"I'm sorry to have disappointed you, my lord, but the young lady has failed to divine any results," Yan Siyun said, shaking her head.

"Not only that, my sister has also been injured by the backlash of the divination skill," Yan Sijing added.

"Jing'er!" Yan Siyun scolded softly.

"Oh, Fellow Daoist Yan is injured?" Yuan Ming's expression changed as he carefully observed Yan Siyun.

"It's just a minor injury, not a big deal. After some rest, I will recover. The only shame is that I couldn't divine the outcome of the great battle," Yan Siyun said.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming's brow furrowed slightly.

He had been quite optimistic about the upcoming battle, an important reason being Yan Siyun's divination skill. Unexpectedly, the divination had failed and even inflicted injuries on the divinator. He wondered whether this was a blessing or a curse.

"Lord Nether Moon God, please forgive me. I will attempt to divine again and try to obtain some results," Yan Siyun said hurriedly, noticing the change in Yuan Ming's expression.

Yuan Ming was about to speak words of comfort.

"There's no point in trying again. Another divination would be futile," a voice interrupted. Xi Qian emerged from the cabin of the Flying Boat, holding a wine gourd, her speech tinged with drunken slurs.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming couldn't help but sigh.

He hadn't expected Xi Qian to be such a heavy drinker. Since her awakening, she had hardly been seen without a drink in hand, staying intoxicated for eight out of the twelve hours of the day.

"Elder Xi Qian, what do you mean by that?" First glancing at Yuan Ming, Yan Sijing asked.

"This great battle will determine the rise and fall of the Yunhuang Continent's Cultivation World—its causality is too vast. With your sister's cultivation level and her degree of proficiency in the Heavenly Destiny Skill, even risking her life would not yield any results," Xi Qian said, burping mid-sentence.

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of those present changed.

"Elder Xi Qian, are you saying that the divination skill is also affected by the causality involved in the matter being divined?" Yan Siyun asked.

"Of course. The art of divination itself is an attempt to pry into the secrets of heaven. Revealing such secrets would change the course of the world. The harm suffered by the divinator and the impact it has on the world are related; the larger the impact, the greater the damage and the higher the chance of failure. You should feel fortunate that you didn't succeed earlier, or you'd be a corpse right now," Xi Qian said with a chuckle, taking a sip from her gourd.

Taken aback, Yan Siyun fell into a deep reverie.

"Is this true? You've never mentioned this before," Yuan Ming addressed Xi Ying.

"I know very little about this myself. Actually, my sister brought back the Heavenly Destiny Skill from a secret realm, not I, and since I can't practice it, my understanding is quite limited," Xi Ying explained.

"I see," Yuan Ming nodded.

"To think there were such restrictions on the divination skill. Why didn't you mention such an important thing before? There was no mention of this in the Heavenly Destiny Skill content!" Xi Ying said, looking at her sister and speaking in a serious tone.

"Did I not tell the family before? I thought I did," Xi Qian replied, slightly surprised by Xi Ying's scolding, and sobering up a bit in the process.

Remembering when Xi Qian returned from the secret realm and handed over the Heavenly Destiny Skill to the Xi Family, Xi Qian had also been drunk, her state half-sober at best, so forgetting to clarify wouldn't be unlikely.

"Drinking leads to trouble. You're not allowed to drink anymore!" Xi Ying snatched the wine gourd forcefully, speaking irritably.

"Give me back my gourd!" Xi Qian reached out to grab it back.

With a wave of her hand, Xi Ying prevented Xi Qian from moving, then dragged her back into the cabin.

Yuan Ming waved his hand, and the three Yan sisters withdrew as well.

"You heard what was just said, didn't you? What do you make of it?" Yuan Ming said softly.

"The Demon World will not sit idly by; they must have prepared countermeasures. We can't afford to be careless," ripples formed in the surrounding space, revealing a half-visible figure—it was Wulu.

"Good, but during the upcoming battle, you needn't worry about the fighting. Just infiltrate Chang Chun Temple and destroy the Breaking Realm Demon Array!" Yuan Ming commanded in a grave voice.

