Chapter 572 66: Bloody Battle at Vast Mist Peak

"Master Xu, do you have a way to break this array?"

Atop a nameless, barren mountain, Hex Tai pointed to the three pillars of light soaring into the sky outside Vast Mist Peak and asked the old woman in a floral dress beside him.

Three ancient hours had passed since he officially ordered the charge. Disciples of the Lieyang Sect had launched several waves of attacks, but Liu Hongye and his men used the array to repel them before they could even reach the foot of Vast Mist Peak.

Left with no other choice, Hex Tai turned to Xu Mei for help. She was his greatest asset in this attack against the Song Clan.

Xu Mei was originally a disciple of a Minor Sect. Because of her outstanding talent, she was groomed as the Sect Leader's successor from a young age.

However, she had a venomous and sinister nature. Spoiled and arrogant, she killed five of her fellow disciples during a Sect trial over a mere verbal disagreement.

When her crime came to light, she engineered the death of the Sect Elder who came to confront her, then fled and became a Loose Cultivator.

Thanks to her extraordinary talent and the fortunate acquisition of a powerful figure's inheritance, Xu Mei's status skyrocketed. She became one of the few Tier Three Array Masters in all of Daqi.

As a result, many factions, willing to overlook her past, extended olive branches in an attempt to recruit her, but she refused them all.

Outsiders assumed she was simply used to a leisurely life and had a reclusive personality. They had no idea that she had joined the Vast Alliance during its inception, becoming one of its veteran members.

This time, she had been dispatched by the Vast Alliance to help Hex Tai's group break the array. In addition to her, the Vast Alliance had also sent a Purple Mansion Cultivator, who was currently hidden among the Lieyang Sect's forces.

Hearing Hex Tai's words, Xu Mei leaned on her dragon-head cane and took a few steps forward. She squinted, studying the array carefully for a moment before saying slowly, "I'm afraid I must disappoint you, Fellow Daoist Hex. The one who laid this array is profoundly skilled; I haven't been able to discern its secrets just yet."

"Have your disciples charge a few more times. Let me observe for a while longer. Perhaps then I'll find a way to break it."

Hex Tai knew nothing about arrays himself, so he didn't suspect a thing. He nodded and said, "In that case, I will go inform Rong Mingtao. We'll have the disciples of both our clans charge together to probe the array's strengths and weaknesses. I'll have to trouble you with breaking the array, Master Xu."

"Of course." Xu Mei nodded slightly.

After Hex Tai left, a purple-haired old man appeared out of thin air beside Xu Mei. Looking in the direction Hex Tai had left, he said, "He just believed that?"

"Hmph. And what if he didn't? I'm the only one he can rely on in this battle," Xu Mei sneered.

The Three Mountains Linked Ring Array was not a particularly profound array, and the method to break it wasn't difficult. With Xu Mei's skill in arrays, she had seen through it at a single glance. There was absolutely no need for the disciples of the Lieyang Sect and the Rong Clan to continue making these pointless sacrifices. But she didn't tell Hex Tai the truth. It was true she was here to help Hex Tai attack the Song Clan, but she had another, more important mission: to prolong the battle as long as possible, create a huge commotion, and draw the eyes of the entire Daqi Cultivation World to this place. Only then could the Vast Alliance profit from the situation.

"What a pity. That fellow—who knows what means he used to get the Golden Crow Sect involved. Otherwise, if Luoxia City had joined in, it would be even more lively." The purple-haired old man smacked his lips, his tone filled with regret.

"Hmph. Zhang Yu, you should be glad Luoxia City didn't join the fight. Otherwise, this battle wouldn't be nearly so easy," Xu Mei retorted bluntly. To her, self-preservation was what mattered most. The mission could go to hell.

Zhang Yu wasn't angered by her words, because in this respect, he and Xu Mei were the same kind of person.

Joining the Vast Alliance was just a convenient way to stir up trouble. As for laying down his life for them? Not a chance in hell.

"Let's go back. Have them fight for a few days first," Xu Mei said, leaning on her dragon-head cane. She descended the mountain in just a few breaths' time.

Meanwhile, the Lieyang Sect and the Rong Clan had once again launched an attack. This time, they had assembled nearly a thousand Qi Cultivators and fifteen Foundation Establishment Cultivators to attack together.

Watching the enemy swarm forward like a tide that blotted out the sky, Liu Hongye felt his scalp tingle with dread. He immediately contacted the other two peaks to activate the array in unison.

A curtain of ochre light descended from the sky, blocking the invading enemy.

The Cultivators from the Lieyang Sect and the Rong Clan split into four groups, launching a frenzied assault on the Grand Array from different directions. A ceaseless barrage of various Magic spells lit up the firmament, painting the sky with their brilliant colors.

Spirit Plant Mountain, defended by the Liuyun Sect, bore the brunt of the assault and faced the most intense pressure. Fortunately, the Grand Array was powerful enough to withstand the tide-like offensive, remaining as immovable as a mountain. It could even be used to launch counterattacks.

The battle raged for over an ancient hour. Exhausted in both body and mind, the disciples of the two clans had no choice but to retreat, leaving behind dozens of corpses.

Seeing this, Hex Tai's face burned with humiliation. Their two clans had attacked the Song Clan with great fanfare, yet after a full day of fighting and over a hundred casualties, they hadn't even breached the outer defenses. 'What a complete disgrace!'

With a grim expression, he turned to Xu Mei. "Master Xu, have you figured anything out?"

Xu Mei sat primly on a soft couch, her eyelids drooping. She answered in a slow, unhurried tone, "I'm starting to get a handle on it. I must ask you, Fellow Daoist Hex, to prepare all the materials on this list for me. I intend to lay an array to duel with that Song Xianming."

"Laying an array is not a single day's work, and it cannot be disturbed. During this time, please continue your attacks to keep the Song Clan distracted. Once my array is complete, the one before us can be broken."