Chapter 147: Flowers Bloom in an Instant, A Gaze of Ten Thousand Years

Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Flowers Bloom in an Instant, A Gaze of Ten Thousand Years

Yang Liu led the way with Su Han and the others in tow. After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the group arrived before a Shield Array.

Gazing at the Guardian Array outside the cave residence—an assembly of numerous five-star arrays whose combined power surpassed even that of a single six-star array—Su Han had an inexplicable feeling... ’This method of combining arrays feels somewhat familiar.’

He glanced down at himself. His clothes, his shoes, his accessories... ’Aren’t all my Magical Artifacts just like this? They combine numerous low-level Spirit Patterns to form a powerful array, one that’s even stronger than a single high-level one.’

’This Miss Yang Liu’s style is so much like my own.’

’No, that’s not right.’

’This Miss Yang has only just reached the Immortal Platform Realm. It’s impossible for her to have laid out so many combined five-star arrays.’

’This Array must not be her work. It must have come with the cave residence itself.’

Speculating inwardly, Su Han looked at Yang Liu and asked, "Miss Yang, do you know who left this Guardian Array behind?"

Yang Liu smiled. "I recently looked through the sect’s old records. This Guardian Array was left behind by the Gongyang Ancestor Master."

’The Gongyang Ancestor Master again?’

’It really seems like this Ancestor Master and I are fated to be connected.’

’I can make up some nonsense to fool people and somehow it’s connected to her. Now I find a Skill Tree, and when I ask about it, it turns out to be in the very cave residence she once lived in.’

’And now, it turns out this Gongyang Ancestor Master even has habits for laying arrays that are just like mine.’

’Hmm... we’re both geniuses, I guess. To think of combining multiple complementary low-level arrays to form a more powerful composite array.’

’But... I can lay composite arrays so easily because my Array Master ability has been turned into a skill, so I don’t have to worry about issues with fusing the patterns.’

’And after I got the Eye of Truth, I could easily see how each individual array functions and how they all link together, allowing me to maximize the composite array’s power.’

’The only reason I can do it is because I’m basically cheating.’

’So... what about this Gongyang Ancestor Master? Was she cheating too?’

’Too bad she’s been dead for over ten thousand years. Otherwise, if we could have met, we could have exchanged notes.’

’Wait! Exchange notes my ass!’

’My identity is a fake! If I actually met her, wouldn’t she see right through me in an instant?’

’It’s not that I’d be scared or anything, but... how awkward would that be, right?’

While grumbling to himself, Su Han habitually plucked a hair from Su Xiao’Er’s head. He placed it in his palm and blew gently, and the hair drifted down to the core of the composite array.

The instant the strand of hair landed, the composite array ceased to function. Su Han swaggered right through.

Yang Liu was speechless.

’The... the Array? Where did it go?’

’What happened to the composite array outside my cave residence? The one that not even Qiye Ancestor Master would dare to force his way through?’

’How did it just vanish all of a sudden?’

’Is... is this the kind of power a legendary elder possesses?’

’With a move like this alone, our Qiye Ancestor Master... no, all of our sect’s ancestor masters... their defeat back then wasn’t unjust at all!’

Her mind reeled with wild thoughts. With a look of utter shock, Yang Liu watched Su Han, then subconsciously lifted her foot and followed him inside.

Bringing up the rear, Su Xiao’Er glanced at Yang Liu, sneering inwardly at her over-the-top reaction.

’Making an array stop with a single strand of hair—isn’t that the most basic of techniques?’

’The outside of our royal ancestor’s Imperial Mausoleum is covered in hundreds of arrays, large ones containing small ones, all densely packed together.’

’And didn’t our Crown Prince break them all with a single strand of hair?’

’Hah! Women. So easily impressed.’

As he scorned her, Su Xiao’Er conveniently forgot how completely flabbergasted he had been outside the Imperial Mausoleum the first time he saw his Crown Prince perform this incredible feat.

After stepping through the array’s barrier, Su Han’s pace faltered slightly, and his expression couldn’t help but stiffen.

’If I recall correctly, just now... I didn’t even intentionally look for the composite array’s nexus.’

’Plucking the hair to shut down the array was a completely subconscious act, driven purely by instinct.’

’The spot where the hair landed was also chosen subconsciously, based on my own habits for laying arrays.’

’Why would targeting the nexus of a composite array, based on my own habits, successfully disable a composite array that someone else laid out?’

’Could it be... that the thought processes of geniuses who can combine numerous arrays in an orderly fashion are all similar?’

’Or maybe... it’s because I have the experience of a nine-star Array Master. I don’t need to specifically search for the weak point; I can break this kind of five-star composite array just by following my instincts.’

’Yes, that must be it. It just goes to show you... the might of a nine-star Array Master is truly terrifying!’

Grumbling to himself again, Su Han turned back to Yang Liu and gave her an apologetic smile.

"If I told you that was just a slip of the hand, an accident, would you believe me?"

Yang Liu gave him a long, meaningful look and nodded. "I believe you."

’So it’s true... the relationship between Elder Guo and our Ancestor Master must have been incredibly close.’

’A casual, subconscious action is all it takes for him to disable an array laid by our Ancestor Master.’

’This must be the kind of rapport that comes from setting up and breaking each other’s arrays countless times over the years.’

’It’s just a shame... our Ancestor Master fell for some unknown reason ten thousand years ago.’

’Speaking of which... there are no records of it in the sect, but this Elder Guo must know what really happened back then, right?’

’The sect’s records state that Elder Gongyang received a message from an unknown person back then. Without leaving a single word, she rushed out of the sect and never returned.’

’The only person who could make her act so recklessly... would be him, right?’

A thousand thoughts raced through her mind. After hesitating several times, Yang Liu ultimately didn’t dare to voice the greatest question in her heart.

’If it were something that could be asked, Qiye Ancestor Master would have likely asked long ago.’

’Since the elder is unwilling to bring it up, he must have his reasons.’

Giving Su Han a slightly regretful glance, Yang Liu gestured forward. "This is the cave residence where Elder Gongyang used to live. Most of it has been preserved just as it was back then.

"Let me show you around, Elder. Please, follow me."

Su Han nodded and followed Yang Liu on a tour of the cave residence.

Though it was called a cave residence, the inside was a world of its own.

There were pavilions and terraces, small bridges over flowing streams, rugged rockeries, and lush groves of trees—it was just like a small pocket dimension.

Yang Liu led Su Han on a full tour, showing him basically everywhere except for her own living quarters.

Finally, the four of them stopped at the place that interested Su Han the most: the edge of a pavilion surrounded by water on three sides.

"I suspect that this pavilion was a place the Gongyang Ancestor Master frequented.

"On the stone table, there’s even a carving she left behind."

"Oh?"

Su Han pulled his gaze away from the Skill Tree by the path and looked toward the pavilion with interest.

He took a few steps into the pavilion and stood before the stone table. Sure enough, there was an inscription carved upon it—

Flowers Bloom in an Instant, A Gaze of Ten Thousand Years!