CHAPTER 1209: CHAPTER 1207: A GRAND GIFT?

A stream of light from beyond the heavens pierced through the clouds, revealing over a hundred figures led by Jian Guhong, a group of Constellation Realm cultivators. In his hand, he held the lifeless head of Yueh Xin.

Initially, he probably intended to use Yueh Xin’s head to announce the end of the crisis, but upon seeing the state of the cultivators here, he realized everyone was already aware of the outcome of the previous battle.

There was no need for further words. He urged his spirit force, causing the sword light to swirl, and the bloody head turned to dust.

The body of a Sun Blaze Realm cultivator is indeed durable, but without the support from the spirit after death, it is merely tougher than usual, not beyond Jian Guhong’s ability to destroy.

Yang Qing was nowhere to be seen.

In fact, none of the Constellation Realm cultivators knew where Yang Qing had gone. On their way back to the Nine Provinces, Yang Qing’s figure merely flickered and then disappeared, and no one saw where he went.

The only thing certain was that he was still within the Nine Provinces. Such a powerful being, if he truly did not wish to be found, no one in the Nine Provinces could track him down.

The question facing everyone was one.

This Formation... should it continue being set up?

This mysterious big array had begun to be set up under the directive of Yueh Xin, and the array diagram was also provided by him. Now two months had passed, the Nine Provinces had invested a lot of manpower and resources, and the big array was nearly complete. If they abandoned it now, all previous investments would go down the drain.

On a subconscious level, all cultivators involved in the array setup wanted to complete it because everyone was curious to know what such a massive Formation was meant for.

Those who embark on a journey of a hundred miles are halfway at ninety; having gone ninety, would they hesitate over the last ten miles?

But to complete it rashly without understanding its exact effects seemed unwise.

This was difficult to handle, but to be safe, after some discussion, the Constellation Realm cultivators finally decided to halt the setup of the big array.

It was a waste, but it was better than igniting unnecessary risks.

Lu Ye did not participate in the discussion, only quietly listening from the side, mainly wanting to know the outcome of the Constellation Realm cultivators’ deliberation. For him, he could accept whatever choice they made.

If they decided to continue with the setup, he would put in the effort; if not, then they would disperse and go home.

He was concerned about Yang Qing matters, as this Dragon Race power was released by him. Though it temporarily mitigated a great crisis for the Nine Provinces, determining Yang Qing’s attitude towards the Nine Provinces was crucial.

Otherwise, having an unclear and formidable entity at home would be nerve-wracking.

Now the problem was that nobody knew where Yang Qing had gone, nor how to find him. Perhaps he could ask Number Nine? But Number Nine also showed no reaction, and Lu Ye guessed it was playing hide-and-seek with Yang Qing.

This was quite frustrating.

"Why not accept such a generous gift left by others? First, get this Formation properly set up, and later, I will tell you its wonderful uses!" Suddenly, Yang Qing’s voice came to Lu Ye’s ear.

Lu Ye looked up in astonishment, then glanced at the other Constellation Realm cultivators, who showed no reaction, indicating that the audio transmission was targeted solely at him.

After a brief contemplation, he stepped forward and relayed Yang Qing’s words to the gathering of Constellation Realm cultivators.

Everyone was puzzled—what kind of generous gift was this?

But since it was said by Yang Qing, it naturally wasn’t wrong. No one on the Nine Provinces’ side could understand the mechanism and function of this Formation, but from Yang Qing’s perspective, it should be clear at a glance. Since he called it a gift, they would treat it as such!

There was no need to hesitate; the array setup continued.

Jian Guhong discreetly sent an audio transmission to Lu Ye: "It’s best to find this Senior Yang and understand the function of the big array. Also, gauge his attitude towards the Nine Provinces."

The issues worrying Lu Ye were equally concerning for the Constellation Realm cultivators.

Everyone knew Yang Qing had been suppressed for ten thousand years and was a noble Dragon Race member. Such suppression couldn’t have left him without some resentment. Should such a powerful being release even a bit of anger within the Nine Provinces, no one could withstand it.

As of now, there was at least a favor between Lu Ye and Yang Qing, so having Lu Ye take the lead in this was best.

Lu Ye silently nodded.

With Yueh Xin dead, the group no longer felt pressured, and the Formation setup was not as urgent. However, the mysterious big array was nearly complete, so within less than ten days, it was finished. All area array runes and diagrams seamlessly connected without error. In theory, this big array could be activated, but nobody knew what would happen upon activation.

The moment the Formation setup completed, Yang Qing abruptly appeared. He was always so elusive; no one sensed his presence before he showed up, but in a blink, he appeared as if he had been standing there all along.

Everyone promptly paid their respects.

