Chapter 1336: Dragon Palace Grand Formation

Pure Nine Lotus Lamp

The Black Dragon Formation of the Xuanhai Demon Clan drew its power from the Xuanjiao Royal Court. In other words, it was an extension of the Sea Eye Grand Formation.

Just as the Sky Curtain and Earth Net Grand Formation could protect the Five Elements Sect's army by utilizing spiritual veins and satellites, the Xuanjiao Royal Court could also use the vast Xuanhai Ocean to extend its own protective formation. However, its range was limited; the further it was from the Sea Eye, the weaker its power became.

That was precisely why the Five Elements Sect's army had advanced all the way to this point before the Young Dragon unleashed this power. Furthermore, it required its siblings to be deployed to manage it, enabling them to confront the Five Elements Dao Soldiers and fleet.

This time, as Qing Nü used the power of the Deep Abyss Sea-Suppressing Pearl to seize control of the Xuanhai's energy within a thousand-mile radius, binding and capturing the Xuanjiao within the Xuanhai Demon Clan's army, the Young Dragon, who was actually in command of the Black Dragon Formation, immediately sensed that something was amiss. It immediately took action, attempting to intervene.

The massive black dragon that surged forth from the Xuanjiao Royal Court was undeniably a Sixth-Tier power. Had it not been for the protection of the Sky Curtain and Earth Net Grand Formation, Mo Douguang's Five Elements fleet would likely have been instantly obliterated upon resistance. Yet, even such a formidable black dragon could not withstand a single strike from the Primal Chaos Bell, rung by Chen Mobai.

“Chen Turtle Immortal, you use your might to bully the weak! How shameless of you!”

Upon seeing the Primal Chaos Bell suspended above the Xuanhai, the Young Dragon knew who had arrived. While it activated the Xuanjiao Royal Court's hidden black scales and unleashed the power of the Sea Eye Grand Formation to resist the Deep Abyss Sea-Suppressing Pearl, it simultaneously condensed immense water vapor to manifest its dragon body, railing curses at Chen Mobai.

“Little mudskipper, don’t forget, I’m not even a fraction of your age.” As Chen Mobai spoke, his divine consciousness stirred, and the Primal Chaos Bell resonated once more. Five-colored ripples, accompanied by the clear ringing of the bell, again dispersed the dragon body manifested by the Young Dragon.

During this process, Qing Nü, wielding the power of the Deep Abyss Sea-Suppressing Pearl, had already begun plucking black flood dragons one by one from the demon clan's army. Amidst colossal splashes, vortexes tore open on the sea surface. Under the gaze of millions of cultivators from the Five Elements Sect and its allied factions, the mighty black dragons—which had previously hindered their advance—were now like captured mudskippers, struggling furiously as their bodies were forcibly dragged out section by section, creating a series of whirlpools.

Soon, the two shortest Xuanjiao were pulled from the whirlpools, bound by transparent ropes. Chen Mobai swept his wide sleeve, opening his Dharma Realm to take them in.

“Roar!” At that moment, an earth-shattering dragon's roar echoed from the Xuanjiao Royal Court. A vast surge of Innate Water Dao power erupted, sweeping across a thousand-mile radius like a tidal wave, encompassing the Xuanhai where the demon clan's army was stationed.

The transparent water ropes on the remaining few Xuanjiao, which had only been halfway pulled out, suddenly disintegrated. Having regained their freedom, these Xuanjiao didn't tarry for a moment, diving back into the sea without a backward glance and swimming towards the Xuanjiao Royal Court.

Chen Mobai, observing constantly, immediately noticed that the power of the Deep Abyss Sea-Suppressing Pearl, wielded by Qing Nü, was being overshadowed by a dark scale activated by the Young Dragon. He surmised it might have been left by the Ancestral Black Dragon, which would explain its ability to overpower the Deep Abyss Sea-Suppressing Pearl.

