The Great Evolution and Great Zen Manifestations of Supernatural Powers

After Miaomiao knocked out the boorish strongman, she gathered her spiritual sense, attempting to re-enter that profound state she had experienced earlier. Alas, the invisible sword qi remained dormant, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Once she recovered her senses, Miaomiao realized that almost every cultivator within the surrounding Sword Cloud had their spiritual sense locked onto her. It made her feel quite uncomfortable.

She rubbed her brow with a small, plump hand, then released her spiritual energy. Soaring directly into the sky, she swiftly flew out of the Sword Cloud’s encirclement.

Seeing Miaomiao depart, many spectators were puzzled, and not a few began to discuss her origins.

Numerous masters had attempted to gauge Miaomiao’s true strength, yet all returned without success.

Even some influential sects in Tianliu City had dispatched people to inquire about her. While it wasn’t unusual for many artifact-forging sects on the continent to create spiritual sense-shielding artifacts, making it difficult to discern her cultivation, her youth and ability to fly without a flying sword or artifact suggested she was at least at the Golden Core stage. Her talent was undoubtedly exceptional.

‘If this girl has no sect, it might become a scramble to recruit her,’ they mused.

Elder Xin You of the Hundred Charms Palace, with her beautiful face and captivating eyes, pondered for a while. She finally recalled having seen Miaomiao before.

She then whispered to the old woman beside her.

“Palace Master,” Elder Xin You began, “that girl should be from the Saint Water Palace. Over eighty years ago, when I attended the ‘Festival of Origins’ there, I saw her. At the time, that young lass was always standing beside Luo Bingyan. Could she be a disciple Luo Bingyan cultivated?”

The Palace Master of the Hundred Charms Palace, even before advancing to the Mahayana stage, had already shown signs of aging, with her hair turning white. Now, she appeared as nothing more than an old crone. Yet, her eyes sparkled with vigor, and her formidable magical power, though restrained, hinted at immeasurable strength.

The Palace Master shook her head. “That’s unlikely. The Saint Water Palace is currently the foremost cultivation sect in the mortal realm, and every move within it is exposed to the entire cultivation world. A master like Palace Master Luo, bearing the title of the strongest cultivator, would have countless aspirants wishing to become her disciple. If she were to accept a new disciple, the news would undoubtedly spread across the entire continent.”

As she spoke, the Palace Master took Elder Xin You’s hand and patted it gently. “I know you still harbor resentment towards Palace Master Luo, but from now on, you must not address her by her given name. Show some respect. She is the only cultivator remaining who stood on the front lines throughout the Great Tribulation all those years ago…”

Elder Xin You pursed her lips. “Who knows how she survived? Everyone rumored that her injuries were minor back then. Could she have been a deserter?”

“Silence!”

The Palace Master’s rebuke was loud, startling the surrounding cultivators, who, bewildered, all turned to look at them.

Elder Xin You was also taken aback. She had always been the old Palace Master’s favorite within the Hundred Charms Palace, accompanying her wherever she went.

Within the sect, many of the younger generation believed she would be the next Palace Master, leading many to curry favor with her.

Over time, this had inevitably made her a little conceited. She never expected that merely speaking ill of Luo Bingyan today would earn her such a reprimand, leaving her deeply displeased.

Elder Xin You secretly glanced at the old Palace Master, only exhaling a silent breath of relief and patting her chest when she saw the Palace Master’s attention was fully focused on the treasure at the center of the Sword Cloud.

‘It was just a scolding, nothing major,’ she thought. ‘Most people in the palace don’t even get the chance to be reprimanded by the old Palace Master! Hmph, I, Xin You, will definitely make a splash at the next “Festival of Origins” and bring honor to the old Palace Master in front of Luo Bingyan. If the old Palace Master is pleased, then the position of Hundred Charms Palace Master will surely be mine in a hundred years. Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho~~’

“Look!”