Wulu, capable of completely concealing himself using the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman, was naturally the best choice to sabotage the Breaking Realm Demon Array.

"Understood," Wulu responded.

"Is your body holding up all right?" Yuan Ming asked, recalling something.

"It has improved considerably. Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Yuan," Wulu said with a smile.

Surprise flashed across Yuan Ming's eyes. He had already noticed the issue with Wulu's mixed energies when they infiltrated Chang Chun Temple together. However, Yuan Ming was powerless to help, and it surprised him that Wulu had found a solution himself.

...

The Wu Yue Sect had planted many spies around the Cloud Ridge Mountain Range early on, which by now had conveyed the movements of the Cloud Desolate Alliance back to the sect.

Upon receiving the news, the Wu Yue God and Blood Demon Ancestor made their own preparations.

The distance from the Cloud Ridge Mountain Range to Chang Chun Temple wasn't too far, and it took only half a day for the Cloud Desolate Alliance's forces to reach Chang Chun Temple. They arrayed their troops densely in front of the temple.

Tian Jizi, Yuan Ming, and other high-level cultivators of the Cloud Desolate Alliance hovered in the sky, looking ahead.

Previously, the Cloud Desolate Alliance's Sect Protection Array had been destroyed by Tian Jizi's self-destruction during their retreat. Now, the Wu Yue Sect had set up another Sect Protection Array, which roiled with countless demonic clouds. Occasionally, black thunder streaked across it, thundering like rolling thunder.

The Wu Yue Sect had adopted the same strategy as the Cloud Desolate Alliance before, keeping all their disciples behind the Great Array, evidently preparing to test the Cloud Desolate Alliance's mettle with this Demon Thunder Array.

The Demon Thunder Array also contained an erosive effect; within a hundred miles of Chang Chun Temple, all vegetation withered away, and nature's spiritual energy became much more sparse, hardly resembling the celestial mountain that it once was.

Tian Jizi, Ancestor Ming Quan, and other cultivators from the Chang Chun Temple saw what had become of the spirit land they had relied upon for their survival, and they were filled with righteous indignation.

Ancestor Ming Quan, known for his impetuous nature, immediately extended his Divine Sense to try and ascertain the condition of the Demon Thunder Array.

However, the moment his Divine Sense touched the array, the Demon Thunder Array reacted as if provoked, lighting up with a "buzz" where it had been investigated.

A black thunderbolt as thick as the mouth of a bowl shot out from the void, crossing a distance of more than ten miles in an instant and striking at Ancestor Ming Quan. Content first released on *.

Tian Jizi tried to intervene, but the speed of the black thunder was simply too fast; he couldn't stop it either.

Ancestor Ming Quan was shocked and tried to cast a Protective Body spell, but it was already too late. A blue shield appeared out of nowhere, positioning itself in front of the black thunderbolt.

This was one of his Spiritual Treasures, which could automatically protect its owner in times of crisis without needing to be activated.

The black thunderbolt struck the blue shield, emitting a deafening thunderous roar. The pitch-black thunderbolt engulfed Ancestor Ming Quan in an instant.

Ancestor Ming Quan's figure was suddenly flung backward, the blue shield was thoroughly penetrated, its spirit light terribly dimmed, and it seemed to be completely destroyed. A gaping hole was torn through his chest, and his body was charred all over; the man had long lost consciousness.

The onlookers nearby were all shocked, and they immediately scattered, flying away. Some who were about to investigate the Demon Array hastily retracted their Divine Sense, silently feeling lucky.

A white light shot forth, catching Ancestor Ming Quan's body, as Tian Jizi's figure appeared beside him. He took out a bottle of Healing Pills, pried open the elder's mouth, and without consideration for how many pills were inside, poured them all down his throat.

A green light emanated from Ancestor Ming Quan, rapidly stemming the decline of his vital signs, preventing them from completely fading away.

Yuan Ming glanced at Ancestor Ming Quan, then turned his attention towards the Demon Thunder Array, his eyes showing a trace of interest.

"Not bad for an array from the Demon World, truly extraordinary. Do any of you see through the mysteries of this array?" Tian Jizi stabilized Ancestor Ming Quan's injuries, handed him over to others, and asked with a cold huff.

