Chapter 258: Three Thousand

Chapter 258 -252: Three Thousand

[Chen Qingyang]

[Essence Condensation Fifth Realm]

[Great Soul Scripture: (49/999,999)]

[Tai Xu Star Pivot Purple Micro True Skill (Spiritual Constellation Scroll): (24/20,000)]

[Danxia Nourishing Truth Sword Manual: (51,999/52,000)]

[Tier Five Nameless Elixir: (19/10,000)]

[Nanming Red Emperor’s Celestial Burning and Sea Boiling Daoist Truth: (415/24,000)]

[Inner Nourishing Five Elements Sword (Bone): (1/240,000)]

[True Understanding of the Celestial Star Demon Suppression Array: (0/15,000)]

[Ten Thousand Miles in One Breath Technique: (379/50,000)]

[Available Immortal Seedlings: 83,542]

「Cyan Bamboo Peak.」

In a small courtyard halfway up the mountain, a Star Disc cast a white glow. After a heavy rain the previous night, its light mingled with the sheen of the rising red sun, illuminating the dewdrops.

A rainbow formed a bridge across the gorge. Below, the waterfall rushed turbulently, giving rise to a purple vapor that enveloped the area.

The peak was in a state of eternal spring. The air was crisp, and with a deep breath, he could feel the abundance of Spiritual Qi.

Exhaling a mouthful of Dense Qi, Chen Qingyang felt his meridians being cleansed. A sense of extreme comfort spread through his body, something Spirit Stones could not provide.

‘It’s good to be back.’

The small golden words floated before his eyes. He allocated 15,000 from the total and spent it all on the True Understanding of the Celestial Star Demon Suppression Array, instantly reaching an introductory level of comprehension.

The Circulation of Stars… To set up this Array, the physical Array Bases on the ground were only one component. One also had to utilize knowledge of star maps to remotely harness Star Power, pulling on the stars in the firmament and using them as Array Bases as well.

This fact alone was enough to leave Chen Qingyang deeply shaken.

Having cultivated the Spiritual Constellation Scroll portion of his Purple Star True Skill, he knew just how difficult it was to borrow the Power of the Stars by mortal means. For the Tai Xu Sect to lay this Array across such a vast territory was to intimately link together thousands upon thousands of stars.

It was like a god painting with a giant brush, or a celestial emperor placing a piece on a cosmic game board—an act far beyond the capabilities of mortals.

The Array was truly profound. Its secrets were unfathomable and difficult to grasp. At his current stage, Chen Qingyang had only managed to understand the basic concept; he was still far from being able to fully merge with it.

When he checked the progress cap again, it had increased by ten thousand.

‘People are so strange,’ he thought. ‘When I’m down to my last one or two thousand Immortal Seedlings, I don’t hesitate to spend them. But now, after spending fifteen thousand, I can’t help but feel a little reluctant.’

The change this time was centered around the Xuanji.

The Xuanji Acupoint is where one stores Star Power. Cultivating this Array inherently increased his Star Power, which was then stored in the Xuanji Acupoint, allowing it to reach an extremely dense and profound state.

Chen Qingyang could even feel a great surge in his cultivation of the Purple Star True Skill.

[Tai Xu Star Pivot Purple Micro True Skill (Spiritual Constellation Scroll): (10,240/20,000)]

He checked again. Sure enough, the increase was a full ten thousand. ‘Definitely worth it.’

Both the Demon Suppression Array and the Purple Star True Skill cultivated the Power of the Stars. This was exemplified by the third layer of the Purple Star True Skill, named Xuanji Suspension. The technique involved using the Power of the Stars within the Xuanji Acupoint to decipher the meaning of constellations tens of millions of miles away.

The single word “Suspension” perfectly encapsulated its profound nature.

Of course, his understanding of the Array had also deepened.

With a mere thought, his Conscious Fish appeared, suspended between heaven and earth. As he let it roam within a two-hundred-li radius, he could sense the underground Array Bases and the corresponding power from the celestial bodies above. He could vaguely make out the network and flow of the Array.

The same held true even when he extended his senses further. However, trying to draw close to the Array, let alone merge with it, proved difficult. He still couldn’t grasp the root of its Qi Mechanism, nor could he quietly take control of even a small, localized part of it.

Chen Qingyang now felt as if he were facing an enormous and impossibly precise machine, approaching, studying, and familiarizing himself with it one small step at a time.

He had caught a glimpse of its entirety and could vaguely see the operations and connections of its key components. But as for actually taking control, even slightly, or truly understanding how those key components operated and connected, he was still a long way off.

He looked at the small golden words again. This time, the progress cap had jumped directly to forty thousand.

Chen Qingyang checked his reserves and saw he had just over forty thousand Immortal Seedlings left. It was as if the cost was tailor-made for him, a perfect fit. Reluctant or not, he had to spend them.

He spent all forty thousand Immortal Seedlings. The greatest physical change was once again in his Xuanji Acupoint. His Star Power nearly doubled, and his Purple Star True Skill transformed dramatically.

[Tai Xu Star Pivot Purple Micro True Skill (Spiritual Constellation Scroll): (19,999/20,000)]

‘A pleasant surprise!’

He was just one point away from breaking through to Xuanji Suspension.

This last point wasn’t a matter of insufficient Power. To advance in this Dharma Gate, a breakthrough required not just Star Power, but also the guidance of his own Divine Soul.

Chen Qingyang temporarily set aside the Array True Understanding and immersed his Divine Soul in the Purple Star True Skill, seeking a breakthrough.

As he closed his eyes, a faint stream of Star Power flowed out, once again revealing the Star Sand Pattern. Within his mind, the Star Map—the Spiritual Constellation Scroll—materialized.

The Daoist Techniques of Heaven and Earth seem complex, but once you achieve true understanding, everything becomes remarkably simple.

Now, using the Power of the Stars, he found the Spiritual Constellation Scroll growing ever clearer. With a slight shift of his will, Chen Qingyang could focus on a single section, and the stars in that region would seem to magnify before his very eyes.

Gone was the previous state of being unable to see, calculate, or deduce with any clarity. The slightest application of his new abilities brought about a qualitative change.

For instance, in his current deduction, he saw that next to the Celestial Pig Concealing Trigram, a white star was shining so brightly it was impossible to miss.

This star was none other than Yun Ci.

He had been an outsider to this matter from the very beginning. Therefore, the dire prediction of “nine deaths and one life” was about Yun Ci.