Chapter 902: The Arcade Hall in the Sea of Ten Thousand Immortals, a BBK Learning Machine!?

......

The Sea of Ten Thousand Immortals—that nameless expanse of water from which Nalan Hongwu and his companions had ascended from the lower realm.

Perfected Lord Bixiao, the Overseer of Heaven, narrowed his eyes slightly as he gazed into the vast, boundless waters, having apparently searched this area for quite some time.

"Who on earth could it be...? Could it...? Did someone truly ascend from the mortal realm?"

"That is highly unlikely," replied an old Taoist standing beside Perfected Lord Bixiao. "Even we must tread with absolute caution through that Void Divine Thunder. Without the baptism of celestial essence, how could those mortals possibly survive the passage through the vast void? Furthermore, how could they have the strength left to evade our eyes and ears?"

"Crossing the void is an arduous journey; they would have to rest in this vicinity for at least a month to recover even a fraction of their strength. We have searched here for over half a month, yet we have found not a single trace..."

"In any case, we shall report this first and await a decision," Perfected Lord Bixiao said, his expression shifting uncertainly, displaying an air of caution.

"But..." the old Taoist said hesitantly, "those lords are currently preparing for a matter of grave importance. I fear they have no leisure to concern themselves with such trivialities..."

"..."

......

Naturally, they could never have imagined that, far from staying for over half a month, Nalan Hongwu and his companions had not lingered in that place for even half a minute.

At this very moment, they had already arrived at the Thousand Lantern Celestial Market at the foot of Mount Saint Emperor.

Here, immortal cultivators from all regions gathered to exchange goods and trade, and because it was quite close to the great clans, young immortals from the ancient tribes would frequently sneak out from their families to amuse themselves in this market.

"This thing is truly marvelous to use!" By this time, Gu Tingyun and the others had long since departed that sea and arrived at this bustling marketplace where immortals gathered. They had even fully prepared their lodging, which was said to be just outside the territories of the Eight Great Clans; though it was unclear which specific house it belonged to, the scene before them was genuinely prosperous to the extreme. "A single feather sold for five thousand celestial crystals, and that was only the result of selling it cheaply on the black market after artificially aging it! We had only produced two thousand celestial crystals, and the shopkeeper was already so ecstatic that he handed over the deed to the shop."

"..." Nalan Hongwu remarked, "At its normal price, it would likely fetch a hundred thousand celestial crystals and still be unavailable for purchase. They simply do not recognize its true value!"

"If they did, we would be finished!" Gu Tingyun chuckled.

Between his fingers, he held a single white feather, which was precisely a feather from the Wings of the Martial God. Things seemed to go far more smoothly than anticipated; after fetching a remarkably high price for one of the feathers on the black market, money could indeed make the devil turn the millstone, and the matter of the shop was naturally easily resolved.

With a flick of his wrist, he stored it away into his spatial artifact, while the others in the shop began retrieving items from their own storage devices. Outside, they hung a fresh plaque, when they suddenly overheard the voices of several people conversing outside the shop.

"Have you heard? The Eight Ancient Celestial Clans are hosting a grand banquet at the Platform of Transmutation, widely summoning heroes from all paths and welcoming immortal elites from all directions, solely to subdue the demonic heretics who have bewitched the mortal realm!"

"If one goes now, possesses some measure of skill, and is willing to descend to the lower realm to slaughter the demons, bountiful rewards await!"

"Is that so...?" In front of a Celestial Treasure Pavilion, three strangely dressed immortal cultivators were discussing the matter as they stepped out of the shop. "Should the three of us, the Three Fiends of Yunmeng, also go try our luck?"

Of the three, one was dressed in tattered rags like a beggar; another was tall and slender with vertical pupils in his eyes; the last bore a pair of horns upon his head and possessed a body as robust as an ox.

Nalan Hongwu and Gu Tingyun exchanged a subtle glance and walked over nonchalantly, inquiring, "Fellow Daoists, just now you mentioned... what mortal realm? Has some momentous event occurred recently?"

"You two look rather unfamiliar...?" The three first sized up Nalan Hongwu and Gu Tingyun with a hint of vigilance. They observed that although one of the men before them had a slightly stooped back, his hair was as white as frost, he wore a robe of pure white, and he possessed a distinctly heroic and extraordinary bearing; the other man exuded the aura of a transcendent celestial, with a demeanor far beyond that of ordinary immortal households.

