Chapter 1209: Checking

Yue Xin’s sole aim was to rapidly enhance Kyushu’s foundation to meet his requirements. In this process, he tried to avoid unnecessary waste, which was likely his original intention for establishing those nodes. Perhaps, even without them, Kyushu’s formation could have directly connected to the opposite realm.

It must be acknowledged that Yue Xin’s expertise in formations far surpassed that of Kyushu cultivators.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Jian Guhong approached the vortex at the center of the grand formation. He threw himself into it, only to be immediately repelled. It was as if an invisible beast had swallowed him and then spat him out. Everyone present was stunned.

Jian Guhong clearly hadn’t anticipated this outcome, so he tried again. The result was identical; after plunging into the vortex, he was again pushed back out. He spun his sword light and flew back. As everyone gathered around him, Wu Chang asked, “What happened?” Jian Guhong shook his head, “An invisible barrier blocked my teleportation.”

Everyone was dumbfounded. Yang Qing had explicitly stated this was a grand formation for teleportation. Why was there an invisible barrier? Was something wrong? Or perhaps Yang Qing hadn’t fully understood it himself? Or did he know but chose not to explain? However, considering Yang Qing’s profound mastery of formations, it was highly probable that even he didn’t grasp this particular aspect.

Jian Guhong added, “Although it’s a very strange feeling, it seems related to my cultivation level. This grand formation cannot teleport Star Host realm cultivators. Perhaps Divine Sea realm cultivators can try.” The feeling was indistinct and difficult to articulate; only those who personally experienced it could truly understand, and there was no concrete evidence.

This restriction on Star Host realm cultivators was quite problematic. The core issue was that they had wanted Star Host realm cultivators to investigate the opposite realm precisely because they feared the presence of divine retribution. A Divine Sea realm cultivator would not be safe there. But now, the grand formation’s teleportation couldn’t even accommodate Star Host realm cultivators.

“I’ll go check,” a voice rang out. It was Feng Wujiang. If a Divine Sea realm cultivator were to be deployed, he was undoubtedly the best candidate. Within the Divine Sea realm, his strength was paramount; no one in all of Kyushu could surpass him. He had long been qualified to advance to the Star Host realm. If he had wished, the first person from Kyushu to step into the starry sky would not have been Jian Guhong. However, he had not participated in the previous competition.

Everyone hesitated. Someone advised, “Let’s consider this more carefully.” Another person suggested, “If it doesn’t work, then let’s just destroy this formation.”

They worried Feng Wujiang might not return, especially since there was no need to gamble further. If they truly needed to investigate the opposite realm, there were other methods. With so many Star Host realm cultivators in Kyushu now, even using the most rudimentary approach—searching the entire starry sky—it wouldn’t take long to find it.

Destroying the formation was not appropriate. Aside from the immense effort and resources spent on its initial setup, the formation allowed Little Nine to absorb the essence of the opposite realm’s foundation, which could accelerate Kyushu’s growth. Therefore, it should not be destroyed. Neglecting it was also out of the question; teleportation was generally bidirectional. If someone from Kyushu could go over, someone from the other side could come back. Thus, understanding the situation on the other side was crucial.

“Lu Ye, you’re full of ideas. Tell us what we should do!” Wu Chang clamored. It wasn’t that they genuinely expected Lu Ye to come up with a complete plan, but everyone knew Lu Ye was the one most favored by the Heavenly Secret, and Kyushu’s Heavenly Secret was unfathomable. Perhaps the Heavenly Secret had some insight. That’s why Lu Ye always seemed to know things others didn’t.

Wu Chang turned to look around but couldn’t find Lu Ye. He couldn’t help but wonder, “Where is he? He was just standing here a moment ago.”

“Over there!” someone pointed in a direction. It was right in front of the vortex at the center of the grand formation. Lu Ye had arrived there without anyone noticing. He naturally couldn’t have moved so stealthily under the noses of a group of Star Host realm cultivators, but with Little Nine’s concealment, it was possible.

If the Senior Brother (Feng Wujiang) was the first choice to explore the opposite realm, then Lu Ye was the second. So, when he heard Jian Guhong say that the teleportation issue was related to cultivation, he asked Little Nine to conceal his movements and hurried towards the vortex.

In the Blood Refining Realm, his Senior Brother had already done more than enough. Not everything should fall on his Senior Brother’s shoulders; as a junior, it was time for him to take some responsibility.

As for divine retribution... although he had raised the concern, he wasn’t particularly worried about it. Yang Qing had been to that realm. If divine retribution truly existed there, he wouldn’t have remained silent and watched Kyushu cultivators go to their deaths. Therefore, since a Divine Sea realm cultivator was needed to investigate, he would step forward. It wasn’t to show off; he no longer needed to make a name for himself in Kyushu. It was simply that in this specific situation, he was the most suitable candidate.

