70: Imperial-level sect protection formation

The Azure Cloud Secret Realm was a matter of great importance, and no one wanted to ruin the grand affair due to a minor oversight.

Gu Changge watched everyone busily prepare to take action, a faint smile playing on the corner of his lips.

He lightly raised his fingertip, with no superfluous movements, yet the Void Realm outside the Forbidden Ground suddenly rippled with fragmented spiritual light.

Those spiritual lights rapidly flowed along the stone peak veins of the Forbidden Ground, instantly congealing into a translucent Formation light barrier.

The runes on the light barrier were as intricate as woven silk, faintly exuding a rhythm that resonated with Heaven and Earth, firmly locking down the aura of the Forbidden Ground, not even a wisp of Spiritual Qi leaked out.

Even more astonishing was that as soon as this Formation appeared, the surrounding space seemed to solidify, and even a quasi-Saint's Divine Sense could not penetrate it in the slightest.

No one knew that this Formation, which seemed to appear temporarily, was precisely the Sect's Emperor-Grade Guardian Grand Formation, “Zhou Tian Star Formation,” which Gu Changge had laid down many years ago.

Its Formation foundation had long been deeply buried in the Spirit Vein depths of the seven main peaks, like an unyielding steel fortress rooted deep in the earth.

And what maintained the operation of this Formation were ten Emperor-Grade Spiritual Veins as its guide.

Emperor-Grade Spiritual Veins were the rarest existences in Heaven and Earth, their preciousness beyond imagination.

In this world, even a renowned Holy Land would find it difficult to possess a single Emperor-Grade Spiritual Vein.

The vast spiritual power it contained was like an endless ocean, inexhaustible and boundless.

The Zhou Tian Star Formation, guided by ten Emperor-Grade Spiritual Veins, would be impenetrable even if a Great Emperor personally arrived and attacked with full force.

Ordinarily, this Formation was hidden in the Void Realm, like a dormant Dragon, revealing no trace of its aura; only when it sensed danger to the Sect would it awaken like an ancient beast, displaying its world-shaking power to protect the safety of the Sect.

“This is...”

The Great Ancestor’s action of condensing spiritual power suddenly halted, and a shocked light erupted from his cloudy eyes.

He had lived for over a thousand years and had seen countless Formations, yet he had never seen such an exquisite barrier.

Relying solely on the Formation’s own Dao Rhyme to perfectly seal the aura of the Forbidden Ground, this level of skill was at least a Saint-Grade Formation!

Xuan Yangzi’s eyes widened even further, his finger pointing at the light barrier, his voice trembling: “Junior Brother Changge! This, this was laid down by you?”

“It’s just a grand Formation. I laid it down casually before to stabilize the Forbidden Ground’s aura, to prevent any mishaps when setting up the Secret Realm.”

These words, however, stirred up a storm in everyone’s hearts.

The Fourth Ancestor’s hand, holding the Marrow Cleansing Pill, trembled, and the Medicinal Pill almost rolled to the ground. He looked at Gu Changge in disbelief.

“Laid down casually? Changge, do you know that a Formation capable of sealing the Forbidden Ground’s aura so tightly would require at least several centuries of spiritual material reserves?!”

The Fifth Ancestor was so agitated he stomped his foot, his originally slightly graying hair trembling slightly from shock.

“With such a Formation in place, let alone leaking the Secret Realm’s aura, even if spies approach the Forbidden Ground, they won’t detect any movement!”

Gu Changge looked at their shocked expressions, his tone still calm: “It’s just for the sake of caution, no need to make a fuss.”

He turned to the Great Ancestor, his fingertip pointing towards the depths of the Forbidden Ground: “No need to worry about the Formation; we can now begin to set up the Secret Realm.”

The Great Ancestor took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and bowed deeply to Gu Changge.

“Changge’s consideration is thorough; this Old Ancestor is impressed! With this Formation as a safeguard, we can set up the Secret Realm without any worries!”

Gu Changge watched them rub their fists together, yet seemingly unsure where to start, his smile deepened. He reached out and took the bronze token from the Great Ancestor’s hand.

“Setting up the Secret Realm involves the connection of Spiritual Veins and the overlapping of space. A slight misstep could trigger spatial turbulence, so let me handle it.”

Before his words finished, a wisp of faint golden spiritual power condensed on his fingertip, lightly tapping the center of the four characters “Azure Cloud Secret Realm” on the token.

