Chapter 228: Three High-Level Spells Perfectly Unlucky Young Master Dan

While the Great Zhou has many Grotto-Heaven worlds, it is rare for a Grotto-Heaven to be elevated to a Blessed Land. This is because the birth of a Grotto-Heaven micro-world occurs on an epochal scale, spanning millions of years! The current three hundred-plus Grotto-Heaven micro-worlds have existed since ancient times; no one knows their exact dates of creation.

According to the Great Zhou's fate officials, the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven was likely born about five hundred thousand years ago, making it a mere infant compared to the other Grotto-Heavens.

"Ten suns in the sky, it really could be the work of the Profound Heaven Sect," Zhao Xing mused. "During the Two Reigns era, the Profound Heaven Sect also caused significant events in the Guangling Grotto-Heaven... But this time, with the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven, it's my first time learning about it. What a major discovery."

"No wonder I felt that mysterious palace looked familiar; it turns out it's the Profound Heaven Sect's style." In his past life, he had joined the Profound Heaven faction, and the architectural styles of their otherworldly sects differed considerably from those of the Great Zhou.

Following this conjecture and drawing on his past life's experience, Zhao Xing quickly reached a conclusion: "The Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven was conquered. Marquis Mingwu of the Tiger-Flood Dragon Army and Marquis Mingwei of the Black Armored Army discovered this ownerless Grotto-Heaven during the expansion wars at the end of the Dingxin era."

"Records state it was seized from the Southern Barbarians, but... it's highly possible that the Profound Heaven Sect was once the master of this Grotto-Heaven world, much like the Guangling Grotto-Heaven."

"That mysterious palace might well have been left behind by the ancient Profound Heaven Sect, simply remaining undiscovered until now. Perhaps even... this Grotto-Heaven was deliberately left for Marquis Mingwu and his forces to conquer!"

"Why would they do that?" Zhao Xing calculated with his fingers, but the Grotto-Heaven suddenly trembled. Clearly, calculating this matter incurred a significant cost, but the backlash was absorbed by the Grotto-Heaven. Even so, Zhao Xing couldn't divine anything; the spell simply failed to materialize.

However, this revelation implied much. Zhao Xing continued to speculate based on his past life's experience, and a bold idea suddenly formed in his mind: "The Profound Heaven Sect planned the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven, which is near the Nine Heavens Responding Yuan Palace. They've always wanted to overthrow the Great Zhou. Is this a show of force?"

"To whom are they showing it? Emperor Jing? Perhaps it's not just to enemies, but also to allies..." Zhao Xing's pupils contracted. "Prince Liang!"

Realizing this possibility, Zhao Xing's mind was suddenly enlightened. "No wonder Prince Liang dared to rebel in my past life! This display of power by the Profound Heaven Sect likely gave him considerable courage."

"The Military Realm is the force that maintains the Great Zhou's rule. If even the Military Realm could be shaken, Prince Liang, who already harbored disloyalty, would certainly be moved. Coupled with the failure to pacify the barbarians... various factors prompted Prince Liang to act."

In his previous life, Zhao Xing had never quite understood Prince Liang's rebellion. "Why would someone so incompetent rebel against his own brother? Where did he find the courage?" If his guess was correct, that courage came from the otherworldly sects.

These conjectures left Zhao Xing somewhat shaken. "The ancient divine sects' schemes truly involve deep planning; isn't this also a form of future divination?" Suddenly, many insights regarding fate-related spells flooded his mind.

Zhao Xing did not continue to divine on this matter. Because he dared not. With his Five Fingers of Destiny breaking through, Zhao Xing noticed 'lines' extending towards him within the starry sky. His Karmic Soul also had an inexplicable palpitation, as if someone was prying. Seeing this, Zhao Xing was instantly alarmed.

"I can't calculate any further; I've already alerted certain entities." For such high-grade schemes, meticulously planned over many years, even if one cannot fully calculate them, the act of attempting to do so will alert the other party. Fortunately, the circumstances were special at that moment; otherwise, Zhao Xing would never have dared to speculate.

