245: Chapter 245 The Little Spring and Autumn Secret Realm

Passing through a dark cyan stone gate about three zhang high, the view before them suddenly opened up.

This was a massive domed space encased in ten-thousand-year profound ice, spanning several hundred zhang in circumference. Embedded in the dome were unknown glowing crystals, illuminating the entire space as bright as day.

Directly beneath the dome, three smelting furnaces were arranged in a triangular Formation.

The furnaces were jet-black, their surfaces covered in dense, crimson-gold runes. Dark red flames churned at the furnace openings, and even from dozens of zhang away, the scorching waves of heat still rushed toward them.

In the center of the three furnaces stood an altar in silence. The altar was built from dark cyan profound jade, its surface carved with deep grooves. Within these grooves, silver-white Spiritual Qi faintly flowed, connecting with the rune patterns between the furnaces to form a massive Formation.

Beside the altar, three figures sat cross-legged.

The elder in the center had white hair and a beard, with a withered and thin physique; he was none other than Cangming Chiguang.

The Saint King Old Ancestor on the left had a square face, while the one on the right was as thin as bamboo. The aura surrounding all three was as deep as an abyss, and they were all undoubtedly at the Saint King Realm.

Cangming Chiguang opened his eyes and his gaze fell upon Shen Qingyuan. A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes; with his cultivation at the Peak of the Saint King Realm, he could not see through this person in the slightest.

He nodded slightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Your Excellency must be Venerable Qingyuan, right? I have long admired you!"

Shen Qingyuan glanced at the three smelting furnaces, turned his head to look at him, and replied indifferently, "Since everything is ready, let us begin."

He waved his hand, and the purple jade gourd rose into the air.

The purple jade gourd hovered in mid-air, its surface golden patterns moving like living creatures, and a deep purple halo rippled outward in circles.

Cangming Chiguang and the other two sat cross-legged beside the altar, their withered fingers hidden within their wide sleeves, each pinching a pre-prepared spell seal. Their faces remained calm, but inwardly, they were all secretly calculating the timing for this step.

Shen Qingyuan did not pay them much attention; he merely raised his right hand and gently tapped the purple jade gourd with his slender fingers.

"Hum——"

A dense mass of purple mist suddenly erupted from the mouth of the gourd. The mist expanded rapidly, condensing in mid-air into a light gate about a zhang high.

Inside the light gate, phantom images of mountains, rivers, vegetation, spiritual springs, and waterfalls faintly appeared. An ancient and dense aura permeated from within, carrying the heaviness and gentleness of accumulated time.

"Enter." Shen Qingyuan calmly spat out one word and took the lead, stepping into the light gate.

Luo Qingyue, in white clothes like snow, followed closely behind.

Jiang Li hopped and skipped behind at the very end, her red dress fluttering like a butterfly in the purple halo, her eyes full of curiosity.

After those few figures had all disappeared into the light gate, the Saint King Old Ancestor on the left slowly opened his eyes. He tapped his withered fingers on his knee twice and lowered his voice, "They have entered."

"Proceed according to the plan." Cangming Chiguang's voice was hoarse, revealing neither joy nor anger.

The three stood up simultaneously, their sleeves shaking as three strands of spiritual power silently sank into the grooves beneath the altar. The silver-white light on the altar's surface brightened slightly, then immediately returned to calm.

Meanwhile, inside the Lesser Spring-Autumn Secret Realm.

Rich Spiritual Qi rushed toward them; mist of Spiritual Qi, almost condensed into substance, flowed through the valley. Every breath felt like swallowing a gentle Spirit Pill.

Jiang Li widened her apricot-shaped eyes, looking up at the azure sky above, and could not help but exclaim, "Wow! The Spiritual Qi here is so dense! It's several times thicker than our ancestral grounds at the Chiyan Divine Palace!"

Xu Jianan also took a deep breath and smacked his lips, "Tsk tsk, no wonder they say this treasure is worth a fortune. This Secret Realm alone is worth a Holy Land's accumulation over a thousand years."

Shen Qingyuan did not respond; he merely walked across the soft grass to a flat cyan stone in the center of the valley and turned to look at the light gate that was slowly closing.

Outside the light gate, the figures of Cangming Chiguang and the other two were already blurry, but that faint fluctuation of spiritual power seeped in through the gap like an undercurrent.

A slight arc appeared at the corner of Shen Qingyuan's mouth; he then withdrew his gaze and beckoned behind him.

"Bring the things in."

Outside the valley, dozens of Disciples from the Cangming Clan carried massive profound iron smelting furnaces and various spiritual materials through the light gate. Each walked with steady steps, yet kept their heads lowered, not daring to look around.

Those furnaces and spiritual materials had already looked astonishing outside the purple jade gourd, but when they actually appeared in this Secret Realm, dense golden patterns emerged on every implement, resonating with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the Secret Realm and emitting a low humming sound.

The three Saint King Realm Old Ancestors of the Cangming Clan were the last to step into the light gate, each holding a fist-sized piece of profound ice jade marrow in their hands, their expressions solemn.

Cangming Chiguang, who was in the lead, glanced at the layout of the valley, his gaze lingering on Shen Qingyuan for a moment before he nodded slightly, "Venerable Qingyuan, the three Saint furnaces have entered the Secret Realm, and the spiritual materials are all prepared. If you have no other objections, we shall begin setting up the Formation."

"Set it up." Shen Qingyuan kept his hands tucked in his sleeves, his tone casual.

Cangming Chiguang did not say anything more; he turned and discussed briefly in low voices with the other two Old Ancestors. The three then stood in three different positions, each taking out a piece of profound ice jade marrow and placing it into the pre-carved grooves in the ground.

"Hum——"

A low vibration came from beneath their feet, and the Spiritual Qi of the entire valley suddenly began to boil.

The three Saint furnaces lit up simultaneously. The dark red flames at the furnace openings shifted from bright to dim, then from dim to bright, finally transforming into three masses of deep blue light flames that burned quietly within the furnace chambers.

These were flames of profound fire essence; their temperature was extremely high yet extremely restrained, used specifically for refining high-grade spiritual materials without damaging the dao rhyme structure inside the materials.

Cangming Chiguang and the others formed seals with their hands, and strands of silver-white spiritual light surged from their fingertips, winding around the Saint furnaces like fine threads, connecting the three smelting furnaces with the Formation patterns beneath their feet.

"Venerable Qingyuan, please cast the Quasi-Emperor corpses into the Formation." Cangming Chiguang turned to look at Shen Qingyuan, his voice solemn.

Shen Qingyuan nodded slightly and pointed with his hand.

The spatial rift spanning above the Secret Realm opened again, and two massive Quasi-Emperor corpses slowly descended, landing steadily on the altar.

The scales of the Nether Mystic Snake shone with a deep luster under the reflection of the deep blue light flames, and the feathers of the Golden-Winged Peng were like cast gold and iron, each one exuding a daunting pressure.

Cangming Chiguang took a deep breath and changed the spell seals in his hands.

The deep blue light flames in the three Saint furnaces suddenly surged, transforming into three thick pillars of light that landed precisely upon the two corpses.

The moment the light pillars touched them, the dao rhyme on the surface of the corpses seemed to be activated, erupting with blinding light, and the entire valley trembled violently.

"Hold steady!" Cangming Chiguang shouted in a low voice, veins bulging on his forehead; it was clear that controlling smelting at this level was extremely strenuous.

The other two Old Ancestors also gritted their teeth, their spiritual power surging out like a flood from an opened sluice, pouring madly into the Formation patterns.

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