Cultivation Begins From The Desert

Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Grotto Heaven of 1000 Mechanisms

The desert stretches boundlessly. Even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, once leaving the oasis to delve deeper into the desert, can easily lose their way.

Zhouyang followed Chen Pingzhi, departing from the Baisha River Oasis. After flying intermittently for nearly a day, they finally stopped above a patch of sand dunes.

By this time, after changing directions multiple times in flight, even with his photographic memory, it was difficult for him to retrace his steps. Without Chen Pingzhi leading the way, simply relying on himself to return to Baisha River Oasis would likely take considerable effort.

He also noticed that Chen Pingzhi was able to accurately bring him to this dune in the vast desert, not only because he had a map in hand but also due to another round disc spiritual artifact.

The round disc artifact is called the "Fixed Star Disc," a Tier Three Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact. The refining method of this artifact is quite mysterious and can only be crafted by the Yellow Sand Sect and a few major family artifact refiners.

A cultivator holding the "Fixed Star Disc" can determine their position based on the celestial stars, as long as they are not underground in darkness or within an array.

Identifying directions by the stars sounds simple at first, doesn’t it?

Actually, it’s not.

One must know that in this world, there are no concepts like the North Star or constellations. The night’s sky in this world has very few stars, and only rarely do stars emit starlight at night.

Without the assistance of the "Fixed Star Disc," unless a cultivator has a deep knowledge of star charts, the majority would not be able to determine directions by the stars.

It’s said that this "Fixed Star Disc" originally existed only in the overseas cultivation realm, where it was an essential artifact for cultivators navigating the boundless seas.

Later, senior experts from the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm traveled to the overseas cultivation realm and brought back the refining method of this artifact, passing it on to disciples and descendants. Eventually, it spread among major forces like the Yellow Sand Sect.

The Zhou Family also possesses a "Fixed Star Disc," which was originally brought from the Yellow Sand Sect by the ancestor Zhou Yuquan and has since been held by the old clan leader Zhou Minghan.

This time, knowing that Zhouyang was venturing out for exploration, Zhou Minghan, fearing he might lose his way in the desert, specifically handed him the "Fixed Star Disc," which now resides in his storage bag.

"This is the place; the cave mansion is beneath that sand dune."

Under the moonlight, Chen Pingzhi carefully compared the map in his hand then pointed to a specific sand dune among the undulating fifty or so, addressing Zhouyang.

Upon hearing this, Zhouyang looked in the indicated direction, furrowing his brows, and muttered, "Elder, are you certain? My poor eyesight sees no difference between these dunes and the others, nor any signs of a spirit vein here."

"Spirit veins in the desert are mostly hidden deep underground, so nothing unusual is visible from outside. Besides, the cave mansion has an array concealing any spiritual energy fluctuations," Chen Pingzhi explained nonchalantly, waving a sleeve and directly sending a flying sword slashing toward the dune.

Boom!

The flying sword plunged into the dune, as if striking something hard, causing a thunderous roar.

At the same time, a powerful spiritual energy fluctuation briefly emerged from within the dune before vanishing.

"It truly holds hidden secrets!"

Zhouyang’s spirits lifted, his gaze intently fixed on Chen Pingzhi employing techniques to break the array.

He accompanied here certainly not to watch idly, but without Chen Pingzhi inviting his help, he refrained from taking action to maintain their agreement.

Clearly prepared, Chen Pingzhi, confirming the presence of an array within the dune, quickly retracted his flying sword and released a green banner spiritual artifact.

Wielding the green banner forcefully, several strong whirlwinds swept toward the dune. Under the storm’s force, sand flew, lifting large amounts of yellow sand away from the dune.

In just a few moments, the billions of yellow sands covering the dune were entirely cleared away, revealing the rocky mountain underneath.

Zhouyang surveyed the scene to see a human-made cave entrance high in the rocky mountain, rising less than a hundred meters from the ground.

The cave entrance was shrouded in a yellowish hue, cloaked by array forces, making it impossible to see inside. Recollecting the direction of Chen Pingzhi’s flying sword attack earlier, Zhouyang quickly ascertained that the thundering noise originated from the cave entrance.

While he sent out his divine sense to examine the array at the cave entrance, Chen Pingzhi had already retracted the green banner spiritual artifact. Gleefully looking at the entrance, he exclaimed, "Indeed, it’s the Earth-covering Yellow Sand Array; the rewards this time should be exceptional!"

"Oh, Elder Chen recognizes this array? Could you tell me about its origins?"

A flash of surprise appeared on his face as he curiously inquired about the situation from Chen Pingzhi.

"It’s understandable for young cultivators like you who have just established your foundation to not know about the . This array was created over a thousand years ago by an ancestor from the Yellow Sand Sect at the Tier Four Array Master level. Although it is a Tier Three Lower Grade Array, it has multiple functions: it can conceal spiritual qi fluctuations, has decent defensive capabilities, and can also absorb yellow sand to hide one’s presence."

