The Scenic Land was a vast, circular chamber, its emptiness bathed in radiant light from Night Pearls floating overhead. The earth spiritual energy was so dense that the Spirit Earth Cauldron thrummed with excitement, resonating in Lan An's chest.
Countless Spirit Gathering Arrays—thousands, by his estimate—lined the chamber, each capable of hosting a single cultivator. They condensed the earth spiritual energy to an almost tangible density, a paradise for any earth cultivator.
This was the Scenic Land.
"With such a perfect cultivation environment, even a minor sect could soar to the heavens," Lan An marveled silently.
His gaze fell on Bai Lie's back. The Second Prince, a Mid Refining Void cultivator, was formidable but currently defenseless, lost in cultivation. A sneak attack with a soul technique could make him another valuable pawn.
Whoosh!
Two rustling robes halted Lan An's plan. From above, two eunuchs appeared, one tall, one short, their skin pale as corpses, eyes shadowed like sleepless ghosts. Their auras sent a chill through Lan An, freezing him in place.
Early Body Unity cultivators—Third Elder and Fourth Elder.
Their divine senses swept over Bai Lie, probing for anomalies. Accustomed to this, Bai Lie stood calmly, letting them inspect him.
Moments later, satisfied that no marks or irregularities tainted him, the eunuchs withdrew their scrutiny. Lan An held his breath, motionless, prioritizing caution.
"Greetings, Second Prince," the elders said, bowing slightly.
"No need for formalities, Third Elder, Fourth Elder," Bai Lie replied casually. "I'm here to cultivate and make a name at the Earth Battle Grand Assembly."
The elders exchanged glances, nodding approvingly. "Your ambition is commendable, Second Prince," Third Elder rasped.
Pleased, Bai Lie asked offhandedly, "Has my Third Brother entered to cultivate? I heard he's joining the Earth Battle Grand Assembly too."
The elders shook their heads; Bai Yang hadn't appeared. Bai Lie's eyes glinted briefly before he said, "You two may continue cultivating. I'll manage alone."
Without a word, the elders vanished, clearly permitted to cultivate here alongside their guarding duties.
Lan An exhaled quietly, abandoning his plan to subdue Bai Lie. With two Body Unity elders present, the slightest disturbance would be detected. The Scenic Land would become a cage, trapping him against two Early Body Unity powerhouses.
The White Sand Seven Elders lived up to their reputation. Four were Body Unity, Lu Lao was Peak Refining Void, and the Fifth and Seventh Elders' strengths were unknown. The dynasty's might was daunting.
The System's mission was to locate the Ancient Bear Prison Earth's seal. Though Lan An had reached the Scenic Land, the task remained incomplete. For now, he relied on Bai Lie.
To his disappointment, Bai Lie merely settled into a Spirit Gathering Array, closing his eyes to cultivate. Earth spiritual energy swirled like a vortex, enveloping him and pouring into his body.
Lan An had known the Scenic Land's conditions were exceptional, but this intensity surpassed even the Spirit Realm Pearl for earth energy. No wonder cultivation here was a coveted prize in the Earth Battle Grand Assembly. Though Bai Lie and Bai Yang, as princes, needed no such reward, their pride drove them to compete, especially with Bai Lian Hua watching—a perfect stage to shine.
Unable to rely on Bai Lie, Lan An searched alone. His White Moon Soul-Seizing Eye scanned every corner of the Scenic Land. He even passed where Third and Fourth Elders cultivated, quickly averting his gaze to avoid detection.
Fortunately, their senses were less acute than Second Elder's, and they remained immersed in cultivation.
"Where's the seal?" Lan An muttered.
Per Chen Kun, the Ancient Bear Prison Earth's energy fueled the Scenic Land. Its seal couldn't be far, yet Lan An hadn't found the link.
"The array… the array," he thought. The energy was drawn by an array. Finding it was key.
With renewed focus, Lan An glided through the air, inspecting every nook. A day later, his face twisted in frustration—no trace of the array.
Jin Ni, uncharacteristically silent, offered no hints.
Whoosh.
A faint breeze rose from below, and Lan An's eyes lit up. "From below?"
Descending, he felt the Spirit Earth Cauldron hum louder, though he suppressed its urge to absorb the energy, wary of alerting the elders. "Found you," he whispered, nearly laughing. The solution was simpler than he'd thought.
The Scenic Land's earth energy rose from the ground, but its long accumulation masked the difference between ground and air. He'd assumed the seal was in a separate space, not directly beneath.
The Ancient Bear Prison Earth lay under the Scenic Land, its energy drawn upward by the array. "Since I'm here, let's see what the mightiest Earth looks like," Lan An resolved, certain a path existed.
