Chapter 644 - 638: The Solution

In the meeting hall of the Cyan Dragon Clan, Shen Haoran, Long Xiaotian, and the many Elders of the clan sat together. The atmosphere was tense.

"Nephew Shen, you’re saying those black-robed individuals have set up a Hundred-Refinement Soul-devouring Array in Central City, and in three days, they will use the Alchemists participating in the Pill Emperor competition as a catalyst to activate it and slaughter the Martial Artists of the Demon Race in Central City?" Long Xiaotian asked in a grave voice after hearing Shen Haoran’s speculation.

"That’s right. I inferred it from their conversation. Judging by the expression on that black-robed man’s face, it should be more or less correct," Shen Haoran said with a nod.

"Clan Leader, if that’s really the case, then this is a great calamity for our Demon Race! We must stop the Pill Emperor competition, or the consequences will be unimaginable!" one of the Cyan Dragon Clan’s Elders said, his face etched with anxiety.

Hearing the Elder’s words, Long Xiaotian’s brows furrowed tightly. He then turned his gaze to Shen Haoran and asked softly, "Nephew Shen, what do you think we should do about this?"

When Long Xiaotian tossed the question to him, Shen Haoran pondered for a moment before replying, "Uncle Long, I don’t think stopping the Pill Emperor competition is possible. It is, after all, the Demon Race Medicine Hall’s grand event held once every five years. I don’t need to tell you all about the Medicine Hall’s influence within the Demon Race. This event is highly anticipated. Besides, even if we cancel it, if the Martial Artists don’t leave, the black-robed individuals’ plan will still proceed. They might even resort to bloodier methods."

Hearing Shen Haoran’s analysis, everyone present frowned even more deeply. Another Elder spoke up, "If we can’t stop the Pill Emperor competition, then what should we do? How about we drive all these Martial Artists out of Central City? The black-robed people want to use them as sacrifices. If they lose these Martial Artists as offerings, their grand array will be useless!"

Hearing this Elder’s words, Shen Haoran immediately shook his head. "That’s even more impossible. The number of Martial Artists who have entered Central City this time is enormous. Trying to persuade them to leave is unrealistic and would create many problems. First, would these Martial Artists even listen to us? After all, what I’ve said is just speculation; I have no concrete evidence. Even with the Cyan Dragon Clan, one of the Four Great Divine Beast Families, stepping forward, it wouldn’t work. Second, among these people, there are plenty of races who are dissatisfied with the Four Great Divine Beast Families. If they use this as a pretext to stir up trouble, the Cyan Dragon Clan will bear the brunt of it. It could even escalate into a full-blown war between the Demon Race’s various clans, and the consequences would be even more severe!"

"This won’t work, and that won’t work... so what should we do?" The Cyan Dragon Clan Elders all turned to look at Shen Haoran.

"There are only two options now. First, we could lie in wait for them to expose themselves. If we can kill all the black-robed individuals, the crisis will be resolved. However, they seem to be highly organized and disciplined, and they are very good at disguising themselves. Even your clan’s Message Technique can’t detect them. So, the first option is basically hopeless. We can only use the second option: take the initiative. Since they won’t make a move, we’ll have to smoke them out!" Shen Haoran explained his plan, causing the eyes of the Cyan Dragon Clan members to light up.

"One more question. How do we make them come out willingly?" Long Xiaotian asked, looking at Shen Haoran with a smile. The wisdom Shen Haoran had displayed was beyond Long Xiaotian’s imagination. ’A genius with such Talent, strength, and a superhuman mind, yet not a shred of arrogance... If he’s allowed to mature, he will undoubtedly shake the entire continent.’ At that moment, Long Xiaotian made a decision in his heart: he would do everything in his power to befriend Shen Haoran. This would only be beneficial, with no downsides, for the future development of the Cyan Dragon Clan.

"That’s simple. What’s most important to the black-robed people right now? Naturally, it’s resurrecting the so-called ’master’ they speak of. That resurrection requires sacrifices and the Hundred-Refinement Soul-devouring Array. We can’t do anything about the sacrifices, but we can do something about the array. As long as we destroy the Hundred-Refinement Soul-devouring Array, the black-robed individuals will surely come out to stop us or repair it. When they do, we can trap them like fish in a barrel!" Shen Haoran said with a light chuckle. He had already come up with these methods back in the Medicine Hall’s Medicinal Garden.

"The Hundred-Refinement Soul-devouring Array requires four Array Bases to construct. In Central City, I can’t think of a more suitable location for the bases than the residences of the Four Great Divine Beast Families. After all, your four clans guard the four cardinal directions of Central City, which are its most important locations!" Shen Haoran explained how to lure out the black-robed people without waiting for Long Xiaotian and the others to ask.

"In our Four Great Divine Beast Families? You mean our Cyan Dragon Clan is also one of the Array Bases for the Hundred-Refinement Soul-devouring Array? That’s impossible! The defenses around our clan are so tight that not even a fly could get in, let alone those black-robed people. If they showed up, we would definitely detect them immediately!" one of the Cyan Dragon Clan Elders said with a chuckle, his eyes filled with confidence.

"I wouldn’t be so sure. Those black-robed people managed to sneak into the Medicine Hall’s Medicinal Garden, and right under the nose of Elder Shi, who guards it. I imagine sneaking into the Four Great Divine Beast Families’ residences wouldn’t be too difficult either," Shen Haoran said with a shrug.

Hearing Shen Haoran’s words, the expressions of Long Xiaotian and the Elders turned grim. Shen Haoran was right. If the enemy could infiltrate a place like the Medicine Hall, then sneaking into the residences of the Four Great Divine Beast Families might not be difficult at all.

"Nephew Shen, can you find this so-called Array Base?" Long Xiaotian asked as he looked at Shen Haoran. ’Normally, only Array Masters can set up an Array, and Array Masters died out back in the Ancient Era. Could it be that Shen Haoran is also an Array Master?’

"I learned a little about Arrays from my master. I’m not entirely sure, but I can give it a try!" Shen Haoran said with a light laugh. Although he said that, the corner of his mouth curved into a confident smile. With the Array Dao from his Alchemy Inheritance, finding an Array’s base was still possible, even for an Earth Tier High Level Array like the Hundred-Refinement Soul-devouring Array.

"Good! Then there’s no time to lose. We’ll be counting on you, Nephew Shen!" Seeing the confident smile on Shen Haoran’s face, Long Xiaotian said decisively.

Shen Haoran didn’t stand on ceremony. He went directly into the main courtyard of the Cyan Dragon Clan. The Vermilion Bird Wings on his back unfurled, and his body slowly floated into the air. Then, his immense Spiritual Thought instantly and ferociously surged out across the Cyan Dragon Clan’s grounds.

The members of the Cyan Dragon Clan were all somewhat shocked as they felt the sudden eruption of Spiritual Thought from Shen Haoran and saw the Vermilion Bird Wings on his back.

"That’s the aura of the Vermilion Bird Race, alright, and it’s even purer! His Spiritual Thought’s intensity is terrifying, too. It might even be a bit stronger than Young Master Aotian’s!" the members of the Cyan Dragon Clan commented as they watched Shen Haoran’s figure.

"This young man will definitely achieve great things in the future. We must do our best to befriend him," Long Xiaotian instructed in a low voice. Hearing this, the other Elders all nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Shen Haoran, who had been floating in mid-air with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"Found it!"