Chapter 443: The Final Step

“Do you have any ideas?” Emperor Qian asked, his voice heavy with concern.

Xu Ruhai shook his head. He had no good solutions, only offering, “For now, we must focus on the Chaotic Cloud Mountains. If we can dispel the Mist Tide there, the Mist Sea will be safe. I suggest sending someone to investigate the cause within the mountains and uncover the key.”

“Hmm… Who do you think would be suitable for this mission?” Emperor Qian considered several candidates.

First, the individual needed to be strong enough to navigate the perilous Chaotic Cloud Mountains. Second, they had to be meticulous and observant, as the mission was reconnaissance, not combat.

Uncovering the reason for the Mist Tide’s prolonged persistence would resolve this crisis, making the choice of personnel paramount. No carelessness could be tolerated.

“This humble subject… volunteers to go!”

Xu Ruhai slowly rose, his face resolute, his heart already prepared for death.

Emperor Qian refused. “Impossible. Your cultivation level is too low. What use would you be there?”

Xu Ruhai had only reached the Perfected Soul Refinement stage. While not weak, the Chaotic Cloud Mountains were now a place of rampant demons and monsters, a forbidden zone for living beings. Sending someone at his level there would be tantamount to suicide.

Though Emperor Qian disliked Xu Ruhai, he recognized the man’s unwavering dedication to the public good and his rare talent as a pillar of the state. How could he bear to let such a man die?

Xu Ruhai remained stubbornly insistent. “Your Majesty may send others with me, but this task can only be entrusted to me!”

Emperor Qian tried to dissuade him further, but seeing his unwavering resolve, he reluctantly agreed.

Moreover, the emperor had considered the matter carefully. When it came to meticulousness, no one could surpass Xu Ruhai. If he truly could resolve this calamity…

Even his death would be a worthy sacrifice!

A ruler must be ruthless, governing the realm through cold calculations of benefits and drawbacks.

Snowflakes, like drifting cotton, blanketed the long street.

Xu Sanyan raised his hand to catch a falling flake, watching it melt slowly in his palm, a hint of nostalgia stirring in his heart.

“How many years has it been…?” he murmured, half to himself. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen snow—it seemed like the first time since arriving in this world.

He used to see it often in his previous life. I wonder if I’ll ever get back there…

Lost in sentimentality, he turned to see the city gates bustling with refugees fleeing the disaster.

To prevent interruptions, Xu Sanyan had ordered guards to surround him.

“Mommy, I’m hungry…”

A little girl tugged at her mother’s tattered hem, her emaciated body stumbling to keep up. Her grimy face looked caked in mud, and even the original color of her clothes was indistinguishable.

She had endured countless hardships on the journey here, finally reaching the end of her ordeal.

The girl’s mother was in no better shape, barely managing to drag herself forward by sheer willpower, her only possessions—a crumpled cotton quilt—slung over her back.

The mother and daughter’s plight was merely a glimpse into the suffering engulfing the world.

In recent days, Dam City had been flooded with refugees. The County Magistrate initially intended to seal the city gates and deny them entry, but Xu Sanyan’s compassion prevailed, allowing them in and providing gruel to keep them alive.

Dam City was the last of five cities to be fortified. Xin’an City had already been secured, and this city would soon follow.

“Ah… how could such a calamity strike out of nowhere?”

A guard, moved by the refugees’ plight, couldn’t bear to watch. After all, human hearts were made of flesh and blood—how could one coldly witness the suffering of their fellow countrymen?

He turned away.

“Who knows? They say this disaster was caused by those Immortal Masters. If you ask me, none of those Immortal Masters are any good…”

“Shh! Watch your tongue!”

Another guard swiftly clamped a hand over the speaker’s mouth, glancing toward Xu Sanyan.

“Oh, right, right! My bad! Of course, Young Master Liang is the exception. He’s been working tirelessly to set up the formation for us. He’s definitely different from those Demonic Cultivators and demonfolk. I don’t admire many people in this life, but Young Master Liang tops the list.”

“Heh, you flatter me.”

Xu Sanyan chuckled, waving his hand dismissively. He was no mere Demonic Cultivator; he was a titan of the Demonic Path!

With a final flourish, he etched the last stroke of the formation pattern onto the city wall. The crimson lines intertwined and shimmered, as if living light coursed through them, creating a dazzling spectacle.

“It’s complete!”

Xu Sanyan’s heart surged with triumph. A vast, all-encompassing net enveloped the small city, instantly repelling the swirling snowflakes. Countless residents craned their necks, bewildered by the sudden change.

“Flowers are blooming…?” someone shouted in disbelief.

“Even grass is growing!”

In the dead of winter, withered trees sprouted new buds, and blades of green grass pierced through the thin layer of snow. This miraculous sight, unseen for millennia, drew gasps of wonder from the awestruck populace.

With a flick of his wrist, Xu Sanyan tossed out a handful of soul crystals. As their soul power merged with the formation, the crimson net shifted color before vanishing completely.

With this, all five cities were now complete.

Human blood had served as the foundation, etching the formation patterns.

The divine soul had formed the framework, infused with soul crystals.

Having completed these two steps, the next phase was to use the earth veins as conduits, placing Earth Core Stones to connect the five cities into a unified whole.

The final Spirit Qi Cage required spirit stones to encircle the land, helping him activate the Great Formation.

Activating the Great Formation demanded a massive amount of spiritual energy. Relying solely on his own reserves and the ambient spiritual energy in the world would be far from sufficient, so he needed external assistance.

“The formation is complete. Please inform the County Magistrate that I’ll be departing now.”

The guards were taken aback. “So soon?”

Xu Sanyan smiled and nodded. Of course I’m in a hurry… I’m eager to deliver you from your suffering.

He was a kind-hearted man who couldn’t bear to see the people suffer. Yet the city was overflowing with refugees, and each time he saw them, his heart felt like it was being twisted by knives. It’s best to send them to reincarnation sooner rather than later. I hope they’ll be reborn into good families in their next lives.

Xu Sanyan soared into the sky, leaving the crowd in awe.

Truly, he completes his task and departs, concealing his deeds and name. To perform such good deeds without seeking recognition—that is true benevolence.

“Young Master Liang is truly a chivalrous hero…”

“If there were more immortals like him in the world, our lives would be so much better…”

“Indeed…”

Xu Sanyan didn’t travel far, stopping about ten miles away. He pinched his fingers to calculate the direction, then drew a formation pattern on an Earth Core Stone and drove it into the ground.

Repeating this process roughly every ten miles, he gradually moved toward Qianzhou City at the center.

The five prefectural cities were arranged in an east-south-west-north-center configuration. To complete the Great Formation, all the cities needed to be connected by Earth Core Stones in a wheel-like pattern.

Precise positioning was crucial. Any misplacement would create a gap in the formation, severely diminishing its effectiveness.

Half a month later,

Xu Sanyan had been shuttling between the five cities, exhausting his Earth Core Stones one by one. When only ten remained, this phase was finally complete.

Each Earth Core Stone now bore a formation pattern, the patterns subtly interconnected. On the day of activation, all the stones would erupt from the ground, forming a celestial chain to bind the five cities together.

“Still need spirit stones…”

Xu Sanyan gazed toward Qianzhou City in the distance, his brow furrowed in thought. He was confident that Qin Shutong and Jiang Yun’er would be eager to help him.

(End of the Chapter)