Everyone attacked simultaneously, directing all their divine techniques and Daoist techniques towards a point in the void. A massive hole was blasted through the endless yellow sand, but beyond the hole was still endless yellow sand. The sand stretched boundlessly, covering countless miles, leaving the ancestors cold in the heart and their eyes filled with despair.
"How can this be? Even with our collective strike, we can't shake a single array?" Moonlight Fairy's eyes were full of despair. This was the peak strike of everyone, and with the onslaught of the boundless yellow sand, their strength would only grow weaker, unable to muster a strike stronger than this one.
At this moment, everyone looked at each other, their eyes filled with endless despair.
"Our combined strike, enough to make an immortal retreat, can't even shake an array? I refuse to believe there's such a formidable array in the world." East Profound Ancestor's voice was full of shock, then his surrounding qi mechanism reached the utmost sublimation. A majestic aura swept forth, and the iron tower in his hand emitted a powerful suppressive force, smashing towards the boundless yellow sand.
But as his strike landed, it seemed to hit nothing, having no effect whatsoever. The endless yellow sand still brought despair.
"Boy, if you have the guts, come out and face me in a death battle. Using an array like this to harm others, what kind of hero is that?" Ancestor Fu Lu spoke provocatively among the yellow sand. Zhang Chen, hearing this in the yellow sand, let out a sneer: "The ancestors' cultivation is peerless. Compared to them, I'm but an ant. You rely on your cultivation to fight me; isn't that what heroes are made of?"
Hearing Zhang Chen's taunt, the ancestors looked at each other, knowing there was no room for maneuver. One of the Three Immortals from Overseas said, "Fellow Daoists, this array is quite overbearing. We should prepare lest we perish here."
"Things have come to this, and there's no saving the situation. I didn't expect to be defeated so humiliatingly." Ancestor Fu Lu was so angry his fists clenched tightly.
But everyone was decisive. Seeing the Nine Bends Yellow River Array's might, realizing they had no power to shake it, they let their True Spirits leave their bodies, burning their foundations to reach Extreme Realm Ascension, then charged towards the Nine Bends Yellow River Array.
Those at the 'Fruit' realm ignited their foundations, erupting with great power, indeed qualifying to shake the Nine Bends Yellow River Array. But Zhang Chen was no reckless fool. A black-and-white scissors flew from his hand, weaving through the void. Screams echoed from the void, and objects began to fall.
"It seems their cultivation isn't much, even without deploying the Golden Scissors. They stand no chance of escaping the Nine Bends Yellow River Array. They are as far from the Innate Peacock as heaven from earth." Zhang Chen put away the Golden Scissors, stepping towards the fallen objects. Among the fallen were a finger bone, a strand of hair, an eye, a pair of wings, and other items emitting a mysterious aura, akin to the spiritual relics left by Monk Hai Chan, embodying the indestructible 'Fruit.'
Zhang Chen picked up each item, examining them closely, finding no mystery within.
"I'll find a chance to see if my methods can absorb the manifested power of these 'Fruits.' These old fellows perished leaving not a single skill behind; truly useless." Zhang Chen cursed silently, then looked towards the corpses standing in the yellow sand. A hint of joy emerged in his eyes, as he finally gathered all the blood needed for cultivating the Blood Transformation Divine Saber.
At this moment, the Innate Peacock emerged from the yellow sand, eyes blazing as it looked at the ten bodies: "Hahaha, consuming their bodies will allow me to save thousands of years of cultivation, sparing me endless effort. Using their innate blood to further nurture my own, it's like divine intervention."
As it spoke, a phantom of a multicolored peacock appeared behind Monk Hai Chan, opening its mouth to swallow all the corpses. Zhang Chen hurriedly shouted, "Hold your hands!"
Then Zhang Chen stepped forward, standing before the bodies, blocking the Innate Peacock from devouring them: "Senior, please wait, I have matters to attend to."
The Innate Peacock, somewhat impatient, asked, "What's left for you to do, boy?"
Zhang Chen came to the bodies, performing the Bloodsucking Technique to extract their blood. As Zhang Chen drew their blood, they manifested their true forms: East Profound Ancestor turned out to be a crocodile, the Three Immortals from Overseas were respectively: a catfish, a water snake, a crab, Fairy Dongqian was a tigress, and Moonlight Fairy was a pure white rabbit without a single foreign fur, Xuanji Ancestor was a giant turtle, and Ancestor Fu Lu was a sika deer.
Their blood shimmered in various colors, divine power surging within, clearly indicating they were no ordinary creatures.
"Why are you collecting their blood?" the Innate Peacock inquired, voice filled with curiosity.
Zhang Chen replied with a silent smile, carefully storing all the blood, then said to the Innate Peacock, "Ancestor, you may proceed."
