Chapter 4: Twenty Years

Tai Ming heard the words of the Benevolent Soul, and his mind settled as he finally had a clue.
The Benevolent Soul didn’t let Tai Ming wait any longer and said directly, “Among all the law enforcers, only two people’s memories are of any value. Li Mu and Huang Yuan. During the Inner Thirteen Stars period, they happened to encounter Li Zhong from Cangyang Valley, as well as Shuo Shang, Shuo Rui, and Shuo Xu from the Jin Yang Sect. If my guess is correct, the Six-Union Blade must be with these four people.”
Immediately afterward, the Benevolent Soul projected Qu Yi and Huang Yuan’s memories using the Golden Flow of True Essence in his hands, vividly recreating the battle scene inside the cave.
After hearing this, Tai Ming fell silent for a while before making up his mind.
“Our undercover agents within Cangyang Valley and the Jin Yang Sect need to take action and keep an eye on these four people. Also, in the Tianhuo Star Region, please go there and search every place the elders of Taiyuan Gate have been to. I’ll give you the information transmitted back by Liang Kui,” Tai Ming said softly, expressing his thoughts.
The Benevolent Soul smiled and nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, he disappeared, having left Taiyuan Mountain.
Tai Ming then went to the Wall-Facing Hall himself. With a wave of his hand, the arrays in all the rooms there were temporarily deactivated, revealing Qu Yi and the seventy law enforcers.
“Law enforcers, you may all leave. Li Mu and Huang Yuan, you two will stay in this Wall-Facing Hall forever,” Tai Ming declared.
The law enforcers stared in shock at Qu Yi’s room, puzzled by the sect leader’s decision. Qu Yi himself appeared relaxed, without any pressure. Only Huang Yuan looked anxious but lacked the courage to question anything.
Soon, the law enforcers flew away from the Wall-Facing Hall, leaving Qu Yi and Huang Yuan locked in their room.
Tai Ming left shortly after.
Inside the room, Qu Yi immediately entered meditation, using all his spiritual awareness to scan the Three Elements Dao.
He could have anticipated this situation. After all, since only he and Huang Yuan had seen Li Zhong, Shuo Shang, Shuo Rui, and Shuo Xu through the memories extracted by the Benevolent Soul, Tai Ming wouldn’t allow him to move freely until the truth was uncovered, to prevent him from being captured by other sects.
So, Qu Yi simply accepted his fate and decided to continue scanning the Three Elements Dao in the Wall-Facing Hall.

The Three-Element Dao is the third part of the foundational stage of “Array Heart” taught by the Artifact God. It involves the use of combinations of three out of the five elemental energies—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—to form arrays. All energies in the world are classified into these five attributes, and the Three-Element Dao utilizes different combinations of these energies to create arrays, demonstrating its vast scope.

However, due to Qu Yi having refined the Soul-Nurturing Crystal, his mental scanning speed increased tenfold, allowing him to complete scanning the Three-Element Dao in just a hundred years—a great stroke of luck indeed.

Now, Qu Yi is making use of this rare time to scan the Three-Element Dao and elevate his soul realm.

……

On the Six-Pan Stars, the ten major sects of the cultivation world suddenly became active, with various figures seeking information. In particular, the Taiyuan Sect, JinYang Sect, Xianyue Cliff, and Jiugong Island mobilized all their resources to carry out certain plans.

This tense atmosphere was naturally noticed by the other six sects, who also took action, further intensifying the tension across the Six-Pan Stars.

Meanwhile, the various branches of these ten major sects also began to act, strictly controlling those entering the planets. Any suspicious individuals had to be reported immediately.

The entire cultivation world suddenly became tense!

Shuo Shang, Shuo Rui, and Shuo Xu separated from Qu Yi starting from the Inner Thirteen Stars, heading in three different directions and leaving the Tianhuo Star region. These three had already received Qu Yi’s “Silent Art,” which allowed them to suppress their vital energy. At that time, they were only at the late Yuan Ying stage of cultivation. They went to three cultivation planets and settled there in seclusion.

Indeed, Qu Yi had long known that these three would become the focus of the entire cultivation world. He certainly wouldn’t let them develop their forces first; instead, he wanted them to remain hidden until the storm passed before reappearing.

Unconsciously, the three went to three small planets, ignoring the outside world and staying hidden within a concealment array, practicing in silence.

As a result, everyone in the cultivation world was now searching for Shuo Shang, Shuo Rui, and Shuo Xu, yet no one could detect their whereabouts—not even their auras.

These three planned to enter seclusion for a hundred years!

※※※

Tai Ming, the leader of the Taiyuan Sect, finally learned through an informant that Li Zhong, an elder of Cangyang Valley, whose Soul Seal Lamp had gone out, was dead. At this point, Tai Ming was certain that the ultimate target of the Six-Directions Blade was Shuo Shang, Shuo Rui, and Shuo Xu from the JinYang Sect, and that his Eight-Directions Sword might also be taken by them.

