282: Chapter 729 Entering the Cultivation World of Xuanzhou

Wu Yang and Yang Chi stood quietly, their expressions calm as they watched the slaughter before them, a mix of emotions in their hearts.

Just as all the Immortal Artifacts returned to their places and the slaughter came to an end, Yuan Chen's gaze shifted slightly, a faint flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.

"Oh?"

"One actually slipped through."

His gaze pierced through the blood mist and dust, looking toward the far end of the lake surface.

Amidst the final scene where everyone had been pursued and wiped out, one person had quietly escaped, fleeing outside the range of the Immortal Artifacts' absolute kill.

"This person is named Dai Zong, a very low-profile mid-level leader. His cultivation is not high, but his speed is extremely fast; he once escaped alive from the hands of a Loose Immortal at the Sixth Tribulation." Wu Yang stepped forward to explain.

Just now, as everyone was fighting to the death and fleeing in all directions, Dai Zong never followed the crowd or panicked to break out. Instead, taking advantage of the moment the Formation shattered and the scene was in chaos, he abandoned all Spiritual Qi protection, suppressed his Aura, covered himself in the lake mud, completely masked his presence, and disguised himself as a heavily injured corpse lying on the ground, holding his breath and hiding his form.

He was well-versed in the art of hiding his talent to save his life, knowing that his speed was inferior to others and his combat power was low. Forcibly fleeing meant certain death; only by playing dead and lying in wait did he have a glimmer of hope for survival.

Hundreds of Immortal Artifacts had locked onto those with violent Auras who were fleeing at full speed; no one paid attention to this "corpse" that had no life or Aura.

Once the Immortal Artifacts returned to their places, the slaughter ended, and everyone's attention was on Yuan Chen, Dai Zong seized the fleeting gap. With the cover of the lake's undercurrents, he silently sank to the bottom of the lake, followed the deep-water currents, and fled thousands of miles away, completely escaping the Shuibo area and disappearing without a trace.

Such a patient, detailed, and extremely cautious means of escape could not be called earth-shattering, but it was extremely tricky and practical, successfully allowing him to reclaim his life from a certain death trap.

Yuan Chen's gaze swept lightly over the fleeing afterimage a thousand miles away, a trace of faint amusement passing through his eyes, but he had no intention of pursuing him.

With a lazy posture and a casual tone, he smiled faintly: "A mere nobody, just struggling to survive. He won't be able to stir up any waves."

As he finished speaking, he completely withdrew his gaze, letting Dai Zong escape quietly and ignoring him.

For him, today's core objectives had all been cleared, and everything was completed to Perfection.

A mere mid-level pawn struggling for his life was insignificant and not worth wasting energy to pursue.

Being able to escape his attack was also the other party's own ability.

The Immortal Artifacts floating in the sky all retracted their spiritual light and hid into the Void Realm, the murderous Aura of the scene slowly dissipating, and the isolated island in Shuibo finally returned to peace.

Yuan Chen turned his head to look at Wu Yang and Yang Chi, who were standing respectfully to the side, and resumed his lazy and calm tone as he gave instructions:

"Take me to the location where Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao descended and stayed previously. I want to go see that Void Realm rift."

Wu Yang and Yang Chi immediately bowed to accept the order, their attitudes respectful and steady: "Yes!"

After experiencing today's battle, their awe of Yuan Chen had become even more deeply rooted.

"You all, wait here. It's best you don't cause any trouble for me!"

"We wouldn't dare!"

After warning the remaining people, Yuan Chen walked away.

The two led the way, their postures steady, bringing Yuan Chen through the devastated island, across the cleared battlefield, and heading toward the deepest part of the lake.

After walking for a while, the three arrived at the core location of the Shuibo lake.

A half-meter-high crack in the hall was constantly surging, quietly floating in mid-air.

It had not completely expanded or raged, nor had it completely annihilated or closed, just hanging in the Void Realm like this, faintly flowing with obscure Dao rhythm and emitting a strange, exotic Aura.

