Chapter Forty-Two: The Perverse Foundation Establishment

Lei Xiang was momentarily stunned; the formidable sight before him reminded him of the Xuantian Blaze Array. What kind of formation was this? He circled the nearly one hundred piles of Celestial Crystals three times, yet dared not touch a single one. He could ascertain that this small formation was designed precisely to detonate the Celestial Crystals, but how was it supposed to be used?

Lei Xiang extended his spiritual sense, ensuring that there was not a soul within dozens of miles, before producing the Eight Treasures Dragon Lance. Gripping the shaft tightly in both hands, he gave it a sudden twist. Runes along the lance’s body flared, and countless reverse scales seemed to arise out of thin air.

Then, spreading his arms wide, he took a deep breath. The reverse scales above his head flocked toward him, covering his entire body densely and forming a Scale Armor. Next, Lei Xiang summoned the Blue Lotus Disc. He trusted in this heaven-defying treasure, for although he could not fully control it, he had accidentally discovered its extraordinary defensive abilities—enough to withstand the blast of the Celestial Crystals. Of course, no one could ever be allowed to know of his use of the Blue Lotus Disc; otherwise, with his current strength, he would never be able to keep it safe.

Finally, wrapping himself in a layer of beast hide for additional protection, Lei Xiang began to try and activate the formation. After attempting eleven different methods without success, he broke into a small, fanged grin. Suddenly, a simpler solution occurred to him.

He immediately released his Spirit-Digging Mouse, which located the six powder fuses winding through the piles of Celestial Crystals. Without hesitation, Lei Xiang set each fuse alight.

Yes, Lei Xiang ignited the fuses of his own volition, triggering the grand formation and detonating the Celestial Crystals—a dangerous gamble. If he succeeded, the rewards would be tremendous; if he failed, the consequences could be dire.

Six white lines raced swiftly, converging at the formation’s core. With a resounding “crack,” the formation trembled violently, then began to spin clockwise, slow at first, then accelerating rapidly.

During this, Lei Xiang was not idle. His wide sleeves whirled, stirring up fierce gusts that scattered the ring of Celestial Crystals into a long, serpent-like line, dividing them into hundreds of segments, with several yards between each.

Suddenly, the formation slowed, the central light flashed three times, and a wave of white light—two yards in diameter—burst forth. The Celestial Crystals it touched erupted in a thunderous explosion.

Though Lei Xiang had separated the crystals, even a hundredth of their explosive force was not easily withstood. The beast hide shield was instantly annihilated, and the shockwave slammed fully into the Blue Lotus Disc.

The lotus disc, now blossoming with three petals, betrayed no sign of strain, calmly absorbing the blast. The white waves vanished as if nothing had happened.

Lei Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had separated the crystals; had they exploded all at once, the entire mountainside would have been lost. Seeing that the explosive force could not breach the lotus disc’s defense, he calmed himself, seated cross-legged with his palms upturned, and began to absorb the spiritual energy unleashed by the blasts. As the second wave of explosions came, the Blue Lotus Disc blocked the shockwaves once again, while Lei Xiang continued to absorb the powerful spiritual energy.

By the time four-fifths of the Celestial Crystals had detonated, the spiritual energy within him soared to an unprecedented peak—three hundred thousand threads of spiritual energy, a staggering amount.

Yet for the vast ocean of his qi, it was still not enough. Lei Xiang sighed inwardly, “Just how much spiritual energy does this bottomless pit require? It seems there’s still no hope for Foundation Establishment this time.”

Still the Celestial Crystals continued to explode, ceaseless waves of spiritual energy rising. Lei Xiang continued his frenzied absorption; even if he failed to establish his foundation, accumulating more energy would be worthwhile.

After the last Celestial Crystal had burst, his spiritual energy threads still had not reached saturation. He sensed that another hundred thousand threads would do it.

Just as Lei Xiang was about to give up on this attempt, the slowly spinning formation suddenly blazed with dazzling light, and an immense suction force erupted, drawing the spiritual energy from a hundred miles around in a violent tidal wave.

Fortunately, the Blue Lotus Disc’s defense held firm; otherwise, Lei Xiang would have been sucked into the formation and pulverized by the surging spiritual energy.

A Spirit-Gathering Array?

Lei Xiang had no time to investigate. He operated the Divine Refinement Mirror, touching his finger to the Blue Lotus Disc before him. Though he could not fully control the treasure, it was blood-bound to him and resonated with his intent.

