Chapter 1240 - 869: The Collapse of the Grand Formation

The Queen Mother of the West knew what she was about to face. If she walked out of the Feng Shui Grand Array on her own, with the current situation of Heaven and Earth, she would be drained and fall from the Daluo realm within three days.

Within a year, she would fall from the Fruit Position realm and become a Twelfth Tier existence.

She no longer had the time to search for a hiding place, so she targeted Zhang Chen, hoping to find a solution from him. As for the Spiritual World of the Thirty-Three Heavens? It had little effect for her. Though the Thirty-Three Heavens could slow down the loss of the Princess’s Origin, it was not very useful to her.

Zhang Chen did not refuse. He already wanted to keep this zombie by his side to use at a critical moment: "I do have a place."

Zhang Chen opened his Ice Domain, then expanded the Ice Hell, "I wonder if my Ice Hell can hide your aura. As long as you suppress your aura and hide inside, the Ice Hell should be able to protect you."

Putting The Queen Mother of the West into the Ice Hell required her consent. If she smashed the Ice Hell, Zhang Chen would also suffer injuries.

Zhang Chen knew that although his Ice Hell was formidable, it couldn’t hold a Primordial Saint.

The issue was not with the Ice Hell itself, but with his own weak cultivation; the gap between him and The Queen Mother of the West was too vast.

"It’s a space at Absolute Zero; your techniques are indeed numerous!" The Queen Mother of the West glanced at Zhang Chen meaningfully. Though unwilling, given the current circumstances, she had no choice but to accept Zhang Chen’s coercion and reluctantly walked into the Ice Hell.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Chen’s lips curled into a smug smile. First, he controlled The Queen Mother of the West’s body, then her soul. From the perspective of an old wise being like her, choosing the most suitable option was the secret to surviving the immeasurable catastrophe. For them, nothing was more important than staying alive.

Assessing the situation without worrying about temporary honor or disgrace is a mandatory lesson for all Immortal beings.

For The Queen Mother of the West, her soul and body were already under the other’s control, and the other one definitely wouldn’t allow her to leave. So, she chose to lie dormant and look for an opportunity to find a solution.

Staying alive is the most important thing for The Queen Mother of the West. Besides, being around Zhang Chen allowed her to observe his secrets and weaknesses, making it a good choice for her.

Moreover, a mere Ice Hell couldn’t hold her. She could break it with just a flick of her finger if she wanted.

This was equivalent to her staying beside Zhang Chen, silently monitoring him and spying on all the secrets of this lesser being.

What else could she do? She was quite desperate. After all, the sight before her was no less than a tiger being bullied by a dog after descending into the plains.

While myriad thoughts swirled in Zhang Chen’s mind, The Queen Mother of the West had already entered a cell on her own, then sat quietly inside, watching Zhang Chen, "This place is indeed a good refuge. You better live well and not die, or else you would implicate me."

After she finished speaking, a ray of red light emanated within the Ice Hell, severing Zhang Chen’s vision inside.

"I say... I still have some questions for you, why did you cut off our contact?" Zhang Chen stood outside the Ice Hell, grumbling discontentedly.

"You merely want to inquire about the great changes in Heaven and Earth or ask about Lady Biyun’s affairs. I know nothing about it. Before I entered the ancient tomb, I left Lady Biyun and the White Ape to guard the Five Directions Banner Array. After I entered the ancient tomb and fell into slumber until today, I lost contact with the outside world completely. I have no idea what happened outside; I might even know less than you do now." The Queen Mother’s voice came from within the Ice Hell.

Hearing this, Zhang Chen didn’t find it suspicious and didn’t doubt the truthfulness of The Queen Mother’s words. After all, someone with her cultivation and realm had no need to lie.

"The key is, I planted a Reincarnation Mark on Lady Biyun’s soul. As long as I recover the Six Paths of Reincarnation Disc, I can lock onto Lady Biyun’s soul. As long as her soul remains in this world, escaping my perception is impossible." Zhang Chen was not in a hurry.

He closed the Ice Domain and his eyes scanned over to The Queen Mother’s ancient tomb. The entire tomb was far too ancient; anything slightly valuable had long turned to dust.

Only the coffin left by The Queen Mother and the jade-paved walls and floor tiles in the tomb were of significant worth.

"This coffin is a good artifact." Zhang Cheng opened the Ba Snake Space, immediately swallowed the coffin in, then glanced at the entire thirty-six-layered altar. After pondering for a while, he decided to stop for the moment. Such a massive altar was not something he could move.

Even if he wanted to cut it, it was impossible. It’s known that the entire altar has been tempered by the power of Earth Veins, and even those in the Fruit Position realm cannot budge the altar in the slightest.

After staring at the altar for a while, Zhang Chen turned and walked out of the ancient tomb. Only when passing through the burial rooms of the Innate Spirits did his steps halt; all the previously present skeletal remains had vanished.