At the edge of the rift, the spatial patterns were mottled and twisted, light and dark intersecting. Countless fine spatial fragments were slowly floating and circulating, and wisps of exotic Spiritual Qi continuously overflowed from the rift, drifting out and merging into the Canglan Domain.

A breeze blew, and the rift trembled gently, emitting a faint spatial hum, as if it might completely close at any moment, or as if it might expand again at any moment and connect to the Xuan Continent.

Yuan Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. Most other rifts would automatically heal after a period of time, waiting for the next opening; this one was quite peculiar, still existing after so long.

Wu Yang looked up at the spatial rift above and reported in a deep voice: "Dragon Emperor, this is where the Void Realm anomaly occurred and the rift was born, and it is also the location where Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao descended."

Yang Chi followed closely and added: "Previously, Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao relied on this rift to travel between the Xuan Continent and the Canglan Domain. When she left, she threw something into the rift, which should be her deliberately leaving the rift unclosed to plant a backup plan for future cross-border incursions."

Yuan Chen stood with one hand behind his back, lazily standing under the Void Realm rift in the center of the lake.

He raised his eyelids, boredly examining the spatial crack hanging in mid-air, as thin as a knife mark.

The crack was gray, its edges twisted and rubbed, like a piece of dough that hadn't been kneaded smooth. Wisps of exotic fighting energy were slowly leaking out, with a pungent smell and a fierce nature, not at all the same path as the gentle Spiritual Qi of the native Canglan Domain.

"Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao, she has some means."

Yuan Chen muttered casually, his tone not serious at all, but rather carrying a bit of playful amusement.

His Divine Thought swept lightly, carelessly figuring out the foundation of the entire rift.

There was no ambush; it was simply locked tightly by someone using top-tier spatial secret techniques, preventing it from healing and closing on its own, forcefully leaving a "small backdoor" between the two worlds.

To put it bluntly, Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao was afraid that she wouldn't have a way through next time she wanted to come over for a visit, so she specifically left a dedicated channel for herself.

Yuan Chen commented lazily.

Since the other party had gone to great lengths to leave a door, he would just install a lock.

You want to open the door and come in to cause trouble?

Fine, I'll weld the threshold shut first, then set up an access control System for you.

You can come in, but everyone who comes in will be downgraded.

Thinking of this, Yuan Chen flicked his fingertips gently.

Clatter—

A large pile of rare divine Materials from his private reserves popped out of thin air, densely floating in mid-air, glittering with jewelry-like light and flashing with spiritual radiance. If you picked any piece to take out, it would be enough to make those old Sect Masters of the Canglan Domain fight to the death.

Primordial Xuan Crystals, Realm-Suppressing Divine Jade, Void Realm Spiritual Marrow, Myriad Phenomenon Star Sand, Order Spiritual Gold...

A pile of top-tier Materials was stacked like a small hill.

Yuan Chen's expression was indifferent, even a bit perfunctory, as he casually pushed them around, like cooking a home meal, and started setting up the Formation in a carefree manner.

Beside him, Wu Yang and Yang Chi, who were still in a state of post-war recovery, glanced at it, and their pupils instantly shook, their brains buzzing, and they froze on the spot.

The two subconsciously looked at each other quickly, the shock in their eyes almost overflowing.

"Th-this is... the Materials for the Unity Boundary-Suppressing Array?!" Wu Yang's throat went dry, and he lowered his voice, his tone full of disbelief.

Yang Chi swallowed hard, staring fixedly at the pile of extravagantly expensive divine Materials in mid-air, his heart pounding wildly: "The legendary Supreme protective array that is the only one capable of forcibly suppressing Realms, suppressing the Void Realm, and locking the two worlds! His Majesty is actually going to set it up himself?!"

The Unity Boundary-Suppressing Array was a famous Formation throughout the Canglan Domain.

It was not passed down, rare, consumed Materials to the extreme, and no one in the entire Canglan Domain could set it up except Yuan Chen.

This Formation didn't engage in slaughter or killing; it only did one thing—suppress.

