Chapter 210: Ling Meiyan’s Resolve. Entry, the Masked Cultivator in Black.
Before long, Yuèhuī Ménglóng and Ling Meiyan arrived at the Great-Spirit Dragon Array by spatial transportation.
The two stepped out of the portal and hovered down towards the large earthen structure that was built atop a hill. It was an array that consisted of twelve lesser arrays and the largest one at the center. Engraved onto the pillars surrounding the array were glyphs and symbols that represented the wisdom of past masters and celestial beings even.
Flanking the perimeter of the array were guardian statues imbued with protective enchantments.
Positioned at strategic points within the array, celestial anchors were used to establish a connection to the cosmic energies of the universe.
"Meiyan.."
"Yes, Senior Sister?" Ling Meiyan immediately answered.
"Normally, it requires about 12 Core Formation and 1 Nascent Soul cultivator to effectively activate and utilize the Great-Spirit Dragon Array, but in this case, you're more than sufficient."
Ling Meiyan, stunned, stared at the Third Matriarch. "Me?"
"Indeed, you're the definition of quality over quantity."
She lowered her head, "I know I have the power to do it, but somehow, I feel like I'll fail..."She tightened her fists, "Like I always do."
Yuèhuī Ménglóng folded her arms and sighed, "Agreed, you don't necessarily work well under pressure. And considering the entire fate of the Golden Crown depends on if you can phase it out of reality... that's asking a little too much."
"..." Ling Meiyan had nothing to say.
"Look," Yuèhuī Ménglóng placed a hand on Ling Meiyan's back to calm her. "Your mother is waiting for you to become great and get over your personal problems. If you don't, you won't be able to join her in the Upper Reaches and help her fight off the opposing sects."
"I-, I know..."
"Then, if you know... do this for our small Azure Tree and I know she'll be watching from the Upper Reaches and smiling. Your entire family will."
Ling Meiyan looked at her, "Including you?" she asked, implying that Yuèhuī Ménglóng was also family.
"Y-" the matriarch was caught off guard by the question. She wasn't one to smile much or be too sentimental about anything, but Ling Meiyan was a different case for her. She smiled warmly, "Yes."
Ling Meiyan flew down to the Central Nexus - the center of the array.
Standing there in silence, she took in deep breaths and tried to steel herself.
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By myself... By myself... This isn't a game of heavenly dao ball. This time, there will be risks if I fail to help pull through for my allies.
The fate of the Golden Crown rest in my hands... I can do this.
Ling Meiyan sat in a lotus position and performed the chandra mudra.
...
Golden Crown.
There were thousands of angel-winged, violet-colored skeletons crackling with purple lightning. These were called Celestial Wraiths, they were monsters that escaped the rifts during a world-ending event. They would devour the spiritual energy remaining from the destroyed world until there was nothing left.
They were all comparable to Spirit Ascension level due to their constant consumption of spiritual energy.
GRRAAAAARRRR!!
These creatures roared and flew forward at furious speeds!
Leading all the Spirit Ascension and sparse Immortal Realm cultivators were Liáng Xīnyuè and Bai Suzhen.
"Cultivators, charge!" Bai Suzhen ordered, shooting a hand forward.
Matriarchs Fangblade and Venomheart (Xu Tung-Mei) were no longer Immortal Realm cultivators, however, their experience earned them a spot in the Golden Crown team.
As Fangblade flew, she ordered the small squad of cultivators she was with, "Cultivators at the Spirit Ascension level, make sure you don't take more than you can handle. We have a small number of Immortal level cultivators, but we can make due, considering we also possess numerous supreme treasures!" She formed a dragon sword and then sent it darting forward.
Dragon Sword Dust Rain!
Soon, the dragon sword disintegrated into countless particles, as tiny as dust. Each of these blue dust particles then morphed into thousands of swords, only to break down into dust themselves and transform into thousands upon thousands of dragon swords. This process repeated until there were millions of them.
"Cut." Fangblade snapped her fingers.
No one, even Immortal level cultivators saw what happened next. All they witnessed, was several hundreds of celestial wraiths were torn to pieces as well as some meteors and other celestial and dark beasts in the vast space.
Mu Lingxi who saw this was shocked. "Wait, she can use a technique of our sect?!"
Such power... and she's only at Nascent Soul Realm...
Bai Suzhen saw Fangblade's flashy display and nodded approvingly. "She's quite powerful, no wonder I picked her as a matriarch!" she grinned as she spoke. Now, she felt even prouder of herself because she was so good at scouting talents..
