I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, do you mean... to use these high-grade spirit stones to reinforce the protective array of my Tiantian City?"

Wei Wuyai forcibly suppressed the raging storm in his heart and took a deep breath.

His gaze was fixed intently on the twenty-four emerald-green spirit stones in Zhou Yuan's hand, his voice trembling with disbelief.

"good."

Zhou Yuan nodded, his tone certain.

"The Shangyuan Extinction Array has a solid foundation, but its spiritual power supply is limited by the quality of the embedded spirit stones. If these core array nodes can be replaced with high-grade spirit stones, the array's power can increase by several times in a short period of time, and the spiritual power supply will also increase significantly. It should be able to sustain itself for twenty days without any problem."

20th!

This is enough to last until the deadline of the half-month agreement, and even give us a few more days of buffer!

A look of surprise flashed in Wei Wuyai's eyes, as if he had seen a glimmer of hope in the abyss of despair.

But he instantly realized that Zhou Yuan's offering of twenty-four precious high-grade spirit stones could not possibly be just a "friendly donation".

As expected, Zhou Yuan flipped his wrist and handed another jade slip that he had prepared beforehand to Wei Wuyai: "This is a list of some materials that I need. This transaction will be conducted in exchange for some of the materials on the list using these high-grade spirit stones. Fellow Daoist Wei may take a look first."

Wei Wuyai quickly took the jade slip and immersed his consciousness into it.

The next moment, the joy on his face faltered slightly, his brows furrowed involuntarily, and a hint of surprise and embarrassment flashed in his eyes.

The contents of this list... are truly astonishing.

In addition to listing dozens of rare medicinal herbs that require at least a thousand years of age, there is also a long list of extremely rare, top-grade materials that are almost thought to be extinct in Tiannan!

Gangyin Sand is incredibly sturdy and is an excellent material for forging top-tier flying swords and defensive magical artifacts. It has not been seen in Tiannan for hundreds of years.

The Five Elements Jade contains a trace of the innate five elements and is the core material for setting up top-level complex formations and refining magic treasures with five element attributes.

The Radiant Crystal, produced beneath the towering ice of the polar regions, is formed over ten thousand years from the condensation of the essence of ice. It is the key to crafting top-tier illusion arrays and concealment artifacts, and is priceless.

Ten-thousand-year-old fire tin wood is a sacred material for refining magical artifacts with both fire and wood attributes, and it is priceless and unavailable.

Five-Colored Wood is said to be transformed from tiny branches of an ancient spiritual tree, and is extremely rare and hard to come by.

There are also Soul-Gathering Stones!

Ten Thousand Flower!

These things, let alone gathering them all, even finding just one or two of them would be enough to make a large sect exert all its strength.

It could even trigger a bloodbath. With the Nine Kingdoms Alliance's resources, they might be able to come up with one or two of these, but it's impossible for them to gather them all.

Seeing the troubled look on Wei Wuyai's face, Zhou Yuan smiled slightly and said in a gentler tone, "Fellow Daoist Wei, there's no need to make things difficult for you."

"I am aware that most of the items on this list are rare and hard to come by. Therefore, I am not asking you to collect them all. If you or the Nine Kingdoms Alliance can provide any one of the materials on the list, you can deduct a corresponding number of high-grade spirit stones based on its value."

"You just said you could provide quite a few of those high-aged spiritual herbs, which can also be used as a discount. If there are still spirit stones left after the discount, then I will consider it a temporary loan from the Nine Kingdoms Alliance. We can exchange them or make up the difference when you find other materials on the list in the future."

He offered a very flexible and sincere solution.

To put it bluntly, it means that the Nine Kingdoms Alliance should use its existing and available resources, along with a few top-tier materials that may be found in the future, to exchange for the high-level spirit stones that are urgently needed for defending the city.

As for those legendary extinct items, Zhou Yuan didn't have high hopes; he was just using this to indicate his desired direction.

This paves the way for possible future transactions.

