Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 672: Celestial Array (1)

A region spanning ten thousand li might seem vast, but for a clash between Earth Immortals, it was rather cramped.

In an instant, dazzling golden light collided with surging, violent lightning.

Boom! The clash sent shockwaves in all directions. Space itself seemed to warp as the impact struck the edge of the ten-thousand-li barrier, causing it to shudder and tear.

Whoosh~ Streams of water flowed around Purple Secret, their surface shimmering with ethereal light, effortlessly shielding her, Metal Devil, and Wu Yuan.

A combination of the Law of True Domain and the Law of Water? Wu Yuan keenly observed.

Indeed, those arranged to team up with me are not to be underestimated. Purple Secret's domain is no weaker than the Tribulation Domain of an ordinary High Immortal.

Metal Devil, being a body refiner, is equally formidable in long-range attacks. Wu Yuan mused silently.

The Law of Water excelled in its unending flow, while the Law of True Domain was the most adept at creating domains among the three Intermediate Laws of Space. Combined, they made for an exceptionally powerful domain.

As Wu Yuan delved deeper into the Law of Space, he began to understand why so many peerless geniuses from various factions sought to comprehend the Law of Space, even if only as a secondary pursuit.

The Law of Space was the foundation of all Daos and all things. Any Law could be easily combined with the Law of Space, greatly enhancing one's power.

Moreover, the Law of Space was inherently crucial, especially for combat and traversal in higher spatial dimensions, making it highly valued by powerhouses.

However, those truly proficient in and specializing in the Law of Space were extremely rare. To Wu Yuan's knowledge, Astral Monarchs of Space were fewer than one in a thousand among Astral Monarch-level powerhouses.

Splash~ Purple Secret's strength was immense, easily blocking the shockwaves. But these residual shockwaves caused the faces of the nearby followers and disciples of Earth Immortal Yin Yan to pale, revealing looks of despair.

"Roar~"

Boom! The two beasts, one black and one white, emitted low growls as they rapidly expanded to immense sizes. Drawing on the array's power, they positioned themselves on either side, ready to block the incoming shockwave.

Yet the aftershocks still tore the skin and flesh of the two-winged, four-legged beasts, splattering their blood. Their expressions twisted in pain.

The difference in power was clear!

Hmm? Earth Immortal Yin Yan, who had activated the array barrier, narrowed his pupils in shock.

This was the core of his stronghold. Although he had only activated the first level of the array, its power was comparable to a High Immortal's attack. Logically, it should have easily killed several Earth Immortals. Yet its attack was effortlessly blocked?

Earth Immortal Yin Yan might have heard the claims of these intruders, but how could he believe them easily?

Boom! Boom! Boom! Dozens of figures shot out like lightning. Their bodies were metallic, wreathed in flames, and they wielded curved sabers!

Empowered by the array and controlled by Earth Immortal Yin Yan, the puppets howled as they charged towards Wu Yuan, Metal Devil, and Purple Secret.

"Since you refuse the toast, you'll have to drink the forfeit.” Purple Secret finally lost her temper, a cold glint flashing across her face.

Whoosh~ Purple chains suddenly sprouted from her arms. The chains were ice-cold, channeling immense power. Like giant snakes enhanced by streams of flowing water, their might swelled to terrifying levels.

Thud! Thud! Thud! In a series of lightning-fast collisions, the agile chains easily sent the Earth Deity-level puppets flying.

Crack~ Two of the purple chains intersected, instantly shredding one of the puppets into countless pieces. It stood no chance.

"What?" Earth Immortal Yin Yan's expression changed drastically, finally realizing that the strength of the intruders far surpassed his own. In a normal confrontation, he was no match for them.

To win? The only way was to activate all three levels of the array in his planet's stronghold. With the array's full power, he might have a glimmer of hope. But doing so would mean abandoning this batch of medicinal pills, and he was currently at a critical point in pill refining.

Give up on refining the pills? A chill ran down Earth Immortal Yin Yan's spine as he thought of that terrifying existence.

Almost instantly, he sent out his distress signal: "High Immortal Zhuo Hao, I need help! I'm under attack by what seem to be Spacetime Island imprint bearers. Please assist!"

He received the transmission from the intruders stating that they were there to protect him. However, as an Earth Immortal with years of experience, Yin Yan couldn't blindly place his trust in them.

