Chapter 647 The Effects of the Zhou Tian Cycle, the Shifting of Stars and Regrowth
"This complete Zhou Tian Star Array..." The Nine Nether Emperor glanced at the Heavenly Emperor's body, then turned to look at the jellyfish, and asked, "Can it kill that evil god?"
“You probably don’t know the origin of the Zhou Tian Star Array.” The jellyfish shook its head with a smile, seemingly somewhat proud. “I obtained the array diagram, and then searched everywhere, even consulting the Daoist Master of the Supreme Dao, before I understood the power of this array.”
Her words naturally piqued the curiosity of the others, who exchanged glances and listened intently to the jellyfish's explanation.
"The current Zhou Tian Star Array has only thirty-six stars, while the complete Zhou Tian Star Array should have three hundred and sixty-five stars."
"Not only is the number only one-tenth of the complete formation, but in terms of power, this incomplete formation may not even be one-hundredth or one-ten-thousandth of the complete formation."
Everyone can understand that.
The most important thing about formations is the system; the difference between complete and incomplete formations is huge. For example, the power of 365 and 364 formations in the Zhou Tian Star Formation is probably worlds apart.
“But this remnant formation is enough to suppress that evil god.” The jellyfish paused and said something that surprised everyone: “In fact, that evil god is even stronger than I was back then.”
The Nine Nether Emperor's pupils contracted, as if he understood: "So, the complete Zhou Tian Star Array is at the Great Luo level?"
"No, it's something beyond the Great Luo realm." A flash of recollection crossed the jellyfish's face. "Back then, the Daoist Master told me that at its peak, this formation was comparable to a Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal. Otherwise, why would I have given up everything for it..."
The term "Hun Yuan Daluo" is not unfamiliar to the people of the Jiushan Sect. The other name for the sages that Zheng Fa met in the Jiuyao Heaven is "Hun Chaos Daluo Golden Immortal".
Although this is just Dao Zun's conjecture, and it may not actually be a Hunyuan Daluo Jinxian, and may even require the addition of qualifiers such as "at its peak", everyone can understand the jellyfish's madness - who wouldn't go crazy in its place?
They can be crazier than jellyfish.
The Nine Nether Emperor was astonished: "Jellyfish, you actually comprehended such a formation?"
"Lu Yao's array diagram is actually an ancient relic, but it is not complete."
That's true, otherwise how could they fool the jellyfish?
"According to my calculations, as long as the number of stars reaches 108 small cycles, this great formation can be compared with cultivators at the Taiyi or Daluo levels."
"Three hundred and sixty-five, I really can't say for sure, after all it's just a hypothesis, I don't even know if my calculation is correct."
The Heavenly Emperor suddenly asked curiously, "What specific abilities does this Zhou Tian Star Array have? From my own perception, this array doesn't seem to be designed for killing enemies?"
"Oh? Then why do you think it is?"
The jellyfish's eyes flashed, and it suddenly asked with a smile.
"In my opinion, this formation... is somewhat like the infrastructure of the ancient Heavenly Court. What it is trying to solve is actually the problem of communication and transportation between the heavens. As for suppressing cultivators, it seems to be just another use of its spacetime power, but not the original design goal."
The Heavenly Emperor did not know if the original Zhou Tian Xing Chen Grand Array of the Demon Race was like this, but now it seems that the Zhou Tian Xing Chen Grand Array that remains is not a formation designed entirely for killing.
He had some thoughts on this—at least for a certain period of time, the Heavenly Court actually had no external enemies, and the Zhou Tian Star Array was not used by them to conquer the world, but to govern it.
Cultivators find it difficult to navigate in the chaos, which is why the Zhou Tian Star Array has the ability to teleport through the chaos. In order to distinguish between orthodox and heterodox paths, and even to spread the grace of the Heavenly Court, it possesses the power of stars. In essence, this is a monopoly of the orthodox lineage.
It can be said that the Zhou Tian Star Array is not like the Zhu Xian Sword Array, which is obviously used to kill people. The Zhou Tian Star Array is more like the infrastructure of the ancient Heavenly Court.
Of course, this is not to say that this thing is unimportant. On the contrary, this thing is very much to Zheng Fa's liking—better to do infrastructure than fighting and killing.
"How long have you seen that formation?"
The jellyfish's expression was quite strange.
"It's been almost several decades?"
"It took me over 20,000 years after I obtained the Zhou Tian Star Array to fully understand this point..."
Jellyfish didn't finish her sentence, but just by looking at her expression, it was clear that her pride had been hurt.
She seemed to have lost interest as well, and said listlessly, "Although the Zhou Tian Star Array is not a dedicated killing array, it has extremely strong control over space, so it also has a certain ability to suppress and kill. If the array were more complete, then the evil god would naturally be no threat."
