Chapter 251: Chapter 240: [Four Seasons]
Under Qi Yun’s series of maneuvers and schemes, the construction of the [Northern Defense Array] finally overcame its initial chaos and constraints, proceeding on track with astonishing efficiency.
Across the entire Northwest Border, the busy figures of Cultivators could be seen everywhere.
Array Foundation after Array Foundation was hammered deep into the Earth Veins, following the plans of the "Nine Heavens Mountain-Suppressing Demon-Subduing Celestial Wall Map."
Talisman after talisman, containing profound Daoist Intent, was inscribed upon mountain rock and empty space, connecting with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism.
Although it would still take some years for the Grand Array to be fully completed,
its magnificent prototype, stretching across the border to guard all directions, was already taking shape, exuding a reassuring and profound aura.
Meanwhile, for Qi Yun and his interest group, another "front" was also yielding impressive results.
The operation to "requisition" resources from various points proceeded steadily within a framework of "reasonableness" and "necessity," thanks to the tacit cooperation and efficient execution of the five Holy Sect Masters.
Batch after batch of Spiritual Materials, Ores, and Spirit Plants were continuously "transferred" from various strongholds, Marketplaces, and ore veins, openly flowing into the torrent of resources for the Grand Array’s construction.
Of course, a considerable portion of it flowed into preset "diversion channels."
And the one receiving this "special attention" was, naturally, the Yellow Springs Netherworld.
Faced with Qi Yun’s targeted plunder, which was tantamount to open robbery, the Yellow Springs Netherworld was filled with grievances and seething with rage.
They lodged stern protests multiple times, their words harsh,
accusing Qi Yun of abusing his authority, lining his own pockets, and undermining the alliance of the Four Sects.
However, the Holy Sect’s response was always that the matter was being "taken very seriously and is under investigation."
Nan Dou Master, for his part, remained reclusive and offered no comment, his stance ambiguous.
The Cyan Sect and Fengduo had also initially grumbled about the Holy Sect’s, and particularly Qi Yun’s, "crude methods."
But as the progress of the [Northern Defense Array] became visibly apparent, its potential and power far exceeded expectations.
And since Qi Yun’s "attention" toward these two sects was relatively "gentle," with their losses remaining within an acceptable range, they gradually fell silent.
After all, a rapidly constructed and powerful Northern Defense Array served their most fundamental interests.
As long as their own foundations weren’t excessively shaken, they were happy to watch the tigers fight from a mountaintop, even secretly celebrating that the Yellow Springs Netherworld was drawing most of the fire.
Thus, the situation became one of three sects tacitly consenting while one seethed alone.
The Yellow Springs Netherworld was, of course, utterly dissatisfied.
But with the Holy Sect playing deaf and dumb, and the Cyan Sect and Fengduo watching the fire from the other side of the river,
if they were to force a confrontation, not only would they gain nothing, but they might genuinely delay the Grand Array’s construction and be branded with the crime of "sabotaging the greater good."
They could only hold their noses for the time being, swallow their anger, and watch helplessly as the resources they had accumulated over many years flowed like a flood from an open sluice gate toward the Holy Sect and into Qi Yun’s pockets.
With the staunch "assistance" of the five Great Masters, a vast and secret resource supply chain was efficiently established.
Immense quantities of materials, like a hundred rivers flowing to the sea, were continuously "requisitioned" and gathered.
Of this, about forty percent was genuinely used for the construction of the [Northern Defense Array], ensuring the project’s smooth progress and its superficially impressive appearance.
About thirty percent, as agreed, flowed into the pockets of the five Masters and the powers behind them, allowing them to profit handsomely and making them utterly devoted to Qi Yun.
The rest was funneled through various secret channels, ultimately ending up entirely under Qi Yun’s control.
In these three years, the resources gathered by Qi Yun’s hand were of such a wide variety, vast quantity, and Upper Grade quality that any Cultivator who saw them would be left speechless.
If used to establish a new sect, they would be more than enough to create a Middle-level Sect with a profound foundation out of thin air.
However, Qi Yun was not intoxicated by this staggering wealth.
He deeply understood the principle that ’one cannot grow fat by eating alone; shared joy is what lasts.’
After selecting the precious items from this massive harvest that were crucial for his own cultivation, the derivation of [Daluo Heaven], and his future path on the Dao,
the vast majority of the rest was continuously sent back to the Wuji Holy Sect through secret and reliable channels.
A portion of these resources was specifically directed to high-ranking sect members who supported him or showed him goodwill, such as Nan Dou Master and Qian Xin Master, to solidify his connections;
another portion was used to support emerging factions within the Holy Sect that might be loyal to him.
A complete, stable, and mutually beneficial supply chain had thus been operating silently for three full years under the grand backdrop of the [Northern Defense Array]’s construction.
In three years, Qi Yun not only laid a solid foundation for the [Northern Defense Array],
but also used it to weave a vast network of connections covering the Holy Sect’s interior and extending to the interests of the Four Sects, accumulating a terrifying amount of resources that would make even Masters green with envy.
...
Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
The Palace deep in the mountains remained as serene and elegant as ever, but the aura of its master had grown even more tranquil and reserved compared to three years ago.
As his Magical Power circulated, it faintly resonated with the earth beneath him and the nascent [Northern Defense Array] in a profound and mysterious way, vast and deep.
In the quiet room of the Palace, Qi Yun sat cross-legged, holding what appeared to be an ordinary withered branch.
A wisp of profound energy, so faint it seemed it could dissipate at any moment, was coiled around the withered branch.
That wisp of energy contained a faint trace of the Realm of "Spring," symbolizing the budding of all creation.
