Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Looking at Fellow Daoist Ji, who sat silently in the chair.

Chen Li’s heart was filled with mixed emotions, a blend of everything.

Considering Bai Niao could return at any time, he dared not delay. He collected his emotions and quickly refined the control token of the Array in his hand. Soon under his control, the protective barrier outside started to dissipate, and the entire Array began to shut down.

From the information transmitted by the token, he learned.

This was a small-sized mid-tier Third Order Array: "Wu Earth Bright Light Array."

Its maximum coverage area was about ten or so acres.

Arrays could be categorized not just by grade but also by coverage, classified as small, medium, and large. Large Arrays were known as Mountain Protection Arrays, typically used by Sects, and seldom seen in auctions.

And "Wu Earth Bright Light Great Array" was this small-sized Array.

Despite being small-sized, as the Defensive Array for the scripture vault, its capabilities were by no means inferior to a Mountain Protection Array of the same grade. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Wu Earth Bright Light Array" could be established with a Spirit Vein as its basis, boasting over ten functions such as "Gathering Spirit," "Like Spring," "Defense," "Suppression," "Shattering Illusion," "Attack," and so on. As long as there were enough Spirit Stones, when fully activated, it could withstand a strike from a late-stage Golden Core Cultivator.

Furthermore, it could also emit a Bright Light Extermination Beam with an attack power comparable to a mid-stage Golden Core Cultivator from within the Array.

Even if someone infiltrated the Array, the Suppression power of the Array could totally immobilize a cultivator at the initial stage of Golden Core, or disturb and hinder a mid-stage Golden Core Cultivator’s movements.

"This Array..." Chen Li was overwhelmed with surprise and delight.

Compared to the Second Order Inferior Yin-Yang Five Elements Gathering Spirit Array he bought, the difference was like night and day—a gap like that between clouds and mud.

Chen Li had once seen the auction for a small-sized third-tier mid-tier Array at the Red Pillar City Auction House of the Huoyun Sect. It ended up selling for an astonishing price of 6,200 top-grade Spirit Stones, leaving people speechless.

An Array of this grade was completely beyond what a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could possess.

Even an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator might not be able to afford such an Array.

Chen Li suppressed the joy in his heart. Following the connection between the control token and the various Array components, he quickly located their positions and promptly started to excavate them one by one using the Traction Skill.

There were a total of twenty-one Array components.

Each weighed several hundreds of pounds.

The heavier ones weighed over a thousand pounds.

In total, they all weighed over six tons.

They filled his Ten-Directional Storage Bag to the brim.

Carrying such a valuable treasure, Chen Li dared not allow his ephemeral clone to linger here for even a moment longer and quickly withdrew.

Having just left, the scripture vault, already riddled with holes from the excavation and on the verge of collapsing, could no longer hold up and came crashing down into ruins.

...

Bai Niao was busily building a nest, bustling with activity.

Chen Li’s ephemeral clones were also incessantly on the move, bustling and full of joy.

Because he was cautious, he always chose to enter and leave during the moments when Bai Niao left the mountaintop to search the forest for nesting materials.

Bai Niao didn’t notice anything from beginning to end.

Both sides remained in harmony, not disturbing each other.

For an entire day, Chen Li dispatched his ephemeral clone sixteen times, scouring the entire mountaintop inside and out.

The total haul included:

top-grade Spirit Stones.

storage bags, among which five were Three-Directional Storage Bags, and one was a Ten-Directional Storage Bag (from Fellow Daoist Ji).

One Second Order top-grade flying sword, also from Fellow Daoist Ji.

The herbs stacked up like a mountain.

Chen Li found several medicinal herb warehouses on the mountain, containing piles of dried and processed herbs, almost filling several of his large storage bags. In the end, as there was no more space, he had to leave some behind, reluctantly.

Fortunately, there wasn’t much left.

As for Magic Artifacts, robes, talismans, and other miscellaneous items, Chen Li didn’t bother counting them one by one, estimating their worth to be around a dozen or so top-grade Spirit Stones.

