Chapter 466: Unlocked Secrets of the Mountain Domain

Though the Star Annihilator’s Wrath was returned, the Sub-Star Annihilator’s Wrath remained. That component was now firmly installed on the Heavenly Ruin, so there was no worry about its level resetting.

Of course, the main advantage was how much quicker it made breaking through that Tricolor Array.

Its cooldown period was ten years, but with help from Timepiece Chess and the Pusa Zen Seal, he could shrink that to just seventeen months. In other words, if he kept this part, he’d dismantle the Tricolor Array in only a year and a half.

By contrast, just relying on the Black Hole Singular Burst ability would take at least two, maybe three years. Naturally, Song Chi preferred the faster option.

……

Time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.

Calamity Star Floating-Land—Dragon Spine City.

A thick crowd lined up in an orderly fashion outside Dragon Spine Commercial Tower, waiting to enter for their shopping.

Backed fully by the Song Family—and with Song Chi constantly sending in batches of discounted resources bought from the Omniverse Market—the shop boasted a wide selection of goods, all sold just a sliver below regular prices. With all these factors at play, Dragon Spine Commercial Tower had quickly become a top destination in the entire public zone.

All this, plus the city’s consistently tight order, meant Dragon Spine City’s number of visitors rose day by day.

Naturally, in just a few years, this impact rippled out—other forces in the public region couldn’t help but feel the squeeze.

Not far from the tower, on the fifth floor of a nearby hotel, two men watched the sea of people under Dragon Spine Tower through a floor-to-ceiling window.

A faint shimmer flickered around them, an isolation field made of nether energy. Within it, no outside ears could pick up their conversation.

“So? Did the clan elder agree?”

“Take a look for yourself—all the customers are running to Dragon Spine City. If this goes on, how’s my Frostveil Fortress supposed to do business?”

At that, the other man spoke up:

“Calm down, Third Brother. The elders gave the nod, but we can’t get our own hands dirty. Song Family’s got a Three-Eyed Clan flagship. If they want payback, even our old men couldn’t stand against that!”

“No problem. I just so happen to have the perfect person for the job.”

“Alright. But this needs careful planning. We can’t leave any trace behind!”

“Fine—let the Song Family enjoy their glory a little longer. It won’t be long before I ruin their reputation and credibility!”

……

A year later, on the Immortal Domain Continent Fragment.

“Today’s the day—the answers behind this array will finally be revealed. Hope it doesn’t disappoint me.”

Watching as the Sub-Star Annihilator’s Wrath finished charging, a smile crept across Song Chi’s face.

Over the last year or so, apart from having the Abyssal Devil and his enslaved army keep attacking the Tricolor Array, Song Chi hadn’t wasted any time. Instead, he piloted the Heavenly Ruin and searched every inch of the Immortal Domain Continent Fragment.

He did turn up a few things—a handful of red and silver oddities—but none were quite suited for the Heavenly Ruin.

Still, the mystery of what lay behind the Tricolor Array proved far more enticing. So the moment Sub-Star Annihilator’s Wrath finished charging, he hurried over.

Just like before, he started by firing off nine rounds before activating the component’s unique ability.

“Open—now!”

With a shout, a star-annihilating beam a thousand kilometers wide blasted out.

The air surged with violent energy as the colors of the Tricolor Array began to fade.

Before the aftershocks of that destruction beam completely dissipated, Song Chi thought he heard a faint, clicking sound.

As he looked down, the Tricolor Array had fully vanished.

But before that joy could last two seconds, Song Chi’s gaze sharpened, a question rising in his mind.

“…Is that… a mountain?”

Staring at the small rise now visible where the array disappeared, Song Chi found himself speechless.

But, trusting his judgment about the Tricolor Array, he resisted the urge to jump to conclusions.

Ssss—

With a hiss, the hatch opened and dozens of Void Shadow Assassin Warriors and Fallen Angel Warriors rushed out, all controlled by Song Chi’s triple neural imprint. They charged straight for the little hill.

