Chapter 494 - 27: Luring the Tiger out of the Mountain? Luring the Snake out of Its Hole?

The departure of the clan’s two pillars at the same time was a monumental event for the Song Clan.

On the surface, all seemed calm, but in reality, undercurrents were surging. All the Foundation Establishment Cultivators sprang into action, and both Vast Mist Peak and the Moon Viewing Marketplace were secretly placed on high alert.

Wind-facing Cliff was tens of thousands of miles from Vast Mist Peak. On his own, the journey would have taken Song Changsheng at least four or five days. Fortunately, with the Purple Mansion Great Cultivator Song Xianming accompanying him, they reached their destination in just three.

Before them was a colossal, ink-black cloud mass that blotted out the sky, churning endlessly beneath the heavens. The ground below was scorched black, covered in the marks of rampaging thunderbolts.

A dozen or so figures stood at a distance from the cloud mass. They were cultivators who had been passing by and were now pointing and talking amongst themselves about the phenomenon.

As they drew closer, they could hear the cultivators arguing. Some claimed it was a thunderstorm; others insisted it wasn’t. The two factions were at a deadlock, neither able to convince the other.

"Look, another Purple Mansion Great Cultivator is here," someone suddenly said, pointing toward the horizon.

The crowd turned to look, just in time to see an Escape Light approaching at high speed. It resolved into two figures: one old, one young.

The elder was dressed in heavy purple robes. His build was sturdy, and he exuded a natural authority. As he hovered in the air, he radiated a magnificent aura.

The young man stood atop a flying sword, clad in a long azure robe. He had a heroic bearing, and his sharp, sword-like eyebrows gave him an incisive air.

"Which Ascendant is that?" a cultivator asked in a low voice.

His companion immediately looked astonished. "You don’t even know them? One is Song Xianming, the former Clan Leader of the Song Clan and a Tier Three Array Master who just broke through to the Purple Mansion Great Cultivator realm last year."

"The other is the current Song Clan Leader, Song Changsheng. He once slayed a Purple Mansion Evil Cultivator in the Griffin Mountain Range, and I hear he’s also a disciple of the Great City Lord."

"Ah, so it’s them." The realization dawned on the man, but then he looked puzzled. "Why would they come here?"

"They’re probably here for this thunderstorm. See that man over there? That’s Elder Yuann Tianshu from Nine Swords Mountain. He’s been observing it for a while now."

"Could there be treasure inside?" The first cultivator’s eyes lit up.

His companion shot him a disdainful look. "So what if there is? With two Ascendants here, what chance do you and I have? We should just stand back and watch the show. Best be careful not to get dragged into it..."

Of course, the two of them overheard the surrounding cultivators’ discussion. Song Changsheng couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. ’So this is the oppressive presence a Purple Mansion Cultivator has over Foundation Establishment Cultivators. All they have to do is stand here, and it makes everyone else keep a wide berth.’

"Fellow Daoist Song, Young Friend Song, we meet again." Yuann Tianshu, who had arrived before them, saw them and hurried over to greet them warmly.

"Elder Yuann, we are grateful you came all this way. Are my two clan elders safe?" Song Changsheng asked urgently, cupping his hands in a salute to Yuann Tianshu.

"Rest assured. I can sense that they’re both still alive, just trapped inside," Yuann Tianshu said, his expression turning grave. "I’ve inspected the perimeter. This thunderstorm feels... strange. I didn’t dare to enter rashly."

Song Xianming nodded, his expression grim. "You were right to be cautious. This isn’t a thunderstorm. It looks more like some kind of array."

As a Tier Three Array Master, his sensitivity to arrays far surpassed that of others. The moment he laid eyes on the cloud mass, Song Xianming was certain this was no mere thunderstorm, but a vast array concealed within the dark clouds.

"An array?" Both men were startled.

Song Changsheng quickly activated his Eye of Truth and gazed at the ominous cloud. Piercing through the dense layers of vapor, he saw purple lines reveal themselves, crisscrossing to form what looked like a vast net.

In the center of this "net" were two points of light, huddled close together. ’That must be Song Lutong and Song Luyun,’ he thought. ’They’re both still alive.’

"Sheng’Er, what did you find?" Song Xianming asked, noticing the change in Song Changsheng’s expression. He knew his junior cultivated a miraculous Pupil Technique and must have seen something.

"It is an array," Song Changsheng confirmed. "But the formation method is unusual. It doesn’t look natural. Someone is behind this!"

Natural Magical Arrays, formed by the gradual evolution of the Heavenly Dao Laws, did exist. Song Changsheng himself had encountered them twice. But this was fundamentally different, which was why he was certain someone was pulling the strings from the shadows.

’Who could it be? Some old fossil from the Lieyang Sect, or that Judgment Envoy from Thunder King Hall?’

’The Song Clan has always kept to itself and rarely made enemies. The culprit must be from one of those two powers.’

Hearing Song Changsheng’s words, a cold glint flashed in Song Xianming’s eyes. They had suspected something like this on their way here, and now it seemed their fears had been confirmed.

’The only question is,’ he thought, ’is this a trap to lure us out, or a diversion to draw us away from the clan?’

After a moment of thought, Song Xianming’s powerful voice boomed across the landscape. "I know a fellow Daoist is present! I have come! Please show yourself!"

His words instantly caused a stir. The surrounding cultivators instinctively looked around but saw no sign of a third Purple Mansion Cultivator.

Song Xianming’s majestic voice echoed across the wilderness, but there was no reply. Just as Song Changsheng began to think this was merely a diversion to draw them away from their clan, a towering figure descended from the heavens, landing atop the churning mass of clouds.

The figure was completely shrouded in a black robe of unknown material, their face hidden behind an Evil Ghost mask that glinted with a metallic luster. They were abnormally burly, standing nearly ten feet tall with a short, thick neck and a barrel chest. In their hands, they held a massive, seventeen-foot-long Bronze War Halberd, cutting the figure of an iron pagoda.