Chapter 1800: Divine Fire Formation

He Lingchuan whispered, "The Heavenly Palace took over sixty thousand catties of the Illusion Sect's top-grade profound crystals. No wonder Miaozhantian is so generous."

The remark stung Elder Liu, who couldn't help but glance at He Lingchuan, only to hear him ask, "Elder Liu, where has Sect Master Xiao gone?"

Elder Liu's face was stern. "The Immortal Venerable has given him another assignment."

Although the stone door ahead was closed, the space they occupied was vast and deep. Despite hundreds of people being present, they felt no stuffiness whatsoever.

While Elder Liu was reorganizing the Illusion Sect's team, He Lingchuan and his companions ventured deeper into the cave.

As he had expected, it was a grand hall, or rather, a hidden temple, constructed by hollowing out the entire mountain.

The temple spanned five levels. Beyond the massive main hall on the ground floor, the other levels comprised numerous rooms of varying sizes, including bedrooms, workshops, storage rooms, and even latrines.

Its layout was highly efficient, particularly noteworthy for its lighting and drainage systems. This enormous temple, built deep within the mountain, was surprisingly neither stuffy nor dark. Several skylights at the mountain's peak allowed light to penetrate all vertical levels of the structure. Additionally, dew and rainwater from directly above would cascade down through a central circular opening, collecting in a pool below.

Despite the passage of unknown years, this drainage system remained fully functional, channeling the accumulated water from the pool out of the temple through diversion channels.

However, at present, nothing remained in the temple save for moss and mushrooms.

Wanqifeng asked curiously, "Where are this light and water coming from?"

"With chaos raging outside, how could this place remain so tranquil?"

Madam Zhu immediately replied, "This must be an ancient temple within this realm, temporarily requisitioned by True Lord Qianhuan to house the Illusion Sect disciples. The water now is likely groundwater, and the light could be an illusion; there's no need to delve deeper."

Finally, everyone returned to gather in the main hall on the ground floor, where they observed the colossal statue located in the center of the hall.

At that moment, some Illusion Sect disciples also approached to gaze at it, exclaiming, "Wow, this is just like the statue in our Wind God Temple!"

Another disciple pointed out, "There are a few differences. This one is wearing cloud-patterned slippers. Our patriarch in the Wind God Temple wears black-soled boots. And look, the clothes aren't the same either."

This statue, a seated human figure, stood five zhang tall.

It had a date-paste colored face, a three-strand beard, a white jade crown, and a crimson robe.

However, this robe was far from the festive brocade found in the Wind God Temple; instead of cranes or immortal peaches, it was adorned with skeletons and malevolent spirits!

The statue clutched a double-serpent staff and stood atop a two-headed monstrous beast.

Compared to the Wind God's image in the previous illusion realm, this version was far darker, instilling a sense of dread with just a single glance.

Dong Rui asked He Lingchuan, "Between this statue and the one from the previous illusion realm, which one do you think was sculpted first?"

"This one was sculpted first." He Lingchuan was also examining the statue's cloud-patterned slippers.

Ling Mountain had previously provided Panlong City with numerous ancient texts and materials, including many scrolls and illustrated books that documented ancient anecdotes, such as the preference of ancient cultivators for wearing these cloud-head slippers.

Cloud-head slippers are shoes with cloud patterns on their toes, which look good when paired with wide robes and flowing sleeves. However, modern martial artists rarely wear them, finding them impractical for running.

Where would He Lingchuan have found time to consult diagrams and read scrolls now? Master Sun had simply relayed these details to him whenever they spoke.

The thought of Master Sun brought to mind the Grand Evolution Heavenly Pearl.

He Lingchuan shook his head, dispelling the distracting thoughts, just in time to hear Dong Rui continue, "Why?"

"'To inspire reverence in the world, the 'Wind God' must employ both might and grace—or rather, 'might before grace'—because respect in human hearts often arises from fear," He Lingchuan explained, nodding his chin toward the statue instead of pointing. "The prolonged storms that trapped the Inverted Sea ravaged the island, leading its people to revere the Wind God. When ordinary people first see this statue, a deep sense of dread naturally arises, fulfilling half the purpose of its creation. Once this awe is established, a display of occasional benevolence and a few divine miracles can then inspire gratitude and submission."

In truth, He Lingchuan was thinking of Mitian and General Hong in Panlong City.

Gods and high immortals receiving worldly incense offerings are, after all, merely following these same tactics.

"So this world has existed for quite some years, not just sixty or seventy." In fact, just looking at this temple within the mountain, it appeared very ancient.

It seemed that Qianhuan had been studying the rules of the illusion realm for a very long time.

The offering table in front of the statue was exceptionally wide, measuring three zhang and three feet in length. He Lingchuan had only ever seen an offering table of such length in the Pantheon of the Heavenly Palace. Two young attendant boys stood nearby, adding oil and wiping dust from the ritual vessels on the table.

These two attendant boys had accompanied the team from Stone Dragon Peak in the illusion realm.

As everyone returned to the front of the hall, they happened to see Luo Xie pointing at the sand table, exclaiming, "The meteorite craters are glowing!"

Silver Pearl Island now had a total of seventeen large meteorite craters, and the dust cloud was so thick it obscured the sky, making it difficult for everyone to discern details on the sand table.

Yet, just as Luo Xie had stated, the first meteorite crater appeared to be faintly glowing.

Elder Liu's expression subtly changed. He lightly swept his hand a few times over the sand table, clearing away all the dust and haze that had covered the entire island. In that moment, the dust parted as if revealing the sun, and the world became clear, restoring a high-definition view.

However, upon seeing Silver Pearl Island emerge from beneath the dust, everyone gasped in astonishment.

From the sand table, the entire island was remarkably clear when viewed from above:

The seventeen meteorite craters were by no means randomly scattered; together, they formed a distinct pattern.

This was...?

He Lingchuan casually drew out his Fusheng Blade and carved fifteen points into the nearby stone wall. Then, with a single sweep of the long blade, he connected all of them with a line.

This revealed a terrifying pattern:

A massive eye!

He then chiseled two points precisely in the center of the eye, as the final impact of the divine fire had created two deep craters there, accurately forming the pupil of the eye—

And it was a double pupil.

Madam Zhu exclaimed in shock, "The Eye of Truth! Miaozhantian used 'Divine Fire Meteorite' to directly engrave and recreate the array of the Eye of Truth on Silver Pearl Island!"

Were it not for their conflicting positions, He Lingchuan would have applauded Miaozhantian.

"Divine Fire Meteorite" was undoubtedly True Lord Cangxi's ultimate technique, and Miaozhantian had wielded it with such effortless mastery, adapting it perfectly.

Everyone who witnessed such skill could not help but be amazed.

Elder Liu held his breath for a long time before finally letting out a long exhale. "This shape of a talisman, in the language of the Celestial Demons, also means 'truth'!"

Now, all seventeen meteorite craters were emitting increasingly pure golden light, resembling constellations in the sky but far more dazzling.

Furthermore, the seventeen "Divine Fire Meteorite" strikes had left Silver Pearl Island riddled with ravines and holes, and the golden light was now spreading along the fissures in the earth, seemingly intending to connect all seventeen meteorite craters.

Flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder accompanied the golden light. Any obstruction in its path was shattered without exception.

It cleaved mountains and evaporated water, sweeping everything before it.

Dong Rui asked with concern, "If this world cannot withstand the damage inflicted by True Lord Cangxi, will it implicate True Lord Qianhuan?"