Chapter 681: Perfection (I)

Someone is secretly watching me! Lin Zheyu thought, frowning slightly as he entered the formation node.

This was not the first time he had sensed someone watching him. The person spying on him just now was probably not that Deity Transformation realm expert. That expert only swept him with divine sense whenever he entered or left the space-time node, seemingly to guard against his passage causing some unforeseen disturbance elsewhere.

But the one watching him just now was definitely not that Deity Transformation realm expert. The surveillance was extremely covert, and even after activating his Heavenly Eye, Lin Zheyu could not figure out where the person was. Apart from that Deity Transformation realm expert using a secret technique, only another cultivator drawing upon the power of the formation could conceal themselves so thoroughly.

Who could it be? Shi Tianyun? Or Mo Qingyang? Lin Zheyu wondered.

During his more than half a year in the demon cave, he had kept an extremely low profile. Apart from cultivating and guarding the formation node, he merely entered the space-time node for an occasional look around. He usually interacted only with members of the Martial Alliance. His relationships with everyone else went no further than exchanging greetings, and he barely knew them, much less had any reason to make enemies of them.

No, perhaps it isn't either of them. My repeated trips into the space-time node may have attracted the attention of certain interested parties. They must suspect that I possess some extraordinary secret, Lin Zheyu thought.

This was a cruel world where the strong preyed upon the weak. An ordinary man might be innocent, but possessing a treasure made him guilty. With the Martial Alliance's strength and backing, it could never protect him if he truly possessed some powerful secret or treasure.

The Shi Family and the Mo Family alone were no weaker than the Martial Alliance. The Soaring Sword Sect behind Mu Jianying and the Yao Family behind Yao Lang were likewise comparable to it in strength.

Although the Martial Alliance was guarded by an expert whose strength rivaled the Deity Transformation realm, Qin Hu had encountered problems in his cultivation and ranked among the weakest at that level. Among the great powers, the Martial Alliance was merely a faction protected by a bottom-tier Deity Transformation realm expert. It was even somewhat inferior to factions with ancient inheritances and powerful secret techniques or spirit treasures at their disposal.

Even if those people harbor malicious intentions, they would not dare make a move here. I only need a little more time to cultivate the Primordial Chaos True Art to Perfection and break free of the second shackle. By then, with the Primordial Chaos Pool, even if I face a Deity Transformation realm expert... No, that is too ambitious. But against someone at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, I should be able to escape with ease, Lin Zheyu thought.

He exhaled softly and cleared his mind of distracting thoughts. Sitting cross-legged within the formation node, he calmed his mind and focused his thoughts. His spiritual sense reached into the Primordial Chaos Pool, and he began studying the Shamanic Clan texts contained within the bone talisman.

After all, the Primordial Chaos True Art incorporated many concepts and cultivation methods from the Shamanic Dao. As the technique advanced, Lin Zheyu's understanding of shamanic arts steadily deepened, allowing him to comprehend more and more of the texts.

Time passed slowly. In the blink of an eye, more than ten days went by.

Suddenly, a terrifying roar erupted from within the space-time node. Lin Zheyu's eyes snapped open. His figure flickered slightly as he pressed his right hand against the formation node.

Lin Zheyu's gaze sharpened as an ominous feeling rose in his heart. "It's happening again!"

Ever since he sensed that concealed aura on the city wall, a faint sense of danger had lingered in his heart. Rather than fading with time, it had only grown stronger.

Terrifying battle fluctuations surged out of the space-time node. The golden Heavenly Eye within Lin Zheyu's sea of consciousness opened, unexpectedly catching sight of a graceful figure dressed in red. Her long hair streamed behind her as she stepped into the space-time node.

So this is that Deity Transformation realm expert!

The woman was breathtakingly beautiful, like a blazing flame. The moment Lin Zheyu looked at her, his eyes began to burn painfully, forcing him to withdraw his gaze at once. However, the woman seemed to sense his observation. Just as she was about to enter the space-time node, she turned her head and cast a casual glance in Lin Zheyu's direction. Her eyes were unfathomably deep, and within the centers of her pitch-black pupils, fierce flames seemed to burn.

