He had been working on black gold and refined gold for days, but had made very little progress. He was already somewhat angry. He was once the mighty Heavenly Dragon God, the head of the twelve dragon gods of the dragon race, and his strength was at the peak of the Heavenly King realm. Yet he was stumped by a piece of black gold and refined gold. Now he had been ambushed by this thing. How could he not be angry?
The sudden commotion drew the attention of Gu Yu and Ri Jiu, and Gu Yu came to Long Yuan's side.
Are you alright?
"It's nothing, this damn thing actually ambushed me." Long Yuan said angrily.
"Is it a treasure inside?" Gu Yu asked tentatively.
“It should be that Black Gold Essence itself has no offensive power.” Long Yuan said, and with a flick of his hand, the Black Gold Essence was drawn into his hand. However, the Black Gold Essence had long since returned to its pitch-black appearance. The only thing that had changed drastically was the crack, which was now the size of a little finger, but it was still impossible to see what was inside.
"Should we continue excavating?" Gu Yu asked tentatively. It was clear that the impact was very strong; even Long Yuan was blown away. It must have been an impact force of the peak of the Marquis Realm.
"Lend me your knife, this damn thing, it definitely has its own mind," Long Yuan said, vaguely hearing voices as he was being thrown back.
"He has his own consciousness?" Gu Yu frowned. "Is he alive?"
“I don’t know if he’s alive or not, but he definitely has his own mind,” Long Yuan said. That impact was definitely intentional.
"Here." Gu Yu took out the wooden sword and handed it to Long Yuan. Long Yuan held the wooden sword, and a powerful aura immediately emanated from it. He then frantically slashed at the black gold refined gold. In just a few breaths, he had made dozens of slashes, which forced Gu Yu and Ri Jiu to retreat. The impact was simply too strong.
Boom boom boom…………………
Long Yuan kept slashing at the black gold with his knife, as if they had some deep-seated hatred between them.
Boom boom boom…………………
The black gold refined gold was tumbling and rolling under the Dragon Source Slash, but it remained motionless and did not produce that strange golden light.
"I'm telling you, if you don't come out, I'll chop you up for three days and three nights!" Long Yuan roared.
The more he spoke, the faster he chopped, the dark black gold swirling and vibrating continuously.
Suddenly, a golden light emanated from the black gold again. This time, Long Yuan was on guard and immediately raised his sword to block, but he was still forced back a few steps by the impact.
“I knew you were conscious,” Long Yuan said, looking at the black gold that shimmered with golden light.
"You half-dead bug, are you ever going to stop? If you can't open it, fine, but you keep yelling and screaming here, making it impossible for me to sleep in peace." A voice suddenly came from the black gold.
This greatly surprised Gu Yu and Ri Jiu; it really was alive.
"What did you say?" Upon hearing Black Gold's words, Long Yuan's face darkened instantly, boundless rage emanating from him. His hand gripping the knife made a cracking sound. This damned thing dared to call him a bug! He was a dragon! This was simply unbearable!
He swung the wooden sword in his hand, and a power surpassing his previous strength instantly slashed towards the black gold refined metal.
boom………………
The next second, Long Yuan was blasted away like a cannonball.
Meanwhile, the outer layer of the black gold refined gold was peeling off. The black gold refined gold outer layer, which had only suffered a tiny crack after being attacked by Long Yuan for so long, was now peeling off like an eggshell.
The blinding golden light made it impossible for Gu Yu and Ri Jiu to open their eyes and look directly at it.
"If I don't teach you a lesson, you worm won't know who you are!" At this moment, a phantom appeared, bathed in golden light. Below him was a golden star disk with dense patterns and thirty-six grooves. This thing was extremely ancient.
The phantom figure had flowing white hair and wore white clothes, but he had a youthful face, which made him look somewhat out of place.
"What are you?" After regaining his footing, Long Yuan looked at the illusory figure with some fear. He did not rush forward rashly, because this guy was very powerful. In Long Yuan's current state, he would not gain any advantage at all, but would only humiliate himself.
