In the opulent council hall, an elderly man with the bearing of an immortal stood upon the steps. Below him knelt five middle-aged individuals. The scathing rebuke had erupted from the elder.

The four middle-aged men bowed their heads in silence, but one ventured softly, "Ancestor, we have been diligently searching for Shang Xingchen's whereabouts, which led us to overlook Shang Tianjue. As for the Heavenly Patrol Mirror, it is routine to communicate with the other four continents only once every decade..."

The elder snapped coldly, "So you caught the sesame seeds but lost the watermelon? Moreover, you haven't even caught Shang Xingchen, just traces of him!

I truly was mistaken to entrust the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace to you all! All you think about day and night is vying for power and grabbing benefits! Why not consider uniting to produce another Deity Transformation cultivator?

If there is no new Deity Transformation cultivator after I pass, what will become of our Feather Transformation Heaven Palace?!

I have come to realize that the real threat to the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace is not from outside, not from other sects, but right here on Feather Transformation Island, among my own direct disciples!

It has been only a few years since the collapse of the Nether Dao Sect! Have you forgotten? The gaping pit that was once their ancestral ground still stares at you every day!"

The five middle-aged men remained silent once more, neither daring to look at each other nor raise their heads, merely enduring the tirade.

After a long vent, the elder's mood slightly eased. "Act now! Travel to the Southern Wilderness via the ancient teleportation array and capture Shang Tianjue! I will tolerate no mistakes this time! Whoever accomplishes this, I will appoint him as the master of the palace!"

The five middle-aged men's eyes lit up as they rose to their feet, declaring in unison, "Please rest assured, Master, we shall fulfill this mission without dishonor!"

The elder then tossed out a storage bag, "This contains the tokens bestowed by the upper sect. Make arrangements for these tokens as well. We must act fairly; each of the five continents must receive two hundred tokens!"

The five men responded respectfully, "We understand."

After they departed, the elder sighed deeply. "Shang Tianjue has already appeared, but what of Shang Xingchen? Will the prophecy... become reality? Will our Feather Transformation Heaven Palace fall at the hands of them?"

...

In the mystical realm of Southern Wilderness within the Kingdom of Yu, while mortals and low-level cultivators were still lost in slumber, disciples from the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace arrived through the ancient teleportation arrays.

Nascent Soul, Golden Core, Foundation Establishment... a myriad of cultivators congregated in the sky, resembling celestial warriors.

A commanding middle-aged man surged with Spiritual Qi, his voice rolling out majestically. "By the elder's decree! The Hundred Refinement Sect, despite knowing the palace's command, still chose to aid Shang Tianjue. All elders and disciples of the Hundred Refinement Sect are to be executed!"

The disciples of the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace responded in unison, "Yes!"

Their voices thundered like a clap of sky-shattering thunder, startling demonic beasts in all directions into a frenzied escape.

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From Yan Kingdom, Yue Kingdom, to Myriad Islands Lake, figures from the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace appeared at various ancient teleportation arrays. Each team was led by a Nascent Soul cultivator.

The Nascent Soul cultivators of other sects were no match for those of the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that a single Nascent Soul cultivator from the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace could single-handedly take on two average Nascent Soul cultivators.

Wherever these disciples passed, the cultivators of the Hundred Refinement Sect had no power to retaliate and were quickly slain.

The cultivators of the Hundred Refinement Sect, unwilling to accept their fate, were compelled to resist. This sparked a great battle, leaving devastation in its wake, a scene of widespread misery and destruction.

Chu Xuan and Wan Wuying, in perfect accord, did not appear immediately. Instead, they waited for that man. To seize the chestnuts from the fire, one must act at the most crucial moment. To enter too early would be to court disaster.

At Original Dao Peak of the Hundred Refinement Sect, four formidable armies from the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace converged from different directions, gathering with potent force.

Meanwhile, the fifth contingent was trapped by a pre-arranged array by Miao Zizai in Yue Country, unable to break through.

Four middle-aged cultivators hovered in the air, each radiating an aura that was earth-shaking, all at the late stage of Nascent Soul. Atop Original Dao Peak stood only one man, Shang Tianjue.

The five exchanged glances across the expanse, with only the grand array of the Hundred Refinements Sect separating them.

The tall middle-aged man spoke calmly, "Shang Tianjue, surrender now. You alone have turned Mystic Azure Star upside down, causing the deaths of countless souls. You must be punished!"

Another added, "All Deity Transformation cultivators of your Nether Dao Sect fell on the battlefield beyond; it should have crumbled long ago. Shang Tianjue, you should not dream of reviving a dead sect."

Shang Tianjue, standing at the summit of Original Dao Peak, burst into laughter, "Five hundred years ago, when I was slaughtering far and wide, you four were but Foundation Establishment juniors. Now you dare to stand before me, issuing orders. How the years embolden the foolish!"

The third middle-aged man scoffed, "Shang Tianjue, you only dare to boast because of the sect's grand formation. Once we break this formation, let's see how arrogant you can remain!"

A sect's grand array is its lifeline. If unattended, a static formation might be broken with brute force.

However, a dynamic formation, continuously altered by a skilled formation master holding the formation plate and flags, is exceedingly difficult to assault.

Provided with enough spirit stones, a formation master could potentially hold off five or six cultivators of the same realm for years.

Shang Tianjue laughed wildly, "Do you think I'd fall for such crude provocation? Within this gate, I have gathered forty-six Golden Core formation masters and one Nascent Soul formation master from three countries!

To break through this Eight Directions Immutable Array, you'll need numerous Array Breaking Talismans! Of course, if you wish to waste a Grand Prohibition Talisman, be my guest, hahaha!"

Talismans for breaking arrays are extremely rare and vary greatly in power. The lowest level is the Array Breaking Talisman, capable of breaking Foundation Establishment stage arrays.

Above that is the Grand Array Breaking Talisman for Golden Core arrays. Next are the Prohibition Talismans for Nascent Soul arrays, and the highest are the Grand Prohibition Talismans for Deity Transformation arrays.

Indeed, within the entire Mystic Azure Star, only the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace possessed Deity Transformation-stage arrays. And none had the courage or the power to challenge the grand arrays of the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace with a Grand Prohibition Talisman.

The four cultivators shared a cold laugh as numerous prohibition talismans tore through the sky. The Feather Transformation Heaven Palace lacked for nothing if not for its deep foundations and wealth.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Prohibition Talismans bombarded the grand formation relentlessly. Pressured by the imminent threat of Shang Tianjue's wrath, the formation masters atop Original Dao Peak had no choice but to serve him. Within moments, four Golden Core formation masters were spitting blood.

The leading Nascent Soul formation master was Miao Zizai. He, too, was sweating profusely, barely holding on.

"I, Shang Tianjue, may not control arrays, but Master Miao does. Anyone daring to betray me will be killed."

Shang Tianjue's gaze swept over one individual; his fist thundered down and smashed a Golden Core formation master who had dared a slight deception into a pulp.

The remaining formation masters trembled, daring not to act out of line.

Shang Tianjue stood with his hands behind his back, floating in the air. His expression remained unchanged.

His eyes, deep and inscrutable, seemed not to focus on the present location but were instead fixed on the distant Central Continent.