Chapter 3803: The True Purpose
"Unable to enter the dream, could danger have already arrived?"
On the divine ship, Zhang Ruochen opened his eyes, his brows tightly furrowed.
Being unable to pull Bai Qinger into the dream could only mean that she was in an extreme situation where she could not afford to be distracted.
Zhang Ruochen could only go all out, shuttling through time and space, rushing toward Ice King Star at an even faster speed.
...
The Qin Tower was four stories tall, its entire body a dark cyan color. On the wooden pillars were carved lifelike flying creatures such as Vermilion Birds and Phoenix Luan. A row of bamboo baskets hung from the pillars.
Orchids bloomed within the baskets.
Bai Qinger's favorite flower was the orchid.
The moment Qingcheng Yun stepped onto the stairs of the Qin Tower, a powerful spatial fluctuation erupted from the stone steps beneath his feet, and a layer of folded space unfolded.
All around, dense formation inscriptions rose up, crisscrossing and running through north, south, east, and west.
Qingcheng Yun had wind swirling at his feet and thunder rumbling above his head, yet he remained unflustered, standing still as a mountain. He said, "This is the second-ranked divine formation of the Scripture Cavern, the Thousand Autumns Cloud and Mud Divine Formation. I never expected that Miss Qing'er's spiritual power and formation attainments would be so profound."
"Separated by a thousand autumns, as different as clouds and mud. Through the formation, using time and space, you have distanced yourself from us."
Wu Wei became alert, casting out the bamboo slips in his hand.
The slips arranged themselves one by one in the void, glowing with shining pictographic characters. Each character swam like tadpoles, forming a defensive formation posture.
The Thousand Autumns Cloud and Mud Divine Formation was not something an ordinary formation divine master could lay out. Bai Qinger's martial arts talent was renowned throughout the world, but she had only reached the level of Qiankun Wuliang. To say that at her age, she could also cultivate her spiritual power to surpass her martial arts cultivation would be far too heaven-defying.
Even the stunningly talented Chi Yao and Qiangu Nüdi could not achieve dual cultivation of martial arts and spiritual power, advancing both simultaneously.
Moreover, she did not have the Sundial.
Thus, Wu Wei had ample reason to suspect that a spiritual power expert with profound formation attainments was hidden here.
From the third floor of the Qin Tower, Bai Qinger's faint voice emerged: "Although Qing'er has inherited the Divine Heart of the Grand Elder and her spiritual power is passable, she is still not capable of laying out the Thousand Autumns Cloud and Mud Divine Formation. This formation was refined by Senior Brother. Rest assured, Senior Brother is in the Sword Realm, not on Ice King Star."
Bai Qinger's Senior Brother was, of course, the Starry Sky Cliff Master.
Hearing her say this, any other cultivator would surely not dare to act rashly.
But Qingcheng Yun was even more convinced that she was deliberately creating a false impression. He laughed and said, "With my current cultivation, cloud and mud have long ceased to make a difference, and a thousand autumns are not insurmountable. Even if the Starry Sky Cliff Master were right here in this Qin Tower, so what? As long as he has not reached Tianyuan Wuque, he is bound to lose."
Qingcheng Yun had not only cultivated the Corpse Transformation Forbidden Art but had also seized the Merit Divine Temple Hall Master's esoterica. He believed his cultivation had already reached the level of the Twenty Heavens, not losing to Murong Tailai at his peak. Unless the Starry Sea Angler came in person, who could make him retreat without a fight?
"Boom!"
Qingcheng Yun took a step forward, crushing countless formation inscriptions and crossing the folded space, causing the entire Ice King Star to tremble slightly.
A five-colored Merit Divine Light appeared on his brow. Using the power of merit, he suppressed the inscriptions and continued forward.
"Creak!"
The wooden door on the third floor of the Qin Tower opened.
Bai Qinger, holding the Azure Wood Divine Staff, walked out from within. She stood before the railing, looking down, and said, "With your cultivation, even if Qing'er possessed the Thousand Autumns Cloud and Mud Divine Formation, I fear I could not withstand three of your strikes. Yet you are so cautious, even exposing your great secret by mobilizing the five-colored Merit Divine Light to suppress the formation inscriptions. May I ask why?"
