Seeing Terry Xie like this, Ian Song couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Everything was unfolding exactly as he had planned—the destruction of the Liang Province branch altar meant that half his scheme was already complete.
Only by killing Terry Xie would this plan truly be complete.
"Continue breaking the formation!"
Terry Xie took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his fury, and growled in a low voice.
"Greetings, Patriarch."
When the Heaven-Array Ancestor arrived, Rain Gongsun and the others all bowed in salute, eyes filled with admiration. The Ancestor's formation-dao had reached peak earth-grade—he once trapped two Fusion-stage experts in a grand array for three days before they finally broke free.
"No need for formalities."
The Heaven-Array Ancestor nodded, his gaze landing on Rain Gongsun with approval. "The rest of you may leave. Little Rain, stay by my side and observe."
At these words, everyone else looked disappointed, but Rain Gongsun's face lit up with delight. To observe a master array-breaker at close range was an honor—if she could receive even a little guidance, it would be perfect.
From what Rain Gongsun knew, there were only two heaven-grade formation masters in the Tang Dynasty, and both had been in seclusion for years, focused on overcoming tribulation.
So for now, the Heaven-Array Ancestor, with his peak earth-grade mastery, was already the most formidable array master in the land.
Rain Gongsun bowed to the Ancestor. "Thank you, Patriarch."
The old man smiled and said nothing, turning his gaze to the valley. At first, his expression was calm, but gradually it grew more serious. Soon, he began to circle the valley, casting nine formation seals in succession.
With each seal, hundreds of array nodes appeared. By the ninth seal, over five thousand nodes had been revealed.
Watching this, Rain Gongsun couldn't help feeling a bit discouraged. Using the Star Compass, she had only managed to find a few hundred nodes, but the Ancestor had exposed thousands without any tools at all.
Both were earth-grade array masters, but the difference between them was enormous.
Just then, the Heaven-Array Ancestor's brow furrowed even tighter, his eyes sharp as lightning as he scanned the void inch by inch.
Off to the side, Ian Song had to admit some respect for the old man. He considered himself unmatched in formation-dao, but compared to this elder, he was still half a step behind. Still, this was a simplified Immortal array—even for him, breaking it completely wouldn't be easy.
Nearly half an hour passed before the Heaven-Array Ancestor finally withdrew his gaze and stood there, closing his eyes in contemplation.
For a while, everyone held their breath, afraid to disturb his thoughts.
After a long moment, the Heaven-Array Ancestor suddenly opened his eyes, two beams of light shooting out. Then, his hands danced through the air, sending formation seals flying into the void before him.
As his seals entered the void, the space in front of him began to twist, once again revealing the valley’s true form.
"Is it about to work?"
Everyone stared intently at the Heaven-Array Ancestor.
In the next moment, the Heaven-Array Ancestor flicked his wrist, and 108 black flags flew out, planting themselves all around the valley.
"Boom!"
Space twisted, heaven and earth flipped upside down, and the barren valley vanished completely. In its place appeared a vibrant gorge, overflowing with spiritual energy.
"Did you succeed, fellow Daoist?" Terry Xie asked.
A hint of exhaustion flashed in the Heaven-Array Ancestor’s eyes, but he smiled and nodded.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Figures flickered as dozens of Fusion-stage experts teleported to the wooden hut in the valley. No one paid any attention to the spirit herbs or beasts—compared to the Immortal Tomes, such things were worthless.
"Buzz!"
The seemingly ordinary wooden hut suddenly erupted with divine radiance, enveloping the entire hut. At the same time, a gentle yet irresistible force pushed everyone back several dozen steps.
The Heaven-Array Ancestor strode forward with Rain Gongsun, his gaze awed as he stared at the overlapping formations around the hut. "Such exquisite arrays! Arrays within arrays, linked formations—the one who set these must be a heaven-grade array master!" he exclaimed.
"Can you break them by force?" the Chen Ancestor asked nervously.
"No!"
The Heaven-Array Ancestor shook his head. "Not only can’t we break them by force, we can’t break them at all. If any of these formations are broken, they’ll self-destruct—and the three Immortal Tomes inside will be destroyed as well..."
He didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.
"If we can’t break the formation, how do we get the Immortal Tomes?" someone asked.
The Heaven-Array Ancestor replied, "Since the senior left Immortal Tomes here, there must be another arrangement. Let’s wait and see!"
Right then, the formation’s light rippled, and an image of an old man with white hair and a kindly face suddenly coalesced in front of the hut.
The old man radiated no hint of cultivation, yet all the Fusion experts present felt an unfathomable depth.
"Greetings, Senior!"
All the Fusion experts bowed deeply—even Terry Xie was no exception.
"Rise, all of you."
The old man spoke softly: "I am the Nine-Heavens Sage Lord. Before I ascended to the Immortal Realm, I left behind four Immortal Tomes. Each tome can be passed to one person. If you master the tome and later ascend, you may become my registered disciple in the Immortal World!"
"What?!"
Everyone’s expression changed dramatically at his words. According to the Sage Lord, each Immortal Tome could only have one inheritor. Since Terry Xie had already destroyed one tome, only three slots remained—yet there were thirty-six Fusion experts here.
No matter which three received the inheritance, the rest would never accept it.
"Senior, can one Immortal Tome truly only be passed to a single person?" the Chen Ancestor asked.
"Indeed." The old man nodded. "The law cannot be passed to six ears. I left a prohibition in each tome—once someone reads it, the tome will turn blank."
"Then can the inheritor pass the tome on to someone else?" the Chen Ancestor pressed.
The old man sneered, "Of course not. How could my Immortal Tomes be casually passed on? Once someone receives the inheritance, the tome binds to their soul. If they try to teach it to another, the prohibition will explode—and that person’s soul will be annihilated!"
Having already witnessed a tome self-destruct, Terry Xie, the three clan ancestors, and the rest all believed the old man’s words without question.
For a moment, their faces grew extremely grim.
At the same time, a sense of wariness spread among the thirty-six Fusion experts.
Suddenly, Terry Xie spoke up: "Of the three Immortal Tomes, I deserve one inheritance!"
"Why? Just because you’re the Prime One Church branch master?"
A Fusion expert sneered, unconvinced.
Terry Xie unleashed his aura, scanning the crowd like a predator. Arrogantly, he declared, "In this world, treasures belong to the strong. I’m stronger than all of you—why shouldn’t I get a tome?"
Just then, an Immortal Tome flew out from the hut, heading straight for Terry Xie.
Without hesitation, Terry Xie grabbed it, then burst into triumphant laughter. "See? I was right—even the tome chose me! What do you have to complain about now?"
Watching from the shadows in the valley, Ian Song curled his lip in a mocking smile. In his eyes, the moment Terry Xie seized the Immortal Tome was the moment the Fist-King’s fate was sealed by Ian’s deeper scheme.