The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 621

Chapter 621: Chapter 617: Something Fishy Chapter 621: Chapter 617: Something Fishy “Indeed, the matter of Yuan Shoucheng is also a mystery to me, what exactly happened? Surely it's not your doing, National Master?” Cheng Yaojin also turned around and asked Yuan Tiangang.

“Not at all, while I had some enmity with the Jing River Dragon King and had considered seeking revenge, my master's guidance led me to let go of that past resentment entirely. Furthermore, although I cannot claim to be the most virtuous gentleman, I am one to take responsibility for my actions. If I had truly conspired against the Jing River Dragon King, I wouldn't deny it.” Yuan Tiangang shook his head and replied.

“So what actually happened?” Cheng Yaojin furrowed his brows as he inquired.

Shen Luo observed Yuan Tiangang's frank expression, detecting no deceit. Perhaps this matter truly had nothing to do with him. Then who could Yuan Shoucheng really be? Judging from his maneuvers, it seemed like his intention was to instigate animosity between the Jing River Dragon King and the Great Tang Dynasty Government.

“Could it be that Demon Soul!” A thought suddenly crossed his mind.

“Regardless of who Yuan Shoucheng really is, he plotted against the Jing River Dragon King and attempted to frame the National Master, so he is certainly not a good person. However, given that the Jing River Dragon King is now dead, there's no need to worry.” Cheng Yaojin contemplated before commenting.

“Although the Jing River Dragon King is dead, Ma Xiuxiu is still alive. Having acquired the Dragon Element from the Jing River Dragon King, she has metamorphosed into a Dragon. Additionally, the Refining Body Altar also survived without any substantial damage in this great battle. I'm afraid this matter is far from over.” Yuan Tiangang responded, shaking his head.

“Indeed.” Cheng Yaojin's expression darkened as he nodded in agreement.

“Not only Ma Xiuxiu and the Refining Body Altar, but we also encountered a grey figure at the boundary of the Nether River that day. That person was able to call upon the power of Six Paths of Reincarnation from the Underworld to aid the Jing River Dragon King. I suggest the two elders get in touch with the Underworld and thoroughly investigate the origins of this person. It might provide some valuable direction.” Shen Luo proposed.

“A valid suggestion from Shen indeed!” Cheng Yaojin's eyes lit up as he immediately responded.

Yuan Tiangang also slowly nodded in agreement.

Despite his suggestion being accepted by the two, Shen Luo didn't take pride in it; his expression remained serious.

Although the ghost menace in Chang'an had been eliminated, it seemed to hide a more clandestine undercurrent. Coupled with the Demon Soul lurking within Chang'an, a massive wave could be triggered at any time.

“If the two elders don't have any other matters, I will take my leave.” Shen Luo noticed Cheng Yaojin and Yuan Tiangang remaining silent, and paid his respects to bid them farewell.

He needed to return and quickly enhance his strength to cope with the drastic changes that might occur at any time.

“Go ahead, currently, the city is in a state of reconstruction and not quiet, not conducive to cultivation. Shen, you can stay at my residence for peace of mind, there's no rush to leave.” Cheng Yaojin nodded and spoke.

“Thank you for your kindness, Duke. In that case, I, the junior, won't stand on ceremony.” Shen Luo paused for a moment before nodding.

He then paid his respects to the two once again before taking his leave.

“What do you make of this lad?” After Shen Luo left, Cheng Yaojin asked Yuan Tiangang.

“Quite astute and well-mannered, he is indeed a promising young lad.” Yuan Tiangang nodded and chuckled.

“I didn't ask for that, it's not like we're selecting a son-in-law. I meant our earlier topic.” Cheng Yaojin said, a bit irritated.

“You mean the person chosen by destiny? There indeed are some similarities, however, there are also differences between him and Lu Xianzhi. We need to observe further.” Yuan Tiangang put away his teasing smile and responded seriously.

“Fine.” Cheng Yaojin nodded.

Shen Luo left the main hall without returning to his own residence. Instead, he exited Cheng Manor and headed into the city.

The streets within Chang'an City were no longer bustling as before, the foot traffic was less than a third of what it used to be. Owing to the previous great battle, scars of destruction were seen all over the city.

The northern part of the city was relatively unscathed as it was not directly impacted by the battle. However, the southern part, which was at the heart of the battlefield, was littered with ruins and debris.

Even though the court dispatched troops to aid in the reconstruction, and citizens gradually returned home, the scene was still bleak. Nearly every household was holding a funeral, and everywhere one looked, there were expressions of sorrow and grief.

Upon witnessing this devastation, Shen Luo felt a profound sadness and made a silent vow to prevent the Demonic Tribulation from harming the entire human realm.

He then gathered his thoughts and arrived at a temporary gathering place for shops within the city that he had previously visited. He spent half a day there before exiting, looking somewhat pained.

The immortal jade he had accumulated from several previous battles was reduced by a third, exchanged for a large batch of materials, all of which were related to array formations.

Shen Luo bought these materials in preparation for breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage, specifically for the preparation of the Tri-Element Kaitai Secret Technique.

Tri-Element Kaitai is a unique auxiliary breakthrough secret method, different from the many methods he had seen before.

The core of this secret method is to set up a Three Element Array, which is neither a defensive nor an offensive formation, but a nourishing array. The Three Element Array is closely related to the person setting up the array, with the formation pattern and the meridians of the human body interconnected. It could even be said that an external simulation of the Dantian is created with the array.

When the person setting up the array cultivates within it, the mana within their body would be transferred and stored within the Three Element Array. At the right moment, this mana would be gathered back to their body, combined with the internal mana, to break the cultivation bottleneck.

This Tri-Element Kaitai Secret Technique opens up a new path and is quite ingenious. Even though Shen Luo was well-traveled and knowledgeable, he was still struck by its brilliance when he first came across this technique.

Unfortunately, the amount of mana that this Three Element Array can store is limited and can only be used to assist in breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage.

After purchasing the materials, Shen Luo quickly returned to Cheng Manor and to his own residence.

He first took out a set of dull yellow array flags and discs and placed them around the room.

This formation is called the Thousand Mile Yellow Sand Array, which he obtained from the storage magical tool of the black-robed monk from the Refining Body Altar at the outskirts of the Underworld. It is a highly ingenious defensive array that can connect with the Earth Veins, making it extremely stable. Even if a Nascent Soul Cultivator were to attack, it would not be a concern. It also has the ability to block Divine Sense and is typically used for safeguarding cave mansions.

However, this formation has a significant drawback, its conspicuousness. Once activated, it would stir up sands of yellow light, making it hard to go unnoticed.

Given the importance of his impending closed-door cultivation, Shen Luo did not mind the array's conspicuousability.

He quickly set up the Thousand Mile Yellow Sand Array, before taking out the materials to set up the Three Element Array in the center of the room.

The Three Element Array is extremely complex and didn't have any pre-made setup tools available. Despite Shen Luo's experience in setting up arrays on numerous occasions, it still took him a full day and night to set up this grand formation.

Once done, Shen Luo sat cross-legged in a silver ring at the center of the formation, took out an array flag and pointed it at the outermost Thousand Mile Yellow Sand Array.

The Thousand Mile Yellow Sand Array immediately started to operate, with countless yellow lights resembling sand appearing and swirling within the room.

The room was unable to hide the yellow glow of the array, which soon spread outside. In just a few breaths, the entire house was shrouded in rolling yellow sand, visible from a great distance.