Suppress Void Realm turbulence, suppress exotic evil energy, suppress cross-border powerhouses, and suppress Realm crushing.

Anyone from the exotic lands who dared to step through the Formation would have their high-and-mighty cultivation directly rubbed into the dirt, their levels plummeting, and their advantages vanishing.

It was truly a divine protective array for the world, a trump card for all living beings.

What was unexpected was that all the expensive Materials for this entire set of Arrays were paid for by Yuan Chen himself, using his own foundation.

He didn't use a single bit of the Imperial Dynasty's inventory, nor did he squeeze any tribute from the Sects.

He purely spent his own money, put in his own effort, and did it himself to protect the entire Canglan Domain.

A surge of hot admiration instantly rose in Wu Yang's heart, and he secretly sighed: Yuan Chen is truly easygoing, and he also has a broad perspective.

He holds invincible power; he could lie flat if he wanted to, he could slack off if he wanted to, and he could wipe away any disaster with a wave of his hand—there was no need to spend this effort or consume these resources.

Yet he was willing to take action slowly and silently provide a safety net for all living beings.

Look at Song He in contrast?

Holding power over a region, sitting on a group of clansmen, his heart only contained his own little life and his own little power.

In order to survive, he could sell his clansmen, hide dangers, kneel to the exotic lands, and endure humiliation.

The difference in their stature was clear at a glance.

"It's fortunate that the two of us were clear-headed back then and didn't follow Song He to the dark end of the road." Yang Chi sighed softly, his eyes full of relief.

Wu Yang nodded heavily: "Once the enemy enters, I don't know about other places, but the area around Shuibo definitely wouldn't be peaceful."

Thoughts surged in their hearts, their loyalty exploded once again, and their awe of Yuan Chen was completely carved into their bones.

In mid-air, Yuan Chen's movements in setting up the Formation were still casual and lazy, without the solemnity of a great expert setting up a Formation.

Others set up Formations as if facing a great enemy, holding their breath and being meticulous.

He set up the Formation as if he were casually building with blocks, his fingertips casually waving, and the divine Materials automatically disassembled, automatically returned to their positions, and automatically formed the Formation.

Hum—

The gentle and heavy sound of the Dao of Formations slowly spread out. There were no earth-shattering visions, no pressure to tear the world apart, only a faint layer of golden order soft light, spreading gently and landing steadily.

Layers of Formation patterns took root in the center of the lake, locked the rift, smoothed out the distortion of the Void Realm, and imprisoned the scale of the channel.

The spatial channel that could have expanded at any time and could have allowed an army to cross the border was instantly locked tight.

The channel was still there, the rift was still hanging, and everything looked the same, but in reality, Yuan Chen had already installed a full layer of "Realm suppression patches" inside.

From now on, anyone from the Xuan Continent who dared to cross the border from here would have their cultivation downgraded, combat power discounted, and advantages zeroed out.

Want to cross the border and crush us?

Get through my access control first.

The Formation was set, and the overall situation was settled.

Yuan Chen clapped his hands, casually brushing off the non-existent dust on his sleeves, his posture lazy and relaxed, finishing the job without any lingering attachment to the battle.

He walked to the space directly below the rift, turned his head to look at Wu Yang and Yang Chi behind him, who had faces full of reverence and burning eyes, his tone as casual as if he were just asking for a meal: "I'm planning to go to the opposite Xuan Continent for a stroll and see what Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao's hometown looks like. Do you two want to come with me and see the world?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Wu Yang and Yang Chi's eyes instantly lit up like light bulbs, so excited they almost jumped up on the spot.

They couldn't ask for more! It was practically a heaven-sent Opportunity!

The two bowed in seconds, their tone excited and respectful: "We are willing to accompany the Dragon Emperor!"

It really wasn't that they were playful or liked running around.

It was just that this Opportunity was too rare.

Ordinary Cultivators are trapped within a single world their entire lives, unable to even touch the barrier between two worlds, let alone travel across boundaries to explore higher-level Great Worlds.

Even if they find an entrance or exit, they dare not act recklessly due to the danger.