"This is..." At this moment, Gu Yu's gaze was not focused on the illusory figure, but rather on the star chart below it. He could actually understand the patterns on the star chart; they were formations: the Six Harmonies Demon-Suppressing Formation, the Limitless Sky-Supporting Formation, the Ten Directions Shifting Formation, and more...
Indeed, the densely engraved arrays on it are the arrays from the Array Book, but they seem to differ slightly from the records in the Array Book. Moreover, the thirty-six arrays seem to be integrated into one, yet they also seem to conflict. And those thirty-six grooves are the core of the thirty-six arrays.
“Hehe…” Upon hearing Long Yuan’s question, the phantom laughed loudly, “My name is Tongtian.”
"Tongtian Daoren? You are Tongtian Daoren?" Gu Yu exclaimed in surprise upon hearing the illusory figure's words. He had already guessed that the star chart and the Heavenly Book of Arrays were related, but he never expected that the illusory figure was actually Tongtian Daoren.
Gu Yu had always found Tongtian Daoren to be extremely mysterious. How could someone who could create thirty-six formations from the Heavenly Book of Formations not be mysterious? You must know that in Gu Yu's eyes, creating even one of those formations was more difficult than cultivating to the Divine Realm, let alone creating thirty-six.
"You actually know me?" Upon hearing Gu Yu's words, Tongtian Daoren looked at Gu Yu. "Hmm? You received my inheritance?"
"Yes, senior." At this moment, Gu Yu suddenly bowed to Tongtian Daoren. He had obtained the Array Book and learned the array formations within it. In truth, he had indeed inherited Tongtian Daoren's legacy. If we're being honest, he should call Tongtian Daoren "master" at this moment.
"Tongtian Daoren?" Long Yuan was also taken aback. Tongtian Daoren had a great reputation. Some people had compared him to the Ancestral Realm, and some even called him the Ancestor of Arrays. However, this guy died very early. Even Zhentian Dragon God, the head of the Twelve Dragon Gods, had never seen Tongtian Daoren. Those who had seen him were all ancient relics, at least at the level of Azure Dragon God Emperor, Heavenly Emperor, and Ghost Gate Emperor.
"What a coincidence! Not only did you obtain the Heavenly Book of Formations left by me, but you also found the God-Slaying Formation Plate that I painstakingly crafted. It seems that it is the will of Heaven that my Qiankun God-Slaying Formation can one day truly see the light of day again," Tongtian Daoren suddenly said excitedly.
"The God-Slaying Array Plate?" Gu Yu frowned, his gaze returning to the star plate beneath Tongtian Daoren's feet.
"The God-Slaying Array Plate is something I painstakingly created over ten thousand years, and it's also the reason I perished so young," said Tongtian Daoist. "Back then, everyone diligently cultivated, hoping to break through to the Ancestral Realm. But I was born with low talent for cultivation, so I had to find a shortcut. Many people laughed at me, saying I was neglecting my proper path and using unorthodox methods. So I wanted to show them why array formations are unorthodox methods and neglecting one's proper path. Did they understand? The art of array formations is profound and complex. If one can cultivate it to its peak, even if one cannot reach the Ancestral Realm, one can still kill gods like slaughtering dogs, making them tremble with fear. Unfortunately, I died before I could let them see the power of array formations. I was just a little bit short! Give me just a little more time, and I will see success."
Hearing Tongtian Daoren's extremely unwilling voice, Gu Yu didn't say anything, but he could understand Tongtian Daoren's unwillingness. He had dedicated his whole life to something, but he didn't see it succeed until his death. How painful that must be.
"Alas! Let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it. I actually lost my composure." Tongtian Daoist sighed and then looked at Gu Yu. "How is your research on formations going? How many of the Thirty-Six Formations have you learned so far?"
"Well..." Gu Yu scratched his head awkwardly, "I can probably set up about ten right now!"
"About ten?" Tongtian Daoist paused after hearing Gu Yu's words, his eyes gleaming with golden light as he scrutinized Gu Yu. "Strange, it seems someone used great supernatural powers to make you truly experience something?"
