Your Spell Version is Too Low!

"Celestial Court."

The moment those two words reached his ears, Qi Yun’s gaze sharpened abruptly.

Qi Yun’s silence was brief.

But to the face, it felt as long as a century.

Within the distant Grand Array, the baleful blood qi around Situ Huaji’s true body weakened another notch.

The vision of his Battle Dao Foundation behind him, woven from the phantoms of countless Ancient Fierce Demons, had already dissipated by nearly half. Its edges were as blurry and indistinct as the moon’s reflection in water or a flower in a mirror.

"Fine."

Qi Yun finally spoke, his voice as calm as the depths of an ancient well:

"However, if you dare to deceive me—"

He paused, a faint glint of coldness flashing in his eyes—a chill so profound it made even the ashen-gray face tremble:

"You’ll wish you had found Enlightenment at the hands of these Buddhist Cultivators. It would have been a quicker end."

The moment his voice fell—

The ashen-gray rainbow light beneath his feet abruptly vanished.

In the void behind Qi Yun, a halo of Chaos Color light silently rippled open.

It wasn’t fully manifested, just an extremely faint phantom that swayed gently between Heaven and Earth for a single instant.

But in that one instant.

Across a hundred miles of sea, the wind stopped.

The waves that had been stirring on the ocean’s surface froze in the act of rising, water droplets hanging in mid-air, refracting the daylight, yet eerily motionless.

Flowing clouds stagnated in the Celestial Vault; birds froze at the moment their wings opened and closed.

All sound, light, color, and even the flow of the Spiritual Mechanism—every trace of "movement"—came to a halt.

It was as if an invisible giant hand had gently pressed down on the very pivot of this world’s operations.

Only the figure in the Deep Blue Daoist Robe took a step forward.

The void beneath his feet naturally rippled, shrinking a thousand miles to a single step.

With his next step, he appeared directly above the Demon Suppression Array, which shone with brilliant golden light and echoed with magnificent Brahma Chanting.

Hands clasped behind his back, he lowered his gaze and looked down.

Like a god descending.

...

At the center of the Grand Array, beneath a slowly rotating, hundred-zhang-tall Golden Seal in the shape of a Swastika.

The old monk in the Red Gold Kasaya, a phantom of a Seven-Layered Wisdom Light Wheel above his head—the Blessed Arhat—had his eyes closed as he chanted sutras. His Palm Seal was like a lotus, continuously pouring vast Wish Power into the array.

He was suppressing and commencing the Refinement of the ferocious, sky-piercing blood qi at the heart of the array.

Suddenly, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

It stemmed from an Arhat’s keen intuition regarding the flow of the world’s Spiritual Mechanism.

The "sky" over this stretch of sea seemed to have suddenly lowered by an inch.

He abruptly opened his eyes. Those eyes, which should have been as tranquil as an ancient well from hundreds of years of Meditation Skills, now reflected a deep blue.

Directly above the Grand Array, a figure had appeared at some unknown time.

The man just stood there quietly in the void, with nothing to support him. His Deep Blue Daoist Robe was exceptionally striking against the backdrop of sea and sky.

His face was far too young, but his eyes were as placid and clear as a ten-thousand-year-old glacial pool. He was calmly looking down upon the magnificent scene below, where vast golden light surged from the assembled Array Formation.

"Sir..."

The Blessed Arhat spoke, his voice as deep as an ancient bell, yet laced with a hint of subtle gravity.

He couldn’t sense the depth of this figure’s aura at all.

It wasn’t concealed or masked, but rather a more terrifying state of natural integration.

It was as if the man was simply meant to be there, perfectly merged with the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism, indistinguishable from it.

Such a Realm was absolutely beyond what an ordinary Foundation Establishment Master could achieve.

Just as he was about to speak again.

Qi Yun, standing tall above the Grand Array, slowly released the wisp of aura he had been suppressing—the aura of his own Daoist Foundation Origin.

BOOM—

With him as the center, an indescribably vast will, like a silent, ancient starry sky suddenly igniting, swept out in all directions!

It was the disdain and nobility that belonged exclusively to a [Venerable Dao Foundation], an existence that transcended the Ten Thousand Laws.

With his Foundation Establishment Middle Stage at Merit and Virtue Perfection, Qi Yun’s current Dao Position was already on par with a Great Master of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage!

Wherever the Qi mechanism reached, the ocean of golden Wish Power below began to ripple without any wind, sending out concentric circles.

The rotation of the hundred-zhang Swastika Golden Seal visibly faltered for a moment.

