power.

"The components of the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation are suitable for wrapping around buildings. I still need to carry out some repairs on the ground here in order to make the formation work perfectly," said Divine Lord Zhenyuan.

"Let's just build a makeshift shed for now," Zhang Xuezhou said. "It'll be good enough if it can hide the longevity fruit tree!"

Small formations can be arranged by relying on mountains and rivers, and their power can be exerted by cleverly utilizing the natural environment.

Large formations require human intervention; the stronger the power and the more complex the functions, the more resources are needed to construct them.

Zhang Xuezhou looked at the empty mountains and then gazed into the distance where there was no trace of human beings. He felt that if Divine Lord Zhenyuan wanted to perfectly utilize this great formation, he would inevitably have to do a lot of hard work in its construction.

"Isn't setting up a shed a bit too simple?" Divine Lord Zhenyuan said. "I want to build a network of nine palaces and eight courtyards along the mountainside. Each palace and courtyard can bring different powers, and if they are combined, they can unleash seventy-two different wondrous uses!"

"In places like this, there's no manpower or building materials. Everything needed for construction either has to be provided by the locals themselves or transported from afar. Wouldn't it take decades to build this place?" Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Decades of effort have resulted in a perfect, top-tier formation; I think it's well worth it!"

"That makes sense!"

Zhang Xuezhou gave a brief response.

For Zhang Xuezhou, he never thinks about what will happen decades from now.

Decades later, those people may be long gone, and no matter how big, beautiful, or useful it is, it won't bring any benefit.

Seeing Divine Lord Zhenyuan's enthusiastic imagination about the future and his constant casting tests, Zhang Xuezhou didn't delay or disturb him.

He opened his eyes and looked down the mountain, intending to catch some wild rabbits to fill his stomach, when he heard a painful sound coming from the ground behind him.

Just as Zhang Xuezhou turned to look at the longevity fruit tree, a clear cry rang out, and a large bird engulfed in flames spread its wings and took flight.

Darkness descended, and the world before him had changed completely.