"Destiny as a Blade, sever!" Zhao Xing pointed a finger, and golden light flashed, severing all the lines reaching out to him. As soon as the lines were cut, the feeling of palpitation vanished. "Thankfully, I'm inside the Grotto-Heaven's Heavenly Gate right now, and my Five Fingers of Destiny have broken through, allowing me to conceal my traces," Zhao Xing mused.

By entering the Heavenly Gate to divine the future, his Five Fingers of Destiny achieved a significant breakthrough, reaching the level of a high-tier spell. He also gained two high-tier secret techniques:

**Destiny as a Blade**: High-tier Fate-Type SpellProgress: High-tier perfectedEffect: Destiny acts as a blade, severing heavenly secrets and divination.

**Profound Destiny Concealment**: High-tier Fate-Type SpellProgress: High-tier perfectedEffect: Hides one's destiny and heavenly secrets, isolating them from karmic prying.

"As expected of the Gate of Ten Thousand Laws, it directly perfected high-tier spells." Zhao Xing immediately activated Profound Destiny Concealment.

"Buzz."

Starlight fell upon Zhao Xing, as if draping him in a thin veil. "With Profound Destiny Concealment cast using the power of the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven, I won't be divined even after leaving the Heavenly Gate, unless it's a creation-level artifact specifically targeting me," Zhao Xing mused. "But that possibility is very small."

All living beings are like ants. The situation just now was akin to two giants, the Southern Barbarians and the Great Zhou, fighting, and an ant inadvertently wandered onto the battlefield. Just as one might try to look, the ant disappeared in a flash, left the battlefield, and returned to the ant colony. At that point, the giants wouldn't stoop down with a magnifying glass to search for a single ant.

"Even so, it's still not completely safe." Zhao Xing, cautious to the extreme, immediately sealed this memory using the "Great Dream Spring and Autumn" technique, setting a timed seal. All his conjectures concerning the Profound Heaven Sect and Prince Liang, as well as other potentially secret past life memories, were sealed. The seal was set to release in half a year, by which time the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven incident should have concluded. He would only be able to recall them if certain specific conditions were met, or if he entered a dream state.

"In this high-stakes game, my body is too weak, so I won't participate." Knowing these secrets, Old Master Zhao didn't intend to do anything. He merely wanted to gain some benefits and protect those he cared about, such as Old Chen, Long Xiao, and Xia Jing, who were close to him. In the context of major events, these few individuals were nothing more than 'ants.' The death of one or two fewer ants would not be noticed by the giants—the Great Zhou, the Southern Barbarians, or the sects.

"This could be considered another form of stealing heavenly secrets to alter fate," Zhao Xing mused. "In the future divinations I just saw, Old Chen appeared over thirty million times, and in over twenty million of those thirty million futures, this old fellow stubbornly died." True, Old Chen's luck had improved, but in this Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven disaster, even fifth-rank cultivators were fated to die. Even Xia Jing and Long Xiao had a thirty to forty percent chance of death, so it was perfectly normal for Old Chen's probability to be higher.

"Seal!" Having made the arrangements, Zhao Xing swept his hands over his eyes. A moment later, his gaze became blank. The impressions of the Profound Heaven Sect, the mysterious palace, and Prince Liang, which had been in his mind during this period, gradually faded.

"Hmm? Why do I feel like I've forgotten something?" Zhao Xing looked at his hands in confusion, his brows furrowed. A moment later, Zhao Xing's brows relaxed: "I must have divined something and intentionally forgotten some matters." Zhao Xing realized that if he actively resisted this 'forgetting' power, he could recall it. But he didn't, guessing that he wouldn't impose a seal on himself without good reason.

"Buzz." Just then, a tiny cluster of light and shadow suddenly appeared in the starry sky, catching Zhao Xing's attention. "Hmm? Why is someone prying on me again?" "Wait? Why did I say 'again'?" Zhao Xing tilted his head, looking at the prying entity outside the starry sky. The line was very fine, but when magnified, it looked like a black worm with a dragon's head. "Compared to the previous prying, this one is too weak. Hmm? 'Previous'?" Zhao Xing understood that the seal was preventing him from recalling, so he stopped dwelling on it. He casually cast Destiny as a Blade.

