Chapter 424: The Heavenly Realm Within and Without
Chapter 424: The Heavenly Realm Within and Without
At the heart of Seekwood Heavenly Realm.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
The chaotic Heaven-Earth Power surged in all directions, and various martial techniques flew wildly.
The massive Array Light Curtain that enveloped the entire Central Settlement was rippling with wave after wave, like water. Inside, nearly a thousand core and elite members of the Spirit Folk were struggling to resist the external threat together. On the outer side, nearly a hundred Grandmasters, including Yan Hong and Jiang Han, gathered, continuously unleashing their abilities to bombard the Array Light Curtain.
The most eye-catching figure on the battlefield was undoubtedly Chen Mu. Although he was alone and had not joined forces with anyone, his moves were simple in form and not particularly grand, but each strike was heavy, like falling stars, causing the Array Light Curtain to shake continuously.
As the entire formation seemed to be on the verge of collapse under the relentless attacks of Chen Mu and the Grandmasters, almost showing signs of shattering, suddenly, a layer of Spirit Glow rose from the trunk of the towering Seekwood at the center of the distant settlement, transforming into mysterious runes that converged and infused into the surface of the formation, merging with the light curtain.
The runes weaved across the light curtain, immediately stabilizing the tottering Array Light Curtain once more.
"Is it not holding up?"
Chen Mu observed this scene, his expression unchanged, and directed his gaze towards the trunk of the towering giant tree at the settlement's center, as if gazing into the Spirit Folk's Forbidden Ground. There, he saw the new generation Spirit Ancestor, Ling Ji, was seen controlling the Seekwood Grand Array.
The sudden stabilization of the tottering Array Light Curtain was undoubtedly due to Spirit Ancestor's intervention, using Blood Replacement Realm techniques to link his aura and inner breath with the formation, taking control and commanding the overall situation.
However, in other words...
The Seekwood Formation Array had reached its limits!
Their offensive had forced Spirit Ancestor to take action; otherwise, breaking through the formation would have been a matter of moments!
Chen Mu was well aware of Spirit Ancestor's injuries. Although he had reached the Blood Replacement Realm, with an exceptionally vigorous life force, his previous attack would have severely injured his five viscera and six bowels, even if it didn't kill him instantly.
Skin and flesh injuries could be healed easily, and even bone injuries for someone of Spirit Ancestor's level could be recovered in a short time. But organ injuries were different; they couldn't be healed quickly. Clearly, Spirit Ancestor was enduring with his injuries, barely holding on.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have waited until the formation was almost unable to withstand the assault before finally taking action to maintain it.
Spirit Ancestor's intervention made the formation much more stable, but neither Chen Mu nor the numerous Grandmasters like Yan Hong and Jiang Han showed any sign of letting up in their offensive; instead, they intensified their attacks, launching relentless assaults.
What Chen Mu was thinking, the others were also well aware of. Everyone understood that Spirit Ancestor's injuries couldn't be healed in a short time. Indeed, the Spirit Folk's Central Settlement formation was powerful, but with only an injured Blood Replacement Realm expert controlling it, the formation was not as formidable. It was even less threatening than when Spirit Huan manipulated the large settlement's formation array.
"This formation..."
As Chen Mu attacked, he also observed the Seekwood Grand Array of the Spirit Folk's central area.
With his extraordinary vision, Chen Mu had thoroughly studied the intricacies of the Heaven-Earth Dragon Lock Array of the Seven Trigram Sect. The Seekwood Grand Array before him was no less exquisite than the Heaven-Earth Dragon Lock Array in terms of formation intricacies.
Moreover, rooted in the giant Seekwood tree, it harnessed the power of the Seekwood Spirit Energy rather than Earth Vein Power, making its might even surpass the Heaven-Earth Dragon Lock Array by a third. It was indeed extraordinary.
However, this also presented a challenge: the more refined and powerful the Seekwood Spirit Energy, the harder it was to manipulate and control flexibly. Most of the time, it could only maintain a defensive turtle shell formation.
Transforming this defensive stance into an offensive one required exceptional control, beyond the capabilities of ordinary Blood Replacement Realm experts. Even a Celestial Boundary expert like Spirit Huan would be needed to achieve this.
Of course, even a turtle shell formation could be incredibly resilient.
Chen Mu's strength was nearing that of a Celestial Boundary expert. If he were to confront the Heaven-Earth Dragon Lock Array of the Seven Trigram Sect without a Blood Replacement Realm expert controlling it, he could indeed breach it within a certain timeframe.
But if Yin Heng were to control the formation's heart from the Forbidden Ground, manipulating the formation's power against Chen Mu, breaking through would be exponentially more difficult. Not to mention whether it was even possible, it certainly couldn't be done in a short time, and it might even lead to a prolonged confrontation, slowly eroding the Earth Vein Power bit by bit before finally dismantling the formation.
