The Nine Palaces are called the Qian Palace, Kan Palace, Gen Palace, Zhen Palace, Central Palace, Xun Palace, Li Palace, Kun Palace, and Dui Palace. Within this grand formation, each palace is a small space, with palaces within palaces, all connected, resembling an enormous maze that twists and folds space, confuses time, and is filled with extremely dangerous killing intent.
Jiang Liu and Ao Luan are currently located in the Zhen Palace, which represents thunder, so they are being attacked by lightning. Jiang Liu sensed the mysterious person's fist intent, and the fist intent that broke through the void emitted fire, which represents fire. This allowed him to deduce the location of the Nine Palaces Grand Formation.
Now, Ao Luan directly displayed the grand array diagram using the "Absolute Compass," saving a considerable amount of time. Within the displayed grand array model, in each of the nine main palaces, a magical treasure seemed to be faintly visible, emitting powerful fluctuations of magical energy that, in conjunction with the nine-palace diagram, generated immense power.
Inside the main palace of the Zhen Palace where the two were staying, the magic treasure that suppressed the array's core was a purple gourd, about a foot tall, covered with lightning runes.
Jiang Liu located the array's core within the Zhen Palace. He saw the gourd open to the sky, its mouth spewing forth endless Yin lightning. This Yin lightning pierced through layers of space, and upon reaching the Zhen Palace, it acquired various attributes. Clearly, it had been transformed by the power of the other palaces, becoming even more destructive Five Elements Yin lightning.
Standing in front of the array's core, although it appeared to be only a hundred meters away, Jiang Liu knew that within this hundred-meter area, countless layers of space were folded. If he couldn't break through the space, he simply couldn't take out the gourd.
Although Ao Luan had reached the strength of the fifth level of lightning tribulation, and his armor and sword were both treasures, it would still take a lot of effort to retrieve the gourd.
However, it was not difficult for Jiang Liu. His understanding of spatial rules had reached an extremely high level; the "knowing the subtle" was the embodiment of spatial rules and their exquisite nature.
Reaching out, he seemed to pass through countless layers of space before pulling the gourd out.
"No wonder this place is full of Yin Thunder, the Thunder of the Five Elements. It turns out it's coming from this gourd. A fine treasure!" With that, he tossed the gourd to Ao Luan.
"You don't want it?" Ao Luan hurriedly caught it, puzzled. Although such a treasure was not top-tier, it was still quite good, equivalent to a master at the fifth level of lightning tribulation.
"Take it! I don't need it, and... I want to eat meat, I can't let you not even get soup!"
With that, Jiang Liu cleaved through space with a chop to enter the Gen Palace. Gen represents mountains and belongs to the element of earth. As soon as he stepped inside, a heavy force pressed down on him, and his body sank, landing on a rocky mountain. Then he felt a mysterious aura envelop him, and he noticed that his skin had turned grayish-white, showing signs of inward erosion.
"Petrifying power?" Jiang Liu frowned, his whole body trembled, and he dispelled the strange power that enveloped his body.
Ao Luan followed closely behind and immediately crashed down, raising a cloud of dust with a loud thud.
Looking around, Jiang Liu saw that the stones were incredibly lifelike, just like humans, with even their hair and beards clearly visible.
Without lingering or retrieving the treasure, it tore through space once more.
"Are you leaving before even retrieving the treasure from this Gen Palace?"
Without time to think it through, she followed Jiang Liu into another space.
Kan Gong Zi Shui, this is the world of water.
As soon as Ao Luan entered, before she could even react, Jiang Liu grabbed her and pulled her into the void. In a fleeting glance, she saw a huge fist strike down, shattering the space beneath it.
The feeling she got from that punch was that she was going to be crushed and turned into powder.
"That was close..." After cleaving through several layers of space, Jiang Liu finally breathed a sigh of relief, barely managing to shake off the mysterious man.
"Was that the actual power of the fist intent? Peak Human Immortal? He comes from the Outer Heavens?" Ao Luan's face was pale. Even the aftershocks of that punch had injured him.
"Ignore that person. I'm not fighting him, not because I'm afraid of him," Jiang Liu explained, then tore open the great formation again and continued to move through it without stopping, showing no intention of entering the formation's core to retrieve the treasure.
Finally, they entered a completely different world. Ao Luan clearly sensed this difference. The previous spaces were filled with killing intent, and one would be subjected to terrifying attacks upon entering, but this space was unusually peaceful.
"We've finally arrived!" Jiang Liu exclaimed with a broad smile.
Ao Luan looked around and found herself standing in a state of chaos. There was no attack coming from this area; it seemed peaceful.
"Where are we? This isn't the Dragon Graveyard; we're still inside the great formation!" the Dragon Girl asked.
