Chapter 311: "Is this actually a teleportation array?"

Chapter 311: "Is this actually a teleportation array?"

". . ."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qiu remained silent, his expressionless gaze fixed on the pitch-black void before him. He stood there for a long time without speaking.

The glimmer of hope that had just emerged was once again extinguished.

This was the first time in the seven and a half years he had been trapped here that he had encountered a chance to escape.

The Cao Tian Palace was indeed a valuable treasure, but at this moment, he felt like he was trapped in a mountain of gold. This reminded him of a distant fable from his almost-forgotten memories.

The story went that a thief snuck into a dragon's treasure cave and stuffed himself with countless treasures, but when he tried to leave, he got stuck in the cave because his clothes were filled with treasures.

Yet, he couldn't bear to let go.

When the dragon returned at dawn, it discovered the thief and swallowed him whole.

The thief died in his own greed, and Chen Qiu's current situation was somewhat similar to that of the thief, with the only difference being that he hadn't known he would be trapped here before entering. Otherwise, no matter how precious the Cao Tian Palace was, he wouldn't have given it a second glance.

In the void, there was nothing but blinding light, with no reference points to distinguish directions.

He tried to ascend, but after a day of rising, he still found nothing. The void wasn't a flat space but a three-dimensional emptiness.

As long as he could enter this Heavenly Dao Shackles, even if he couldn't return home, he could at least travel to a new continent, and then there would be a chance to go back home.

Although it might not be his own series of continents, theoretically, all continents belonged to a 'Twelfth Rank Continent'. As long as he kept going to higher-ranked immortal realms, one day he would be able to return to his own series of continents.

It might just take a bit longer.

And now, even this slim possibility had been severed.

". . ."

Chen Qiu stood above the Cao Tian Palace, gazing at the pitch-black void that was countless times larger than the palace, a sight that instilled a sense of subtle fear. After a long silence, he eventually returned to his room without saying a word.

He didn't want to look anymore.

There was no point in continuing to look, even though this was the most hopeful moment in over seven years. But it was just that—the most hopeful.

After Chen Qiu returned to his room, he sighed.

The Fat Dragon, suspended in mid-air, looked towards the pitch-black void not far away and heaved a light sigh, expressing his regret, "You know, when we were at the sixth stage, I should've held on to that White Family's Celestial Virtuoso."

"Otherwise, it's fine if a bunch of old men are trapped here for seven years, but what if we're stuck for seven hundred years? What then?"

The Realm Host, who was about to say something, turned to look at the Fat Dragon with a strange expression upon hearing this.

"I was just joking."

The Fat Dragon gave a dry laugh, "You're so sensitive! The Mocking Heaven Sect is a righteous sect, how could I do such a thing?"

". . ."

The Realm Host remained silent, merely nodding silently. After all, among the group that attempted the stages, only the Fat Dragon had failed the first stage, which spoke volumes about his character. If they were really trapped for seven hundred years, he might not even dare to fall asleep.

Although he had been trapped here for seven years, he didn't feel much about it.

After all, the cooldown period for the secret realm was already over seven years, and he had been asleep in the secret realm for thousands of years, so seven years was nothing.

But now that he had obtained the 'Race Fortune', he was naturally a bit tempted. It was impossible to establish a clan here; the entire Cao Tian Palace was carved from a single, seamless stone from the Primordial Continent, and one of the effects of this stone was to conceal the Heavenly Secrets.

The Heavenly Dao couldn't sense the establishment of a clan here.

"I can only take a gamble."

Cao Tian Palace, Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on his bed, took a deep breath, and looked at his cultivation panel.

"Cultivation": Tribulation Seventh Layer (0.1%).

His cultivation had reached the Tribulation Seventh Layer, and the main combat method during the Tribulation Stage was still the Fusion Kill Move, with no exclusive cultivation realm abilities. He would have to wait until he entered the Human Immortal Realm to obtain the next exclusive cultivation realm ability.