Qi Yun closed his eyes and focused, using his Divine Sense and Dao Foundation as a guide to carefully draw out that wisp of "Spring" energy, attempting to separate it.
The process was slow and delicate, allowing for no margin of error.
However, just as that wisp of energy was about to break completely free from the withered branch’s confines!
Like a rootless duckweed, the already faint intent of "Spring" suddenly became extremely unstable. Its radiance flickered rapidly, dimming and brightening, holding on for less than a breath’s time.
Then, like a puff of green smoke scattered by the wind, it disintegrated completely, vanishing without a trace.
Silence returned to the quiet room.
Qi Yun slowly opened his eyes, calmly gazing at the withered branch in his hand, which had now lost all its Spiritual Rhyme and was no different from an ordinary piece of wood.
"It’s still not right..."
He muttered to himself, his tone holding no trace of frustration or surprise, as if he had long since anticipated this result.
With a casual, light snap, the withered branch broke and was tossed aside.
He let out a long breath, tinged with an imperceptible hint of contemplation.
’Yin and Yang to define the universe, purity and turbidity to form Heaven and Earth. Of the four fundamental wonders needed to advance to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, I already obtained Yin Yang and purity and turbidity two years ago. I thought that with this momentum, breaking through to the Middle Stage within ten years would be a certainty...
...Who would have thought that the Four Seasons alone would hold me back for three whole years.’
He recalled his attempts over the past two or three years.
Initially, he had also thought that the four wonders were similar in nature, all being tangible Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Objects.
Obtaining Yin Yang and purity and turbidity had its twists and turns, but the goals were clear and the paths were straightforward.
But when it came to the Four Seasons and the even more ethereal Innate, he discovered they were completely different.
These two wonders were actually dependent on the individual and incredibly abstract.
Take the Four Seasons, for example. It wasn’t as simple as finding four treasures containing the power of the four seasons.
It required a Cultivator to follow the strict order of "spring, summer, autumn, winter."
One had to comprehend, absorb, and condense the "Origin Dao Intent" of each corresponding season in sequence and integrate it into their Dao Foundation, without any errors or reversals of order.
If the order was broken, all previous effort would be wasted.
And just the first step, "Spring," had stumped him.
He had tried countless Spiritual Objects related to "Spring": new sprouts from ancient trees brimming with life force, ten-thousand-year-old flower stamens凝聚 with morning dew, ancient jade inscribed with the Dao Rhyme of spring breezes and gentle rain, and he had even captured a wisp of the purest life-giving energy from Heaven and Earth at the start of spring...
The variety was immense, the list endless.
But without exception, all his attempts had failed.
The "intent of Spring" contained within these external objects was either too convoluted and not pure enough,
or it was too superficial, failing to touch upon the true meaning of the Four Seasons.
Or... like the withered branch today, it seemed to contain a wisp of innate spring intent, but its foundation was so shallow that it simply couldn’t withstand the process of separation and Refinement, disintegrating on its own at the slightest touch.
’Where exactly is the problem?’
Qi Yun fell into deep thought, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the Cloud Bed.
’Are the grades of the Spiritual Objects I’m looking for too low?’
’Or is my method wrong?’
’Or perhaps, condensing the Four Seasons doesn’t rely on piling up external objects, but requires some kind of unique opportunity?’
Three years of smooth sailing had allowed him to accumulate staggering wealth and weave a vast network of connections, yet here, at the most fundamental juncture of his cultivation, he had encountered a bottleneck that seemed simple but was in fact profoundly mysterious.
Outside the window, the mountain wind still blew, carrying the sounds of distant activity and life.
Just then, the contemplation within the quiet room was interrupted by the sound of hurried, forceful footsteps.
The newcomer did not conceal their aura; the fiery, blazing presence belonged to none other than Chi Yang Master.
Chi Yang Master strode into the quiet room, his usually resolute and ruddy face now veiled in a layer of profound gravity that would not dissipate:
"Nephew Qi, the Acting Sect Leader has ordered your immediate return to the Holy Sect!"
Seeing Chi Yang Master’s expression, Qi Yun’s gaze shifted slightly:
"Such urgency? What happened?"
Hearing this, Chi Yang Master’s lips tightened. He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he abruptly swept his sleeve, and a crimson burst of light surged out from within it.
Like an overturned crystal bowl, it enveloped the entire quiet room, sealing it off from all auras and prying senses within and without.
Only after doing this did he take a deep breath, stare into Qi Yun’s eyes, and say slowly, enunciating each word:
"Qian Xin and the others... they’re back."
"Two dead, five gravely injured! And one more... is still missing, their whereabouts unknown!"
Inside the quiet room, the silence created by the isolation array now felt exceptionally oppressive.
Only Chi Yang Master’s heavy words echoed in the confined space.
Two dead, five gravely injured, one missing!
An elite delegation of eight Foundation Establishment Masters was almost completely wiped out.
What a devastating loss!
Qi Yun’s pupils contracted. The tranquil, sea-like aura around him couldn’t help but ripple at this moment.
He slowly rose to his feet, his Deep Blue Daoist Robe stirring without any wind.
For the delegation sent south to investigate the "Four Imperial Heavens" to have suffered such a heavy blow—this far exceeded their worst expectations.
This didn’t just mean the investigation had failed; it was a sign that the situation in the south was likely far more perilous than they had ever imagined!
"Let’s go." Qi Yun’s voice was still steady, but his eyes were now as sharp as blades.
The two delayed no longer. With a single step, they transformed into two streaks of rainbow light and shot directly toward the Wuji Holy Sect.
...
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