Chapter 572: Great Change of Heaven and Earth, Spiritual Qi Surges

Kunxu Realm, Celestial Profound Sect.

A sea of clouds churned below as Immortal Mountains floated in the air. A majestic palace stood atop the main peak. Inside, ethereal mist swirled, filled with countless rays of auspicious light.

Within the grand hall, several figures with immeasurably profound auras sat in state. At their head was the Sect Leader of the Celestial Profound Sect, the Profound Origin Daoist Venerable.

“Can a mere Lower Realm, one whose Spiritual Qi is nearly depleted, truly produce such an anomaly?”

A Supreme Elder with white hair and a youthful face stroked his beard and spoke, his tone tinged with nonchalance.

For a first-rate sect like theirs in the Kunxu Realm, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of minor worlds that provided Spiritual Qi. They paid them no mind.

Master Qingxuan bowed. “Reporting to the Sect Leader and the Supreme Elders. Not only has that Wu Liangchen cultivated the Devouring Spirit True Understanding to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, but his Spiritual Power is exceptionally pure and domineering—completely different from what is recorded in our sect’s archives. That is how he was able to shake Yuchu’s high-grade Magical Artifact, the Soul Suppressing Bell, with his bare hands and even damage it. Despite her Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, Yuchu was actually no match for him.”

As soon as he spoke, the somewhat casual atmosphere in the hall instantly grew tense.

“Oh?” A flicker of interest finally appeared in the Profound Origin Daoist Venerable’s eyes, which seemed to contain a boundless Star Sea. “This long-abandoned Cultivation Technique… someone actually managed to improve it to such a degree?”

“Every word is true!”

Another Supreme Elder mused, “Tang Yuchu is the prodigy of our sect’s younger generation. With her Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation and the Soul Suppressing Bell in hand, she was defeated by a mere native—one whose cultivation is an entire stage below hers, no less. This matter is strange indeed!”

“Issue the order,” the Sect Leader’s voice echoed throughout the grand hall. “Send word to dispatch an elite squad, led by a Core Formation elder, to reopen a stable passage to the Lower Realm. Remember: I want him alive. I intend to personally uncover the secrets he holds.”

With the order given, the entire Celestial Profound Sect sprang into action, preparing for the next descent.

「Underground Base. Command Center.」

Wu Liangchen, Old Ghost, Jian Yi, and the others sat around a massive holographic sand table. The table clearly displayed the complex structure of the underground Spirit Cutting Array.

“This Spirit Cutting Array is like a giant dam,” Wu Liangchen said, his expression grave as he pointed at the sand table.

“For hundreds of years, it has intercepted an immeasurable amount of Spiritual Qi. If we were to rashly destroy it, the accumulated energy would erupt in an instant. The blast would be equivalent to hundreds of nuclear bombs detonating at once. All of Zhongjing City, and the surrounding area for hundreds of miles, would be turned to scorched earth.”

The color drained from everyone’s faces. The consequences were far more severe than they had imagined.

“Then what should we do?” Old Ghost asked, his brow furrowed.

“My plan is to open a small breach in a relatively weak part of the array. Like opening the sluice gates on a dam, we’ll channel the pent-up Spiritual Qi into a designated zone to release the pressure gradually.”

As he spoke, he swiped a finger across the sand table, circling a large area.

Old Ghost’s eyes lit up. “That sounds like a solid plan. Starfire can handle the evacuation. Before the operation begins, I’ll have everyone cleared out from the release zone and a ten-kilometer radius around it. We’ll make sure it’s foolproof.”

With the plan finalized, everyone immediately got to work. Alina and Song Ling’Er led a team of researchers, using various precision instruments to perform a comprehensive scan and analysis of the Spirit Cutting Array. Meanwhile, Old Ghost mobilized all of the Starfire Organization’s resources to begin the mass evacuation.

「Three days later, all preparations were complete.」

The release zone had long since been cleared; for more than ten kilometers in every direction, there wasn’t a soul in sight. Wu Liangchen stood alone before the massive Spirit Cutting Array. He closed his eyes, his immense Divine Sense spreading out like quicksilver as he carefully perceived the flow of Spiritual Qi and the structural integrity of the array within.

A moment later, his eyes snapped open, a golden light flashing within them. He had found the perfect point to make the breach.

“Right here!”

With a low cry, he pushed his Cultivation Technique to its limit. A pale golden Primordial True Qi surged from within him, concentrating at the tip of his finger.

Without any earth-shattering fanfare, Wu Liangchen gently tapped a single point on the array’s curtain of light.

“TSSSS—”

Like water hitting a sizzling wok, the supposedly indestructible curtain of light was slowly pierced by his fingertip. A tiny hole silently appeared.

Immediately after, Wu Liangchen’s hands became a blur. The Primordial True Qi transformed into countless fine threads that sketched and cut around the hole, meticulously widening the opening.

Throughout the entire process, he exerted his control over Spiritual Qi to the absolute utmost. He didn’t dare show the slightest carelessness, terrified of triggering a chain reaction.

Finally, a circular opening about a meter in diameter was successfully created.

“WHOOM—”

The next moment, the immense Spiritual Qi that had been pent-up for centuries, like a flood that had finally found an outlet, erupted from the opening with a deep roar! So dense it was visible to the naked eye, the Spiritual Qi formed a torrent of pure white energy that shot toward the heavens before turning, guided by Wu Liangchen’s will, and surging toward the designated release zone in the distant desert.

In the command center, Old Ghost and the others watched the spectacular scene unfold on the monitors, all holding their breath.

Wherever the torrent of Spiritual Qi passed, the air grew fresh and humid. As this incredibly pure energy poured into the designated desert region, something unbelievable happened.

The once-barren, lifeless sand began to burst with vibrant life at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Tender green sprouts broke through the sand, swaying in the breeze and rapidly growing into lush grass. On the cracked earth, small springs began to gurgle, bubbling up with fresh, clear water.

The withered husks of dead trees, as if injected with new vitality, sprouted fresh buds and, in a matter of minutes, grew into lush, green trees.