Shan Hu traveled with the wind, his speed reaching the extreme, such that the scenery below was blurred into a continuous line in his perception. Although he was only at the Qi Condensation stage in this life, relying on his Immortal Emperor-level movement technique and subtle comprehension of space, he was able to achieve extraordinary speed.
Traveling north from the capital, a journey of thousands of miles took only the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and he arrived at the Yan Mountain range.
The Yan Mountains are majestic and imposing, with peaks rising and falling, having served as a crucial geographical barrier in the north since ancient times. Yet, in Shan Hu's eyes, the significance of this mountain range far exceeded its geographical value.
He hovered over a solitary peak and circulated the Azure Emperor Longevity Art, releasing his Divine Sense without reservation. The Divine Sense of a Qi Condensation cultivator should be extremely weak, but fortified by the memories of an Immortal Emperor, his Divine Sense was refined and condensed to an incredible degree, instantly spreading out in all directions.
His Divine Sense surged like a tide into the depths of the mountain, penetrating rock layers, soil, and intricate underground water veins. Soon, a knowing smile appeared at the corner of Shan Hu's mouth.
"Just as expected. The Foundation of the Celestial Palace is not the ruins of a palace, but a sealed Dragon Vein."
During the era of the Earth's most flourishing spiritual energy, a powerful entity had set up a heaven-defying formation here, forcefully gathering terrestrial energy and sealing the main trunk of a gigantic Dragon Vein within the mountain to serve as the core of a certain super-formation—this was the "Foundation of the Celestial Palace" from his vague memory of his past life.
This Dragon Vein was the only well-preserved source of spiritual energy after the world's spiritual energy had withered. It was like a sleeping heart, containing a vast, immense power that far exceeded the total spiritual energy currently available in this world.
Shan Hu's Divine Sense traced the main line of the Dragon Vein, discovering that it had completely fused with the structure of the Yan Mountain range. They were mutually dependent, forming a gigantic, naturally integrated formation.
If he were to forcefully extract it, it would inevitably trigger catastrophic landslides and might even cause the spiritual energy within a several-hundred-mile radius to run rampant, leading to a devastating disaster. This was something Shan Hu, who only wanted to cultivate peacefully in his second life, wished to avoid.
"Forcibly breaking the formation is unfeasible. I must use the 'Art of Stripping.'"
Shan Hu quickly made his decision. This "Art of Stripping" was an exquisite technique from his Nine Revolutions Star Plucking Hand in his previous life, specifically used to safely and completely separate the core array eye or energy source from complex formation structures.
He took a deep breath, beginning to adjust his state. For a Qi Condensation stage cultivator to strip a Dragon Vein was akin to a mortal using an embroidery needle to pry a large mountain. The control and consumption of True Essence required were astronomical.
"Fortunately, the True Essence from the Azure Emperor Longevity Art is continuous, and the Dragon Vein itself hasn't completely withered, which can assist in the stripping process."
Shan Hu no longer hesitated. He formed complex hand seals, and dozens of fine, azure True Essence threads shot out from his fingertips, thinner than ox hair. These threads precisely burrowed into the rock beneath his feet. Like they possessed life, they followed the sealing formation patterns around the Dragon Vein, conducting an incredibly detailed investigation.
His task was to first find the smallest points of contact where the Dragon Vein and the mountain body were fused. Then, like peeling an onion, he had to meticulously strip away the layers of sealing array patterns on the Dragon Vein's outer shell, while simultaneously using his own True Essence to temporarily replace the stripped patterns, thereby stabilizing the mountain's structure.
This work was tedious, draining, and extremely dangerous. If the True Essence supply was insufficient or control erred even slightly, the formation patterns could backlash, which would be enough to destroy his soul instantly in his current state.
Night fell, enveloping the Yan Mountain peaks in darkness.
However, on the peak where Shan Hu was located, a faint azure glow appeared. The dozens of True Essence threads, moving at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye, continuously traversed the rock. Each movement took away an infinitesimally small fragment of the array pattern, while simultaneously consuming a massive amount of True Essence from Shan Hu's body.
Shan Hu's expression was solemn, like an old monk in deep meditation. His eyes were tightly closed, his entire concentration immersed in the precise control of the underground Dragon Vein.
This was a contest of patience, perseverance, and skill, and it was the first truly challenging battle on the Immortal Emperor's path of re-cultivation.