Chapter 266: Reigning Over the World (35) — Proceeding to the Space of the Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree

Jiuyou's mind steadied as he instantly grasped the crux of the problem.

The entire Tianyuan Mountain secret realm existed by the power of a supreme treasure; every spatial layout and restriction law revolved around that origin. The Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree was the very foundation of the realm, which meant the core hub had to be hidden somewhere in the space surrounding it. If he could find that domain and seize Tianyuan Mountain's core hub, he could break free from this passive, restricted situation.

His mind made up, Jiuyou wasted no time and immediately took action.

He did not charge blindly through the intricate golden maze. His spiritual qi was still heavily depleted from traversing the spatial rifts and forcibly resisting the illusion's killing array; he had yet to fully recover.

Furthermore, this place was once filled with countless ancient restrictions. Even though the Blood Demon had destroyed more than ninety percent of them, the scattered remnants still harbored hidden perils. In his current dire straits, any meaningless drain on his energy would be fatal.

Fortunately, the Gold Secret Realm had not been tainted by the Blood Demon's foul demonic qi; the ambient spiritual energy here remained pure and dense. Jiuyou drew upon his origin essence to absorb the surrounding spiritual qi, rapidly replenishing his reserves. Before long, his depleted magical power was fully restored, his spiritual power abundant, and his cultivation returned to its absolute peak.

Finishing his meditation, Jiuyou stood and surveyed his surroundings. The crisscrossing golden maze, with its bizarre and complex layout, looked exactly as it had during his first visit a thousand years ago. It was incredibly easy to lose one's bearings here.

He quickly sifted through his memories. He vaguely recalled that near the cave where he had harvested the Ten-Thousand-Year Longevity-Increasing Fruit, there stood the Green Mountain, a place overflowing with exceptionally rich spiritual qi. It was one of the few natural spiritual lands within the entire secret realm. If he could find it, the cave wouldn't be far away.

Beneath where the Ten-Thousand-Year Longevity-Increasing Fruit had grown, a circular array platform had hovered in the air. He hadn't studied it closely back then, but thinking about it now, that platform was definitely no ordinary object. It was highly likely the teleportation hub leading to the Heavenly Origin Sacred Tree Secret Realm.

The golden walls here blocked divine sense; even with his Deity Transformation cultivation, he could not project his awareness to track the flow of spiritual qi. But with a Spirit Treasure in hand, Jiuyou naturally had a workaround.

With a thought, he summoned the Five Elements Heaven and Earth Ring. This Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasure was not bound by the local restrictions; it transcended the secret realm's laws entirely. Shimmering with flowing light, the ring slowly rotated around him, sensing the rhythmic flow of the ambient qi on his behalf.

Guided by the aura feedback from the Spirit Treasure, Jiuyou quickly locked onto the richest, purest vein of spiritual qi and flew in that direction. He proceeded with extreme caution, leaving his own hidden marks along the way to prevent getting lost and to ensure he didn't retrace his steps.

He navigated the maze for a long time. By Jiuyou's own estimation, three full days had passed.

During these three days, he stumbled across several small, ruined secret realms he hadn't discovered in the past. Although they contained a few scattered spiritual materials, they were of little use to him. Single-mindedly focused on finding the core, he didn't spare them a second glance, merely sweeping his gaze over them before immediately moving on.

Finally, after passing through a long, narrow corridor enclosed by layers of golden walls, his field of vision suddenly opened up.

The Green Mountain and its clear waters came into view. The vegetation was lush, the air fresh, and a profound sense of isolated tranquility washed over him. The familiar scenery set Jiuyou's mind at ease; this place truly hadn't been corrupted by the Blood Demon and retained its original appearance.

He leaped into the air, instantly triggering the area's residual no-fly restrictions. Layers of confining pressure bore down on him, but his protective spiritual light easily deflected them. Reaching out, Jiuyou pinpointed the restriction's core and shattered the ancient no-fly array with a casual backhand strike. Unhindered, he shot straight toward the mountain's peak.

The summit was open and flat. Several top-quality spiritual herbs grew from the crevices in the rocks, exuding swirling spiritual qi and vibrant life.

Jiuyou stepped forward and bent down to lightly brush the leaves, a glint of certainty flashing through his eyes.