“Trying to escape!” Having understood the cause, Chen Mobai immediately acted, and the power of the Primal Chaos Bell began to surge forth relentlessly. Previously, even at its full power and without the support of the Xuanhai, the Deep Abyss Sea-Suppressing Pearl had been suppressed by the Primal Chaos Bell. Now, with the Primal Chaos Bell having ascended to a higher tier, its dominance was even greater.

As more brilliant five-colored ripples illuminated the area, the black dragon's power radiating from the Xuanjiao Royal Court also began to meet resistance, being pushed back in concentric waves. However, the power erupting from that dark scale, in addition to the Innate Water Dao energy, contained a force that seemed to transcend the Sixth Tier, preventing the Primal Chaos Bell from fully suppressing it.

Ultimately, seven or eight faster Xuanjiao, shielded by the Young Dragon, managed to flee back into the Dragon Palace Grand Formation. However, the last few Xuanjiao could not escape; they were stunned by the Primal Chaos Bell, then captured by Qing Nü and transported into Chen Mobai's Dharma Realm.

As these Xuanjiao escaped, the remaining Xuanhai demon clan, led by their commanders, also fled and retreated towards the Dragon Palace.

Since Zhang Pankong was nearby, Chen Mobai found it inconvenient to release the deep-sea behemoths from the Cangliu Sea in front of him. Under the guidance of the Spirit Venerable, and aided by the abundant spiritual energy within the Dharma Realm, three of these disciples had, over the years, achieved Fifth-Tier immortal bodies. In the Tianhe Realm, Fifth-Tier demon beasts remained exceptionally conspicuous. While True King Taixu appeared benevolent, Chen Mobai still wished to conceal his own strength as much as possible. After all, if he were to ascend and depart one day, these would serve as the foundational strength protecting the Five Elements Sect. The fewer individuals aware of this underlying power, the greater the advantage for the Five Elements Sect.

Although the deep-sea behemoths from the Cangliu Sea could not be readily released, the Five Elements Sect's army began their relentless pursuit without hesitation. With Chen Mobai, the Tianhe Realm's foremost Transformation God, now holding the line, Mo Douguang had no further concerns and deployed his entire army. And indeed, just as he predicted, even though the Xuanhai demon clan outnumbered the Five Elements Sect by dozens of times, upon seeing the immense white jade bell floating above the Xuanhai, they offered no resistance and fled in complete disarray. This relentless pursuit lasted for ten days and ten nights, only ceasing once they arrived at the gates of the Xuanjiao Royal Court's Dragon Palace.

Mo Douguang even had the audacity to order the Five Elements fleet to assault the Xuanjiao Royal Court's protective grand formation. Had Chen Mobai not intervened, the formation's counterattack would likely have annihilated hundreds of treasure ships.

“This formation is connected to the Xuanhai Sea Eye, and the Four Seas Sea Eyes were personally established by the Water Mother as the origin of this realm, containing immense creative power. If the connection between the Sea Eye and the formation is not severed, even certain Seventh-Tier magical artifacts would be rendered helpless.” Zhang Pankong, who had accompanied Chen Mobai throughout, pointed at the dark dragon shadows encompassing the Xuanjiao Royal Court's Dragon Palace and began to share the information he had discovered within the Grand Void Ethereal Palace. “The Primordial Water-Controlling Banner and Senior Taixu Heaven-Measuring Ruler from my sect can both sever the Sea Eye connection…” Zhang Pankong concluded with a subtle hint. The Primordial Water-Controlling Banner was suitable because its Great Dao aligned perfectly, while the Taixu Heaven-Measuring Ruler, which commanded void space, could directly separate the Xuanjiao Royal Court from the Tianhe Realm.

“Brother Zhang, are you suggesting I travel to Zhongzhou and request Senior Taixu Heaven-Measuring Ruler to intervene?” Chen Mobai understood Zhang Pankong’s intention but remained somewhat surprised. It was as if he were the Grand Void Ethereal Palace's sect master, capable of commanding True King Taixu's artifact of enlightenment.

