"Pick it up?"
Elder Du scoffed, "Are you serious? Do you think you are the Heavenly..."
He quickly covered his mouth, pointing at the sky, "Do you think you are his illegitimate daughter?"
Zi Linling said proudly, "Elder Du, you might not believe it, but my luck has always been good. See!"
As Zi Linling spoke, with a thought, Long'er, Xiao Hu, Huang Yi, and Xuanwu all emerged from their contracted space.
Long'er was already on the path to evolving into a Azure Dragon, emanating a faint pressure and vibrant life force.
Xiao Hu's White Tiger bloodline had fully fused, and its sharp killing aura made Elder Du's soul feel a chilling cold.
Xuanwu was no exception. Since arriving on the Azure Star, it had resided in the Death Marsh, its balanced blend of resilience and softness making it not to be underestimated.
In comparison, Huang Yi's fiery aura seemed somewhat weak.
This was unavoidable, as her primordial spirit and main body had been separated for a hundred thousand years and had yet to reunite.
However, weakness was relative.
Even though she had not yet returned to her main body, after meeting Zi Linling, her Phoenix True Fire had become as bright as the sun.
Elder Du stared at the majestic Four Divine Beasts, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Holy cow!"
He blurted out unconsciously, "Girl, are you trying to defy heaven?"
As Elder Du finished speaking, a muffled thunderclap sounded in the sky.
Clearly, the Heavenly Dao was displeased with his mention of "defying heaven."
Elder Du's soul shivered, and he quickly covered his mouth again.
Fortunately, the Heavenly Dao did not pursue the matter further.
After the muffled thunderclap, there was no more sound.
Elder Du slyly glanced up at the sky, then breathed a sigh of relief. "Girl, could you really be..."
He paused again, pointing to the sky, "Could you really be his illegitimate daughter?"
Zi Linling shook her head and said, "I really don't know. Why don't you ask him?"
She gestured towards the sky with her chin, a smug look on her face.
Her boastful demeanor made Elder Du so angry that his beard bristled.
He said sourly, "Alright, alright, what's there to brag about? Although they do have the bloodline of the Four Divine Beasts, currently, apart from that Xuanwu, the other three can only be considered half-beasts!"
"Hmph! So what if they are half-beasts? Half-beasts are still divine beasts!" Zi Linling retorted indignantly. "You old fossil, tell me quickly, how do you set up the Four Symbols Locking Heaven Array?"
Elder Du's nose twitched with anger, and he feigned a furious tone, "You brat, don't call me an old fossil again!"
"Old fossil, old fossil, old fossil!" Zi Linling provocatively repeated.
Elder Du was furious!
If he had a physical body, steam would likely be billowing from all seven orifices.
"You brat, if you dare call me an old fossil again, I won't tell you how to set up the Four Symbols Locking Heaven Array!"
"Hmph!"
Zi Linling rolled her eyes. "If you don't tell me, you don't tell me! At worst, I'll come back and deal with the Ancient Blood Demon after I've improved my cultivation, but the Blood Vein Spirit Coral Bone..."
She deliberately drew out her words here.
The mention of the Blood Vein Spirit Coral Bone made Elder Du deflate like a leaky balloon.
Zi Linling was right. The Ancient Blood Demon could wait, but he couldn't afford to wait for the Blood Vein Spirit Coral Bone.
Finally, Elder Du had to relent, "Alright, alright! You brat, I'm wrong, okay! I'll tell you the method for setting up the Four Symbols Locking Heaven Array, alright!"
Zi Linling haughtily tilted her head. "I don't want to hear it now."
Elder Du grew more anxious. "You brat, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
Zi Linling pouted, her gaze threatening. "Brat?"
Elder Du blinked, finally realizing where the problem lay.
He quickly plastered on a smile. "Girl?"
Zi Linling ignored him haughtily.
"Young lady?"
Zi Linling still didn't respond.
"Uh... Master... Master?"
Elder Du awkwardly uttered the two words.
After all, ever since he had signed the soul contract with Zi Linling, he had never addressed her like this before.
Seeing that she had made her point, Zi Linling said, "Fine! Considering how sincere you are, old fossil, I'll reluctantly listen!"
The title "old fossil" immediately made Elder Du grit his teeth. However, for the sake of the Blood Vein Spirit Coral Bone, he had to continue with a fawning smile. "Girl, the Four Symbols Locking Heaven Array is based on the four elements of wood, fire, water, and metal in the Five Elements..."
"East belongs to wood, guarded by the Azure Dragon, governing life, fortune, and nobility. The Azure Dragon can attack and defend; its offense is unstoppable, and its defense is impenetrable."
"West belongs to metal, guarded by the White Tiger, governing killing and offense. When the White Tiger descends from the mountain, its momentum is irresistible, possessing an unyielding spirit!"
"South belongs to fire, guarded by the Vermilion Bird, governing conflict and ferocity. It can be reborn from ashes, thus possessing a thread of life, a desperate situation leading to miraculous survival."
"North belongs to water, guarded by Xuanwu, symbolizing collection and restraint. Restraint without release is defense, and restraint with unleashed fury is an assault. It remains silent, but when it makes a move, it is astonishing!"
"Thus, the Four Symbols each have their duties and cooperate with each other. If there is earth element power to act as a connection, the Five Elements can transform, and the power will be inexhaustible."
"Therefore, girl, the Four Symbols Locking Heaven Array emphasizes 'locking' and secondarily 'formation.' But how to perfectly integrate the lock and the formation requires careful deduction!"
Zi Linling nodded. "I understand. I'll start deducing now."
Elder Du nodded with satisfaction and then returned to the Nine Spirit Ring.
After the previous commotion, the fragmented memories in his mind seemed to be starting to connect.
What he needed to do now was to integrate and digest the memories that had become clear, hoping to resonate with those that were still fuzzy.
Zi Linling's mind raced, as if the figures of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Xuanwu were constantly shifting and transforming.
The principles of array formation began to clarify in her mind. However, there was a persistent sense of obstruction that left her unsatisfied.
Where was the problem?
Zi Linling stopped her deduction and recalled Elder Du's words.
Fortunately, she possessed an eidetic memory, allowing her to recall Elder Du's words verbatim.
Suddenly, she realized she had overlooked a crucial factor: the earth element.
This was because the cycle of the Five Elements originated from their mutual generation. Metal generates water, water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, and earth generates metal.
If any link was missing, the transformation of the Five Elements would be disrupted.
For the Four Divine Beasts to derive the power of the Five Elements, the earth element was necessary as a medium.
Earth element power?
How could the earth element power be integrated into the Four Symbols Locking Heaven Array?