Chapter 1727 - 312-5

The people of the fourth house are seated in the sixth and last sedan chair.

An elderly woman speaks: "The distance between the sedan chairs has been lengthened."

A youthful man speaks: "Practitioner Zhao Yi is seated in the second sedan chair, separated by the Zhao family's barrier; the effect of the skills slows down, it's quite normal."

The woman nods and says, "Did he light the lamp a second time or not?"

The young man: "I don't know, there are more than just our team in the waves, everyone gathering together; the cause and effect energy interferes with each other, making it difficult to sense, and even harder to deduce."

Woman: "If he lit the lamp a second time, that can be understood. Otherwise, how dare he return?"

The young man: "There's no need to guess about it; besides the second house, other groups are probably pondering this matter, so it's not just us who are troubled."

The last sedan chair rises and passes through the stone stele.

At this point, this sedan chair has already pulled quite a long distance from the one in front.

The environment within the barrier is complex and unique; the usual perceptual orientation in outside reality is no longer applicable.

Thick fog closes in.

On the stone stele, where Zhao Yi previously covered with his hand, wisps of fresh blood seep continuously, gradually forming a blood-red handprint.

Seated in the second sedan chair, Zhao Yi extends his hand, tearing a layer of skin from his right palm.

It's thin and tender, with reddish flesh inside.

Zhao Yi's hands begin to interlace, threads of fresh blood ooze out, continually entwined by him.

In the next moment, Zhao Yi crosses his ten fingers, merges them, and arches upwards—Nuo Puppetry Technique!

At the entrance, the stone sculptures lining both sides of the road start shedding their surface completely; strands of bright red surge upwards from the base of the sculptures.

If the stone sculptures were moved aside at this moment, you would see beneath each sculpture there's an array, very new.

"Clang!"

The sixth sedan chair falls.

The people of the fourth house lift the sedan curtain and step out.

Just then, the outer skins of the stone sculptures have almost entirely fallen off, revealing the shriveled bodies of the guardians inside. As they move, their bodies inflate as if being filled, with even abnormal bluish vein marks appearing on their pale faces.

The rows of stone sculptures are numerous, divided into four groups, combining into an array to encircle and confine the people of the fourth house.

Woman: "What does this mean?" ℯ

Young man: "It means he really dares."

The twin brother and sister first tear off their disguises, revealing their true forms.

"Is that Zhao Yi crazy?"

"But what makes him think these guardians can stop us?"

"Buzz!" "Buzz!" "Buzz!"

All the guardians collectively shiver; then, they all draw swords and knives, first stabbing into their own chests before drawing them out.

Blue flames burst forth from their wounds, the intensity of their aura surging upward.

This means all the guardians have less than fifteen minutes to exist; after that, they will collectively turn to ash.

The four people of the fourth house all wear heavy expressions.

Woman says gravely: "He's not trying to use these things to block us."

Young man: "He's trying to use them to inflict as much damage and weaken us as possible."

The woman grits her teeth and says: "He really is... willing."

Young man: "Now I'm beginning to doubt whether he really intends to protect the Zhao family."

The guardians change from their previous defensive encirclement formation, all four directions switching to an offensive array.

Then,

All guardians let out a silent roar and charge forward like madmen!

...

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, what are these trees outside?"

Outside the sedan, there appears a special grove, with black roots, white trunks, and green branches and leaves.

At first glance, you might think they were painted to prevent pest infestation.

But placed here, it's clearly impossible; even for pest control, they wouldn't use paint.

Tan Wenbin: "According to the Jianghu Chronicles, they're called sacrificial trees."

Lin Shuyou: "Are Zhao family members buried here?"

Tan Wenbin: "Probably, the qualifications to be formally interred in the ancestral tomb are stringent; most of the Zhao family throughout generations can only be buried here to guard the ancestral tomb, protecting it from wind and rain."

Lin Shuyou: "So this is considered part of the Zhao family's ancestral tomb, but only the outer perimeter?"

Tan Wenbin: "Yes."

Li Zhiyuan: "Not just the ancestral tomb but also arrays; each tree is an independent array eye, and the bones buried beneath are array patterns; many people who weren't fully dead when placed inside can never reincarnate after death... Spirits become array spirits."

After the young man spoke, Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou both fell into silence.

After a while, Lin Shuyou spoke: "The Zhao family handles things so absolutely?"

Even the remains of their ancestors wouldn't be spared, extracting and utilizing them even after death.

Li Zhiyuan: "The Zhao family is good at management."

Lin Shuyou muttered: "No wonder the Three-eyed is so harsh on himself; turns out it's hereditary."

Just then, Lin Shuyou's eyes widened; he saw a person standing by the roadside outside the sedan, it was Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi stands there with his eyes closed, motionless.

Lin Shuyou points at him: "Three, Three, Three-eyed!"

Tan Wenbin senses carefully and says: "It is indeed him."

Li Zhiyuan: "It's not him."

Even the young man cannot discern anything amiss from that person, as if he truly were Zhao Yi.

But Zhao Yi closes his eyes, deliberately avoiding looking at the sedan where they are, to prevent misunderstandings.

Li Zhiyuan: "The Life and Death Door crack."

...