401: Chapter 41 Blocked Outside the City

【The fiftieth year,】

【You attempted a Breakthrough for the third time.】

【Exhausting all your mental strength, staking your entire Dao path.】

【And yet, you still failed.】

【The result was identical to the previous two attempts. You exerted every ounce of effort, yet ultimately could not cross that insurmountable chasm.】

【It was a very distinct sense of rejection.】

【Fortunately, there was the Demon Seed. In that critical moment of utter despair, it pulled you back from the abyss of death.】

【Three attempts, three failures.】

【You lay on the cold floor of your Immortal Cave, gazing up at the gradually dimming Formation runes overhead, now masterless, gasping for breath, wracked with excruciating pain throughout your body.】

【"Why?"】

【"Just why?!"】

【"I've cultivated to the Peak of the Soul Transformation Stage, perfected my Sword Dao, my essence, Qi, and spirit are flawless—why... am I still not allowed to break through?!"】

【You roared hoarsely. The resentment and frustration accumulated over centuries finally erupted in this moment.】

【"Boom—!"】

【A majestic aura, so immense it bordered on losing control, erupted violently from within you like a volcano suppressed for ten thousand years!】

【The Dao charm of the sword transformed into invisible blades, spreading outwards in a frenzied ring with you at the center!】

【The hard stone walls of the Immortal Cave, inscribed with Restrictions, crumbled and collapsed inch by inch under the impact of this pure, ultimate Law, as fragile as paper!】

【Before the shattered stones could even hit the ground, they were ground into dust by the dense Sword Intent.】

【In the blink of an eye, this Immortal Cave that had been your dwelling for years was completely obliterated.】

【You stood alone amidst the ruins, feeling like a trapped beast.】

【A helpless, trapped beast, hunted by the Laws of Heaven and Earth in concert, yet unable to find its opponent.】

【The fifty-first year,】

【After recovering from your injuries, you repeatedly reviewed the experiences of your previous three Breakthrough attempts—】

【Although there was progress each time, the final outcome was always failure.】

【This indicated it wasn't completely impossible, but rather extremely difficult to achieve.】

【"If a Senior could offer just a little guidance, there might still be hope!"】

【"Right, trying to figure it out behind closed doors like this is definitely not the way."】

【Thinking of this, hope rekindled in your eyes.】

【You immediately made up your mind and swiftly left this place.】

【The fifty-second year,】

【You arrived at Tianshu City.】

【Returning this time, you had altered your appearance. With your current cultivation level and the influence of the Demon Seed, almost no one could see through your true foundation.】

【Moreover, there was the cover provided by the tianshu giant eye.】

【Upon arriving at Tianshu, you immediately used your Divine Thought to inquire with the tianshu giant eye about the reason for your repeated failures in attempting to break through to the Void Refining Stage.】

【But its reply left you deep in thought:】

【"In four years, the Holy Land Grand Competition. You will enter Tianshu Pavilion and help me break free. At that time... I will naturally enlighten you."】

【Thus, you contacted Liu Ruyan.】

【She brought the results of the previous investigation—】

【Back then, the Liu Clan had divided the Ancient Candle Dragon's left eye, right eye, head, torso, and limbs into five parts, suppressing them in five different locations—】

【Center — Yaoguang City, suppressing the Candle Dragon's head.】

【East — Tianshu City, suppressing the Candle Dragon's left eye.】

【West — Kaiyang City, suppressing the Candle Dragon's right eye.】

【South — Qingliu City, suppressing the Candle Dragon's torso.】

【North — Yuheng City, suppressing the Candle Dragon's limbs.】

【With Yaoguang City as the center, the other four cities, separated by millions of miles, formed a protective encirclement, collectively constituting an Ancient Sealing Grand Formation.】

【You immediately relayed this information to the tianshu giant eye.】

【The tianshu giant eye's voice carried a trace of excitement: "Good, good, good, so that's how it is, so that's how it is!"】

【"Little friend, if you can rescue all my severed parts, I will surely help you break through to Void Refining."】

【In truth, after the tianshu giant eye was dismembered, each remaining part possessed only one innate Divine Ability, and its power was also limited.】

