Chapter 115
Ning Chen was utterly confused.
“System, explain in detail.”
[Five Elements Divine Sealing Array: One of the top-tier sealing arrays from the Upper Realm, capable of sealing nearly anything. Once formed, this array cannot be forcibly broken by any means and will continuously draw energy from the earth’s veins to sustain itself. The only way to undo it is to gather the reincarnations of the Five Elements’ Spirits from the same generation to serve as the key to unlocking the array.].
[Water Element Spirit Seal: Automatically forms on the person carrying the Water Spirit in this generation, containing one of the five powers needed to undo the Five Elements Divine Sealing Array.].
[Five Elements’ Spirits: The keys to unlocking the Five Elements Divine Sealing Array. Ethereal and intangible, they are divided into five parts existing in this world, randomly attaching to different individuals. Depending on which element they embody, they can easily awaken related talents, physiques, or supernatural abilities. However, the Five Elements’ Spirits are interconnected—if one bearer dies, the spirits on the others will vanish, collectively waiting a hundred years before reattaching to new hosts.].
After reading the detailed explanation, Ning Chen pressed his thin lips together.
Hmm… Complicated, but still understandable.
In short, the Canglan Realm had an Upper Realm sealing array that required five keys to unlock. And Danyu Yuruo was one of them in this generation.
“System, where exactly is this Five Elements Array?” Ning Chen was curious. After all, anything from the Upper Realm sounded impressive.
[Right beneath you.].
Beneath him?
Ning Chen froze, instinctively looking at the ground.
Was it hidden beneath the Demon-Sealing Tower?
But that couldn’t be!
Back when this was still the Demon-Sealing Prison, they had dug deep underground and never found any other arrays—just the layers of mechanisms set up by Liu Ruyan.
Unless…
“Is the array hidden somewhere in the Qinglian Sect?” Ning Chen asked.
[No. It covers nearly the entire Southern Domain.].
“Southern Domain…” Ning Chen murmured, suddenly recalling how the Canglan Realm was divided into four major regions: East, West, South, and North.
The Great Xia Dynasty happened to be located in the Southern Domain—and so was the Qinglian Sect.
“That’s way too big!” Ning Chen was stunned.
Who would set up an array spanning an entire domain?
This was definitely beyond the capabilities of ordinary cultivators.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder—
What exactly was sealed here?
What could be so terrifying that the Upper Realm immortals would go so far as to construct a sealing array using a quarter of the world’s earth veins?
But when he asked the System, he got no answer.
“Wouldn’t maintaining the array require constantly draining the earth’s energy? Doesn’t that affect the cultivation world?”
[Of course. Damage to the earth’s veins indirectly compresses this realm’s natural laws. Not only does spiritual energy become thinner, high-grade spirit plants struggle to grow, but cultivators’ upper limits are also sealed.].
“Upper limit sealed…”
Ning Chen muttered, quickly recalling something.
Once, Liu Ruyan had mentioned that the Great Xia Dynasty had no Void Refinement cultivators.
At the time, Ning Chen had assumed it was because previous generations were too weak or lacked talent.
But now, it seemed this was the real reason!
And it wasn’t just the Great Xia—neighboring dynasties were the same. If any faction had a Void Refinement expert, they would have steamrolled the competition long ago.
Ning Chen’s worldview was slightly shaken.
After all, he had only been a Foundation Establishment cultivator before. His knowledge of such matters was limited.
“Then… why not just leave the Southern Domain?” Ning Chen wondered.
The Great Xia’s royal family alone had at least several peak Nascent Soul old monsters. Why stay and wait for death?
It didn’t make sense!
[Over countless years, the Southern Domain has become the lowest-tier region in the Canglan Realm. While information flows between regions, only outsiders can freely enter and exit the Southern Domain. Those born here are forbidden from leaving—otherwise, they’ll be executed by the Void Refinement cultivators guarding the borders.].
“So that’s how it is.”
Now it made sense.
The outside world already exploited the Southern Domain enough. How dare the people inside try to rebel?
How bold!
Ning Chen sat beside the completely bare woman, reaching out to trace the blue seal on her back with his fingertips.
Instantly, like touching still water, faint ripples spread across the mark.
“Is this considered unlocked now?”
[Unlocking in progress.].
“Then what’s the unlocking condition?”
It was just a normal dual cultivation session. How did it suddenly trigger this?
[The seal will unlock naturally after being baptized by sufficient amounts of pure energy.].
