Chapter 308: Spiritual Robe

The gathered Earth Deities began to split into hundreds of streams, drawn away by silver Star Power.

‘This must be the distribution of the Earth Deities, and it’s starting right now.’

Seeing a wisp about to be drawn away, Chen Qingyang gently tapped it, siphoning a little back. A face instantly flashed in his mind, and he stole 1,568 Immortal Seedlings.

This was a Master Life Light; otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten so many Immortal Seedlings from just a tiny bit.

From the image he’d just seen, he could confirm the Master was completely unaware. After all, he had only taken a tiny bit. He continued onward, dipping into each stream along the way.

1,237.

1,463.

658.

…

In just a short time, he’d passed over twenty people and gained 29,853 Immortal Seedlings. ‘This Cultivation is practically free,’ he thought. ‘It’s too easy!’

Unfortunately, the Masters were absorbing the Earth Deities extremely quickly, leaving him little time. With another pass, his Dragon Beard dipped into each stream, snatching another 31,453.

The hundreds of silver streams of Star Power that were drawing away the Earth Deities had dwindled to just a few dozen, and their numbers were still falling.

Chen Qingyang could clearly see that one mass of Earth Deity not far away was several times larger than the portions of the other Masters, and it was still being actively drawn from.

‘No doubt about it,’ he thought. ‘That has to be Master Miaoyou!’

He stopped caring about anything else. Both his Dragon Beards plunged into the stream, and he began to absorb with all his might.

If stealing from the other Masters was just a crime of opportunity, this one was personal. A real grudge was involved. At that thought, he even mobilized his nine Dragon Tendons.

Tiny golden characters flickered in his mind as a flurry of numbers changed at a frantic pace.

It wasn’t just the number of stolen Immortal Seedlings that was increasing; his Nanming Red Emperor’s Method was also progressing at an extremely rapid rate.

The Master’s handsome face also flashed in his mind from time to time.

He hadn’t expected this Master to be so perceptive. He had only skimmed a tiny bit more of this “good fortune,” yet the man was already frowning. Just as Chen Qingyang was about to retreat, he saw the Master’s eyes fly open as an overwhelming tide of Star Power swept in from all directions.

He didn’t dare linger and immediately began darting through the Array World.

It seemed the Master had detected his presence, yet he wasn’t entirely sure. A thin layer of Star Power flowed everywhere like a tide, searching.

It was precisely the Master’s uncertainty that gave Chen Qingyang a chance to survive. If his Conscious Fish were severely damaged, or even destroyed, his own Divine Soul would suffer a grievous wound, and he had no idea how long it would take to refine a new one.

After a long pursuit, the tide finally stopped. It seemed it had only been a suspicion, one that had now been dismissed.

Chen Qingyang didn’t dare approach again; all he wanted was to leave.

But just then, the tide surged again, moving with incredible speed.

Chen Qingyang fled for his life once more. A long time seemed to pass in a blur. Within this Array World, his pursuer seemed capable of constantly tracking his presence. He had to find a way to escape, and quickly.

But getting out wasn’t so easy. It would take time, time enough for the tide to catch him. He had to find another way.

He observed his surroundings as he fled.

Within the Array, he carefully analyzed its various mechanisms, nodes, and the flow of Star Power…

But even as he studied it, he didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. ‘I can’t just keep running forever in this game of cat and mouse.’

[Available Immortal Seedlings: 120,691]

As expected of a top-tier Master Life Light. In that single encounter, Chen Qingyang had stolen nearly sixty thousand Immortal Seedlings from him. In total, he had accumulated more than one hundred and ten thousand on this trip.

He had planned to save them to increase his Cultivation later, but it was clear that bastard Miaoyou wasn’t going to let him escape. Sooner or later, he would be caught.

Steeling his resolve, he decided to max out the *True Understanding of the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array*.

And so, Chen Qingyang began increasing his Cultivation while still on the run.

Back where his true body was, at the Xuanji point, a blazing starlight erupted, seemingly connecting him to the celestial stars. A dense surge of Star Power swelled up, engulfing his entire being.

The layout of the Array began to unfold in his mind.

From the peaks of the Tai Xu Sect to a radius of hundreds of miles, and from there to thousands of miles away, everything flashed through his mind. A vast network instantly materialized in his consciousness.

With this breakthrough, he could finally see the whole picture.

The scale of the Array was astounding. It turned out that every White Jade Tower used in its construction had been taken from the Sumeru Secret Realm, then painstakingly refined to serve its purpose!

Across this network were countless mechanisms and nodes, each one a concentration of immense Star Power that radiated an intense light.

Chen Qingyang felt as if he were standing in the heavens, looking down upon the world.