Moreover, Tai Ming also learned that these three people had not returned to the Jin Yang Sect, which undoubtedly confirmed that they had fled with treasures. Soon, Tai Ming sent portraits of Shuo Shang, Shuo Rui, and Shuo Xu to all branches of the Tai Yuan Sect, ordering them to investigate these three thoroughly. Undoubtedly, such a major move by the Tai Yuan Sect could not go unnoticed by other sects. Through various means, these sects obtained the portraits of Shuo Shang, Shuo Rui, and Shuo Xu and finally realized that the Tai Yuan Sect was actively searching for them. Apart from the Jin Yang Sect, the other eight major sects also confirmed that the Six Harmonies Blade was with these three people. With turmoil rising, the ten major sects in the cultivation world launched a full-scale search for them. Unfortunately, year after year, wave after wave of people were sent, and even all the powerful cultivators at the Tribulation stage were mobilized, yet not a trace of these three was found. The Six Harmonies Blade simply disappeared… Time flew by, and twenty years passed. Qu Yi sat quietly on the floor in the Wall-Meditation Hall, fully immersed in studying the Three Elements Dao. The energies of metal, wood, and fire could be combined to form the “Firewood Metal Sword Formation” or the “Financial Wood Burning Fire Formation”… The energies of water, fire, and earth could be combined to form the “Burning Mist Earth Stab Formation” or the “Volcanic Hidden Spring Formation”… Qu Yi’s spiritual awareness scanned a formation and immediately understood its various transformation patterns, seals, and construction methods, gaining a deeper insight into the integration of formations. The Three Elements Dao was built upon the One Elements Dao and Two Elements Dao, making it even more complex and extensive. Yet once understood, it also deepened one’s understanding of the One Elements Dao and Two Elements Dao, allowing one to mentally apply them as well. Day after day, Qu Yi rapidly scanned formations, and his understanding of them gradually reached a new level, showing signs of becoming a formation master. Twenty years later, Qu Yi had scanned 20% of the Three Elements Dao, and by then, his spiritual realm had reached the early stage of Consolidation. During these twenty years, none of the figures inside the Tiny World Sphere—such as Qi Shen, Bai Man, Wu Yuan, Golden Qilin, and Illusory Dancing Butterfly—interfered with Qu Yi. Qi Shen simply lay motionless on a soft chair, like a living corpse.

After Bai Man reached the early stage of exiting the body, he continued to meditate inside the tiny realm, striving to understand the characteristics of the metal element energy and improving his soul realm. When Huàn Wǔ Dié was in the Tianhuo Star Region, she stayed inside the tiny realm as well, dancing continuously with the four elders of the Taiyuan Gate—Liang An, Liang Xiang, and the others—who were trapped there. By doing so, she spied on their understanding of energy and then focused on her own meditation. Now, she has finally reached the late stage of merging realms. Wu Yuan, after devouring the four late-stage merging realm elders of the Taiyuan Gate, also advanced to that stage. Jin Qilin was lucky too—Qu Yi obtained a piece of metal element ore, Jin Yuan Shi, from the space ring of the elders of the Nine Great Sects. After refining Jin Yuan Shi, Jin Qilin’s cultivation also reached the late stage of merging realms. Thus, over these twenty years, Wu Yuan and Jin Qilin fought together every day, so they never felt lonely.
※※※
On this day, a man arrived outside the Wall-Facing Hall. He was very young and so handsome that it was hard to look directly at him. His flowing hair cascaded over his back, giving him a carefree appearance. The man waved his hand, and immediately the formation surrounding Qu Yi and Huang Yuan’s residence disappeared, revealing the two of them. “Captain Li Mu, Huang Yuan, my master sent me to tell you that from now on, you are free,” the man said in a slightly magnetic voice. It turned out that this man was actually a disciple of the sect leader Tai Ming, named Liang Ying, who was also the current head of the Enforcement Hall of the Taiyuan Gate. Qu Yi and Huang Yuan flew out of their residence and stood in front of Liang Ying, looking at him calmly. “May I ask if the sect leader is your master?” Qu Yi asked with a smile. “Yes, you can call me Liang Ying. I’m also the head of the Enforcement Hall now. Also, my master said that as compensation for these twenty years, you should go to the large planet Feiyun Star and take charge of a declining branch sect there, Yin Yun Gate,” Liang Ying said with a faint smile. Upon hearing this, Qu Yi frowned, sensing a hint of conspiracy. “Alright, since it’s the sect leader’s order, I will definitely follow it,” Qu Yi said with a smile. Qu Yi wasn’t afraid of any conspiracy. Liang Ying nodded, quite satisfied with Qu Yi’s attitude, and added, “As for this Huang Yuan, he will serve as the leader of the Fourth Enforcement Team.” Hearing this, Huang Yuan immediately bowed and said, “Thank you, Chief Commander, for your trust!” Liang Ying smiled briefly and then teleported away. At that moment, Huang Yuan stood respectfully in front of Qu Yi, silent.

“Huang Yuan, I’m entrusting the Fourth Law Enforcement Team to you. You must lead the team well; I might need your help when I return to Taiyuan Gate.” Qu Yi sent his message through spiritual communication.
Since Qu Yi had already implanted a soul shackle on Huang Yuan, Huang Yuan was actually Qu Yi’s slave. Everything Huang Yuan did had to serve Qu Yi’s interests. Otherwise, the slightest hint of rebellion would trigger the soul shackle, leading to immediate death.
“I understand, master,” Huang Yuan replied obediently.
Qu Yi thought for a moment before adding, “As for Guang Qi, treat him well. That guy has character—I appreciate him.”
Huang Yuan nodded immediately.
Then, Qu Yi teleported away, heading to the Internal Affairs Hall of Taiyuan Gate to retrieve his record of achievements. After that, he used a spatial teleportation array to head to Feiyun Star.
Just as Qu Yi left Taiyuan Gate, its people began spreading news that Qu Yi, the former captain of the Fourth Law Enforcement Team, was going to Feiyun Star. At the same time, rumors about Qu Yi’s actions in the Tianhuo Star Region also spread, especially those detailing how he led the law enforcement team to eliminate all members of the JinYang Sect.
Soon, the other nine major sects learned of Qu Yi’s actions and each formulated their own plans.