It was evident that since she had long anticipated the Heavenly Dao Heart manifesting as a human form and possessing sentience, she naturally had sufficient means to act as a failsafe.
The most crucial among these was to forcefully devour the Heavenly Dao Heart once it was found.
Previously, she had refrained from using this method solely because it was protecting Ye Yun. However, this did not mean she would not resort to it when facing a crisis. Xing Wu did not subscribe to the notion of sacrificing herself to protect the Heavenly Dao Heart.
Ye Yun listened and smiled helplessly, sighing, "As expected of you. What do you need me to do next?"
Upon hearing this, the coldness on Xing Wu's face receded, and she chuckled, "What you need to do is very simple: act as my guardian. Prevent any other insignificant pests from approaching while I break the formation."
Ye Yun asked in surprise, "Is it that difficult? Isn't it a formation you set up yourself?"
In his imagination, something one created oneself should be easily dismantled. Yet, her demeanor suggested it was quite troublesome.
Xing Wu, however, snorted dismissively and retorted, "Nonsense. When I set up the formation previously, I never intended to unravel it. Naturally, I designed it to be as difficult and convoluted to break as possible."
This explanation left Ye Yun speechless. After a moment, he chuckled dryly and said, "Alright, then how do we break it?"
Xing Wu stated plainly, "To break the formation, one must first find its core."
"Uh, where did you set the core?"
"What do you think? Of course, it's right here."
She shook her head and said, "Otherwise, why do you think I brought you here? To be trapped like frogs in a jar?"
Ye Yun chuckled sheepishly at this. Indeed, he had genuinely thought that before.
"Cough, cough, alright, you can start breaking the formation. I'll stand guard."
Seeing his confident expression, Xing Wu smiled warmly. "Let me tell you beforehand, if you fail to guard, I might fail on my end."
"You can rest assured." Ye Yun raised an eyebrow and said with considerable confidence, "This is about protecting my wife. As long as I'm alive, no one will be able to disturb you!"
"Is that so?" Xing Wu looked at him and suddenly asked playfully, "I just wonder, are you doing this for me? Or for another version of me?"
Ye Yun's expression froze. It was true that, from this perspective, it seemed as though he was fighting desperately for the Heavenly Dao Xing Wu. He coughed dryly and quickly replied with a smile, "What are you talking about? Of course, it's for you. If someone were to sneak attack you, I would be heartbroken."
"That's more like it." Xing Wu nodded with satisfaction. After such a long time, the man's survival instincts and emotional intelligence had clearly improved significantly. He no longer tended to infuriate her to the point of wanting to kill him, as he had in the beginning.
"Looking at it this way... I really should reward him handsomely afterward." She murmured thoughtfully to herself.
Then, with a smile, she got up and walked towards a humanoid stone statue not far away. Before making any move, she turned to look at Ye Yun. "Later, you should go stand guard at the outermost perimeter. There will be some minor movements from me shortly."
"Yes, no problem!" Ye Yun nodded and, without further delay, leaped up and dashed out of the concealed formation.
Meanwhile, inside the underground palace, Xing Wu gazed at the statue before her, gently caressing it with her hand as her eyes slowly closed.
"Three Stars Six Pulls, Qian as Eight Formations, Ten Directions Stars, Thus Grant Spirit!"
She softly chanted the incantation, and the gray statue gradually emanated a bright radiance. As a series of profound runes emerged on its surface, a six-pointed star array was etched beneath the massive humanoid sculpture. In an instant, countless golden streams of light erupted from the formation like a geyser, surging towards the sky. As these streams of light left the formation's coverage, they transformed a large expanse of the gray surroundings into a dazzling golden hue.
...
As Ye Yun returned to the surface, he saw that golden streams of light permeated the area for several miles around. In the sky, these golden streams of light swirled, resembling ethereal spirits of light dancing freely in the wind.
"This... you call this 'minor movements'?" Ye Yun's mouth twitched slightly. These golden streams of light were incredibly conspicuous against the purely gray backdrop. It was likely that not just for dozens of miles, but even for hundreds of miles, cultivators with strong abilities would be able to detect them. The once gray sky, with the appearance of these golden streams, transformed into a night sky adorned with countless golden specks, exuding an indescribable, splendid beauty.
"It is quite beautiful..." Ye Yun exclaimed, admiring the breathtaking scenery. However, before he could savor it for long, figures began to appear in the sky in the distance, approaching at extreme speed. This sight left Ye Yun quite exasperated.
"They're really fast. Looks like I'm going to be busy." The Divine Abyss Sword materialized in his hand, and he prepared for battle.
...
Concurrently, about three to four hundred miles away, a battle of apocalyptic proportions was raging. Over a hundred cultivators at the True Saint realm and above, led by several Quasi-Emperor powerhouses, were fiercely pursuing a female cultivator. In fact, Tian Li Xing Wu had encountered these individuals not long after she left in a fit of pique, and had been entangled in a fierce battle ever since.
Various brilliant and terrifyingly powerful mystic arts continuously exploded and clashed in the sky. The mere aftershocks were enough to deter any cultivator below the True Saint realm from approaching. And Tian Li Xing Wu, without Ye Yun by her side, remained incredibly formidable, managing to fight and retreat without falling into defeat.
"I told you, I can handle myself even without that guy!" During the battle, Tian Li Xing Wu snorted coldly, her heart filled with fighting spirit. She was determined to prove that she was far more powerful than Xing Wu's original self!
Just then, the distant, faint anomaly caught her attention, causing her to frown. "What are those two up to now?" The direction and distance clearly indicated it was from their previous hiding spot. However, she soon let out a soft scoff. "Hmph, they're probably trying to find some way to sneak away from here." With that thought, she swung her sword more fiercely, determined to break through the encirclement head-on!
The pursuing Divine Hall powerhouses naturally also noticed the anomaly in the distance. While continuing their assault, they communicated telepathically, "Such a violent anomaly... did something happen over there?"
"It must have. Why don't one of you go check it out?"
"Why don't you go? Xing Wu could fall at any moment. I don't want my achievements to be snatched by you!"
"Exactly, whoever wants to go can go. This great achievement of capturing Xing Wu, no one is going to hog it!"
The several Divine Hall Quasi-Emperors harbored their own selfish intentions and pushed the responsibility onto each other. After all, Xing Wu herself was right here. What other precious treasures could there be? Moreover, Xing Wu had been here for so long; any treasures hidden here would likely have been obtained already. Once she was dealt with, wouldn't the spoils be theirs? As expected, none of the Quasi-Emperor powerhouses made a move. As for the True Immortal realm cultivators, none of them were willing to give up the chance to share in the glory. After all, once Xing Wu was dealt with, they would be heroes of the Heavenly Dao Divine Hall!