Chapter 167: The Layout of the Three Realms

Li Wei gave the array flags a shake and said, "This gathering is attended by tens of thousands of people, making it a grand event. My brother and I know we have no chance of obtaining the Soul-Breaking Pill, so wouldn't it be far more practical to hunt down a few unlucky cultivators and seize some treasures and spirit stones instead?"

Wu Di also revealed his true nature and said coldly, "Indeed, this is what we call adapting to the circumstances. Instead of fighting them to the death, it is far more carefree and leisurely to resort to some tricks behind their backs!"

Ge Qian said unhurriedly, "This array is rather peculiar indeed; it can conjure the illusory phantoms of the Four Auspicious Beasts—the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—and it even carries a trace of their true will. Its power should not be underestimated, right?"

"Consider yourself knowledgeable enough to perceive the will of the Four Auspicious Beasts. Let me tell you, I obtained this set of arrays from an ancient cultivator's cavern on the periphery of a ten-thousand-year-old tomb. This array seals the primordial blood of the Four Auspicious Beasts, so naturally, it contains their will! To die beneath the Four Auspicious Firmament Array may also be considered your fortune," Li Wei said with smug complacency.

Growing somewhat impatient, Wu Di exchanged a glance with Li Wei and said, "Senior Brother, stop wasting words. There are numerous cultivators about; if we are discovered and someone decides to rob the robbers, we will be in deep trouble."

"You make sense, Junior Brother. I've noticed you getting smarter lately. If I weren't afraid that passing cultivators might demand a share, I would play with you longer. Go to hell!" Li Wei laughed.

With that, he flicked the array flags, causing the auras of the Four Auspicious Beast phantoms to surge overwhelmingly. They lunged fiercely toward Ge Qian, compressing the air to produce a series of popping explosions.

Ge Qian formed hand seals and cast the "Tide Turns" spell, opening a passageway. A flash of lightning flickered behind him, and with a gentle flutter of his Dimensional Wings, he instantly vanished from the spot.

The next moment, he reappeared eerily right in front of Li Wei. His arm burst with a brilliant golden light, and his crimson-gold hand thrust instantly into Li Wei's Dantian, pulling his core primordial pill straight out of his body.

Li Wei had always succeeded in a single strike whenever he murdered the three unlucky cultivators, never expecting to kick a hard iron plate this time—one whose esoteric arts were bizarre, whose strikes were ruthless, and whose kill was instantaneous.

His nascent spirit trapped within the primordial pill cried out in bitter supplication, pleading, "Fellow Daoist, spare my life! I beg you to grant me a way out. With your strength, that Soul-Breaking Pill is yours without a doubt; why must your esteemed self stoop to my level?"

Before he could finish, a whirlwind stirred in Ge Qian's palm, sending him straight into the gaping maw of the small swallowing beast dwelling within Ge Qian's sea of consciousness.

With a flick of his large sleeve, a swirl of black mist swept Li Wei's corpse into the Demonic Gourd, while his storage pouch was retrieved by Hong Mei from within and placed to one side.

Terrified to the core and drenched in cold sweat, Wu Di turned and fled, thinking to himself that he had run into a star of misfortune today. If he didn't leave now, he would likely forfeit his life right here. Thus, channeling his full cultivation power into his escape light, he broke through the sky and sped away.

Yet upon looking ahead, his scalp tingled so violently that he nearly plummeted from the air.

Appearing right in front of him was a dark shadow identical to that star of misfortune. Its evil aura made one's heart tremble with fear, and its eyes resembled windows to the underworld, terrifying anyone from meeting its gaze.

The dark shadow smiled with an eerie twist, pointed a finger, and chanted a malevolent incantation: "Cease masking your sins with hypocritical benevolence. Your true nature stems from the underworld, beyond the redemption of heaven. Awaken, dormant original sin; I shall lead you to the wicked realm to receive the baptism of the demons."

As the dark shadow chanted the spell, Wu Di was struck by excruciating agony. Clutching his head, he plunged from the sky and crashed heavily onto the ground, the muscles of his face contorting hideously as he let out a piercing, miserable shriek.

His Dantian shattered as two massive black hands ripped it open. Emerging from within was a sinful dark shadow bearing a striking resemblance to Wu Di. Holding Wu Di's primordial pill in its hand, it sneered, "When kindness and human nature grow cold, my original sin awakens. Take your primordial pill and go to the demon's realm—that is my true paradise!"