To become a Human Immortal, one's cultivation had to reach the Tribulation Peak Perfection, and after passing the Ascension Tribulation, they could smoothly travel to the Fifth Rank Immortal Realm and become a proud 'Human Immortal'.

At this moment, his combat power wasn't much stronger than when he had entered the secret realm.

Although his cultivation had indeed increased significantly, and his spirit energy had become more vast, the Tribulation Stage lacked exclusive cultivation realm abilities, so his combat power hadn't undergone a qualitative change. Moreover, his 'Thousand Layer Spell' Rainbow Entry had expired.

As for the rewards he had obtained in the secret realm, such as the 'Earthly Elite Fortune' and 'Timed Multicolored Entry', they hadn't been redeemed yet; he could only do so after leaving the Cao Tian Palace.

That was fine.

If he ever had the chance to design a secret realm in the future, he would do it this way too. He now understood why the rewards were always in a sealed state and couldn't be used in the secret realm; it seemed they were just empty promises, not expecting him to survive and take them out. Giving them would be a waste.

He didn't think further.

Instead, he looked towards the inside of his Dantian, where he had accumulated 12 chances to draw Ultimate-grade entries.

Next was the three-in-one draw.

4.9% chance of drawing a Rainbow Entry, 0.1% chance of drawing a Heavenly Dao Entry Set.

Only these two things could help him leave this place with a certain probability.

It was a gamble with his life.

Then, Chen Qiu took a deep breath, and with a thought, he slowly merged the 12 chances to draw Ultimate-grade entries in his Dantian. The next moment—

The next moment! The next moment... nothing happened.

He felt a hint of disappointment. If it were a good reward, there would be a strong surge of heavenly energy, but it seemed like it was just an ordinary reward.

Wait a moment?

He suddenly felt that something was amiss, and soon he realized that the 12 Supreme-grade Entry draws had successfully synthesized into four enhanced "Supreme" draws, with a chance of drawing a Rainbow Entry.

However, the synthesis was successful, but he couldn't use the draw after it.

It turned into a lifeless gray.

After a moment, he finally realized that this draw required the power of heaven and earth to be used, and it needed to be condensed using the power of heaven and earth. This power of heaven and earth was quite valuable, but it was also not that valuable, as every continent had it.

But only continents had it, and the Cao Tian Palace was located in the Void, where there was no such thing as the power of heaven and earth!

This meant that he couldn't use these four draw chances at all, and he could only use them once he returned to the continent.

He had cultivated for seven years and accumulated four draw chances, hoping that with these chances, he would get incredibly lucky and draw a Rainbow Entry or a Heavenly Dao Entry Set that would allow him to teleport over long distances and return home.

But now, after seven years, he was just told that there was no power of heaven and earth here, and it couldn't be condensed?

". "

After a long while, Chen Qiu took a deep breath, calming himself down. He sat cross-legged on the bed, trying to keep his emotions in check, his eyes half-closed.

It's fine, it's fine.

His heavenly tribulation couldn't descend because the Cao Tian Palace had concealed the heavenly secrets, and it would only descend after he left.

His draw chances were also unusable due to the lack of power of heaven and earth, and he needed to leave to draw.

His secret realm rewards were also unredeemable due to not leaving the Cao Tian Palace, and they were in a semi-sealed state. He needed to leave to restore them.

But the problem now was—

How the hell was he going to get out!!!

Calm down, calm down. The most important thing now is to stay calm.

Venting emotions won't solve any problems, only...

The next moment—

In the end, Chen Qiu couldn't hold back and slammed his fist onto the bed, cursing a profanity before finally letting out a long sigh. He muttered, "Venting emotions may not solve any problems, but it can solve the emotional problem."

However, this punch came at a cost.

With this punch, the stone bed that had accompanied him for seven and a half years was smashed, and a large hole was punched through it, along with the bedding.

