Chapter 1330 - 958: The 18th Heaven

Zhang Chen was repairing the Feng Shui Grand Array while all the ancestors of the Chai Family and the gentlemen of the Academy stood behind him, their eyes intently fixed on Zhang Chen’s actions.

As Zhang Chen continuously buried one Spiritual Object after another, the mysterious trajectories of the Feng Shui Grand Array were progressively restored. The power of Thunder and Fire was continuously suppressed, receding all around to form a spatial passage.

Repairing the Feng Shui Grand Array took Zhang Chen a full half a month. After half a month, Zhang Chen had already repaired the Barrier of Fire, and even the Barrier of Thunder was ninety-nine percent restored, with just one meter left as the final chasm between the Spiritual World and the Material World.

Lightning constantly cascaded and rolled from the void. Zhang Chen stood in the passageway, watching the falling flashes being blocked by the Feng Shui Grand Array, resembling raindrops sliding from mid-air and falling onto glass.

Zhang Chen paid no heed to the lightning flash, but instead looked beyond it at the world, carefully sensing the world beyond the lightning, which was unlike any Heaven he had encountered before.

By now, Zhang Chen had explored the Tenth Heaven, but the opposite Spiritual World was unlike any he had previously explored.

"Hmm, interesting!" Zhang Chen revealed a pensive expression.

Although the opposite side was not any Heaven he had explored, he could be very certain it was indeed the Spiritual World, because the Thirty-Three Heavens were an entirety, their Qi Mechanisms connected, Zhang Chen discerned with just a glance.

"I wonder which Heaven lies opposite?" Zhang Chen scrutinized with curiosity.

"No need to wonder, it’s the Eighteenth Heaven," said the Queen Mother of the West.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen’s heart raced with surprise. The Eighteenth Heaven was a full eight heavens above the Tenth Heaven he had explored, with seven heavens in between. The most crucial part was that the Eighteenth Heaven was wedged in the middle, with Thirty-Three Heavens above and fifteen (indicative of the lower number of heavens, as the First Heaven had been destroyed) below. If he were to pull out the Eighteenth Heaven, would it cause the heavens below the Eighteenth Heaven to collapse?

This was akin to a thirty-three-story skyscraper. If Zhang Chen were to remove the eighteenth floor, would the remaining floors collapse?

Zhang Chen hurriedly relayed his concerns to the Queen Mother of the West, as she was now his greatest encyclopedia for guidance.

To his surprise, upon hearing Zhang Chen’s concerns, the Queen Mother of the West smiled gently and expressed that Zhang Chen’s youth led him to be shortsighted and unable to perceive the changes of Heaven and Earth: "You compare the Thirty-Three Heavens to thirty-three floors, while I compare them to thirty-three drawers within a larger framework supporting them all. Even if one drawer were to be removed, it wouldn’t affect the overall framework."

The vivid imagery provided by the Queen Mother of the West instantly dispelled Zhang Chen’s worries. Hearing her words, Zhang Chen felt relief: "What should be done next?"

"You just need to continue connecting the passage, linking and anchoring the Material Realm and Spiritual World. I will naturally pull out the Eighteenth Heaven and refine it for you into a small world," the Queen Mother of the West said. "This is not challenging for me, merely a small world. The only issue is that Heaven and Earth continually consume my Essence Qi, which will weaken me for a period. You must lend me your Heaven-Reaching Jianmu for some time."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, once the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu is planted, it will absorb a tenth of your Innate Qi," Zhang Chen reassured her.

Hearing these words, the Queen Mother of the West did not object, as a tenth of the Innate Qi was not insignificant. In the future, as the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu grows, the Innate Qi would become increasingly abundant.

"If you can find the mysterious material, it will aid in the rapid growth of the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu. Since you have the backing of the Great Victory Dynasty, perhaps you can leverage its power to find the mysterious material," the Queen Mother of the West suggested to Zhang Chen, pointing him in the right direction.

Zhang Chen did not refuse, but paused in constructing the Feng Shui Array, turning to look at the members of the Royal Family of Great Victory Dynasty watching from behind, as well as the gentlemen in the Academy.

Zhang Chen stepped out of the passage. Seeing Zhang Chen emerge, Mr. Da greeted him with joy: "Has the passage been repaired yet?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen shook his head: "It’s not that easy to repair! The degree of damage to the Feng Shui Grand Array exceeded my expectations. It requires the divine object, the mysterious material, to be repaired, so I must trouble the ancestors to procure it."

"The mysterious material? What is that?" An ancestor of the Great Victory Royal Family asked in confusion.

"It is a material that grows limitlessly when it meets water," Zhang Chen explained.

Hearing these words, everyone looked at each other, all having never heard of such a divine object in the world.

The ancestor of the Chai Family, upon hearing this, turned to a person in a black robe behind them: "Go and tell the Human King, regardless of the cost, the mysterious material must be found. Bring me all the soil in the world that can automatically expand and grow upon contact with water!"

The person in the black robe received the order and left. The ancestor turned back to Zhang Chen: "Stay here, old man, and I will certainly find it for you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen bowed respectfully: "Then I will await the good news from the ancestor."