Encircling the mound, he viewed the whole place through his puppet network.

Yet Song Chi’s eyes were still clouded with doubt. Even after nearly fifteen minutes combing the mound, he found nothing unusual.

He’d figured there’d be hidden array patterns in the hill, so he had the puppets search every inch. But there really was nothing—no sign of anything out of the ordinary.

So, stifling his impatience, Song Chi summoned the Flamewrath Giant, the One-Eyed Troll, and the Abyssal Devil to see if they could move or lift the mound.

But the weirdness just kept coming. With bodies taller than 100,000 meters, the Flamewrath Giant and One-Eyed Troll could move mountains ten times that size. Yet now, none of them could budge that little mound—not one bit.

This oddity renewed Song Chi’s interest. It could only mean there was more to the hill than met the eye—a secret hidden within.

His gaze swept over the Myriad-Spirit Annihilation Bow, Taiyi Quantum Swordlight Battery, and Soul-Annihilating Iris Beam, temptation growing to simply blast the hill.

But reason won out, and he resisted the urge.

“Could it be some special array? Five Elements? Eight Trigrams?”

“Or does it need to be opened from underground?”

……

Endless theories swirled in his mind. He had his puppets dig deep and search from below. It went on like this for half a month.

One day, after finishing up another trade at the market, Song Chi returned with a new book bound in yellow leather.

The yellow book, called Chronicle of Ancient Hundred Arrays, had been acquired from Zhou Ping through Song Chi’s Blueblood disguise, on purpose.

As he flipped through the pages, eyes occasionally drifting between the book and the hill, he froze after a few seconds, gaze fixed on a certain page.

Name: Mountain Domain Residence

Contains Arrays: Grand Three Powers Array, Big Dipper Mountain-Sealing Array…

Note: The favorite portable abode of ancient cultivators. When withdrawn, it shrinks to a stone the size of one’s palm. Set it down, and it becomes a mountain-sized domain, a must-have for travel.

Note 2: The artifact is protected by defensive arrays. If attacked, a battle array triggers instantly. For lower-grade portable domains, not much of a threat, but if left by a Void Return cultivator or immortal, one wrong move could trigger a Slaughter Immortal Grand Array inside—and once caught, there’s no escape.

Note 3: If the domain has no owner, it can be opened from outside. Here’s how…

Setting down the book, Song Chi felt sure the mound below was a genuine ancient cultivator’s Mountain Domain Residence.

Steeling himself, he kept the Heavenly Ruin at a safe distance. Then, guided by the neural imprint, had the puppets follow the book’s instructions to open the domain.

Judging from the previous Tricolor Array, Song Chi figured the domain’s former master must have been at least a Dominator—call it an immortal, in cultivator parlance.

So caution was necessary.

At such a level, even the smallest trick could spell disaster for him.

Once Heavenly Ruin was clear, the puppets finally succeeded, opening a miniature entrance in the mound as the book described.

Sending a vanguard of puppets surging in, Song Chi soon caught sight of a brand new world.

Inside, the space was much larger than it looked from the outside—at least a thousand square meters, with bedrooms, meditation rooms, a pill-refining room and more.

The first one to enter was the puppeted body in the pill room. But it was empty—nothing left behind.

He quickly sent another Fallen Angel Warrior into the meditation chamber.

Only now did Song Chi’s real body, seated in the Heavenly Ruin’s control room, show any hint of emotion.

Peering through his puppet’s eyes, he saw something inside the meditation chamber—a round cushion softly glowing silver.

“A mat?”

The shimmering item was a round meditation mat, but he couldn’t probe its properties by neural imprint.

Song Chi was ready for this. He had the Fallen Angel Warrior send out a Summoner’s Seal, and as it fused with the mat, he activated the Soulcalling Demon Golem part on the ship.

After a ripple of spatial energy, the dazzling silver mat appeared inside the ship.

While the puppets continued searching the rest of the domain, Song Chi split his focus.

Moments later, a property panel appeared before his eyes.