The death of the Merit Divine Temple Hall Master had always been an unsolved case. The gods of the Merit Divine Temple had publicly claimed it was the work of Jiusi Yitianhuang, as a thick dark force had remained inside the temple, corroding all traces, including the Hall Master's corpse.
Now, Qingcheng Yun had essentially confessed, letting Bai Qinger know that he was the murderer of the Merit Divine Temple Hall Master and had cultivated the Corpse Transformation Forbidden Art.
"Are you stalling for time? Ice King Star is isolated in deep space, located in a cosmic desert zone, and the heavenly secrets have been concealed. No one will come to save you."
Qingcheng Yun continued breaking the formation, already stepping onto the second floor of the Qin Tower and heading toward the third.
Bai Qinger used the Azure Wood Divine Staff to stabilize the formation's eye, resisting with all her strength, her expression unchanged. She said, "I understand now! Your target is Ice King Star."
Qingcheng Yun and Wu Wei were both people who could deeply conceal their expressions, but upon hearing this, their hearts skipped a beat.
How could they have imagined that Bai Qinger was so perceptive?
Bai Qinger continued, "You have the power to break the Thousand Autumns Cloud and Mud Divine Formation within three strikes, but doing so would also destroy Ice King Star, killing all the cultivators on this planet. Yet these cultivators on Ice King Star still have value to you. They can be used to restrain Ice King and affect his state of mind. So, your ultimate goal is actually to kill Ice King."
"The vast majority on Ice King Star are cultivators of the Undying Blood Clan, disciples and descendants of Ice King, and many gods from the Xia Dynasty have been brought here. And Ice King happens to be a person of deep emotion and true nature."
"You have the strength to defeat Ice King, but you lack the certainty to keep him here. Using Ice King Star gives you a much greater chance!"
The nine-zhang-tall Qin Tower, enhanced by the formation, stood as lofty and majestic as a heavenly palace.
In Wu Wei's eyes, Bai Qinger, standing outside the third floor of the Qin Tower at this moment, was like a celestial maiden from the Nine Heavens. Even when facing an opponent more than ten times her strength, she remained calm and composed, able to accurately discern their intentions.
Wu Wei smiled and said, "Seeing through it does not mean you have the power to resist. In the face of an absolute disparity in cultivation, other things are meaningless."
"Is that so? Truly no means of countermeasure? I believe that once the gods of the Undying Blood Clan on Ice King Star learn of your purpose, they would rather self-destruct their divine sources and destroy the star than let you have your way."
Bai Qinger said.
Wu Wei replied, "Saying that, Miss Qing'er, is a sign of having no other options. First, the cultivators on Ice King Star will have no idea what is happening, and Miss Qing'er cannot send the message out. Second, even if they did know, with their cultivation, I am fully confident in preventing them from self-destructing their divine sources."
A hint of sarcastic smile appeared on Bai Qinger's cold and elegant face. "You don't think I have exhausted my options, do you? Would I trap myself in this Qin Tower, waiting for you to capture me? And are you certain that I am the only god-venerable on Ice King Star?"
A crane cry came from the west.
At the extreme west of Ice King Star, the Earth Demon Crane flew out from the ice layer, its demonic aura surging and vast, instantly covering more than half of the star's body.
Bai Qinger's spiritual power thought-condensed avatar, barefoot, stood inside the Celestial Pivot Pool within the Earth Demon Crane, controlling this artifact-level puppet beast. This avatar had already, at the first moment, sent a message informing all the Undying Blood Clan gods on Ice King Star of Qingcheng Yun and Wu Wei's purpose.
"Wanting to use us to restrain Ice King? The Darkness Temple has miscalculated. Even if we die, we will never let them have their way."
An elder god of the Xia Dynasty stood on a mountain peak, his expression filled with hatred, his voice resounding across the entire planet.
Qing Yulou stood outside the Ice Imperial Palace and raised his voice: "Qingcheng Yun and Wu Wei's cultivation is beyond us. But if we want to die, can they really stop us?"