Hearing Zhou Yuan say this, Wei Wuyai felt relieved, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and a smile returned to his face.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou's considerations are thorough, that's excellent! I did have the good fortune to see the 'Five-Colored Wood' on this list once decades ago, at the home of an old friend."

"Once the fighting here subsides, I, Wei, will personally go and try to obtain it for you, fellow Daoist! As for the other items... Gangyin Sand, I seem to have a small amount in my Huayi Sect's treasury, but we need to search carefully to confirm. As for the Soul Condensing Stone and the Myriad Wheel Flower... please forgive my ignorance, but I have indeed not heard of any Tiannan appearing recently."

He paused, then continued, "As for the high-grade spiritual herbs that Fellow Daoist Zhou requires, our Nine Kingdoms Alliance still has some in its coffers. I will have someone fetch them and deliver a portion to you as a deposit!"

After saying that, Wei Wuyai took out a specially made communication talisman and whispered a few words.

He swung his hand and struck.

A moment later, a Nascent Soul cultivator dressed in the robes of an elder of the Huayi Sect hurriedly entered the main hall and handed over a storage bag.

Wei Wuyai took it, scanned it with his divine sense to confirm it was correct, and then handed it to Zhou Yuan:

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, please take a look. Here are fifteen spiritual herbs of various ages, ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 years old, each with different properties, all of them are rare treasures. Although they are far from the rare treasures of heaven and earth on your list, they are still a token of our Nine Kingdoms Alliance's goodwill, and we will use them to offset part of the spirit stones. We will settle the rest when we find the Five-Colored Wood and other items."

Zhou Yuan took the storage bag, scanned it briefly with his divine sense, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

Fifteen rare spiritual herbs over a thousand years old would be enough to cause a frenzy of competition among Nascent Soul cultivators in the outside world, and their value would be considerable.

Although it is far from enough to compensate for twenty-four high-grade spirit stones, it is sufficient as a deposit and a token of sincerity.

More importantly, Wei Wuyai promised to do his best to find the "Five-Colored Wood," which would be of great use to him in refining late-stage Nascent Soul puppets in the future.

"Very good."

Zhou Yuan put away the storage bag, his smile becoming even more genuine. "Then I, Zhou, will await Fellow Daoist Wei's good news at Ling Shu Mountain in Dongyu Kingdom. As for these high-grade spirit stones, and the specific methods for embedding them into the array's core and activating them..."

He didn't delay any longer and handed over twenty-four high-grade spirit stones to Wei Wuyai.

At the same time, he used his divine sense to transmit his thoughts and told Wei Wuyai in detail how he had deduced in the past few days how to embed the twenty-four high-grade spirit stones into specific array eyes without changing the fundamental structure of the great array, and how to use special techniques to stimulate their potential and greatly enhance the power of the Shangyuan Extinction Array in a short period of time.

The method is not complicated; with Wei Wuyai's cultivation and array formation skills, he can master it with a little practice.

Wei Wuyai was overjoyed, listening carefully and taking notes, and the last trace of doubt in his heart completely disappeared.

Zhou Yuan has handed over such precious spirit stones and secret techniques, which clearly shows his sincerity.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, your wisdom is profound! This method is exquisite! With the blessing of these twenty-four high-grade spirit stones, Tiantian City can surely hold out for another twenty days or more!"

Wei Wuyai exclaimed excitedly, then, remembering something, looked at Zhou Yuan and said, "Fellow Daoist just said 'waiting quietly in Dongyu Kingdom'... Could it be that Fellow Daoist is about to leave?"

"good."

Zhou Yuan nodded. "The matter here is settled, and there is no great point in me staying. There are still some trivial matters to take care of in the cave."

Wei Wuyai had intended to persuade Zhou Yuan to stay, since with this "God of Slaughter" around, they would have more confidence in defending the city.

But then I thought about it again, and realized that Zhou Yuan had already sacrificed too much for this defense of the city:

The series of victories against powerful enemies consumed millennia-old spiritual milk and provided precious high-level spirit stones and enhanced secret techniques.

Forcing the other person to stay would be unreasonable and could worsen the relationship.

Since the other party said that there was important business in the cave, it was probably inconvenient for them to stay for long.

