Chapter 26: Appearance

Uncle-Master Jiujiu is truly... too perfect.

Transforming into a wisp of green smoke, Li Changshou swiftly drifted downward through the winding narrow gaps, feeling a slight sense of satisfaction as he passed by one zhenfa after another.

What makes her "perfect"?

Jiujiu doesn't understand zhenfa, her cultivation is in the Zhenxian realm and not far from the Tianxian realm, with a solid foundation, pure immortal power, and an unexpectedly strong control over her own immortal energy.

Most importantly, she's willing to let a junior like him command her!

To call it commanding might be a bit excessive—Li Changshou admits there was some "hustling" involved—but it's a mutual agreement, a willing exchange that works out well for both.

This time, Uncle-Master Jiujiu had truly helped him out a lot.

Thanks to the elders of the Shangfa Hall who punished Uncle-Master Jiujiu by forbidding her from drinking;

Thanks to Senior Brother Jiuwu, who threw Uncle-Master Jiujiu into a wine vat for a bath when she was young;

Thanks to those few tattered sheepskin scrolls he found on a bookshelf in the corner of the Daozang Outer Hall, and successfully "tested" to create "main battle" intoxicants like Shenxian Zui and Ruanxian San...

The wisp of green smoke sank about a hundred zhang and stopped in a narrow rock crevice, where Li Changshou resumed his human form.

He took out the jade token that controlled the zhenfa, gently sliding his fingers over it, causing the patterns on the token to change slightly.

At the same time, the rock in front of him rippled like water. Li Changshou stepped inside, and the rock instantly returned to its original state.

Li Changshou walked unimpeded through the large stone for a few steps, and ahead appeared a small wooden door. Pushing it open, he entered a secret chamber about three zhang square.

He gently rotated the control jade token, making slight adjustments to the surrounding zhenfa, completely concealing this underground secret chamber within the gaps of the various arrays.

No matter from which direction—ten sides or eight directions—even if a Tianxian deliberately searched, they couldn't detect this secret chamber without destroying the outer zhenfa...

This was the main purpose of building the danfang.

As a man, one needs a secret space, after all.

In the secret chamber stood two bookshelves piled with ancient texts and rare scrolls.

Li Changshou sat directly at the desk, took out those dozens of sheepskin scrolls for a careful look, then held the jade token in his hand and closed his eyes. In his mind, a complex three-dimensional structure emerged.

This structure resembled a tall building he had seen in cities from his previous life, but this "building" was embedded inside the Xiaoqiong Peak mountain body.

He let out a light sigh.

It had been so long since he'd felt this reassuring sense of secrecy...

"Ah," Li Changshou said with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, "taking a bath here wouldn't be bad.

Just kidding, I can't relax for even a moment. I need to continue checking the arrangements of the great array."

Fortunately, Uncle-Master Jiujiu's high cultivation allowed him to realize a plan he'd been preparing for over a decade—

A three-dimensional composite combined great array!

Over two years, with Jiujiu's help, Li Changshou pieced together his ideas on the zhenfa dao step by step.

In Uncle-Master Jiujiu's understanding, she had helped Li Changshou set up over a hundred medium and small zhenfa, which interconnected to vaguely form a "quasi-natural array," covering a thirty-li radius around the danfang.

The combination of Li Changshou and Jiujiu made this great array equivalent to one arranged by a powerful Zhenxian, unbreakable except by a Tianxian.

And even then, only a Tianxian with a deep understanding of zhenfa dao could crack it.

But Jiujiu only knew one part, not the second, third, or fourth...

Mainstream zhenfa typically use various treasures, spirit stones, and specially refined items as array bases, connecting them to harness the power of heaven and earth for different effects.

The zhenfa dao is vast and profound, and Li Changshou knows he doesn't master many, nor are they particularly advanced—he wouldn't dare call them profound...

One must always have a clear awareness of one's own strength.

Yet, wild ideas often pop into his mind, and through repeated verification, he can bring them to fruition one by one.

About sixty-seven years ago, during his leisure time in cultivation, Li Changshou studied the zhenfa preserved in Duxianmen and discovered that the array bases in most common Honghuang zhenfa are distributed on a horizontal plane.

At that time, he wondered, what if the array bases were distributed vertically? The effect should be the same, right?

Take a round-cover protective mountain array as an example; if the array bases are distributed vertically, the resulting hemispherical cover would just rotate ninety degrees.

—Of course, most protective mountain arrays need to draw on earth vein power, so vertical distribution wouldn't work.

But for non-defensive zhenfa like illusion arrays, trapping arrays, or killing arrays, the direction can be freely adjusted.

On that basis, what if the array bases were distributed diagonally?

Then, what if several great arrays had array bases crossing vertically and horizontally?

Suppose two great arrays—one vertical and one horizontal—shared one-third of their array bases. When the horizontal array is activated, the vertical one shuts down, and vice versa, achieving "seamless array switching"!

As Li Changshou explored further, he gradually solved issues like the circulation of spiritual power within the zhenfa and the "compatibility" of array bases for different zhenfa...

And now, today...

The Xiaoqiong Peak danfang three-dimensional composite great array project was a successful practical application of his theory!

Divided horizontally, the arrays here form three layers.

Jiujiu only knows about the top layer, the arrays around the danfang—those over a hundred trapping and illusion arrays.

