Chapter 270 - 257: Domain Expansion
He carefully traced and sensed the subtle tremor originating from the depths of Daluo Heaven, a tremor related to the Four Seasons.
A moment later, Qi Yun’s tightly shut eyes snapped open.
A divine light surged in his eyes, filled with the clarity of an epiphany and an irrepressible, soaring spirit!
"So that’s how it is!
The Four Seasons don’t refer to the literal spring, summer, autumn, and winter, nor are they the simple cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death!"
He murmured to himself, his voice filled with the exhilaration of sudden understanding.
"The so-called Four Seasons are the four fundamental orders of the River of Heaven and Earth Years!
They are the four basic states that all things must pass through, from ’nothingness’ to ’existence,’ from ’cause’ to ’effect’!"
"And this trace I’m sensing right now... is the first of these four fundamental orders—the Origin Mechanism!"
"One must facilitate a great cause-and-effect event of sufficient weight between heaven and earth to have a chance at capturing a trace of this Origin Mechanism..."
"So all this time, my inability to even begin wasn’t because I was looking for the wrong Spiritual Objects, nor because my method was flawed. It was because the time was not yet right.
In ordinary times, the cause and effect of heaven and earth flow gently. The Origin Mechanism is hidden and does not manifest. How could it possibly be found?"
"But now..."
Qi Yun raised his eyes, looking again at the black and white pieces intertwined on the illusory chessboard. He looked at this Valley of No Life, a confluence of the Nanyin Dynasty’s centuries of plotting, the Northwest Four Sects’ deep machinations, and the lives and ambitions of countless elite Cultivators from both the Righteous and Demonic Daos.
’Rumors of the Imperial Soldiers trigger millennia of cause and effect, the war between the righteous and demonic involves countless lives, the game begins, a fight to the death...
Isn’t this precisely a great cause-and-effect event, one that sweeps across a whole region and is enough to disturb the balance of the order of Heaven and Earth?
As long as I am the one to facilitate this great cause and effect.
Then the Origin Mechanism will be Qi’s for the taking!
I can even take the opportunity to pluck the subsequent Four Seasons!’
This concerned the very foundation of his path of cultivation and the gateway to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage; Qi Yun’s heart no longer held the slightest hesitation or inclination to wait and see.
Everything he had done before, whether it was lurking and probing or quietly observing the situation, had been for the sake of seizing benefits and understanding the landscape.
"It seems I can no longer be a passive observer." A corner of Qi Yun’s mouth lifted, his expression full of eager keenness and resolve.
"In that case, I might as well... turn everything upside down!"
Before the words had even faded, he no longer concealed his figure, no longer restrained his aura.
BOOM!
A profound, vast, and supremely domineering aura erupted from his body!
His Deep Blue Daoist Robe billowed like a banner, snapping in the wind.
In the most direct and domineering manner, he soared into the sky and streaked towards the deepest part of the Valley of No Life—the place where, according to his perception of the chessboard, the entanglement of cause and effect was most intense, and where the aura of slaughter faintly converged with an ancient presence.
He entered the game in person, heading straight for the core of the cause and effect!
The Origin Mechanism—he was determined to obtain it.
Wherever the streak of light passed, the deathly silent mist roiled and retreated, and the grayish-white cliff walls cast twisted, trembling shadows.
On the illusory chessboard, a black piece that had originally been dim suddenly flared with brilliant light.
The brilliance of its light instantly attracted countless gazes, both obvious and hidden, from within and without the chessboard.
...
Deep within the Valley of No Life.
In a strange region known as the Mist Dust Barrier.
Fine, grayish-white, almost silvery dust and mist floated here year-round.
At this moment, three streaks of Escape Light plowed through the dense dust and mist like ploughshares, closely pursuing a flickering, gloomy shadow ahead.
Both pursuers and pursued were Foundation Establishment Masters, their auras causing the surrounding fine dust to roil violently, forming chaotic vortices.
The one fleeing at the front was a Demon Cultivator in ghastly green robes, his face as withered as an old man’s. A nearly tangible Plague Huang Death Qi coiled around him, dyeing the dust and mist a sickly grayish-green wherever he passed.
He was none other than a notorious Elder of the Five Declines Sect.
His aura was weak and decaying; he had clearly suffered a serious injury.
The three Escape Lights behind him had vastly different auras, yet all were pure and powerful.
The three were not from the same sect, but their teamwork was flawless.