"Unfortunately... such a formation would require far too many resources to perfect. Refining a single star is extremely difficult." The jellyfish shook its head. "Even the Jade Pool back then wouldn't have been able to support such consumption."
At this point, the jellyfish's expression became slightly depressed: "Now that your Sect Leader Zheng has encountered that evil god, there is naturally no time to refine the stars and perfect the great formation."
His words caused everyone's faces to fall. No matter how powerful the Zhou Tian Star Array was, it was now just a mirage, a castle in the air, and wouldn't be of much help to Zheng Fa.
If what the jellyfish said is true, they still need to refine stars and send them into chaos—not to mention how they will send them there, by the time they finish refining them, Zheng Fa and the others will almost be able to be resurrected.
"Wait a moment," the Heavenly Emperor suddenly asked, "Is it absolutely necessary to obtain the stars?"
The jellyfish looked a little bewildered: "This formation is made up of stars..."
Beside her, Senior Sister Zhang's eyes lit up, as if she understood something. Then she saw the Heavenly Emperor's body radiate light, and three hundred and sixty-five spirits emerged from his acupoints and stood in front of the jellyfish.
"What's this……"
The jellyfish felt that it hadn't been asleep for too long, but it could no longer understand the current Xuanwei cultivators.
The Heavenly Emperor remained silent, but the runes on his thirty-six divine bodies began to change, gradually becoming identical to the thirty-six stars in the chaos.
"Please teach me the Zhou Tian Xing Chen Grand Array, Jellyfish."
"..."
In the chaos, Qingnu and the other two looked at Zheng Fa, who still had his eyes closed, and their expressions were already somewhat desperate.
The divine water of the Three Lights on the Taiyin Laurel Tree has dried up.
The peach branches of the evil jellyfish have gradually climbed through the void, forming a cocoon that wraps around the bronze platform layer by layer.
The three looked up and saw that the sky in all directions was filled with writhing branches and countless faces that were grinning and screaming at them.
The Moon Fairy slowly stopped healing, stood up straight, and straightened her back.
Qingnu and Nishang Yuanjun exchanged a glance and realized that the situation was not optimistic.
"While we still have some of the Three Lights Divine Water, we must make a decision as soon as possible." Sure enough, the Moon Fairy said to the two of them, "We must escape. Staying here poses too great a threat to Zheng Fa."
“He has the bronze platform, so he can protect himself for the time being. But if we become demons, we will only harm him.”
"Of course, this evil god is far stronger than us. Once we get out, our fate is uncertain. If we can survive, we will have a chance to live after Sect Leader Zheng takes control of the Zhou Tian Star Array."
"If we cannot... then staying here will only mean waiting to die."
Ni Chang Yuanjun took a deep breath, but Qing Nu chuckled softly, looked at the peach branches around her in the sky, and said something that caught them both off guard:
"If I ever become like that, remember to kill me."
"..."
She pressed her hand on the seven-stringed lute and said, "Those who blaspheme against the jellyfish deserve to die!"
A ring of blue light burst forth from the strings, and an extreme frosty aura shot outwards from the bronze platform.
The wriggling branches were frozen solid, and the faces of the people instantly froze.
The Azure Maiden, also known as the Azure Cloud Jade Maiden, is in charge of frost and snow. When she makes a move, ten thousand miles of ice will be frozen.
"break!"
With a soft shout, the branches snapped open, revealing the darkness outside.
"Let's go," the Moon Fairy said softly, pointing to the Moon Laurel Tree and chanting, "Moonlight shines, the Moon protects us."
A ray of moonlight fell from the laurel branch and shone on the three of them, as if draping each of them in a jade-colored Taoist robe.
Without further delay, the three of them leaped off the bronze platform and glanced at Zheng Fa, who had his eyes closed, in unison.
As soon as they stepped off the bronze platform, they felt as if they had entered the deep sea, surrounded by pressure that could crush ordinary cultivators to pieces.
The jade-colored Taoist robes worn by the three people shone a few times, absorbing most of the pressure for them, which finally allowed them to breathe a sigh of relief.
“That direction!” Taiyin pointed slightly north and explained, “The jellyfish seems to be coming from the south; we must avoid it.”
Qingnu and the other woman immediately understood; they simply didn't want to interfere with Zheng Fa's advancement, not that they wanted to go and die.
Jellyfish are too much of a nemesis for them. If they were to confront them head-on, it would be suicide. Now, they might as well take advantage of the fact that the jellyfish have been temporarily repelled and escape in the opposite direction. Perhaps they can attract the jellyfish and buy Zheng Faduo some time.
Protected by the power of the moon, the three of them trudged slowly through the formation. Due to the pressure around them, they moved much slower than when they had crawled along the peach branches.
Fortunately, when they turned around, they found that the peach branches seemed uninterested in them and were heading back towards the bronze platform.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, they headed north, and soon the Three Lights Divine Water was finally exhausted.
