“The portals in and out of our world are now heavily guarded, and I have already cast spells to fortify the World Barrier. There is no way he can escape. He must still be within our world.
Very well. Let me now divine his whereabouts.”
Jinlun Great Master said slowly.
Having said this, he pointed a finger at the altar before him.
Rumble…
The altar trembled slightly, causing mysterious golden runes to rise one after another.
Then, the Jinlun Great Master began performing the Golden Dragon Tracking Art once again, sending out even more illusory Five-Clawed Golden Dragons to search throughout the Qiantang Great World for Ye Yunfei's whereabouts.
Meanwhile, deep underground near the Imperial Capital of the Qiantang Empire, Ye Yunfei was still using his Geomancy Technique to deal with the nine golden dragons.
Normally, with Ye Yunfei's strength, subduing nine dragons wouldn't be difficult. However, these nine dragons were part of the array foundation of the Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain. Their energies were connected to the surrounding foundational nodes, making them an integral whole. If one node was attacked, the others would send support.
While Ye Yunfei was assaulting the nine dragons, the other foundational nodes around him continually released energy to attack him.
That was why Ye Yunfei had not yet managed to subdue the nine dragons.
Of course, Ye Yunfei wouldn't give up easily. Since he couldn't think of a way to leave this world for the moment, he persisted.
Bang! Bang!
Ye Yunfei employed the Dragon Binding Forbidden Technique from his Geomancy Technique, leading all the dragons he had previously subdued, continuously attacking those nine golden dragons. For a time, the battle between the two sides was intense.
“This lad's Geomancy Technique skill is quite excellent. If this continues, he might actually manage to break this foundational node. Once one node is broken, he will likely succeed in destroying the others too.
However, destroying the entire Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain won't be accomplished in a short time.
After being nourished over such a long age, the foundations of this Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain are exceptionally sturdy and its power immense. To dismantle it, he'd need to spend a great deal of time and energy destroying every single foundational node. It would take at least a year or two, or perhaps even several years, to have any chance of success.”
At that moment, a faintly discernible figure was watching Ye Yunfei's every move from a distance, seeming very interested.
It was the old man with white hair and beard, the one with the faintly visible form.
This old man was almost completely transparent, to the extent that he was exceedingly difficult to detect, even with Soul Power.
Ye Yunfei, currently exerting all his effort against the nine dragons, had absolutely no awareness of the old man's presence.
Even Hun Lao and the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm hadn't noticed him either!
“Hmm, how unexpected. After all these years, I've finally encountered a Geomancer, and such a young lad at that.”
The old man watched Ye Yunfei's movements, scrutinizing the Geomancy Technique Ye Yunfei was employing, and nodded repeatedly, seeming deeply appreciative.
“Very good. I've waited all these years, and this lad finally appears.
Crown Prince Jin Chao... thinking back to those years, you went back on your word, deceived me into setting up this Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain for you, and then caught me off guard, shattered my Soul Body, refined and fused it into the will of this Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain, forever confining me here, guarding the legacy you left behind in this era!
I, a dignified Terrain Guardian Immortal, ended up in this state, all thanks to you, Crown Prince Jin Chao!
Today, since I've encountered this lad, I shall borrow his hand to destroy this Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain, and eliminate the legacy you left behind!
That will at least slightly ease the resentment in my heart!”
After a short while, the old man seemed to have made a decision. His face turned sinister, gnashing his teeth as he spoke in a heavy voice.
“Young man, you should save your energy.”
The old man proceeded by earth-riding. Vast amounts of Earth Qi Energy gathered around him as he advanced a considerable distance in an instant, approaching Ye Yunfei. Then, his form manifested, and he spoke.
“Who’s there?!”
Ye Yunfei, who was fully focused on dealing with the nine earth dragons, suddenly heard a voice speaking not far away. Startled, he immediately turned to look.
At that moment, Ye Yunfei was on high alert, ready to risk everything and attack at any moment.
After all, with his perception ability, coupled with Hun Lao and the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, they could sense any Earth Immortal expert that approached. Yet now, someone had come this close without him knowing! It suggested this newcomer's power was terrifyingly formidable!
Then, Ye Yunfei saw the white-haired, white-bearded old man and couldn't help but be taken aback.
His intuition told him that the state of this old man was off — he didn't even seem like a living being!
“Young man, there's no need to be nervous. I have no ill intent toward you.”
The old man spoke, appearing very amicable.
“Senior, who are you?”
Ye Yunfei thought for a moment and asked.
Meanwhile, several large Earth Formations around Ye Yunfei were ready. With but a thought, they would launch an attack against the old man.
Hun Lao, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, Hu Miao, Huang Shang, and the others were also prepared to fight.
All were treating this as if facing a formidable enemy!
“Who am I?
To you, I belong to ancient times.
However, strictly speaking, I am no longer alive. I am merely a spirit — a spirit that relies on something else for existence.”
The old man, upon hearing Ye Yunfei's question, pondered briefly, sighed, and spoke. His tone seemed somewhat wistful.
“A spirit?
Senior, you mean to say... you are the Formation Spirit of this Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain?”
Upon hearing the old man's words, Ye Yunfei carefully looked at him, then his heart stirred as he asked in astonishment.
“Good eye!
Indeed, you are correct. You can call me the Formation Spirit of this Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain.”
The old man nodded.
“So that explains why I've always felt this Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain had developed its own will. It turns out to be true!”
Ye Yunfei's heart realized this.
“Wait!
Although this old man before me is the Formation Spirit of the Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain, he doesn't seem like a will naturally born from it. He seems more like... the remnant soul of a powerful expert after his death, fused into the Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain, thereby becoming its Formation Spirit.”
Ye Yunfei suddenly felt something was off again. He scrutinized the old man more carefully and roughly deduced his origins.
“Hmm, young man, it seems you've grasped my roots.
Correct. I died, and someone else refined my remnant soul into this Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain, making me its Formation Spirit, forever guarding this Earth Formation.”
The old man sighed softly.
“So that's how it is!”
Though Ye Yunfei had already guessed as much, he was still deeply shocked to hear the old man admit it personally.
“I see this is another method for setting up an Earth Formation.
This Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain was likely arranged by a very skilled Geomancer from ancient times?”
Ye Yunfei inquired.
“Actually, I was the one who arranged this Supreme Son of Heaven Terrain.
I am no ordinary Geomancer. In my era, I was somewhat known as a Terrain Guardian Immortal.”
The old man stated.
“Terrain Guardian Immortal?”
Ye Yunfei was stunned. This was the first time he had heard such a title.