Chapter 367: Sword Opens the Chao Yuan Sect

It seemed it wasn't that Heaven and Earth Wonders couldn't increase the charging progress, but rather that their effect was too poor.It took more than ten of them to increase the progress by one.However, with such a large quantity available now, he should be able to unlock another anchor point.Li Fan felt a slight surge of joy and continued his work without stopping.Soon after, all three thousand seven hundred and sixty-two damaged Heaven and Earth Wonders were absorbed.The number of anchor points on Li Fan's True Self panel changed to 4. The anchor charging progress reset to 0 again.

"What a pity..."As the charging progress increased, the number of wonders required also gradually grew. It went from needing more than ten items to increase progress by one, to over twenty, then over thirty. By the time he tried to unlock the fifth anchor point, Li Fan had absorbed all the remaining damaged wonders, yet couldn't even increase the progress by one unit.

"It seems higher-grade items are needed to unlock the fifth anchor point," Li Fan mused.He had long suspected what kind of items would be required next. Heaven and Earth Wonders are concentrations of universal laws. Damaged wonders, or even ordinary Human Wonders, could no longer satisfy the True Self's appetite. It was clear then: he needed to find superior alternatives. These could be Earth Wonders, Heaven Wonders, or perhaps even the Golden Cores condensed by cultivators. He might be able to test the effects of Earth Wonders in his next reincarnation by absorbing a Profound Sea Pearl. Heaven Wonders were too rare to even consider.Previously, Li Fan had tried to purchase some fragments of Golden Cores, but the True Self remained completely unresponsive to these damaged pieces. Complete Golden Cores were not sold in the Heavenly Profound Mirror at all.In short, Li Fan couldn't expect to unlock any more anchor points in the short term.

"The fourth anchor point must be used in a critical situation."After a period of contemplation, Li Fan emerged from the secret chamber. Instead of immediately returning to work, he first used the Heavenly Profound Mirror at the stronghold. He searched for news regarding the Chaoyuan Sect ruins. Currently, not many people were discussing it, but it already showed signs of becoming a major sensation.

Not long ago, strange phenomena suddenly erupted within the Chaoyuan Sect ruins, which had been largely ignored for the past few years. Bloody rain fell from the sky, and the constantly hovering phantom figures that appeared from time to time underwent terrifying changes. From the outside, these figures, which originally appeared as normal images of ancient people from a thousand years ago, would suddenly flash for a moment, transforming into grotesque forms with features erased and blood constantly seeping from their pale faces. This transformation would only last for a few breaths before they returned to normal, making observers wonder if it was just an illusion. However, some observant cultivators noticed that the phantoms' transformations were becoming more frequent, and each instance of the faceless, bloody visage lasted longer. If that wasn't unsettling enough, another fact struck fear into the few cultivators guarding the Chaoyuan Sect's exterior.

The territory of the Chaoyuan Sect ruins actually showed a tendency to expand outwards. The entire ruin appeared unchanged on the surface, but it seemed to subtly erode the surrounding space. It was known that anyone within the Chaoyuan Sect's boundaries risked being assimilated into a phantom. If this eerie ruin continued to expand...The cultivators sensed trouble and quickly reported it to the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

To everyone's surprise, before the cultivators dispatched by the Myriad Immortals Alliance even arrived, a sword light erupted from within the Chaoyuan Sect ruins. The entire world seemed to be illuminated, and even the Heavenly Profound Spirit-Locking Array, which enveloped Jiushan Province, was subtly disturbed by this unparalleled sword light. Ripples spread across the sky. When the sword light dissipated and everyone reopened their eyes, they were stunned to discover that the eerie Chaoyuan Sect ruins were gradually collapsing and dissolving into nothingness. In just half a day, by the time the Myriad Immortals Alliance envoy finally arrived, the Chaoyuan Sect ruins had completely vanished.

Meanwhile, three figures—two men and one woman—materialized out of thin air and flew out from the depths of the ruins. Seeing this, the Myriad Immortals Alliance envoy naturally intended to stop them and question them about the situation. However, upon hearing the envoy's self-introduction, one of the men and the young woman, who appeared to be only in her teens, changed expression slightly. Without a word, they turned and fled. Both of them possessed Nascent Soul cultivation, and their flight speed was astonishingly fast. The Myriad Immortals Alliance envoy attempted to block them but was stopped by the remaining male cultivator. Though the envoy's expression became extremely grim, for reasons unknown, he did not pursue them. The two then conversed for a while before disappearing from the sight of the assembled cultivators, leaving behind only bewildered onlookers and the Thousand-Mile Swamp restored to its former appearance.

As these onlookers exchanged information, they suddenly realized something. The three cultivators who had flown out of the ruins were none other than the same three who had ventured into the Chaoyuan Sect ten years prior. One of them was particularly well-known: Shuofeng, the biological son of Immortal Venerable Scarlet Snow, who called himself "Invincible." However, more than Shuofeng, cultivators were interested in the other two unidentified individuals. Ten years ago, these two were merely at the Foundation Establishment stage. Yet, after a journey through the Chaoyuan Sect, they had astonishingly reached the Nascent Soul stage! Indeed, there must have been great opportunities within the Chaoyuan Sect ruins!Cultivators who had waited outside the Chaoyuan Sect for over a decade but never dared to enter, upon realizing this crucial point, all sighed with regret and lamented their hesitation. At the same time, their curiosity about what had happened inside the Chaoyuan Sect ruins intensified. Unfortunately, the identities of the two cultivators remained a complete mystery, known to no one. However, the assembled cultivators speculated that anyone who could associate with the notoriously aloof Shuofeng must also possess an extraordinary background.

"That sword light that cleaved open the Chaoyuan Sect must have been Shuofeng's divine ability."Recalling the seemingly ordinary wooden sword he had seen in Shuofeng's hand, Li Fan mused, "It seems not only Su Xiaomei and her companions, but this 'Invincible' also gained immensely within the ruins.""It's a pity they are now at the Nascent Soul stage; any attempts to trick them might be seen through.""Otherwise, I could have used 'Senior Skull' to inquire more clearly.""Hmm, Xiao Heng is still at the Golden Core stage. Perhaps there's an opportunity to sound him out."

Having temporarily satisfied his curiosity, Li Fan once again immersed himself in strenuous labor. Before leaving, Li Fan instinctively glanced at the Golden Ranking of the Grand Competition and his eyelids twitched involuntarily. In just this short delay, his ranking had surprisingly dropped from ninth to fifteenth."Why are they working so hard?"Li Fan shook his head slightly, then reassembled the resting cultivators. They resumed the high-intensity array construction work.

A year later, in Anchoring Year 36.With the successful completion of countless array units, the internal structure of the Spirit-Locking Array was finished. Next would be the construction of the most crucial central core region.