"That kid Chen Xu possesses the Ba Snake bloodline, he’s reaped a huge harvest this time. Those white bones were once Innate Spirits, nurtured for countless years by the Power of the Earth Veins—it’s a rare Creation. In the future, Chen Xu’s power will see a rapid advancement, ascending to an unimaginable level," Zhang Chen thought as he swept his gaze over all the white bones. He walked unhurriedly through the palace, and as he was about to exit the palace gate, he suddenly halted upon hearing distant, wretched screams mingled with chilling roars, indicating the mechanisms within the Feng Shui Grand Array were being activated.

Zhang Chen listened intently, his heart stirred: "Someone’s broken in! Moreover, there are many people!"

He mused further: "They definitely aren’t Zhou Chuan’s people. If they were, they wouldn’t have triggered the mechanisms."

With this thought, Zhang Chen slowly walked toward the point where the mechanisms were triggered and saw from afar blood splashed around and numerous corpses strewn across the ground. Within a passage, golden threads were flying, severing all who entered.

Opposite the passageway, a group of people stared helplessly at the golden threads, seemingly discussing something.

Zhang Chen’s sudden appearance immediately startled the people opposite. When Zhang Chen saw them, they too noticed him. Someone pointed at Zhang Chen at one end of the passage and shouted, "There’s someone!!!"

Everyone turned to look, their gazes fixed on Zhang Chen.

Leading the group was a young gentleman, surrounded like stars around the moon. Beside him was Zhang Chen’s old acquaintance, Zhuge Cheng, who was once a prodigy from the Zhuge Family and famed alongside Southern Qilin Zhong Xiang.

"There’s someone on the other side!" Zhuge Cheng was the first to see Zhang Chen, hastily shouting a warning, and upon recognizing Zhang Chen’s face, his expression changed, for enemies meeting again can indeed stir intense emotions.

Years ago, Zhuge Cheng teamed up with Tushan Qing during the demon beast tide to ambush the Dragon Tiger Escort Agency’s convoy, but Zhang Chen’s intervention thwarted their plans.

Zhang Chen never expected Zhuge Cheng to appear here.

"Judging by his attire, he should be from outside, not a spirit from the ancient grave," said the young man beside Zhuge Cheng, eyeing Zhang Chen’s clothes thoughtfully.

Zhang Chen’s gaze swept over the crowd, his eyes showing a trace of inscrutability. Before he could speak, the leading young man had already greeted warmly, "Greetings, brother. I am Gong Chun of the Gong Family in Kyoto. May I ask your name?"

"Gong Chun?" Zhang Chen was surprised: "I’ve heard your name before, I think you were selected as one of the future Star Gods by the Yellow Heaven Dao. Could it be you?"

"For you to know such secrets, it seems you aren’t an outsider. Are you perhaps one of us from Yellow Heaven Dao?" Gong Chun’s eyes brightened at his words.

Zhang Chen recalled the Yellow Heaven Dao’s Star God Zhang Xiaohua who perished by his hand, Zhao Lie whose body he destroyed, Gu Mingyue whom he tricked multiple times, and the Gong family disciples who died by his hand, so he responded ambiguously:

"I have indeed dealt with the Yellow Heaven Dao’s higher-ups."

"Since you’ve dealt with them, then we’re family. How did you bypass these mechanisms, brother?" Gong Chun asked eagerly.

Zhang Chen glanced at the group behind Gong Chun, his lips curling into a cold smile. He had irreconcilable enmity with the Gong Family, and what better than tricking their leading genius Gong Chun into a trap here?

Thus, Zhang Chen generously pointed out how to navigate through the mechanisms, and as Gong Chun led the group past them, he came directly before Zhang Chen, bowing slightly: "I have yet to ask for your name."

"My surname is Zhang," Zhang Chen replied casually, glancing at North Wulong: "This brother looks a bit familiar."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Cheng sneered: "I find you somewhat familiar too."

At this, Zhuge Cheng addressed Gong Chun: "This person appeared within the ancient grave, seeming quite adept with the mechanisms. Could we ask him to lead us?"

Gong Chun turned his gaze to Zhang Chen: "Zhang, you seem to know Feng Shui Techniques. Could you guide us? If we successfully enter the main tomb chamber, we won’t hesitate to reward you generously."

"Certainly, I am worried about the dangers of the grave, though I know the mechanisms, many crises are beyond me, I need some helpers," Zhang Chen readily agreed, curious why Zhou Chuan and Chen Xu were absent, allowing Gong Chun to intrude?

"I’m proficient in Mechanical Techniques, brothers follow me, I’ll lead you," Zhang Chen said as he led them forward. He was slightly wary of Zhuge Cheng’s Time Freeze technique, only by mastering the Power of Time did he understand just how heaven-defying Zhuge Cheng’s methods were.

Though Zhang Chen possessed the Power of Time, Zhuge Cheng did as well, and Time Freeze specifically countered his ability. Unable to fathom the depth of Zhuge Cheng’s Power of Time, Zhang Chen intended to deceive them all into the Feng Shui Grand Array, using the mechanism traps to kill them—truly the best choice.