Chapter 529: Falling

After waiting for a month, Zhao Xuankang finally met the person he wanted to see.

He was led by Kong Shanxu into a spacious courtyard within the immortal city. The courtyard even featured a lake with clear water. As various colorful spirit fish swam, they reflected the sunlight, sparkling with waves of seven-colored light.

In a pavilion by the lake stood an elegant and handsome male cultivator.

He wore dark blue robes, with a tall cap and broad sash, and a white jade pendant hung from his waist. From time to time, he would scatter a handful of fish bait into the lake, attracting various spirit fish to swarm towards him, competing for the food.

"Elder Zhou is truly composed, still having such elegant leisure at a time like this," Zhao Xuankang remarked as he walked over and observed the scene, speaking to the male cultivator by the lake. This person was none other than Zhou Ye, the Golden Core Patriarch of the Earth Vein of the Five Elements Sect, and the one who had inherited most of Grand Ancestor Hunyuan's legacy.

"I was in secluded cultivation some days ago, reaching a critical juncture. I apologize for keeping Elder Zhao waiting," Zhou Ye said, his expression unchanged. After slowly scattering all the bait in his hand onto the lake, he turned his head and gestured for Zhao Xuankang to sit down.

"Between you and me, there's no need for pleasantries," Zhao Xuankang asked Zhou Ye, frowning. "Zhou Shengqing is undergoing Nascent Soul formation. Are you truly going to do nothing?"

"Then what should I do?" Zhou Ye asked, still calm and unruffled. "Mobilize all Five Elements Sect cultivators to kill our way to Redwood Peak?" A beautiful, tall female cultivator in a white dress came over to brew tea for the two Golden Core cultivators, while Kong Shanxu retrieved another box of bait.

"Don't forget," Zhao Xuankang pressed, "you personally expelled Zhou Shengqing from the Five Elements Sect. Once he forms his Nascent Soul, his first act of revenge will be to kick you out and reclaim this Hunyuan Immortal City."

Zhao Xuankang's words made Zhou Ye give a wry smile. He took the tea handed to him by the female cultivator, took a small sip, then picked up the bait from the table again and walked to the lake's edge.

"Elder Zhao, you are mistaken," Zhou Ye replied. "My second senior brother and I merely had a conflict of ideals, which is why we parted ways after our master passed away. If he succeeds in forming his Nascent Soul, let alone this Hunyuan Immortal City, I would gladly give him the entire Five Elements Sect."

When Zhou Ye said this, a smile even touched his lips. He continued to scatter the bait in his hand onto the lake little by little. The spirit fish, which had dispersed after finishing their previous meal, were attracted once more and swarmed towards him.

"Do you believe what you're saying?" Zhao Xuankang asked, not touching his tea. He stood up, walked to Zhou Ye's side, and stared at him coldly.

"What difference does it make if I believe it or not?" Zhou Ye replied. "Seventy years ago, I already saw things clearly: my third senior brother and fourth senior sister are not of one mind with me. If it were just me alone, facing the three Golden Core cultivators of the Divine Wood Sect, my first thought would be how to preserve my current legacy, rather than risking my life with you to do something impractical."

After Zhou Ye finished speaking, Zhao Xuankang knew that trying to incite him against the Divine Wood Sect would likely be impossible.

"If you are willing to act," Zhao Xuankang continued, "I can gather seven Golden Core cultivators. We just need to make a circuit above Redwood Peak; even if we can't break through the Myriad Woods Grand Array, we can still disrupt Zhou Shengqing's Nascent Soul formation."

Hearing this, Zhou Ye's brows slightly furrowed, and he looked at Zhao Xuankang with a hint of surprise. "Which seven?" he asked.

"Me, Junior Brother Xuanshu, a rogue Golden Core cultivator from Dongyi, and three renegade cultivators whose identities need to remain confidential," Zhao Xuankang listed. "If you agree to join, the two of us together can persuade Yan Shaoyin and Kong Lingling, and we'll have more than a fifty percent chance."

In that case, they could gather up to nine Golden Core cultivators! If Zhou Ye could also command the other two from the Five Elements Sect, the lineup would be even more formidable. If eleven Golden Core cultivators were willing to go all out, even the Tier 4 Myriad Woods Grand Array might not be able to hold them back!

"How about it? Are you tempted?" Zhao Xuankang asked, seeing Zhou Ye remain silent. Over the past six months, he had used all the connections he had accumulated over three hundred years during his time at the Xuanshao Dao Palace just to barely put together such a lineup. His goal was to achieve victory in one fell swoop and utterly destroy the Divine Wood Sect.

At this moment, Zhou Ye suddenly spoke, but instead of addressing the previous topic, he pointed to a dozen colorful fish in the lake below. "Elder Zhao, which spirit fish do you find the most beautiful?"

