A streak of purple light flashed by. A sturdy man, two meters tall with a long beard beneath his jaw, stepped out of the purple mist. Seeing Gu Xechen sitting cross-legged with a worried expression, the giant hastily knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and saluted, "Your humble servant Zhao Yi greets the Esteemed One. I wonder what trouble has befallen you?"

Gu Xechen's spirit lifted. He spoke in a deep voice, "Zhao Yi, no need for formalities, rise. Hmm, do you know what this is?" Gu Xechen gestured towards the bizarre scenery surrounding them. Zhao Yi's eyes shone with sharpness. He stood up, glanced around, and couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle. "Oh, it's nothing more than a minor Six Harmonies Wonder Array. It draws upon the six harmonies of heaven and earth, gathering the energy from the four directions. It condenses energy into form, conjuring all manner of illusions in the world, gathering the human heart essence to refine it within the gate. If one mistakenly enters the formation, tribulations will naturally arise from the illusions, causing layers of calamity."

He rubbed his head. Zhao Yi smiled at Gu Xechen, who was listening in stunned silence. "When I was cultivating back then, I specialized in all sorts of formations. Although my primordial spirit is damaged and my cultivation is not yet restored, I still recall the various immortal formations I studied, albeit imperfectly. But this mere Six Harmonies Wonder Array is just a trick of the mortal cultivation world. Though it may be exquisite, it doesn't enter the true stream, and it's not considered a formidable formation."

"Not a formidable formation?" Gu Xechen felt an itchy tickle in his throat. He coughed a few times, nearly bringing up blood. Monttodi, such a master assassin from the Illusion Clan with astonishing cultivation, was brought to a state where he could neither live nor die by this Six Harmonies Wonder Array, and yet Zhao Yi claims it isn't formidable?

Zhao Yi smiled affirmatively. "The Six Harmonies Wonder Array. Of course, it’s not a formidable formation; it only has a small reputation in the mortal cultivation world."

Gu Xechen was deeply struck by Zhao Yi's words. He stood up and asked weakly, "Then, do you know how to get out?"

"This matter is extremely easy!"

Zhao Yi grabbed Gu Xechen and began treading strange steps, lightly leading him as they circled the halos of light. At times, Zhao Yi brushed past the rings of light, and at other times, he charged straight through a halo with Gu Xechen. Occasionally, Zhao Yi would unleash a palm thunderbolt at a halo, causing it to explode in dazzling light that shook the surrounding void. At other times, he would rush with Gu Xechen through an illusionary world within a certain halo, perhaps smashing a chime bell, or slicing a gnarled ancient tree, or extinguishing a pile of ghostly flames, or shattering a false mountain, or blocking a small stream. In less than five minutes, the formidable formation that had held Gu Xechen immobile suddenly opened up into a bright passage. A grand avenue, shimmering with light, appeared before Gu Xechen. Gu Xechen and Zhao Yi stood at the entrance of a corridor. The square tunnel was over ten zhang high and five zhang wide. Both side walls and the ceiling were made of the finest azure jade, carved with countless intricate and complex patterns. The floor was paved with square tiles, each about a chi across. These tiles were also carved with dragons and phoenixes, exceptionally luxurious, with colorful bright pearls inlaid into the eyes of the dragons and phoenixes. Each pearl emitted a soft radiance, illuminating the thirty-kilometer-long corridor as if it were daylight. Gu Xechen was almost breathless at the sheer splendor and luxury of the passage. He had seen countless precious treasures, but a thirty-kilometer-long corridor entirely made of glowing tiles and fine jade was something he dared not even imagine. Thinking of Daoist Wuchen’s simple and secluded little valley, the master of this place seemed like a nouveau riche, excessively ostentatious. "Daoist Wuchen left behind quite a few treasures too, but I never saw him set up a Six Harmonies Wonder Array at his doorstep; he just left things for those destined to find them. The owner here is far too stingy."

Gu Xechen vaguely understood that the owner here, like Daoist Wuchen, must have been an ancient cultivator with special divine abilities, but he held a slightly dismissive view of the current owner. With Zhao Yi at his side, not a single one of the eighteen defensive formations arranged in the corridor could stop Gu Xechen. Zhao Yi easily shattered the eighteen formations, which he deemed beneath notice, leading Gu Xechen through the corridor to its end, where a grand palace, built entirely of white jade and utterly magnificent in scale, appeared before him. The palace of white jade was tall and majestic, saturated with a dazzling aura of treasure that made one’s breath catch. Countless shimmering spirit treasures were piled casually on the floor, causing Gu Xechen’s eyes to blur. After forcing himself to look away from these treasure piles that drove men mad, Gu Xechen was startled by the arrangement at the palace entrance. To the left of the entrance was a pond, a hundred zhang long and wide, filled with a thick, fragrant, brownish liquid like rendered fat. The rich aroma washed over Gu Xechen, making him dizzy. To the right of the palace entrance lay a soft couch. On the pink jade couch reclined a stunningly beautiful maiden wearing a red palace dress, with more than half of her fair white thigh exposed. The maiden’s beauty was startling, especially the faint, almost non-existent scent of wine emanating from her. Her flushed complexion seemed to intentionally hint to Gu Xechen that she had lost all resistance, that simply pressing down on her would allow him to fully enjoy this peerless beauty.