Jiang Liu manipulated the chaotic air currents, pure white energy swirling between his fingers, and said, "The center of the great formation, the central palace. This Yanfu Great Formation appears to have only nine palaces, but if one cannot comprehend the rules of transformation, one can only be trapped in the outer eight palaces. Even someone as powerful as that mysterious person would find it difficult to enter this place. You think the treasures in those formation eyes outside are precious, right!"
Ao Luan stroked the purple gourd hanging at her waist and said, "Isn't it precious?"
"Not precious at all. Compared to the real treasures of the great formation below, these treasures used to suppress the formation's core are nothing!" With that, Jiang Liu broke through the chaotic airflow, then punched out and pulled out a large egg from the void, the egg shimmering with countless runes.
"The egg of the alligator dragon! It has been gestating in this chaotic land for so long, and it is about to be born. This is an ancient divine beast, and it will possess great supernatural powers upon its birth. The ancient alligator dragon, with its feet like pillars of heaven and its back like an island, floats on the sea... This is the one described!"
"Is this the treasure you're talking about?" Ao Luan asked.
"Hehe, that's just a side effect. The nine magical treasures are what make up the entire Yama Array. But the real treasure is the tortoise shell that was created when the array was built..."
"You mean the tortoise shell of that ancient alligator dragon? The formation diagram of this Yama Array is the tortoise shell of that divine beast?"
Ao Luan was shocked. She only knew that there were treasures in the Dragon's Graveyard, but she didn't know what treasures they were. Treasures like the "Yin Thunder Phosphorescent Gourd" were already extremely precious to her.
According to legend, the ancient alligator dragon was a giant tortoise that floated on the sea and remained motionless for many years. People believed that there was a huge island on its back, where it multiplied and thrived.
This ancient alligator dragon has a tortoise shell on its back that forms the Nine Palaces of Nature, possessing incredible magical power. When a sage obtains it, it is considered an auspicious omen, allowing them to comprehend the highest truths.
Legend has it that when the world is at peace and the emperor is virtuous, this dragon will emerge from the water and reveal the Nine Palaces pattern.
Ao Luan glanced at the purple gourd at her waist, gave a wry smile, and compared to the tortoise shell of the alligator dragon, the joy of obtaining this gourd immediately dissipated by more than half. But then she thought, it's not bad to get one or two treasures. Without it, she wouldn't have been able to get in. What's the point of forcing it if she gets nothing or something?
People die because of greed. I know very well how capable I am.
Upon realizing this, he banished the inappropriate thoughts and laughed, "This Yama Array is actually formed from the shell on the back of a crocodile! No wonder it possesses such incredible power. If the Abbot were to refine it into the 'Death Star' and give it the power of the Nine Palaces, folding space layer by layer, it could expand countless spaces in one fell swoop."
Jiang Liu nodded, his gaze sharp as lightning, staring intently into the chaos, lost in thought.
Then, they actually summoned the Death Star and sent it crashing down on Earth like a planet colliding with the planet.
Expanding...expanding...expanding again...
The Death Star rapidly expanded to its original size, and then with a loud "boom," the entire formation shook violently.
In that instant of impact, Ao Luan seemed to see herself in a vast labyrinth, surrounded by layers upon layers of folded, origami-like spatial fractures, with no sky above and no earth below. Perhaps just a step ahead was an insurmountable distance, hundreds of thousands of miles away.
This is the "Nine Palaces World", this is the "Yamfu Grand Array".
Without the ability to tear through space, and without understanding the patterns of the formation's changes, one can only get lost within it.
In the collision with the "Death Star," the folded space of the "Nine Palaces World" was unexpectedly broken open in one fell swoop.
Previously, Jiang Liu's tearing through space could only be considered breaking out of the formation, without causing any damage to the great formation. Now, the "Death Star" is crashing down, completely destroying and dismantling the "Yanfu Great Formation".
Then, Jiang Liu had to pack up the dismantled materials and take them away!
...
Just before the "Death Star" crashed down, the mysterious old man was in the Kun Palace.
"Hahahaha... That kid got away, but we actually found a piece of 'Jia Yi Azure Dragon Wood'. With this, we'll soon have all the materials to forge the Supreme Armor!"
As the old man laughed, he threw a punch at the boundless, dark clouds. The layers of folded space exploded, revealing the array's core. It was a small island with a single green tree growing there. It had no leaves, but its bare branches forked, resembling either deer antlers or a lingzhi mushroom.
Just as he was about to reach out and grab the "Jia Yi Azure Dragon Wood", the earth shook violently, and the small island beneath his feet was torn apart.
The mysterious old man frowned, grabbed the "Jia Yi Azure Dragon Wood," and his wide robe emitted a burst of light, making him float up.
Human immortals cannot fly and can only rely on external forces; this garment is like the "Heavenly Horned God Armor."
The mysterious old man stared intently at the collapsed and shattered island, and said in a deep voice, "This attack... was it man-made or the work of a grand formation? It couldn't have been launched by that brat. If he had such strength, why would he flee? He could have killed me with a single blow."