"In that case, I will not linger any longer. Fellow Daoist Zhou, take care on your journey! After this battle is over, I will personally go to Dongyu Kingdom to fulfill our agreement!" Wei Wuyai solemnly cupped his hands in greeting.

"Take care of yourself."

Zhou Yuan returned the greeting without saying anything more. With a flicker, he transformed into a pale blue streak of light, piercing through the palace's restrictions and flying towards the north of Tiantian City.

……

Although Tiancheng is shrouded by the Shangyuan Extinction Array, it is not completely sealed off, leaving several hidden passages for high-level cultivators to enter and exit to carry out missions or transmit messages.

Zhou Yuan quickly slipped out of the city through a passage, concealing most of his aura, and sped towards the direction of Dongyu Kingdom.

Having flown only a hundred miles, his powerful divine sense keenly detected a spiritual energy fluctuation belonging to an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator hidden in the shadows of a mountain hollow about several dozen miles to his left. The aura carried obvious characteristics of a Mulan mage, and the cultivator was cautiously spying on the movements in the direction of Tiantian City.

Although the Mulan people did not completely surround Tiantian City, they deployed sentries or patrols around the city in several main directions. These sentries were led by Nascent Soul Masters and were responsible for reconnaissance and guarding to prevent large-scale escapes of cultivators from the city or the secret arrival of reinforcements.

Although Zhou Yuan had tried his best to hide when he left the city, the fact that he was so close to the city still made Mulan, the master in charge of reconnaissance in the north, notice something amiss.

When the master's divine sense swept over and he sensed the aura on Zhou Yuan that was so unforgettable, no, so terrifying, he was immediately terrified!

"It's...it's him?! That jinx! He's left the city?!"

The terrifying scene of the golden sword energy slaughtering thousands of his kin and forcing back seven experts, including Master Zhong, in the south of the city a few days ago flashed through the master's mind. How could he dare to have the slightest thought of obstructing or following them?

With a strange cry, he didn't even bother to hide anymore. His body flashed with spiritual light, and he transformed into a streak of light, fleeing for his life without looking back in the direction away from Zhou Yuan and Tiantian City!

The speed was so fast that it felt as if a ferocious beast from the primordial era was chasing after it.

Zhou Yuan's divine sense "watched" the fleeing light in a panic, and he smirked almost imperceptibly, but he ignored it and did not pursue it.

Killing an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul Grandmaster would no longer be of much significance to him.

His goal was to return to Ling Shu Mountain in Dongyu Kingdom as soon as possible.

The reason he rushed back to his cave was not because of any urgent matter, but because he had a hidden worry in his heart.

He made a great splash in Tiancheng this time, beheading the Mulan master and displaying the "Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk" and a magical treasure that looks like the Golden Thunder Bamboo. He has become a thorn in the side of the Mulan people and the Yinluo Sect, who are determined to get rid of him as soon as possible.

The four major powers in Tiannan are not a monolithic entity; it is common for them to plant spies among each other.

His name "Zhou Yuan," his cultivation level, and even his possible origins in Dongyu Kingdom have probably already been discovered by spies from Mulan or Yinluo Sect.

He worried that the ruthless demonic cultivators of the Yinluo Sect, or the enraged high-ranking members of the Mulan Sect, might take a risk and send experts to bypass the main battlefield and attack his stronghold, Ling Shu Mountain in Dongyu Kingdom, if they were unable to quickly capture Tiantian City on the front lines.

They attempted to capture or hold hostage Yuan Yao, Yan Li, Zi Ling, and others in the cave, in order to force him to submit or at least disturb his mind.

Although this possibility is not 100%, Zhou Yuan will never allow it to happen as long as there is even the slightest risk.

Therefore, he had to get back as soon as possible.

……

More than a month later, Zhou Yuan, travel-worn and weary, returned safely to Ling Shu Mountain in Dongyu Kingdom.

After breaking through the layers of restrictions and returning to his familiar cave, Zhou Yuan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Yuan Yao, Yan Li, Zi Ling, Mei Ning, Ouyang Qing, and the other women who were safe and sound and happily welcoming him.