He felt a bit heartbroken.

He didn't expect the stone bed to be so fragile.

But at that moment!

Chen Qiu suddenly froze in place. Following the large hole on the surface of the stone bed, he discovered a jade slip hidden within? A turning point? Instinctively, he reached into the hidden compartment of the stone bed and retrieved the jade slip, which had no restrictions and was used for recording information.

As his divine sense touched it and obtained all the information within...

Chen Qiu's throat moved slightly, and a barely concealable excitement flashed in his eyes. His lips trembled, and his voice was filled with excitement as he whispered, "Damn."

"Who said venting emotions doesn't solve problems?"

Indeed, when all seemed lost, a new path emerged.

A turning point had indeed appeared.

But soon, he took a deep breath again, his face showing a complex expression as he looked at the jade slip in his hand. The information recorded in this jade slip was truly shocking and extraordinary.

This jade slip recorded a piece of history, a secret history of the Cao Tian Sect, told from a first-person perspective.

"My name is Zhang Qingtian, and I am the seventh elder of the Cao Tian Sect, one of the inner sect elders and the sect master's confidant."

"Recently, the sect master's plans have been failing. Although many in the sect have absolute trust in the sect master, the situation has been spiraling out of control lately. The sect master's plans on every front have been falling apart one after another. I know that the Cao Tian Sect may be on the brink of destruction."

"As an elder, I am well aware of everything the Cao Tian Sect is currently going through."

"The Cao Tian Sect is a top-tier power in the Twelfth Rank Immortal Realm."

"It has always enjoyed an extremely high reputation, with disciples from various worlds. Even the most ordinary gatekeeper disciples are Golden Immortals, an existence that other sects cannot compare to."

"However..."

"One day, a sudden change occurred."

"A great tribulation was approaching, and this tribulation happens once every thirty thousand years. Each time it comes, rivers of blood will flow. This so-called great tribulation is the awakening of the Heavenly Dao, yes, the Heavenly Dao is a life with its own consciousness, not the will of heaven and earth. It has always been in a state of slumber, awakening once every thirty thousand years. Each awakening brings disaster to all continents."

"We don't know what kind of life the Heavenly Dao is, nor do we know its form."

"We only know that countless billions of continents are merely the Heavenly Dao's breeding ground."

"When the Heavenly Dao is asleep, its countless clones will reside in various continents, transforming into the Heavenly Dao and strictly following the process to work, without any emotions. But when the Heavenly Dao awakens, it will devour the only Twelfth Rank Immortal Realm and all the strongest beings before returning to its slumber."

"Yes."

"The entire world is the breeding ground of the Heavenly Dao, and every thirty thousand years, an Eleventh Rank Immortal Realm will emerge and become the Twelfth Rank Immortal Realm. When this immortal realm ascends, the awakening of the Heavenly Dao is not far off."

"The Cao Tian Sect naturally doesn't want to face destruction like this."

"We tried to resist, but the Rainbow Entry, the Heavenly Dao Entry Set, and other treasures of the Heavenly Dao were all granted by the Heavenly Dao. With a mere stir of the Heavenly Dao's will, they all turned into nothingness. How could we resist?"

"So..."

"All the sect master's attempts at resistance before the Heavenly Dao's full awakening ended in failure. Even the attempts before its partial awakening were futile. In fact, all the sect's high-ranking members knew that there was no solution, unless we could truly possess those entries."

"So, before the Heavenly Dao's official awakening, the sect master laid out seven plans."

"The first plan, the Fu Su Plan, was under my direct responsibility."

"This plan involved going into the Void, gathering countless craftsmen, and using a stone from the Primordial Continent to carve out a palace. This stone can conceal the heavenly secrets, and even the Heavenly Dao cannot detect it here. The Void is too vast, and even the Heavenly Dao cannot know everything that happens in the Void, especially when the heavenly secrets are concealed. In the final moments, this place can serve as the Cao Tian Sect's last refuge."