"Myriad Spirit Grass. That's right, this is the way."

Before his voice even faded, he transformed into a streak of golden light and shot away from the summit. He left behind only a fierce gale that swept across the peak, shredding the thousand-year Myriad Spirit Grass into flying debris.

As he sped along, he could vaguely make out the hidden marks he had carved into the stone walls a thousand years ago. The old insignias were still perfectly clear. When he had first entered the secret realm, his cultivation was low, and every step had been a grueling struggle. He had suffered terribly, repeatedly trapped by restrictions. Returning to this place now, he could casually spot and obliterate the remaining hidden traps along the way. The difference between past and present was like night and day.

Less than half a quarter-hour later, light and shadows shifted in the air ahead as a hazy golden curtain came into view.

Jiuyou passed straight through the curtain without slowing down. A magnificent, ancient golden hall appeared before him. It was the exact same hall where he had luckily obtained the top-grade spiritual stone back then.

He didn't break his stride, crossing the entire hall to head straight for the seamless, smooth golden wall at the back. Raising his hand, he gathered all his magical power into his palm. Golden light surged and condensed before he launched a massive palm strike.

Boom!

The thunderous blast shook the great hall. The incredibly hard golden wall was instantly covered in a spiderweb of cracks before exploding into pieces and collapsing.

The moment the wall shattered, a skeleton covered in the dust of centuries tumbled out with the rubble. Unable to withstand the residual shockwaves of his magical power, the bones instantly crumbled to ash and blew away without a trace.

A look of understanding flashed in Jiuyou's eyes.

That enticing top-grade spiritual stone had been nothing but a decoy all along. The true fortune and profound mysteries were completely hidden behind this golden wall. If Old Ghost Qingshan hadn't fought him to the bitter end back then, with his limited cultivation and vision at the time, he never would have discovered this hidden chamber. He likely would have missed the area's greatest secret for the rest of his life.

With the golden wall cleared away, a deep cavern was fully revealed. It was the exact spiritual land that had housed the Ten-Thousand-Year Longevity-Increasing Fruit.

After a thousand years of wandering, he had finally returned to this place. If he hadn't been fortunate enough to obtain that lifespan-extending spirit fruit, his lifespan would have run out long ago. He would have been stuck at the Middle Nascent Soul Stage for the rest of his life, with no hope of ever reaching for the Great Dao of Deity Transformation, let alone achieving his current level of power.

He was in no mood for nostalgia. His gaze immediately locked onto the center of the cavern.

The archaic circular array platform that had hovered here in the past was now cracked and broken. It lay dead on the ground, devoid of any spiritual light or vitality.

Jiuyou's heart sank. He hurried forward, running his fingers over the broken platform as he carefully probed it with his divine sense. The runic patterns on the platform had been completely worn away, and the underlying structure of its restrictions was thoroughly destroyed. Corroded by the passage of time, it had lost all functionality.

His own attainments in formations were shallow to begin with. He had absolutely no way to repair such a thoroughly ruined array foundation by himself.

His plan to use the platform to reach the Heavenly Origin Sacred Tree Secret Realm had failed before it even began.

But after coming all this way, how could he give up so easily? Unwilling to accept defeat, Jiuyou suddenly remembered something.

He might not understand formations, but that didn't mean others didn't—and he happened to have one such expert on his person.

His mind made up, Jiuyou channeled his spiritual power to communicate with the Heaven and Earth Ring, awakening the artifact soul slumbering within.

"Martial Ancestor Xuan Zhenzi," he said evenly. "Your disciple has encountered a thorny predicament and requires your assistance."

The silent Heaven and Earth Ring trembled, spilling a warm golden light that condensed into a miniature golden figure. "Where is this?" Xuan Zhenzi stretched lazily with a yawn, a teasing half-smile on his face as he surveyed the surroundings and finally looked at Jiuyou. "You are a Deity Transformation Divine Lord now, enjoying boundless glory. Ordinary problems can no longer stump you. It's quite rare for you to call me out like this. Tell me, what could possibly require this old man's help?"

Jiuyou did not explain further. He simply pointed at the shattered ancient array platform on the ground.

"Please take a look, Martial Ancestor," he said calmly. "See if this can be repaired."