Chapter 561 547: Retreat One Step, 7-Section Snake Formation

"Pharmacist Yang, we discovered a small magic array not long ago. Are you interested in going to take a look?"

The day after Yang Chan awoke at the Sect's encampment, Hall Master Xu of the Artifact Refining Hall came to find him, inviting him to the place where the opportunity had been found.

"The Cyan Yuan Sect has found that we can crack these small arrays ourselves. The Merak Saintess and her group know about them but don't care. Only those large arrays are their true targets!"

"This is a tacit agreement, so there won't be any other problems!"

Hall Master Xu noticed the look in Yang Chan's eyes and instantly guessed his thoughts, explaining with a smile.

The Purple Void Secret Realm was filled with magic arrays. The Merak Saintess and her group were always heading for the deepest parts of the realm, showing little interest in the outer regions. They would only spend extra time if a large-scale secret realm was discovered.

It seemed as though they were searching for something specific within the secret realm, but the Cyan Yuan Sect didn't know what it was and didn't ask.

The fact that the Merak Sacred Land offered no explanation was an attitude in itself. Since Gu An didn't press the matter, Hall Master Xu and the others from the Artifact Refining Hall certainly wouldn't speak out of turn. There was no need.

"Oh? In that case, I'll follow Hall Master Xu and broaden my horizons!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Chan naturally didn't refuse.

The Hall Master of the Artifact Refining Hall was making a gesture of goodwill, and he had no reason to turn it down.

As for the danger, Yang Chan wasn't worried. This Hall Master Xu was only at the stage of Inner Refining of the Six Viscera; his cultivation was far weaker than his own.

Yang Chan had entered the secret realm with great confidence in his cultivation. As long as he wasn't ambushed by a group of Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmasters or forced to fight an expert at the Blood Exchange Martial Saint Level, he would basically be fine.

So, if he encountered danger, he just needed to be cautious. If things felt wrong, he could take a step back, and his life would likely not be at risk.

Besides, if things really went south, he still had the Profound Yin Hanging Bead to shield him from disaster.

As for the Black Dragon's opinion, that wasn't important.

'It was so eager to enter the secret realm, it should naturally contribute something for its eagerness.'

The Black Dragon, still sleeping inside the Profound Yin Hanging Bead, suddenly felt a wave of malice. It vanished just as quickly, but it was enough to jolt the dragon awake.

It looked around and found the restrictions on the Profound Yin Hanging Bead were still in place. Unable to perceive the outside world, it went back to lying down.

The Dragon Race had long lifespans and spent most of their time sleeping. Now that the Black Dragon had become an Artifact Spirit, it had inherited this trait quite well. When there was nothing to do, it was basically always asleep.

This also reduced the consumption of its Soul Body's energy.

"Good. In that case, Pharmacist Yang, please get ready. We'll set out together in a bit."

Hall Master Xu of the Artifact Refining Hall wasn't surprised. Everyone who entered the secret realm naturally wanted to gain something from it; otherwise, they wouldn't have come in the first place.

This was true even though he knew Yang Chan wasn't short on Cultivation Resources.

At the very least, one could gain a lot of experience by entering the secret realm. The magic arrays were a unique feature of the Purple Void Secret Realm, and gaining some insights from them would already make the trip worthwhile.

"Alright!"

Yang Chan nodded.

'This is a good chance to see the magic arrays of the Purple Void Secret Realm for myself.'

Yang Chan hadn't seen many magic arrays. The Concealing Breath array he possessed was one type, but its deployment method was extremely simple.

The Taixuan Sacrifice Array he had set up with the Black Dragon before was more complex, but he had mostly relied on the dragon for that—and then an accident had happened.

Other than that, Yang Chan had very little contact with them.

He had read about arrays in some Ancient Texts, but he had never observed one in person.

'Getting some early exposure now is an excellent choice. If I find traces of a Cross-Realm Teleportation Array later, I might have to try and break it. The same goes for any other Cultivation Resources I want.'

After confirming there were many arrays in the secret realm, Yang Chan had specifically told the Black Dragon to read more books about them in case the knowledge came in handy. However, seeing as the dragon spent most of its time sleeping and only glanced at the books occasionally, he didn't have high hopes.

As for himself, he currently had no intention of studying arrays. In his current plans, miscellaneous skills like arrays were naturally pushed to a later time.

Right now, Martial Arts Cultivation, his Pharmacist profession, and the Tai Chi Health Cultivation Skill were more important. Knowledge about arrays could be supplemented slowly in the future.

The trade-offs between these were easy to decide; it didn't require much thought.

Hall Master Xu and the others from the Artifact Refining Hall were very fast. When they said they'd wait "a bit," they meant it, and the group set off almost immediately. They were remarkably efficient.

A party of seven set out together, heading toward the location of the small magic array.

The location was on a mountainside, some distance away from the large array the Merak Sacred Land was trying to crack, so it was considered a peripheral area. They had found it while searching for Spirit Medicine. The array's space itself wasn't large, only about ten meters in diameter.

Among the seven in their party, the roster was, on the surface, one Inner Master and six External Refining Elite Disciples. In the context of the secret realm, this group wasn't considered strong, but cracking a small magic array shouldn't be too difficult.

"It really is the Seven-Section Snake Array, just as I expected!"

When the group arrived at the array's location and tried to get closer, they were repelled by a force. They tested various spots and confirmed that it was indeed not very large.

After observing it, a smile flashed in Hall Master Xu's eyes. When he first received the report, he had taken out the compendium of basic arrays given to them by the Merak Sacred Land, which contained records of this type of small array.

This was one of the benefits Gu An had secured for the Cyan Yuan Sect, adding to the Sect's foundational knowledge.

Although it was only a compendium of basic arrays, not every Sect possessed one. It would allow them to cultivate disciples skilled in setting up arrays, which was a good thing for the Cyan Yuan Sect.

They could not only break arrays but also set them up, giving the Cyan Yuan Sect additional defensive measures.

"Hall Master Xu, you know this array?"

Yang Chan was somewhat surprised to hear this.

He had just been about to lift the restrictions on the Profound Yin Hanging Bead to let the Black Dragon check if it recognized the array, but he hadn't expected Hall Master Xu of the Artifact Refining Hall to speak up first.

From the sound of it, the Hall Master seemed quite knowledgeable, which surprised Yang Chan even more.

He wasn't aware of anyone in the Sect who studied these arrays, though it was possible they just hadn't revealed their skills.

"I saw it in the compendium of Array Foundations from the Merak Sacred Land. After hearing the description of this array, I searched through the compendium and found a few that matched."

"Seeing it in person confirmed it!"

As Hall Master Xu spoke, he took out a copy of the Array Foundation compendium and flipped directly to the section on the Seven-Section Snake Array.

This wasn't quite what Yang Chan had expected, but somehow, it felt right.