In the crowd, Shen Daofeng seemed to be putting in much more effort than his brother, only opening his eyes just then.

He looked up at the sky and murmured, "A new day has dawned. Lazy clouds drift across the sky, their lower halves steeped in shadow, their upper halves still afloat in the sunlight..."

Shen Ying rolled his eyes beside him and said, "You two brothers have both been poisoned by Chu Qingcheng. You’re getting more and more unbearable."

Shen Daofeng paid him no mind and continued to muse aloud, "That year, I was eighteen. It was the golden age of my life, but I was crushed by Shen Lang. That single defeat changed my entire life..."

Shen Ying was losing his mind. "Bro, you’re only eighteen right now! It’s only been a year since Cousin Shen Lang put you in your place. Do you really have to talk with the tone of a thousand-year-old man looking back on his life? And it’s not exactly a glorious memory, you know!"

Turning to look at the youngster, Shen Daofeng continued, "Though it’s only been a little over a year, it feels as if decades, even centuries, have passed... Which is why I just had a sudden epiphany..."

Shen Ying’s interest was piqued. "An epiphany? Did you have a breakthrough in your cultivation?"

"No." Shen Daofeng’s chubby face was completely solemn as he said, "I realized that in several decades, or perhaps several centuries, I will inevitably look back on everything that’s happening now. I hope that when that time comes, when I look back on my life, I will not regret wasting my years, nor will I be ashamed of a life of mediocrity... I will even look back fondly on that kick from Shen Lang... If not for that kick, you’d still be at home playing in the mud."

"..." Shen Ying was dumbfounded. "That’s between the two of you! What does it have to do with me?!"

Shen Daofeng added, "See those clouds in the sky? The ones that are half in light and half in shadow, like cotton candy? Seeing them, I’ve just realized something else..."

"What now?" Though annoyed, Shen Ying couldn’t stop himself from asking.

"I’ve realized... that I think it’s time to eat."

"AHHHH..." Shen Ying completely lost it. "How did I end up with two older brothers like you! Just kill me now!"

In a corner, Shang Xiaoran was fuming, while Zhan Wuji and Su Shi were trying their best to calm her down.

Zhan Wuji threw up his hands. "Junior Sister, Shen Lang didn’t do it on purpose. He just wanted to keep a low profile, not deliberately deceive you. A man shouldn’t be so petty."

"I’m... not a man!" Shang Xiaoran said coldly. "That bastard’s cultivation is ridiculously high, but he still put on an act in front of *me*, pretending to be pathetic and in need of help! He deceived me for so long and tricked me into feeling sorry for him!"

"If we hadn’t come here after the year-end tournament, I still wouldn’t know I’ve been played for a fool for so long!"

"I get furious just thinking about it!"

From the side, Zheng Donghong poked his head over. "As I recall, you didn’t seem to have a shred of sympathy back then, did you? You’re the one who drew four powerful enemies to us..."

"What... did... you... just... say?" Shang Xiaoran bit out, gritting her teeth.

Zheng Donghong jumped in fright. "Oh, looks like a senior brother over there is in trouble! I’ll go help him!"

With that, he bolted, disappearing in a flash.

"And what makes me even more furious... is that he actually went and taught that woman, Hao Fengliu! She’s my enemy!" Shang Xiaoran’s face had turned livid with resentment. "Last month, Hao Fengliu sought me out and challenged me to a spar in front of a group of our fellow disciples. She defeated me! The absolute nerve!"

"I was wondering how that woman, whose aptitude is far worse than mine and who doesn’t put in a tenth of the effort I do, managed to advance her cultivation so much in such a short time! I never imagined it was Shen Lang’s doing! I... I... I’m going to die from anger!"

Shang Xiaoran gesticulated wildly as she spoke, looking as if she were about to lose her mind.

"She’s such a handful..." Su Shi wiped the sweat from his brow and said with a sigh of resignation.

Zhan Wuji couldn’t have agreed more.

Just then, a sudden uproar broke out in the crowd. Everyone looked toward the distant horizon.

High in the sky, a few small black dots were approaching from the distance.

Shang Xiaoran shook her fists, gritting her teeth. "Shen Lang, you finally decided to show up!"

Having just landed, Shen Lang felt a wave of boundless resentment. He subconsciously turned his head and immediately spotted Shang Xiaoran, who looked like an enraged lioness.

"Er, nice... weather we’re having today, huh?" Shen Lang stammered.

Shang Xiaoran stalked forward, her face thunderous, but before she could even speak...

Shen Lang’s eyes flew wide. He suddenly pointed to the sky behind her and yelled, "Look! An airplane!"

The entire group turned around.

But the sky behind them was empty.

By the time a fuming Shang Xiaoran turned back around, Shen Lang was, as expected, nowhere to be seen.

A collective groan went through the crowd as everyone rolled their eyes.

Shang Xiaoran, who had prepared countless questions to confront Shen Lang with, stood stunned for a long moment before letting out a dejected sigh.

At this moment, Black Death swept a cold gaze over the several hundred people and announced, "All of you will remain here and await orders. Someone will be here shortly to lead you to the other side."

The playful chatter vanished instantly. As a Commander, Black Death possessed an astonishing presence; he could intimidate the vast majority of Spirit Martial Realm Martial Artists without even revealing his identity.

After speaking, Black Death and You Yue soared into the air, crossing the mountain range in the blink of an eye to reach the other side of the forbidden land.

There, Shen Lang stood before a Grand Array, examining it in detail. A group of Elder Ancestors and the elders from the various sects stood behind him, watching with puzzled expressions.