Interesting. A spirit divine ability? For a mere Shackles realm martial artist to perceive my divine soul through an awakened spirit divine ability, this little fellow's ability is clearly extraordinary. I never expected such a stunningly gifted martial artist to emerge from a minor faction like the Martial Alliance, the woman thought.

After merely glancing at Lin Zheyu, she withdrew her gaze and vanished beyond the space-time node. With her entry, the violent node void became even more terrifying. A space-time node was a region where the wills of two worlds clashed. Once the various rule energies reached a critical point, they settled into a temporary equilibrium amid their violent chaos.

But that stability was only temporary. The vast rule energies accumulated within the node void were like an enormous powder keg that could explode at the slightest spark. The stronger the expert who entered, the more easily they would stir up the violent rule energies within.

***

Outside the space-time node, the roars of yao echoed from within. Immediately afterward, a vast army of yao surged through the spatial rift like a tidal wave and entered the first formation defense line. Lin Zheyu and Zong Linjing were no longer complete novices at facing a yao army. This was their second time.

With their previous experience, they were much calmer and more proficient at controlling the grand formation. One yao after another was shredded by the sword lights, leaving the ground strewn with yao flesh and blood. Under the searing heat of the Heaven-Scorching Grand Formation, the vitality within the remains rapidly drained away.

At the same time, the endless waves of yao were not only rapidly depleting the formation's energy reserves outside the space-time node, but also wearing down its restrictions. A formation with such vast coverage and tremendous power would be anything but easy to repair once damaged.

The yao army continued to swell, reaching a scale far greater than the previous invasion. This time, however, without Shi Tianyun secretly interfering, Lin Zheyu felt considerably less pressure. The formation nodes changed positions every three days without any discernible pattern. As long as the yao army did not discover the formation node's location, he could remain concealed inside it, guarding the formation node while controlling the formation to slaughter the invading yao.

Time passed slowly. This yao invasion lasted for a full five days. Zong Linjing was only at the early Shackles realm, and by the second day, she was already showing signs of exhaustion and struggling to hold on. Ji Haozhong arrived in time and took over the formation node she had been guarding. Lin Zheyu, meanwhile, waited until the third day before finally putting on a weary appearance, as though his strength were failing.

Wang Zhengtian entered the formation node and patted Lin Zheyu approvingly on the shoulder. "Haha, not bad, kid!"

He was growing increasingly fond of this junior. The more time they spent together, the more Wang Zhengtian realized that Xiao Yu possessed astonishing martial cultivation foundations, physical aptitude, and comprehension. He was in no way inferior to Qin Hu in his younger days. Should he mature fully, he might one day truly enter the domain of the Deity Transformation realm through martial cultivation. Qin Hu, by comparison, had merely taken a shortcut, one that had left behind enormous hidden dangers.

"You flatter me, Senior. Had you waited any longer to take over, I truly would not have been able to hold on," Lin Zheyu replied modestly.

In truth, he could have continued for another ten days or even half a month without issue. The immense energy stored within his three great divine repositories was enough to sustain him for a very long time. Lin Zheyu simply had no intention of doing so. He planned to seize this opportunity to continue studying the surrounding formation restrictions with his Heavenly Eye. Such an opportunity was exceedingly rare.

"Heh, you think I don't know you? There's no need to pretend in front of me. With your strength, you could probably hold out until the very end without any trouble. Go study the surrounding formation restrictions while you can. Leave the rest to me," Wang Zhengtian said, shooting Lin Zheyu a sidelong glance and curling his lip.

Although he could not see through Lin Zheyu's true strength, the two had often sat together discussing the Dao over the past half year, occasionally even sparring to test and verify their martial cultivation. Wang Zhengtian therefore had a rough idea of Lin Zheyu's capabilities. At the very least, this was certainly nowhere near his limit.