Jiujian Zhenjun and Tianhua Zhenjun led the way, followed by over a hundred Golden Core realm cultivators, soaring towards Earth.
According to their strength, these more than one hundred Golden Core cultivators were divided into four echelons.
The first echelon naturally consisted of the leading Jiujian Zhenjun and Tianhua Zhenjun.
Although Tianhua Zhenjun was not ranked among the Wu Shan Star Domain's Heavenly Rankings, the very fact that he was addressed as Zhenjun was enough to reveal his significance at the Golden Core realm.
The second echelon comprised Dao Zun, Wen Hou, and the other nine individuals who had cultivated a second-grade upper-tier Golden Core and reached its peak. Their strength placed them as the strongest existences below the Heavenly Rankings.
The third echelon consisted of a host of ordinary second-grade Golden Core cultivators, numbering over forty, forming the core strength of this treasure-hunting party.
Neither Dao Zun, Wen Hou, nor Jiujian Zhenjun dared to underestimate this force. However, these more than forty second-grade Golden Core powerhouses were not acting in complete unison. They were collaborating in groups of four or five, forming nearly ten smaller teams.
As for the remaining nearly hundred third-grade Golden Core cultivators, they were mere appendages to the second-grade Golden Core cultivators. In this situation, they were only there to receive orders and had no decision-making power.
Over a hundred Golden Core realm powerhouses, moving at speeds far exceeding sound, quickly pierced through Earth's atmosphere. Transforming into streaks of light of various colors, they descended like shooting stars onto the Central Siberian Plateau.
"What is that?"
On the globally broadcast screen, hundreds of people dressed in peculiar attire suddenly descended at extreme speed onto the icy plateau, immediately causing a stir among the crowds watching the live stream worldwide.
"Could these be the helpers brought by that one-armed swordsman who fled earlier?"
"Over a hundred extraterrestrials, each looking incredibly powerful. I wonder if Master Zhang can handle them."
The ordinary viewers found it astonishing, but Lin Haotian and Wu Chen Jianxian in the Half-Moon Cave Mansion, upon witnessing this, turned ashen-faced.
The arrival of over 150 Golden Core realm powerhouses on the Central Siberian Plateau made Lin Haotian and the others realize that this was likely the treasure-hunting army from the Wu Shan Star Domain.
"Master..."
Lin Haotian clenched his fists, filled with unwillingness. If his strength weren't so weak, why would he be holed up in this cave mansion.
Wu Chen Jianxian could only sigh and gently pat Lin Haotian's shoulder in consolation.
Even Wu Chen Jianxian, who had always perceived Zhang Fan as unfathomable, now held little confidence in him and was filled with worry.
...
Amidst the ice and snow, with the wind howling, this place on Earth was a forbidden zone for life. However, for this group of Golden Core cultivators, it had no effect whatsoever.
"Tianhua Zhenjun, please lend your hand and break this illusion array."
Dao Zun stepped to the front of the crowd. Although a vast expanse of snow-covered plains lay before them, everyone present could sense an unusual fluctuation ahead.
Tianhua Zhenjun's eyes seemed to possess divine light. He stared at a patch of snowy ground for a full three minutes before nodding. He then retrieved seven multi-colored jade beads from his storage artifact.
The beads were only the size of eyeballs and were made of pure crystal. Tianhua Zhenjun casually tossed them forward, and the crystal beads disappeared into the illusion array before everyone's eyes.
"En?"
Zhang Fan and Lin Yun, who were cultivating within the array's coverage, did not notice, but Xue Jing did. He clearly saw seven beads, shimmering with all sorts of colors, dart into the array.
"Those are... Array Breaking Beads?"
Upon seeing the seven beads, Xue Jing's heart felt a flicker of unease.
Although Xue Jing was not skilled in formations, he was aware of some basic information regarding them.
Array Breaking Beads were crafted by formation masters using their spiritual consciousness and special materials. They were specifically designed to break arrays, hence their name.
Array Breaking Beads possessed no offensive power. Their primary function was exploration, acting as the eyes of a formation master within an array, preventing them from encountering powerful attacks or being trapped.
In the Golden Core realm, cultivators who specialized in formations were extremely rare. This was not only because formations were incredibly difficult to master but also because the practice and deployment of formations were extremely costly.