A wicked heat surged up from Gu Xechen's lower abdomen. The more Gu Xechen looked at the maiden, the more he felt she perfectly embodied the image of the most ideal woman in his heart. The wicked fire made his head swell and his blood vessels bulge. Unable to control the surging lust, he was about to pounce on the drunken maiden. A furious shout rang out beside him. Zhao Yi roared, "Wicked deviant path, how dare you try to bewitch the Esteemed One?" Hiss! With a sound, three bolts of blue lightning struck down from the sky, piercing the maiden's body one after another. Ripples appeared across the maiden's body, and a burst of pink light suddenly erupted. The maiden's alluring form vanished without a trace. The wicked fire inside Gu Xechen instantly dispersed. A cool, clear energy poured into his head from above, strangely calming the surging blood energy within him. Zhao Yi pressed a hand onto Gu Xechen’s head, strangely circulating energy to help him rein in his blood, and said with a laugh, "Esteemed One, this is the low-tier path of seduction through wine, women, wealth, and anger. Your humble servant has driven her away for you." Gu Xechen’s old face flushed red. He coughed a few times, then walked grimly into the great hall. Fortunately, once inside the main hall, the illusions of wine, women, wealth, and anger ceased to exist. Gu Xechen was not embarrassed again. Every chamber inside contained minor restrictions and was protected by formations of varying degrees, but Zhao Yi broke every single one. According to Zhao Yi, these restrictions and formations were too simple. Although the strength of those who set up these restrictions and formations was hundreds of times greater than Zhao Yi's current power, the formations and restrictions themselves were too crude, so destroying them required very little effort. The first eight halls were completely empty, leaving behind nothing of value. Gu Xechen proceeded directly to the last hall. This was a circular hall, and in the center of the ceiling was a blue crystal, three zhang in diameter.

A shimmering blue pillar of light descended from the ceiling, perfectly enveloping a throne in the center of the hall, which was encircled by thirty-six golden phoenixes seemingly poised for flight. On the throne, three zhang six chi wide, sat a woman clad in extremely ornate attire. She wore a star crown, trailing tassels, and was adorned with myriad jade ornaments. The woman's appearance was only ordinary, but her attire was incomparably magnificent with dazzling light and treasure. The blue light shone upon the woman, and her body became almost entirely transparent, just like Monttodi’s—a faint, hazy illusion. Gu Xechen observed the woman carefully. Zhao Yi merely glanced at her before smiling. "Esteemed One, this is a true image illusion left behind by a cultivator who attained the Dao, wasting their magical power. Seeing how nearly transparent her body is, the magical power she left behind is clearly almost depleted." Zhao Yi cast a few spiritual spells, and several blue lights shot out, striking the true image of the woman. The light and shadow around her body shifted, and a few wisps of colorful mist scattered. Zhao Yi laughed, "This woman protected her true image quite well; the few restrictions around her were quite potent. Esteemed One, your humble servant has already broken all the restrictions around her." "Oh?" Gu Xechen subconsciously asked again, looking over the circular hall, which was immaculate, without a single speck of dust or any unsightly object. Zhao Yi continued to smile, "It can be seen that this woman’s magical power during her Dao attainment was not very high. Even if she ascended to the Thirty-Three Heavens and had her name inscribed in the Purple Sash Immortal Register, she would only hold a low-tier position as a loose immortal. Heh, if it were a true image illusion left by someone with immense magical power, it would not dissipate even after surviving major tribulations; it certainly wouldn't look like this."

"Oh?" Gu Xechen ignored the rambling Zhao Yi. He circled the phoenix-adorned throne, inspecting it up and down with great care. Zhao Yi blinked, instinctively asking, "Esteemed One, are you looking for something?"

"Yes!" Gu Xechen sighed. He gestured toward the empty hall. "We have finally managed to enter. If we don't take some treasures back, wouldn't it be like entering a mountain of treasure in vain?"

"Ah?" Zhao Yi gave Gu Xechen a curious look. He cupped his hands respectfully and bowed, then smiled towards the woman's image. "Esteemed One, if a cultivator left behind a true image illusion after attaining the Dao, the treasures she left behind must be on her true image. Ah, besides that, the only other thing in this hall worth calling a treasure is this: the Heaven-Quenched Azure Crystal." Zhao Yi reached out and touched the three-zhang diameter blue crystal embedded in the ceiling. "Heaven-Quenched Azure Crystal?" Gu Xechen looked up at the large, round crystal. "Yes, the Heaven-Quenched Azure Crystal naturally gathers all the energy between heaven and earth. After refinement, it can convert the absorbed energy into any desired form. It is the finest material for forging all manner of passive defensive and active offensive magical treasures! Especially since the Heaven-Quenched Azure Crystal is extremely difficult to melt down, unless one possesses the power of a Golden Immortal or above."