"Activate the defensive arrays!"


    Immediately numerous disciples of various sects activated numerousyers of arrays that helped to shield the external shell of the Azure Tree.


    There were also some cultivators that focused their efforts on defending the Crystal River Mand. Since it was connected to the Primordial Waters of Time, the moment it got damage would mean their tao dimension would bepletely thrown out of sync with the higher-dimensional source of time.


    It was a river that spiralled around the Azure Tree, and while it had an end, no matter how far one tried to find it, it looked like there was no end—thus, believed to be infinite.


    "We need to keep the Crystal River Mand safe!"


    Lin Feng said this, as he formed over 1,000 dragon swords.


    "Thunder-Demon Sword Formation!"


    He infused the dragon swords with lightning Qi and sent them flying straight for the celestial beasts. When one sword hit a beast, it set off a chain reaction which paralyzed all the beasts while all other 999 dragon swords spread out in a zigzag formation and reduced them to flesh particles.


    Meanwhile, the Nascent Soul cultivators protecting the Silver Trunk continued to fight.


    Specifically, Huo Zirou and Guo Xiaomei were fighting off celestial beasts to protect that region of the Crystal River Mand.


    Guo Xiaomei flew at an impregnable speed and with a sh from her spirit-refined sword, she decapitated over five beasts. "You seem rather slow today, Zirou..." she chuckled a bit.


    Panting a bit, Huo Zirou replied, "Being a Pill Master who''s devoted to the sacred practice of pill refinement, of course I''m not a fighting gori like you..."


    "WHO''RE YOU CALLING A GORILLA!" Guo Xiaomei red up.


    Giggling sweetly, Huo Zirou told her, "You, who else?" After that question, she went back into serious mode and ced her palms together, "Now, we should work as a team, you know, like we usually did whenever we sparred against master."


    A warm smile formed on Guo Xiaomei''s face, "You''re right," she said. While she and Huo Zirou had the moments where they''d always fight, and it usually seemed like they didn''t get along... when it was time to work together, their sisterhood always blossomed.


    They both nodded at each other.


    "I believe you''re not doing this without me?"


    A feminine voice spoke which stopped the two women from advancing any further.


    The two beauties turned back only to see Elder Qian. Even if she''d decided to go into eternal seclusion, that was only another word for "seclusion till further notice". If a situation like this came, she woulde out of seclusion to ensure she too fought for her sect.


    "M-master?!" Huo Zirou stuttered, her face was already red with embarrassment at seeing her master. It''d been ages since shest thought of visiting, much less visited.


    Guo Xiaomei immediately bowed her head. "Greetings, Master."


    "G-g-greetings, Master!" Huo Zirou''s head immediately went down as well.


    Elder Qian nodded at their greetings.


    Guo Xiaomei then asked, "Master, shouldn''t you be protecting the Golden Crown?"


    "Hm?" Elder Qian raised an eyebrow elegantly. "Why would I do that when my students are here. Neither Xīnyuè nor the Sect Founder will decide when and how I protect my students." She ced both her hands on their heads and pulled them to her bosom for a warm, affectionate hug. "You''re both my daughters, and I apologize for neglecting you both."


    "M-master..." Huo Zirou didn''t know what else to say.


    Elder Qian hadn''t fully spoken her mind, "I''m disappointed in myself. I was angry that no one had the ability to carry on my legacy and I decided to disappear with it... now, I understand. It doesn''t matter whether or not you carry on my legacy, that was selfish of me, what matters is that you can live your own lives and make a legacy you call your own.


    Like I did..." She did her best to hide her choking emotions behind her voice.


    "I apologize too, Master." Huo Zirou gently broke out of her master''s embrace. She looked away and sped her hands on her chest, doing her best to seal away her regrets—but it was never that easy. "I should be the one apologizing here."


    "Why is that?" Elder Qian tilted her head and smiled warmly.


    "I-, I didn''t just fail you, I betrayed you. Both you... and Xiaomei. After you departed for the Garden of Eternal Alchemy, you left the Green Sanctuary Peak in our care, to train the next generation of apothecary disciples. However, I left too. I couldn''t stand being a failure, so I decided to leave in order to hide my shame...


    and I-, I-, I-, *sob* I..." Huo Zirou covered her mouth with both her hands to hold back her cries.


    Still, tears streamed down her cheeks.


    Elder Qian came from behind and hugged this grown woman she could only see as the little girl she trained centuries ago. "It''s fine, I forgive you, my dear student."


    Huo Zirou felt surprised and at the same time... relieved.


    "Th-thank you, *sob* Master..."


