Chapter 1288 - Icebound Expanse Spiritual Array

After an entire day's work, Liu Wuxie encircled an area one hundred meters in radius with dozens of longswords. This spiritual array differed from those he had built before. It would not only guard against ill-intentioned intruders but also withstand the divine race's assault.

Most importantly, he had fused magic into its structure so the elven race could control it with magical force.

He could not have achieved that in the past, but the desolate world now teemed with magical force.

He moved on to planting array flags throughout the perimeter while Xiao Lan watched, heart aching as astral stones vanished by the handful.

Within a day, Liu Wuxie consumed a million astral stones. The elves did not cultivate with astral stones, yet they knew their worth well. After all, it was the main currency of the cultivation world.

"Young Master Liu, what is this spiritual array called?" Xiao Lan asked as she helped, feeding magical force into the flags.

"Icebound Expanse!" Liu Wuxie said.

He did not bother to hide the name. The array embodied the Great Frost Mythical Art, and he had also detected frost energy within Vanya, which meant she could control the formation with ease.

Two days passed, and Vanya opened her eyes with newfound comprehension; the past forty-eight hours had benefited her greatly and deepened her respect for the humans who had created something so profound.

She looked over the Icebound Expanse and, again, shock flashed in her eyes.

"What a beautiful spiritual array! It can even be considered a classic!" she exclaimed.

She would not have spoken so before, but after absorbing the knowledge of spiritual arrays, her level of comprehension became comparable to a grandmaster, allowing her to see the formation's depth at a glance.

"This spiritual array combines the power of five elements and frost energy. I even fused deathly and cursed energy into it. As long as you operate it according to the knowledge you've learned, even experts at the Void Realm won't be able to take another step forward in it," Liu Wuxie said, satisfied with his masterpiece.

His divine force had grown tremendously after devouring dozens of Divine Fruits, and he used the Heavenly Dao Book to deduce and design the formation.

Next, Vanya familiarized herself with the controls. She started clumsily, but Liu Wuxie guided her until she grew deft. With a thunderous

rumble,

the array cycled its elements in turn, startling distant races. Then, they were baffled that someone had actually erected such a massive formation.

Only five days remained in the event. More people poured onto the plains until they filled every span of ground. Then, the divine race's army arrived, and a deathly silence fell across the field.

The divine race boasted an ancient legacy and rarely mingled with others. Their divine energy countered the true essence of humanity and the powers of other races.

On a far mountaintop, a youth in white robes surveyed the plains and fixed his gaze on one spot. Moments later, the divine army marched straight toward Liu Wuxie.

"What we knew would come has come," Liu Wuxie said, his eyes flat. The thing he most feared had happened—the divine race's army had surrounded him. His only chance of escape was obtaining the Immortal Slaying Domain's acknowledgment so that it would shield him until the event ended.

The ground shook as thousands of divinekin advanced like a torrent of steel. From afar, their approach drove bystanders to retreat in alarm; no one wanted to provoke them. All around, cultivators snapped out of meditation, and everyone knew the blacksmithing event had reached its final stage.

Vanya tensed. It was her first time facing such a vast force. In the distance, dozens of elves raced over.

"Saintess, what are you doing there? Come here quickly!" an elf shouted, urging Vanya to abandon Liu Wuxie. It was apparent the divinekin had come for him; if she were to stay by his side, she would die.

"Back away! Don't come near!" Vanya said, forcing the elves to halt.

"Human, how dare you hold our saintess as a hostage!" the elves cried out. They did not know her relationship with Liu Wuxie and assumed he had taken her hostage, so they vented their anger at him.

Xiao Lan stood outside the spiritual array. Vanya had sent her out in advance, forbidding her from joining the fight. Keeping her nearby would only tie their hands.

"It's not what you think," Xiao Lan said. She ran to the elves and quickly explained everything. When they learned Liu Wuxie had saved them and taught them magic, their expressions shifted. They had not expected that their ancestor had actually guided Liu Wuxie.

"Saintess, be careful!" they called, their tone flipped. If she could not hold on, they would rush to her side without hesitation.

