Chapter 1915: The Fairy Emerges from Seclusion
The group heading to the Northern Domain was decided: Zhang Ruochen, Ji Fanxin, Xiang Chunan, and Luo Yi.
"Many people have their eyes on me now. I can't go directly through a space wormhole to the Northern Domain—it would draw too much attention."
Zhang Ruochen said thoughtfully.
"Then how do you plan to get to the Northern Domain?" Xiang Chunan asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I intend to set up a space teleportation array. It will save us a lot of trouble and also leave us a retreat route, just in case."
Previously, his spiritual power hadn't been strong enough, and his understanding of the Way of Space wasn't deep enough. He could only set up basic space teleportation arrays, with a maximum transmission distance of only three hundred thousand li.
This time, he wanted to try setting up a cross-domain space teleportation array. If successful, it would make traveling anywhere much more convenient in the future.
Space teleportation arrays were divided into four major levels: Basic, Cross-Domain, World-Crossing, and Interstellar.
Basic space teleportation arrays were for short-range transmission.
Cross-domain teleportation arrays could roughly cover an entire domain.
World-crossing teleportation arrays could easily cover an entire large world, or even transmit beyond it.
As for interstellar space teleportation arrays, they could transmit across the boundless starry sky, instantly reaching other large worlds.
Of course, the higher the level of the space teleportation array, the more difficult it was to set up. For interstellar space teleportation arrays, there were probably very few people in the entire Heavenly Court who could set them up.
"How long will you need to set up the space teleportation array?" Ji Fanxin asked.
She was quite eager to get to the Northern Domain and didn't want to waste too much time.
Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment, then said, "Three days. At most three days. If I can't set it up successfully, we'll take another route to the Northern Domain."
Ji Fanxin nodded. "Alright, I'll wait three days for you."
She was actually quite curious to see if Zhang Ruochen, with his current cultivation level, could set up a cross-domain space teleportation array.
As far as she knew, setting up a cross-domain space teleportation array at the Saint King Realm was no less difficult than becoming a formation earth master at the Saint King Realm.
A space cultivator who could set up a cross-domain space teleportation array was definitely a talent that gods from all realms would fight over. Because on a merit battlefield, such a talent could save the lives of countless cultivators, or even change the final outcome of a merit war.
Zhang Ruochen didn't start setting up immediately. Instead, he took out the Space-Time Secret Scripture and studied it over and over again.
He had actually already researched how to set up a cross-domain space teleportation array. Now, he was just confirming some details.
Only by studying it thoroughly enough could he avoid mistakes when setting up the array.
At the same time, above the third divine river in Nine Bends Heavenly Star, divine light shone in all directions, golden rain fell, and ancient, melodious divine sounds rang out.
The cultivators of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization were all alarmed. They raised their heads and looked toward the direction of the divine gate.
A graceful and exquisite figure stepped out from the divine gate. Beneath her feet, a patch of golden mist formed on its own, and a divine river flowed out from within the golden mist, the sound of the water seeming to come from ancient times.
"Luo Shen, it's Luo Shen! I've seen her portrait in the Luo Shen Hall—stepping on golden mist, surrounded by a divine river."
A Saint Realm cultivator with a clear face exclaimed, then immediately knelt and bowed.
An old man with a hunched back said in a trembling voice, "Luo Shen? Is it really Luo Shen?"
A fool looked up at the figure above the golden mist that closely resembled Luo Shen, squinted his eyes, and then revealed a smile. "It's the Heavenly Maiden! The Heavenly Maiden has emerged from seclusion!"
"Congratulations, Master, on emerging from seclusion and greatly advancing your cultivation."
Li Miaohan revealed a look of surprise and went up to greet her.
After going into seclusion in the divine gate, the Heavenly Beginning Fairy had changed dramatically. Her cultivation level was completely unfathomable to Li Miaohan, who had no idea how powerful she had become.
Compared to before entering the divine gate, the current Heavenly Beginning Fairy appeared even more holy and beautiful, like a banished fairy descending to the mortal world. She was indescribably beautiful, exuding an aura very similar to Luo Shen's, making people dare not harbor any thoughts of profanity.
"Master, what did Luo Shen leave behind in the divine gate?"
Li Miaohan asked curiously.