"This one," Zhao Xuankang replied, unsure what game Zhou Ye was playing. After a glance, he casually pointed to a spirit fish as clear and transparent as white jade. This one was indeed the most beautiful, surrounded by all the other spirit fish at its center, slowly devouring the bait falling from above. The shimmering scales of the various colored fish around it cast their light upon its body, making it radiate a seven-colored luster, magnificent and beautiful.

"This fish will grow to its most plump state in a year," Zhou Ye said with a smile, pointing a finger at the white jade-like transparent spirit fish. "How about you come then, Elder Zhao, and I'll treat you to this spirit fish?" He then used spiritual power to place a golden mark on its back before scattering all the remaining bait in his hand.

"You may like to eat," Zhao Xuankang said coldly, trying to steer the conversation back to the Divine Wood Sect, "but ever since Junior Brother Nan Xuanjing died, I've had no appetite at all."

"Life is short," Zhou Ye continued. "We Golden Core cultivators only live for at most five hundred years. We should enjoy ourselves while we can. The taste of this colorful spirit fish is truly rare; even my master often praised it when he was alive." By the time Zhou Ye finished speaking, Zhao Xuankang already understood his meaning. They exchanged glances and said nothing more.

"I won't wait until a year from now," Zhao Xuankang stated. "If you miss this opportunity, don't regret it when we annihilate the Divine Wood Sect in the future." After saying this, he turned and left the pavilion.

"Elder Zhao, I'll see you out..." Seeing this, Kong Shanxu immediately followed Zhao Xuankang out.

Flight-prohibiting arrays were set up within Hunyuan Immortal City, and this courtyard was one of its crucial hubs. Therefore, Zhao Xuankang needed someone to escort him both in and out.

"My Lord, why did you invite him for a year later?" After Zhao Xuankang left, the female cultivator in the white dress, who had been brewing tea with her head down, raised her head. She stood up and offered the tea cup, held in her delicate hand, to Zhou Ye, asking with a hint of confusion.

"I understand Zhou Shengqing's foundation; by that time, the result of his Nascent Soul formation will surely be clear," Zhou Ye said. "If this second senior brother truly succeeds, then the two of us will take Master's legacy and leave these Eastern Barrens, leaving this Hunyuan Immortal City to him. If he fails, then don't blame me for being ruthless and disregarding kinship for the greater good." He said this calmly after taking the celadon tea cup.

"If that's the case, then why not team up with Zhao Xuankang now and preemptively destroy Zhou Shengqing's chances of forming his Nascent Soul?" Luzhu, the beautiful female cultivator who had followed Zhou Ye for over a hundred years and shared an intimate relationship with him, asked.

Zhou Ye was from a cultivation family in the Eastern Wu territory. Due to the decline of his family, he roamed Yunmeng Marsh with his maid Luzhu, hunting demonic beasts and setting up stalls. One day, by a fortunate coincidence, he was noticed by the passing Grand Ancestor Hunyuan, who took him as a disciple. From then on, his rise was meteoric, eventually leading him to control the foremost immortal city in the Eastern Barrens and command the Five Elements.

To have reached this stage, besides his outstanding talent, Zhou Ye's intellect and wisdom were also top-notch. Otherwise, Grand Ancestor Hunyuan would not have specifically designated him to inherit his mantle before his demise.

Zhou Ye explained, "If I were to do that, my third senior brother and fourth senior sister would never truly align with me."

Luzhu scoffed, "They are just opportunistic fence-sitters. Why bother?"

Zhou Ye continued, "If I have to rely on myself to cultivate the Hunyuan Dao Fruit, I might not succeed until I'm old and frail. They will definitely pass away before me. If they are willing to transfer all their spiritual power to me before their demise, it would save me at least a hundred years of arduous cultivation."

Luzhu retorted, "They are all a bunch of ungrateful people who forget their roots. Grand Ancestor clearly designated you, my Lord, to inherit the immortal city, yet they were unwilling and even caused a split."

Zhou Ye didn't comment on this. His gaze fixed on the spirit fish he had marked in the lake, he stated his final reason. "My second senior brother cannot possibly succeed in forming his Nascent Soul. Since he is destined to fail, why should I risk disheartening my third and fourth senior brothers and sisters by teaming up with outsiders to attack Redwood Peak?"

This statement left Luzhu utterly bewildered. "My Lord, why will Zhou Shengqing's Nascent Soul formation fail?"

"If forming a Nascent Soul were that simple, why would I need to forcefully cultivate the Hunyuan Dao Fruit?" Zhou Ye said meaningfully. He drained the tea in his hand, his gaze deep as he looked at the spirit fish in the lake, each marked in a different spot.

Redwood Peak.

Zhou Shengqing's Nascent Soul formation phenomena had reached their final critical moment.

Now, even Chen Mobai, a Golden Core cultivator, found it difficult to control the spiritual energy of heaven and earth near the Longevity Wood. The guardians, Fu Zongjue and Mo Douguang, could only leave the area where Zhou Shengqing was in secluded cultivation.