Spirit Ancestor's strength was far inferior to Yin Heng's, and even the newly advanced Blood Replacement Realm expert, Qin Mengjun, surpassed him.
However, the Seekwood Grand Array was also exceptionally powerful, compensating for Spirit Ancestor's shortcomings. If Spirit Ancestor were in his prime, the difficulty of breaking through this formation would not be any less than that of the Heaven-Earth Dragon Lock Array controlled by Yin Heng.
Ling Ji had been severely injured by Chen Mu, his internal organs damaged.
This was the opening!
A fatal opening!
Although Ling Ji seemed to be in control of the array, making the light curtain more stable and withstanding numerous attacks without much disturbance, each round of attacks transformed into a shock that would be transmitted to Ling Ji.
"Let's see how long you can hold on."
Chen Mu's gaze was calm and detached as he hovered in the sky, continuously pointing his fingers at the array's light curtain, each seal containing the condensed power of Heaven and Earth, colliding with the array.
There was less than half a month until the Void Tide, which was when they would leave the Seekwood Heavenly Realm.
If Ling Ji could hold on for half a month, he would live.
Otherwise, he would die.
Chen Mu wasn't sure if Ling Ji could hold on for half a month, but his current mindset was very calm, as his martial path was now completely smooth. Even if he couldn't break through this central settlement, there was nothing to lose. Once he returned to the Great Xuan World, he could immediately attempt to break through to the Blood Replacement Realm, and he would surely do so in one go, without any bottlenecks.
His current strength was comparable to the Heaven Person Realm, but there were also varying degrees of strength within that realm. Ling Huan had previously forcefully broken through the boundary, using the Seekwood Power to obtain almost complete Heaven Person Power, but he was still not considered strong among Heaven Persons.
Take, for example, the Tai Yin Lineage, which reaches the Heaven Person Realm, and the complete Yin and Yang, which reaches the Heaven Person Realm. The difference in strength between these two is undoubtedly not just a little bit; the former, when facing the latter, might have some self-preservation power, enough to escape and retreat, but they would definitely not be a match.
Chen Mu was no longer afraid of any powerful Heaven Person expert, and even against the strongest Heaven Person master, he had the confidence to retreat. But if he wanted to truly dominate among Heaven Persons, he had to take that step and reach the Blood Replacement Realm.
"There's still half a month left."
Chen Mu muttered to himself as he bombarded the array.
Unknowingly, the pinnacle of the martial path was just one step away for him.
...
Outside.
Abyssal Sea.
Thick breaths wove together, making the nearby heaven and earth feel extremely heavy. Even a Grandmaster-level martial artist would feel a heavy pressure standing here.
Ordinary people would likely struggle to maintain their stance, and might even be crushed by the pressure of heaven and earth.
On the surging sea.
The Mystic Pavilion Master stood with his hands behind his back, wearing a dark robe. The waves that reached him dissipated without a trace.
Behind him, a faint shadow appeared in the void, intentionally revealed, as ordinary people wouldn't be able to see his figure otherwise. The sense of tearing seemed to merge with the void.
Bloodshadow Tower Lord!
The two sect masters who shook the Frost North stood here.
But that wasn't all. Dozens of zhang away, a figure stood, his breath seemingly merging with heaven and earth, vast and boundless. It was as if he could point to the heavens, the Central Province Pine Valley Sect's Supreme Elder, Chu Changhua.
Further away, there were four more breaths, some grand, some subdued, standing in different places. Their breaths intertwined, suppressing the nearby raging waves, forcing them to calm.
Seven Blood Replacement Realm experts!
Blood Replacement Realm experts were supreme figures in any region, the pinnacle of the martial path. Even a Bone Marrow Purification Grandmaster would rarely have the chance to meet a Blood Replacement Realm Supreme. Yet here, there were seven of them gathered.
Even in the entire Frost North's eleven states, there were only a little over ten known Blood Replacement Realm experts. The seven here, though not Heaven Persons, were almost half of the top experts in the entire Frost North.
At this moment.
In a 1919 book bar, there was not a single mistake in the version!
Even the Dragonwood Island Lord had retreated to the distance, and when his gaze fell on the Mystic Pavilion Master and the others, a hint of gravity appeared in his eyes. His strength was almost the strongest among Blood Replacement Realm experts, second only to Heaven Persons. In a one-on-one fight, he was confident he could defeat any one of the seven, but in a one-on-two, he wasn't so sure.
And if it was one against seven... Once surrounded, even he would face the danger of falling!
Although this was their territory, Tide Listening Cliff, and the other Blood Replacement Realm experts from Tide Listening Cliff were also paying attention, including the Heaven Person expert who stood at the pinnacle, he still couldn't afford to be careless.