"Indeed," Liáng Xīnyuè smiled a bit. "After all, she was acknowledged by the guardian dragons."
Even I wasn't...
Matriarch Venomheart flew to Bai Suzhen and Liáng Xīnyuè. "So, what exactly is our plan? Some of these celestial wraiths are either multiplying or regenerating... we can't keep fighting them and waiting until that hand hits."
Liáng Xīnyuè replied, "That's not a problem."
"It's not?"
"Yes, Grandmaster Ling will be using the Great-Spirit Dragon Array to phase the Golden Crown out of this expanse. It'll leave the Silver Trunk and Bronze Tap Root unprotected, but we'll do our best to seal off some of the hand's power so we salvage a the streams of the Crystal River Mandala."
Venomheart nodded, "That makes sense."
As long as the Crystal River Mandala itself wasn't completely destroyed, then the concept of infinite minor worlds would still exist, hence, allowing the lower regions of the Azure Tree itself to exist. However, this did not mean an unforgivable number of lives wouldn't be lost.
"Xīnyuè," Bai Suzhen called.
Liáng Xīnyuè bowed her head, "Yes, Sect Founder?"
"I'll be heading up to help Huīrán and the other elite cultivators, to mitigate the damage of the arriving hand. Stay here and coordinate things."
"I completely trust your judgement..." the matriarch nodded.
Quickly, Bai Suzhen flew upward at missile-like speed, weaving through the meteors, celestial wraiths and countless beasts in her way.
...
Flying through the portal, Yang Wei was supposed to appear in the Azure Tree.
Hm, I hope everyone's fine... if Senior Tortoise believes I can't defeat a Divine Realm cultivator and considering the comparison Meixiu made between them and cultivators at the Immortal level, then--
Yang Wei shook his head. "Hmm, no, that's a foolish thought. I find it hard to believe these cultivators live up to the hype."
Just then, a hand gently touched his shoulder mid-flight.
"Hey, where're you going?"
The moment Yang Wei heard this voice he didn't waste a second. His right hand immediately pressed against the chest of whoever this person was, and he used [Scarlet Magic] to completely reduce them to nothing.
Then, in the interstitial space, Yang Wei started hearing a deliberately slow clapping sound.
Clap...!
Clap...!
Clap...!
"Wow, you didn't waste a second to kill me."
The individual speaking came into view. One could tell it was a man simply from the way he talked and walked. He wore black and dark blue robes and had long black hair fashioned into a ponytail. The coldness of his crystal blue eyes matched Yang Wei's but his facial expression was covered by a small white mask he wore.
Yang Wei glared at him.
What's it with these people and being able to come back from non-existent... *sigh* if I delete you, you're supposed to stay deleted.
"So, are you one of the Divine cultivators from the Heavenly Court Sect?"
The young man shook his head. "No, of course not. I'm just a friendly cultivator walking by."
Yang Wei quietly analyzed.
Walking by? Is he crazy or simply trying to mock me... He was able to bypass my spatial transportation, that's not normal. And, he also came back from nothing... is he linked to that Emperor in the Eternal Lands?
Yes, like those cultivators who attacked me back at the Red Snake Mountains.
"So, you're using the Dao of Sacred Protection? I can by--"
The man interjected, "Bypass it with your Sacred Palace? One of your Five Supreme Magics. No, I'm not affiliated with the person you have in mind... if anything, he's my enemy."
"Oh?" Yang Wei smiled. "It seems I have a fan..."
"Snarky as always, that disgusting habit of yours doesn't seem to end, does it?" the man chuckled. "You have no appreciation for everything you've been given - power, women, luck, adoration... you just remain indifferent to it all, because what? No one's better than you?"
"..." no words from Yang Wei.
"I detest you," The man sighed as he looked up. The entire space was nothing but blackness. A shrug followed shortly after his sigh, "But that doesn't matter now, does it?" another chuckle left his lips and then his mood switched to a completely different one as he stared at Yang Wei with a cold-blooded glare.
No reaction from Yang Wei still. "So dramatic..." he said dryly.
"Yang Wei, today... you're going to lose everything in this world. The people who showed love and care to you, and the ones who hated you... you act plain to it because you're scared they'll fear you at some point, isn't it? The people you take for granted, they'll be erased from this world, and I'll make sure to use them well."
Yang Wei stepped forward. "What did you say?" his voice had some venom behind it.
"It seems I haven't introduced myself."
He waved casually at Yang Wei.
"I'm Emperor Heavenmind..."