Chapter 37: The Xuantian Sect Under Siege

"Master, I have found the reason for the damage to the isolation canopy." The small ball of light that was the system flew over and said urgently.

"What is the reason?" Qiu Ci asked quickly.

"Insufficient energy!"

"What?" She was stunned for a moment. She had considered that the system might be worn out, or that there had been human sabotage, or even various bizarre causes, but she never expected the answer to be so simple and unadorned. "So the reason the barrier began to weaken is just because... it ran out of power?!"

"Yaaas, Master, your summary is so incisive!"

Incisive my foot! What kind of ridiculous reason is that!

(ノ=Д=)ノ┻━┻

"How could it be insufficient energy? When this city was built, it’s impossible that Blue Star didn't account for energy, right?" One had to know that the Beast Clan had fled to this isolated continent specifically to seek protection, so this isolation array was vital to them. How could Blue Star have overlooked the issue of energy?

"The great Blue Star certainly considered it, but back then, no one could have predicted that the energy would be depleted."

"Huh?" Qiu Ci blinked. "What do you mean?"

"According to the data, the city's primary energy source was the spiritual energy most common to the continent, and the overall consumption was minimal. The Beast City was originally built upon a spiritual vein, and specifically, the main vein. This means that as long as there was no cataclysmic change in the world and the spiritual energy of the entire continent was not completely exhausted, the city's energy would be inexhaustible and self-replenishing."

"So what is the situation now?"

"The main spiritual vein that originally existed here suddenly vanished. Without replenishment, the city's energy reserves dwindled. To save energy for the isolation canopy, the central system decided to shut down all energy-consuming programs and arrays, including the levitation propulsion array."

"So... that is why the city sank to the bottom of the sea."

"Yes, Master!"

"Then why did the spiritual vein disappear?" And the main one at that. She thought of the deep trench below; such terrain was clearly abnormal, likely the cause of the spiritual vein being abruptly extracted.

"I don't know, Master! There is no record in the database; the spiritual vein simply vanished. However," the system paused, then continued, "data shows a record of a massive influx of spiritual energy 7,000 years ago, but it was an external recharge."

"External..." Qiu Ci paused, suddenly thinking of those twelve stone statues. That must have been the great re-consecration ritual that Bo Di mentioned. No wonder they exhausted their entire cultivation; they were clearly drained dry. But the central system only needed spiritual energy—did no one among the Beast Clan know this?

She quickly summoned Bo Di and probed indirectly, only to find that it knew nothing about the city needing spiritual energy to function.

"Back then, there were many conflicts and frictions between the Beast Clan and the New Beast Clan at the Holy City, and many of our predecessors perished. Consequently, much of the heritage regarding the Holy City has been lost," Bo Di said with some regret.

As expected! No wonder they sacrificed themselves to re-consecrate the array; they truly didn't know that the city could be powered simply by having enough spiritual energy.

Qiu Ci was speechless, but in the end, she didn't have the heart to tell Bo Di the truth. She simply rephrased it, saying that the restored Beast City required a vast amount of spiritual energy to support it.

"System, how long can the current energy maintain this city?"

"Master, the Beast City is now fully activated, and with the energy spent on repairs, it is in an overloaded state. The remaining spiritual energy can last at most five days!"

"So short?" Then what are we waiting for? Get the spiritual energy gatherers to work!

"People of Blue Star!" Bo Di offered voluntarily. "If you need spiritual energy, there are several spiritual veins in the Endless Sea, though they are some distance away. However, I can have our clan gather some spiritual ore."

Qiu Ci looked up at the sea beasts blowing bubbles outside and the birds and beasts quietly tossing stones. Oh right, she had almost forgotten there were so many able-bodied workers outside.

She immediately flew out, determined to get every single beast moving. They could use spiritual stones to replenish energy and repair the Beast City first. Once the canopy was fully restored, she could open the city's barrier and move the city to another spiritual vein, completely solving the energy issue.

So... whether they swam in the water or flew in the sky, everyone was sent to dig for spiritual stones. Fortunately, these beasts, while being 'super' cute, were also quite obedient. Upon hearing that the Holy City needed spiritual stones, they immediately set to work with great enthusiasm. Because of their massive size, they were highly efficient; within just a few days, the city plaza was piled high with top-grade spiritual stones.

Qiu Ci spent several months in the city, patching up the dilapidated structure, resetting the isolation canopy, reconnecting the city to a new spiritual vein, and opening the city's sealed barrier.

The Beast Clan members, who had been wandering outside, were finally able to enter the city. With their participation, the progress of the city's restoration accelerated significantly. In many places, she no longer needed to provide authorization; she only had to give an order, and the beasts could handle the repairs themselves.

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Xuantian Sect.

In the main hall, Qi Hong and the other elders were sitting cross-legged, meditating. They all looked exhausted, and four or five of them were already wounded. Beside them, Yu Xuan had blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, appearing to be severely injured.

"How is it? Is there any response from the senior?" Yu Xuan suppressed his roiling blood and asked in a deep voice.

Qi Hong shook his head and took a deep breath. "No response yet. They are too far away; even a transmission talisman would take days to arrive. Plus, since it is the Endless Sea, it is uncertain if the message will even get through."

"Sigh!" Yu Xuan let out a long sigh and glanced outside the hall at the sky, where a dense crowd of people was gathered. His brows furrowed deeply. "Why did they come so quickly? If only we had a little more time, we could have had a few more Nascent Soul cultivators in the sect, then..."

"They must have heard about me and Brother Huo breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, which is why they chose this time," Qi Hong said, glancing angrily at the scene outside.

It was true; under the effects of the medicinal pills from Qiu Ci, the entire sect's cultivation speed had surged. Just a few days ago, Qi Hong and Huo Zhentian, the Peak Master of Bailian Peak—both of whom had been stuck at the peak of the Golden Core stage for years—had both broken through. The Xuantian Sect had suddenly gained two Nascent Soul cultivators.

Before they had time to rejoice, the Luoxia Sect and the Chiling Sect had suddenly launched a massive invasion, accusing the Xuantian Sect of destroying a forbidden site and practicing demonic arts.

Qi Hong and Huo Zhentian had just broken through and their foundations were unstable. Furthermore, the enemy had inexplicably found two more Nascent Soul cultivators to join their two existing ones. Naturally, Qi Hong and the others could not withstand the combined force of four Nascent Soul experts.

They had no choice but to retreat into the sect, protecting their disciples and activating the protective mountain array. Even so, they had suffered injuries.

Seven days had passed, and the two sects had tried every method to break the array, but everyone knew this was only temporary. They could not hide in the array forever. Besides, the array required spiritual stones to maintain, and their supply would eventually run out.