Chapter 53: The Pillars of Reason and a City in Chaos

The Myriad Flames Zone was ablaze with light all day, making it impossible to distinguish between day and night. Wang Yu and her companions were utterly unaware that they had already spent a full day within the trial grounds.

Not long after they broke through the trial, within the bustling Furnace City, the Serpent of Devouring was bustling at its various strongholds.

“Hurry!” a voice urged. “Fourth Pillar has given the order. Install the Pillar of Reason and activate the protective shields. There’s going to be a huge problem soon.”

Identical commands were relayed to every stronghold, and the Serpent of Devouring instantly erupted into a flurry of activity.

In a secluded hut, Second Pillar observed that all the strongholds were ready. Turning to the elder beside her, she said, “Fourth Pillar, everything is set.”

Fourth Pillar’s eyes gleamed with a sharp light. “Good,” he declared. “Then let us begin.”

A small stone pillar materialized in his hand. He addressed it with reverence, “Great Alliance Leader, following your will, please unleash the power of the Pillar of Reason.”

“Granted.” A majestic voice directly entered Fourth Pillar’s mind. Simultaneously, the Pillars of Reason distributed among the six strongholds at the edge of Furnace City began to emit a shimmering silver-white glow.

Thereafter, the Grand Barrier of Furnace City, personally established by Haotian Daoist Venerable and improved by successive Daoist Venerables, began to dissipate layer by layer. This barrier was, theoretically, unshakeable.

Within the Heavenly Palace Institute, Zhang Xiaoyou was sipping tea, reviewing intelligence reports from various departments. Suddenly, he sensed an unusual surge of vital energy. His expression drastically changed.

He instantly shot into the sky above Furnace City. His cultivation, at the Grand Completion of the Emperor Realm, made him the foremost expert in the world, and he no longer concealed any of his power.

Vast, ocean-like vital energy poured from Zhang Xiaoyou into the Grand Barrier. He simultaneously activated the All-Purpose Self-Healing Art, passed down by Haotian Daoist Venerable, a technique of autonomous repair.

This slowed the barrier’s dissipation, yet Zhang Xiaoyou’s face, though aged, had been ruddy moments before, now rapidly turned pale.

The power capable of nullifying a Daoist Venerable’s barrier was simply too formidable, imbued with a sliver of fundamental law.

This was a force Zhang Xiaoyou could not sustain indefinitely. Moreover, Furnace City was immense, and the harsh environment of the Myriad Flames Zone began to impact the city as the barrier weakened.

Even his ocean-like vital energy was depleting at an alarming rate.

Fortunately, the other Sacred Lands reacted only a moment later.

“Quickly, activate the emergency defensive barrier!”

The leaders of the various Sacred Lands roared from their respective strongholds.

An isolation barrier swiftly enveloped the entire Furnace City. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaoyou finally relaxed, no longer needing to support the failing Grand Barrier.

In mere breaths, the vital energy within him was completely drained. He was unsure if he could even fly back to the Heavenly Palace Institute.

Thankfully, the Institute, noticing his distress, had already dispatched someone to retrieve him.

“Impressive!” the instigator, Fourth Pillar, clapped his hands after witnessing the scene through an ice mirror.

He turned to Second Pillar and said, “When I first joined the Serpent of Devouring, this Zhang Xiaoyou was merely a brat hiding under the protection of the Heavenly Palace Institute.”

“He possessed no astonishing talent or ability, yet he always remained by Haotian Daoist Venerable’s side. During the great calamity of the Heavenly Palace Institute, I even contributed to its downfall, paying him no mind.”

“I expected him to die within a century, but who would have thought? He truly embodies the saying, ‘Late bloomers achieve greatness.’ With such shrewdness and power, he is indeed worthy of being the foremost expert in the world today.”

Second Pillar frowned.

“The Pillars of Reason contain fundamental laws. For six Pillars of Reason to unleash their power simultaneously across such a vast area as Furnace City, and for him to obstruct it for several breaths—that is truly extraordinary.”

