Chapter 785 - 359: Suspecting a Mole, Zi Xi’s Mentality

"An Array?"

Zi Xi came to a halt, a flash of purple light in her eyes.

She was a little surprised.

She saw no Array Patterns around them, nor did she sense the slightest killing intent.

It wasn’t just her; Wu Shuo and the others hadn’t noticed anything unusual either, so they all thought it was strange.

"Saintess, why did you suddenly stop?"

"There seems to be an Array here. Everyone, use your abilities and take a look."

Zi Xi’s voice was ethereal as she alerted the others.

Then, she sent a private Sound Transmission. "Daoist Li, is there really an Array here?"

"Yes!"

Li Chang’an was completely certain.

As a Tier Four Array Master, he was exceptionally perceptive of any traces of an Array.

This place held a particularly special Quasi-Tier Four Array—a high-quality and extremely rare one at that.

In the past, he wouldn’t have noticed anything amiss either.

But things were different now.

His eyes deepened as he scanned his surroundings. He saw not only the countless, perfectly concealed Array Patterns but also a vast number of beating hearts.

’So it’s this kind of Array. Good thing I noticed it in time.’

Li Chang’an discreetly projected a ray of Spiritual Light, sharing his vision with Zi Xi.

Zi Xi’s gaze sharpened as she stared at a particular spot.

’There really is an Array.’

"Saintess, this Array is rather strange. I’ll give you the locations. Strike each one in sequence with power that surpasses the Golden Core Limit."

"Alright!"

Zi Xi trusted Li Chang’an completely and asked no further questions.

And so,

Following Li Chang’an’s guidance, she cast Magic more than a dozen times in quick succession.

After a thunderous roar, more than a dozen of the concealing Array Patterns were obliterated.

The full scope of the Array was instantly revealed to everyone.

"This is..."

Wu Shuo and the others stared in shock, their pupils constricting.

Surrounding them were thousands upon thousands of crimson hearts.

The hearts hung in midair, pulsing with a powerful, uniform rhythm as if they were still inside their chests.

"THUMP-THUMP... THUMP-THUMP..."

The sound of countless beats overlapped, creating a deafening roar like thunder.

Everyone felt an unbearable pressure in their chests. Their own hearts seemed to be beating in time with the others, faster and more violently, as if they would tear out of their ribcages to join the multitude.

Not far in front of them,

the disappearance of the Concealing Array revealed more than a dozen corpses, their faces frozen in terror.

Each corpse was kneeling on the ground, a gaping, bloody hole in its chest where its heart was missing.

One of them was a disciple of the Purple Mist Sect and a Golden Core Celestial Pride, capable of fighting above his rank. Although he couldn’t compare to a Holy Son and Saintess, he was still considered one of the top Golden Core Cultivators beneath that level.

He was far stronger than Honored Guest Elders like Wu Shuo.

And yet, he had died here.

"Everyone, be careful. This array is unsettling. It’s a good thing the Saintess noticed it ahead of time."

Wu Shuo’s expression was grave, a hint of lingering fear in his eyes.

If they hadn’t detected it, their fate would likely have been the same as those dozen or so corpses.

Just then, a shrill laugh echoed from outside the Array.

"Heh heh heh... Zi Xi, what do you think of this Ten Thousand Hearts Return Array?"

"It’s nothing more than a Quasi-Tier Four Array."

Zi Xi’s tone was indifferent, showing no emotional fluctuation.

Her eyes looked toward a certain spot outside the Array, her gaze profound, as if she could see through everything.

"Teng Ying, as the Netherworld Saint Child, is this the extent of your abilities?"

"Of course not!"

The Saint Child of the Yellow Springs Sect, the one named Teng Ying, laughed.

"This is merely an appetizer. I want to see how many Tier Four Cards you have for Array-Breaking, heh heh heh..."

The sound of his strange laughter gradually faded.

Apparently, in his view, an ordinary Quasi-Tier Four Array Master would be completely unable to break the Ten Thousand Hearts Return Array.

If Zi Xi wanted to break the array, she would have to use a Tier Four Card and shatter it with brute force.

But he had overlooked Li Chang’an, who was right beside Zi Xi.

’A Demon Sect Saint Child.’

Li Chang’an frowned slightly, gazing in the direction Teng Ying had departed.

He didn’t want to reveal too much of his strength in the Array Dao in front of the Demon Sect, lest he become a target.

Therefore, he simply stood in place and made no move. Instead, he told Zi Xi the Array-Breaking Technique, letting her act on his behalf to break the array.

Just over a dozen breaths later,

the Quasi-Tier Four Array was completely shattered.

The countless hearts around them stopped beating, fell to the ground, and turned to ash.

"Phew..."

Everyone clutched their chests and breathed a collective sigh of relief, feeling much lighter.

After resting for a moment,

they continued to explore the Demon Sect stronghold, following the Blood River.

Before long,

Li Chang’an once again sent a Sound Transmission to Zi Xi. "Saintess, stop. We’ve walked into another array."

"Hm?"

Zi Xi’s brow furrowed. To her surprise, she hadn’t sensed a thing this time, either.

Wu Shuo, Zi Yun, and the others had also failed to notice anything was wrong.

It wasn’t their fault.

This Array was just as bizarre and inscrutable, far from any ordinary Quasi-Tier Four Array.

’The All Living Beings Illusion Dream Formation.’

Li Chang’an’s expression was grim as he stared ahead.

To everyone else, the scene was unchanged: the seemingly endless Blood River, filled with severed limbs, stretched on into the gloomy darkness.

But in his eyes, the Blood River was filled with ice coffins, bobbing up and down in the current.

Inside each ice coffin,

lay a Cultivator who appeared to be sound asleep.

Li Chang’an discreetly projected a ray of Spiritual Light, sharing his vision with Zi Xi.

"Saintess, this is the All Living Beings Illusion Dream Formation. It incorporates a Dream Path Skill that can pull people into a dream, causing them to become completely lost within it. There’s no warning; victims fall into its trap without even realizing it."

’I see.’

Zi Xi glanced around and discovered that dazed, entranced expressions were slowly creeping onto the faces of her many Guests.

Even her younger sister, Zi Yun, was no exception.

As if sleepwalking, their bodies swayed gently as they slowly began to walk toward the Blood River.

"Daoist Li, how do we break this array?"