Chapter 364: Lying in Wait

Chapter 364 -311: Lying in Wait

Upon first entering the Array, one would feel almost nothing out of the ordinary. It was like being a frog in slowly warming water, completely unaware of the approaching danger.

The Array’s power was initially so faint as to be negligible, growing slowly from nothing.

It lulled one into unconsciously letting their guard down, making them mistakenly believe they were still in a safe environment.

As time went on, the Illusion Array’s influence quietly strengthened, like trickles of water gathering into a great river.

By the time its power had accumulated to its peak and the trapped person had their moment of sudden realization, they would already be too deep to escape.

Jiang Xu was inwardly astonished, a cold sweat slowly trickling down his spine. ‘If I hadn’t noticed that in time,’ he thought, ‘the consequences would have been unimaginable.’

The design of this Illusion Array was so ingenious it could be described with a single word: insidious. It was like an invisible assassin, lurking silently in the darkness, waiting for its prey to walk step by step into the trap.

The creator clearly had a profound understanding of human psychology and the laws of nature. They had exploited the human mind’s slow reaction to gradual change, hiding the killing intent in plain sight, making it impossible to guard against.

Jiang Xu couldn’t help but ponder the intentions of the person behind this arrangement.

This person, or these people, must not only have achieved Mastery in the Array Dao, but also possess a profound understanding of psychology to design such an ingenious yet wicked trap.

The sheer depth of thought required—to discern the weaknesses of human nature and then translate that understanding into a tangible trap—made Jiang Xu take a sharp, cold breath.

His mind raced.

‘So close. I was so close.’

If he had walked just a little farther, Jiang Xu would have entered the Illusion Array’s range.

Even the Sea of Consciousness Shield he possessed wasn’t enough to make him feel completely at ease.

The Sea of Consciousness Shield could resist most Spiritual Power attacks, but Jiang Xu had no real confidence in how effective it would be against an Array that eroded one’s senses so subtly and gradually.

Jiang Xu didn’t dare imagine what would have happened if he’d stepped into the Illusion Array unprepared. Would his consciousness have slowly faded until he was completely lost, becoming a fish on someone else’s chopping block?

Jiang Xu continued to use the Perception Power of his Cuiwei Heart Technique, extending his senses through the forest ahead for his Investigation.

After a long period of Investigation, he came to a conclusion: the Illusion Array ahead was both impregnable and full of holes.

It was impregnable because its range was enormous, covering all directions with no blind spots. Even someone like Jiang Xu would find it incredibly difficult to simply walk in without being trapped.

But if Jiang Xu truly wanted to find out what was happening inside, there were ways.

He couldn’t go in himself, but he could certainly take an indirect approach.

For example…

The ubiquitous vegetation.

Or, for another example, Mumu, who resembled a tree and was a projection of his Lifebound Spirit Tree.

With his current control over vegetation via the Cuiwei Heart Technique, Jiang Xu could, by exerting his full power, make the plants within the Illusion Array transmit images of their surroundings directly into his mind.

However, this approach had a drawback.

The vegetation couldn’t move.

In other words, if there were no plants near the area he wanted to observe, he would be completely blind to what was happening.

But if he sent Mumu into the Illusion Array instead…

Since Jiang Xu would be controlling Mumu remotely, Mumu itself wouldn’t be ensnared by the Illusion Array.

It could slip directly into the Array and send back whatever information Jiang Xu needed.

Plus, Mumu could move. Even if there was no vegetation near the target, Jiang Xu could still gather intelligence.

The only problem was that Mumu would have to go deep into the enemy’s Array.

Jiang Xu had no idea what other dangers lurked within the Illusion Array; if Mumu went in, it might never come back.

In the end, after careful consideration…

He decided to first gather intelligence on the immediate surroundings using the vegetation within the Illusion Array.

Once he had a better understanding of the situation inside, he would send Mumu in for a more detailed Investigation.

It was a shame, though. He wasn’t confident he could enter and emerge unscathed, so he could only resort to these methods to gather intelligence.

‘Even if I get all the intelligence in the world, the fact remains that I can’t get in. That won’t change.’

He still couldn’t complete Xiong Liangsheng’s commission.

‘Oh well. I’ll just take it one step at a time.’

‘First, let’s see what’s actually going on in there. Then I’ll decide on my next move!’

Then, Jiang Xu communed with the Lifebound Spirit Tree within him, guiding it to release a subtle, sentient-feeling pulse of energy. The pulse gently followed the trail of the aura he had sensed, seeping toward its source.

In that instant, images of the trees already linked within Jiang Xu’s domain appeared in his mind’s eye.

He could use his consciousness to perceive any flower, blade of grass, or tree, and through them, observe everything in their vicinity.

Guided by the Cuiwei Heart Technique, the finest vine and the most inconspicuous shrub alike became extensions of Jiang Xu’s senses. Though they stood silent, they noiselessly transmitted information from the depths of the Illusion Array.

Normally, using this ability still consumed Spiritual Power, but not a significant amount.

However, an Array creates a barrier between the inside and the outside, and the strength of that barrier varies depending on the Array’s type and level.

Therefore, using his ability on the vegetation inside the Array would consume additional Spiritual Power.

Jiang Xu focused his mind, sensing the vegetation around the source of the aura.

‘Fortunately,’ he thought.

‘There’s a decent amount of vegetation around the target. I should be able to see its location.’