Chapter 691: 418: Decades in a Blink of an Eye

Chapter 691: Chapter 418: Decades in a Blink of an Eye

Two quarters of an hour later, Zhao Sheng emerged from the Cloud Pavilion with a calm expression on his face.

As soon as he came out, the Cloud Gate behind him silently closed once again.

Despite anticipating this, the attitude of Liu Tianyi was still much worse than he had imagined, filled with perfunctory indifference.

After handing over the secret technique “Non-thought, Non-thought Observation Method,” Liu Tianyi quickly found an excuse to send him away.

However, small-minded as that man might be, his actions had rules to follow, at least he granted Zhao Sheng access to the Youqiong Tower.

Zhao Sheng didn’t care about his attitude in the slightest.

After exchanges with the three Array Masters, he had discerned the stance of the three major schools towards the Southern Sky Zhao Family.

Without a doubt, the attitude of the “Heavenly Number Flow” represented by Huang Yu was the most amiable, while Liu Tianyi’s “Heart Formation School” displayed a distant official manner, and the most orthodox “Heaven and Earth Flow” remained neutral.

The subsequent events certainly confirmed his view.

Having been snubbed twice in a row, Zhao Sheng then extinguished any thoughts of exchanging formation knowledge with Grandmaster Liu; after all, if someone excuses themselves under the pretense of closed-door cultivation to avoid seeing you, there’s nothing you can do!

Fortunately, as one of the three great sanctuaries of the Array Dao, the Floating Light Platform was seldom short of Array Masters, usually hosting two to three Masters of Formation.

Zhao Sheng spent half a month studying in the Youqiong Tower before he took the initiative and sent visitation cards to several Masters of Formation.

With a Nascent Soul Ancestor from the Southern Sky Zhao Family paying a visit in person, even the highly esteemed Masters of Formation in the Cultivation World were thrilled to receive him, promptly bathing and changing to welcome him through the main entrance.

The details of their exchange need not be elaborated; the result was surely a happy one for both parties, each benefiting greatly from the interaction.

After spending three months at the Floating Light Platform, Zhao Sheng once more returned to Wuji Valley.

On this day, within the Octagonal Wind Pavilion, Zhao Sheng and Huang Yu were sitting around a table, savoring tea and engaging in leisurely conversation.

“Having seen Observing Heaven Cliff and the Floating Light Platform, you must know the attitudes of those two. What are your thoughts?”

Huang Yu, with lowered gaze, slowly fiddled with the jade cup in his hand, looking utterly content and relaxed.

“Our ancestor did indeed show some lack of foresight, but… never mind, there’s no use dwelling on those old matters. Since Liu and Li, the two seniors, have opened up their sect’s archives, there’s nothing for me to criticize, I can only accept their kindness.”

The events Zhao Sheng alluded to related to an incident of the past.

Back then, Zhao Xuanjing, having just advanced to Divinity Transformation, forcibly relocated the headquarters of the three major schools to Heavenly Pillar Mountain to swiftly repair the Ascension Array.

Even though Heavenly Pillar Mountain contained many Ancient Prohibitions and was a holy land for Array Masters to practice the Array Dao,

Zhao Xuanjing’s actions inevitably caused discontent among countless individuals and forces.

This was especially true for the Heart Formation School; their stronghold was billions of miles away in the West Desolate Continent.

Considering that the West Desolate Continent was under the influence of Ancient Buddhism, most Mages of the Heart Formation School had close ties with the Ancient Buddhists.

The core secret technique of the Heart Formation School, “Non-thought and Non-thought Observation Method,” has an evident Buddhist flavor, revealing the deep connections between the two.

Zhao Sheng could understand why Liu Tianyi would intentionally avoid him.

Hearing Zhao Sheng’s words, Huang Yu suddenly smiled, then took out a Jade Scroll from his robe and tossed it into Zhao Sheng’s lap.

“In the past, I was greatly indebted to the Great True Monarch, without whose beneficence I would not have achieved my current status.

Since you have already mastered two methods, as promised, I entrust ‘Mixed Element Battle Calculation’ to you,” he said.

Zhao Sheng took the Jade Scroll, his Divine Thought probing within, and the corners of his eyes relaxed instantly as if he had gained insight.

Seeing his reaction, Huang Yu inwardly nodded, then continued, “This art of divine calculation relies mostly on personal insight; the Mixed Element Skill realized by each person will be unique.

If I were to impart to you the Magic Skill that I have comprehended, it would actually be to your detriment.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng said with emotion, “Elder Huang has good intentions, which Qiong Tian will keep in mind and dare not forget!”

Huang Yu nodded and suddenly remembered something, then added, “The Defensive Array of Dragon City was personally set by me, and this Array represents my Great Success in the Array Dao. When you have time, observe it more in Dragon City; it will be very beneficial for your future practice of the Mixed Element Battle Calculation.”

Zhao Sheng replied with a smile, “The renowned ‘Heavenly Intent Array,’ how could I miss it? Especially since it’s the work that cemented your status as a Grandmaster.”

“Heh, if it weren’t for the Grand True Monarch’s strong support back then, I would not have had the opportunity to verify my learning. So, it is said that all things in this world – a drink, a peck – have their destiny,” Huang Yu said with a sigh, smiling thoughtfully.

“What Elder Huang says is very true,” agreed Zhao Sheng with a slight nod, then raised the jade cup in his hand…

Time marched on, and in the blink of an eye, ten years had passed.

One day, a sudden eruption of Earth Fire tides occurred, with fierce flames filling the Earth Abyss, toxic fumes boiling and howling, and hot lava from the Fire Sea tossing waves of flame thousands of feet high, surging straight from the depths of the fog-filled Earth Abyss.

Seen from a distance, it resembled a series of endless mountains, steep and winding, soaring unseen to their peaks.

This was in the Indeterminate Star Cave beneath Earth Flame Island, where the lava was relentlessly pushing upwards, with the lake surface now close to the top of the cave.

Only around the Indeterminate Star Core was there a spherical Void of a thousand feet in diameter, where the surrounding lava could not intrude.

The moment the Earth Fire tide erupted, the invisible fluctuations emitted by the Indeterminate Star Core suddenly reversed from attraction to repulsion, causing the Void to form.

Over the years, the Earth Fire tide had erupted thrice, with each eruption causing the Star Core to reverse its fluctuations.

This peculiar phenomenon could not fail to alarm the Nascent Soul Ancestors of the Zhao Family.