"Hmm? Senior, you can see it?" Gu Yu's expression changed immediately upon hearing Tongtian Daoren's words. He had been wondering about his rebirth, and now, listening to Tongtian Daoren's words, it seemed that he could see something.
"Given your current age, even if you were born, you couldn't possibly learn ten formations by practicing them. Of course, unless you're a formation genius, that's why I specifically examined you earlier and found that you're quite unusual. You actually possess divine and demonic power, and your aura is also very special. It seems that someone has done something to you, but I only have this wisp of unwilling will left, so I can't truly detect what it is. I can only sense something slightly," said Tongtian Daoren.
"Oh!" Upon hearing Tongtian's reply, Gu Yu's initial anticipation turned to disappointment. However, he still asked somewhat unwillingly, "Senior, you are knowledgeable and experienced. Do you know who used this method on me?"
"I don't know." Tongtian Daoist shook his head. "If my true form were here, I would definitely be able to sense it, but unfortunately..."
"Isn't that obvious! If I were to recover my full strength, I might be able to sense it too!" Long Yuan said from the side. He wisely refrained from confronting Tongtian Daoist again, but that didn't mean he didn't have that idea in his heart.
Fortunately, Tongtian Daoren did not choose to pay attention to Long Yuan, because all his attention was on Gu Yu. Although he could not see through the mystery of Gu Yu, he had to admit that Gu Yu's talent was really good, whether it was his talent for cultivation or his talent for formations.
"Actually, you should call me teacher," Tongtian Daoren suddenly said. "If you only obtained the Array Formation Book, even if you cultivated to the peak of the Divine Realm, or even higher, and even if you mastered the Array Formation Book, you would still find it difficult to set up the Qiankun God-Slaying Array. However, Heaven has been kind to you, and even more so to me, allowing you to obtain both the Array Formation Book and the God-Slaying Array Plate at the same time. Therefore, the Qiankun God-Slaying Array will surely be able to be displayed between heaven and earth."
"Teacher." Upon hearing Tongtian Daoren's words, Gu Yu bowed and addressed him respectfully, as it was only right and proper for him to do so.
"Very good, very good." When Tongtian Daoren heard Gu Yu call him teacher, he immediately smiled and praised him repeatedly.
The most important thing about a unique skill is its successor. Without a successor, it will be lost. No matter how glorious it was in the past, it will disappear into the long river of history. But if there is a successor, even if it cannot be carried forward, at least it can be passed down from generation to generation forever. As long as it is passed down, there is no need to worry about it not being glorious in the world. Of course, this is just Tongtian Daoren's idea. After all, what he lacks most now is a successor.
"By the way, what's your name?" At this moment, Tongtian Daoren realized an embarrassing situation. He had already taken on a disciple, but he didn't even know the other person's name. This...
"Teacher, my name is Gu Yu," Gu Yu replied.
"Disciple Gu Yu, do you know what an array is?" Tongtian Daoist suddenly asked.
"I don't know," Gu Yu replied sincerely, because he truly didn't know.
"My disciple Gu Yu, actually I don't know what an array is either. It's too profound." Tongtian Daoren suddenly said something that left people speechless. He didn't even know the answer to this question, yet he asked Gu Yu.
"However, I can tell you that formations are everywhere. You can think of the entire world as a formation, a tree as a formation, a flower as a blade of grass as a formation, and even the human body as a formation, because they all have their own unique way of operating. My formations also originate from these," Tongtian Daoren explained. "The highest level of formations is to use the body as a formation. Of course, this is my own understanding. Perhaps one day, you will have your own understanding."
"Using your body as a formation?" Gu Yu frowned, then looked at Tongtian Daoren. "Master, could it be that you ultimately merged with the formation using your body?"
"Alas!" Upon hearing Gu Yu's question, Tongtian Daoren sighed. "No, according to my guess, if one reaches the realm of using one's body as an array, one has reached the Ancestral Realm. But I haven't even succeeded in creating a Qiankun God-Slaying Array, let alone using my body as an array."
