The extra-territorial teleportation array was located on a small planet in the northern region of the Hongmeng Star Domain. God-Monarch Fengchi stowed his Golden-Winged Airship and led Li Xue and Li Lin toward the array.
A crimson figure stood atop the teleportation platform. As the three swept the area with their divine sense, they recognized a familiar face—it was Fairy Hongwei. She had placed well in the magical arts tournament on Planet Yuanshi and was quite well-acquainted with Fengchi, Li Xue, and the others.
Upon seeing the trio, Fairy Hongwei hurried off the platform and bowed respectfully. "Hongwei greets the God-Monarch and my two fellow Daoists!"
"Little Hongwei, are you heading beyond the domain alone?" God-Monarch Fengchi asked with a gentle expression. He had been quite impressed by her performance during the tournament.
"Yes, God-Monarch. I have been invited by a friend from the Ziyuan Star Domain to travel to Weihao Planet to assist in a duel," Fairy Hongwei replied respectfully.
"Weihao Planet... if I recall correctly, there are several great sects there that specialize in formations, aren't there?" Fengchi mused.
"Indeed. My friend is the formation master, Daoist Xingyuan." A sharp glint flickered in Fairy Hongwei’s eyes.
Fengchi turned to Li Xue and Li Lin. "Let us go and join the excitement. Observing such a contest will be beneficial for your understanding of formations."
Li Xue and Li Lin nodded in agreement, though they grumbled inwardly. *You are a God-Monarch; how could we possibly say no?* While the purpose of their journey was to broaden their horizons, and attending a grand formation duel was a rare opportunity, being ordered around by someone else left them feeling extremely disgruntled.
Hearing Fengchi’s words, Fairy Hongwei’s eyes sparkled with joy. Her friend had been worrying about how to invite a Deity Transformation stage cultivator to bolster their side; she hadn't expected God-Monarch Fengchi to show interest. This was a rare stroke of luck.
Li Xue and Li Lin did not miss Fairy Hongwei’s expression. They exchanged a few glances and came to a silent decision: with Fairy Hongwei joining them, they might find an opportunity to rid themselves of God-Monarch Fengchi. At this thought, the way they looked at Fairy Hongwei became much friendlier, and their expressions softened.
"On behalf of Daoist Xingyuan, Hongwei welcomes the God-Monarch and my two fellow Daoists!" Fairy Hongwei bowed deeply.
"Fairy Hongwei is too kind. To be able to attend Daoist Xingyuan’s grand formation duel is something we could only hope for. We shall rely on the Fairy’s guidance when the time comes," Li Xue replied with a polite bow.
In high spirits, God-Monarch Fengchi led the three of them into the extra-territorial teleportation array.
The Ziyuan Star Domain was located to the northeast of the Hongmeng Star Domain. It was the closest cultivation star domain to Hongmeng, yet the distance was still vast. After emerging from the teleportation array, even with the speed of Fengchi’s Golden-Winged Airship, it took them three full months of flight to reach the internal teleportation array leading to the Ziyuan cultivation zone.
Six months later, the group of four arrived at Weihao Planet. Li Xue and Li Lin sat cross-legged within a guest courtyard of the Zhenyu Sect. Li Xue’s hands moved in a blur, casting one technique after another before finally settling into a meditative seal on her knees. Li Lin stood guard beside her.
Li Xue was using her soul imprint to sense the aura of Li Ran’s soul. As long as Li Ran’s soul aura appeared within this star domain, she could detect it using this secret method. This journey beyond the domain served two purposes: one was to travel, and the other was to search for Li Ran.
Ten days later, Li Xue opened her eyes and met Li Lin’s gaze. She shook her head slightly, then consumed a pill to begin her recovery. Performing this secret art was an exhausting task for both spiritual power and divine sense; no one would willingly use it unless they were searching for a beloved kin.
Li Lin’s eyes dimmed for a moment before he regained his composure. It made sense; how could Li Ran be so lucky as to land in a star domain so close to Hongmeng?