On the way to the Inverted Peak Mountains, inside Prince Dan's pleasure boat. Liang Ruohai was staring at a black and white compass, and a starry sky appeared in his eyes. Beneath the starry sky, a blurry figure sat cross-legged.

"This must be the person who cut off the Prince's destiny," Liang Ruohai continued to exert effort, trying to see more clearly. However, it was as if a barrier covered the entire starry sky before him, and no matter how he squirmed, he couldn't penetrate it. Just then, the figure under the starry sky suddenly looked up and tilted its head. Its face was still unclear, but it raised its hand.

"Oh no!" Liang Ruohai immediately sensed trouble and was about to end the divination. However, it was too late—

"Crack, crack, crack." The jade bones placed on the black and white compass all shattered in an instant.

"Bang!" A floating dragon bone instantly exploded.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle." Immediately afterward, the black dragon's blood next to the compass also suddenly evaporated.

"Boom." The black and white compass directly exploded into dust.

Liang Ruohai immediately grabbed a nearby knife, chopped off his right arm, and threw it into the area where the black and white compass had been.

"Buzz." Silently, his entire right arm turned to dust. However, the backlash did not cease!

"What? This isn't enough?" Liang Ruohai gritted his teeth and severed both his legs.

"Buzz." The result for his legs was the same as his right arm: they silently disintegrated. He then chanted incantations.

"With my heart's blood, I repay Heaven's lifespan."

"Gurgle." His heart's blood surged, condensing into Liang Ruohai's form before him. It fell into the area where the black and white compass had shattered.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle." The blood instantly evaporated and disappeared. Only then did the backlash finally cease.

"Teacher? Teacher!" Ji Dan, hearing the commotion, arrived at the scenic platform, his face dramatically changing upon seeing the scene before him. He rushed forward, supporting Liang Ruohai, who was about to fall.

"Teacher, what happened to you?!" Ji Dan was utterly shocked. For Liang Ruohai now had no legs, his right arm was gone, and his face was full of wrinkles, his hair completely white, like a dying old man. Liang Ruohai's Dantian Qi vortex was filled with mottled cracks, and the texture of his bones was similarly damaged. Everything seemed to indicate that Liang Ruohai had truly entered a state of old age, not merely suffering from some temporary poison or spell.

"Teacher, teacher," Ji Dan cried out anxiously, "Quick, bring all the medicinal ingredients from the pill store here!" Liang Ruohai was his longest-serving teacher. He rarely saw his father, and when he did, his father acted more as a prince than a parent, an oppressive presence like a dark sea. To him, Liang Ruohai was both a teacher and a father.

"There's no need to exert yourself, my Prince," Liang Ruohai said in a hoarse voice. "My lamp has run out of oil; I can only live for ten more years at most. Had I not held a fifth-rank official position, protected by the imperial court, I would likely be dead by now. This kind of backlash cannot be healed by any medicinal pill."

"Teacher..." Tears flowed from Ji Dan's eyes; he understood that this was the result of his teacher suffering a backlash for divining heavenly secrets on his behalf.

"Dan, listen to me," Liang Ruohai said with great effort. "Turn the boat around immediately; don't go east anymore."

"Teacher," Ji Dan wiped his tears, a fierce expression on his face. "Please tell me, who is plotting against me? Is it the Nineteenth, or the Thirteenth? Or the Crown Prince?!"

Liang Ruohai shook his head: "I don't know."

"My Prince, Master Liang..." At this moment, the martial artists under his command also brought boxes of medicinal pills onto the scenic platform. Seeing the scene, they were greatly astonished.

"Listen to me," Liang Ruohai said. "Turn around."

Seeing his subordinates approach, Ji Dan immediately composed himself, no longer losing control: "Yes, the pleasure boat will turn around immediately. No one is to go to the Inverted Peak Mountains again! Help Master Liang go down and rest."

"Yes, sir."

