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He was well aware that Shen Yuan had many tricks up his sleeve. Once he decided to make a move, it must be a thunderous and irresistible force, not allowing Shen Yuan any chance to turn the tables. Only the Eastern Glory Divine Monarch, as the Master of the Divine System, had this capability within the Eastern Glory Divine System.
Yu Ke, of course, knew his own strength was too weak, that even with a Blank Heavenly Court Decree, he could not truly enlist the help of the Eastern Glory Divine Monarch.
But he didn’t need the Divine Monarch to agree to his terms; he just needed to use the Blank Heavenly Court Decree and an unconfirmed rumor to entice the Giant Mountain Divine Venerable to pursue and kill Shen Yuan.
If the Giant Mountain Divine Venerable managed to kill Shen Yuan, then all would celebrate. However, if the Divine Venerable were to fail and be killed by Shen Yuan, the fall of a God Honor combined with the Blank Heavenly Court Decree would surely compel the Eastern Glory Divine Monarch to act.
With the Divine Monarch, comparable to a current life True Immortal, taking action, Shen Yuan would have no chance to escape this calamity, even if he had an ace in the hole. It could be said that the killing moves were interlocked with each other in the plot.
And for Yu Ke to lay out this plan, what he expended was nothing more than a Heavenly Court Decree, a portion of the power of Time stored within the Dragon Gate Secret Order, and merely a rumor passed down to later generations.
"The Rebounding Wind Returning Fire Great Divine Power linked Taoist artifacts?"
Thinking back to the content of the rumor, Yu Ke sneered and said:
"The Heavenly General Great Divine Power is unique in all the worlds; how could such a Taoist artifact exist in this world? It’s nothing more than a story concocted to deceive those foolish boors."
While speaking, Yu Ke reached out to pull the hood back over his head and walked out of the grand side hall with a swagger.
...
Gusha region, Green Ark Immortal City.
As a large domain neighboring the Donghuang Domain, the Gusha region, in contrast to the Donghuang Domain, was an endless golden desert.
The Donghuang Domain was entirely under the control of the Donghuang Divine System, and the Great Yin Imperial Dynasty only maintained superficial governance and the Mortal Path Array.
However, the Gusha region was a domain under the actual control of the Great Yin Imperial Dynasty. The territory lord had almost absolute authority over the Gusha region, where many sects and noble families could only rely on others for support.
The Green Ark Immortal City, in name, was built jointly by several sects, but in reality, it was still under the watchful eye of the Gusha region lord.
Almost every day, airships crossed the golden sea of sand to arrive at the Green Ark Immortal City for trade, among which the merchants from the Donghuang Domain were the most numerous.
Shen Yuan, upon being reminded by Jiang Yan, took advantage of the Pot’s Heaven Divine Power to open a spatial channel and crossed tens of thousands of miles to arrive at the Green Ark Immortal City in the Gusha region.
Having rented a high-grade grotto residence in the Green Ark Immortal City at the cost of numerous spirit stones, Shen Yuan began his intensive and secluded cultivation.
Though his cultivation in the Falling Clouds City was unexpectedly interrupted, Shen Yuan nevertheless had not come away without any gains; at least he had some clues on how to sort out his chaotic Mana.
With the consumption of vast amounts of Spirit Energy, Shen Yuan operated the "Great Void Spirit Refining Method," transforming it into Mana and infusing it into his ragged body.
The chaotic Mana, after being sorted out, was reintegrated into the Major Circumambulation within his body, nourishing his Yang God, which had already completed its transformation.
The Yang God, which had turned dull due to the influence of the temporal-spatial turbulent currents, also regained its original luster at this moment, and even further transformed into a dazzling crimson sun.
As his cultivation gradually recovered, his realm, which was constrained by the originally imperfect laws of heaven and earth, began to loosen as well.
Above the core Spirit Vein of the Green Ark Immortal City, a vast Spiritual Energy Vortex quietly appeared, accompanying the inhalation and exhalation of Spirit Energy.
Inside the Immortal City, many cultivators who saw the Spiritual Energy Vortex couldn’t help but show envy in their eyes.
"Such a huge Spiritual Energy Vortex, spanning hundreds of meters. Could it be that a Qi-training cultivator is breaking through to the Spirit Transmutation Stage?"
"Although the Green Ark Immortal City has a Spirit Refining True Being in residence, a Spirit Transmutation cultivator is still a formidable figure, who could dominate in some remote cities. It makes one wonder who is having such an opportunity."
"I haven’t heard of anyone breaking through to Spirit Transmutation in the high-grade grotto residences; could it be some outsider cultivator?"
As many cultivators were discussing, the Spiritual Energy Vortex, which was originally only a few hundred meters, suddenly expanded rapidly.
Within a few breaths, it expanded several times over, becoming a twirling mass of Spirit Energy Vortex as large as two kilometers.
Many cultivators were startled, and one of them spoke up in confusion:
"This is definitely not the phenomenon of a Qi-training cultivator breaking through. Could it be that a great Spirit Transmutation cultivator is making a breakthrough?"