But following Yuan Chen?

That is an entirely different concept.

Following this invincible big shot of the heavens across boundaries, where is the adventure?

It is clearly paid travel, Supreme escort, gaining knowledge for free, and lying down while reaping Opportunities!

With Yuan Chen here, who in the entire Xuan Continent can harm them in the slightest?

Not only is it safe and invincible, but they can also witness the layout of the outer domains, feel different Dao rhythms, see the competition of Prodigies, and fully understand the gap between the two worlds.

Any random clash between top-tier big shots, or any casual insight into the Dao, could benefit them for a lifetime and help them break through their Bottlenecks.

Only a fool would refuse such a good thing!

Yuan Chen looked at the two, who were full of excitement and anticipation, and couldn't help but chuckle, his tone carrying a touch of casual mockery: "You are quite clever and very perceptive."

If they had refused just now, he would have had to use a little force and drag them over.

"Fine."

Yuan Chen couldn't be bothered to waste more words, simply nodding to settle the matter, clean and efficient.

The next second, his figure swayed slightly, his white-clad shadow flashed gently, and he dove straight into the grey Void Realm rift above, his movements relaxed and casual, as natural as visiting a neighbor or going for a stroll.

There was no earth-shattering light of escape, no domineering air-breaking display; it was plain and simple, yet he steadily passed through the Void Realm passage and disappeared into the depths of the rift.

"Follow me!"

Wu Yang and Yang Chi exchanged glances, no longer hesitating, followed closely behind, and leaped into the rift.

Once inside the rift, a sense of spatial distortion instantly swept over their entire bodies.

The surrounding light and shadow were mottled, the turbulent currents of the Void Realm flowed slowly, and the familiar Spiritual Qi, order, and Dao rhythms of the Canglan Domain rapidly faded away.

Replacing them was an extremely domineering, extremely dense, and extremely restless strange force that washed over their limbs and bones.

Unlike the gentle and nourishing Spiritual Qi of the Canglan Domain, this force was fierce, violent, and full of killing intent, with every wisp carrying the cold Aura of vying for the Dao.

After just a few breaths and a slight moment of dizziness.

Swish—the field of vision suddenly opened up, and the chaotic spatial force around them instantly dissipated.

The three of them landed steadily, stepping into a brand-new world.

Looking up, they were surrounded by deep, pitch-black, continuous cliffs, the cliff walls as hard as divine iron, with jagged black rocks and intertwined strange stones, heavy clouds and mist, and eerie Yin Qi; it was a dangerous, deep mountain area rarely visited by humans.

High above their heads, a long, narrow rift was suspended, its grey opening agape; it was the Xuan Continent entrance/exit of the passage between the two worlds.

Endless, violent Dou Qi poured out from the rift, filling the entire world.

Wu Yang took a deep breath, his pores relaxing, his face full of wonder, and he couldn't help but whisper in exclamation: "My god! Is this the Xuan Continent Dou Qi Great World?!"

"The feeling of this Spiritual Qi... no, it's Dou Qi! It's so strange!"

He raised his hand and clenched it lightly, and a wisp of extremely condensed gaseous energy instantly gathered in his palm, heavy, fierce, and extremely oppressive.

Yang Chi also sensed it carefully for a moment, his eyes full of shock, and he couldn't help but compare: "A completely different System! The Canglan Domain cultivates Spiritual Power, which is gentle and long-lasting, emphasizing order, Dao enlightenment, and nourishment; this Xuan Continent cultivates Dou Qi, which is fierce and domineering, emphasizing killing, competition, and the Physical Body!"

Wu Yang nodded repeatedly, sighing with emotion: "The world is vast and full of wonders; before this, we were just sitting in a well looking at the sky!"

The two talked back and forth, frantically sighing at the gap between the two worlds.

Yuan Chen stood to the side, hands behind his back, slowly looking around, his expression relaxed and calm.

Listening to their exclamations, he spoke casually and indifferently: "This place is a desolate mountain area, a godforsaken place, nothing worth seeing. Let's go out first and join the excitement outside."

