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Apart from ensuring the smooth journey in the underground world, Chen Xuanfeng spent a significant amount of time and effort perfecting this magic array for another reason.

That is spiritual cultivation.

The werewolf lord lifted a strand of silver hair, observing the mercury-like flow of combat energy, and smiled as he said, "The effect of this array on connecting senses is one aspect, but it also greatly benefits my combat energy refinement. Just in these few days, my control over combat energy has become much more flexible. I believe that soon, I will be able to project my combat energy onto the distant dark elf, thereby enhancing her combat power. After that, I will begin to explore the mysteries of the 'Starry Abyss.'"

With Chen Xuanfeng's current strength, he is just a step away from the Saint Realm. In fact, if he were to fully integrate the "Holy Grail Battle Aura" and the "Nine-Headed Dragon Battle Aura" now, he could almost immediately establish an energy cycle connecting to the "Starry Abyss," thus stepping into the Saint Realm. The only problem is that he would certainly not survive the violent and vast energy impact.

Only warriors at the level of Sword Emperors or mages who have mastered tenth-level magic can truly comprehend how vast the Starry Abyss is. From Chen Xuanfeng's perspective, the power of the Starry Abyss is far more immense than the ice-based forbidden spells he has seen, by billions of times. In fact, so-called forbidden spells are merely a way to channel the power of the Starry Abyss into this material plane protected by the World Tree through secret methods. Therefore, extending combat energy beyond the material plane to borrow the power of the Starry Abyss, especially actively borrowing that power, is indeed a much more dangerous task than manipulating forbidden spells.

If it were a Divine Weapon Sword Saint, since half of their power is provided by epic divine weapons, although their control is not as flexible, their power is relatively stable, and they do not need to simultaneously balance two types of power. Additionally, the sturdy nature of the divine weapon can bear half of the energy impact, thus reducing the difficulty by several times. The effect of the "Saint Mark" is even safer, as it records the energy paths already explored by previous Sword Saints. Therefore, those who inherit the "Saint Mark" only need to follow the ways of their predecessors to safely control the powers that have already been explored and even tamed and assimilated, just like inheriting a fully developed mine. All they need to do is change themselves to align with the power characteristics of their predecessors.

However, the path Chen Xuanfeng must take is a hundred times more difficult.

He must simultaneously separate two strands of combat energy, reverse them along his two types of battle aura into the Starry Abyss, then explore and understand their respective patterns and characteristics, find a way for the two to coexist, and imprint the related powers with his own mark. Finally, he must unleash all his power to construct an energy cycle, and when the boundless and immense power surges through his body, he must perfectly fuse his spirit and power with space, thereby creating his own spatial domain. Only then can it be considered a preliminary success. The myriad obstacles involved demand immense combat energy and masterful skill to surmount. Neglecting any step would add significant danger to himself. Chen Xuanfeng doubts his luck would suffice to succeed in one attempt without preparation, like the "Ancestor of Sword Saints" did in the past. If he were to follow the steps gradually, he would inevitably waste decades, like Leimen. After much deliberation, he chose to use magic to accelerate the improvement of his spiritual level.

"Chuckle... So, being the first mage to aid a Sword Saint in ascension, I suppose I should take pride in that, shouldn’t I?" The smug Lich became even more arrogant after hearing the werewolf lord's praise.

Chen Xuanfeng has always disliked the Lich's tasteless style, so although he greatly admired the magic array he created, he verbally struck back, "Hmph, I'm afraid it's the opposite. If it weren't for my special conditions, anyone else using your magic array would not only fail to advance but would likely have their combat energy drained in an instant, turning into a zombie. So, without me, an inexhaustible combat energy tester, your magic array would only create the undead. What is there to be proud of?"

"Jealousy! This is blatant jealousy, the slander of the ignorant against the learned..."

As the Lich ranted, Chen Xuanfeng found it amusing at first, but soon a wave of melancholy washed over him. In his life, such bantering days seemed only to have occurred when he teased his junior brothers on Peach Blossom Island. But... separated by two lifetimes, severed emotions and righteousness, everything has changed.

Thinking of this, Chen Xuanfeng’s interest in riling the King of the Undead waned, and he slowly closed his eyes, once again directing his spirit towards the endless distance.

The underground world stayed shrouded in dimness, with only occasional glimmers of faint light.

The perpetual haze of darkness has long served as the underground creatures' shield against surface invaders, so no creature has attempted to change it. Even in the cities of the dark elves, there are no lighting facilities, except for the twelve giant animal oil candles lit in front of the temple dedicated to the Spider Queen Lolth. The entire city is shrouded in darkness.

So dark that even the blood flowing on the ground appears gray.

Blood dripped from the blade onto the black streets paved with basalt, and shrill screams echoed between the stalactites on the ceiling. Slaughter filled every district, with countless creatures fighting to the death. Minotaurs, Goblins, Troglodytes, Lizardmen, and Kobolds (not the dog tribe among the orcs, but a subspecies of Lizardmen) wielded axes, clubs, and spears, clashing in chaos. They relentlessly charged through streets and alleys in teams, slaying their own kind or other races, only to be swiftly torn apart by other creatures.

On the battlefield, several teams of dark elf spellswords, clad in mithril-woven armor and wielding dual blades or rapiers, took on leadership roles, repeatedly charging into the enemy formations, causing heavy casualties. Meanwhile, the dark elf mages, along with mind flayers and beholders, floated at the edges of the combat zone, relentlessly unleashing a barrage of mental and energy-based attacks across the battlefield, inflicting more damage than the warriors.