Fourth Pillar chuckled.

“On one hand, it’s his strength. Lacking exceptional talent, he ensured every step he took was incredibly solid. Coupled with the Heavenly Palace Institute’s resource allocation, his vital energy capacity far surpasses ours.”

“On the other hand, the blue light he injected into the Grand Barrier earlier must have been Haotian Daoist Venerable’s Autonomous Law. I encountered it during the Heavenly Palace Institute’s calamity.”

“It functions by repairing and destroying along the inherent laws of things. It sounds unremarkable, but once you experience it, you realize how troublesome it is.

That person’s ability was inferior to mine, yet before his death, he implanted Autonomous Destruction within my body.”

“No matter what healing methods I used, they were only effective for a short period, and the rate of bodily decay continuously accelerated. In the end, it was Alliance Leader who saved my life.”

“If my thoughts are correct, this should be the opposite: Autonomous Repair. Truly remarkable!”

Second Pillar nodded. As Sacred Lands, each naturally possessed extraordinary aspects.

“Although it didn’t achieve the anticipated effect, most of the Grand Barrier’s functions have been lost. The emergency barrier can, at best, provide basic survival conditions. Let us act as well.”

“Indeed,” Fourth Pillar chuckled. “Notify all squads to proceed according to plan.”

“Yes!” The Serpent of Devouring squads scattered across Furnace City’s various branches began to swarm in, sowing chaos everywhere.

***

Simultaneously, the Situ family and the various Sacred Lands convened an emergency meeting.

Unlike last time, Zhang Xiaoyou was not present from the Heavenly Palace Institute; a different person had taken over as the representative.

“How is Elder Zhang?” Liaokong inquired.

The Heavenly Palace Institute’s interim representative spoke with a grim expression.

“Not well. His vital energy pool has been emptied, and he is temporarily incapacitated. Moreover, according to Elder Zhang, the power that destroyed the barrier contained fundamental laws.”

Fundamental laws were only mastered by Daoist Venerable-level cultivators. They naturally did not believe the Serpent of Devouring possessed a Daoist Venerable expert, so it had to be a relic left by a Daoist Venerable.

This was not unusual; any sect that had produced a Daoist Venerable would possess a few.

“The emergency barrier can only maintain basic functions, preventing the harsh environment of the Myriad Flames Zone from claiming lives, but it lacks the Grand Barrier’s teleportation function.”

Situ Yan senior decisively stated, “The emergency barrier must be maintained, but the Grand Barrier of Furnace City also needs attention.”

“Furthermore, we must transmit messages via jade pendants to those training outside, informing them that the jade pendant’s teleportation function is temporarily disabled and we are working diligently to repair it. We will compensate them for any losses upon their return.”

“Several elders, please send people to accompany me to the control center to reactivate the Grand Barrier. Our personnel outside will search for the source of that power.”

The control center of Furnace City was heavily guarded, sealed by several Daoist Venerables. It could only be opened with proof from more than half of the Sacred Lands and the Furnace City Lord’s token.

“Understood.” The elders of the various Sacred Lands did not hesitate. “Execute immediately. Our people will meet at the control center.”

After Situ Yan senior withdrew from the meeting, he immediately used the communication function of his City Lord’s token to announce the news to those training outside.

At this moment, all individuals in the Myriad Flames Zone holding barrier jade pendants heard Situ Yan senior’s voice from their pendants:

“Everyone, the jade pendant’s teleportation function is temporarily offline. The elders of the Sacred Lands and I are working tirelessly to repair it. Please wait for a period, and we will provide appropriate compensation upon your return.”

“Phew, that’s done.” Situ Yan senior finished his arrangements and prepared to depart, but a teacup was offered to him.

“Father, have some water,” Situ Huo’s voice came from beside him.

