Chapter 26: The Grand Heaven-Seeking Array!

"Extreme Malice Soul Essence! You even brought out something like that!"

The other figure in the black robe was taken aback. Soul essence forms only from the lingering fragments of a Saint's soul after death, evolving slowly over time. Depending on various influences, it manifests in many types, each with a profound impact on the soul. Extreme Malice was an essence saturated with wicked thoughts, and judging by the effects of this one, the soul that birthed it must have belonged to someone beyond the Saint realm—a true demonic treasure of inestimable value.

"If we fail this time, it won't matter how precious our treasures are, we'll never get to use them again," the black-robed figure holding the soul essence replied with a bitter smile, directing the essence toward the black needle on the altar.

As the soul essence approached the needle, an inexplicable force began to draw it in. The essence slowly enveloped the needle and was gradually absorbed. Once the process was complete, the black needle radiated an even deeper, more enigmatic glow, distorting the light nearby.

Hearing his companion's words, the other black-robed man fell silent for a moment, then reached into the void and produced an object—a mass of ghastly pale mist floating in midair. Countless skulls emerged within it, their dreadful howls mingling with the sounds of chewing and agony. "These are the souls of a hundred thousand people who died in torment, filled with boundless resentment. I meant to forge a weapon with it, but for now, we must deal with the crisis before us!"

The first black-robed man nodded, took the pale mist, and fused it into the black needle.

Once all was prepared, a single strand of Zhou Tian's hair drifted into the nectar of the Celestial Blood Lotus. The white lotus bloomed, and, as before, a wraithlike image appeared at its heart.

The two exchanged a glance. Having performed the ritual once already, they were now adept and confident. Their energies surged as they unleashed a barrage of sigils, guiding the black needle steadily toward the spirit image of Zhou Tian.

A thunderous dragon's roar burst from Zhou Tian's form. A golden dragon, stretching a thousand yards long, soared from his body, coiling protectively around him. Its body was thick, claws sharp enough to rend space, its eyes blazing with divine light—its majesty was earth-shaking, far surpassing the protective dragon aura from before. Clearly, it had been greatly strengthened.

At the very instant this dragon aura was awakened, in a distant, unknown space—

This place resembled a world unto itself: the Milky Way streaming above, ancient divine mountains standing tall, and hundreds of enormous islands suspended in the sky. This was the ancestral land of the Zhou clan.

On one floating island stood a jade tower ten thousand feet high, built entirely from white jade bricks, every inch engraved with mysterious patterns. In the room at the tower's apex—vastly expanded by spatial arrays—a strange device stood at its center. Its body was gold, shaped as a hollow sphere, within which hovered a golden oval, runes swirling across its surface.

Around the device sat four elders, hair and beards white as snow, dressed in plain robes, eyes closed, their hands forming cryptic seals.

At the instant Zhou Tian's dragon aura was triggered, all four elders' ears twitched, and their eyes snapped open. The western elder spoke first.

"Zhou Tian's dragon aura has been activated!"

"They've made their move!" said the northern elder.

The southern elder nodded, "It's time we began as well!"

The eastern elder shouted, "Let's see who dares provoke us!"

The western elder reached into the void and drew forth a drop of crystalline blood—Zhou Tian's blood. He placed it above the golden oval within the hollow sphere. The four elders exchanged glances and nodded. Their auras surged, and sigils as complex as they were countless flashed into the sphere.

The sphere began to rotate slowly, runic chains twining around it. The entire space trembled as patterns manifested from the void, linking to the sphere. The whole tower glowed with a soft white light, the patterns on the jade bricks shimmering as vast energies flowed atop them.

The rotation of the sphere quickened, the golden oval within glowing brightly. A crack appeared at its center, gradually widening, until it resembled a colossal eye.

As the "eye" opened fully, a golden pillar of light pierced through the blood suspended above, shooting skyward.

Boom!

The golden pillar soared, and from it spread a vast white formation across the sky. At its center was an enormous eye, ten thousand miles wide, intimidating to the soul.

At the same time, in the region where the black-robed figures operated, a gigantic eye appeared in the sky, fixing its gaze upon them.

The moment they saw the eye, both men blanched.

"Zhou clan's Heaven-Seeking Grand Array!" one cried out in alarm, recognizing it immediately. This was one of the Zhou clan's legendary formations, famed throughout the Nine Provinces. It was said that while it was deployed, nothing could evade their detection—a treasure to rival the Fool's Heaven-Monitoring Mirror.

The other man's expression flickered with uncertainty. "These great powers respond so quickly. Now we've no choice but to continue—only success will win us the Holy Demon’s rescue!"

"Agreed!"

Gritting their teeth, the two ignored the golden eye in the void, focusing on manipulating the needle toward "Zhou Tian."

The golden dragon radiated blinding light, the sacred aura of humanity condensing around it, directly opposing the black needle. This time, the dragon's protective aura was markedly different—not just in size and strength.

Last time, the dragon aura had been pierced instantly. Now, it slowed the needle's advance significantly.

The four elders, observing through the Heaven-Seeking Array, stared in disbelief.

"How brazen!" one barked.

"Notify Elder Zhan!"

A message was dispatched, accompanied by a tiny golden eye.

Outside the jade tower, Elder Zhan—a white-haired man—stood in the void. Upon receiving the message, he frowned, reached into the void, and took hold of the golden eye. Injecting his power, he opened a rift before him. Energy surged from his body, sigils exploded around him, blood essence boiled, and his hand became a claw, thrusting into the rift.

The golden dragon, though slowing the black needle, could not halt it entirely. Inch by inch, the needle pressed toward "Zhou Tian."

At that moment, a crack appeared in the center of the golden eye above. A massive golden hand, formed of pure energy, descended from the heavens, blotting out the sky as it reached for them.

The hand was lifelike—one finger alone stretched a thousand miles, palm lines visible, runic chains twining around it, an overwhelming force of suppression radiating forth.

The two black-robed men broke out in a cold sweat, bodies paralyzed, the black needle nearly stilled.

"Holy Demon, if you do not act now, we will be crushed!" one of them roared at the sky.

Thunder boomed as the heavens split apart. A barefoot youth in white robes strode forth, white hair flowing behind him. Petals and rain fell from the sky, a radiant white glow enveloped all, instilling peace and awe. Songs of praise echoed in the void as celestial maidens danced, lauding the arrival of this figure.