At that moment, all the Buddhist Cultivators, regardless of their Cultivation level, felt their hearts sink as if an invisible mountain was silently pressing down on them. Even the circulation of Wish Power within their bodies became sluggish.

"A Great Master?!"

The Blessed Arhat’s expression changed drastically; he could no longer maintain his solemn and dignified composure.

He shot to his feet. His Red Gold Kasaya fluttered without wind, the Seven-Layered Wisdom Light Wheel above his head flickered erratically, and his eyes were filled with incredulous horror.

’I can’t be mistaken!’

’This aura, as vast as an abyss and with a Status that transcends the heavens, clearly belongs to a Great Master!’

’But... this person is so young, and his aura is so unfamiliar. He is definitely not any of the known Great Masters from the major Overseas Buddhist Cultivator Sacred Lands.’

’Is he from Central Earth?’

’But even if I haven’t met them in person, I know the general appearance and characteristics of the Great Masters from Central Earth who have been famous for centuries. None of them match the person before me.’

’Could it be—a newly ascended Great Master?!’

At this thought, even greater waves of shock crashed through the Blessed Arhat’s mind.

’Foundation Establishment Late Stage is a celestial chasm that stops ninety-nine percent of all Foundation Establishment Masters. It cannot be crossed without great opportunity, great perseverance, and great enlightenment.’

’The appearance of every new Great Master is enough to change the power dynamics of an entire region!’

Not daring to be disrespectful, he suppressed the countless questions in his heart, quickly pressed his palms together, and bowed in a solemn Buddhist salute:

"I am Fuyun, the Blessed Arhat. Greetings, Master.

I was unaware of your arrival and failed to welcome you from afar. I pray for your forgiveness."

His posture was extremely humble.

Qi Yun gazed down at him, his expression still impassive. He began to speak slowly. His voice wasn’t loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every Buddhist Cultivator present:

"This person is an old acquaintance of mine."

"Zen Master, could you do me a favor and let him go?"

The tone was conversational.

But anyone could hear the unquestionable implication within it.

The Blessed Arhat’s expression froze, and a struggle began in his heart.

’I’ve spent so much effort to capture this Fierce Demon, Situ Huaji.’

’I painstakingly tracked him for over a year and laid a series of traps just to corner him here. I was on the verge of success, of bringing him to Enlightenment to become a Vajra Dharma Guardian of the Buddha...’

’If I just let him go, not only will more than a year of hard work go down the drain,’

’but I’ll face reprimands from the temple and criticism from my peers. It’ll be nothing but trouble.’

’But if I refuse...’

The Blessed Arhat raised his eyes, sneaking a glance at the deep blue figure above.

The man just stood there quietly, without the slightest fluctuation of Magical Power leaking from his body.

’But that sense of "wholeness," as if he breathed in unison with Heaven and Earth, and that fleeting glimpse of the Venerable Qi Mechanism, all proclaimed that this was a true Great Master standing at the pinnacle of the Foundation Establishment Realm!’

’What are the consequences of refusing a Great Master’s request?’

’Especially a newly ascended Great Master who is so young, with such an unfamiliar aura, and whose depths are completely unknown!’

’Who knows what kind of power backs him?’

’Who knows what his temperament is like?’

’What if this creates a grudge and provokes him into killing us...’

In a flash, countless thoughts raced through the Blessed Arhat’s mind, his expression shifting several times.

In the end, all his concerns could not outweigh his fear of this unfathomably deep Great Master before him.

He took a deep breath, forced a somewhat stiff smile onto his face, and pressed his palms together in a salute once more:

"You are too serious, Master."

"Since he is an old acquaintance of the Master, this humble monk would naturally not dare to make things difficult."

With that, he hesitated no longer. His Palm Seal changed, and he shouted in a low voice:

"Dispel the array!"

The remaining Buddhist Cultivators who had set up the Array Formation didn’t dare say another word. They all withdrew their Magical Power and abandoned their positions in the array.

The ocean of golden Wish Power that covered hundreds of miles began to recede like a tide. Countless Sanskrit chains crumbled inch by inch, dissolving into motes of golden light.

The hundred-zhang Swastika Golden Seal in the center also stopped spinning. Its radiance retracted, and it transformed into a Flowing Light that disappeared into the Blessed Arhat’s sleeve.

With the Grand Array gone, Situ Huaji, who had been suppressed at its heart, suddenly felt a lightness spread through his body. The shackles of Wish Power, which had been eroding the foundation of his blood qi like a cancer clinging to his bones, abruptly vanished.

He let out a muffled groan, his figure swaying. He nearly fell from the sky, but he hastily mustered a breath of blood qi to steady himself.