He briefly recounted his trip, reassuring the women.

Afterwards, readers chatted freely in the discussion area about the charm of Xianxia novels. He barely rested before immediately throwing himself into a comprehensive upgrade and reinforcement of the cave's defense system.

During his time in Tiancheng, he not only obtained the complete diagram of the Shangyuan Extinction Array, but also, through studying its combination with high-grade spirit stones, reached a new level of understanding and control over large-scale complex defensive arrays.

Combining his profound expertise in array formations and restrictions with a vast amount of array materials, he was determined to transform Ling Shu Mountain into a true impregnable fortress.

For the next six months, Zhou Yuan hardly left his house, immersing himself entirely in setting up and adjusting the formation.

With the main peak of Ling Shu Mountain as the core, he radiated outwards to a range of hundreds of miles, reorganized the earth's veins, adjusted Ling Shu, and laid down layers upon layers of terrifying restrictions.

The outermost layer consists of the "Nine Palaces Illusion Array" and the "Small Sumeru Vajra Restriction," which are designed to confuse, warn, and trap enemies. They incorporate some of the exquisite applications of spiritual energy disturbance in Mulan's spiritual arts, making them extremely concealed and deceptive.

The middle layer is the "Five Elements Rotation Array" constructed based on the principle of mutual generation and restraint of the five elements. It integrates offense and defense. Once triggered, attacks from the five attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth will come in turn, continuously and endlessly, enough to trap and kill early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators and severely injure mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

The main peak where the core cave dwelling is located was transformed by Zhou Yuan using some of the essence of the Tiantian City's Shangyuan Extinction Light Array, combined with his own understanding of array formations, to create a simplified version called the "Small Yuan Light Mountain Protection Array".

Although this formation is much smaller in scale than the Tiancheng Grand Formation due to time constraints.

However, its ingenuity and core defensive capabilities are by no means weak. Furthermore, several high-grade spirit stones are directly embedded at the key array points as the driving core. Once fully activated, the protective light shield formed is enough to withstand the fierce attacks of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator for a short period of time without breaking.

For a full six months, I poured my heart and soul into it.

When Zhou Yuan finally stopped performing the last spell, and watched the massive, complex array of restrictions, which covered a hundred miles and whose spiritual light flickered and whose energy flowed seamlessly into the void, slowly disappear into the void, a look of satisfaction finally appeared on his face.

At this moment, Ling Shu Mountain is as solid as a rock! With all the restrictions fully activated, its defensive power is not comparable to that of a giant city for cultivators like Tian Tian City.

But they are not far apart.

Even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, leading several early-to-mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators to launch a strong attack, would find it extremely difficult to break through without several days and at a heavy cost!

During this time, the women inside the cave could safely evacuate via the pre-set teleportation array, and Zhou Yuan could also make any reaction.

At this point, Zhou Yuan's last worry completely disappeared.

He can plan for the future more calmly, whether it's establishing a new school of thought or participating in the great battle between Tiannan and Mulan.

……

The day after Zhou Yuan completed the reinforcement of the cave's grand formation, the warning barrier outside the cave showed a slight fluctuation, indicating that a visitor had arrived. The visitor was unfamiliar but not malicious.

Zhou Yuan opened the outer layer of the restricted passage. A middle-aged cultivator dressed in the Nine Kingdoms Alliance attire, whose cultivation was at the late Core Formation stage, stood respectfully outside the cave entrance. Upon seeing Zhou Yuan appear, he immediately bowed and said, "This junior, Zhao Ming, a steward of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance, has come to pay my respects to Senior Zhou Yuan on the orders of Elder Wei Wuyai! I have important matters to report and a letter personally written by Elder Wei to present."

"Come in and talk."

Zhou Yuan led him into the front hall.

Zhao Ming dared not be negligent. After taking his seat, he immediately stated his purpose: "Senior Zhou, not long after you left Tiantian City half a year ago, Elder Wei, following the method you taught me, embedded high-grade spirit stones into the great formation. The power of the Shangyuan Annihilation Formation has indeed greatly increased, successfully withstanding Mu Lan's repeated fierce attacks and holding out for more than twenty days!"

