Yellow Court Daoist

"Success!"

Amidst Yuan Gui City, Lu Qingfeng abruptly opened his eyes, a trace of joy flickering within them.

[War City: Yuan Gui City]

[Damage Level: 88%]

Inside the City Lord Mansion, the Township Tablet sank into the ground and vanished. Simultaneously, information swept across Lu Qingfeng's mind.

"88% damage level, nearly a total loss," he murmured, shaking his head.

Indeed, little more than the foundation remained of the war city. Essential structures such as the city protection array, walls, and various buildings were all ruined, desperately needing reconstruction.

"The reconstruction of 'Yuan Gui City' and revitalizing the 'Ice Cold Spirit Immortals' is of utmost importance. But beyond that, other foundational Daoist Soldiers are also needed."

Lu Qingfeng hovered above the City Lord Mansion, looking down upon the entire 'Yuan Gui City', observing the half-collapsed city wall on the left where five hundred Ice Cold Spirit Immortals were still diligently laboring. However, their numbers were too few, and the speed of repairing the city walls was painfully slow.

Ever since he claimed Yuan Gui City, twelve years had passed.

Over the course of twelve years, the five hundred Ice Cold Spirit Immortals had only managed to repair sixty feet of the city wall.

At this rate,

The city, thirty li long and twenty-five li wide, would require at least a thousand years to rebuild its surrounding walls. If one included the city's buildings, it might even not be completed by the time Lu Qingfeng ascended.

"Unsure of the origin of the demon obstructing Master Mu Yang's ascension, the reaction from the Upper Realm seems noteworthy. The sooner Yuan Gui City is rebuilt, the more secure it becomes."

Lu Qingfeng recalled recent events, feeling a sense of urgency.

Master Mu Yang performed a ritual offering to the immortals, appealing to the Upper Realm Ancestor, reporting the matter of the obstructive demon. The Upper Realm Ancestor took it seriously and inquired in detail. Unfortunately, the Upper Realm figures did not disclose the origin of the demons to Master Mu Yang, only mentioning that they would send someone to resolve the demon issue soon, assuring him there was no need for worry.

He could ascend later.

The grand gestures from the Spirit Domain Ancestor buoyed Master Mu Yang and Wu Jiu, but a shadow of unease lingered in Lu Qingfeng's heart and would not dissipate.

Lu Qingfeng pondered deeply for a moment.

Then, with a flip of his hand, he took out the 'Dutian Xuanming Strategy'.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Six Primordial Spirit Level Dutian Ghost Generals, along with seven thousand two hundred Jiedan Level Xuanming Yin Soldiers, flew out and assembled in front.

The Dutian Xuanming Strategy was still of the Seventh-Order.

In theory,

It should control one hundred and eight Primordial Spirit Dao Soldiers.

However, throughout these years, as Lu Qingfeng roamed the Three Mountains and Nine Waters, battling demons, he had only been able to gather the Xuanming Yin Soldiers. Regarding the Dutian Ghost Generals, even including those promoted from Jiedan Dao Soldiers, he only had six in total.

And advancing from Jiedan Yin Soul to Primordial Spirit was incredibly challenging.

Over six hundred years,

Out of thousands at the peak of Jiedan, only one advanced. To rely on self-promotion to fill the ranks of the Dutian Ghost Generals, who knows how long it would take.

Fortunately, he was unrivaled in the mortal world.

Lu Qingfeng was not in a rush.

"Disperse into the void."

"Search for traces of the demons!"

With a grand wave of his hand, the Ghost General Yin Soldiers scattered. The six Dutian Ghost Generals led the way, tearing through the void with the seven thousand two hundred Xuanming Yin Soldiers stepping into the region beyond the Three Mountains and Nine Waters in search of the demons.

"First, retrieve one or two demons to clarify their origins," he thought.

With the Dao Soldiers dispersed,

Lu Qingfeng quietly awaited news.

Following this, focusing on the reconstruction of 'Yuan Gui City' was another major priority aside from his cultivation.

Closing his eyes to sense,

After refining, the entire Yuan Gui City fell within Lu Qingfeng's awareness—

The halfway constructed walls, crumbling ruins, scattered buildings, and several li of Immortal Soil;

The busy Ice Cold Spirit Immortals, the Seven Star Beauty Boa patrolling within and outside the city, the Black Water Spirit Turtle slumbering in the Xuanwu Tower;

And—

"The core hub of Yuan Gui City."

