Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method-Chapter 37: Profound Sun Celestial Spirit

Seeing Song Changsheng’s expression turn sour, Zhu Yiqun tactfully shut his mouth, but his beady eyes continued to size him up.

Song Changsheng couldn’t help but press a hand to his forehead. ’There’s no explaining things to this guy. It’ll only make the situation worse.’

He simply ignored Zhu Yiqun and sped up toward the dense forest ahead.

In less than half an ancient hour, the group arrived at the rendezvous point as planned. After confirming everyone was present, they set off toward the ruins...

The ruins were a significant distance from the Marketplace. Even traveling at full speed, it still took them two days and one night to reach the outskirts of their destination.

On a barren hillside, Zhu Yiqun pointed to the dense forest below. "The ruins are down there," he said. "The winter solstice is still a few days away. Let’s rest for a bit, then we’ll begin our preparations."

The group was indeed weary from the continuous journey. They sat on the ground to rest and conserve their energy...

"Fellow Daoist Song, come and take a look." A calm voice spoke beside Song Changsheng. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

He looked up to see Xu Yun, his fellow Array Master, beckoning to him.

Xu Yun was around thirty years old, and her Cultivation was more or less the lowest in the group. But she was also a Tier One top-grade Array Master, and when it came to breaking the array, she and Song Changsheng were the main force.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, what is it?"

"A Tier Two High-Grade Profound Sun Celestial Spirit Array. Aren’t you interested in taking a look, Fellow Daoist?" Xu Yun asked with a faint smile.

Song Changsheng walked to her side and saw that the boundary of the Array was just a short distance away. A dense concentration of Yang Qi gathered in this place, causing a slight sense of discomfort.

"It’s actually reached Tier Two High-Grade. If the winter solstice weren’t approaching, we’d have no hope of shaking this permanent Grand Array with our strength alone."

A Tier Two High-Grade Grand Array would require at least several Foundation Establishment Cultivators working in concert to take down by force. Their current power level was nowhere near enough.

"Indeed. We’re lucky. This Profound Sun Celestial Spirit Array is powerful, but it’s a Refining Demon Array. It won’t actively attack Righteous Cultivators like us, giving us a chance to study a Tier Two Array up close."

Xu Yun gave a faint smile, then sat cross-legged at the edge of the Grand Array and began to contemplate its Array Patterns.

Song Changsheng, of course, wouldn’t pass up such a rare opportunity. He found a spot not far from Xu Yun and began his own contemplation.

As he began his contemplation, Song Changsheng immediately noticed something amiss. This was his first time encountering the Profound Sun Celestial Spirit Array, yet for some reason, studying it felt completely natural, without the slightest hint of unfamiliarity.

As he delved deeper, Song Changsheng finally understood why. The Array Patterns of this Profound Sun Celestial Spirit Array were strikingly similar to those on the broken Array Foundation he’d found in the Marketplace’s central square.

Although there were many differences in the details, it was clear they shared a common origin. Song Changsheng had already completely mastered the Array Patterns on the foundation, which was why his contemplation of this new array was proceeding so smoothly.

This was good news for him. Those Array Patterns on the foundation had deepened his understanding of the art of Arrays, but since a part was missing, there were still many things he didn’t understand.

’Now, perhaps I can use this Profound Sun Celestial Spirit Array to complete the missing part...’

Time slipped by. Over the past few days, Song Changsheng had almost completely comprehended the Array. His gains were immense, and he could faintly sense that he was touching the next threshold.

Beside him, Xu Yun had also clearly reaped great rewards, a captivating smile on her face.

"Changsheng, how’s it looking? Are you confident?" Zhu Yiqun hurried over to ask.

"I’m reasonably confident. The time has come. Let’s prepare to break the Array," Song Changsheng said, his voice filled with self-assurance.

"Excellent! Fellow Daoists, to your positions! Prepare to break the Array!" Zhu Yiqun slapped his thigh in excitement and immediately rallied everyone to action.

"Fellow Daoist Song, to break this Array, we have prepared a large quantity of Cold Nether Stones and three Array-Breaking Talismans. What approach do you think would be most appropriate?"

Xu Yun was putting the decision in Song Changsheng’s hands.

"Very well, then I shall venture my humble plan. My idea is this: the two of us will use the Cold Nether Stones to deploy Arrays at these two points to continuously deplete its Yang Qi.

Once it’s weakened to a certain degree, we will use the Array-Breaking Talismans to open two breaches. The rest of our fellow Daoists will maintain the stability of the breaches from the outside, while you and I enter the Array to find the Array Hub and wait for an opportunity to break it," Song Changsheng explained slowly.

Xu Yun remained noncommittal, but Xu Yunhe spoke up. "Fellow Daoist Song, what are your chances of finding the Array Hub? We only get one shot at this."

"At least seventy percent," Song Changsheng said conservatively.

"Seventy percent? Let’s do it then!" Li Hu bellowed.

"I think it’s fine." The others all nodded. On the path of cultivation, there were no sure things; seventy percent was already an incredibly high chance.

"Alright. Fellow Daoist Xu, let’s split up."

Song Changsheng and Xu Yun each went to the weak points they had identified. They took out Array Banners and Cold Nether Stones and began the Array Formation.

Although both were Tier One top-grade Array Masters, the difference in their abilities was exceptionally clear. Xu Yun finished a full half an ancient hour after Song Changsheng.

Once the Arrays were ready, they activated them simultaneously.

In an instant, a torrential amount of Cold Nether Qi erupted from within the new Arrays. Guided by the two of them, the frigid qi surged toward the Profound Sun Celestial Spirit Array.

HUMMMMM!

In that moment, the cold qi collided with the light barrier formed by the Yang Qi, producing a loud SIZZLE, like water being splashed onto a hot iron.

At the winter solstice, the ambient Yang Qi was weak. The rate of consumption far outpaced the rate of replenishment, and the barrier soon began to falter.

Just as the Cold Nether Stones in the Array were about to be depleted, Song Changsheng roared, "Ready the Array-Breaking Talismans!"

Li Hu and Zhuang Yuechan immediately stepped out from the crowd, each clutching a yellowed Talisman.

’So that’s why Zhu Yiqun insisted on waiting for Zhuang Yuechan,’ Song Changsheng realized. ’She had an Array-Breaking Talisman, too.’

"Go!"

The pair activated their Talismans at the same time. Two dazzling beams of black light shot toward the two weak points, and with a deafening BOOM, two vortex-like breaches were torn open in the light barrier.

"Enter the Array!"

Seeing the two enter the Grand Array, Zhu Yiqun and the others immediately channeled their Spiritual Power to maintain the stability of the entrances—this was Song Changsheng and Xu Yun’s only way out.

If the breaches were to close before the Array was broken, the pair would be lost within the Grand Array, eventually trapped to their deaths!

Once inside the Grand Array, the danger spiked. A single wrong step could get them shredded by the Array’s Celestial Spirit Wind Fiend, so they had to be exceptionally careful.

Song Changsheng recalled the Grand Array’s Array Patterns, constantly deducing the principles of its operation in his mind. He had to repeat the deduction process with every single step he took.

This was an extreme test of his mastery of Arrays. A single miscalculation would very likely lead him into a deadly abyss.

But this was also the fastest way to break the Array. As long as his deductions were correct, he could rapidly find the Array Hub hidden within the Grand Array...