Chapter 228 The Master of Vertical and Horizontal Strategies
The force of the Death Star's impact was so great that even a peak-level human immortal could not withstand it.
This kind of attack power is beyond human resistance.
However, while one cannot block it, one can escape it. Just as if Yang Pan were to bring the "Boat of Creation" head-on into the river, Jiang Liu could still escape.
But if it is something that is fixed and cannot be moved, it will naturally suffer merciless crushing.
Instantly, the Death Star came into contact with the Yama Array. Amidst the earth-shaking tremors, the entire array emitted mournful cries, as if the array was so shaken by the power of the Death Star that it was about to be shattered.
All the spatial rifts and void miniatures within the central palace were mercilessly crushed by the "Death Star," then exploded, and finally collided with the main body of the great formation.
The impact caused the earth to shake violently, resulting in the collapse of the small island at the core of the Kun Palace array where the mysterious old man was located.
As the linchpin of the grand formation, the central palace shook, and the obstructive fog instantly dissipated. Then, a tortoise shell, tens of miles in circumference, appeared beneath Jiang Liu's feet. The tortoise shell was covered with a nine-square pattern, resembling a field.
The dark clouds have dispersed!
The "Yanfu Grand Formation" was actually shattered by the "Death Star" in a single blow! It revealed its true nature.
A giant tortoise shell, spanning tens of miles in circumference, nearly a hundred miles in circumference.
All the dark clouds, the yin thunder, the five elements attacks, the layers of folded space, and the maze-like formation were caused by this giant tortoise shell.
This is the prototype of the "Yanfu Great Formation," the tortoise shell of the ancient mythical beast Tuolong.
"He's over there!" Following the river's direction, Ao Luan saw a dark figure in the Kun Palace.
The continuous annihilation of space left the mysterious man in a sorry state. However, despite his disheveled state, he was extremely powerful and his life was not in danger!
"Such formidable strength! It actually tore through space and entered the Qian Palace!" Ao Luan looked at the black figure. Although it was imprisoned within the great formation, it moved between the various palaces as if it were no one else was there.
Jiang Liu sneered, the metal ball in his hand poised to fire, and said, "Ever played whack-a-mole? Never! Heh... Watch closely..."
Then, the Death Star began to crush towards the location of the mysterious man.
In an instant, the old man, wearing a tall crown and strange clothes, dressed like a philosopher from the Middle Ages, raised his head. A tearing sound came from the space above his head, and then a dark shadow appeared in the sky above, which quickly grew larger.
A sphere came crashing down with a thunderous roar!
"Damn it... what is this?"
Faced with the approaching asteroid, the old man glared and threw a punch at the "Death Star".
"Unrivaled and invincible! Absolutely no divine fist!"
With a single punch, the space above his head was completely sealed off by the immense fist intent, and then it collided with the crushing asteroid.
The Death Star remained motionless, and as it plummeted at high speed, it unleashed endless bolts of lightning, instantly shattering the spatial barrier and threatening to crush everything below.
"Oh no! This is bad!"
As soon as the patriarch of the Horizontal and Vertical Sects unleashed his punch, he immediately felt that the strangely appearing metal sphere carried an immense and unstoppable power, more majestic than a mountain and more vast than the sea.
The "Absolutely Divine Fist," a punch imbued with the essence of martial arts, combined with the power of the supreme armor he wore, could not be blocked in the slightest.
"The wondrous nature of perfect enlightenment gives rise to flowers in the void! These flowers in the void are extinguished by the diamond nature! Flowers bloom in the emptiness, lotuses emerge with every step, and the sky is ablaze with shimmering light! Block them!"
Instantly, the "Heaven-Burning Waves" mentioned by the mysterious old man erupted, layer upon layer, which was the power of magnetic light. And this power emanated from the ancient and strange clothes he was wearing.
This garment was actually a top-tier suit of armor that was no less impressive than the "Heavenly Horned God Armor," only slightly inferior to the "Buddha's Robe" and the "Imperial Heaven Beginning Dragon Armor."
In an instant, the true magnetic array on the armor unleashed its strongest protective wave of light.
The "Death Star" crashed down with incredible speed; in the blink of an eye, the blast of air from its fall had already ripped apart the yellow sand of the Qian Palace. At this point, it was impossible for him to tear through space and escape. Just then, in this critical moment, the mysterious man's body moved like a carp leaping through water, his movements fluid and rapid. He leaped upwards three times in succession, like a shrimp escaping the water, each leap covering tens of feet.
This is a profound movement technique, seemingly imbued with a martial spirit. Although this person has not yet integrated this martial spirit into their daily actions, their integration into footwork is already formidable. Their toes touched the empty air, and with that touch, the air rippled like lotus blossoms.
With a single step and a tap, flowers bloomed in the void. It was truly breathtaking.
Rumble rumble rumble...