The Heavenly Beginning Fairy said, "Ancestor Luo Shen did leave some important things in the divine gate, involving a secret matter from five hundred years ago. It's better that you don't know, and don't mention it to anyone."
Hearing this, Li Miaohan immediately realized the seriousness of the matter and said solemnly, "Master, rest assured. Your disciple will never reveal a single word to the outside."
"Has anything major happened recently?" the Heavenly Beginning Fairy asked.
Li Miaohan revealed a smile again and replied, "Many major things have happened recently. Among them, there's one that Master will definitely be interested in."
"What is it?"
"I just heard that the Undying Blood Clan mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops to besiege the Underworld King Sword Grave, trying to rescue the Underworld King. But they were completely annihilated by Zhang Ruochen. I heard that even several divine sons died. Zhang Ruochen became famous in one battle and ascended the Saint King Merit Ranking." Li Miaohan said.
Zhang Ruochen had once saved her, and he had a good relationship with the Heavenly Beginning Fairy, so Li Miaohan had a very good impression of him. Therefore, she paid close attention to Zhang Ruochen's situation.
"He really does like to do shocking things. I imagine Ji Fanxin helped him a lot this time." The Heavenly Beginning Fairy said with a faint smile.
"The Hundred Flowers Fairy is extremely powerful. It's possible that some of the Undying Blood Clan's divine sons died at her hands. But she was really generous, giving up so many merit points and letting Zhang Ruochen take them all."
A hint of admiration appeared in Li Miaohan's eyes. As a fellow female cultivator, the Hundred Flowers Fairy was one of the few people she admired.
Hearing this, the Heavenly Beginning Fairy's expression became slightly strange, and she felt a bit uncomfortable inside.
Seeing that the Heavenly Beginning Fairy's expression was off, Li Miaohan asked doubtfully, "Master, what's wrong?"
The Heavenly Beginning Fairy loosened her tightly clenched jade fingers and shook her head slightly. "It's nothing. This time, entering the divine gate allowed my cultivation to take a big leap forward, but my state of mind is still a little lacking. Once I stabilize it, it will be fine."
"That's good." Li Miaohan couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.
Suddenly, the Heavenly Beginning Fairy raised her head and looked into the eastern sky, as if she could see millions of li away.
"He still dares to stay in Luo Water?"
"Who?" Li Miaohan asked curiously.
"Chang."
The Heavenly Beginning Fairy rode the ocean of golden mist, soared up, and rushed out of the atmosphere of Nine Bends Heavenly Star.
"Chang?" Li Miaohan said.
Luo Water stretched for ten thousand li, vast and boundless.
The Heavenly Beginning Fairy stood in the air above the water, staring at a certain area of water. She pointed a slender jade finger, and a beam of light shot out, colliding with the void.
"Boom."
It was as if an invisible barrier shattered, and then a monstrous ghostly aura surged out, condensing into a hundred-zhang-long cyan ghost claw covered in scale patterns.
The ghost claw shattered instantly.
A muffled sound came from within the ghostly aura.
A mass of ghost fog rushed out from the secret realm at extreme speed, revealing a cyan ghost chariot covered in inscriptions, trying to escape from Luo Water.
"Chang, do you think you can still escape?"
The Heavenly Beginning Fairy spoke coldly, casually throwing a punch.
A shimmering heavenly river, like a several-hundred-li-long divine dragon, coiled around the fist shadow and surged forward.
Countless inscriptions appeared on the surface of the cyan ghost chariot, trying to block the heavenly river.
"Boom."
The heavenly river shook, and the cyan ghost chariot instantly exploded.
Luo Water contained the divine power of Luo Shen, and the divine charm of the Heavenly River Divine Fist was contained within it. Having inherited Luo Shen's legacy, the Heavenly Beginning Fairy's use of the Heavenly River Divine Fist in Luo Water was unstoppable.
A thin figure hastily fled from the cyan ghost chariot. A stalk of Yu Jin Mo Xiang was wrapped around his arm.
This person was none other than the ninth son of the Ghost Lord from the Hell Realm, Chang, who had escaped from Qu Shan Lao Mu during the Battle of War God Star.
With a flip of his hand, Chang took out a demon flute.
The melodious sound of the flute rang out, and the sound waves turned into whirlpools, enveloping the Heavenly Beginning Fairy.