The hope offered by this "needle in a haystack" method was naturally slim. They might not find him even by the time they reached the point of ascension. However, as long as they searched with all their hearts, they would have no regrets.
The grand duel between Master Xingyuan of the Zhenyu Sect and Master Mufan of the Weiling Sect was about to begin. Although the elders of both great sects were providing support, the cultivation level of the friends invited by the two Nascent Soul Daoists was also a reflection of their personal influence and strength.
On Master Xingyuan’s side, in addition to two Deity Transformation God-Monarchs from his own sect, there was now God-Monarch Fengchi. Meanwhile, Master Mufan’s sect had three God-Monarchs assisting. With the supporting power now balanced, Fengchi’s arrival was a massive boon to Master Xingyuan. Consequently, God-Monarch Fengchi received an incredibly warm welcome from the Zhenyu Sect.
The overall strength of Weihao Planet was far inferior to that of Planet Jinming. There were only two great sects here—the Zhenyu Sect and the Weiling Sect—and only five Deity Transformation cultivators in total. Weihao Planet was famous specifically for its achievements in formations. The two sects here were capable of refining "Formation Artifacts"—magic treasures similar to Li Xue’s Five Elements Flying Shuttle. By carving formations onto specific treasures, one could activate a formation simply by throwing the item, eliminating the time and effort required to set one up manually.
The requirements for the vessel of such a formation artifact were extremely stringent. Much like the Five Elements Flying Shuttle, they required not only materials of the five elements but also various rare minerals. Thus, this formation duel was, more accurately, a competition of formation artifacts. It was a renowned event, not just on Weihao Planet, but throughout the entire Ziyuan Star Domain.
Li Xue had a profound understanding of the Five Elements Illusion-Kill Formation within her shuttle, which served as one of her primary offensive methods. This competition proved to be highly enlightening for her.
Inside the Dream Realm, Li Xue gave Yunxi a series of instructions before the two of them exited back to the physical world.
"Yunxi, use my Nebula Boat. It will be faster," Li Lin said, summoning the Nebula Boat to offer it to Yunxi.
Yunxi curled her lip in disdain. "We of the Cloud Crane Clan are known for our speed. That flying boat of yours is utterly redundant."
Li Lin’s mouth twitched as he retracted the Nebula Boat.
"Uh, what exactly do the Cloud Crane Envoys of the God Realm do?" Li Xue asked curiously.
"The Nine Divine Guards of the God Realm are divided into Four Envoys and Five Guards. The common trait of the Four Envoys is their peerless speed, and the Cloud Crane Envoy is one of them." Yunxi looked at Li Xue with a complex gaze, clearly unwilling to say too much. She continued, "Mistress, Xiao Lin, I shall take my leave first!"
With a shimmer, Yunxi reverted to her true form—a snow-white Cloud Crane. With a spread of her wings, she vanished in a burst of teleportation-like speed.
"Cloud Cranes really are beautiful," Li Xue praised.
"Hmph, those of the God Race all have the same temperament," Li Lin grumbled, pouting.
"Beings of the Upper Realm are bound to have some arrogance. However, strength is the only absolute truth! We don't need to worry about whether they are God Race or not; that is too far away from us. Our goal is to ascend to the Immortal Realm!" Li Xue patted her son’s shoulder comfortingly.
"Mm!" Li Lin nodded in deep agreement.
"Come, let’s go back to watching the show!" Li Xue grabbed Li Lin’s arm and flew toward the dueling arena.
God-Monarch Fengchi and the two God-Monarchs of the Zhenyu Sect sat in the seats of honor for their side. In the center of the arena stood Master Xingyuan and Master Mufan. Both men summoned their formation artifacts simultaneously. Brilliant lights of various colors erupted as two formations manifested before the crowd: the Four-Gate Golden Lock Formation and the Six-Gate Dragon-Trapping Formation.
"Haha, it looks like these two will have quite a bit of fun in this round!" God-Monarch Fengchi exclaimed, his face full of excitement.
***
