The Five Elements Cycle Array was the strongest formation in Qi Ping's possession, second only to the Heavenly Extinction Yin-Yang Array. It was one of the spoils of war he had looted and particularly liked. This array was built on the foundation of Elemental Fusion, integrating killing, trapping, disruption, defense, enhancement, suppression, and healing into a single, cohesive unit. It was an exceptionally sophisticated and versatile formation.
It was arguably one of the most all-purpose Rank 2 arrays. When broken down, its individual effects were no weaker than many specialized Rank 2 formations. Moreover, with the enhancement of the elemental generation cycle, it was far more powerful than typical arrays—certainly stronger than five separate elemental arrays combined.
The reason Qi Ping hadn't learned it before was the extreme difficulty of its setup. Without mastering the Five Elements Intent and understanding the cycles of generation and destruction, it was impossible to manifest this array. At least ninety-five percent of Rank 2 formation masters in the cultivation world were unqualified to even attempt it.
'But now that I have mastered the Yin-Yang and Five Elements Intents, I am qualified to learn it!'
'And as for the Heavenly Extinction Yin-Yang Array...'
The terror of the Heavenly Extinction array far surpassed the Five Elements Cycle Array! It didn't possess the variety of effects the latter had; its focus was entirely on the word "Extinction." It was a pure manifestation of Yin-Yang power used to trigger a vast heavenly might, pushing the destructive force of Yin and Yang to its absolute limit to annihilate all life!
However, despite its singular focus, the difficulty of setting it up was even higher than the Five Elements Cycle Array. it demanded an even deeper understanding of Yin-Yang Intent and the Dao of Formations.
'If I can fully master these two arrays and set them up as a fused formation, my layout in Starfall City will be half-finished... and the Little Stone Essence's breakthrough will have much higher odds of success.'
'I must hurry. Brother Han and Brother Zhang might not be able to hold out much longer...'
For the past several years, Han Li and Zhang Da-niu had been mediating between the sect and the black industry bosses of Starfall City. They were essentially walking on thin ice. Initially, things went quite smoothly. With Han Li's social maneuvering, they reached a tacit understanding with the powers behind the city, buying Qi Ping a temporary period of peace.
However, once the situation stabilized and Qi Ping's "prey" began to return to Starfall City, the three major factions that had sent him there became restless.
'I sent you to Starfall City to fight to the death with my old rivals so I could profit, and here you are enjoying a life of leisure? And I'm still paying you top-tier mission rewards?'
Consequently, a series of plots against Qi Ping began to unfold...
Starfall City, Qing-Immortal Manor, within the central luxury palace...
"Senior Brother Ya, you're finally awake!"
"You've been in a deep sleep for almost half a month..."
When Han Li saw Qi Ping finally awaken, he let out a massive sigh of relief. Had he not detected that Qi Ping's physical condition was normal, he would have thought something had gone wrong. Over the past half-month, he and Zhang Da-niu had taken turns guarding the place, not daring to relax for a second.
If anything had happened to Qi Ping at this critical juncture, they would have been torn apart by the jackals of Starfall City. Fortunately, Qi Ping's fearsome reputation preceded him; even though he hadn't moved for two weeks, no one dared to intrude. Now that he was awake, those people in the city were no longer a threat. Otherwise, Han Li and Zhang Da-niu, though talented for their level, were only in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment and lacked the strength to suppress the city on their own.
"I entered an epiphany. It was sudden. I apologize for making you worry and for the trouble of guarding me all this time," Qi Ping expressed his sincere gratitude.
When he had entered that state of Unity of Heaven and Man, his consciousness had returned to his main body in the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range. However, he could still vaguely sense Han Li and Zhang Da-niu alternating guard duty outside. He just hadn't dared to lose focus during the critical moments of mastering the laws and technique. This event added another layer of trust between him and these two men.
"An epiphany? Then your gains must be extraordinary, Senior Brother!" Han Li's face lit up with joy. Qi Ping was already gifted; a rare epiphany would surely result in a massive leap in strength.
"Yes..."