The three looked behind them; the shadow of the bronze platform had already disappeared into the darkness, and the whispers of the evil jellyfish were also left behind.
It seems the three are safe for now.
“The jellyfish wanted to escape, and its target was the Star Banner…” Fairy Taiyin sighed. “Although we escaped, we were unable to draw the danger away from Sect Leader Zheng.”
"Is Sect Leader Zheng alright?"
Ni Chang Yuan Jun became worried.
"I don't know," the Moon Fairy said, shaking her head. "But what we can do now is not to cause him any trouble. Even if we can't help him, we can't be a hindrance to him. What we need to do most is to preserve our strength and wait for an opportunity to lend him a hand."
"Even if we have to risk our lives, we should save it for crucial moments."
Qingnu and Nishang Yuanjun knew that these were wise and prudent words. Even though they did not know Zheng Fa's current situation, they could only nod and follow the instructions of Taiyin Fairy.
"No wonder the jellyfish often said that, Taiyin, in terms of temperament, strength and scheming, you are second only to her in Yaochi."
A smiling comment followed.
The Moon Fairy's expression changed, and she looked towards the source of the voice, where the figure of the Goddess of Rescuing the Year appeared from the darkness.
"May the year be blessed! You've been waiting here all along?"
"Do you think you can escape the clutches of Lady Jellyfish?" The Goddess of Rebirth asked with a mocking tone as she raised her head.
The three women looked up and saw a huge peach tree standing in the darkness.
The tree trunk is like a giant peak, and the crown is completely invisible.
Their escape just now seemed to have been from under one peach leaf to under another.
Compared to the towering peach tree, the laurel tree atop the Moon Goddess's head looks like a tiny sugar painting.
"Jellyfish...has its strength increased that much?"
Taiyin's face turned ashen.
"When the World Honored One gave the Zhou Tian Star Array to the Jellyfish, he didn't expect that the Jellyfish would actually be able to comprehend it." The Goddess of Rang Sui's words were a mix of praise and regret. "You know, the World Honored One also tried to comprehend this array himself, but after several eras, he gained nothing, which is why he was willing to give it away."
"Unexpectedly, the jellyfish is extremely compatible with this great formation... It truly has the opportunity to prove its Dao, and one could even say that it has already taken half a step forward."
Looking at the peach tree overhead, the Moon Fairy's eyes held a mixture of admiration and regret.
"But the essence of the divine path is flawed, making it impossible to achieve the Great Luo realm. The higher the cultivation level, the greater the danger." The Goddess of Rang Sui continued, "The jellyfish only thought it had taken half a step towards proving the Dao, but it never expected that it was heading towards the abyss."
Above the three people, peach branches, like a beaded curtain, slowly descended.
They knew that the three of them could not escape—the jellyfish was too huge, and at their speed, it was impossible for them to escape its range; they could only waste their magical energy in vain.
The Goddess of Resurrection clasped her hands together and said to the three, “The divine path has great problems. Only the World Honored One, who governs the Pure Land, is extremely suitable for our cultivation. If the three of you can take refuge in the World Honored One, you can not only avoid infighting among your fellow disciples, but also receive the Great Dao.”
Seeing the three people on the verge of death, the Goddess of Resurrection had a look of certainty on her face.
Unexpectedly, the three of them did not react at all. They simply focused their attention and watched the slowly drooping peach branch, as if they wanted to fight to the death.
"You're actually willing to die for Zheng Fa?"
Qing Nu laughed: "What Zheng Fa? What Lu Yao? I was taught by the Water Mother and attained enlightenment. I am a dignified cultivator of Yaochi. Why should I need to rely on anyone?"
"Lu Yao has harmed Jellyfish like this, I've long since become his sworn enemy!"
"I can't explain the reasoning behind this to you!"
Upon hearing this, the Goddess of the Year-Breaking Ritual seemed to be provoked, and she began to chant scriptures softly towards the peach tree.
As if they had smelled the most delicious food, the peach branches surged toward the three of them, and the whispers that had driven them mad turned into loud shouts that poured straight into their ears.
At this moment, without the protection of the Three Lights Divine Water, they instantly fell into confusion. The Moon Fairy felt the world before her eyes begin to shatter and distort.
She never expected that the three of them would be powerless to resist the evil jellyfish, and for a moment they fell into deep despair.
In the blurry vision before her eyes, a sky full of stars seemed to light up, making her feel even more dizzy. Suddenly, a voice came: "...What is this!"
That's a jellyfish screaming. Why does it sound so panicked?
The Moon Fairy opened her eyes wide, and suddenly Zheng Fa's figure appeared beside her.
Zheng Fa glanced at the three, including the Moon Fairy, and seemed somewhat relieved before looking up to answer the Evil Water Mother:
"Inner Landscape * Celestial Gods".
(End of this chapter)
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