His face lit up with excitement: "And just when the city was at its most critical moment, the main forces of reinforcements from the Six Demonic Sects, the Righteous Path Alliance, and the Heavenly Path Alliance finally arrived in Tiantian City! The three parties combined have sent more than thirty Nascent Soul cultivators to reinforce the city! Among them are many mid-Nascent Soul experts, and even two late-Nascent Soul cultivators, the Old Demon of the Joyful Union Sect and the Supreme Yang Master of the Tai Zhen Sect!"

Zhou Yuan listened quietly, nodding slightly. This was largely in line with his prediction.

With reinforcements from the three major forces, Tiannan's top-tier combat strength is no less than that of the Mulan people, and its middle and lower-level forces are even superior.

It is no longer possible for the Mulan people to achieve a quick victory; a stalemate is inevitable.

"However, everyone knows that this stalemate won't last long."

Zhao Ming continued, his tone becoming serious, "The Mulan people have come out in full force, and they will not retreat easily. Now that the four major powers of Tiannan have formed an alliance, they must completely defeat them, and even launch a counterattack into the grasslands to eliminate future troubles."

"The real decisive battle will likely erupt within the next year or two!"

He paused, then took out a gleaming jade slip from his robes and presented it with both hands:

"That is why Elder Wei Wuyai, along with the two seniors, the Old Demon Hehuan and the Venerable Zhiyang, sincerely invite Senior Zhou to once again visit Tiantian City to discuss a grand plan to defeat the enemy!"

"The three seniors stated that Senior Zhou's methods in dealing with those Yinluo Sect demonic cultivators were crucial to the final battle. This is Elder Wei's personal letter, detailing everything. The three seniors also promised that after a great victory in this battle, they would jointly vouch for Senior Zhou and discuss with him which territory to divide as the foundation for his sect's establishment, and announce this to the entire Tiannan region without any objections!"

finally come.

Zhou Yuan understood. His previous hunting achievements and the display of the "Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk" were enough to get him into the top decision-making circle in Tiannan.

With the decisive battle imminent, the three great cultivators naturally wanted to bring this "weapon of mass destruction" into their camp to increase their chances of victory.

And using "dividing the country and proclaiming it to the south" as payment is indeed what he needs most right now.

"Alright."

Zhou Yuan took the jade slip, scanned it briefly with his divine sense, and confirmed that it was indeed Wei Wuyai's soul imprint, and its contents were largely as Zhao Ming had described. He nodded, "You should reply to Fellow Daoist Wei that I will set off for him soon."

"Yes! This junior will go back to report immediately!" Zhao Ming was overjoyed and quickly got up to take his leave.

A few days later, Zhou Yuan finished arranging everything in the cave and gave Yuan Yao and the others another instruction.

They then left the now impregnable Ling Shu Mountain and headed towards Tiantian City.

……

More than a month later, Zhou Yuan stepped into Tian City again.

The atmosphere in Tiancheng at this moment was quite different from when he left half a year ago.

Although security remained tight, the number of cultivators in the city had noticeably increased. Cultivators of various colors and from different factions moved about bustling about, creating a lively and energetic atmosphere. The air was thick with the restlessness and excitement of an impending great battle. The banners of the four major factions fluttered throughout the city, roughly defining their territories.

The cultivators of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance still mainly gathered in the south of the city, the six sects of the Demonic Path occupied the west of the city, the Righteous Path Alliance was in the east of the city, and the Heavenly Path Alliance was in the north of the city.

The auras of Nascent Soul cultivators were faintly visible throughout the city, far exceeding the number of previous ones; a rough sense revealed no fewer than seventy or eighty of them!

A decisive battle that will determine the fate of Tiannan is imminent.

Led by the Nine Kingdoms Alliance cultivators responsible for guiding him, Zhou Yuan flew towards the city center. That was where the high-ranking officials of the four major powers held their meetings.