Although Shen Lang had given the instructions with the utmost gravity, having the Elder Ancestors of the Five Sects and dozens of elders work on it together, and although it had consumed countless Spirit Stones... to this day, they still didn’t understand what this blasted Grand Array was for.

The alliance currently needed a vast amount of resources to help the disciples of the various sects and the members of War Wolf raise their cultivation. To spend so much manpower and material wealth on this single Grand Array was truly baffling.

Dongfang Jian was never one to hold his tongue, and since he was the closest to Shen Lang, he wasn’t as reserved as the other Elder Ancestors.

He walked up to Shen Lang, puzzled. "Xiaolang, what in the world is this array? Setting up this Grand Array really wore us old folks out, and the amount of Spirit Stones it used was simply mind-boggling... But it doesn’t feel like a Defensive Array, nor does it feel like a Killing Array."

"You idiot. What would be the point of setting up a Defensive Array or a Killing Array inside a forbidden land? Anyone with half a brain knows it couldn’t be that type of array..." The Xiu Hua Sect’s Elder Ancestor, Gong Lanyan, was actually a little older than Dongfang Jian, but she looked to be only in her thirties. She did not pull her punches when she spoke.

Dongfang Jian shot her a glance before turning his attention back to Shen Lang, awaiting his answer.

’How dare he ignore me! That wretched old monster!’ Gong Lanyan fumed.

Shen Lang looked at the Grand Array, nodding with a hint of satisfaction. "The Life and Death Reincarnation Array. As its name implies, entering this array will make you experience a cycle of reincarnation."

"What? That’s terrifying!" Dongfang Jian and the others jumped in alarm.

"This array was passed down from the Witch Race, then modified and perfected over a thousand years by multiple Array Masters from the War God Hall. However, this is not the complete version; it is only a portion of it, suitable for Martial Artists below the Emperor Martial Realm. If this were the complete version, how could it possibly be deployed without the help of experts at the Quasi-Emperor Martial Realm or above?" Shen Lang murmured.

’The Witch Race? The War God Hall? To think... it has such an incredible origin!’

Everyone had been speculating about the origin and purpose of the Grand Array.

Upon hearing Shen Lang’s explanation, they were all stunned once again.

Be it the legendary War God Hall or the mysterious and bizarre Witch Race, neither were powers that people of their level could ever hope to come into contact with.

Even without knowing the array’s true power, its background alone was enough to tell them how formidable it was.

’As expected, what Shen Lang has shown us is only the tip of the iceberg... This young man shatters our expectations time and time again. Who knows how many more surprises he has in store for us!’

The Elder Ancestors of the various sects exchanged a look, their hearts filled with both shock and a sense of fortune.

This was one thing for the Elder Ancestors of Evil Wind Valley; those old men had known about what happened in Celestial Phoenix City from the very beginning. Even if Shen Lang had asked them to swear allegiance on the spot, they wouldn’t have hesitated.

It was no joke. This was a figure that even the Three Sect Ancestors of the Imperial Dragon Sect had to curry favor with. A patron this powerful wasn’t someone you could just latch onto whenever you pleased.

As for the Elder Ancestors from the Xiu Hua Sect, they had been extremely cautious at first.

If Mei Yingxue hadn’t sworn a deadly oath, they would probably still be hesitating.

But after everything that had happened recently, after all the benefits they had received, and now seeing this Grand Array, their hearts pounded in their chests. A wave of fear washed over them in hindsight... If they had refused back then, they likely would have spent the rest of their lives steeped in regret.

At this point, Shen Lang continued, "Although this is an Illusion Array, it is incredibly powerful. It was designed specifically for cultivation—or more accurately, for tempering one’s mind. Upon entering, you will experience three stages..."

"In the first stage, the Grand Array will unearth what is hidden in the depths of your heart. You will return to your past—to the moments you regret most, fear most, or lament most. You will have to face and experience all of it again, and you will be given a new chance to choose."

"Even a Divine Thought as powerful as a King Martial Realm expert’s cannot resist this Illusion Array. Therefore, I suggest you all simply enter with an open mind, relax your spirit, and embrace the challenge."

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

Everyone has a memory or two that they can’t bear to look back on.

Or something they fear.

Often, people are unwilling to think about these things, deliberately avoiding them because they don’t dare to face them.

If this Grand Array really had such a function...

Shen Lang seemed to have anticipated their reactions. He said nonchalantly, "If you want to become strong, you cannot deliberately avoid the fears in your heart. Fear itself is not a weakness. When you dare to face those things head-on, you will find that, in a sense, you have been reborn."

Many people began to nod in contemplation.

Shen Lang had clearly gone to great pains to have the Elder Ancestors set up this Grand Array.

"In the second stage, you will begin a new cycle of reincarnation, living out a full life completely different from your current one," Shen Lang added. "A single thought can be life or death; a single thought can be a new cycle."

"In the third stage, the darkness and evil in the depths of everyone’s hearts will be drawn out, and your Heart Demon will appear... This stage presents both opportunity and challenge. For Martial Artists at the Xuanwu Realm and below, the benefits to one’s state of mind won’t be particularly obvious; it’s hard to say how much you’ll gain. However, if a King Martial Realm expert enters and seizes the opportunity, advancing three consecutive levels might not just be a dream."

"What?! How is that possible?"

The Elder Ancestors and the thousand-plus members of "War Wolf" were utterly aghast. They stared at Shen Lang with wide, disbelieving eyes.

The King Martial Realm! At that stage, raising one’s cultivation was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Could an array set up in such a short amount of time truly be so heaven-defying?

The shock and disbelief in everyone’s eyes instantly transformed into pure ecstasy...