"Fellow Daoists, I admire your formidable strength. However, I don’t recall meeting you previously, nor forming any grudges with you," Earth Immortal Yin Yan said in a low voice, still keeping the array active but no longer attacking. "Are you Daoists from the Spacetime Island here to carry out a spacetime mission? Am I the target?"

Over countless years, generations of Spacetime Island imprint bearers had carried out spacetime missions throughout the Spacetime Dao Realm.

Their strength was immense and they wielded an endless variety of techniques, infamous among the countless powerhouses of the entire Spacetime Dao Realm. Of course, this infamy was generally limited to those above the Earth Immortal phase.

Despite Earth Immortal Yin Yan’s notorious deeds over tens of thousands of years of cultivation, he had never encountered a Spacetime Island imprint bearer, only hearing of them.

He had learned some basic information from his sect—when facing Spacetime Island imprint bearers, it was best to avoid conflict if possible if one was below Archimmortal-level strength.

"I'm sure you understand that it would be difficult for us to intrude into your place by relying solely on our own power," Metal Devil said in a low voice.

Earth Immortal Yin Yan remained silent.

This was a key reason he believed the other party's claim of being imprint bearers. He was quite confident in his personal stronghold’s defenses. Unless one could enter a higher spatial dimension, even a High Immortal couldn't sneak in without a sound.

Only the Spacetime Island faction possessed such inconceivable spacetime abilities. Those from the faction were said to be nurtured with great meticulousness by the legendary Spacetime Dao Master who had created the realm.

Yes, the Astral Lords and Astral Monarchs of the Dao Realm might know the secrets of the Spacetime Island, but ordinary Earth Immortals and High Immortals were unaware. In their eyes, the Spacetime Island was simply a faction under the Dao Master.

"Yin Yan, just so you know, my strength is the weakest among us three," Purple Secret suddenly spoke, her voice cold. "If we truly get into a fight, you will certainly die. Our spacetime mission is to protect you."

"The weakest? Protect me?" Earth Immortal Yin Yan grew even more alarmed.

The weakest one in their team was already this strong?

"Another team of Spacetime Island imprint bearers is about to arrive to kill you, and their strength far surpasses ours," Metal Devil said coldly. "This is a confrontation mission, and you are their elimination target."

"A confrontation mission? I'm the target?" Earth Immortal Yin Yan truly panicked.

He wasn't stupid. A moment's deduction made things clear. The chances of the intruders deceiving him were very low, and there was a 99% probability that the attacking team's strength would be terrifying. After all, if they couldn't even defeat these three before him, how could they kill him?

"Alright, I believe you," Earth Immortal Yin Yan gritted his teeth. "What do you want me to do? I'm at a critical moment in pill refining and can't abandon it."

Metal Devil, Wu Yuan, and Purple Secret exchanged glances.

"Release full control of your arrays to us," Purple Secret said coldly. "Your strength is too weak. In my hands, the array's power will increase severalfold."

This was their plan. The primary objective was to take control of the array.

"Impossible!" Earth Immortal Yin Yan shook his head firmly. "My array can only be controlled by me. At most, I can grant you first-level access.

Additionally, you must leave my planet and face the enemy outside," Earth Immortal Yin Yan stared at them.

"It’s fine if you don’t want to hand over the array controls," Metal Devil shook his head. "However, we will only stand guard here. We won't go out to meet the enemy."

This was a negotiation.

Earth Immortal Yin Yan wanted Wu Yuan, Metal Devil, and the others to leave the core of his stronghold, then have them and the hunting team wear each other down.

But without gaining control of the array, how could Metal Devil and the others let him have his way?

"How can I trust you like this?" Earth Immortal Yin Yan said through gritted teeth. "How can I be sure your ultimate goal isn't me? Or my medicinal pills? Once my array is shattered and the core barrier is broken, I'll be a lamb for the slaughter."

The stronghold's arrays were interconnected. The reason Earth Immortal Yin Yan still had some confidence was the array barrier surrounding his true self and the thousand-li area around the pill furnace. This barrier was his strongest defense measure. However, once the numerous outer arrays of the planet were breached, the power of the barrier would greatly diminish.

Metal Devil and Purple Secret both frowned slightly at this old fox.

"Yin Yan." Wu Yuan, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. "You have no choice but to trust us."