Lu Qingfeng's form shifted, and he suddenly dived underground, finding himself in a region as scorching as magma. This place seethed with heat; looking around, it resembled a pool or furnace, continually inhaling and exhaling Spiritual Qi from all directions.

Patterns were engraved both inside and out, flickering with spirit light. Yet, what should have been a vast, intact array now appeared dim in parts, causing the absorption rate of Spiritual Qi to slow. The Qi absorbed barely sustained the two remaining array towers in Yuan Gui City.

"At the peak of Yuan Gui City, this place could support 365 array towers, nine Daoist constructions, and their Daoist consumption, the city walls and the offensive and defensive mechanisms on the walls and the array towers, forming the power core of Yuan Gui City."

"To repair Yuan Gui City, this is the top priority."

Lu Qingfeng surveyed his surroundings, gathering information—

[Spiritual Building: Yunyan Qiankun Furnace]

[Grade: Fifth-Order](Note: The grade classification of the War City Qiankun Furnace is consistent with that of Daoist Soldiers, Fifth-Order being True Immortal Level)

[Description: The power core of Yuan Gui City, energy nexus]

[Spiritual Energy Storage: 0.014%]

[Damage Level: 92%]

"Damaged by 92%."

Lu Qingfeng, having seen it just now, had estimated it in his mind and was not surprised now. He walked in and around the 'Yunyan Qiankun Furnace', recording each pattern and array, whether intact or destroyed.

A Swallowing Spirit Array.

Spirit Ejection Array.

Refining Spirit Array.

Spirit Storage Array.

Five Elements Rotation Cold Ice Array.

All-direction Heavenly Cold Ice Divine King Protector Array.

...

Each and every intricate array formation.

Centered around the Yunyan Qiankun Furnace, along with various buildings, array towers, and city walls within Yuan Gui City, a colossal network of arrays was established. This network encompassed the inhalation and circulation of Spiritual Energy, refining, transformation, sensing, suppression, and more, further cloaked in a major offensive and defensive array.

Once entirely activated.

Yuan Gui City could instantly transform into a monstrous war entity, inhaling and exhaling vast amounts of Spiritual Energy, entering the battlefield to surely sweep away all opposition. The 'All-direction Heavenly Cold Ice Divine King Protector Array' was a secret transmitted array method from the Ice and Snow Divine Palace, capable at its peak to summon the Four Directions' Heavenly Cold Ice Divine Kings; even an Earth Immortal would struggle to withstand it momentarily.

Regrettably.

The full might of this great array could only be manifested by a true immortal of the Ice and Snow Divine Palace. Without the true teachings of the Ice and Snow Divine Palace, and without being recorded in the annals of the Divine Palace, it was impossible to summon the 'Four Directions' Heavenly Cold Ice Divine Kings,' greatly reducing its power.

Of course.

Now this array was tremendously crippled, barely managing to sustain a layer of protection, stopping normal Primordial Spirit Practitioners from entering or leaving. Even under the hands of a Primordial Spirit Practitioner, it would hardly last even ten to fifteen days. Without repairs, even if a True Immortal of the Ice and Snow Divine Palace were to arrive, summoning the revered deities of the sect would be difficult.

Aside from this, other arrays were also damaged.

For instance, the 'Five Elements Rotation Cold Ice Array' that could convert Five Elements Spiritual Energy into Cold Ice Spirit Qi was nearly completely destroyed. What little that remained wasn't even one ten-thousandth of its original state, effectively useless.

The arrays for inhaling and exhaling Spiritual Energy, the 'Swallowing Spirit Array' and 'Spirit Ejection Array,' were also severely damaged. Particularly so, the Swallowing Spirit Array which absorbed Spiritual Energy from all directions was gravely destroyed, reducing its absorption rate tremendously, together with the damaged 'Spirit Storage Array' reducing the amount of Spiritual Energy stored in Yunyan Qiankun Furnace to merely 0.014%.

Lu Qingfeng calculated based on the current storage rate—

"It would take about a hundred years just to store 0.01%."

