Chapter 297

Chapter 297: The Crisis Approaches

Upon hearing this, Mi Qing became anxious and quickly knelt on the ground, shouting, "Master, I am willing to take the Heart Demon Oath, pledging my lifelong loyalty to you and never to betray you. If I go against this oath, may I never progress in my cultivation!"

Cultivators place great importance on their Dao heart, especially on oaths, particularly the Heart Demon Oath. Moreover, it seems there is an extraordinary force that restricts anyone who breaks an oath; they invariably fall into madness and meet a tragic end.

After countless examples of living beings facing this fate, no one in the cultivation world dares to ignore the Heart Demon Oath. Once it is made, it is truly taken without regret for a lifetime.

Thus, when Mi Qing made her Heart Demon Oath, she instantly gained the trust of everyone, including Huo Wufang.

Huo Wufang couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy as he said, "I really don’t know where you got such good fortune!"

"Hehe~" Fang Lie chuckled, not minding it at all. He pulled Mi Qing up, then turned to Huo Wufang and asked, "What’s the situation below?"

"There’s a remarkable sight below~" Huo Wufang suddenly became excited, exclaiming, "It turns out that beneath this place is an enormous special space, with the ground covered in bright red magma. It comes into direct contact with the seawater, yet it doesn’t evaporate the sea. Instead, the seawater and magma quietly interact, just like how well water doesn’t disturb river water. This strange blend of water and fire is something I’ve never seen before!"

"The magma here contains incredibly pure Fire Element Spiritual Energy, while the seawater holds immensely pure water element Spiritual Energy. While water and fire typically clash, here, they perfectly merge, creating a unique structure of Spiritual Energy, which can be described as fire in water!" another Thunder Tribulation Immortal chimed in with a smile. "And that White Jade Divine Fish is a product of this special environment. They actually lay their eggs on the surface of the magma, using the unique heat here to incubate them. Perhaps this is why such marvelous species have emerged."

"In short, this is indeed a treasure land. We estimate that there are certainly other treasures from heaven and earth hidden here, but we just can’t find them at the moment!" Huo Wufang continued seriously, "Since this place is so important, your request to establish a separate estate is granted, and we will begin preparations immediately."

"But you only brought this few people. Isn’t that enough?" Fang Lie said with a hint of mischief.

"Hmph, I knew you wouldn’t be satisfied~" Huo Wufang replied helplessly. "Naturally, we can’t set up a very strong protective array, but it’s not a problem for us to explore the terrain and the direction of the Spiritual Veins. Only by understanding the direction of the Spiritual Veins within a hundred thousand miles can we design based on the terrain. It’s estimated that it will take at least ten years to build the array you want."

Upon hearing this, Fang Lie nodded in satisfaction, while Little Peach Red and Mi Qing were utterly stunned.

A protective array covering a hundred thousand miles—what does that even mean? This is the scale of a major sect’s protective array! It’s a terrifying formation capable of withstanding ten Thunder Tribulation Immortals!

Starting from scratch, just the materials alone could buy several Eighth-rank Treasures. The manpower required would also be a considerable investment; just the Thunder Tribulation Immortals involved would need to be several.

What status do Thunder Tribulation Immortals hold? Each one is far too precious, and calling on them even once comes at a great cost.

Building such a large array would waste the time of several Thunder Tribulation Immortals for over a decade! This expense is hardly less than the cost of materials.

Moreover, that’s not enough; it would require at least a thousand Nascent Souls or more to be summoned as well. This, too, is a terrifying investment!

Even though Little Peach Red and Mi Qing understand Fang Lie’s high status, they still did not expect that he could compel the Mo Sect to invest such significant resources. This news was simply overwhelming for them.

Soon after, Huo Wufang and the others took their leave to officially begin arranging the investigation of the direction of the ground veins.

Fang Lie then took the two astonished girls back to his living quarters.

Once back at his place, Little Peach Red eagerly asked, "Master, are we really going to build a protective array covering a hundred thousand miles?"

"Of course! Those three just now are all Thunder Tribulation Immortals. They wouldn’t make nonsense!" Fang Lie replied with a smile.

"What? Those three old men are Thunder Tribulation Immortals? How did I not notice that?" Little Peach Red exclaimed in surprise.

"Because they concealed their cultivation." Fang Lie explained with a smile, "Our place will become the Mo Sect’s separate estate, and they are here specifically to build the protective array for me!"

"Ah~" Both girls exclaimed in shock, "A protective array built by three Thunder Tribulation Immortals? How powerful will that be?"

"Hehe~" Fang Lie said proudly, "I wouldn’t say it’s too strong, but it would definitely be able to withstand more than a dozen Thunder Tribulation Immortals without any problem!"

Hearing this, the two girls fell silent.

Although arrays can become stronger over time, there are still differences among them. A protective array covering a hundred thousand miles would at best be able to withstand a few Thunder Tribulation Immortals; only the strongest, highest-quality arrays could handle more than a dozen Thunder Tribulation Immortals!