Simultaneously, his eyes curiously focused on the object in his hand—a rabbit, completely snow-white, its fur immaculate, appearing harmless to humans and animals alike.

When Lu Ye’s gaze met the rabbit’s large watery eyes, he couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his eye.

If he wasn’t mistaken, this rabbit... is Number Nine!

The first time he formally met Number Nine, Number Nine had said that it could take any shape Lu Ye desired. Therefore, theoretically speaking, Number Nine, this Artifact Spirit, could transform into anything with extreme realism.

However, usually, it prefers to stay behind the scenes, never showing itself.

To think it would transform into such a harmless-looking little white rabbit now.

It seems... like it was caught playing hide-and-seek.

The little white rabbit stared at Lu Ye, its watery eyes conveying a very clear message: Save me!

Lu Ye looked regretful and expressed that he was powerless to help.

Others were unaware of this rabbit’s true nature, and they were curious why Yang Qing, a Dragon Race member, would capture such a white rabbit. Could it be to roast it for a snack?

Jian Guhong stepped forward: "Senior Yang, the Formation here is already arranged. Could you tell us about the gift you mentioned earlier?"

Yang Qing smiled, casually tossing the white rabbit to Lu Ye, who was standing by, and then walking towards the big array.

Lu Ye caught the rabbit, and immediately Number Nine’s voice sounded by his ear: "Heartless! Leaving me to die here!"

Lu Ye replied via audio transmission: "How could I save you? I can’t do it! But speaking of which, this Dragon Race member seems genuinely not hostile towards the Nine Provinces?"

If there was hostility, it would have shown long ago. When the power gap reaches a certain level, there’s no need for any schemes or plots. Even if Yang Qing were to raise his arm this moment and claim that the Nine Provinces should submit to him in the future, no one would be able to oppose him.

But as Number Nine said, the Dragon Race is a petty race, and Lu Ye certainly experienced that.

Just look at how Yang Qing, after slaying Yueh Xin and returning to the Nine Provinces, did nothing but focus on Number Nine. Since Number Nine clearly had the ability to let him out but never did, he resorted to targeting Number Nine, even forcing it to transform into a white rabbit to protect itself.

Number Nine felt quite helpless. It wasn’t that it didn’t want to let Yang Qing out; the foundation of the post-nine-provinces era simply couldn’t withstand the havoc of such a formidable entity—it dared not let him out casually. Thus, now faced with his resentment, it wasn’t something Number Nine desired.

Number Nine sighed deeply: "My life is over! Lu Ye, you must cultivate well. And in the future, when you can defeat that guy, remember to rescue me!"

Lu Ye nodded repeatedly: "Don’t worry, I’ll shield you then!"

While the man and spirit communicated, Yang Qing stood at a corner of the big array. In comparison to the massive Formation, Yang Qing seemed very small, but as he channeled power into the array, the entire Formation began to hum.

His voice rang out: "As for the Array Path, I am not particularly proficient. I don’t even know the name of this Formation, but previously, when I was wandering near the stellar space of the Nine Provinces, I discovered some setups left on nearby celestial bodies, which could also be considered as nodes of Formations. Sometimes, when the distance is too far, two Formations can’t resonate with each other, so they need these nodes as transit points. By following these setups, I found the existence of another domain. Coincidentally, there are some setups in that domain as well. So, the situation became clear: the basic purpose of this big array is likely for teleportation!"

With his words, the massive Formation began to operate, and a pillar of light shot into the sky from its center, with a glow swiftly spreading throughout the array.

Soon, the glow began to collapse towards the center, and in a blink of an eye, a slowly rotating dark vortex appeared in the middle of the big array, as if leading to some deep and unknown place.

The group watched, dumbfounded. No one expected that the purpose of such a large-scale Formation was teleportation, and not just ordinary teleportation—it was capable of enabling travel between domains!

This was truly bizarre.

Though everyone present had experienced teleportation before, especially during the expedition to the Blood Refinement World, where they used the Heaven’s Augury Pillar, using a Formation was an entirely different concept.

How mysterious must this Formation be to enable travel between two domains?

Lu Ye was deeply shaken. He could set up teleportation arrays himself, but his arrays could at most cover three to four thousand miles. The distance between two domains is so vast that his teleportation arrays simply couldn’t bridge it.

No wonder the scale is so large, and its setup so intricate—it takes such dimensions to accomplish teleportation over such distances.

Just then, Number Nine’s voice sounded by Lu Ye’s ear: "I can feel it!"

"Feel what?" Lu Ye quickly asked.

"The existence of another domain! And it seems I can even absorb the foundation of that domain through this Formation!"

Lu Ye was astonished: "Really?"

"Indeed, if I choose to, I can simultaneously absorb the foundation of that domain!"