"When the Heavenly Dao slumbers once more, it will be the day the Mocking Heaven Sect resurfaces."

"Unfortunately..."

"By the time I was nearing the end of my life, I had almost forgotten the name of the Mocking Heaven Sect. I knew that the Sovereign had chosen another plan. He couldn't bear to hide here indefinitely, for if he did, when the Heavenly Dao awakened again, there would still be no solution."

"At the end of my life, I could only follow the Sovereign's orders and turn the entire Cao Tian Palace into a secret realm, opening it once every few years to prepare for his eventual resurrection and return."

Chen Qiu slowly digested the information from the jade slip, which contained far too much for him to process at once.

"The Heavenly Dao is indeed formidable, but the Mocking Heaven Sect of that time was also incredibly powerful."

"Before the Heavenly Dao fully awakened, the devouring had already begun. The Heavenly Dao transformed into hundreds of millions of giant demonic beasts, wreaking havoc in the Twelfth Rank Immortal Plane and devouring the flesh and blood of all living beings there. Once every living being in the Twelfth Rank Immortal Plane was dead, the Heavenly Dao would officially awaken and consume the entire plane."

"Although the most powerful methods, like Codex Entries and Heavenly Dao Entry Sets, couldn't be used..."

"But—"

"Body Fusion Kill Moves, for example, are cultivation techniques inherently possessed by cultivators at a certain level. One's own cultivation base can still be utilized, and these things are inherent to this world, beyond the control of the Heavenly Dao."

"As for Codex Entries and Heavenly Dao Entry Sets, they are the power of the Heavenly Dao. This world wasn't always like this; it only became this way after being occupied by the Heavenly Dao."

"The Mocking Heaven Sect of that time was the pinnacle power in the Twelfth Rank Immortal Plane. Even without Codex Entries, the disciples of the sect slew countless demonic beasts, the incarnations of the Heavenly Dao, greatly hindering the Heavenly Dao's devouring pace. Although it was a desperate struggle, the Heavenly Dao still issued a free task to all the powerhouses in the Twelfth Rank Immortal Plane."

"Kill a disciple of the Mocking Heaven Sect and be rewarded with a top-grade Immortal Spirit Stone. The more you kill, the better the reward."

"Furthermore, aside from the sealing of the Mocking Heaven Sect disciples' Codex Entries and other methods, the means of the Celestial Path Lackeys were not sealed. In an instant, the Mocking Heaven Sect was surrounded by enemies on all sides, unable to withstand the onslaught."

"Those foolish lackeys didn't consider that the Heavenly Dao might not truly spare them."

"In desperation, the Sovereign issued seven plans, one of which was the Fu Su Plan."

"In addition to that, there were six other plans."

"The second plan, the 'Heaven's Punishment Plan,' was led by the Sixth Elder. This plan involved creating millions of Heavenly Immortal Peak-level Heavenly Soldiers and Generals and summoning countless transmigrators into these puppet bodies to fight against the enemy."

"I was responsible for crafting ten thousand of these puppets, but until now, no one has come to retrieve them. I assume this plan also failed."

"Yes, although the Sovereign possessed a treasure that could summon transmigrators, even countless Heavenly Immortal Peak-level transmigrators were just cannon fodder, unable to influence the higher-level battlefield."

"The third plan, the 'Reincarnation Plan,' was led by the Fifth Elder. There was only one way to both control the power of Codex Entries and other Heavenly Dao forces and ensure that this power was not controlled by the Heavenly Dao—the Celestial Prison."

"The Celestial Prison is a form of punishment by the Heavenly Dao, where some people are sealed and permanently imprisoned. In reality, the Celestial Prison is also a place not controlled by the Heavenly Dao."

"After entering the Celestial Prison and then leaving, one would no longer be under the control of the Heavenly Dao."