Tongtian Daoren's face was filled with sighs and resentment as he spoke.
"So I risked everything to create the God-Slaying Array Plate. I desperately wanted to prove to those people that I wasn't neglecting my duties. So I gambled everything and worked tirelessly to create it. In the end, I poured everything I had into the array plate, but I still failed. I desperately searched for the problem, and when I was exhausted, I finally succeeded. Unfortunately, I didn't live to see the Qiankun God-Slaying Array appear in this world before I died," said Tongtian Daoren.
"It's done?" Gu Yu was taken aback.
"Yes, it's done." Tongtian Daoren said, "It should be said that only the last step is missing, which is to give the array plate energy and then activate the thirty-six arrays on the array plate one by one in order. However, since there is no energy injection, I don't know if the order is correct, so it's only the last step."
"Give the array plate energy?" Gu Yu looked at the thirty-six grooves on the God-Slaying Array Plate and suddenly took out the top-grade source stone he had obtained earlier.
"Teacher, is this alright?" Gu Yu asked Tongtian Daoren.
"A top-grade source stone, this is good." Upon seeing the top-grade source stone in Gu Yu's hand, Tongtian Daoist was stunned for a moment, then said, "However, one is not enough, you need thirty-six. Of course, this one can activate one of the formations on it."
Tongtian Daoren took the top-grade source stone from Gu Yu's hand and said, "In the past, in order to create the God-Slaying Array Plate, I didn't even have a low-grade source stone, let alone a top-grade one. I was just one step away from the success of the array plate, but I could only die helplessly."
"A top-grade source stone can activate a formation?" Gu Yu's face lit up with surprise. If he could activate the Ten Directions Teleportation, he wouldn't need to set up a teleportation array. That would be great, saving him a lot of time.
"Hmm!" Tongtian Daoren nodded.
"Teacher, what is your current cultivation level?" Gu Yu asked Tongtian Daoren. He thought of something: there were still two top-grade source stones in the Black Bull Kingdom's treasury. If he could get them, he could activate three formations on the God-Slaying Formation Plate. These were movable formations, such as the Five Extremes Sky-Supporting Formation. With the help of the formations, Gu Yu might be able to fight against a King Realm expert.
"I am nothing but a resentful will. I have barely survived for a long time by relying on the God-Slaying Array Plate. Now that I have met you, after passing on the array plate to you, I will dissipate." Tongtian Daoren said, his eyes filled with sadness. It was not that he was afraid of disappearing, but because now that he had met Gu Yu, the Qiankun God-Slaying Array had hope, but he would never see it again. It was a regret.
Upon hearing Tongtian Daoren's words, a trace of sorrow also appeared on Gu Yu's face. He thought that Tongtian Daoren could exist forever, just like Long Yuan! Perhaps he could be restored when the time was right, but he never expected that he would disappear soon. Wait, Gu Yu suddenly thought of something.
"Teacher, if you don't hand over the array plate to me, will you be able to exist forever?" Gu Yu asked.
“Haha…” Tongtian Daoist laughed, “Yes! If I hadn’t handed the array plate to you, I would still have perished. That layer of black gold was not to protect the array plate, but to prevent me from dissipating. Now that it has been broken, my time is up.”
Hearing Tongtian Daoren's words, Gu Yu's sorrow deepened. He hadn't paid much attention to the Array Book in his previous life, but this life was different. The Array Book had been of great help to him. It contained the Gathering Source Array, the Six Harmonies Demon-Controlling Array, the Five Extremes Sky-Supporting Array that could help him protect his parents, and the arrays in the Array Book that he needed to escape his current predicament and make his plans. And the one who gave him all of this was Tongtian Daoren, the teacher he had just met.
“Disciple, there is no need to grieve. If you are willing, then complete the Qiankun God-Slaying Formation for your master. That would be the greatest reward for your master. Besides, your master is already dead. Why be sad?” Tongtian Daoren said. Yes, he was already dead.
“Teacher, one day I will definitely complete the Qiankun God-Slaying Array,” Gu Yu said firmly.
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