The Ming Phoenix Clan was inherently an ancient remnant, a branch of the Phoenix lineage nurtured by the purest Chaos Spiritual Qi. Such a bloodline, naturally, was incomparably potent. Any ordinary member of this clan, even one lax in cultivation, would reach the Golden Core stage upon maturity as a bare minimum. Those with slightly better aptitude and a bit more diligence would inevitably attain the Nascent Soul level. As for the Spirit Transformation stage, that was typically a one-in-ten-thousand occurrence.

It was evident then that the Ming Phoenix Clan's bloodline power far surpassed that of common races. The sole regret was that the more powerful the bloodline, the lower its reproductive capability. The Ming Phoenix Clan occupied vast resources and territory, boasting a sound developmental trajectory, yet their numbers barely reached a few thousand, still a considerable distance from ten thousand.

Among the Ming Phoenix Clan, Xie Feng was considered peerless in aptitude—innately clever and widely learned.

She then began piloting the flying vessel, circling the massive sphere of light, continuously exploring and periodically launching probes to test its defenses. After only a year, Xie Feng, relying on her profound understanding of formations and the clan's deep accumulation of formation lore, managed to grasp three to four tenths of the array’s mechanics.

The more she understood the formation, the more astonished she became. Who exactly was the ancient mighty one who had laid this array? Not only was their cultivation supreme, but their comprehension and execution of formations far surpassed anything Xie Feng could match. If this array had not been operating for countless millennia, showing multiple points of weakness due to age and neglect, Xie Feng wouldn't have grasped even three or four tenths of it.

Formations and talismans are both miraculous methods of energy manipulation, sharing commonalities yet differing fundamentally. Taking formations alone, they usually operate on minimal energy, utilizing fixed procedures to evoke the laws of heaven and earth, thus generating inconceivable might. Naturally, the more powerful the formation, the deeper its mastery over the laws of heaven and earth. Even cultivators ignorant of these laws can, through the inherent complex rules of the structure, evoke a portion of the heavens’ power, commanding earthly forces for their use.

This was the profound mystery of formations.

Some formation masters could construct entire complex formation systems capable of drawing energy and operating autonomously, achieving a state of endless sustenance—the formation never perishes, its operation never ceases.

However, the ingenuity of the current array’s construction, and the precision and depth with which it utilized fundamental laws, left Xie Feng, who had only glimpsed its surface, utterly awestruck. This understanding, gained in a mere year, had significantly elevated Xie Feng's own mastery of formations. Yet, in this same short span, Xie Feng had managed to uncover several flaws. This was not due to any failing of the array’s architect; rather, the formation had existed for an immeasurably long time, perhaps long enough for seas to change and mountains to shift repeatedly. Even the most stable of these shadowy void spaces could not remain entirely unchanged across such eons. Any formation capable of operating for such a duration was a miracle in itself, and it was impossible for it to remain entirely flawless as time wore on.

Regrettably, this gloomy void, though abundant in spiritual energy, even containing trace amounts of Chaos Spiritual Qi that spawned powerful demonic beasts, possessed an extremely poor accumulation of civilization. Techniques such as artifact refining, pill concoction, formations, and talismans were virtually nonexistent. Otherwise, had there been even one demonic beast with a slight grasp of formations, given enough years, it could eventually have unraveled the mystery of this grand array.

In fact, during the Desolate Ancient Era in the Nine Provinces, although powerful divine beasts abounded, their level of civilization regarding artifact refining and similar arts was almost identical to that of this gloomy void. Those dragons, phoenixes, White Tigers, and Vermilion Birds, mighty as they were, primarily relied on their inherent physical strength in combat.

The current inheritance and vigorous development of artifact refining and other arts originated from the technological civilization brought by the invasion of the Immortal and Demonic races. These techniques were slowly learned by the beings of the Desolate Ancient World, accumulating and developing over time, or sometimes forming chasms where knowledge was lost, only for new things to evolve in their place, leading to the present day. Indeed, even the humans of the Nine Provinces world today could not entirely erase the civilizational imprint left by the Immortal and Demonic races, including various technologies and even cultivation systems.

The invasion of the Immortal and Demonic races certainly brought misfortune and disaster to the Desolate Ancient World, but concurrently, it ignited the wisdom of all beings there. Thus, one could see that disaster always accompanies opportunity.

However, this gloomy void was exceptionally concealed. Unless she had been fleeing the pursuit of the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Worm King in the depths of the Styx Valley, she would never have blundered into this place. This area wasn't even marked on the maps of the Nether Domain. This differed from the many undeveloped, perilous zones within the Nine Nether of the Nether Domain. Those dangerous areas, though sparsely populated and rife with monstrous insects, were at least recorded on the high-tier maps of the Nether Domain. This place, however, likely saw very few visitors. Otherwise, this gloomy void would not be entirely devoid of any cultural imprints of the Nether Domain, possessing only a primitive, wilderness-like environment.