The seal characters instantly lit up with brilliant golden light, and layers of spatial ripples emanated from the token’s body. The phantom of the Secret Realm rapidly expanded above the stone peaks.

Suspended stone peaks shrouded in clouds and mist, gurgling spiritual springs, and ancient Immortal Caves hidden within the forest—the details became increasingly clear, and even the Spiritual Qi in the air became viscous like honey, as if one could reach out and touch the vegetation of the Secret Realm.

Gu Changge suddenly waved his hands outwards, and the token transformed into a streak of light, rushing directly into the Void Realm of the Forbidden Ground. At the same time, he softly commanded: “Secret Realm in place, conceal!”

In an instant, violent spiritual power fluctuations rippled through the Void Realm. The Secret Realm phantom precisely connected with the Forbidden Ground’s Spiritual Veins, and three invisible barriers spread out like water waves, clearly dividing the Secret Realm into inner, middle, and outer regions.

In a dimension unseen by others, the Formation patterns of the “Zhou Tian Star Formation” perfectly interlocked with the Secret Realm’s barriers, forming a double layer of protection.

Immediately after, the entire Secret Realm slowly vanished as if swallowed by the Void Realm, with even the last wisp of spiritual light disappearing completely.

If not for the rich Spiritual Qi lingering in the air of the Forbidden Ground, if not for everyone personally witnessing the Secret Realm phantom, perhaps no one would believe that this seemingly empty Void Realm actually hid an Innate Secret Realm capable of driving the entire Xuanhuang Continent insane.

The Great Ancestor tremblingly reached out to probe the Void Realm, his fingertips only touching cold air, the shock in his eyes almost overflowing.

“This, is it set up already? Not even a trace left behind! Changge’s methods are truly miraculous!”

Gu Changge withdrew his hand, returning the bronze token to the Great Ancestor, his tone still calm.

“The Secret Realm has completely overlapped with the Void Realm of the Forbidden Ground, hidden from view. Unless one holds an exclusive token, even if a Saint Realm Cultivator were to come, they would not find a single trace.”

He tapped his fingertip in the Void Realm, and several bronze tokens appeared.

“These bronze tokens have been bound to the auras of the Old Ancestors and the Sect Master. From now on, you only need to inject spiritual power, and a golden light gate will appear in the Void Realm. Only you can enter and exit freely; even if others obtain the token, they cannot open it without your aura.”

The Great Ancestor quickly took the tokens and tried to inject a wisp of spiritual power.

Sure enough, a golden light gate about ten feet high appeared in the Void Realm before him. Behind the gate, a floating Dao Comprehension Platform and lingering Innate Dao Rhyme were vaguely visible.

His heart filled with joy, he withdrew his spiritual power, and the light gate instantly vanished without a trace, even the air returned to calmness.

“Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!” The Great Ancestor clapped his hands in praise, his gaze towards Gu Changge filled with admiration.

“Additionally, when Disciples enter the Secret Realm entrance, they will first pass through a ‘Heart Cleansing Formation’—this Formation can test a Disciple’s Heart-Nature. If they harbor ill intentions, are irritable, or prone to anger, the Formation will automatically block them, absolutely preventing those with impure Heart-Natures from entering the Secret Realm.”

The Great Ancestor, holding the bronze token, bowed deeply to Gu Changge.

“Changge has gone to such lengths for the Sect; this Old Ancestor thanks him on behalf of all of the Azure Profound Sect! With this Secret Realm, this protection, and these rules, the future of our Azure Profound Sect will surely be bright!”

Everyone echoed his sentiments, and the atmosphere on the stone peak was as lively as a celebration, every face filled with anticipation for the future.

Gu Changge watched the scene before him, his fingertip quietly retracting the last lingering Dao Rhyme of the Formation.

That Emperor-Grade Guardian Grand Formation, the Zhou Tian Star Formation, was still silently operating, firmly protecting the Sect and the Secret Realm within it. However, he still had no intention of revealing this safeguard, intending it only as a hidden trump card for the Azure Profound Sect.

Gu Changge secretly thought: “Sect Master, Old Ancestors, I won’t tell you the true power of the Grand Formation for now, I’m afraid you’ll get arrogant...” “What are we waiting for? Let’s go in and take a look!”

At this moment, Xuan Yangzi’s voice rang out...