Xuan Hengzi used a Star Skill to lock down space, disrupting the foundation of his opponent’s Escape Skill.
Fairy Shuyu used a Flower Dao Secret Skill to harass and corrode him from the side.
And Woodcutter Guest applied direct pressure with his Heart Sword True Intent, searching for an opening for a killing blow.
The Five Declines Sect Elder darted left and right, his Plague Huang Death Qi constantly clashing with and being worn down by Star Power, floral scents, and Spirit Silk, sending up showers of bizarre Spiritual Light fragments. Yet, his movements grew slower and slower.
It looked as though he was about to be trapped and killed.
Just as Xuan Hengzi’s Finger Technique changed and seven points of starlight abruptly contracted, transforming into seven condensed Star Ropes about to bind the elder; just as Fairy Shuyu’s pure white Spirit Silk reached the edge of the Demon Cultivator’s protective death qi; and just as the Sword Intent in Woodcutter Guest’s eyes grew as solid as matter, his Wooden Sword on the verge of being drawn—
VMMMM!
A strange, light tremor swept through the space of dust and mist without any warning.
In the next instant, a startling rainbow of light suddenly cut into the center of the battlefield, inserting itself between the three Righteous Dao Masters and the Five Declines Sect Elder!
The rainbow light faded, revealing a young Daoist in a Deep Blue Daoist Robe, his expression as calm as still water.
The three Masters’ pursuit came to an abrupt halt, and grave expressions appeared on all their faces.
’Another Demon...’
Qi Yun calmly swept his gaze over the three, saying flatly:
"This man is under my protection. The three of you may leave."
His tone was mild, yet it carried an air that brooked no argument.
"Arrogant!" Fairy Shuyu’s slender brows furrowed. She had been cultivating for hundreds of years; when had she ever been treated with such disdain?
With a lift of her fair hand, the phantom of a pink Spirit Flower suddenly bloomed with brilliant light. A strange fragrance, so rich it was overwhelming, silently spread out, aiming to penetrate his Purple Mansion.
This was the highest grade of the Smell the Fragrance and Dao Seeking technique, intended to instantly discern the foundation of her opponent’s Cultivation Skill while simultaneously bewitching their Heart and Spirit.
"Hiding your head and showing your tail. Let this fairy see what you’re really made of!"
"You all saw it. They made the first move."
As the strange fragrance reached his body, Qi Yun didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.
He simply raised the index finger of his right hand and pointed it lightly at the phantom of the pink Spirit Flower from a distance.
Upper Profound Talisman—Unbinding Charm!
POP~
A soft sound, like a soap bubble bursting.
The phantom of the pink Spirit Flower, which had been condensed with a great deal of Fairy Shuyu’s Heart and Spirit and Magical Power, unexpectedly began to disintegrate inch by inch from its very core. It dissolved and scattered into motes of primordial Spiritual Light, as if it had never existed.
The Divine Soul connection to it was forcibly severed. Fairy Shuyu’s delicate body trembled slightly, and she let out a muffled groan, horror flashing in her eyes.
’Her Drunken God Flower had its Daoist Skill structure "scattered with a touch" so nonchalantly?!’
"Be careful! This fiend’s methods are bizarre!"
Fairy Shuyu shouted a warning, and at the same time, an azure Ice Flower and pure white Spirit Silk flared with brilliant light, protecting her.
Woodcutter Guest’s perpetually calm gaze suddenly became as sharp as a sword.
The Unsheathed Wooden Sword that always hung at his waist let out a clear cry like a dragon’s roar and leaped into his hand of its own accord.
There was no dazzling sword light, no grand display of power.
Woodcutter Guest simply thrust his sword forward.
This strike didn’t lock onto Qi Yun’s physical body, nor his Magical Power nodes.
Instead, it targeted the faint "causal link" that had just been established in the unseen world—the link between Qi Yun and this part of the world, between him and the Five Declines Sect Elder, and even between him and the three of them!
Cyan Cliff Heart Sword—severing cause and cutting off effect!
As the Sword Intent bore down on him, Qi Yun’s gaze finally shifted, revealing a trace of surprise.
"The Path of the Heart Sword? A little interesting.
A pity, though. You’re only in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.
This strike is still too weak!"
Before his voice had faded, a vast, majestic, and boundless Grand Array suddenly appeared beneath Qi Yun’s feet, shaking the four cardinal directions and all of space.
[Domain Expansion—Northern Defense Array]
...