During the flight, as they passed over a relatively open square, they encountered a group of about ten monks flying from the west.

This group of cultivators were all dressed in uniform black robes with ferocious ghost head patterns embroidered on their chests; they were members of the Ghost Spirit Sect!

The leader, with a sinister face and an aura at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage, was none other than Wang Tiansheng, the sect master of the Ghost Spirit Sect!

When Wang Tiansheng's gaze met Zhou Yuan's in mid-air, he visibly paused slightly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes—a mixture of apprehension, fear, and a deep-seated resentment, but more than anything, a sense of powerlessness in the face of an absolute disparity in strength.

He quickly adjusted his expression, forcing a slightly stiff but sufficiently respectful smile, and bowed to Zhou Yuan from afar, his voice clearly rang out:

"Fellow Daoist Zhou! I have long admired your name; it is renowned far and wide! It is an honor to meet you today. I, Wang, pay my respects!"

Zhou Yuan's gaze swept calmly over Wang Tiansheng and the group of tense Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators behind him.

His gaze lingered on Wang Tiansheng's face for a moment, as if he could see through all the thoughts in his mind, before he simply nodded slightly.

This can be considered a response.

Without stopping, accompanied by the guiding cultivators, they continued flying towards the city center.

His attitude was downright arrogant.

However, Wang Tiansheng dared not show the slightest anger on his face. Instead, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief after Zhou Yuan looked away.

Faced with this "fierce star" who was rumored to be able to fight against late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators with only mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation and to slaughter nearly ten Nascent Soul cultivators single-handedly, the Ghost Spirit Sect Master had long since lost any thought of fighting him.

What is the grudge of Wang Tiangu, the younger brother?

Faced with their absolute strength and the opponent's current overwhelming momentum, it has long become a thing of the past that we dare not mention.

It's already a stroke of luck that we won't be held accountable later.

Zhou Yuan naturally didn't bother with Wang Tiansheng's petty thoughts.

Guided by the monks, he soon arrived at the most magnificent black hall in the city center, shrouded in strict restrictions.

The palace doors opened silently, and the welcoming cultivator stopped and bowed: "Senior Zhou, the three great cultivators and Senior Long Han are already waiting inside the palace."

Zhou Yuan stepped inside.

The interior of the main hall was spacious and high, with slightly dim lighting, except for the moonstones inlaid at the four corners that emitted a soft glow.

At this moment, four figures stood quietly in the center of the hall.

Located to the left of center was Wei Wuyai, an old acquaintance, dressed in a dark green robe, exuding a calm and collected aura.

To Wei Wuyai’s right stood two people side by side.

One of them was an exceptionally tall and robust man, almost two heads taller than the average person, with a full beard, bronze skin, and eyes that flashed with a red light when they opened and closed.

He simply stood there, yet he exuded a fierce and domineering aura, like a prehistoric beast, which made people tremble at the sight of him.

He is none other than the number one figure in the demonic path, the Grand Elder of the Joyful Union Sect, the Old Demon of Joyful Union!

The other person was an old Taoist priest wearing an apricot-yellow Taoist robe, a seven-star crown, with a thin face, three long strands of beard flowing down his chest, and an air of otherworldly elegance.

He held a white jade whisk in his hand, his expression was peaceful, and his eyes were gentle, but his aura was like a bottomless ancient well, unfathomable.

He is none other than the leader of the Righteous Path Alliance, the Grand Elder of the Tai Zhen Sect, and the Venerable Zhi Yang!

His cultivation level was also at the late Nascent Soul stage.

Half a step to Wei Wuyai's left stood a man dressed in a blue scholar's robe, with an ordinary appearance, gentle temperament, and the look of an ordinary middle-aged scholar.

This person's cultivation level was only at the peak of the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, but he was able to stand shoulder to shoulder with three great cultivators with a calm demeanor and without any sign of unease.

He is one of the actual leaders of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, and together with his Daoist partner Feng Bing, they can fight against Long Han, who is in the late Nascent Soul stage!

At this moment, all four of them turned their gazes to Zhou Yuan, who had just stepped into the hall.