The Blue Lotus Disc radiated a gentle azure light, which gathered above and formed a crystal-clear, lotus-shaped phantom over a yard across.

Lei Xiang sat upright, his thoughts merging with the lotus, which descended and enveloped him entirely, lifting him gently toward the Spirit-Gathering Array.

Once he hovered ten yards above the array, the nine luminous lotus petals spun ceaselessly. Within the blue lotus’s radiance, Lei Xiang began to absorb the wild spiritual energy. The surging power battered his meridians and qi sea relentlessly, but his resolute spirit focused on a single thought: he could not squander this heaven-sent opportunity—where else could such abundant spiritual energy be found?

And so, his abnormal rate of absorption began to work wonders.

Four hundred fifty thousand threads!

Finally, the number of spiritual threads reached four hundred fifty thousand. They surged through his meridians in a mighty torrent, yet there was no sense of overcrowding. Lei Xiang was left speechless—if Foundation Establishment required so much energy, what would happen when it came time to form a core?

The quantity was finally enough; now, a qualitative transformation could begin. Energized, Lei Xiang operated the Divine Refinement Mirror, guiding hundreds of thousands of spiritual threads as they roamed and gathered at his qi sea...

Suddenly, a thunderous crash erupted overhead, like ten thousand horses neighing at once, and sunlight burst in, followed by dozens of white bolts of lightning.

A clear sky—where had the lightning come from? And how could sunlight shine into the mountain’s belly?

There was no thunder, only lightning.

Lei Xiang had no time to ponder. At his mental command, the Blue Lotus Disc shifted instantly to shield his head. The white lightning surged down, striking every part of his body but his head; Lei Xiang trembled uncontrollably.

With unwavering will, Lei Xiang understood that this was the critical moment for Foundation Establishment. As long as the Blue Lotus Disc shielded his spirit, he could endure whatever injuries the lightning inflicted.

Hold fast!

This was the cry in Lei Xiang’s heart.

Sunlight bathed the sky, yet within a ten-yard radius, innumerable bolts of lightning crashed down like silver serpents, all targeting Lei Xiang.

His body had been numbed by the onslaught, his hands trembling so violently he could no longer form seals, but by sheer force of will, he continued to control hundreds of thousands of spiritual threads, guiding and gathering them.

Countless spiritual threads formed thousands of spiritual clusters, yet in the next instant, the lightning intensified to hundreds of bolts, raining down like arrows and piercing straight into Lei Xiang’s meridians.

Hundreds of bolts rampaged through his meridians and qi sea, smashing into the spiritual clusters. Under repeated bombardment, his meridians widened bit by bit, while the clusters gradually dissolved.

Lei Xiang had never felt such agony—it was as though, save for his spirit, his entire being was shattered.

After hundreds of lightning strikes, the spiritual clusters finally broke apart, transforming into a viscous substance that flowed along his eight extraordinary meridians into his dantian, gathering into a palm-sized pool of liquid essence. Meanwhile, his meridians had widened by nearly a fifth.

Yet the lightning’s rampage showed no sign of abating. Suddenly, Lei Xiang’s eyes—the only part he could still move—flashed with blue light, and the lightning seemed to find an outlet, splitting into two streams that surged straight into his eyes.

“Damn it!” Lei Xiang shut his eyes in pain, his only thought now: “Death would be better than this!”

Meanwhile, Senior Brother Liu was leading over a hundred cultivators, stuck before a door of glowing green stone. All at once, they unleashed a barrage of attacks—beams, arrows, and magical tools of every kind—but the green runes remained unchanged.

Liu’s face was ashen, his mood foul. They had retreated to the entrance of the Sunset Grotto, attacking without pause for an entire day and night, but the barrier was unscathed. With no formation master among them, brute force was their only option.

At this moment, the same question was on every mind: “Can Lei Xiang handle the Celestial Crystals? How long can he hold out? How much time can he buy us?”

Time was running out. No one dared rest; instead, they attacked with reckless abandon. At last, the glow on the stone door began to waver, and hope surged through the crowd, spurring them to even greater frenzy.

Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the cave, sending tremors through the mountain and nearly bursting their eardrums. Stones rained down as the cave threatened to collapse.

“It’s over—the Celestial Crystal Array has exploded.”

“What about Lei Xiang?”

“Hah, who cares about Lei Xiang? We’re all going to die here!”

The glow on the stone door abruptly dimmed, then flickered erratically. In that instant, a figure flashed into view—a glint of golden light in his hand smashed into the door, and the green glow shattered into a myriad of crystalline fragments, vanishing into the air.