"In this plan, the Sovereign intended to lead the remaining disciples into the Celestial Prison at the last moment, find a way to escape from it, and regain complete freedom. The difficulty of this plan lies in—"

"The Celestial Prison is a very small space. How can we expand it, transform it into a habitable place, and then figure out how to escape from it? Entering the Celestial Prison is not difficult, but exiting it has become a problem. This plan has too many challenges and is basically impossible to succeed."

"The fourth plan, the 'Resurrection Plan,' was led by the Fourth Elder. I'm not clear on the specifics of this plan, but I know it's a resurrection plan that was activated simultaneously with the third plan."

"If the third plan succeeds, it will be activated in thirty thousand years. At that time, descendants of the Mocking Heaven Sect will emerge from the Celestial Prison. If the fourth plan also succeeds, it means that all members of the Mocking Heaven Sect will be resurrected and exit the Celestial Prison."

"The fifth plan, the 'Long Journey Plan,' was led by the Third Elder. We don't know where the Heavenly Dao came from, but we can be certain that it is an outsider, originating from a higher-ranked continent. If we can find this continent, perhaps the entire Mocking Heaven Sect can migrate there, similar to the concept of a wandering Earth."

"This is an extremely crazy plan, almost impossible. The Third Elder has already led a group of Mocking Heaven Sect disciples into the Void to embark on this journey."

"Although all of us, including myself, are aware that he might never return."

"But there's no other choice. Someone has to lead the way. This plan has the lowest success rate."

"The sixth plan, the 'Promised Land,' was led by the Second Elder."

"The seventh plan, the 'Heavenly Palace Plan,' was led by the Great Elder."

"I'm not aware of the details of the last two plans. I only know their names. When I arrived at Cao Tian Palace, these plans were still just concepts, without concrete details, and I don't know if they were ever implemented."

"But none of that matters now. These seven plans probably all failed."

"I can only lament the Sovereign's illustrious reputation, leading the Mocking Heaven Sect from the First Rank Continent to the Twelfth Rank Immortal Plane, only to ultimately fall to the Heavenly Dao. If not for those Celestial Path Lackeys, perhaps the Mocking Heaven Sect would have had a chance to prevail."

"At the moment of my life's end, I suddenly felt some reluctance. If you, the Marquis, ever have the chance to return in the future, or if your descendants come here and see this jade slip, they will also know what happened to the Mock Heaven Sect three million years ago."

"Within the core of the Cao Tian Palace, there is a teleportation array that allows free entry and exit from the palace."

This was almost all the content within the jade slip, and the information contained within it was quite extensive.

Good news.

By crushing this jade slip, he could activate a hidden teleportation array, finally allowing him to leave this place where he had been trapped for seven and a half years.

He also learned a lot about the Mock Heaven Sect's hidden history, and many of his previous doubts were now answered.

He finally understood why only Daxia Kingdom and Xuan Tian Continent had transmigrators.

It was likely that the original Mock Heaven Sect Marquis's treasure, which could summon transmigrators, had fallen into Xuan Tian Continent and had been intermittently summoning transmigrators. Eventually, the treasure returned to Daxia Kingdom with the Marquis, where it began summoning transmigrators once more.

On that day—

The Mock Heaven Sect descended upon the First Rank Continent, Xuan Tian Continent, and summoned some transmigrators. Then, with the combined efforts of these people, they established the Daxia Kingdom and retreated there as a whole.

According to the history of Xuan Tian Continent, there was mention of a Celestial Dao-led mission to suppress the Mock Heaven Sect at that time, which might have been the reason.

With the death of this group of elders from the Mock Heaven Sect, the treasure that could summon transmigrators fell into the hands of the Daxia Kingdom. Although it was not being controlled by anyone, it continued to summon transmigrators endlessly. This treasure should still be in the Daxia Kingdom, operating without a controller.

"A Golden Finger?"