"Brotherly bonds are no match for the position of Crown Prince..." After everyone had left, Ji Dan's eyes were filled with sorrow. A moment later, his eyes turned violent: "Thirteenth, Nineteenth, Crown Prince, just you wait!"

Deep within the Southern Wilderness, on a golden, radiant divine mountain, a temple stood. Inside the temple was a statue of a figure in a red Daoist robe, holding a whisk.

"Buzz." The statue suddenly came to life, gazing into the distance.

Blood Spirit Venerable calculated with his fingers, and suddenly a flicker of flame appeared on his fingertip. "Hmm?" Blood Spirit Venerable swiped with his whisk, but the flame still flickered ten times before the backlash finally disappeared. "It's related to the Spirit-Suppressing Underworld Palace. Was it discovered?"

"No," Blood Spirit Venerable shook his head. "It's not the power of the Creation Compass." The power of the backlash seemed immense and was of a high level. Yet, the source person was very weak, like an ant, making it difficult to discern clearly.

"An ant crawled to the edge of the chessboard and lifted a stone millions of times its own weight?" Blood Spirit Venerable muttered, "Interesting. Why didn't it throw it into the chessboard?"

"Everything leaves a trace; let me calculate again." Blood Spirit Venerable attempted to divine once more but found his divination spell ineffective. Flames erupted from his finger again. The backlash that had been deadly for Liang Ruohai was merely a burning finger for Blood Spirit Venerable.

"Whoosh." The flame was extinguished again, and Blood Spirit Venerable looked at his fingertip thoughtfully. The stone was gone, and so was the ant. But the traces the ant left behind gave him a faint sense of familiarity.

"Who could it be?" Blood Spirit Venerable murmured to himself.

Zhao Xing had no idea that his casually cast Destiny as a Blade had brought Liang Ruohai to the brink of death. Nor did he know that Blood Spirit Venerable, on a whim, had actually divined about him specifically. However, his prior protective measures were well-executed, preventing Blood Spirit Venerable from gaining any useful information.

At this moment, Zhao Xing had already exited the Heavenly Gate. He appeared in the sea of clouds. Zhao Xing thoughtfully flew back to the Qilin Airship. Long Xiao was already on the airship.

"Why are you out so early?" Long Xiao asked.

"My Dao Heart is firm, I'm not tempted, and my goal was very clear," Zhao Xing replied. He had gone in specifically for the Five Fingers of Destiny breakthrough, so naturally, he hadn't wasted any time. Zhao Xing looked at Long Xiao: "You're impressive; you arrived late but came out early."

When Zhao Xing's straw-man clone arrived with Murong Xue and Ji Zixuan, Long Xiao and Mountain Cat were still absorbing in the Spirit Spring. By the time Ji Zixuan finished absorbing, Zhao Xing had found the location of the Heavenly Gate. Long Xiao had already set off by then and was on his way to the Thirty-Six Strange Peaks of Yunmen. The Heavenly Gate opened at the seventh quarter of the Mao hour (6:45 AM). Long Xiao arrived at the second quarter of the Chen hour (7:30 AM) and saw a straw-man clone that Zhao Xing had left on the airship. He was two quarters late, but unexpectedly, Zhao Xing had come out so early.

Long Xiao said proudly, "Hmph, do you think only your Dao Heart is firm? Old Chen and I, which of us hasn't fought our way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood?"

"Marquis Yunxiao is awesome!" Zhao Xing gave a thumbs-up. "What did you gain?"

"My Slaughter Sword Art is now fully mastered, and I've even created a new sword technique," Long Xiao eagerly demonstrated. "Come, let me show you."

"Alright," Zhao Xing responded enthusiastically.

"Look behind you," Long Xiao motioned for Zhao Xing to turn around. Zhao Xing turned his head and saw three cloud-white illusory swords appear behind him, he didn't know when.