The original sin dark shadow of Ge Qian smiled faintly, opened its mouth, and inhaled. The shadow holding the primordial pill struggled briefly before transforming into a wisp of darkness and being swallowed into its belly.

Ge Qian's dark shadow said playfully, "For I have already broken away from the demon's realm to build a realm of my own alongside my master. Thus, you must become my nourishment."

With that, it merged back into Ge Qian's shadow.

At that moment, a handsome, smiling youth with a powerful aura and the cultivation base of the late Void Transformation stage approached from afar. Clapping his hands, he said, "Not bad at all, quite the talent. Junior, why not join my Phaseless Sect? I shall groom you well."

Hearing this, Ge Qian felt a jolt of alarm in his heart. As expected of a late Void Transformation cultivator—he had been lurking nearby the entire time without Ge Qian even noticing. Such ancient monsters possessed immense power and eccentric temperaments; a single misstep would reduce him to dust. Although his own mystical arts were astonishing, a vast, insurmountable chasm still separated him from a Void Transformation cultivator. Furthermore, the Phaseless Sect was the fourth-largest sect among the human race, and its sect master was a figure who had already stepped half a foot into the Integration stage.

Therefore, he smiled faintly and said respectfully, "Senior, I am deeply grateful for your kind intentions. Farewell."

With that, he executed the "Cicada Sheds Its Shell" technique, leaving behind a lifelike empty shell of spiritual energy, while his true body utilized "Secretly Crossing Chencang." With a few blinks, he dashed a hundred zhang away, whipped up a gale all around, and tore through the sky to vanish.

Hearing this, the handsome youth flew into a rage and declared, "Audacious! You truly fail to appreciate kindness. I am going to see just who gave you the guts to refuse me?"

A heaven-destroying pressure descended from the skies, crushing down toward Ge Qian. With a loud *boom*, Ge Qian was ground into fine powder, turning into specks of spiritual light that vanished into the air.

The handsome youth let out a soft exclamation of surprise, furrowing his brow as he muttered, "The brat is truly cunning. Knowing he was no match, he fled instantly. Yet his mystical art of creating anthropomorphic energy avatars is truly applied to a divine degree, and his concealment techniques are also remarkable. If I could subjugate him, the Phaseless Sect would gain yet another formidable warrior! Boy, we will cross paths eventually."

Youyun Valley was not particularly vast, and his formidable divine sense could easily cover the entirety of it. However, the three Integration-stage mighty figures of the human race were also present in this valley; if he were to be perceived as provoking them, he would find himself in endless trouble. Ultimately, he shook his head with resignation and walked onward.

Inside the temporary cavern of the Heavenly Star Sect, a gale stirred as Ge Qian stepped out from within. Originally, he had intended to visit the mortal market to broaden his horizons and perhaps find some treasures he needed, but having unwittingly drawn the attention of a late Void Transformation cultivator, he realized it was wiser to remain in the cavern and use the time to further comprehend his mystical arts.

As for that marketplace, Ge Qian had already seen through it—it was merely prepared by the three major human sects for their own disciples and followers. Outsiders from other sects would only go there to deliver treasures without gaining any benefits.

This was the practical effect of a powerful system. When a sect was strong, it enjoyed all sorts of unequal privileges in the cultivation world; if a sect was weak, it would be bullied everywhere without daring to fight back.

To lag behind was to be beaten; one had to possess sufficient strength in order to build a supreme sect system.

Ge Qian silently vowed that he would certainly build the Heavenly Star Sect into a behemoth sect that would awe the four continents.

Thoughts were thoughts, but reality reminded him where true power lay.

Reaching behind him, Ge Qian retrieved the four principal array flags of Li Wei's Four Auspicious Firmament Array, arranging them in order before him.

The array flags radiated a desolate, grand, ancient, and solemn aura. A sense of great antiquity indicated that these flags had a considerable history.

Sensing the residual supreme will contained within them, Ge Qian could not help but feel deeply shocked.

What manner of cultivation base must one have possessed to slaughter the Four Auspicious Beasts? Such power was enough to flatten the entire mortal realm.

It was said that in ancient times, heaven and earth were integrated, and the Three Realms were not yet divided.

Later, due to some unknown calamity, the mortal realm sank, the immortal realm ascended, and the spirit realm occupied the middle, forming the current structure of the Three Realms.

Because of the laws of heaven and earth, true spirits no longer existed in the mortal realm. The presence of the Four Auspicious Beasts could only be witnessed manifesting their world-shaking divine might in the higher-level spirit realm.