The people nearby were all silent.

Most of them had only learned of the existence of the Demon World in recent days; how could they possibly understand the forbidden techniques of the Demon World?

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, you have infiltrated the Chang Chun Temple before, do you understand this array?" Tian Jizi looked at Yuan Ming.

"The last time I investigated, this Demon Thunder Array had not yet been deployed," Yuan Ming shook his head.

Tian Jizi felt slightly disheartened by this response.

"We're still lacking Returning to Void combat power; otherwise, we wouldn't have to be so constrained," he sighed inwardly, quickly regaining his composure.

"Fellow Daoists, today is the decisive battle with the Wu Yue Sect, a battle that involves the lives of countless beings on the Yunhuang Continent. Please do not hold back, show your hidden cards! Of course, the alliance won't let your efforts go unrewarded. Whoever can decipher the mysteries of the Great Array will be credited with a first-class merit," Tian Jizi announced loudly.

Upon hearing this, many in the vicinity showed signs of excitement.

To boost morale and fight this battle of life and death, the Cloud Desolate Alliance gathered resources from various sects and established a merit reward system, divided into three levels.

The reward for a first-class merit included five hundred thousand Spirit Stones, a replica of a Spiritual Treasure, a large amount of elixirs, and the opportunity to enter the Book Collection Pavilion of the alliance, where one could freely choose three classics—undoubtedly heavy rewards.

However, as the people looked at each other hesitantly, though many were somewhat tempted, no one actually stepped forward.

"Since the Alliance Hierarch has said so, I will give it a try," Yuan Ming stepped forward and said.

His personal wealth was such that he didn't care much for the first-class merit. Now that the alliance's forces had arrived at Chang Chun Temple, the impact on morale would be too great if the Demon Thunder Array couldn't be broken quickly.

"Please, Fellow Daoist Yuan," Tian Jizi said, pleased.

Without another word, Yuan Ming operated the Moonlight Technique, and a powerful Divine Sense surged forth, probing towards the black Demon Array.

This Divine Sense was astonishing, having reached the Peak of the Sleeping Witch and was on the verge of entering the Word Witch Realm.

The faces of Wan Tianren, Gu Xuanyang, and other East Sea cultivators changed; they were all too familiar with this fluctuation of Soul Power—it was the Divine Sense of the Nether Moon God!

A look of panic crossed Wan Tianren's eyes. He had been continuously probing lately, and had pretty much confirmed that Yuan Ming's Divine Soul had been greatly damaged and could no longer unleash the full combat power of his heyday.

But the current situation seemed to slap him hard in the face; Yuan Ming's Soul Power was clearly intact!

"Could this man have been concealing his true power all along? Or could it be that he was probing us?" Wan Tianren felt bitter regret within.

Yuan Ming previously assisted the East Sea in dismantling the invasion of the Wu Yue Sect. While grateful, Wan Tianren also felt deeply humiliated.

As time passed, his gratitude gradually faded, but the sense of humiliation grew with each recollection of that incident.

After all, the status he had once held unshakably in the hearts of East Sea cultivators was now being affected due to the continued worship of this Nether Moon God.

Being the uncrowned king of the East Sea for so many years, he couldn't stand being suppressed by another.

Once he guessed that Yuan Ming's strength might have diminished greatly, Wan Tianren's ambition grew uncontrollably. He had been scheming in the dark for some time, aiming to reclaim his status as the hegemon of the East Sea.

Previously, when Yuan Ming asked the Nether Moon God believers to provide Desire Power, Wan Tianren, to secure the support of his backers, covertly instructed people to disregard the request.

He conducted this secretly, something outsiders might not detect, but Yuan Ming, as the Nether Moon God, likely knew everything clearly. He had seriously offended the other party.

Gu Xuanyang and other East Sea cultivators who had stopped praying to the Nether Moon God looked at each other, also filled with regret.

For a moment, some were joyful and some were sorrowful, while the Golden Transformation Master, Shi Yanshi, and Old Man Hei Zhu were all delighted.