Elder Xin You was still lost in her self-congratulatory thoughts when the old Palace Master’s alert brought her back to reality. She looked forward, surprised to see that many people had already gathered around the treasure.

“Wow, the Great Evolution Sect has actually teamed up with those bald donkeys from the Great Zen Temple! What a bizarre sight!” a cultivator exclaimed.

“Oh, indeed, that’s a rare sight,” another cultivator chuckled, continuing to tease. “The Great Evolution Sect specializes in array formations and deductions; their disciples are mostly reclusive homebodies, rarely seen. Meanwhile, the monks of the Great Zen Temple usually remain in their temple, chanting scriptures and meditating, yet they are notoriously skilled at ‘picking up scraps.’ It’s truly fascinating to see these two sects join forces and take the lead.”

At the center, a disciple from the Great Evolution Sect was observed meticulously examining the treasure alone for a moment.

Their audacity stemmed from having just witnessed Miaomiao near the treasure, completely unharmed. This led them to suspect that the treasure’s defenses were merely passive; as long as one didn’t attack it, there should be no danger.

Other disciples from the Great Evolution Sect and Great Zen Temple nodded to each other. Indeed, those who had been injured by the invisible sword qi earlier must have been the ones who couldn’t resist temptation, their hands itching to attack the treasure.

The disciple who had observed the treasure returned, bowing respectfully to the two figures before him. “Elder Ye, Master Shou Zuo, the treasure is protected by sword qi, and the space around it is warped. My cultivation is too low; I cannot discern it clearly.”

After speaking, the disciple stole a glance at Elder Ye. This Elder Ye was a renowned beauty within the sect, named Ye Qingqing.

Most of the Great Evolution Sect’s disciples were bachelors, and many regarded her as their goddess.

Elder Ye Qingqing, with her Soul Transformation stage cultivation and innate full wood-attribute spiritual root, was not only exceptionally beautiful but also possessed astonishing comprehension. Many of the Great Evolution Sect’s new array formations had been derived from her insights.

Upon hearing the report, Ye Qingqing merely nodded slightly. Her slender fingers adjusted the spectacles on her nose bridge before she gestured. “Form the array!”

Ye Qingqing’s voice was as clear and melodious as an oriole’s song, utterly distinctive and captivating, sending a thrill through the male cultivators of the Great Evolution Sect.

Many of them had secretly recorded Elder Ye’s voice using Sound-Shifting Stones, placing them by their bedsides daily and drifting to sleep while clutching their pillows. Shameless exclamations like, “Ah Wei is dead~” and “My wife scolded me, I love it so much~” were frequently heard emanating from the disciple dormitories.

Now, with their goddess right before their eyes, it was time to perform!

Five young male disciples each summoned their command flags, simultaneously casting spells to encircle the treasure.

Yet, as they cast their spells, their sleeves fluttered, exuding an utterly flamboyant and highly expressive display. They aimed solely to showcase their dashing figures before their goddess. Some even frequently turned their heads, casting flirtatious glances, hoping their goddess would remember their handsome faces.

Watching from the side, Ye Qingqing’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and the veins at her temples became visibly prominent. She looked as though she was on the verge of erupting like a volcano.

“Wow, so the Great Evolution Sect’s spells are really that beautiful! I want to join too!”

“Yes, yes! It’s like dancing, so aesthetically pleasing~”

Many female cultivators within the Sword Cloud were discussing the Great Evolution Sect’s spellcasting postures. Not a few watched with great interest, some even unable to resist applauding.

Ye Qingqing’s face was a mask of bewilderment. ‘Was I prejudiced all along? Is it truly beautiful? Has my aesthetic judgment gone awry?’

After a cascade of self-doubt.

Ye Qingqing stroked her chin. ‘Hmm… when recruiting new disciples later, I should consider bringing these fellows along too.’