"If we truly become a burden to Lord Ice King and cause him to fall at the hands of these villains, living on would be nothing but torment, worse than death."
"Lord Ice King will avenge us!"
...
Not only the gods, but countless Great Saints, Saint Kings, and Saints also displayed a tragic and heroic determination to face death. Ice King was a figure of faith in their hearts.
The artifact spirit of the Earth Demon Crane was at the Infinite level. Since returning from the Sword Soul Nest, this divine artifact had grown even more powerful. Even with Wu Wei's ability, he could not suppress it immediately.
Bai Qinger's move put them in a very passive position.
Seeing Qingcheng Yun ascend to the third floor of the Qin Tower, Wu Wei immediately sent a voice transmission: "Do you have the certainty to suppress her? If you cannot capture her alive, just kill her directly. Do not let her ruin our plan."
"With her cultivation, even wanting to self-destruct her divine source is impossible."
Qingcheng Yun had absolute confidence in his own cultivation.
"Then I will go suppress the Earth Demon Crane. Then I will split into a hundred avatars to seal the gods of the Undying Blood Clan. For me, ten breaths should be enough."
Wu Wei took out a golden silk pouch. Inside the pouch were a hundred avatars he had refined using the divine corpse of a strange beast.
Bai Qinger glanced at Qingcheng Yun, who was now only ten steps away from her at the stairway, then withdrew her gaze and fixed it on Wu Wei, who was about to leave the Divine Maiden Tower. She said, "If I cannot stop you today, I will personally destroy Ice King Star. Everything you are doing now is futile."
"Can you bring yourself to do that?"
Wu Wei could not help but look back. A woman as beautiful and charming as Bai Qinger was a sight he never tired of.
"If you knew me well enough, you would not ask that question."
Bai Qinger said.
"Unfortunately, Miss Qing'er, I fear you will not be able to leave this Qin Tower."
Qingcheng Yun kicked away the Turtle Lord, who had jumped out to block him, sending him flying off the Qin Tower. This signaled that the Thousand Autumns Cloud and Mud Divine Formation had lost its blocking effect.
Qingcheng Yun walked toward Bai Qinger as if strolling through a courtyard. Ten steps, nine steps, eight steps...
He noticed that even in such a desperate situation, Bai Qinger's expression did not change in the slightest.
A strange thing happened. The carvings of Vermilion Birds, Green Luan, and Phoenixes on the wooden pillars of the Qin Tower came to life, growing feathers and slowly moving upward, as if about to spread their wings and fly. The orchids in the bamboo baskets also grew wildly, their petals as crystal clear as jade slices.
"Playing tricks."
Qingcheng Yun activated the Way of Flowing Light, breaking through the last defensive barrier of rule divine patterns in front of Bai Qinger, and reached out to grab her slender, elegant neck.
"Whoosh!"
A dazzling divine light burst forth from the wooden door beside Bai Qinger.
How could Qingcheng Yun have imagined that there really was a powerful expert hidden inside the Qin Tower? So everything Bai Qinger had done earlier was to make him mistakenly believe she was bluffing. And she had used the Earth Demon Crane to lure Wu Wei away.
Both her strategic maneuvering and her timing were impeccable.
All for this single strike.
These thoughts flashed through Qingcheng Yun's mind rapidly. Caught completely off guard, he had no time to defend.
From within the door, a Divine Illumination Lotus struck him heavily, sending him crashing through the railing and flying off at an angle.
The Divine Illumination Lotus transformed into a woman of peerless beauty, standing beside Bai Qinger. She held the Black Water Divine Staff, activated it with spiritual power, and pointed it at Qingcheng Yun, who was still mid-flight.
The flow of time became extremely slow. The "Thousand Autumns" power of the Thousand Autumns Cloud and Mud Divine Formation was now fully unleashed, suppressing Qingcheng Yun's Way of Flowing Light.
In front of the divine staff, countless sharp black ice spikes condensed and shot straight toward Qingcheng Yun.
"Swish, swish!"
These ice spikes were condensed from spiritual power at the eighty-ninth rank, each one as sharp as a divine sword.