The three of them took turns patrolling the surroundings, constantly sweeping with their divine senses in addition to relying on the Myriad Woods Grand Array, to prevent enemies of the same cultivation level from hiding in the shadows.

Sure enough, not long after, a dark cloud floated over from the distant horizon. Chen Mobai shattered it, leaving only the faint figures of the Nether Official, reduced to a single head, and two other ghost cultivators. Chen Mobai was also very familiar with the other two ghost cultivators; they were the same ones who had lingered around when Meng Hong formed his Golden Core. One of them was precisely the ghost cultivator who had possessed Madam Guo's corpse.

Chen Mobai was tempted to try out his Pure Yang Scroll again to see if this Divine Transformation art had any upper limit against demonic characteristics. However, on the other side of the sky, another familiar figure appeared once more: Xuanshu from the Xuanshao Dao Palace.

This was a formidable enemy; Chen Mobai knew he was no match. To avoid being blocked from returning to the Myriad Woods Grand Array, he could only temporarily let go of the three ghost cultivators.

Besides Xuanshu, there was also a faint, elusive figure hidden in another part of the sky. This person seemed to have cultivated a secret art capable of shielding divine sense, and none of the three had initially detected them. Fortunately, Chen Mobai's Void-Piercing Spiritual Eye cultivation had reached perfection. On one occasion, he noticed some unusual cloud patterns on the horizon, and upon closer inspection, he indeed discerned a humanoid figure concealed within. To be able to achieve this, they were undoubtedly also a Golden Core cultivator. But who could it be?

After Fu Zongjue learned of this, he speculated it might be Zhao Xuankang. However, he immediately overturned this conclusion because, several days later, Zhao Xuankang also openly appeared. He stood alongside Xuanshu, not assaulting Redwood Peak, but simply standing there, applying pressure.

"As long as we don't leave the grand array, any ambush hidden in the shadows will be useless." Chen Mobai and the other two had consistently remained passive, prioritizing the protection of Zhou Shengqing's Nascent Soul formation.

After confirming this, the three of them confronted Xuanshu and the others across the Myriad Woods Grand Array. Neither side spoke; they simply waited in silence.

After an unknown number of days and nights, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within Redwood Peak had gathered to its extreme, transforming into tangible clusters of spiritual light, like fist-sized hail, hurtling towards Zhou Shengqing. A colossal ethereal shadow rose from above Zhou Shengqing's head. The vast, surging clear light, like a sky-covering curtain, engulfed all the spiritual light, transforming it into nourishment for itself. The clear light grew increasingly brilliant. From an initial humanoid outline, it gradually revealed seven orifices, then facial features emerged, followed by hands and feet, becoming progressively clearer in Zhou Shengqing's likeness.

"Junior Brother, should we make our move?" Zhao Xuankang asked Xuanshu, frowning slightly at the sight, deeply fearing Zhou Shengqing would truly succeed in forming his Nascent Soul.

"The time is not right," Xuanshu replied, gently shaking his head as he looked at the fully activated Myriad Woods Grand Array.

"When will the time be right?" Zhao Xuankang pressed, growing anxious, but Xuanshu did not answer. He squinted his eyes, staring intently at the ethereal shadow above Redwood Peak, which continued to expand and grow wider as spiritual energy filled it.

But after a quarter of an hour, the ethereal shadow suddenly began to twist and blur. With a sigh, Zhou Shengqing's massive ethereal shadow in mid-air completely disintegrated, transforming into a sky full of clear light that fell. The Nascent Soul formation had failed!

"Now!" As his voice fell, a dazzling golden light, like a meteor from outside the heavens, flared in Xuanshu's palm, instantly traversing half the sky and descending above Redwood Peak. Chen Mobai, who had been watching him intently, immediately launched his Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror to block this Sun-Shooting Divine Halberd technique. With a dull clang, the golden meteor struck the hemispherical light shield above Redwood Peak, erupting in brilliant sparks and causing an explosive roar of air and currents.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! After Zhou Shengqing's Nascent Soul formation failed, Xuanshu and Zhao Xuankang no longer had any reservations. After one strike, they attacked again, each throwing out four golden halberds from their hands.

The Myriad Woods Grand Array was activated! A vibrant emerald-green light shield abruptly lit up, enveloping the entire Redwood Peak. The golden halberds struck it, merely causing a slight ripple before all their power was dispelled, and they fell to the ground.

But their actions were merely a signal. After the golden halberds, the three ghost cultivators also made their move. Three bizarre spiritual powers—scarlet, pitch-black, and dark green—erupted, each controlling a red flower, a bone bead, and a curved saber artifact, slashing towards the Myriad Woods Grand Array. With a crash, the Myriad Woods Grand Array shook once more after being struck by the three ghost cultivators. In an instant, Redwood Peak was besieged by five Golden Core cultivators!