    Guo Xiaomei smiled at them, also wanting to join this sweet moment, but she heard a monstrous screech.


    "KRREEEE!!"


    Several winged beasts flew straight for them at high-speed. Some of them were covered in mes and other lightning, but one simrity was that they were all huge, nightmarish creatures. These weren''t celestial beasts, but rather dark beasts!


    "I think the time for a heartfelt reunion is over!" Guo Xiaomei shouted.


    A furious Elder Qian faced the monsters making a beeline for them. "Who would dare disrupt a master''s reunion with their cherished students!" Her aura broke out in a fit of rage and it immediately erased these dark beasts like they were dying candles in the wind.


    "Wow..." said her two students.


    There were over 26,000,000 celestial and dark beasts in the Silver Trunk - or at least, until another rift opened up. It was an overwhelming number, especially when considering the fact that each beast was either Core Formation or Nascent Soul level.


    Elder Qian looked back at her students. "I hope you both still remember how to use the Sacred nt Armory?"


    "Of course!" Huo Zirou held out a fist.


    Guo Xiaomei flicked her hair back a bit, "Please, you give us too little credit, Master."


    Sacred nt Armory.


    It is one of the many unparalleled cultivation methods which harnesses the essence of nature''s vitality. It allows cultivators tomand the very essence of nts and vegetation, shaping them into formidable weapons and defenses with unprecedented power. It taps into the spiritual essence of each nt, in order to unlock their innate abilities and channel them into battle prowess!


    At its core, one can manipte nts to entangle foes, ensnare them in thorny barriers, or even summon carnivorous flora to devour adversaries whole. Each nt possesses unique spiritual qualities, ranging from the tranquil healing energy of aloe to the explosive force of bamboo shoots!


    "We''ll use a Floral Array!" Elder Qian ordered.


    Both in sync, Huo Zirou and Guo Xiaomei said, "Three Provinces Paradox Pir, right?!" The two knew her well enough to know what Floral Array she nned to use.


    "Good," Elder Qian nodded. "I''d expect my own students to know."


    The true mastery of Sacred nt Armory lies in the fusion of different medicinal nts to form intricate spell formations known as "Floral Arrays". These arrays amplify the innate powers of each nt exponentially, granting cultivators the ability to wield devastating spells with unparalleled precision!


    The three of them each made a spiritual seed.


    Guo Xiaomei created a Blue River Lavender.


    Huo Zirou created an Immortal Ginseng.


    Lastly, Elder Qian created a Firebloom.


    When theybined these spiritual seeds, a great phenomenon ured - the tranquil aura of thevender with the revitalizing properties of ginseng and the explosive force created the Three Provinces Paradox Pir array.


    And this array released a cataclysmic explosion of healing energy and fiery devastation that covered the entire Silver Upper and Lower Trunk,pletely incinerating enemies while simultaneously restoring their allies to peak vitality.


    Everyone watched as the countless millions of beasts were no more.


    Liu Yan held off on fighting as she witnessed the instant evisceration of every creature. "Wh... what just happened?" she asked, a little stunned. "My cultivation base is back to top form."


    "Hmm," Mu Zhong sniffed the air. "It''s likely Green Sanctuary Peak. I can smell faint traces of medicinal nts."


    "I see."


    The two flew forward to see if they could seal the rifts that dotted across the Silver Trunk''s space - maybe it would reduce the number of beasts rushing in.


    ...


    Divine-Emperor yawned a bit as he watched the cultivators fight. "It''s getting quite boring, shouldn''t we just snap them out of existence? Perhaps, it''d save them some stress from this pitiful disy."


    "What?" Yu Fa looked even more surprised. "You all seem eager to destroy a Catalyst World. You should at least give them the chance to fight for their survival, we''ve done it several times for other daoyers and tao dimensions, so why should theirs be any different."


    "Fine then... if they can survive that palm attack, we''ll consider their survival."


    Xu Xiaotang chuckled, "Bahahahaha!! It''s not as if they''ll survive it, and if ites down to it, I''ll simply increase the speed and potency of the attack."


    Every Divine cultivator on the roundtable either smiled orughed.


    Yu Fa was stunned.


    These people...


    They really want to destroy the Azure Tree out of cold-blood! The issue of the Celestial Serpent Sect failing to stop the revival of the Blood Emperor Prity Sect has been sorted years ago... *grunt* Divine-Emperor, and every other person on this table, they''re working with someone I don''t know, which means... if I speak out of line, they''ll kill me here!


    It was now Yu Fa was starting to understand - he was the only person out of the loop of what was really going on.


    Every single person on that table aside from him was working with Emperor Cloudcrest.