As he searched, a sudden roar shook the chamber.
ROAR!
The Scenic Land trembled, the ground quaking violently. Three pairs of eyes—Third Elder, Fourth Elder, and Bai Lie—snapped open, their faces grim.
"It's acting up again?" Bai Lie growled. "Didn't Lian Hua stabilize it days ago?"
"Check the situation!" Bai Lie shouted. "If it's critical, inform Father!"
The elders nodded, their expressions grave. Together, they activated two inconspicuous Spirit Gathering Arrays tucked among the thousands.
Rumble!
The ground shook, revealing another gate.
Lan An's eyes gleamed. "So, two ordinary arrays among thousands open the seal's entrance," he mused. The designer was a genius; without this disturbance, he could've searched years without finding it.
The Scenic Land lay beneath the palace's core, and the seal beneath the Scenic Land—three layered spaces, each with unique access. Truly profound.
Unaware of Lan An's presence, Bai Lie and the elders dove through the gate. Lan An followed silently.
ROAR!
The roars grew deafening. Below, a vast space of sand and earth unfolded. At its center, a colossal array of intricate, holy runes formed a cage over a hundred zhang tall, imprisoning a monstrous entity.
Before it, humans were ants.
Lan An's eyes shrank. The Five Supreme Cauldrons trembled wildly, their aura blazing. Behind the cage, a titanic figure with blood-red eyes pounded the array with fists like sky-piercing pillars.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A white bear, over a hundred zhang tall, forged from the purest earth elements, its muscular form radiating destructive power. At its feet, a shadowy sand prison flickered, exuding dominance. Black sand chains and spiked shackles coiled around its body, not restraints but weapons it crafted itself, menacing and primal.
As Lan An suspected, the bear unwound its black chains, wrapping them around its fists to form spiked gauntlets, hammering the array with renewed ferocity.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The array trembled, wavering under each blow. "Those black sand chains… like Yu Chen's Black Sand?" Lan An noted, his gaze sharp.
"Correct," Jin Ni confirmed. "The White Sand Dynasty's ancestors drew inspiration from the Ancient Bear Prison Earth's chains and shackles to create the Black Sand Heart Sutra."
"Fascinating," Lan An nodded. Yu Chen's Black Sand was child's play compared to the bear's chains, which embodied the true essence of the Ancient Bear Prison Earth.
This white bear, forged from white sand, wielded black sand chains as weapons—a marvel. Without a defined cultivation realm, its strikes could still cripple Body Unity cultivators.
Lan An couldn't fathom taming such a beast. The System's task seemed impossible.
Ding! Host has completed the Palace Exploration Mission. Rewards: One Talisman Summon, One Pill Summon, One Spirit Herb Summon, the System chimed.
ROAR! "White Sand Dynasty, free me!" The Ancient Bear Prison Earth bellowed, its fists shaking the cage, a small crack forming.
Bai Lie and the eunuchs paled, terrified. "Quick, inform Father!" Bai Lie shouted, voice hoarse.
As the elders prepared to leave, a weathered voice echoed, chilling the air. "No need yet. I'll handle the Earth. You deal with the rat."
A gold-robed elder appeared, his white hair flowing, eyes like lightning. "Supreme Emperor?" Bai Lie gasped, elated.
The Supreme Emperor, father of the White Sand Emperor, was the dynasty's strongest.
"Your Majesty, what rat?" the elders asked, confused.
"Haha, the one behind you," the Supreme Emperor sneered, pointing a finger into the void.
Whoosh!
A chilling sensation gripped Lan An, killing intent locking onto him. "Late Body Unity… the Shadow Flight Cloak is useless," Jin Ni warned, panicked.
The finger's force, devoid of killing intent, stripped Lan An's concealment, exposing him in his black robes.
"Damn you, who are you?" Bai Lie and the elders roared, furious. An intruder had followed them undetected—a slap to their faces.
Killing intent enveloped Lan An. He swallowed hard, making a split-second decision. "System, summon the Talisman, Pill, and Spirit Herb now!"
His only hope lay in the mission rewards.
Ding! Initiating summons…
ROAR!
The Ancient Bear Prison Earth ignored the chaos, relentlessly attacking the seal. "Beast!" the Supreme Emperor snapped, soaring above the cage. Earth elements condensed into a colossal hand, suppressing the bear.
BOOM!
As a Late Body Unity master, he halted the bear's assault, forcing it to pause. Bai Lie and the elders sighed in relief, then turned to Lan An, their voices cold. "You… how do you want to die?"