The two immediately understood the suspicion, cupping their hands in greeting to introduce themselves: "We are from the newly opened 'Immortal Arcade' next door!"

"What arcade?!" The Three Fiends of Yunmeng thought they had misheard on the spot, staring at these elder men of celestial grace in utter bewilderment.

They followed the direction of the two men's pointing fingers and saw that next door, a sign reading "Immortal Arcade" had indeed been hung!

"???" What on earth was this?!

"Fellow Daoists, you have not yet mentioned... what exactly is this major event that occurred in the mortal realm," Gu Tingyun hastily reminded them.

"Oh...! Right, of course," the tall, slender man said upon seeing that they were not individuals of suspicious identity. "In truth, it is no secret. It is said that the demonic creatures of the mortal realm are wildly arrogant, not only occupying the major immortal sects and sacred lands of the mortal world, but also employing deceitful ploys that caused the immortals sent to subjugate them to suffer heavy losses. Therefore, the great celestial clans are now gathering immortal families from all paths, preparing to descend to the lower realm with full force for a subjugation campaign."

"It is said..." He pointed toward the west and lowered his voice, "that the figures over there will also participate this time."

"What kind of demonic creatures could be so wildly arrogant!" Nalan Hongwu interjected quickly. "It is a pity that we cannot leave the shop unattended, otherwise we would also descend to the lower realm to join the subjugation!"

"You gentlemen are indeed kindred spirits." The Three Fiends of Yunmeng felt a slight sense of approval in their hearts; after all, sharing a common enmity against such monsters of the mortal realm always brought a measure of reassurance. "By the way..."

He pointed at the storefront behind them, peering inside with a look of curiosity: "Fellow Daoists, this... what arcade of yours, what exactly does it do?"

Before his voice could fully fade, several more people approached from outside. Leading them was a haughty young master clad in white, and before him, a youth dressed as a servant barked out, "What does this shop of yours sell?"

"What 'Arcade'? What sort of thing is that?!" These newcomers also peered inside with curiosity. They saw that the shop did not yet appear to be open, though the interior was reasonably well-decorated; the establishment was not large, and two rows of spiritual artifacts were neatly arranged within.

Closest to the door was a long, large spiritual artifact. One could see that the environment within was as rich and colorful as the depths of the Sea of Ten Thousand Immortals, with countless rare and peculiar fish swimming about inside.

In that fleeting glimpse, one could even discern a colossal, monstrous fish whose twin fins blotted out the sun, revealing only the tip of an iceberg within the deep sea.

Beside it were several other spiritual artifacts, wherein tiny figures displayed all manner of mystical arts—some with thunderous momentum and rolling ocean waves, while others featured entities like the 'Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy', the 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven', and various gods and demons, leaving onlookers completely dazzled.

And in the innermost section stood several tall spiritual artifacts, inside of which various arrows would descend, with a small platform resembling a Nine Palaces grid positioned beneath them...

"Could this platform be some sort of formation array?" the Three Fiends of Yunmeng asked, pointing at the foot pedal.

"Fellow Daoist has an exceptional eye; this is the Nine Palaces Array," Zong Wu introduced with a hearty laugh from the side.

"The Nine Palaces Array?! What kind of array is that?! How have I never even heard the name?" the young master in white scoffed, his eyes filled with disdain.

Zong Wu stroked his beard and smiled: "The heavenly palace is divided into nine equal portions using a grid pattern: the Qian Palace, Kan Palace, Gen Palace, Zhen Palace, Central Palace, Xun Palace, Li Palace, Kun Palace, and Dui Palace. The sequence of the array is regulated by the movement of the celestial constellations; this can serve as an array formation, or it can serve as footwork."

He pointed at the descending arrows on the screen of this highly peculiar 'spiritual artifact' and said, "As long as one steps upon this Nine Palaces formation array according to the sequence in which they fall in each position on the screen, one can execute the set of footwork taught within the artifact."

The eyes of everyone present suddenly lit up: "What is this spiritual artifact called? May we try it?"

"This is called... the Dan—"

Before the word "Dance" could escape Zong Wu's lips, he was instantly interrupted by Gu Tingyun beside him, who spoke with absolute gravity and an imposing aura: "This is called: the Step-by-Step Learning Machine!"