Zhang Chen didn’t understand the power of the array, but he had the Water Droplet Shifting Technique.
Within a thousand meters, he could ignore all obstacles and teleport directly.
The reason Zhang Chen couldn’t use this divine technique now was that the grand array set by the Water God twisted space, making the underground distance far exceed the limit of the Water Droplet Shifting Technique. Zhang Chen lost his sense of the small water droplet he left outside. But as long as Zhang Chen could suppress the array’s core for an instant, allowing him to sense the small water droplet’s presence, he could teleport over immediately.
As for whether Zhang Chen had the means to suppress this grand array for a breath?
Did you really think his Sealing Rune was for nothing?
The Sealing Rune had already surpassed the Twelfth Tier, reaching the Innate level, at least equal to ’Fruit’. Maybe it couldn’t disband this grand array, but as long as it could hold the array for a breath, creating a flaw for Zhang Chen to sense the outside world, he could easily escape.
"Looking for the core of this grand array is really difficult. We don’t understand arrays at all, so how would we know where the core is?" Hu Li the Immortal frowned.
Upon hearing Hu Li the Immortal’s words, Zhang Chen began to communicate with the Great Freedom Celestial Demon. He didn’t understand arrays, but he had the Great Freedom Celestial Demon.
"Ancestral Master!" Zhang Chen called out to the Great Freedom Celestial Demon in his heart.
"Don’t call me, I don’t understand arrays either!" said the Great Freedom Celestial Demon in Zhang Chen’s ear.
"I know you don’t understand arrays, but since you have no physical form, you can freely traverse the void. This grand array can’t trap you. Go and find out the key nodes where the array’s energy converges for me. Those key nodes must be the array’s core," Zhang Chen said to the Great Freedom Celestial Demon.
If space couldn’t trap the Great Freedom Celestial Demon, how could an array?
Upon hearing Zhang Chen’s words, the Great Freedom Celestial Demon didn’t refute, knowing it was a critical moment, so it used its divine power to leave.
Zhang Chen stood waiting for the Great Freedom Celestial Demon, with Hu Li the Immortal and Tushan Qing standing beside him. Seeing Zhang Chen silent, they dared not disturb him, fearing they might accidentally disrupt his thoughts.
About an hour passed, and the Great Freedom Celestial Demon returned, entering Zhang Chen’s ear: "There are eighteen places where energy gathers as you mentioned, but those eighteen nodes aren’t fixed; they secretly move following the array’s operation."
"Eighteen?" Zhang Chen pondered for a moment upon hearing this, and twenty-four Sealing Runes and a Water Stabilizing Pearl appeared from his sleeve. Then Zhang Chen spoke to the Great Freedom Celestial Demon in his heart: "Guide me with the coordinates."
Each time Zhang Chen broke through a realm, he would gain an additional talisman. When he reached the Twelfth Tier, the number even began to double.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon quickly transmitted the eighteen coordinates into Zhang Chen’s Spiritual World. Zhang Chen casually flicked his hand, and the Sea Calming Divine Pearl flew out, landing in the Weak Water beneath his feet. As the Sea Calming Divine Pearl fell into the Weak Water, the entire array’s operation suddenly stalled, yet still continued unwaveringly.
However, with the array’s operation stalling, it had already created an opportunity for Zhang Chen. He swung the Celestial Measuring Ruler in his hand, causing the space before him to warp. With each swing of the Celestial Measuring Ruler, the space would be warped and drawn closer. Then a talisman from Zhang Chen’s hand flew out, disappearing into the void without a trace.
With each talisman’s release, the array’s operation would stall further, and after Zhang Chen swung the Celestial Measuring Ruler eighteen times in succession, the array’s operation abruptly halted.
Once the array’s operation halted, Zhang Chen sensed the small water droplet he had left outside earlier. His eyes brightened, and he said to Hu Li the Immortal and Tushan Qing, "Don’t resist!"
In the next moment, Zhang Chen flicked his sleeve, enveloping Hu Li the Immortal and Tushan Qing, and then he vanished into thin air from the spot.
Outside
The battle at the Shen Family continued, yet the situation was strange. The Shen Family’s ancestor, Shen Li, stood in the air, coldly observing the battle, allowing the Shen Family disciples to be slaughtered.
Meanwhile, Director Zhou Qiucheng was suppressed by the Yellow Heaven Dao’s grand array, locked in combat with Chen Zhifei of the White Lotus Sect. The fight stretched on, with no clear victor in sight.
The Northern Profound Yuan Water Control Banner in Chen Zhifei’s hand twisted the void, with blue petals blooming, most adept at defense, contending against the suppressive power of the Exquisite Tower.
In a dark corner, a water droplet suddenly flickered, and after a twist, it transformed into the figure of Zhang Chen. He shook his sleeves, and Hu Li the Immortal and Tushan Qing appeared beside him.
Meanwhile, the Sealing Rune and Water Stabilizing Pearl flew back from the void, slipping into Zhang Chen’s sleeve, returning to the Primordial Spirit.
"You’ve come out? You really have some skills!" Hu Li the Immortal looked at the chaotic battlefield, his eyes filled with amazement.