“Grand Ancestor even contended with the Primordial Water-Controlling Banner for Brother Chen, let alone for a mere Xuanjiao Royal Court,” Zhang Pankong said, full of expectation. It was important to note that even a Transformation God of the Grand Void Ethereal Palace would have only a handful of opportunities in their lifetime to venerate an artifact of enlightenment. Moreover, during the last encounter on the Floating Dao Platform, when the Taixu Heaven-Measuring Ruler took action, fully displaying the Great Dao of Void, Zhang Pankong and other Transformation Gods of the Grand Void Ethereal Palace benefited immensely. Thus, they were all hoping for more opportunities to witness their sect's artifact of enlightenment in action. They certainly lacked the standing for such a request, but Chen Mobai likely possessed it.

“Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? I’ll try to break the formation myself first. If I truly cannot, then I will travel to Zhongzhou to ask the senior for help.” Chen Mobai hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not heed Zhang Pankong’s suggestion. Although Zhang Pankong felt considerable regret regarding this, he did not forget his own duties: “Very well, Brother Chen, please attend to your matters. I will proceed to set up the teleportation array.”

After Zhang Pankong teleported away, Chen Mobai summoned Kenzhu and Mo Douguang, instructing them to merely encircle the Xuanjiao Royal Court. He then took Qing Nü into his Dharma Realm.

Among the Xuanjiao that had been captured, two were particularly unyielding under Chen Mobai's interrogation, either remaining silent or unleashing torrents of abuse. However, the remaining four Xuanjiao immediately pleaded for mercy, with one even offering to become a mount, begging only for the Eastern Barrens Green Emperor to spare its life. Chen Mobai had always appreciated beings who understood the current circumstances, so he granted this Xuanjiao, eager to advance by becoming a mount, an opportunity.

After obtaining the Xuanjiao clan's inherited texts and diagrams from it, Chen Mobai also questioned the other flood dragons. Under the life-or-death crisis, none of the pleading flood dragons dared to play any tricks; all the information they provided was accurate. Through this, Chen Mobai and Qing Nü translated the content of the residual imprints within the Deep Abyss Sea-Suppressing Pearl. As expected, it contained not only the Xuanjiao clan's cultivation methods but also techniques for controlling the Sea Eye's power, and even knowledge concerning the Dragon Palace's protective grand formation.

Given Chen Mobai's mastery of formations, upon learning this, he naturally conceived a method to breach the formation. The key to the Dragon Palace Grand Formation lay in using the Xuanhai Sea Eye as its spiritual nexus. The reason this was possible was that the Ancestral Black Dragon, after the Water Mother's transcendence, had attempted to devour this Sea Eye and merge with the Dao. Although this attempt ultimately failed, its bloodline had become integrated into the Sea Eye, thus enabling the Xuanjiao clan to control a portion of the Sea Eye's power through bloodline inheritance. Even the purest-blooded Xuanjiao, however, could not surpass the Deep Abyss Sea-Suppressing Pearl in terms of authority over the Sea Eye's power. By using the Deep Abyss Sea-Suppressing Pearl to block the Sea Eye, they could cut off the Young Dragon's ability to manipulate the Sea Eye's power through its bloodline to supply the Dragon Palace Grand Formation.

However, in anticipation of the Five Elements Sect's invasion, the Dragon Palace Grand Formation had already been fully charged with the Sea Eye's power. Thus, it might require a period of attrition to fully break the formation and conquer the Xuanjiao Royal Court. Chen Mobai, however, hoped to complete this task within two years. Consequently, he traveled to the Cangliu Sea.

“Fellow Daoists, I must trouble you to deal with these fish and shrimp.” After opening his Dharma Realm, Chen Mobai pointed towards the Xuanhai Dragon Palace outside and addressed the deep-sea behemoths of the Cangliu Sea, who were already eager for action. Around the Dragon Palace, countless Xuanhai demon clan members who had fled there were densely packed. The power of these demons was also linked to the Dragon Palace Grand Formation. Compared to the colossal deep-sea behemoths, these sea demons genuinely resembled the fish and shrimp they typically consumed.

“Leave it to us!” The leading giant octopus nodded, and after signaling to the Spirit Venerable in the distance, it was the first to emerge from the Dharma Realm.