"This..." Zhao Xing was surprised. "Is that the Divine Firmament Sword Art?!" Long Xiao's sword control technique now closely resembled the version Zhao Xing had seen in his past life. Long Xiao's previous sword art was an incomplete one called the "Slaughter Sword Art," obtained from an ancient tomb. It included the Geng Metal Sword Control style, a sword qi condensation method, and four killing moves. However, that was an incomplete version. What Long Xiao now wielded was truly his own complete sword art.

"Did I name the Divine Firmament Sword Art in this life?" Zhao Xing was momentarily stunned, feeling an indescribable sense of wonder.

"Hey, you know, that Heavenly Gate was really strange. Many swords were flying around in there, and each one seemed ten or even a hundred times stronger than the Slaughter Sword Art." Long Xiao controlled the cloud-white illusory swords as they moved. "I wonder if Little Xia and Little Ji can resist the temptation."

"They should be able to," Zhao Xing said, looking towards the location of the Heavenly Gate's portal. He couldn't see it now, as each person could only enter once, after which it became invisible to them. Moreover, what each person saw upon entering was different. Zhao Xing had been in a starry sky, while Long Xiao had been in a sword pavilion. These were all scenes derived from the methods they most wished to comprehend within their hearts.

They waited for another two hours. At the beginning of the Si hour (9:00 AM), Chen Shijie was the third to emerge.

"Old Chen, what did you gain?"

Chen Shijie smiled slightly: "It's alright. I now have nine high-tier techniques, one of which has reached the seventh revolution, while the others are all at minor completion."

"Wow, that's exaggerated?" Long Xiao's eyes widened. "Your progress is huge, and you call that 'alright'? That's incredibly strong!"

"Isn't he just waiting for you to praise him? You shouldn't have even asked," Zhao Xing chuckled. Old Chen's high-tier techniques hadn't reached perfection, but their quantity had increased, and his overall improvement was quite balanced. However, this was also a personal choice. Chen Shijie himself was a relatively well-rounded Military Agricultural Officer.

"Zhao Xing, what about you?" Chen Shijie asked. "Tell us, and we'll give you a chance to show off too."

"Me? I'm just so-so," Zhao Xing replied. "Only three high-tier techniques have reached perfection, that's all."

"Damn it!" Long Xiao's eyes widened. "So you're the one who gained the most!"

"Three, perfected?" Chen Shijie was also astonished. How difficult was it for a high-tier technique to reach perfection? It was already quite rare for a sixth-rank cultivator to master a high-tier technique. For a sixth-rank cultivator to master a high-tier perfected spell was even rarer. Many fifth-rank cultivators might not even have mastered a perfected high-tier technique.

"I'm an exception; I got lucky," Zhao Xing said. It truly was good luck. Such an event only occurs when a Grotto-Heaven is elevated, naturally forming a Heavenly Gate of Dao Spells. One might wait thousands or even tens of thousands of years and still not encounter such an opportunity once.

As for the third spell, it was Momentary Primordial. This high-tier technique, a high-tier technique of the Id-Self Sect, was also maxed out. This was because casting Momentary Primordial was inherently well-suited for comprehension within the Heavenly Gate. When casting Momentary Primordial, the internal world of plants Zhao Xing saw had a remarkable similarity to the starry sky within the Heavenly Gate. As for his other spells, they also saw slight improvements, but the most significant were Destiny as a Blade, Profound Destiny Concealment, and Momentary Primordial.

At the end of the Si hour (11:00 AM), Xia Jing also appeared in the sea of clouds.

"How was it, Crown Prince? What did you gain?" Long Xiao asked curiously. Xia Jing was also a martial cultivator, and Long Xiao was quite interested in the advancement of martial professions.

"Sigh," Xia Jing sighed.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Xing asked, puzzled. "Did you waste your time in there?"

"No, I feel like I comprehended it wrongly," Xia Jing said. "I perfected the Gluttonous Devourer Art and the Black Tortoise Shield inside."

"The Gluttonous Devourer Art reached the seventh layer, and the Black Tortoise Shield reached the ninth revolution."

"But the problem is, neither of these is my primary cultivation."

"Damn it!" Long Xiao exclaimed indignantly. "Your ways of showing off are getting more unique than the last."