Upon hearing this, the Innate Peacock summoned the peacock phantom again. The phantom appeared behind Monk Hai Chan, opened its mouth, and all the bodies were swallowed into its belly, disappearing.
"When will you help me kill that Longevity Thief Dao?" Zhang Chen asked.
The Innate Peacock, with a satisfied expression, responded to Zhang Chen's inquiry, "At the shortest, it will take ten years, and at the longest, no more than a hundred years. I am certain I can refine the essence of these ten people, and then help you slay the Longevity Thief Daoist."
Zhang Chen's face changed upon hearing this: "Are you kidding me? By the time you finish cultivating, wouldn't Xu Erniu be long dead?"
"Be at ease, the Grass Returning Pill is not easy to concoct. It needs three thousand years to nourish, three thousand years to turn, and three thousand years to refine, requiring a full nine thousand years to complete. By then, my power will have fully recovered, and slaying a mere thief daoist will be nothing but a trifle." The Innate Peacock assured Zhang Chen with a pleasant smile.
A trace of doubt flickered in Zhang Chen's eyes as he internally asked the Great Freedom Celestial Demon, "Is what this mongrel said true?"
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon replied, "Indeed, the Grass Returning Pill takes nine thousand years to mature, and once mature, it can extend life for forty-eight thousand years. Naturally, the time for maturity is incredibly long."
Upon hearing the words of the Great Freedom Celestial Demon, Zhang Chen relaxed and said to the Innate Peacock, "Then quickly commence your cultivation and don't waste any time. Strive to refine that physical body at the earliest and help me solve the trouble."
"I want to cultivate in seclusion within your Nine Bends Yellow Sand Array. You need to open a safe area for me." The Innate Peacock said to Zhang Chen.
"Why do you want to cultivate in seclusion here? Why not find a peaceful place elsewhere to cultivate?" Zhang Chen asked, puzzled.
"There's a sliver of Immortal True Spirit entrusted to Daoist Changsheng. If I leave the Nine Bends Yellow River Array, I fear I cannot conceal my aura and will surely be found by him." The Innate Peacock's eyes were full of apprehension.
Upon hearing these words, Zhang Chen pondered with thoughts swirling in his mind: "Is this mongrel coveting my Nine Bends Yellow River Array? But dreaming about my Nine Bends Yellow River Array would be wishful thinking. This Nine Bends Yellow River Array is my Golden Finger Interface skill, how could he covet it? If he's thinking of researching a method to break the array, that's just wasted effort. The Nine Bends Yellow River Array can only be broken by absolute strength; otherwise, even knowing everything about the array, there's no chance of breaking it."
Zhang Chen pointed at the endless yellow sand, and a ten-meter clearing suddenly appeared, forming a wind-sand forbidden zone where all sand vanished upon approaching.
"Cultivate here then. I hope you achieve perfection within ten years, helping me to slay the Longevity Daoist." Zhang Chen sighed hauntingly.
"Rest assured, when it comes to matters of revenge, how could I ever slack off?" The Innate Peacock's voice was filled with coldness.
The anguish of being confined for tens of thousands of years can only be requited with the blood and flesh of these traitors.
Zhang Chen, seeing the murderous intent on the Innate Peacock's face, was about to leave with the items left by the powerful figures.
"I advise you to leave these things and not take them out! Even though you have the Ba Snake's Devouring Space, your devouring space is too immature to withstand the power of these strong individuals' true spirits. These old fellows have traces of true spirits within these remnants, capable of resurrecting at any time. If you devour them with the Ba Snake Space, it's akin to inviting them in, and they could possess you in the blink of an eye." The Innate Peacock's eyes swept over the items in Zhang Chen's hand, warning him with a voice full of seriousness.
Upon hearing the Innate Peacock's words, Zhang Chen's pupils involuntarily contracted, revealing a look of terror: "How did you discern that my space is the Ba Snake's Innate Divine Technique?"
"Because I once killed a Ba Snake and naturally know its methods." The Innate Peacock replied.
Zhang Chen dared not be careless upon hearing this and looked at the Immortal Relics in his hand, once more consulting the Great Freedom Celestial Demon: "Is what the Old Peacock said true?"
He did not trust the Innate Peacock, but had a certain amount of faith in the Great Freedom Celestial Demon.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon nodded: "Yes, indeed! These Immortal Relics contain traces of true spirits, and these true spirits can resurrect whenever the opportunity is right. If you're caught unprepared, being possessed would happen too fast for a reaction."
Zhang Chen nodded, glanced at the Great Freedom Celestial Demon, and offered a word of thanks before his figure disappeared into the endless yellow sand, intending to see if he could use his skill to devour these Immortal Relics.
His devouring skill consumes all, logically even these relics should be within the scope of his devouring, right?