As soon as the words fell, a nearby stall owner showed a hint of disdain.
"Ignorance breeds fearlessness. Clearly, this is a great Spirit Transmutation Early Stage cultivator making a breakthrough to the Spirit Transmutation Middle Stage." 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
The stall owner’s confident words immediately elicited a wave of flattery.
"Indeed, as a local of the Green Ark Immortal City, you are well-informed."
"We have only heard, but have never witnessed a great Spirit Transmutation cultivator breaking through."
"With the stall owner being so knowledgeable, the quality of these talismans on your stall must not be too bad."
The compliments of the crowd made the stall owner quite proud, and he couldn’t help but raise his voice and declare,
"It’s just a Spirit Transmutation cultivator making a breakthrough, that’s all. I’ve been running this stand for over thirty years and have seen more than a dozen such phenomena. It’s hardly worth mentioning."
Right as the stall owner finished speaking, the Spiritual Energy Vortex in the sky expanded again, stretching like a massive funnel for more than ten miles into the outer world.
The Spiritual Energy Vortex churned with dark clouds and streaks of thunder, and its terrifying momentum spread throughout the entirety of Green Ark Immortal City.
The previously flattering words suddenly fell silent, and all cultivators stared fixedly at the talisman-selling stall owner, their eyes filled with doubt and scorn.
The stall owner’s expression froze, and his face gradually turned red.
After a long moment, the stall owner waved his hand with clenched teeth and said,
"All talismans are 30% off, today only."
The numerous cultivators on the street immediately put the so-called breakthrough phenomenon out of their minds and hastened to call out loudly,
"Give me ten Class 2 Fire Dragon talismans!"
"I want three Golden Light Spells!"
"Do you have the Earth Escape? I’ll take them all!"
As the marketplace buzzed with activity, Huanyang True Being, the guardian of Green Ark Immortal City, set down the teacup in his hand.
"Such a phenomenon of Spirit Energy, could it be a breakthrough to Spirit Refining? When did such an extraordinary person come to Green Ark Immortal City?"
As the enforcer sent by one of the 72 Blessed Lands, Mount Yuanchen, Huanyang True Being bore the responsibility of upholding the development of the Immortal City.
A breakthrough within Green Ark Immortal City would consume a certain amount of Spirit Energy, but in the long run, a great Spirit Transmutation cultivator’s successful transition to the Spirit Refining Stage was a superb promotional opportunity for Green Ark Immortal City.
Thinking this, Huanyang True Being prepared to activate the city’s protecting array formation to divert Spirit Energy and aid the other’s breakthrough with all his might.
However, at that moment, Huanyang True Being’s expression suddenly changed, and he swiftly flew out of his grotto residence into the sky, looking toward the golden sands to the east.
A khaki streak of light was speeding towards Green Ark Immortal City from the edge of the sandy sea.
Although the streak of light was not large, its presence was like towering mountains, and its powerful oppression could be felt from hundreds of miles away.
Born in the 72 Blessed Lands, Huanyang True Being had seen many powerful experts, and the impressiveness displayed by the other was not enough to frighten him too much.
What caused his expression to abruptly change was the frantic warning emerging from one of the City God Temples within Green Ark Immortal City at that moment.
The one racing toward Green Ark Immortal City was not an ordinary cultivator but a local deity endowed with incense offering willpower.
Only when incense offering deities rashly enter the domain of other deities would the City God Temples raise such an alarm.
Moreover, more importantly, the City God who presided over this area, whose strength was on par with his own, had no intention of showing up at the moment.
Faced with the invasion of an external force into his incense offering magic domain, the City God showed not even the slightest resistance.
Combined with the fact that the other party was coming from the east, an answer had already been revealed in Huanyang True Being’s heart.
"A Divine Venerable from the Donghuang Divine System!"
For a Divine Venerable from the Donghuang Divine System to step out of their domain of incense offerings was undoubtedly a trampling on the promises once made by the Eastern Glory Divine Monarch.
For the Great Yin, the matter could be significant or trivial.
At its most serious, it could mean that the Donghuang Divine System intended to expand its territory, provoking an issue with the Gusha region.
On the minor side, it could be the personal desire of a God Honor, not representing the will of the Donghuang Divine System.
But regardless of the outcome, it was not something he, a mere guardian of Green Ark Immortal City, could bear.
The khaki streak of light instantly crossed hundreds of miles and came to a stop at the edge of Green Ark Immortal City.
Before Huanyang True Being could breathe a sigh of relief, he saw that the originally human-sized figure was rapidly expanding, swiftly transforming into a thousand-foot-tall divine body that reached the cloud firmament.
Its figure was towering, seeming to carry an endless range of mountains, and with every movement, it possessed the power to shake the heavens and split the earth.
He breathed in to create wind, exhaled to form mist, and like a towering deity, he emitted a roar as loud as thunder.
"Falling Clouds Taoist has stolen my treasure, killed my Incense Offering Canonical God from the Donghuang Divine System, and I demand your life in reparation for the Huayu Mountain God!"