Oddity: Dao Comprehension Mat (Replica)

Grade: Silver

Convertible: {Dao Comprehension Mat (Imitation)}

Note: Crafted by the immortal Chasing Fate of the Immortal Domain Continent, this Dao Comprehension Mat offers enhanced insight into cosmic laws and secret arts while meditating. By chance, it now exists as a silver legend class Starsea Oddity.

“A fake, but still a Dao Comprehension Mat…”

Song Chi was in a pretty good mood. Even if just a replica, having been made by an immortal comparable to a Starsea Dominator, it was bound to be exceptional.

Once installed in the market, it would no doubt help him comprehend two different cosmic laws even faster.

Dragging his mind back, Song Chi’s attention returned to the mountain domain below.

After the puppets finished their sweep, nothing else of value turned up.

That left only the bedroom—the most important chamber.

Bang!

The puppets struggled open the stone bedroom door, and the moment Song Chi saw what was inside, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Seated in meditation on the bed, facing the door, was a single figure—clad in a Daoist robe. Lifeless, no aura at all, and clearly dead for countless millennia. Yet the corpse showed no sign of decay.

But even knowing this ancient Daoist had died countless years ago, Song Chi refused to let down his guard.

He knew plenty about cultivators—supernatural beings with mysterious arts.

But knowing he was operating remotely, Song Chi relaxed just a bit.

Carefully, he had the Fallen Angel Warrior and Void Shadow Assassin Warrior slip inside the room.

Swish!

A feather shot from the dark wings of the Fallen Angel Warrior, landing squarely on the Daoist’s corpse.

The only result—an electric crackling noise.

Just as Song Chi suspected, this Daoist was once a Dominator-level immortal. Even if his body wasn’t specialized for physical strength, it was still far beyond the reach of a grade-six puppet’s attack.

But Song Chi didn’t care about that. Eyes locked on the corpse with his Dual Pupils ability, he continued the assault.

Several minutes and many tests later, Song Chi felt certain: there wasn’t a trace of life left in the Daoist.

So, finally, he let the puppets pick up the body.

Once out of the mountain domain, Song Chi stayed on high alert. This was still the corpse of an immortal, a being on par with a Dominator.

As the puppets left the domain, a tier-four member of the Doomstar Race was already waiting outside.

In the Doomstar’s hands—one Storage Capsule and a Market-Walking Token.

When the tier-four Doomstar approached, Song Chi had the Abyssal Devil relay orders: load the Daoist’s corpse into the capsule, then activate the Market-Walking Token.

As for Song Chi himself, he withdrew the Heavenly Ruin and soon entered the market as well.

Market, third floor of the inn.

As one Traveler’s Inn room swung open, Song Chi—radiant with Dominion Power—retrieved the Storage Capsule from the tier-four Doomstar.

Market Free Stall Area.

Song Chi boarded the Heavenly Ruin while another tier-four Doomstar held the Storage Capsule in its hand.

Following his orders, the Doomstar slowly opened the capsule. The Daoist’s corpse was laid quietly on the ground of the Free Stall Area.

Meanwhile, back in the Heavenly Ruin’s main control room, Song Chi poured all his Dominion Power into his Dual Pupils, the shadow of his eyes flickering to life.

With the full force of his gaze, he focused on the Daoist’s corpse.

Song Chi had always respected cultivators. They walked their own supernatural path, and you never knew when you’d run into some absolute genius who could easily turn the tables.

Especially this—an immortal’s corpse. Even dead for ten thousand ages, some part of Song Chi still dreaded touching it directly.

He remembered too well—in the previous world of cultivation, body-snatched possession was unavoidable. That was exactly what worried him now.

But now, with Dual Pupils and Dominion Power combined, he was confident nothing—even remnants of an immortal—would escape his notice.

This was meant as a precaution, but as his gaze concentrated, Song Chi’s pupils suddenly shrank.

Before he could react, a streak of ghostly light shot from the Daoist’s brow straight toward the Heavenly Ruin!