Chapter 2739: Iron Pillar Divine Object (New Year Greetings to Everyone)

“Brother Daoist, who exactly is that Xuanhuai?”

After bidding farewell to Xuanhuai, as the group continued deeper into the structure, the highly curious Mi Ye darted over to the dwarf Harmonized Dao cultivator and asked.

Lu Ye immediately perked up his ears.

“Xuanhuai, eh…” The dwarf Harmonized Dao cultivator sighed softly, a hint of regret and nostalgia in his voice. “He was once the most prominent and powerful expert in the Inner Realm, more than ten thousand years ago.”

Mi Ye was surprised: “The most prominent? Could he be even more formidable than Baqiu?”

The dwarf chuckled: “In terms of sheer power, he certainly couldn't compare to the Lord of Yifu City. But regarding his renown at the time, if Xuanhuai claimed second place, no one would dare claim first.”

“Why is that?” Mi Ye was puzzled.

“Because he was the only cultivator in countless years who dared to challenge one of the Ten Greats!” A flicker of remembrance passed through the dwarf's eyes, as if he recalled the turbulent and glorious past.

Upon hearing this, Mi Ye gasped, and Lu Ye also listened in continuous astonishment.

Daring to challenge one of the Ten Greats was not something just anyone had the audacity for. And audacity alone wasn't enough; one also needed corresponding strength.

“Back then, Xuanhuai was the lord of a Zhou-level city, commanding powerful forces. His personal strength had reached its peak, with no further room for improvement. This led him to conceive the idea of replacing one of the Ten Greats, and he actually did it, throwing the entire Inner Realm into turmoil,” another Harmonized Dao cultivator interjected.

“Some say he chose the wrong target back then. Had he made the right choice, he might not have failed,” the dwarf Harmonized Dao cultivator slowly shook his head.

“Which one did he choose?” Lu Ye asked.

“Myriad Ancient City!”

Myriad Ancient City, that was Xiao Qianchen's Harmonized Dao city. During the Starry Sky Chessboard battle, Lu Ye had witnessed the supreme demeanor of that city lord from afar in the final moments.

The Ten Greats also had their distinctions in strength, usually reflected in their sheer size and influence, though Yifu City was an exception.

However, it was generally acknowledged that among the Ten Greats, the weakest was Scarlet Refinement City. This member of the Ten Greats didn't have many subordinate forces, nor were all its members individual powerhouses like the Phoenix Clan. Therefore, if Xuanhuai had chosen Scarlet Refinement City as his target back then, he might well have succeeded.

“The flesh on half of Xuanhuai's face was severed by Xiao Qianchen's blade during that great battle. While the Dao Intent of the Ten Greats' city lords is indeed hard to erase, ten thousand years have passed, and his injuries should have long since healed. Yet, he deliberately maintains them, indicating deep-seated hatred in his heart,” the dwarf Harmonized Dao cultivator expressed his profound emotion.

“Of course there's hatred. Not only was Xuanhuai immensely powerful himself, but he also held the reputation of being the Star Abyss's foremost Formation Master at the time. His forces were particularly skilled in battle formations. Had it not been for that, he wouldn't have been able to overwhelm Myriad Ancient City to such an extent.”

“But coming back to the point, what exactly are we supposed to do?” Mi Ye asked with a bewildered expression.

The dwarf Harmonized Dao cultivator scanned his surroundings: “From Xuanhuai's words, he has set up a formation here, maintaining it for ten thousand years, continuously eroding something. Previously, only cultivators from the Outer Realm came here to assist, but now we Harmonized Dao cultivators can also join. Since he said it wouldn't take much longer, there will certainly be a result within a hundred years.”

For Harmonized Dao cultivators, a hundred years is not a long time.

Especially since everyone here was summoned. Once the task is complete, we're sure to receive benefits. Even if not directly gaining the status of a 'Child of the Star Abyss,' we'll at least receive some favor.

This is something that countless centuries of arduous cultivation couldn't achieve.

By this time, the group had entered the interior of the marvel. They could indeed see many cultivators seated there, mostly Integrated Dao cultivators.

They sat silently in their positions, channeling their power into the grand formation.

It was unclear how long these people had been here. Lu Ye even saw some Integrated Dao cultivators who looked ancient and on the verge of death.

He secretly felt a sense of warning.

Regardless of what kind of grand formation Xuanhuai had set up here, or what he was eroding, this was definitely something that happened after his defeat at the hands of Xiao Qianchen.

He wouldn't have spent ten thousand years here without a motive.

Therefore, it's highly probable that he received some inspiration from the Star Abyss Will, and there are immense benefits here for him, or rather, by completing this task, he can gain benefits from the Star Abyss Will.

Regardless of which it was, while it seemed unrelated to Lu Ye, anything involving that Will could not be ignored.

A moment later, Lu Ye and the others reached a certain location.

All of them stared blankly ahead.

A divine object, dozens of miles thick and immeasurably long, resembling an iron pillar, lay across the space. It was like a nail, driven into the void, exuding an intense suppressive force that almost froze the qi and blood in Lu Ye and the others.

Numerous intricate patterns flickered constantly across its surface, though their brilliance was uneven.

“What is this?” Mi Ye exclaimed in surprise.

Although he hadn't seen many grand sights, he was still a Harmonized Dao cultivator. He had never dared to imagine such a divine object could exist in this world.

The crucial questions were: where did this divine object come from, and who placed it here?

Who possessed such power?

Even if Baqiu, the Lord of Yifu City, were to come in person, he probably couldn't move such a divine object, could he?

No one paid him any mind, mainly because no one could answer his question.

Yet, anyone could tell that this divine object was suppressing something; its sealing power was far too obvious.

However, at this very moment, the grand formation Xuanhuai had set up here ten thousand years ago was actively eroding the sealing power of this divine object.

After a full ten seconds, the dwarf Harmonized Dao cultivator finally let out a breath: “Everyone, take your positions in the array.”

Whatever this was, it lay beyond their scope of knowledge and understanding. Xuanhuai might know something, but he would certainly never tell them.

Since they had been summoned here, what they needed to do was cooperate with Xuanhuai.

A moment later, the four found their respective positions and sat down cross-legged.

As soon as Lu Ye entered the formation, he felt himself merge with the grand array.

His expression instantly became serious.

Although he had known that the grand formation Xuanhuai set up here must be extraordinary, he couldn't grasp its true nature until he entered it at this moment!

He could feel that the grand formation Xuanhuai had laid out encompassed nearly half of the marvel; its scale was simply unheard of.

If that were all, it would be fine, but the key was that this grand formation also possessed extreme compatibility. After he entered it, he connected with the array effortlessly.

This was highly unusual.

The reputation of the Star Abyss's foremost Formation Master from ten thousand years ago was truly well-deserved.

Such a grand formation could probably only be laid out by Xuanhuai; no other formation master could hope to succeed.

Another point was that this grand formation seemed to possess the mystery of drawing upon the marvel's power. Otherwise, relying solely on Integrated Dao cultivators from the Outer Realm for ten thousand years would likely have yielded little.

At this point, Lu Ye confirmed one thing.

The "erosion" Xuanhuai had mentioned earlier was targeting that iron pillar divine object. This grand formation of his was precisely eroding the sealing power on the iron pillar divine object.