At the same time, the hundred-thousand-year-old Yu Jin Mo Xiang also released powerful spiritual power, trying to interfere with the Heavenly Beginning Fairy.
"Boom."
The Heavenly Beginning Fairy's gaze was indifferent, unaffected. Her slender figure moved gracefully through the golden mist as she executed the Heavenly River Divine Fist.
Hundreds of thousands of fist dao rules swirled around her, and the sacred qi of heaven and earth in this water area surged and converged.
With one punch, the entire Luo Water shook and then boiled.
With another punch, the space above Chang's head was compressed infinitely, forming a convex surface of fist force.
With a third punch, it was like a meteor falling. The water surface sank, forming a basin a hundred li in radius, growing deeper and deeper until it finally reached the bottom.
With just three punches, all the ghostly aura dissipated.
"I am the son of the Ghost Lord, how dare you kill me... ah..."
The ghost body of the Ghost Lord's ninth son shattered like ceramic, and even the ghostly aura vanished into thin air, completely unable to withstand a single blow.
As for the Yu Jin Mo Xiang, it was suppressed. After all, it was a hundred-thousand-year-old sacred medicine; it would be a pity to destroy it.
Such a huge commotion alarmed everyone who was seeking opportunities in Luo Water.
"Chang was killed by the Heavenly Beginning Fairy with just a few punches. What terrifying strength."
"I never thought Chang was still lurking in Luo Water. Luckily, I didn't run into him, or I would have been dead."
...
Seeing the Heavenly Beginning Fairy kill Chang with their own eyes, many people couldn't help but gasp.
Chang had managed to escape from Qu Shan Lao Mu, which showed his strength was extraordinary. For the Heavenly Beginning Fairy to kill him so easily, just how powerful had she become?
All cultivators realized that the Heavenly Beginning Fairy had definitely obtained a great opportunity in Luo Water and had truly risen to become a top-tier powerhouse.
The news spread extremely fast. Within a day, it had spread throughout the five domains and even back to the Heavenly Court.
"The fairies on the Nine Immortal Beauties Chart are truly extraordinary. Not only do they have peerless beauty, but their strength is also unmatched."
"I'm more curious about which fairy is the strongest."
"The Ci Hang Fairy is a leader of the Buddhist sect, with boundless Buddhist teachings. Being ranked first should be well-deserved."
"No, the Gu Na Fairy was born with three pairs of angel wings, and the blood of the oldest divine spirit of the Angel Clan flows within her. It is said that with this bloodline, one is destined to become a god."
"The Heavenly Beginning Fairy obtained Luo Shen's legacy in Luo Water and has greatly increased her strength. Who can match her?"
"The Lian Xi Fairy has ten souls and ten spirits. Ordinary people only have three souls and seven spirits. The extra seven souls and three spirits she has were obtained from the World Spirit of the Soul Realm. Legend has it that she will become the master of the Soul Realm in the future."
...
Suddenly, many people paid more attention to the nine fairies on the Nine Immortal Beauties Chart, and some even started arguing with each other.
There was no helping it. Each of the nine fairies had countless admirers. Once a comparison was made, arguments were inevitable.
Central Domain, Sword Grave.
Zhang Ruochen was diligently studying the space teleportation array, fiddling with various materials, and running experiments over and over again.
Ji Fanxin appeared beside Zhang Ruochen and said with a smile, "I just heard some news that you might be interested in."
Zhang Ruochen looked up and asked curiously, "Oh? What news?"
"The Heavenly Beginning Fairy has emerged from seclusion and killed Chang in a dominant manner. The news has already spread throughout the Kunlun Realm."
Ji Fanxin replied with a smile.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but show a hint of surprise. "Chang was killed by the Heavenly Beginning Fairy? It seems that the Heavenly Beginning Fairy's seclusion this time has yielded quite a bit."
"Regret it? It's not too late for you to become the consort of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization now." Ji Fanxin said.
Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but shake his head and said with a bitter smile, "Fairy, please stop joking. The Heavenly Beginning Fairy is so proud. How could I possibly be worthy of her?"
"I've almost finished studying the cross-domain space teleportation array. I can start setting it up now. I hope everything goes smoothly."