The light was brightest at the main gate of the Tai Xu Sect, and within the Sect, Denglai Peak shone brightest of all, for it was the location of the Bridge of Longevity.

Beyond the Sect, an invisible defensive line had been formed to counter the Demon Sect. The scattered points of light, he realized, must be the Xuanwei Master Temples and other Immortal Mansions subordinate to the Tai Xu Sect…

Only a vast area to the southeast of the Tai Xu Sect appeared empty. He had heard that this was the territory of the Six Southeastern Sects of the Cyan Nether State, all of whom operated independently.

[Tai Xu Star Pivot Purple Star True Skill (Xuanji Suspension): (21,999/40,000)]

As his Star Power grew, the Purple Star True Skill also transformed, pushing the progress of the Xuanji Suspension past the halfway mark.

The Star Power surrounding his true body began to recede, flowing completely into him.

At the Xuanji point, Gang Qi emerged once more, resembling a shroud of starlight, or the demon-subduing power of the Nine Luminaries.

Chen Qingyang practiced Sword Cultivation and Fire Cultivation; now, the Star Power within his body was becoming a force powerful enough to rival them.

Now, his Conscious Fish moved through the Array with incredible speed and clarity. When faced with stray wisps of Star Power blocking its path, it could dissolve them completely with a mere flick of its tail.

He didn’t know how long he had been wandering the Array, nor where he had ended up. All he knew was that the tide was still behind him. Suddenly, he spotted a small, swirling vortex made of starlight up ahead.

It was tiny—smaller than the head of a pin—and extremely faint, but in his current state, he could perceive it. Just before the pursuing tide reached him, he instantly slipped inside and vanished.

The tide washed over the spot, then stopped. Having apparently lost its target, it had no choice but to recede.

What Chen Qingyang didn’t know was that, up on the high platform, Master Miaoyou was racking his brain, completely baffled.

“Strange… How can there be such a disturbance within the Array? There’s no one here but us.”

The Master beside him, an old Daoist who must have been another Master Life Light, asked, “Senior Brother, are you saying… you sensed someone else in the Array?”

“I can’t be sure if it’s a person, but it’s definitely a living creature. It stole a tiny amount of Earth Deity from me. It’s not enough to have any real effect, but it’s highly suspicious.”

“Huh!” The old Daoist beside him exclaimed as if suddenly remembering something. “Now that you mention it, I also felt my share was about one-thousandth smaller than usual this time. I thought it was just an issue with the Array, but it seems someone really is up to no good.”

Hearing this, Master Miaoyou’s brow furrowed even more. He was an exceptionally handsome man, possessing the refined air of a gentleman. When his sharp eyebrows knitted together, he took on the solemn appearance of a stern teacher.

“Then… we have a big problem. Someone is definitely interfering!”

“But… you’re the only one here who has mastered the Array True Understanding, Senior Brother. Besides you, it would have to be one of the other Peak Masters or a Golden Core True Monarch. It can’t be them…”

Miaoyou immediately raised a hand. “Of course not. They wouldn’t bother with such a paltry gain. What I’m afraid of is that someone else has infiltrated the Array!”

The old Daoist asked, “The Demon Sect? Or someone else?”

Miaoyou immediately shot that down. “Absolutely not. A while ago, I heard that True Monarch Cheng Tian discovered an anomaly in the Sumeru Secret Realm at Xu Ling Mountain. At first, they thought it was an otherworldly visitor. But after a divination by Yue Cheng True Monarch, they concluded it was Xu Lingfeng’s predecessor.”

“It’s highly likely he made himself intangible, scattering his essence throughout the Array. Now he’s waiting for an opportunity to seize control of the Circulation of Stars and achieve ultimate power…”

Hearing this, the old Daoist’s expression remained calm. “Well, that simplifies things. That’s a problem for the Golden Core True Monarchs to worry about. Senior Brother, you shouldn’t get involved. You don’t want to bring that trouble down on yourself!”

But Miaoyou didn’t see it that way. “Our Master has lived long enough. He might not even make it back this time… And even if he does, he’ll almost certainly pass the Spirit Core to me and enter long-term seclusion to preserve his own life. Therefore, I cannot stand idly by. I must prepare. I will lay an inescapable trap and wait for that… thing… to come to me.”

The old Daoist’s expression changed dramatically. He bowed respectfully to Master Miaoyou with clasped hands. “In that case, allow me to congratulate you in advance, Senior Brother, on your ascension to a seat of great authority!”

Miaoyou chuckled, making no show of false modesty, as if the position were his by right.

“Go and ask all the other Masters. See who else noticed a portion of their Earth Deity was missing!”

“Yes, Senior Brother.”