“...That’s some sneaky yin-yang business.”
“So, Danyu Yuruo awakened her Extreme Yin Physique because of the Water Spirit Seal inside her?”
[Correct.].
“If one of the Five Elements’ reincarnations dies, and the Water Spirit in Danyu Yuruo disappears, will her current physique be affected?”
[No.].
“That good?”
Ning Chen was surprised. The spirits just gave free buffs without drawbacks?
“System, do I have one?”
Weren’t the Five Elements’ Spirits supposed to attach randomly?
What if—
But the System was firm.
[Probability: zero. The Five Elements’ Spirits always attach to individuals of the same gender in each generation. Since the current Water Spirit bearer is female, the other four will also be female.].
“Fine.” Ning Chen shrugged.
Meaning, to unlock the array, he’d have to “plug in” four more.
Then, a serious question occurred to him.
“System, my seclusion spot is in the Southern Domain. When I come out, won’t I be stuck at Nascent Soul because of the world’s laws?”
[Rest assured, Host. The experience gained during seclusion bypasses the world’s restrictions.].
Good.
If that weren’t the case, he’d have some choice words for the immortal who set up this damn array.
“What about the women who use my yang energy to cultivate? Will they be affected by these restrictions?”
[Your yang energy cannot break the rules, but it also won’t be erased by them. The two exist independently.].
Ning Chen frowned. “Explain.”
[Think of it like level-capping in your past life’s games. Even if they can’t break through, the experience will keep accumulating. Ordinary cultivation, however, just hits a hard wall.].
“Got it.” Ning Chen immediately understood.
Even if these women couldn’t reach Void Refinement in the Southern Domain, they’d still accumulate cultivation. Like him in seclusion.
Once they left the Southern Domain—or if the array was broken—they’d instantly rise to their rightful strength.
In contrast, ordinary peak Nascent Soul cultivators would just be wasting their time.
Ning Chen pressed his lips together.
Impressive, sure. But they’d still be stuck!
Even if they forced their way out, breaking through would take time—enough for the border guards to slaughter them ten times over.
As for breaking the array…
That seemed even more unrealistic.
“Having just one key is useless!” Ning Chen couldn’t help but complain.
Five people, randomly scattered across the Canglan Realm.
Even if he somehow gathered four, the odds of finding the last one were practically zero.
But the System suddenly replied:
[Once one of the Five Elements’ Spirits is successfully unlocked, the other four will be subtly drawn toward them. The Host only needs to wait patiently.].
“Oh?”
That sounded a bit better… or not!
If even one died, all previous efforts would be wasted.
“Are the Five Elements’ Spirit bearers always cultivators?”
If they were all like Danyu Yuruo, there might still be hope.
[Not necessarily.].
Damn it!
Ning Chen was speechless.
How could he guarantee the safety of the other four women?
If they happened to die on their way here, it’d be the ultimate cosmic joke.
“Ah, whatever.”
Ning Chen sighed helplessly.
Right now, even Liu Ruyan—the fastest among them—was still far from peak Nascent Soul. He’d figure it out slowly.
At worst, they could all “accumulate experience” like him and only emerge after reaching immortality.
By then, just the aura of their breakthroughs would crush any reckless Void Refinement cultivators.
Finally, the seal on Danyu Yuruo’s body faded again, leaving only her smooth, flawless back.
[Seal fully unlocked. Water Spirit successfully awakened.].
[Danyu Yuruo’s affinity for water-based spiritual energy is now maxed. Corresponding physical changes will also occur. Please inspect, Host.].
Inspect?
How?
“Mmm… Senior? What happened to me?” Danyu Yuruo opened her glistening eyes, looking dazed.
“Nothing. You just passed out from exhaustion.”
As he spoke, Ning Chen quietly moved behind her.
“Really?” Danyu Yuruo’s mature, enchanting face showed childlike guilt. “I’m sorry for failing to satisfy you, Senior.”
“It’s fine.” Ning Chen replied indifferently—before thrusting forward.
“We’ll just do it again.”
Plop!
The moment he entered, Ning Chen felt a watery membrane.
This was new.
Definitely wasn’t there before.
The membrane burst like a bubble.
Then—Squelch!
A torrential downpour!
“Ah!” Danyu Yuruo yelped in shock, lurching forward. She barely caught herself on her forearms to avoid collapsing.
“Wh-What are you doing?!”
“Me? Plugging in and testing the goods.”