His tone was relaxed, purely with the mindset of someone out for a stroll and watching the show.

The two immediately collected their thoughts, obediently following behind Yuan Chen, waiting to move forward.

At this moment, outside Duanyun Cliff, it was already completely chaotic and lively.

The news of the Void Realm rift's appearance had already swept across the entire Xuan Continent like a wildfire.

A passage between two worlds, a brand-new territory, endless resources!

These words had an allure to the major forces of the Xuan Continent that nothing else could compare to.

A great cross-boundary Opportunity that is hard to encounter in ten thousand years, or even a hundred thousand years!

To be able to seize endless resources, Secret Realms, and Spiritual Veins, cultivate countless Prodigies, strengthen the Sect's foundation, unify the Central Region, and reach the peak of the Xuan Continent!

For a time, the thousand-mile airspace of Duanyun Cliff was completely blockaded by major forces.

The sky was filled with floating treasure halls, giant flying ships, forests of war flags, and Spiritual light soaring into the heavens.

Countless top-tier powerhouses dressed in luxurious Daoist robes, battle armor, and scholar robes stood in the air, their Auras monstrous and their pressure pervasive.

More than ninety percent of the top forces in the Xuan Continent were present: Zixiao Ancient Sect, Lieyang Dynasty, Haoran Academy, Poison Shadow Valley, Cloud Water Pavilion...

Various Sect Masters, Valley Masters, Academy Masters, Princes, and Elders gathered together; those who were usually high and mighty and refused to bow to each other were all gathered at Duanyun Cliff today, just to fight for the first Opportunity to cross the boundary.

At the highest point of Duanyun Cliff, a white jade platform was built in the air, with an open view overlooking the entire area, becoming the main battlefield for the negotiations and games of the major forces.

Beside the main seat of the high platform, a beautiful figure in a plain white immortal dress sat quietly.

Her face was peerless, cold and otherworldly, her temperament looking down on the world; she was the Empress of the Qingxuan Taoist Sect — Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao.

Floating beside her was a clear and transparent Void Glazed Jade Ruler, with faint spatial Dao rhythms flowing endlessly; it was this top-tier spatial Spiritual Artifact that consumed its Origin day and night, forcibly locking the rift and allowing this passage between the two worlds to remain stable.

Today's gathering of heroes and struggle for Opportunities, when it comes down to it, was all thanks to her.

There might not be only this one passage between the two worlds, but as of now, this is the only one that can be confirmed.

Rushing to other passages that might appear is definitely not as fast as going directly here; seizing the first Opportunity is very important.

It is precisely because of this that her status in the field is transcendent, holding absolute say, and no one dares to easily contend with her.

The atmosphere was tense, with undercurrents surging; the major forces each had their own hidden agendas, wary of each other, and pulling against each other.

The first to break the silence was Sect Master Xiao Xuanji of the Zixiao Ancient Sect.

He was dressed in a luxurious purple robe, his face dignified; his gaze swept across the audience, and he said in a deep voice: "Fellow Daoists, the appearance of the Void Realm cross-boundary rift is a grand Opportunity for our Xuan Continent that is hard to encounter in ten thousand years! But the greater the Opportunity, the greater the risk!"

"At present, the rift has just formed and is not yet stable; if every family acts recklessly, crosses the boundary privately, and competes aggressively, it is very easy to trigger a collapse of the Void Realm and the annihilation of the passage, at which point everyone will end up with nothing!"

"In my opinion, we should first set rules, unify coordination, and conduct orderly exploration to figure out the details of the Lower Realm, and then plan for a large-scale entry! What do you all think?"

As soon as his voice fell, the First Disciple of the Hushan Sect, Liu Yun, who was wearing golden battle armor and had a domineering and sharp Aura, immediately sneered and retorted strongly.

"Sect Master Xiao's words sound high and mighty, but in reality, you just want to slow down the progress and reap the benefits!"