Just as Qi Ping was about to elaborate, Zhang Da-niu's frantic figure burst in, though he moved with light footsteps to avoid making noise.
"Senior Brother Han—" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Qi Ping staring at him with a smile.
"Senior Brother Ya, you're awake?" Zhang Da-niu asked, his face full of surprise and joy.
"Mmh," Qi Ping nodded. "I entered an epiphany, and my strength has grown by a massive margin! Thank you for guarding me during this time."
"That's great! I thought something went wrong with your cultivation, but it was an epiphany! That's wonderful!" To Zhang Da-niu, if someone as strong as Qi Ping said his strength had grown by a "massive margin," the increase must be staggering.
"You look panicked. Did something happen?" Qi Ping asked.
At this, the expressions of Han Li and Zhang Da-niu turned grim.
"Senior Brother Ya, the situation is very bad. The masterminds behind the Merit Hall have been working in the shadows, trying to provoke a conflict between us and Starfall City."
"Recently, they contacted some people in the city and orchestrated several major crimes, planning to use the sect rules to drag us before the Law Enforcement Tribunal!" Han Li explained solemnly.
"A self-directed drama? Quite a clever move," Qi Ping remarked.
"Yes, Senior Brother. I just received word from the sect. The Law Enforcement Hall's team has already set out and will reach Starfall City within two days. The leader of the team is the Second Elder's legacy disciple, the Hurricane Sword-Seed."
The Hurricane Sword-Seed! The only legacy disciple of the Second Elder! He possessed an Earth-Grade Wind-attribute talent and a Hurricane Spirit Physique. He was at Foundation Establishment Perfection and had mastered the Intent of the Wind-Sword. Rumor had it his intent was close to the Second Stage. He was one of the truly top-tier geniuses of the Qingyuan Sect, with spiritual root talent even more terrifying than Qi Ping's "Four-Element Peerless" talent!
Ordinary Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivators might not even last a single strike against him.
Han Li's face paled as he checked his communication talisman and confirmed the news. Seeing their grave expressions, Qi Ping understood their fear. The Hurricane Sword-Seed was a top-tier genius whose reputation was built on solid battle achievements—one stroke of his sword could sweep through his generation. Furthermore, he was known as a "Ghost-Faced King of Hell"; if you broke the rules, no one could escape his judgment.
Yet, facing such a man, Qi Ping felt no fear. Had this been before his epiphany, he might have found it troublesome. Now? It was merely "so-so."
"You need not worry. The Hurricane Sword-Seed cannot harm me."
As the words fell, Han Li and Zhang Da-niu's eyes widened. They knew Qi Ping never lied, which meant he was telling the truth! They knew his strength would grow after an epiphany, but they hadn't expected it to reach this level! This was the legendary Hurricane Sword-Seed they were talking about!
"However, while we don't fear the Sword-Seed, we cannot simply defy the sect rules. We must find a way to counter this."
"Senior Brother, what do you plan to do?" Han Li was currently at his wits' end. These staged crimes were too sudden; he and Da-niu had no time to respond. After the incidents, the perpetrators had immediately vanished into hiding, leaving no evidence for them to defend themselves. In this situation, the trap was nearly impossible to break. And with the Sword-Seed arriving in two days, there was no time for an investigation.
But for Qi Ping, this wasn't necessarily an impossible riddle. His eyes turned cold.
"The monks can run, but the temple stays. The major factions of Starfall City must have those who know the truth. Come with me now. We will slaughter our way through them until they hand over the people and the evidence. I don't believe they know nothing!"
"It seems my compromise and restraint over the last few years have made them think I'm some coward bound by shackles."
In Qi Ping's view, these factions had permitted their subordinates to stir up trouble, collaborating with the three major factions to use the Law Enforcement Hall as a blade to remove him. But how could he let them have their way? The solution was simple: there was nothing a fist and Soul-Searching couldn't solve!
As for a reason to strike... he had an entire storage ring full of evidence! These were the criminal records Han Li and Zhang Da-niu had been secretly collecting on all the key figures in Starfall City!