Yet, it was within this world that an incredibly advanced, powerful, even peerless array was found.

With extensive preparations complete, Xie Feng was almost impatient to see what lay hidden beneath this immeasurably vast dome of light, and whose transcendent masterpiece this historical artifact truly was. Although countless unknown predecessors in the long river of history left behind no names, Xie Feng was certain that anyone capable of such an endeavor could not be utterly unknown. Perhaps, in some historical epoch, they were a legendary powerhouse whose name echoed widely.

Boom, boom, boom.

Twelve banners, black as ink, formed a peculiar array, swirling in the void according to some arcane rhythm. Each black banner was inscribed with a black phoenix, wings spread against the wind, each unique in form yet rendered with lifelike detail, as if animate. From the phoenixes' beaks spewed torrents of Nether Flames, which burned intensely before coalescing into spheres about the size of a basketball, relentlessly bombarding the formation’s weak points and defects. Each highly condensed Nether Flame, upon striking the transparent shield, triggered an earth-shattering explosion, the resulting shockwaves reaching several miles away, causing the very space to ripple and undulate.

Clearly, this was an exceptionally rare offensive formation, renowned in the Six Domains and Nine Provinces as one of the Nether Domain’s strongest attack arrays: the Nether Flame Black Phoenix Banner. The array’s greatest power derived from twelve banners, each sealing the primordial spirit of a Spirit Transformation level Ming Phoenix. These spirits could either unleash individual Nether Flames in combat or combine their flames for a devastating assault. This set of banner formations could barely be classified as a congenital spiritual treasure, testifying to the profound heritage of the long-established Ming Phoenix Clan.

Of course, despite the impressive power of the Nether Flame Black Phoenix Banner, its value was far surpassed by the famous defensive congenital spiritual treasure, the Netherworld Dark Malevolence Array. While the Black Phoenix Banner possessed formidable offensive capabilities, the array required a very slow activation time, making it inefficient for individual duels or small team skirmishes, falling short of the powerful utility provided by the defense of the Netherworld Dark Malevolence Array.

However, in large-scale warfare, the Nether Flame Black Phoenix Banner performed astonishingly well, proving exceptionally effective at forcibly shattering mountain-guarding arrays. The Nether Fire cannonballs launched by the combined power of the twelve phoenixes were terrifyingly potent. Yet, various flaws kept its ranking below the Netherworld Dark Malevolence Array, which held the undisputed title of the premier defense formation.

Even with the unknown ancient array showing signs of decay, and despite the utmost power wielded by the Nether Flame Black Phoenix Banner, it took over a month of relentless bombardment before a small hole, seven or eight zhang in diameter, was blasted through the weakened light shield. The most astonishing feature was that once breached, the luminous shield immediately began drawing energy from elsewhere to self-repair the hole. This marvelous formation broadened Xie Feng's horizons immensely while deepening her awe for the unknown ancient master.

Taking advantage of the breach, Xie Feng immediately steered her flying vessel toward the opening. In the sky above, intensely potent Extreme Yin Heavenly Thunder spontaneously coalesced and struck down toward the vessel. Almost simultaneously, all defensive arrays on the flying vessel activated, enduring the rain of lightning strikes.

The immense impact jolted the vessel violently, tossing it about like a small skiff in a raging storm, rocking it ceaselessly. The Nascent Soul-level Black Serpent guarding the vessel turned visibly pale under the dense barrage of Extreme Yin Heavenly Thunder outside the shield. This was a common trait among unawakened beasts: an innate, deep-seated terror towards the might of celestial lightning. This dismayed Xie Feng, who stood calmly at the bow with her hands clasped behind her back, muttering that this creature truly lacked guts and was difficult to employ for crucial tasks.

Fortunately, as one of the Four Emperors and hailing from a clan with deep reserves, Xie Feng possessed a rare treasure as her personal conveyance, which barely managed to hold against the assault. Moreover, this was precisely the array’s weak point. Thus, they managed to traverse this path of death by a hair’s breadth. The moment they slipped through the shield’s gap, the dense rain of Extreme Yin Heavenly Thunder abruptly ceased, replaced by a soft, warm light that shone directly into her eyes—as clear and refreshing as the sun emerging after a downpour.

Though she anticipated something extraordinary behind the light shield, the moment her mind settled, Xie Feng was stunned by the sight before her. It was a palace, a structure so immense it could be called vast, suspended silently in the void. Even with her Spirit Transformation-level vision and the considerable distance, she could only perceive one corner of the structure.

Instinctively, she cast her divine sense toward it. At the early stage of Spirit Transformation, her divine sense was usually potent enough to sweep hundreds of li. Yet, even employing her full might, she failed to detect the perimeter of this colossal palace.

…