"Seven Blood Replacement Realm experts against a single Marrow Washing Realm cultivator, that's indeed a show of overwhelming force."
The Dragonwood Island Lord shook his head inwardly.
Not only had seven Blood Replacement Realm experts gathered and joined forces here, but they had also set up a sealing formation, making it seem like they were targeting a Heaven Person. In reality, all this was directed at an individual who hadn't even reached the Blood Replacement Realm.
However, if he were in their shoes, he would probably do the same to deal with Chen Mu. After all, Chen Mu was no ordinary cultivator; he was a once-in-a-thousand-years peerless figure in this world, blessed with the Heavenly Mandate. The heavens themselves seemed to aid him, so it was only natural to exercise utmost caution. It was either to avoid confrontation or, if they decided to act, to prevent any possible mishaps.
Moreover, the Dragonwood Island Lord was aware that there were more than just these seven Blood Replacement experts present.
To prevent interference from the Tide Listening Cliff, there were at least two more Blood Replacement Realm experts secretly standing by, and several others had even gone to the Tide Listening Cliff as guests to ensure they wouldn't interfere.
The only reason this massive operation had remained relatively unnoticed was that they had tried to keep it as covert as possible, not wanting to attract too much attention. While many in the world didn't want to see Chen Mu become an unrivaled Martial Sage, ruling over the world, there were also those who preferred to keep a low profile, as more attention meant more variables.
Of course, an operation of this scale couldn't stay hidden forever. It would eventually attract notice, but as long as they completed their mission before that, killing Chen Mu in the Abyssal Sea, any subsequent turmoil wouldn't matter.
"It's a shame that such a peerless figure didn't come from my Tide Listening Cliff, and now, in just half a month, he's about to meet his end here."
"What a pity, what a pity."
The Dragonwood Island Lord sighed inwardly.
However, even if Chen Mu had come from the Tide Listening Cliff, his rise might not have been smooth sailing.
Not just the Tide Listening Cliff, but even if he were from the Great Xuan Imperial Family, it would be the same. The Nine Unions Tribe didn't want to see another Great Xuan Martial Emperor rise to power.
Was the current split in the Great Xuan Court solely due to the Xuan Emperor's neglect of state affairs and the infighting among the Eight Princes? The current situation had evolved with the influence of various forces pushing and pulling from the sidelines.
Some wanted a stable and prosperous world, while others desired a reshuffling of power, aiming to alter the existing order, if not overthrow the Great Xuan Court entirely, to gain control over the Central Province and dominate the world.
A peerless figure like Chen Mu, bearing the Heavenly Mandate, was indeed extraordinary. But in the Dragonwood Island Lord's opinion, entering the Seekwood Heavenly Realm was an absolute mistake. Instead, he should have hidden in the depths of the Outer Sea, concealing his identity. Even someone like the Mystic Pavilion Master would have struggled to find him, and once he reached the Blood Replacement Realm, he would have been invincible.
However, by entering the Seekwood Heavenly Realm, he had put himself in a vulnerable position.
The Seekwood Heavenly Realm and the Great Xuan were only connected during the rise and fall of the Void Tide, and even then, only at the weakest point, with fixed locations and times. This meant that with the Mystic Pavilion Master and others lying in wait, there was no chance to avoid them.
Given the current situation, Chen Mu's only hope was to break through to the Blood Replacement Realm, but the Dragonwood Island Lord was all too familiar with the unique environment inside the Seekwood Heavenly Realm. It was impossible to draw upon the power of heaven and earth to temper his body, hindering his advancement to the Blood Replacement Realm. Without any unexpected events or interference, the situation seemed dire.
...
The outside world was unaware of the Seekwood Heavenly Realm's internal affairs.
Similarly, those within the Seekwood Heavenly Realm were oblivious to the events transpiring in the outside world.
Led by Yan Hong, Jiang Han, and over a hundred other Grandmasters, including Chen Mu, the relentless assault on the Spirit Folk's central settlement continued, the battle raging for nearly fourteen days. Despite the stalemate, the Spirit Folk's elite forces were taking heavy casualties.
These nearly a thousand Spirit Folk warriors were all formidable, their power rivaling the Five Viscera and Six Organs Realm. However, facing over a hundred Grandmasters and Chen Mu, even with the protection of the Seekwood Formation Array, the battle remained perilous.
After nearly half a month of fighting, even with the Marrow Washing Realm cultivator's continuous Inner Breath, they had been engaged in fierce combat for almost a month without rest. Now, in this series of intense battles, mental exhaustion was inevitable, yet no one dared to leave the fight.
Everyone knew that while they were exhausted, the Spirit Folk must also be nearing their limits. Ling Ji, the new Spirit Ancestor with an injury, couldn't be faring well either. This was their best chance to break through the formation, and it might be their last.
(End of Chapter)
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