On the mountaintop, the white-robed youth waved, and the divine army attacked.

"Spiritual array, rise!" Vanya said.

The Icebound Expanse unfurled and sealed the space, forming a wall of unyielding force. With only days left, forgers had already begun across the plains; some had already reached the halfway point in their work.

"Who is that person, and why is the divine race targeting him?" many humans asked, baffled that the divine army would strike at a mere fifth-level Origin Conversion Realm cultivator.

Even those outside the White Moon Valley found it unbelievable that the divine race would focus on someone with such low cultivation.

Elder Long grew anxious. He watched events unfold and knew Liu Wuxie had done nothing to deserve this. Only Liu Wuxie understood the real reason—the divine race sought to destroy the Ancestral Tree.

"Young Master Liu, leave it to me and focus on forging," Vanya said, drawing a steadying breath.

Liu Wuxie nodded. Even if the sky fell, nothing could sway him. In anyone else's place, who could keep the heart to forge right now?

Those who had failed to gather materials stood aside to watch; they had already lost, so they might as well witness the spectacle.

"It's him!" Hua Haosheng stood a kilometer away, stunned when he recognized Liu Wuxie. He asked himself whether he could show such composure in that position.

Experts from the Tranquil Meteor Star and the Sky Cloud Star clustered in the distance, whispering. They had orders to kill Liu Wuxie, but now, it seemed unnecessary—the divine race would do it for them.

Hundreds of thousands watched the battle. No wonder Elder Long often said that anyone who took first place at the Myriad Race Ceremony would become famous across the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain.

"Remember to withdraw if you can't hold on," Liu Wuxie said, warning Vanya not to force herself. If the array shattered, she could escape, and there was no need to stay.

However, resolve flashed in Vanya's eyes. She steeled herself to perish with him if necessary.

"Big Brother, the magical force in Vanya's body seems to have become dozens of times denser than before," a woman said from the top of a tree.

"She must've had some fortuitous encounter," Andaru replied with a nod. He, too, noticed Vanya's magic had grown far stronger than before.

Just then, the battle erupted. The divine race's first wave unleashed a barrage against the formation. Blows landed with deafening rumbles, yet the array did not budge.

Dozens of pinnacle Primal Origin Realm experts combined their first strike; even so, they failed to breach the wall, leaving onlookers aghast. The power the divine race poured out could have killed ordinary Void Realm experts.

"What a powerful spiritual array," humans exclaimed from afar.

Humans excelled in arrays in a way other races did not. An incredible array could withstand the strikes of tens of thousands.

"Who's that kid to arrange such an exquisite spiritual array?" Few recognized Liu Wuxie besides the disciples of the Heavenly Dragon Sect. No one had spread rumors of a newly emerged spiritual array grandmaster in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain.

"Wait, this spiritual array contains magical force. Did the elves set it up?" Many soon noticed the formation's blend of energies.

Few paid attention while Liu Wuxie built it; only when the divine race arrived did eyes turn their way.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"That elf is charming, and her cultivation isn't low either," more than a few murmured, captivated by Vanya's presence.

Another round of discussion rippled through the crowd as the second wave of divine attacks fell. Though the pressure grew, Liu Wuxie remained calm, wholly absorbed in forging as he drew out his blacksmithing materials.

"He's really composed even while he's besieged by so many divinekin. His disposition surpasses countless others," many commented. Whatever else they thought, his steadiness left a deep impression.

"He's probably putting on a show. What could he possibly forge with his cultivation at the fifth-level Origin Conversion Realm?" others scoffed. Most held little hope for him; with cultivation that low and the divine race's harassment, success seemed impossible.

The bombardment intensified. Vanya struggled at first, but her control sharpened over time. The divine race tried every method, yet still could not crack the formation's defense, and their frustration echoed in angry howls.

Many spiritual array grandmasters stood among the spectators, but even they could not see through the Icebound Expanse's profundity. The sight of thousands of divinekin battering a single human's array left the plains in stunned silence.