After speaking, Zhang Chen turned his head and walked back into the passage, continuing to sketch tirelessly on the Feng Shui Grand Array, even improving it, wanting to anchor it more solidly. Zhang Chen looked down on the Feng Shui Grand Array imposed by the original owner of this passage, finding it somewhat crude.

Outside

Great Victory Royal Palace

The Human King of Great Victory looked at the black-cloaked figure before him, listened to the other’s report, and furrowed his brow upon hearing: "Resting Soil? What is this? I have never heard of it."

"Great King, just order someone to find it. As for never having heard of it, that’s alright; as long as the item can be found." The Chai Family ancestor replied.

Upon hearing this, the Human King of Great Victory nodded and instructed a shadow in the corner: "Order the Inspection and Supervision Department, at all costs, you must find the Resting Soil for me."

The guard took the order and departed, and news arrived within half a day. Xie Xuan personally entered the Imperial Palace to report: "Great King, the Inspection and Supervision Department has already detected clues to the Resting Soil, but..."

"But what?" The Human King of Great Victory inquired.

"The Resting Soil is in the hands of Dong Bo Marquis. Trying to obtain it from Dong Bo Marquis may not be easy!" Xie Xuan replied.

The Dong Bo Marquis is one of the four major Dukes, possessing the largest land area among the Dukes, under his command are countless masters serving him, he is an outstanding Duke.

Hearing this, the Human King said: "Exchange it for a quota to enter the New World. I don’t believe that old chap won’t be tempted."

Xie Xuan heard and went off to carry out the command.

As Zhang Chen continued his adjustments on the Feng Shui Grand Array, time passed swiftly, another three days went by. On this day, urgent footsteps sounded, and a black-cloaked person carried a box, a cubic meter in size, gleaming with Golden Light, and walked in from outside the passage: "The Resting Soil has been found!"

The Great Victory Dynasty rules the world; as long as there is Resting Soil in the Divine Land, it cannot escape the observation of the Great Victory Dynasty. Of course, for the Great Victory royal family, there is no need for deception or force, merely handing out some quotas to enter the New World can achieve everything.

Zhang Chen looked at the delivered Resting Soil, his eyes lit up, silently accepting the Resting Soil, while the Great Victory royal family’s ancestor watched Zhang Chen: "The Divine Objects you wanted, I’ve found them for you. How much longer until you can repair the Feng Shui Grand Array? I don’t have that much time to keep waiting."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen lowered his head, pretending to calculate: "It will definitely be repaired in another three days."

"Good! Then I’ll wait three more days for you! If you can repair the Feng Shui Grand Array in three days, the ancestor will reward you heavily." The black-cloaked ancestor began painting a rosy picture for Zhang Chen.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen said nothing more, simply solemnly saluting, then carried the Resting Soil and walked into the passage.

Once inside the passage, he quietly stored the Resting Soil in the Ba Snake Space, then continued to repair the Feng Shui Grand Array.

This time, Zhang Chen didn’t play tricks; as time quickly passed, at a certain moment three days later, suddenly the entire Feng Shui Grand Array shook, a meter of Thunder light was expelled, then a Divine Light flashed through, the entire passage seemed to come to life. Numerous golden patterns emerged on the passage, mysterious runes flowed within, the entire passage began to solidify, transforming from transparent energy walls to the form of jade, seemingly ready to solidify into jade at any moment.

Inside the Passage

Zhang Chen stood at the end of the Feng Shui passage, gazing. As the Thunder Light vanished, before his eyes was emptiness; faintly, a mysterious world seemed to appear ahead, but that world seemed both within reach and yet far away.

Zhang Chen knew the Feng Shui Grand Array had not yet connected to the Eighteenth Heaven. Once the Feng Shui Grand Array fully transformed, a portal would form in the void before him, turning from void energy to a solid gate. Then people from the Great Thousand Worlds could enter through the portal.

Zhang Chen gave the passage door one last look, then turned to walk outside the passage. He was in no hurry to act now. First, the passage had not completed its absolute anchoring link; secondly, even if the portal really formed, those wishing to enter would face challenges. There was ample time for him to act and seize the Eighteenth Heaven.

He needed to give those old folks a chance to study the new world portal, let them confirm the other side was indeed the New World. Only then could he extricate himself from all suspicions and later strike from the shadows, delivering a fatal blow, driving those Great Victory Dynasty ancestors into a dead end, letting them exhaust their lifespan and die of old age.

"I’m quite the clever fellow!" Zhang Chen secretly praised himself, knowing the later he acted, the more those old folks would lose their lifespan, leaving them less time to prepare. Once he seized the Eighteenth Heaven, those old folks would have no chance to respond or find means for life extension.

The Feng Shui Grand Array repaired, emitting strong waves, such changes immediately shook the onlookers and monitors into action, everyone crowding forward to observe the transformation of the Feng Shui walls, seeing Zhang Chen emerge from the passage. Mr. Da asked: "Has it succeeded, given the commotion?"

"Once the energy passage solidifies into a jade passage, it will be considered a success." Zhang Chen respectfully saluted: "I was fortunate not to fail, completing the ancestor’s task. The remaining matters are unrelated to me; you ancestors are free to explore how to enter the passage, leaving it to your decision."