Beyond that,

Chen Li also found three components of a Mountain Protection Array.

If only there had been more time, by using the Penetrating Vision Skill, he could slowly have uncovered the complete Mountain Protection Array.

Nevertheless, even these incomplete parts should be worth quite a sum.

After all, it was an object of the third order.

The materials alone were of considerable value.

And this did not even include the priceless third-order mid-grade array, "Wu Earth Bright Light Array".

The only regret was that he had not found the ancestral treasure.

Chen Li even boldly ventured into the former ancestor’s cave dwelling, now a bird’s nest, in search of it.

Unfortunately, he came out empty-handed.

...

Chen Li fiddled with the second-order top-grade flying sword given to him by Fellow Daoist Ji.

The flying sword was azure throughout, handleless, slender, and engraved with the name "Qing Ying".

"The ancestor has fallen, the sect destroyed, my fellow disciples slaughtered. I ought to be grieving deeply, yet all day long, joy has filled my heart more than anything else. This really shouldn’t be the case!" Chen Li felt guilty.

"Alas, money corrupts the soul!"

The sun was slanting to the west, and the sky was nearing dusk.

The setting sun bathed the valley in a reddish glow.

After instructing his wives and concubines not to disturb him, Chen Li consumed two Harmonizing Qi Elixirs and began to meditate to restore the spent Spiritual Power.

When he opened his eyes again,

The sky had turned completely dark.

"Husband, you’re awake?" Zhou Hong had been watching over Chen Li and hurriedly spoke when she saw him awaken.

"Mm!" Chen Li responded and pushed aside the branches and vines covering the cave entrance, walking out of the cave.

It was pitch black outside.

The past few days had been cloudy, with white clouds stretching for thousands of miles. Now, looking up at the sky, hardly a star could be seen.

"Heaven is truly aiding me!"

This was undoubtedly a good omen.

Chen Li quickly returned to the cave dwelling, "Pack up our things, it’s time to go!"

Before long, the Lingmu flying shuttle rose slowly into the air, soared over the valley, and headed into the distance.

The journey was extraordinarily smooth.

Until daybreak, they did not see Bai Niao’s trace.

The group finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the tension in the air melted away.

By this time, the flying shuttle had already left the range of the Returning True Realm. While on the move, they had merely chosen a rough direction and, due to the darkness, could not determine their exact location, even Chen Li was unaware of where they had ended up. Fortunately, they were close to the Inner Realm, where the population was dense, and there were many cultivators coming and going.

Chen Li stepped out of the Lingmu flying shuttle and called over a Qi Cultivation cultivator, releasing the aura of Foundation Establishment from his body.

The Qi Cultivation cultivator was immediately frightened out of his wits.

He answered all of Chen Li’s questions thoroughly and without reservation.

Only then did Chen Li learn that his group had passed through three sects overnight and were now nearly two thousand miles away from the Returning True Sect.

Chen Li felt the pressure lift from his heart and was in high spirits. He casually tossed a mid-grade Spirit Stone to the other party, who was overwhelmed with gratitude and excited to the point of delirium. Chen Li then flew back to the shuttle and, after adjusting the direction, headed towards the Huoyun Sect.

The flying shuttle continued to fly day and night without pause.

Even eating and resting were done within it.

This was when the advantage of owning a flying shuttle became evident.

Flying did not require the expenditure of Spiritual Power, nor did it lead to fatigue, making it an excellent tool for long journeys.

It was just that the Spirit Stones were consumed too quickly.

A hundred miles would roughly deplete six mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Those with a slim wallet, even if they could afford it, would not bear to use it.

The closer they got to the Huoyun Sect, the more cultivators they encountered on the way, and the more frequent the battles became. However, Chen Li was no longer an inexperienced cultivator; unless he was unlucky enough to encounter a Golden Core, typically, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was no match for him.

After three continuous days of flying,

The Red Pillar City was finally within sight!