Chen Qiu quietly processed the information in his mind. It seemed that three million years ago, there was a transmigrator who possessed a Golden Finger that could summon players, and thus began a story in another world involving the Fourth Heavenly Disaster.

His identity was that of a player summoned by this Golden Finger.

However, by the time he arrived, the protagonist of this story had already died, leaving behind only the Golden Finger, which continued to operate unconsciously and automatically.

From the current perspective, the seven plans arranged by the Marquis of the Mock Heaven Sect had basically failed, including the "Resurrection Plan," which was supposed to revive everyone, but it seemed to have ended in failure as well.

The only successful plan was the "Reincarnation Plan."

The Celestial Prison and the Daxia Kingdom had indeed come to be.

In theory, leaving the Celestial Prison was extremely difficult. Breaking out from within was a daunting task, and once successful, one would receive a baptism, freeing them from the control of the Celestial Dao. From then on, the power of their entries, entry sets, and other strengths would become their own, completely free from the Celestial Dao's manipulation.

The Mock Heaven Sect, through the Four Great Taboos, had limited the difficulty of leaving the Celestial Prison to a manageable level.

Defeating a sword cultivator puppet with Nascent Soul Initial Stage cultivation with his own Golden Core Peak Perfection cultivation was an extremely challenging task, almost impossible for anyone to achieve. However, compared to the original difficulty of leaving the Celestial Prison, it had been reduced to the lowest level.

As long as he defeated this puppet, it would mean the plan had succeeded.

A small flame of hope ignited within him.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu exhaled softly. Although he had never met the Marquis of the Mock Heaven Sect, he actually held a deep respect for the man. The fact that he had led the Mock Heaven Sect from the First Rank Continent to the Twelfth Rank Immortal Realm and established it as a top power was proof of his strength.

Not to mention that in this final moment, he had devised seven plans, one of which had even succeeded.

Such methods were not something ordinary people possessed.

However, it must be said that the Mock Heaven Sect was truly wealthy. Each of these seven plans required a massive amount of resources.

He had always been concerned that the Mock Heaven Sect's karma was too great for him to bear.

Now it seemed that the karma left behind over three million years was indeed substantial, and he was finding it difficult to shoulder it. Three million years had passed since the last time, and the Celestial Dao was about to awaken once more. When it did, it would undoubtedly discover him, a remnant of the Mock Heaven Sect, after three million years.

At that time, he would face an unprecedented crisis.

The time left for him was running out.

He must possess sufficient strength before the Celestial Dao fully awakens; otherwise, this life of his would likely come to an end.

Moreover, his own strength was not enough.

Setting aside the disasters that would occur when the Celestial Dao fully awakens, the hundreds of millions of demons and monsters that would appear during its semi-awakened state were already more than he could handle alone. He needed a sufficient number of allies, like the Maan Clan, Demon Clan, and Artifact Spirit Clan.

He must also quickly reach the Twelfth Rank Immortal Realm.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu took another deep breath, choosing not to dwell on these thoughts for now. The current issue was that he only knew the approximate time; three million years had passed, but he didn't know how much time he had left—whether it was years, centuries, or even just tomorrow.

He wasn't clear on the specifics.

Without a precise timeframe, he would have to investigate carefully after leaving.

The only task before him now was to go home.

After an incense stick's worth of time.

Chen Qiu, Fat Dragon, and the others stood in the Limestone Square of the Sixth Stage, where the lines on the ground, which were originally chaotic and obscure, now glowed with a milky white light, forming an array they had never seen before.

This array was a giant teleportation formation.

It could teleport up to a million people at once.

However, activating it once required a significant amount of spirit energy, but fortunately, in the Void, the only thing not lacking was spirit energy.

"This is a teleportation array?"

Fat Dragon stared at the lines in front of him, which were emitting a milky white glow, feeling a bit bewildered. He had already prepared himself for staying for another few hundred years, but he never expected to be able to return home so soon.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end