"See those yellow sands? If Chen hadn’t used the divine techniques of magical artifacts to sweep them away, relying solely on the natural wind in the desert, it would be impossible to blow them away from the influence of the ."

"Even so, as long as this isn’t broken, within a few days, this rocky mountain will be covered with yellow sand again, restoring the appearance of the dunes."

Chen Pingzhi didn’t hold back his knowledge and promptly shared what he knew with Zhouyang.

Then he looked at Zhouyang with a smile and said, "Since it’s only an , give Chen one or two days, and he can break it. Looks like I have troubled young friend Zhou with a vain trip."

Upon hearing this, Zhouyang certainly felt some disappointment, but he concealed it well. With a calm appearance, he replied with a smile, "Being able to accompany Elder Chen to gain some experience is also considered a harvest for me. Since Elder has confidence, please go ahead with the task; leave the guardianship to me."

"Then I’ll trouble young friend."

Saying this, Chen Pingzhi once again released his flying sword and slashed towards the entrance of the cave on the rocky mountain.

Breaking the array with force is the most common technique cultivators use when facing arrays.

After all, the entry requirements for the path of arrays are higher than those for artifact refiners and alchemists.

To become an array master, a cultivator must have the talent for arrays and be willing to invest significant time in deep research. The cost of cultivating an array master is ten times that of cultivating an artifact refiner or alchemist.

Moreover, in the cultivation realm, array masters hold a high position. A Tier Three Array Master can engage with Purple Mansion Stage cultivators as equals, without anyone daring to underestimate them.

The Chen Family, a large clan, currently doesn’t have a Tier Three Array Master, which shows how difficult the path of arrays is.

Although the Chen Family doesn’t have a Tier Three Array Master now, they did have one in the past. The array analysis left by them is accessible to Foundation Establishment cultivators like Chen Pingzhi, so even if he has to break the array with force, he knows where to apply strength and isn’t just blindly reckless.

While guarding Chen Pingzhi, Zhouyang learned some things, making the trip somewhat fruitful.

He watched Chen Pingzhi break the array, starting with simply using a flying sword to wear down the array’s defensive power, probing the array’s weaknesses. Later, he released multiple artifacts for a fierce and concentrated attack on the weak points, shaking the entire rocky mountain violently, creating an impressive spectacle.

Luckily, they were now deep in the desert sea, thousands of miles from the oasis. Otherwise, such a great commotion would have alarmed other cultivators within hundreds of miles.

After a day and night of fierce attacks, the yellow protective shield guarding the cave entrance finally dissipated, revealing the door to the cave mansion inside.

Looking over, Zhouyang saw that the two doors of the cave mansion were carved entirely from Tier Two Spiritual Object "Yellow Rock Jade." A plaque carved from the same "Yellow Rock Jade" hung above the door, inscribed with the words "Thousand Machines Grotto Heaven" in vermillion.

"Thousand Machines Grotto Heaven? Such arrogance!"

Chen Pingzhi also saw the name of the cave mansion, and upon seeing the words "Thousand Machines Grotto Heaven," he couldn’t help but sneer.

"Grotto Heaven" is said to be the residence of celestial immortals, and even tribulation crossing true immortals renowned in a realm dare not call their cave mansion Grotto Heaven. Yet, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to recklessly use the name Grotto Heaven—it truly is outrageous arrogance.

Similarly, Zhouyang frowned, discontented with the outrageous arrogance of the owner of this "Thousand Machines Grotto Heaven."

Although cultivators should aspire to the Dao and aim to become Harmonious Celestial Immortals, such aspirations shouldn’t be frequently spoken about, let alone displayed through overreaching actions.

He furrowed his brow further, speaking in persuasion, "Elder, why be angry with a dead person? Since the cave mansion’s array has been broken, it’s better to enter for a look. I, as well, want to see what kind of view exists inside the mansion of such an arrogant person!"

"Young friend is right, let’s see how Chen opens the door."

Chen Pingzhi nodded slightly, waved his hand to release the flying sword, decidedly smashing the cave mansion’s door to pieces on the spot.

Seeing this, Zhouyang’s eyelids twitched slightly, internally lamenting the loss of those "Yellow Rock Jade" doors.

The door at his Haoyang Cave was made of ordinary stone, and taking these "Yellow Rock Jade" doors to embellish his entrance would have been wonderful. But Chen Pingzhi’s sword destroyed them immediately.

To this, he could only inwardly curse "extravagant spender," then silently follow Chen Pingzhi into the cave mansion.

However, just as he stepped half-foot into the cave mansion gate, he suddenly heard Chen Pingzhi’s shocked and angry shout from inside.

This startled him, quickly releasing the defensive magical artifact to shield in front of him, then, feeling it was insufficient, his body was subsequently enveloped in a layer of defensive golden light, even using the Defense Divine Technique "Qianyang Golden Light."