He strode directly to the vortex, without hesitation, and plunged in.

The world spun, heaven and earth inverted. This was a profoundly memorable long-distance teleportation, reminding him of the effect of the teleportation formations he had set up when his cultivation was lower. This time, it was far more intense than before. Moreover, powerful pressure squeezed him from all directions, making Lu Ye feel less like he was teleporting and more like he had entered the intestines of a living creature.

He immediately understood that the formation Yue Xin had Kyushu set up was not primarily for teleportation! Teleportation was merely a secondary function; absorption was the true essence of the formation. Throughout the entire process, he could not expand his divine sense or see. In terms of the teleportation experience alone, it was a world apart from the Heavenly Secret Pillar’s teleportation.

After an unknown duration, just as Lu Ye thought he would remain in this state indefinitely, a faint glimmer of light suddenly appeared ahead. The light rapidly expanded in his vision, and then Lu Ye was involuntarily propelled forward.

Although dizzy and uncomfortable, he immediately activated his spiritual power to protect himself, reinforcing himself with layer upon layer of defensive spirit patterns.

Yue Xin had a cautious nature, knowing he needed to hide his arrangements here, which is why he had created such a space deep underground. The surrounding light came from peculiar stones, like tiny stars dotted across the circular dome, illuminating the entire space with a hazy glow.

Lu Ye landed and examined the formation here. He found it was the same as the one Kyushu cultivators had set up on the Liyuan plains, but significantly smaller. Perhaps this demonstrated Yue Xin’s profound mastery of formations, or perhaps it was intentional.

He slightly calmed the chaotic spiritual power within him and began placing spirit stones into the formation. When Yang Qing had activated the formation on Liyuan, he had directly used his powerful strength, injecting it to activate the formation. Lu Ye could also do this, but being in an unfamiliar place, it was best to conserve his energy. He first needed to test if this formation could perform its teleportation function to determine his next actions. It was easy to come here, but if he couldn’t get back, it would be a tragedy. Although he had determined that this new realm likely had no risk of divine retribution, it was always best to be prepared; caution prevents major errors.

Indeed, there was no divine retribution, because if there had been, it would have descended immediately.

However, Lu Ye felt his cultivation being suppressed. This suppression was obvious and very familiar; he had experienced it before! So Lu Ye immediately knew where he was. He was deep underground, and what was suppressing him was the pervasive force of the magnetic field. However, because it wasn’t too deep, although his cultivation was suppressed, he could still exert the power of a Divine Sea realm cultivator.

He steadied himself slightly, then took the time to survey his surroundings. He was indeed underground, in a vast circular space with smooth, flat rock walls that vaguely retained traces of powerful energy. This was... artificially excavated! It must have been Yue Xin’s doing. Otherwise, he might only be able to wait for Kyushu’s Star Host realm cultivators to search the entire starry sky for him. By all accounts, there should be no problem.

A moment later, Lu Ye activated his spiritual power to stimulate the formation, sensing it carefully. He didn’t need to fully activate it or actually teleport back; he could make a clear judgment during this process.

Shortly after, Lu Ye understood. The formation could operate, and returning to Kyushu was not an issue.

So, the next step was to briefly investigate the situation in this realm. It could be confirmed that this realm had living beings, though he didn’t know which race they belonged to. Only places with abundant living beings could be called realms; those without were generally referred to as dead or barren stars.

Lu Ye had encountered several races so far. Besides humans, he had interacted most with the Blood Race and the Insect Race. The starry sky was vast, and different realms gave rise to different living beings; not everywhere was a paradise for humans.

There was a passage leading upwards, which should be the exit from this place. Lu Ye leaped up and ascended directly. The passage was straight, with no turns, and he flew for a while before seeing a distant light. He flew towards the light and quickly emerged, immediately activating his concealment and aura-restraining spirit patterns to reinforce himself.

Then he discovered that the end of the passage was, surprisingly, an ancient well that had long since dried up! He looked around and saw a scene of ruins. His divine sense quietly spread out, covering an area of several dozen li, but detected no signs of living beings.

This was expected. Judging by Yue Xin’s actions, he was quite cautious. He had placed the formation here deep underground, chosen an ancient well as the entrance, and the location must have been extremely remote, rarely visited by living beings. Thus, Lu Ye naturally wouldn’t detect any signs of life.

He leaped into the air and looked down, his brows slightly furrowed. Amidst the ruins, there were broken walls and dilapidated pavilions, all abandoned for many years.