Chapter 3496: Eight-rank Formation Master Ye Yunfei

In Azure Dragon Valley, within a tranquil courtyard with blue-tiled roofs, Wang Qingxiao sat in a blue stone pavilion. He held a black jade stone in his hand; its surface was smooth and its weight very light.

Wang Qingxiao had been in Azure Dragon Valley for some time. Through Long Yuling's introduction, he had met many Integration-stage cultivators and acquired numerous items through exchange. This Soulstone was one of them.

According to its previous owner, the Soulstone came from the Netherworld Ruins. The Netherworld Ruins were a dangerous place on Azure Dragon Continent that had appeared suddenly. It was haunted by many ghosts, and even Mahayana-stage ghosts had emerged from it.

There were similar places in the Xuan Yang Realm as well: the Myriad Spirit Abyss on Xuan Ling Continent, the Demonic Heaven Grotto in the Azure Glazed Sea Region, and the Fallen Demon Ruins on Xuan Guang Continent. All had appeared suddenly, with many ghosts emerging and even materials from the netherworld appearing.

He hadn't expected the Heavenly Demon Realm to have similar places. Did this mean there was more than one netherworld? Or had a major change occurred in the netherworld, causing such phenomena?

Wang Qingxiao sensed something, took out a white, glowing formation disk, and activated a spell. A familiar voice rang out: "Qingxiao, it's me. I'm at the entrance to your residence."

"Seventh Brother!"

Wang Qingxiao's face lit up with joy, and he quickly walked towards the courtyard gate.

He opened the courtyard gate to find Wang Qingshan, Bai Linger, and Long Yuling standing there.

When Wang Qingshan and Bai Linger arrived at the Azure Dragon Mountain Range, they asked Long Sa to help locate Wang Qingxiao. Long Sa relayed the order and quickly received a report that Wang Qingxiao was in Azure Dragon Valley. Wang Qingshan bid farewell to Long Sa, immediately rushed to Azure Dragon Valley, and successfully found Wang Qingxiao.

"Seventh Brother, how did you find me?" Wang Qingxiao was both surprised and delighted upon seeing Wang Qingshan.

Wang Qingshan smiled and said, "It's a long story. Young friend Long, thank you for leading the way. You may return to report back."

"Yes, Senior Wang," Long Yuling replied. "Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything." Long Yuling acknowledged, and then withdrew.

Wang Qingshan and Bai Linger entered, and they recounted their experiences upon arriving in the Heavenly Demon Realm to each other.

"Seventh Brother, who is she?" Wang Qingxiao didn't recognize Bai Linger and was curious. It was the first time he had seen Wang Qingshan proactively accompanied by a female cultivator.

"Bai Linger, my Dao companion," Wang Qingshan introduced. "She was originally a member of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan. To be with me, she cleansed herself of her demon essence. We haven't formally married yet."

Wang Qingxiao suddenly understood and nodded, saying, "So it's Fairy Bai. Once you two marry, she'll be my Seventh Sister-in-law."

"I sent a soul clone to the lower realms to contact our clansmen there. Using a grand formation, I contacted our clansmen in the Xuan Yang Realm. Ninth Uncle and Ninth Aunt have both advanced to the Mahayana stage. The Fairy Su we met that day is a descendant of a Mahayana cultivator from the Nine-Essence Commerce Alliance. She should still be on White Tiger Continent, and I plan to go there to bring her with us." Wang Qingshan stated his plan, noting that sending Su Jianjia back to the Nine-Essence Commerce Alliance would also be considered forming a good relationship with them.

"Without further delay, let's head to White Tiger Continent immediately!" Wang Qingxiao agreed.

"Qingxiao, do you have something on you? Like jade or ore?" Wang Qingshan asked, puzzled, as the Stone Golem had suddenly become very agitated, as if it had encountered something irresistible. The last time this happened, the Stone Golem had demanded a Soul Suppressing Stone.

"Jade or ore?" Wang Qingxiao paused for a moment, then realized something, and took out the Soulstone from his embrace.

Wang Qingshan flicked his wrist, and the Stone Golem flew out of the spirit beast bracelet, reaching out to grab the Soulstone. Wang Qingxiao lightly shook his wrist, and the Soulstone shot out, landing in the Stone Golem's hand. Dazzling yellow light erupted from the Stone Golem's palm. The Soulstone visibly merged with the Stone Golem and disappeared.