"Hit him!" Zhao Xing couldn't resist and joined Long Xiao in beating Xia Jing. However, a faint earthy-yellow light now emanated from Xia Jing's body. Long Xiao's and Zhao Xing's fists struck him, but he felt no pain or itch; he didn't even flinch.

"Two great heroes, spare my life," Xia Jing said with a slight smile. "You're hitting too hard, ha ha ha."

Mockery, blatant mockery. But Xia Jing now possessed that ability.

"Damn it, Crown Prince, you look so punchable right now."

"You even sighed? And mocked us," Zhao Xing gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"With the Gluttonous Devourer Art for internal cultivation and the Black Tortoise Shield for external defense, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's invincible among sixth-rank cultivators now," Chen Shijie chuckled. "You two should stop tickling him."

"It's a pity, though, that my Azure Dragon Transformation Art hasn't made much progress," Xia Jing said, still feeling a slight regret despite his happiness. "While my defense is formidable now, my offense might not necessarily be called invincible among sixth-rank cultivators."

At the first quarter of the Wu hour (11:15 AM), Ji Zixun also emerged. He also made significant progress, but his advancements were slightly less compared to Zhao Xing, Xia Jing, and the other two. This was because he happened to be tempted by things inside, spending time researching some 'false' spells. Ultimately, Ji Zixun only comprehended two high-tier spells, and they were only at the third revolution. Very few people could completely grasp the opportunity within the Heavenly Gate, maximizing their gains without being tempted in the slightest. Ji Zixun's level of gain was considered normal.

"Now only Aotian is left," Long Xiao looked around. "Why hasn't it come out yet?"

"It might be confused," Ji Zixun said. "Mystic beasts' intelligence might not be capable of comprehending the Great Dao."

"Did Mountain Cat get tempted by food in there?" Xia Jing chuckled.

"Maybe all he saw in there was fish," Zhao Xing said, staring at Xia Jing.

"What are you looking at? This Crown Prince no longer fears fish," Xia Jing replied.

"Oh? Then next time, I'll be your quartermaster and plant some Numb-Fish Fruit for you."

"Gulp," Xia Jing's throat moved, and his body trembled. "Forget it, Brother Zhao, I was just kidding."

"Hahahaha."

The five then waited on the airship for Mountain Cat to return. During this period, mystic beasts had few cultivation methods, relying purely on their innate bloodline talents. However, many mystic beasts had stronger physical bodies and bloodline talents than humans, so each had its own advantages and disadvantages. Zhao Xing also didn't know if mystic beasts entering the Heavenly Gate would have any effect. But he knew that in the era of spiritual qi revival, when mystic beasts' intelligence greatly increased, they could also widely comprehend the Dao and cultivate, and the 'race' of demons also emerged. At the same time, numerous cultivation methods for the demon race appeared.

At the end of the Wu hour (1:00 PM), the Heavenly Gate closed, and Aotian mewed in the clouds.

"Meow."

In the sea of clouds, lightning flashed. Aotian, the cat, walked elegantly on the lightning, its steps like a cat's, as if the lightning were solid.

"Hmm? There really is a change?" Ji Zixun found it incredibly strange. Heavenly Gate enlightenment was supposedly not very effective for mystic beasts, but Mountain Cat seemed to have made significant progress.

"Amazing," Xia Jing also looked at Mountain Cat in surprise. "Wielding lightning; that talent is quite powerful."

"Mountain Cat is a Spirit-Blessed mystic beast, and it was nurtured by the Mountain God, so its intelligence seems much stronger than ordinary mystic beasts," Zhao Xing was also somewhat surprised.

"Hahaha, Aotian is truly smart," Long Xiao laughed, activating the airship to approach.

"Meow," Mountain Cat cried, jumped onto the ship, and licked its paws, indicating it was hungry. Zhao Xing waved his hand, and the Wenzhu cabin opened, with various foods falling before Mountain Cat, instantly forming a mountain.

"Meow!" Mountain Cat perked its ears, quickly ran over, and began to eat with relish.