"The situation seems a bit off!" Zhang Chen did not respond to Hu Li’s praise but instead stared intently at the Shen Family battlefield, seeing Shen Liang standing quietly in the void, watching as the Shen Family disciples were slaughtered by the experts of Yellow Heaven Dao.
Regardless, it seemed strange for Shen Liang to stand by passively watching while the Shen Family disciples were slaughtered.
This was not only Zhang Chen’s doubt; even Zhou Qiucheng was confused from afar: "Shen Liang, why are you still standing there dumbfounded? Hurry and come to suppress the remnants of the White Lotus Sect with me! Are you really willing to watch the Shen Family disciples be completely slaughtered?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Liang turned to look at Zhou Qiucheng, blue light flashing in his eyes, but he said nothing, just standing there with a calm expression, as if contemplating something.
"Ancestor, something’s not right! Why is Shen Liang standing idly by?" Tushan Qing also sensed something was amiss.
Hu Li the Immortal’s tiger eyes were fixed on Shen Liang, filled with gravity: "Of course, it’s not right! Shen Liang’s Qi mechanism is surging; each time a Shen Family disciple dies, an inexplicable Qi mechanism flows into Shen Liang, making his Qi mechanism stronger. Now Shen Liang stands at the threshold of the Tenth Tier, only a step away from the Eleventh Tier!"
"What? How can this be? Has he practiced some evil Devouring Technique that allows him to devour his own disciples to strengthen himself?" Zhang Chen’s expression changed upon hearing this.
At this moment, the three of them exchanged glances, all amazed at the cruelty of Shen Liang’s methods.
"Ancestor, are you going to act?" Tushan Qing turned to Hu Li the Immortal.
Hu Li the Immortal glanced at Zhang Chen, who frowned: "I’m not part of the Shen Family, why are you looking at me?"
Hu Li the Immortal withdrew his gaze: "I only agreed to help Yellow Heaven Dao for the Creation within the Water God Tomb. Now that I’ve absorbed all the Creation from the Water God Tomb, there’s no reason for me to act again, especially since this person could break through to the Eleventh Tier at any moment. I don’t want to provoke a major enemy! My priority now is to digest the Creation left by the Innate Water God, striving to cultivate to the Twelfth Tier as soon as possible, and then, with the help of past life forces, break through to a legendary realm. Moreover, having an additional enemy against Yellow Heaven Dao isn’t necessarily a bad thing for our Demon Race."
Having obtained the Creation he wanted, Hu Li the Immortal didn’t want to randomly attract karma. He could see that Shen Liang could cross that crucial threshold at any time, perhaps even before he acted.
"The Shen Family’s tribulation today is also related to you. Do you think Shen Liang will spare you after breaking through to the Eleventh Tier?" Tushan Qing said beside him, "It’s better to try to kill him before he breaks through."
Zhang Chen also turned to look at Hu Li the Immortal, feeling that this old fellow was making excuses. Was he turning into a goody-two-shoes? If Zhang Chen didn’t know the other’s character, he might have almost believed him.
Seeing the odd looks from the two, Hu Li the Immortal had to speak the truth:
"This kid is really strange! Even though he’s only at the Tenth Tier, whenever I have the thought of acting, an inexplicable dread arises within me, as if I had done something unforgivable, with a sense of imminent doom."
"Hmm?" Zhang Chen was surprised upon hearing Hu Li the Immortal’s words. For an Eleventh Tier powerhouse like Hu Li the Immortal to refrain from acting was unprecedented for him.
Terrifying!
Absolutely terrifying!
A shimmer of golden light flashed in Zhang Chen’s eyes as he looked at Shen Liang standing proudly in the void from afar, unable to discern any flaws. So he switched the Light of the True God to the Eye of Devouring, only to find the scenery before him changed. Within the Eye of Devouring, whenever a Shen Family disciple died, a blue Qi mechanism rose from the corpse and silently infused Shen Liang’s body.
And within Shen Liang’s body, a vast, majestic Law of Water intertwined, a divine radiance circulating, continuously reviving, devouring the power gathered from the Shen Family disciples’ bodies.
Within that divine radiance, there seemed to be a hazy, ethereal blue figure, slowly awakening.
"That blue divine radiance... it’s like the Innate Divine, similar to the Peacock Ancestor and the Ancestral Master on Qingcheng Mountain, or when I dreamt back to ancient times and interacted with Monk Hai Chan, the East Profound Ancestor, the Three Immortals from Overseas, the Xuanji Ancestor, Fairy Dongqian, the Moonlight Fairy, Monk Hai Chan, and Ancestor Fu Lu from Fulu Island, their Qi mechanisms are very similar.
That is an Innate Qi mechanism!
But Shen Liang is a Postnatal Spirit; how can he have an Innate aura? How can there be an Innate Origin within him?
"How can this be? Why is this happening?" Zhang Chen’s heart was filled with shock, his eyes full of fear.
"Great Freedom Celestial Demon, look at Shen Liang, what’s going on with him? How can there be the radiance of the Innate Divine gathering inside him?" Zhang Chen hurriedly asked the Great Freedom Celestial Demon.