"What kind of material is this? Where did you get it?" Wang Qingshan asked, as there weren't many materials that interested the Stone Golem, and even fewer that it would actively demand.

"It's a Soulstone, said to be from the Netherworld Ruins," Wang Qingxiao explained. "It's a seventh-tier material, typically used for refining ghost-path treasures or setting up ghost-path formations. I only managed to trade for one piece." Wang Qingxiao briefly explained how he obtained the Soulstone.

Wang Qingshan nodded, took out a blue, glowing formation disk, activated a spell, and said, "Young friend Long, I need to collect a material called Soulstone. Can you help me gather it? You won't be at a disadvantage regarding the compensation."

Long Yuling's voice came from the formation disk: "Senior Wang, you're too kind. It's just a small matter. I'll issue the orders immediately."

To cultivators on Azure Dragon Continent, Soulstone was merely a seventh-tier material, not particularly precious. However, for the Stone Golem, it was an incredibly nourishing substance.

"We will be leaving for a while," Wang Qingshan instructed. "Please help me collect them first. I'll return later to retrieve them."

"No problem," Long Yuling agreed.

Wang Qingshan retrieved the Stone Golem into his spirit beast bracelet, then left Azure Dragon Valley with Wang Qingxiao and Bai Linger, heading towards White Tiger Continent.

A millennium passed quickly.

In the Azure Glazed Sea Region, on Seven Immortals Island, was the main headquarters of the Seven Immortals Sect. The island was adorned with lanterns and festive decorations, and every Seven Immortals Sect disciple's face was filled with great joy.

Today was the celebration of Su Jiang's advancement to the Mahayana stage. Numerous guests gathered, and even the Ye family's Mahayana cultivators had arrived. On a vast blue stone plaza, tens of thousands of cultivators gathered. True Monarch Qianjin, True Monarch Wanhai, Chen Yueying, and Xuan Qingzi were all present. Wang Qingcheng and Sun Yuejiao's seats were right next to theirs, clearly indicating the Wang family's status.

Xuan Qingzi looked towards a tall, white-robed young man and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Ye, I hear you annihilated True Monarch Golden Lion and Rogue Cultivator Fire Toad from the Heavenly Spider Realm. In time, even late-Mahayana cultivators won't be your match, will they?"

The white-robed young man had handsome, clean features. His eyes were piercing, and his aura was restrained, showing no trace of spiritual power fluctuations. Xuan Qingzi and the others dared not underestimate the white-robed young man, whose name was Ye Yunfei. He possessed a mid-Mahayana cultivation base and was also an eighth-tier formation master. Ye Yunfei had defeated two opponents single-handedly, completely annihilating them, earning him great renown.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, you flatter me," Ye Yunfei said modestly. "I merely relied on the power of formations."

"Heh heh," True Monarch Wanhai chuckled, full of admiration. "I heard Fellow Daoist Ye's bloodline is very close to that of the Nine-Headed Ice Lion. When integrated with the Nine-Headed Ice Lion's Dharma Idol, True Monarch Golden Lion and Rogue Cultivator Fire Toad had no power to resist."

Ye Yunfei's bloodline was quite potent, allowing him to merge with the Nine-Headed Ice Lion's Dharma Idol and wield some of its divine abilities. This was a unique method of True Spirit families. Of course, only Ye family Mahayana cultivators with sufficiently potent bloodlines could merge with the Nine-Headed Ice Lion's Dharma Idol; not all Ye family Mahayana cultivators could achieve it.

Besides the Ye family, some great clans also possessed True Spirit bloodlines. Powerful Mahayana cultivators from other races with strong bloodlines could also merge with True Spirit Dharma Idols and unleash some of their divine abilities.

The merging of a True Spirit Dharma Idol with a Mahayana cultivator—this secret technique was somewhat similar to Spirit Possession Art. The difference was that the former required a Mahayana cultivation to perform and had no side effects. Its duration depended on the caster's spiritual power; the more abundant the spiritual power, the longer it lasted. If the True Spirit Dharma Idol was destroyed, the caster would not perish. Spirit Possession Art, however, had obvious flaws: if the possessed spirit beast was killed, the caster would also perish, and if the casting time was too long, the caster would turn into a monster knowing only slaughter, forming a new being.

Besides the True Spirit Dharma Idol, Ye Yunfei also had his own Dharma Idol, effectively giving him a dual Dharma Idol. This was characteristic of elite Mahayana cultivators from True Spirit families, and some great clans' Mahayana cultivators also possessed dual Dharma Idols.