Ji Fanxin didn't continue teasing him. She nodded and said, "Then let's start. The situation in the Northern Domain is chaotic now. The longer we delay, the more disadvantageous it will be for us to retrieve the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree."
Zhang Ruochen didn't waste any more time and immediately got to work.
Just like setting up a basic space teleportation array, setting up a cross-domain space teleportation array still required four types of sacred jade and seven types of sacred stones. The only difference was that the space inscriptions to be carved were more complex and intricate.
Back in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, he had already collected all the materials needed to set up space teleportation arrays, and in large quantities. It was enough to set up dozens of space teleportation arrays without any problem.
In a sense, this was his biggest gain in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm.
Setting up a space teleportation array required four types of space sacred jade as a foundation, supplemented by sacred stones containing the seven powers of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and light.
Among them, space sacred jade was the hardest to obtain. Generally, it could only be found in chaotic zones where space was extremely unstable.
It took a full two days and many modifications before a complete cross-domain space teleportation array was finally set up successfully.
Even with Zhang Ruochen's powerful spiritual power at the fifty-ninth level late stage, he had almost been unable to hold out.
"If my spiritual power could reach Ji Fanxin's level, it would be much easier. But at least I succeeded."
A smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face, unable to hide the joy in his heart.
Being able to set up a cross-domain space teleportation array meant that his attainments in the Way of Space had greatly improved, surpassing most of the space cultivators who cultivated in the Space-Time Divine Temple.
In terms of appearance, this cross-domain space teleportation array was similar to the basic space teleportation array he had set up before.
After Xumi Saint Monk, Zhang Ruochen should be the only one in the Kunlun Realm capable of setting up a cross-domain space teleportation array.
The transmission distance of a cross-domain space teleportation array was dozens, or even hundreds, of times that of a basic space teleportation array.
If a cross-domain space teleportation array was set up in the center of a domain, it could basically easily transmit to any commandery in that domain.
"We are at least three hundred million li away from Immortal Machine Mountain. Between the Central Domain and the Northern Domain lies a vast, boundless barbarian secret realm."
"Three hundred million li?"
"The Kunlun Realm is a great world that has never been destroyed for ten thousand years. Its vastness is far beyond that of ordinary great worlds. Otherwise, it would have been destroyed in the divine war at the end of the Middle Ages."
The situation in the Northern Domain was complicated. Zhang Ruochen and Ji Fanxin didn't want to waste time and wanted to get there as soon as possible.
The distance was too great. Even with a cross-domain teleportation array, it was impossible to teleport directly to the Northern Domain in one go. Multiple transmissions would be needed.
To save time, Zhang Ruochen entered the Cold Volcano, activated the Sundial, and set up space teleportation arrays.
With the experience of a successful setup, the next steps would undoubtedly be much easier.
After just one hour, Zhang Ruochen walked out of the Cold Volcano. He had successfully set up ten space teleportation arrays, all stored in the Qiankun Realm, ready to be used at any time.
For safety, Zhang Ruochen moved the space teleportation arrays outside the area covered by the Middle Ancient divine patterns to avoid any problems.
"Brother Zhang, Hundred Flowers Fairy, Brother Xiang, Brother Luo Yi. The trip to the Northern Domain is fraught with danger. You must be careful. If you need anything, feel free to come to the Town Prison Ancient Clan."
Shi Ren stood outside the space teleportation array, smiling as he bid them farewell.
He actually wanted to go to the Northern Domain with Zhang Ruochen, but he knew very well that his own strength was too weak. He wouldn't be of much help and would only become a burden.
Now that his grandfather had awakened, he planned to follow Shi Mingyuan to cultivate the Rune Path and work hard to improve his own strength.
"Take care."
With a farewell, Zhang Ruochen activated the space teleportation array beneath his feet.
In the array, the space sacred jade emitted a bright purple light.
"Whoosh."
The light flickered once, and the figures of Zhang Ruochen and the other three immediately disappeared.
The array's light gradually dimmed as well.
"I hope Brother Zhang and the others have a smooth journey."
Shi Ren silently prayed in his heart.
Then, he took action to conceal this space teleportation array a bit, to prevent it from being discovered.
With this cross-domain space teleportation array, it would be much more convenient for the people of their Town Prison Ancient Clan to go anywhere in the future.