"With an Opportunity in front of us, everything changes in an instant! One step earlier in exploration means one step earlier in seizing the first Opportunity! Why should we be restrained and have unified coordination? My Lieyang Dynasty has a million brave soldiers and clouds of battle generals; when it comes to pioneering and frontal warfare, if my dynasty claims second, no one dares to claim first! Our dynasty should be the first to enter and lead the exploration!"

Liu Yun's attitude was domineering, refusing to give an inch, full of the sharp spirit of an Imperial Dynasty, and aggressive.

"These words are too arbitrary!"

The scholar Pavilion Master in white robes and carrying a folding fan to the side gently waved his fan and retorted in a gentle voice, but every word was sharp.

"The world is strange, the layout is unclear, and the dangers are unpredictable! Blindly using troops and pressing down with a large army is the work of a reckless man, which will only intensify conflicts and waste combat power!"

"I am proficient in the deduction of the heavens, observing stars and measuring the earth, breaking through Secret Realms, and understanding layouts; exploring unknown territories, investigating risks, and collecting intelligence are my specialties! The responsibility of leading the exploration should belong to us!"

"Hahaha, a scholar's view, talking on paper!"

Another person laughed grimly, his eyes cold and tricky, his tone full of disdain, "Exploring dangerous places, sneaking into strange territories, hiding one's figure, secretly investigating intelligence, and seizing hidden Opportunities rely on forbearance, treacherous ways, assassination, and stealth!"

"You bunch of scholars who only know how to deduce; if you were really let down there, I'm afraid you would be wiped out as soon as you crossed the boundary! This kind of dirty, tiring, and dangerous work still has to rely on my Tianbing Tower Disciples!"

"Tower Master's words are also too absolute." The Pavilion Master of Cloud Water Pavilion spoke softly, her temperament gentle but her position firm, "Although stealth and assassination can explore small Opportunities, they cannot stabilize the overall situation. The rift passage is extremely fragile, and a large number of Disciples crossing the boundary rashly is very easy to trigger spatial vibrations and the collapse of the passage. Steady exploration and gradual progress are the long-term way."

For a time, the high platform was in a state of chaos, with back-and-forth arguments and endless debates.

You fight for the leading right, I fight for priority, he fights for the distribution right; everyone has their reasons, and no one gives way.

Some want aggressive pioneering, some want steady exploration, some want to steal in secret, and some want to crush them head-on.

The scene was incredibly lively, the smell of gunpowder was getting stronger and stronger, and they were almost about to tear their faces off and fight on the spot.

Xiao Xuanji looked at the crowd, who were arguing until his head hurt, his brows locked, and he spoke in a deep voice again to suppress the scene: "Quiet, everyone! Arguing back and forth is meaningless!"

"Regardless of who leads or who has priority, the first step at present must be to send scouts, cross the boundary on a small scale, and figure out the details!"

"The core of the discussion now is: how many people each Sect sends, how to rotate, how to share intelligence, and how to distribute resources!"

Liu Yun immediately replied: "My Lieyang Dynasty will send one hundred people! A hundred-person team has sufficient combat power, can advance and retreat, can fight and explore, and can figure out the details of the Lower Realm the fastest!"

"One hundred people is too many! Too flashy!" The Pavilion Master immediately opposed, "Thirty people is enough! A lean team, low-key sneaking, hidden exploration, not attracting attention, and not triggering risks!"

"Thirty people is too few! Insufficient manpower, too small an exploration range, and too low efficiency!" The Poison Shadow Valley Valley Master immediately retorted.

"Fifty is just right, not too many, not too few!"

For a time, the issue of the number of people was argued about again, and the negotiation was completely deadlocked.

Just as everyone was arguing until their faces were red, no one willing to give way, and the scene was completely out of control.

Ling Tianjiao, who had been sitting silently, watching coldly from the sidelines, and seemed to be outside the matter, finally spoke slowly.

Her voice was cold, melodious, and ethereal, carrying the pressure of an Empress; it was neither high nor low, but it instantly suppressed all the noisy arguments in the audience.

"Everyone, you have been arguing for so long; are you tired?"