"No, no, big brother, you won't starve to death. You still have that green vitality—just a single bite can last you for years..." Sprout sensed Joe Di's gloomy mood and hurriedly repeated his reassurances.
If Joe Di starved to death, Sprout would die as well.
Thinking about the green vitality that had lasted countless years, Joe Di was overjoyed. As long as he didn't starve, he was bound to find a way out sooner or later.
"Sprout, tell me about this Skystar Palace." Joe Di was in high spirits. Even though he knew the little sapling might not know much, he asked casually anyway.
Sprout truly didn't know much about the Skystar Palace. From what little memory it had, the palace was extraordinary—countless people sought it, and anyone who could enter was destined for great fortune.
Fortune, my ass! Joe Di couldn't help but curse. After circling the Skystar Palace with the little sapling several times, he concluded that unless he forced his way in, he could only study Arraycraft.
The thirty-plus pillars in the hall were etched with totems—apparently, intricate array patterns of great significance. Though Joe Di had only just begun learning Arraycraft, he couldn't make sense of a single one.
Fortunately, Sprout possessed a remarkable reserve of Arraycraft knowledge; Joe Di had even received an Arraycraft jade slip from it.
The only regret was that Joe Di lacked the materials needed to learn how to refine array flags.
He could only study Arraycraft while repeatedly using his limited supply of materials to practice refining. Normally, once materials were made into array flags or magical treasures, it was almost impossible to restore them. But for the sake of learning, Joe Di didn't care—he just kept refining them over and over.
As for the jade coffin in the center of the hall, Joe Di never considered touching it. Zachary Zhai had merely brushed it with his hand and inexplicably lost an arm—Joe Di had no desire to repeat that mistake.
Day after day passed, and Joe Di became absorbed in the endless deduction of Arraycraft. Whenever he was stumped, he would consult Sprout, and when hungry, he would eat a bit of green vitality.
At first, Sprout could offer Joe Di some guidance, but later on, all it could do was stare blankly as Joe Di practiced ever more profound hand seals.
......
Jade Yu raised her hand to wipe away the blood covering her eyes, staring dazedly as countless fiend beasts broke through the Celestia Grand Plaza's defensive walls. A bear nearly two zhang tall grabbed two warriors and stuffed them into its mouth.
Celestia Grand Plaza was finished. That was Jade Yu's only thought.
"Slash!" A blade flashed before Jade Yu, forcing back a long-armed otter fiend that tried to grab her.
"Jade, we need to retreat now—the plaza has fallen!" The speaker was Violet Zane.
Two years ago, after her father led away the beast horde, she came to Celestia Grand Plaza. Now, she was at the peak of the Earth Stage, just one step away from reaching the Sky Stage.
In two years, she had fought fiend beasts countless times. Her face no longer showed the innocence and fear of the past—what replaced them was a resolute determination.
Jade Yu murmured, "Let's go..."
Her gaze fell outside the Celestia Grand Plaza. Nearly everyone was desperately rushing toward the depths of Celestia—staying at the plaza was truly a dead end.
Suddenly, Jade Yu was alarmed to see a Four-Tailed Fiend Fox seize a martial artist and, along with a dozen fiend beasts, board a Quantum Spaceplane.
"I can't leave! I have to destroy those planes..." Jade Yu cried out anxiously.
There was no need for Jade Yu to destroy them—a shell flew toward the spaceport from afar.
But Jade Yu's heart sank. She saw clearly that before the shell landed, the Quantum Spaceplane boarded by the Four-Tailed Fiend Fox had already taken off.
"Boom!" Amid the violent explosion and dust, Jade Yu saw a plane wobble out of the smoke.
Jade Yu clenched her fists. She was powerless, and she hated that coward. If the person threatened by the fiend fox hadn't been so afraid, they never would have taken off so quickly.
Violet Zane wiped her eyes. She knew, too, how hopeless this was. If fiend beasts reached Earth, it would be a disaster within a disaster. Still rational, she pulled Jade Yu, "Jade, we need to go. Someday, if our cultivation truly advances, we'll have a chance to return to Earth and drive those fiend beasts out."
Jade Yu sighed. She knew that for now, all she could do was leave.
The two of them dashed down the shattered defensive wall and, like the rest of the scattered crowd, vanished into the endless expanse of Celestia.
.......
Another year passed. By now, the Celestia Grand Plaza's defensive walls were in utter ruin. Not a soul remained within the plaza, and weeds grew everywhere.
Victor Wu's survival rules for the jungle, set after he became director, still couldn't save the Celestia Grand Plaza. Back then, humanity from Earth had come to Celestia with great ambition, establishing the plaza and hoping to turn Celestia into a life-bearing planet—so that one day, Earth's people could migrate here.
Now, it seemed that was nothing but a fantasy. Celestia still existed, but the Celestia Grand Plaza had long since vanished. The humans who had once been here were nowhere to be found.
......
"Crack!" The material in Joe Di's hand crumbled to dust.
It was one of the two horns from the Horned Lion Fiend's head. After years of repeatedly refining array flags, this last piece was finally gone.
Joe Di didn't care as he tossed the dust aside and let out a long howl, standing up. His hair had grown long, and he looked utterly disheveled.
"Big brother..." The little sapling beside him was in no better shape. Though it could absorb spiritual energy, that was only enough to keep it alive. Now, its whole body looked dry and withered, completely devoid of vitality.
Its only hope rested with Joe Di, and Joe Di's only hope lay in his deductions.
The moment Joe Di stood up, he felt a barrier within his body break. The bottleneck that had kept him at the Sixth Level of Qi Refinement vanished, and his cultivation surged rapidly.
Even after years without cultivating, Joe Di knew exactly what was happening. He quickly sat down again and began circulating his energy.
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Half a day later, Joe Di opened his eyes in delight. After years of deducing Arraycraft, he hadn't expected that just as he broke through to Level Four in Arraycraft, his cultivation would also advance to the Seventh Level of Qi Refinement.
The Seventh Level of Qi Refinement was a world apart from the sixth—one was the middle stage, the other the late stage. It seemed the green vitality's benefits went beyond keeping him alive. Unfortunately, he didn't have any Spirit Stones; with them, he might have been able to reach the eighth or even ninth level in one go.
"Big brother, you advanced?" The little sapling perked up.
Joe Di replied happily, "I just broke through to Level Four Arraycraft Master and reached the late stage of Qi Refinement. Not bad, not bad. How long have I been in seclusion?"
As he spoke, he patted the little sapling's head. This time, he was gentle—Sprout had played a big part in his breakthrough.
"Big brother, we've been here for three years now. What level have you reached in Arraycraft? Can we leave yet?" Sprout rubbed its hands, eager for Joe Di to take it away from this godforsaken place—its old lair was better than this.