Chapter 675 155: Patrolling the Moon

These dense Sealing Arrays were not uniform. Some were of the Mystic Sect, others of the Heavenly Gate. All were common types of Sealing Arrays that could be found in the Daoist Palace's array archives. They were arranged according to the generating and restraining principles of the Five Elements Yin and Yang, centered around an Energy Gathering Array as their core.

The principles behind the arrays of the Cultivation Realm were almost always the same. They used an Energy Gathering Array as a core to power the Array Runes. This, in turn, would activate the Celestial and Earthly Treasures, Primordial Spirits, bloodline powers, or other components laid out on the array to achieve its purpose.

These Sealing Arrays contained living extraterrestrial beings, which was why Wang Ping could sense those negative emotions. All in all, the principle behind the array on the Dark Highland was the same as the one Wang Ping was taught on his first day for luring extraterrestrials. It was based on the fundamental rule that like attracts like among these beings.

The only difference was that a great many extraterrestrial beings were sealed here. Furthermore, there was a massive Fire Spirit Array projecting a powerful beam of light into outer space. Up close, one could see the beam penetrating far into the distance, forming a distinct pillar of light against the inky backdrop of space.

"Extraterrestrial beings love to swarm together. They will converge on their own kind the moment they find them—it's an even higher priority for them than assimilating spiritual essence. Their second favorite thing is a light source. See all those stars in the sky? Most of them were created by the Alliance. There's also a rumor that the brightest stars are the Dao Fields of the True Monarchs, though who knows if that's true."

Pang Xu gazed at the beam of light projecting into space. "This so-called defensive line is made up of all those bright stars," he said. "When extraterrestrial beings enter our corner of the cosmos, they're drawn to the outermost ones. That's what the Alliance files refer to as the front line. Those stars stop most of the beings, and the few that slip through are drawn to the other stars."

"Very, very few make it to us. Most of those get drawn to the sun. Our True Yang Sect has two Fourth Realm Cultivators permanently stationed near the sun, and they kill any extraterrestrial beings that get close."

Wang Ping nodded. This information was also available in the projection hall. He was now using his Primordial Spirit to conduct a very serious inspection of the Sealing Arrays on the Dark Highland, making sure there were no problems.

This was his duty!

The highland appeared pitch-black because of the influence of the sealed extraterrestrial beings. When the scorching sunlight descended, it seemed to be spatially cut off, unable to reach the ground. The light couldn't even penetrate the gloom.

A few minutes later, Wang Ping suddenly sensed the aura of a Wood Spirit coming from inside one of the Sealing Arrays. His gaze shot over, and he flew directly above it to observe with his own eyes.

It was a Wood Spirit Sealing Array. At its core, vines spread continuously. A gray figure was trapped within them, struggling to break the seal. Its bloated body twisted and deformed like a rubber band as the vines squeezed and pulled it. The moment Wang Ping appeared, its attention locked onto him.

Then, grayish-black faces appeared on its bloated body. These faces looked exactly like Wang Ping's, and from time to time, they would spit out a dense spiritual essence.

"That's so disgusting. Can I kill it?"

Yu Lian, perched on Wang Ping's shoulder, kept tensing up. She looked furious.

Wang Ping sensed the emotions of the extraterrestrial being. It wasn't a single consciousness, but a collective of hundreds. Each consciousness vied for dominance, and their mutual hostility gave birth to negative emotions like the desire to devour, madness, and bloodlust. During this process, they were fusing with the scant spiritual essence in the space.

"If you want to kill it, then kill it. We have plenty of spares on hand!"

Pang Xu appeared beside them.

Yu Lian wasn't one for pleasantries. Upon hearing Pang Xu, she flicked her tail, and an invisible surge of water spirit power swept over like a gust of wind. The extraterrestrial being in the Sealing Array was instantly frozen solid. In that same moment, the invisible Water Spirit Aura wiped out the hundreds of consciousnesses inside, and the block of ice shattered into dust.

Wang Ping hadn't stopped her because he wanted to test the extraterrestrial being's vitality. He never expected it to be so fragile. Watching the ice shards melt, he formed a hand seal for a Spell, summoning wood spirit energy to repair the Sealing Array.

Pang Xu then took a Sealing Crystal from his storage pouch. He descended to the core of the Sealing Array, tossed the crystal in, and melted it with a flame. The instant the Sealing Crystal dissolved, a mass of black energy materialized. It tried to flee, but the Sealing Array locked it down tight.

"Are there more? Let me see!"

Ao Hong walked over and asked.

Pang Xu took out another Sealing Crystal and handed it to Ao Hong.

Wang Ping ignored the Sealing Crystal and continued with his duty, carefully checking the Array for any vulnerabilities. Buqiong, meanwhile, headed to a nearby monitoring tower.

「Half an Hour later.」

Wang Ping finished inspecting the entire Luring Array and confirmed there were no problems.

Next, he inspected the surrounding monitoring towers and the array facilities used for combat. He found that the Array Runes in two towers were slightly damaged, and he repaired them on the spot.

When it was time to inspect the souls of every member of the garrison, Wang Ping could clearly feel their inner resistance. This was unavoidable, as such an inspection was equivalent to being stripped naked and examined inside and out.

Therefore, only a Fourth Realm Cultivator could perform this task, because to most Cultivators, a Fourth Realm Cultivator was sacred and powerful.

For Third Realm Cultivators, he only needed them to present their Primordial Spirits to confirm they hadn't been contaminated.

The inspection actually did uncover a problem. Two Second Realm Star Gods who frequently patrolled near the Sealing Arrays had clear signs of contamination at different levels within their memories.

Pang Xu and Buqiong were not particularly surprised. According to them, this sort of thing happened during every routine inspection. The fate awaiting these two was fifty years of solitary meditation. Theoretically, all memories could be cleansed over time, and with the added help of a Secret Technique from the Yuqing Sect, they would almost certainly be fine.

After finishing their official business, Wang Ping and Ao Hong weren't in a hurry to leave. They both wanted to witness a battle with the extraterrestrial beings, and they would only have to wait a few hours to see one.

「One hour later.」

The monitoring devices in outer space sent out a warning.

Pang Xu didn't even need to summon anyone. A hundred Second Realm Cultivators and two Third Realm Star Gods had already assembled in front of the Daoist Palace's garrison.

Buqiong explained, "When the monitoring devices detect an extraterrestrial being moving toward the moon, the alert is sent to every member immediately. It's because a known enemy is easier to mentally accept than an unknown one."

「Half an Hour later.」

Wang Ping, whose Primordial Spirit Consciousness was extended into outer space, sensed a mass of energy radiating a negative aura and moving rapidly through the cosmos!

"They're made of energy?"

"Yes!"

"This is their phantom state, their initial form upon entering this part of space. They undergo all sorts of changes upon contact with Spiritual Material!"

"Then… can it be absorbed?"

Ao Hong voiced the question that was also on Wang Ping's mind.

Hearing this, Buqiong looked at Ao Hong with extreme seriousness and said, "Never mention this question again, anywhere!"