"A million years to completely fill the Yunyan Qiankun Furnace?"

Lu Qingfeng pursed his lips, "It appears that to rebuild Yuan Gui City, it must start with this 'Yunyan Qiankun Furnace.'"

Without the support of the Yunyan Qiankun Furnace, various arrays couldn't function, and even the Seven Star Tower, Ice Cold Spring Eye, and other spiritual buildings could not operate smoothly. Even if Lu Qingfeng managed to restore the Ice Cold Spring Eye, it would lack sufficient energy to cultivate the Ice Cold Spirit Immortal and sustain the consumption of Spiritual Power within its body.

Thus.

Lu Qingfeng began to deeply contemplate the array formations within Yunyan Qiankun Furnace.

The furnace so badly damaged, Lu Qingfeng did not anticipate reviving it in its original form.

"The Five Elements Rotation Cold Ice Array and the All-direction Heavenly Cold Ice Divine King Protector Array are both secret array methods of the Ice and Snow Divine Palace. Notably, the latter, even if restored, would not unleash its greatest potential and would still place one under the constraints of the Ice and Snow Divine Palace."

"Change it!"

Lu Qingfeng was already a Great Grandmaster of Array Dao.

Originally obtaining the Array Dao inheritance from the Soul Searching General of the Yang Realm within the Changqing Realm, and having experienced many lives and studied numerous array systems, he now also had the array tradition from the Heavenly Star Sect.

Adopting the best from various schools, Lu Qingfeng now could certainly be considered a master of the generation. Master Mu Yang, reverently known as the foremost among the Three Mountains and Nine Waters in array methods, yet Lu Qingfeng's expertise in arrays far surpassed him.

With the Yunyan Qiankun Furnace along with other arrays in Yuan Gui City complex and obscure, it seemed overwhelming.

Yet understanding one is understanding all.

Lu Qingfeng took Yuan Gui City as a blueprint and modified it according to his needs.

Utilizing Murong Realm's hundredfold time difference, a new battle city array system, stemming from the designs of Yuan Gui City, gradually took shape.

...

Outside the Three Mountains and Nine Waters.

In the Endless Void.

A mighty figure emerged.

Standing proudly in the void, clad in black armor with eight legs wildly moving—constantly searching through the void.

After an unknown duration.

This mysterious strong being's pupils, each composed of numerous compound eyes, suddenly gleamed fiercely, and with a swift movement of his eight legs, he crossed an endless distance arriving at a desolate star.

This celestial body wasn't large, with a diameter of about a hundred miles.

At a glance, one could see dozens of ferocious creatures clinging to the pockmarked surface of the star. These creatures, with wings and four sharp claws, and a set of sharp mouthparts, were thrust deep into the celestial body.

The very frightening Demon Spirits that Master Mu Yang encountered on his path of ascension.

"They can even extract the essence qi of stars."

"Indeed, they belong to the 'Sucking Essence Demon Spirit' species!"

The eight-legged strong being, seeing these dozen monsters, his compound eyes flickered faster. A Cold Light Great Axe appeared in his hands, slashing fiercely towards the distant star transformation—

Boom!

A resounding explosion echoed, and the hundred-mile diameter celestial body shattered upon impact, sending dust and debris flying.

"Wow~!"

"Wow, wow, wow~!"

From within the dust, black shadows flashed, wings fluttering wildly, emitting cries akin to those of a baby. In the next moment, eighteen black shadows burst out through the dusty sky, each soaring in eighteen different directions.

The mighty axe strike of the eight-legged being had left only eighteen of the original dozens of ferocious creatures.

Clearly, the creatures also recognized the formidable power of the newcomer.

Even after being slaughtered in great numbers, they dared not resist and simply scattered in escape.

"Sucking Essence Demon Spirits can absorb the essence qi of life spirits, celestial bodies and all things, enhancing themselves and possessing extremely robust bodies."

"These eighteen Sucking Essence Demon Spirits are almost at a Fifth-Order level; no wonder they withstand this king's axe strike."

The eight-legged being marveled, yet his actions were quick.

With his eight legs swirling around, his figure flickered and immediately split into eighteen forms, spreading in all directions. Each shadow wielded a huge axe, fiercely slashing towards the fleeing Sucking Essence Demon Spirits.