The sect had far too few female cultivators, which led to many benefits that should have been theirs being cut by the Elder Council. ‘If these rascals can attract more female cultivators to the sect, I’ll have a good reason to demand rewards from the Sect Master.’

Ye Qingqing clenched her right fist and tapped her left palm, thus happily making her decision.

The five men, still exerting themselves vigorously, were unaware that the throttle of their destiny had already been seized. They remained engrossed in their self-promotion and self-admiration.

‘Ah~ the goddess looked at me! It must have been me! I’m so happy~’

Flamboyant as they were, the array formation the five men deployed was flawlessly executed.

This array formation, the Grand Yin-Yang Five Elements Array, was the culmination of Ye Qingqing’s centuries of effort. She had meticulously referenced countless ancient defensive arrays and drawn inspiration from her sect’s numerous offensive grand arrays to develop it.

This array, integrating both offense and defense, was exceptionally well-suited for establishing a sect-protecting grand array.

Seeing this treasure, imbued with invisible sword qi, today presented a perfect opportunity to test the array’s strength.

Originally, this array required five types of true essence—Geng Metal, Jia Wood, Gui Water, Bing Fire, and Wu Earth—to serve as its core. However, gathering all five true essences was incredibly difficult.

Thus, they could only use lesser materials for a preliminary test. After all, they weren’t facing an enemy in battle, but merely dealing with an inanimate object. There was no need for extremely precious resources.

Seeing the array formation nearing completion, Ye Qingqing clasped her hands and bowed towards Master Shou Zuo beside her. “I appreciate your efforts, Master.”

“Amitabha,” Master Shou Zuo replied. “Rest assured, Benefactress Ye, with us here, no one will be able to interfere with you!”

With that, Shou Zuo pressed his palms together, his lips moving silently as he chanted scriptures. The disciples of the Great Zen Temple behind him also began to follow suit.

Before long, eighteen individuals, including Master Shou Zuo, were enveloped in golden light.

Unlike the Great Evolution Sect’s silent array deployment, the Great Zen Temple’s spellcasting was far more eye-catching.

“Disperse!”

Following a loud shout from one of the monks.

The eighteen individuals, each wielding a golden alms bowl, a staff, or a wooden fish, rapidly scattered, positioning themselves around the treasure. Their golden light continued to expand, merging seamlessly with the golden light emanating from their fellow disciples.

Once all eighteen streams of golden light connected, they dramatically formed a gigantic golden orb, encompassing both the Great Evolution Sect disciples and the treasure.

“This… this is the Great Zen Temple’s Immovable Wisdom King Array!”

“Damn it! We’ve been played by those bald donkeys! They actually set up this array right under our noses!”

“Uh, brother, what kind of array is this that these monks are using? It’s making so many cultivators curse in unison; it seems incredibly powerful!” a young cultivator couldn’t help but ask. His cultivation days were still few, and this was his first time witnessing such a grand treasure-snatching spectacle.

“This damn thing is just a turtle shell! You must have heard some rumors about the Great Zen Temple, right?”

“Uh, I have heard some,” the young cultivator replied modestly. “Legend has it that the Great Zen Temple has always had good fortune. After various hidden artifacts and powerful cultivation techniques appear, the Great Zen Temple often ends up laughing last.”

“Pah, ‘good fortune,’ my foot! You should know that every time a rare treasure emerges, it’s incredibly dangerous. It’s only because this treasure today is suspended in such an open, outdoor area that everyone temporarily lowered their guard.

“In the past, whenever danger arose, these bald donkeys would rely on this Immovable Wisdom King Array, enduring until the very end. Then, when all the treasure-seeking cultivators were on their last breath, a dozen or so bald, burly men would swarm forward and attack.

“Tell me, who can withstand the pounding of a dozen burly men? The usual outcome was that the treasure-seeker would grovel on the ground, surrender the treasure they had obtained through countless perils, and then, filled with shame and indignation, watch those bald men depart. It’s utterly despicable!”