For instance, to set up a high-grade Earth-tier formation, a formation master would need to craft a set of high-grade Earth-tier array discs. While the price of these discs did not match that of a top-tier spirit treasure, it far exceeded that of a mid-tier spirit treasure.
Moreover, the loss rate during the crafting of array discs was significant, and not every formation master could easily create a set of high-grade Earth-tier array discs.
For example, the Sect Master of Wenxin Sect, despite being the leader of a faction with seven third-grade Golden Core realm cultivators under his command, only possessed two sets of mid-grade Earth-tier array discs for Zhang Fan to refine, even with his immense wealth.
After Zhang Fan's modifications, these two sets of mid-grade Earth-tier array discs reached the level of high-grade Earth-tier.
...
Although Xue Jing detected that a formation master was manipulating Array Breaking Beads to enter the formation, he was helpless.
This was because he was not skilled in formations either. Furthermore, after Zhang Fan set up the Heavenly Dipper Snow Ape Array and the Earth Fiend Illusion Fox Array, he had not imparted the array's intricacies to them. They dared not move about carelessly within the array.
"I wonder when Master will finish his cultivation!"
Xue Jing was anxious. Previously, although these extraterrestrial cultivators had attempted to break the array multiple times, Xue Jing had not been overly concerned. This was because none of the powerhouses attempting to break the array were skilled in formation arts. Their brute force attacks against the 'Earth Fiend Illusion Fox Array' had little effect.
However, the situation was different now. A formation master who manipulated Array Breaking Beads had arrived to break the array. Even if he were just a very ordinary Earth-tier formation master, he would undoubtedly be able to breach this unmanned array given enough time.
...
The Array Breaking Beads continuously explored within the formation, akin to Tianhua Zhenjun wandering within the array, constantly losing his direction in the illusion.
On several occasions, Tianhua Zhenjun believed he had found the pattern of the illusion array. Just as he was about to approach what he thought was an array disc, the Array Breaking Bead would dart out of the formation.
Several days passed. Over a hundred Golden Core realm cultivators stood outside the formation, waiting patiently.
"Hoo!"
Tianhua Zhenjun suddenly retracted the Array Breaking Beads and let out a soft sigh of relief.
"Zhenjun, how was it?"
Dao Zun quickly inquired, and everyone's gaze fell upon Tianhua Zhenjun. If he couldn't break this illusion array, then the cultivators of their Wu Shan Star Domain would truly be devoid of any chance for the opportunity of a True Immortal.
"The cultivator who set up these two formations possesses a cultivation in formations no less than mine. However, fortunately, this array is unmanned. After seven days of exploration, I have located the positions of all seventy-two array discs of the outer illusion array."
Tianhua Zhenjun spoke, his face slightly pale from the intense concentration.
"No less than Zhenjun?"
Dao Zun was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He had initially assumed that Tianhua Zhenjun's intervention would easily resolve the issue.
After all, even within the entire Wu Shan Star Domain, below the Nascent Soul realm, Tianhua Zhenjun's attainment in formations was undeniably the highest.
That Master Zhang not only had a robust physique but could also suppress him in Qi cultivation, likely possessing strength close to the Heavenly Rankings. Yet, he also displayed such heaven-defying talent in formations. Truly, who knew where this monstrous talent had emerged from.
"Since that is the case, let us go!"
Jiujian Zhenjun nodded to Tianhua Zhenjun and spoke.
"I can lead everyone into the illusion array to search for the array discs and break the formation. However, I hope that everyone will not damage the array discs, as they are very precious, capable of setting up such a high-grade Earth-tier illusion array."
Tianhua Zhenjun stated.
"Naturally. Tianhua Zhenjun is breaking the formation for us. Afterward, we will naturally collect the array discs and hand them over to Zhenjun."
No one present had any objections to Tianhua Zhenjun's words.
Firstly, while these array discs were precious, they would only fetch a good price when a complete set was assembled. With over a hundred Golden Core cultivators present, if everyone were to fight over them, assembling a complete set would be impossible.
Secondly, given Tianhua Zhenjun's status, no one would antagonize him over such a set of array discs. After all, although Tianhua Zhenjun's combat strength might be average, his achievements in formations commanded respect from everyone present.
...