After feeding Aotian, Zhao Xing said, "Old Chen, Long Xiao, come with me." He took them, stopping and going among the thirty-six strange peaks, making some arrangements.

"Are you planning to destroy the strange peaks?" Chen Shijie asked.

"Yes," Zhao Xing nodded. "Over the next few days, the Heavenly Gate's effect will gradually weaken, but others might still be able to see the portal."

"What a shame," Long Xiao said.

"What's a shame?" Zhao Xing asked, surprised. "Long Xiao, you don't naively think we should leave it for others, do you?"

"No, I'm just expressing regret," Long Xiao shook his head. "If everyone gets stronger, and our competitors become powerful, it won't benefit us."

Zhao Xing said, "Others could all be our potential enemies. We cannot leave benefits for our enemies. Furthermore, I did some things inside that cannot be known by others, not even by the slightest chance."

Chen Shijie said worriedly, "Many areas now have Oblivion Stele set up, so there might be a battle."

Zhao Xing took out his earth mirror and looked at it: "Some areas don't even have Oblivion Stele set up, nor do they prohibit fighting; they are specifically arranged for those aristocratic family disciples."

Long Xiao wondered, "Why would the imperial court arrange it like this? Aren't they afraid that those aristocratic families will perpetuate their feuds once they leave?"

Zhao Xing said indifferently, "There are too many ancient aristocratic families and established powerful figures. Why would they need to be so harmonious with each other? If they unite, are they planning a rebellion? Even if we take a step back, without this event, families destined to feud would still feud, and those meant to unite would still unite. Having reached the level of a thousand-year aristocratic family, personal emotions can be disregarded; interests are the fundamental principle."

"That's true," Chen Shijie said. "In the eleventh year of the Jingxin era, when I first arrived in Nanyang Commandery, the major families there, the Yang and Liu clans, had a conflict. The two families fought fiercely, and even several clansmen died. Fifteen years later, a woman from the Yang clan married into the Liu clan because both families needed to cooperate on developing trade routes. If this is the case for commandery clans, how much more so for aristocratic families that have existed for thousands, or even several millennia? It's the same between nations: yesterday, they formed alliances and exchanged hostages; tomorrow, they might tear up treaties and execute hostages as a flag-offering; and the day after, they reconcile and continue to send hostages."

"All the bustle is for profit," Zhao Xing stomped his foot, and the golden light of his spell sank into the ground. "Enough talk. Old Chen, Long Xiao, let's get to work."

"Alright."

"Rumble."

The Thirty-Six Strange Peaks of Yunmen, operating within the sea of clouds, suddenly saw four of them tremble violently. Rocks rolled down, and water cascaded in great quantities from the peaks into the abyss below. The temperature of the four sky islands rapidly increased.

"Swish, swish, swish." Three figures swiftly left the mountains and piloted their airship away. Soon after, the four peaks either exploded or fell. Of the thirty-six strange peaks, only thirty-two remained, reverting to their ordinary appearance, stripped of all their divine properties.

Zhao Xing and Chen Shijie first drained the water veins within the peaks, then continuously opened volcanoes on the four peaks using volcanic spells. This caused Level 7 Geomantic Rage within the four sky-borne peaks in a short period. These peaks originally had no foundations, floating in the sky, so with their geomantic veins now destroyed, they were easily ruined.

"We've destroyed four future Spirit Mountains," Chen Shijie said, watching the explosion ahead. If left untouched, these mountains could potentially become 'Spirit Mountains' in the future!

"Better for mountains to die than for me to die," Zhao Xing said. "Let's go; no need to be sentimental."

"Where to next?" Xia Jing asked, having grown accustomed to seeking Zhao Xing's opinion.

"We can't stay in the Inverted Peak Mountains any longer," Zhao Xing said. "The Military Realm has already begun large-scale land appropriation here, and I don't want to get involved in the fighting just yet."

"Both the Sea of Extreme Night and Pengli Marsh are options. Let me calculate first," Zhao Xing said, performing calculations with his fingers, combined with the Grand Divination Qi-Observing technique, to observe the luck pillars of the four of them, deciding which direction was most favorable.