Taking a depth of a hundred zhang into the mountain as one stage, there are middle and lower layers below, and the core array bases for those middle and lower layers were also buried with Jiujiu's help.

But that's only for when the array bases operate horizontally.

These array bases also conceal countless vertical and diagonal schemes, including many killing arrays...

The secret chamber where Li Changshou currently is lies at the center of all array bases.

Only when several core vertical arrays are activated and several core horizontal arrays are reversed will this chamber appear within the rock layer.

To reach this place, even if one's earth-escape technique is mastered to perfection, without Li Changshou's jade token and special control methods, the only option would be to split open Xiaoqiong Peak directly.

If Xiaoqiong Peak were ever truly split open, Duxianmen would likely be in a life-or-death crisis, and by then, Li Changshou would probably have already...

Cough, perishing with the sect doesn't serve much purpose; better to preserve one's useful body and seek revenge for the sect!

Incidentally, the main function of the lower layer's array bases is to draw on earth vein power.

To avoid drawing too much from the earth veins or spirit veins, which might alert the qi refiners of other peaks or draw the attention of the sect's higher-ups, Li Changshou deliberately avoided all spirit veins and directly absorbed the most abundant "turbid" power from the earth, then used the Wu clan-transmitted "Faning Array" to filter the spiritual energy.

Although this slightly reduces the power of the killing arrays, it's safer that way.

Moreover, if any expert in the sect notices the many zhenfa he's set up on Xiaoqiong Peak, as long as he doesn't activate the vertical or diagonal schemes, they're just some trapping and illusion arrays, nothing violating sect rules.

Before, using ordinariness as camouflage was "passive disguise."

Now, because he needs the danfang for alchemy, he's reluctantly operating and pushing "active disguise" to its current extreme.

As for future development, Li Changshou has it planned...

Using the numerous array bases below the danfang as a foundation, he'll gradually expand outward, turning Xiaoqiong Peak into an inconspicuous internal fortress within the immortal sect.

Life is only once, and Honghuang is so fascinating.

We qi refiners should first seek stability in longevity and the dao, then explore the splendid beauty of the three thousand worlds.

"Finally," Li Changshou rubbed his hands, put away the sheepskin scrolls and jade token, and took out a few storage treasure pouches, pouring out several storage dharma treasures from them.

The unexpected gains from the trip to Beijulu Continent—after waiting two years—could finally be inventoried!

"First, let's see how poor this immortal Yuwen Ling is," Li Changshou chuckled lightly, took out two paper figures to transform into avatars, and had these two avatars hold the two storage dharma treasures and slowly refine them in the corner.

Half a day later, as the paper figure guarding the dan furnace was about to run out of magical power, Li Changshou had finished sorting the spoils and left the secret chamber.

In his hand, he held a brocade box containing two sleeping "beetles."

If his guess was correct, these should be...

Qinggu.

"What a good thing," Li Changshou sighed with admiration, "but it's not very useful for now.

I'll keep it.

In the future, if my immortal birds or spirit beasts lack the urge to reproduce, I can use this to catalyze it and increase the offspring yield, helping to save some rare species."

...

Time flew by, and the day arrived for him to help with alchemy as agreed.

Jiujiu yawned, wearing a clean linen short robe that some shijie had helped wash, and flew drowsily toward Xiaoqiong Peak on her large gourd.

As a main Zhenxian in the sect, backed by powerful forces, she had no restrictions when flying; she could go wherever she wanted, except for forbidden areas.

"Today is the twentieth day, right?"

Jiujiu counted on her fingers, feeling a bit muddled;

Earlier, in pursuit of excitement, she had tasted a sip of the Shenxian Zui "original liquid," which left her groggy and asleep for five or six days...

As she hurried along without deliberately spreading her immortal sense, she didn't notice the cloud of mist drifting in the mountain forest below.

After Jiujiu reached Xiaoqiong Peak, two heads popped out from that cloud below—the one on the left was the short Daoist Jiuwu, and on the right was a girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old.

Although she appeared as a girl with a pretty face, curvaceous figure, and full of youthful vitality, in reality, the two were about the same age, both over two thousand years old.

The girl was Daoist Jiu Shi, the fourth disciple of Wangqing Shangren, Jiuwu's dao companion, and the fairy whom Jiuwu often secretly observed with three-headed heavy-pupil spider silk...

Jiuwu whispered, "Isn't this a bit improper? This is Xiaoqiong Peak, after all."

"What's there to fear? If you're not convinced, fight the peak master here!"

Jiu Shi retorted irritably, then narrowed her almond eyes slightly. "Just waking up and rushing over here must mean something's up.

When have you ever seen Xiaojiu this diligent?

Today, I have to see what kind of three heads or six arms this Senior Brother Qiyuan has, that he can make our Xiaojiu come here every day."

Jiuwu couldn't help but chuckle bitterly, suddenly raising his thick short eyebrows. "There's a zhenfa here? I can't sense Xiaojiu's aura anymore."

"What's there to fear about a zhenfa? Who hasn't learned a basic one?"

Jiu Shi smirked, grabbed Jiuwu's collar without another word, concealed their figures and auras, and transformed into two shadows flying toward the mountain forest of Xiaoqiong Peak.

"The two of us, both half-step Tianxian, are we afraid of zhenfa set up by someone who hasn't even become an immortal?"