【If it could reintegrate, it would regain the strength of the Body Integration Stage. How could it not be overjoyed?】

【Moreover, given enough time, it even had hopes of recovering to the Peak of the Body Integration Stage. Ultimately, breaking through to the Mahayana Stage was not entirely impossible.】

【You also understood clearly in your heart—the Holy Land Grand Competition was also the best opportunity for you to strike against the Liu Clan Immortal Family.】

【If you could help the severed parts of the tianshu giant eye reintegrate, it would also be a great boon for you.】

【In a single thought, a comprehensive plan formed in your mind.】

【Thus, you smiled faintly and transmitted your voice in reply: "Senior, rest assured, I will spare no effort."】

【"Just don't forget, when the time comes, to guide me in breaking through to Void Refining."】

【"At that time, we will still need to join forces to deal with the Liu Clan."】

【"Little friend, have no fear!" The tianshu giant eye's voice trembled slightly, filled with great excitement.】

【After finalizing the details with the tianshu giant eye, you sent Liu Ruyan away.】

【Having Liu Ruyan stay in Tianshu City was far too dangerous for you.】

【After all, she was one of the three candidates selected by the Liu Clan Immortal Family to participate in the Holy Land Grand Competition.】

【Liu Ruyan understood this in her heart, yet it was as if she were poisoned, harboring an inexplicable obsession with you.】

【You knew this was a sickness she had, one that needed curing.】

【Left with no choice, you had to take her to a Shattered Star Continent. After comforting her for a few days, she finally returned obediently to Ningyue Immortal Mountain.】

【And you, you immediately set your plan into motion—】

【First, you purchased a secluded estate in an inconspicuous location in the suburbs of Tianshu City. Then, within the estate, using the energy of the Demon Seed within you, you set up the Distance-less Teleportation Array.】

【Afterwards, you left Tianshu City and headed south towards Qingliu City.】

【However, you did not travel by revealing your Soul Transformation Stage strength. Instead, you journeyed aboard a void-breaking boat.】

【Because you knew someone was watching you.】

【To avoid exposure, you even flew the flag of the "Jiang Clan Merchant House" on the void-breaking boat, making it appear as an ordinary merchant vessel.】

【Such merchant boats were commonplace within Liu Clan Territory and would not attract attention.】

【Above the clouds, your merchant boat cleaved through the thick, flowing clouds. It had already flown for three days and three nights.】

【On this day, as the sky grew slightly dim, you stood alone on the deck, hands clasped behind your back. Gazing at the boundless sea of clouds ahead, a faint, almost imperceptible smile slowly curled at the corner of your mouth.】

【They're here!】

【The next second—】

【Hum!】

【A blinding streak of light shot from within the clouds behind, suddenly accelerating. In the blink of an eye, it cut across your path, forcefully bringing your flying boat to a halt!】

【On the deck of the spirit boat stood the leader, hands clasped behind his back, dressed in brocade and a dark robe, his expression cold and stern. It was precisely Liu Xuanyin.】

【However, the Liu Xuanyin before you was merely a primordial spirit clone, possessing roughly one-tenth of the main body's strength.】

【To his left and right stood a man and a woman, precisely Fairy Zhiyun and Vast Emptiness Master.】

【Your expression remained unchanged, but your mind was crystal clear.】

【You had anticipated this all along.】

【Ever since you decided to return to Tianshu City with this "new face," you guessed they would seek you out sooner or later.】

【The deaths of Immortal Master Jade Dragon and the Ji Family Old Ancestor, along with Zhong Linger's disappearance, were all inextricably linked to you.】

【A confrontation was merely a matter of time.】

【Liu Xuanyin's icy gaze swept over you repeatedly, as if tangible blades scraping across your skin.】

【His Divine Sense, even more discourteously, swept over your body again and again—the aura of a Golden Core was unstable, nothing abnormal could be discerned.】

【With the strength of this Clone of his, naturally, he was still unable to see through your true foundation.】

【He frowned slightly, turning his head to look at Fairy Zhiyun, his tone carrying obvious dissatisfaction:】

【"The one you mentioned, is it him?"】