The phantom of the Fierce Demon behind him, which had been on the verge of disintegrating, finally stopped fading away. It barely maintained a blurry outline, its luster dim and its ferocious might greatly diminished. It was clearly severely damaged.

The Blessed Arhat didn’t even spare Situ Huaji a glance, bowing once more to Qi Yun in the sky above:

"This humble monk has urgent matters to attend to at the temple, so... I will take my leave."

His tone was rushed, carrying a clear intention to depart.

He was terrified that this Fierce Demon had a deep relationship with the Great Master before him.

If, after being freed, the demon lodged a complaint about how he was tortured and persecuted, and it provoked the Great Master’s true wrath, then everything would truly be over.

Before his voice had even faded, he swept a large sleeve, enveloping his twenty-four fellow disciples, and transformed into a brilliant golden Buddha Light, fleeing toward the distant sea without a backward glance.

His speed was so great that it seemed almost panicked.

In just a few breaths, the golden light vanished over the horizon where sea met sky.

The hundred-mile stretch of sea returned to silence.

All that remained was the sobbing of the sea breeze, Situ Huaji floating in mid-air with an unstable and weak aura, and Qi Yun, standing in the Celestial Vault with his hands behind his back, his Deep Blue Daoist Robe fluttering slightly.

Situ Huaji raised his head and looked at the figure in the air who had pulled him back from the brink of certain death, and hurriedly said his thanks:

"...Thank you."

Qi Yun slowly descended, hovering a few dozen feet in front of Situ Huaji. His calm gaze swept over the man’s dismal blood qi and the faded phantom of the Fierce Demon as he said coolly:

"Thanks aren’t necessary."

"Now, it’s time for you to fulfill your promise."

Seeing that a single sentence from Qi Yun had made the profoundly powerful and formidably skilled Blessed Arhat retreat without hesitation,

Situ Huaji’s heart went cold. He now had a clear understanding of the weight this young Daoist carried.

’This man is no ordinary person.’

’But...’

Situ Huaji suppressed the weakness brought on by the churning blood qi in his body. His gaze fell upon Qi Yun’s calm, emotionless young face, and his brows furrowed unconsciously.

For some reason, the more he looked, the more he felt that this person seemed familiar.

In his early years, he had roamed the Northwest. Killing for treasure, making enemies, and fleeing from disaster were all part of his daily life. The people he had met were as numerous as fish in a river, and most of their faces had long since blurred.

The only ones who left an impression were either mortal enemies or... fleeting encounters under special circumstances.

Situ Huaji stared intently at Qi Yun, the doubt in his eyes growing stronger.

Suddenly—

A fragment of memory, sealed away for decades and nearly forgotten, twitched unexpectedly in his mind.

The Yellow Springs Netherworld.

The Marketplace.

The Underground Blood Pool.

A face in the dim, blood-red light—a face that was far too young and so calm it was almost indifferent.

The owner of that face was merely a Junior Cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage, yet he had dared to sneak into such a dangerous place alone, break the Restriction, and release him, a captive "Fierce Demon."

All just to stir up chaos and fish in troubled waters.

At the time, he had only managed to catch a single glimpse of the person, remembering only a pair of exceptionally calm eyes.

What followed was a brutal battle and a desperate escape.

Decades flew by. He struggled between life and death while Breaking Realms, forged the Fierce Demon Battle Dao Foundation, stained his hands with countless blood, and trod across the Northwest Wilderness before crossing the great ocean to this Overseas land...

That face, seen in a chance glance all those years ago, had long been buried in the dust of time, blurred into a faint silhouette.

But now—

The face before him, those calm, deep eyes... they began to overlap, bit by bit, perfectly fitting the silhouette that had all but faded from the depths of his memory.

"It’s... you?!"

Situ Huaji’s pupils abruptly contracted to pinpoints. He squeezed two hoarse words from his throat, filled with indescribable shock and absurdity.

He remembered!

Decades ago, in the underground of the Yellow Springs Marketplace, the Qi Refining Junior Cultivator he had met only once—the one who had released him!

How could it be him?!

Back then, that person clearly only had the Cultivation of the Qi Refining Stage, no different from an ant.

But now...

The person before him had an aura as complete as the high-hanging Celestial Vault, a Dao Rhyme as profound and unfathomable as the abyssal sea.

What kind of terrifying progress in Cultivation was this?!

Situ Huaji took a deep breath, his gaze becoming absolutely certain as he stared and said in a deep voice:

"I understand now..."

"You are—the reincarnation of a True Monarch!"

...