Mi Qing, being knowledgeable and well-informed, felt something was off upon hearing this news and asked, "Master, will there be Thunder Tribulation Immortals stationed here in the future? If so, this won’t belong to you anymore!"

"Don’t worry, as long as no one else comes, this place is mine~" Fang Lie replied proudly.

"But how could that be possible?" Mi Qing said, puzzled. "A protective array of a hundred thousand miles is one of the hallmarks of a major sect! And aren’t major sects supposed to have at least one Thunder Tribulation Immortal stationed?"

It is no wonder that Mi Qing feels confused. According to the rules of the cultivation world, only the sects with Thunder Tribulation Immortals can be called major sects. As for those without a Thunder Tribulation Immortal, even if they have a hundred Fire Tribulation Immortals, they can only be called medium-sized sects.

As for large sects, there is only one standard: they must have double-digit Thunder Tribulation Immortals, with at least ten to qualify.

In fact, the eight major righteous sects and the ten major Demonic Path sects currently have more than ten Thunder Tribulation Immortals each, which is why they are truly the dominant sects!

Furthermore, the protective array that spans a hundred thousand miles can only be built by major sects. As for super sects like the Mo Sect, their protective arrays are built at the million-mile level, making them colossal structures. Even with a hundred Thunder Tribulation Immortals possessing several Ninth-Rank Treasures, they wouldn’t be able to break through! That is what truly means to be solid as a fortress!

Of course, the so-called hundred thousand-mile protective array does not mean that its coverage area is that large. In reality, this array is only meant to protect Qingyu Island, covering a range of about a thousand miles at most.

However, it must be constructed within a hundred thousand miles to set up hidden formations, draw from the ground veins, and channel the Nascent Soul energy to be used on Qingyu Island. Only when all the spiritual energy within a hundred thousand miles is gathered can it withstand the overwhelming bombardment of several Thunder Tribulation Immortals.

Additionally, this hundred thousand-mile radius is also the warning and attack range.

Anything that appears here will be sensed by the array. If it is an enemy, the array can gather the Nascent Soul energy to deliver a merciless strike against the intruder.

However, the strength of this strike will weaken with distance.

If the enemy is near Qingyu Island, the gathered spiritual energy can unleash the strongest power of the protective array, even making the Thunder Tribulation Immortals kneel.

But if the enemy is tens of thousands of miles away, though they can still launch long-distance strikes, the power is greatly diminished, especially at the edge of the array, where it might even be equivalent to the Dao magic strength of a Wind Tribulation Immortal.

However, if paired with sufficiently powerful treasures used to stabilize the array, the situation is different.

In short, the hundred thousand-mile protective array is a symbol of major sects and signifies the presence of Thunder Tribulation Immortals. This is why Mi Qing suspects that the Mo Sect might dispatch a Thunder Tribulation Immortal to take residence. If that happens, they might just occupy Fang Lie’s original domain.

Fang Lie smiled slightly and said, "I am already an Elder of the Mo Sect. Coupled with my status as a candidate Token Lord, my position is not any less than an ordinary Thunder Tribulation Immortal. They have no right to expel me, let alone take away my legacy!"

"Ah~" Mi Qing exclaimed, surprised, "As far as I know, aren’t the Elders of major sects all at the late stages of Fire Tribulation? Even ordinary Fire Tribulation Immortals do not qualify to be Elders. Why have you become one?"

"I am an Honorary Elder, enjoying corresponding benefits but without any real power," Fang Lie explained with a smile. "The reason is simple—I achieved Major Merits this time, and the sect rewarded me with a Mo Token. According to the sect rules, as a disciple of the Mo Sect, having this means I am an Elder!"

"Is it really a Mo Token?" Mi Qing said with envy, "That thing is known as a one-time Ninth-Rank Treasure; countless Thunder Tribulation Immortals have dreamed of it! Master, to have such status at such a young age is truly remarkable!"

"Of course! You should look at who your Master is!" Little Peach Red said proudly, as if all the credit belonged to her.

Seeing this, Fang Lie couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

While Fang Lie and the two women were joking, they were unaware of a powerful force plotting against him.

Several hundred thousand miles away from Qingyu Island, there is a huge and magnificent island, which spans over ten thousand miles. This island is filled with magnificent and dazzling palaces, with countless beauties moving about, resembling the emperor’s palace of the mortal world.

This is the stronghold of the Wind Tribulation Immortal and Poison Heart Young Master—Bliss Island.

Poison Heart Young Master, with immense power, is on the brink of overcoming the Fire Tribulation and is considered the strongest entity within several hundred thousand miles. Even Fang Lie and the Seven Dragon True Immortals do not dare to claim they can defeat him.

However, at this very moment, this overwhelmingly powerful Poison Heart Young Master kneels on the ground, trembling in fear, with cold sweat soaking his forehead and even his clothes, which he dares not wipe.

In front of him, sitting on his throne, is a small, thin, freckled old gnome.