Situ Yan senior glanced at him. It was his eldest son. He took a sip, but then suddenly remembered that he had already arranged for Situ Huo to maintain order in Furnace City. How did he return here?

A dizzying sensation followed, and Situ Yan senior tried to stand firm but felt utterly powerless. He circulated his cultivation, struggling to remain conscious. “You are not Huo’er. Who are you?”

Situ Huo smiled, or rather, Thousand Faces smiled, and bowed. “Executor Thousand Faces, I greet the Situ family head.”

Just then, a figure emerged from Situ Yan senior’s shadow. Without giving Situ Yan senior a chance to react, the figure snatched the City Lord controller and tossed it to Thousand Faces. “Stop playing. There’s a bigger show waiting for us to perform.”

Situ Yan senior struggled desperately. “This controller is bound to the Situ family’s direct bloodline. It’s useless for you to take it.”

“No, no, no,” Thousand Faces chuckled. “That’s why we tolerated your second young master’s willfulness for so long.”

Situ Yan senior’s eyes widened. He was about to say something when his vision went black, and he collapsed.

The Shadow pulled the unconscious Situ Yan senior into the darkness, while Thousand Faces had already assumed Situ Yan senior’s appearance. “Haha, let me have some fun with those Sacred Land elders!”

The Shadow returned to Thousand Faces’s shadow, and Thousand Faces strode confidently towards the control center.

The people in the Myriad Flames Zone were mystified. Only one day had passed, and it was far too early for them to return. However, receiving compensation was a good thing, and some were even delighted.

However, some astute individuals and Sacred Land disciples did not think so. They all noticed the fleeting fluctuation of the jade pendant, but only those from major powers and Sacred Lands understood the gravity of the situation.

“Chief Senior Brother?” a disciple of the Primordial Sect, training in the Myriad Flames Zone, asked his senior brother with unease.

Xie Lingyu smiled slightly, reassuring him, “It’s nothing. Our Martial Uncles will resolve the issue quickly. Also, remain calm and don’t alarm others.”

“Yes,” the disciples replied.

However, Xie Lingyu’s heart was far from calm. He understood that a major incident had occurred in Furnace City; otherwise, the jade pendant barrier could not have been shaken.

This was the first time such an event had happened since Furnace City’s establishment.

Xie Lingyu stabilized his fellow disciples while thinking, ‘This must be the emergency barrier. Only the emergency barrier would exhibit a failure in teleportation.

However, thinking too much now is useless. The situation is set. Whatever we do here will not affect Furnace City. It’s better to focus on our training. I still have a grand competition in the future.’

Within Furnace City, the situation was far more chaotic than Xie Lingyu had imagined. The Serpent of Devouring’s squads began setting fires and causing disturbances throughout Furnace City.

The emergency barrier’s protection against the harsh environment of the Myriad Flames Zone was far inferior to the Grand Barrier’s.

The Situ family’s guards were caught off guard, no match for the well-prepared Serpent of Devouring squads.

Meanwhile, the patrol squads of the various Sacred Lands also encountered trouble.

“Damn it!” The face of one Sacred Land squad leader was extremely grim. He had intended to support Furnace City’s guards but found that the important area he was protecting had become a prison for them.

The Serpent of Devouring had, at some unknown point, laid down a formation here, trapping them. Even for those from a Sacred Land, breaking this formation would require considerable effort.

This situation also appeared in other locations.

Upon receiving the intelligence, the Sacred Land elders sighed. “Executor Formation Ghost.”

Formation Ghost’s cultivation was not high, only at the peak of the Cloud Soaring Realm, but his ability to set up formations was uncanny, making them impossible to guard against.

All the Sacred Lands were somewhat troubled. Their manpower was already insufficient, and with their high-end combat forces tied down, they had no effective solutions.

They could only hope their disciples would break through the formations as soon as possible.

At this moment, an elegant woman, forever eighteen years old, was rushing toward the scene, muttering, “Get ready for a beating!”