Chapter 215 - 213: Breaking the Array

From that one exchange, Chen Qingyang had already made a clear judgment: the five of them were now in a bind.

Harassed by him like this, if they moved even slightly away, their only option would be to retaliate using the Array. But if they did that, Senior Brother Li, inside the barrier, would surely sense it and launch a counter-attack.

It was originally said that the Refinement would take five or six days, but only a little over a day had passed. Although some had died inside, the main group could still hold on.

The five Inscriptionless Jade Steles were arranged on the five sides of the valley. To communicate, the five cultivators had to use other means, so Chen Qingyang could no longer eavesdrop on their conversations.

The Conscious Fish sank into the valley and passed through the barrier, where it heard Senior Brother Li saying to the others, "...See? This Array is failing. Otherwise, my Qi Mechanism would never have been able to penetrate it. All of you, remember this!"

Only five people were left alive inside. Chen Qingyang couldn't see through the Cultivation of four of them, which meant Senior Brother Li had the highest Cultivation at the Sixth Realm. The rest were likely in the Fifth Realm, aside from one at the Essence Condensation Third Realm. Chen Qingyang noted that this last person's aura was the weakest; he probably wouldn't last much longer.

The Array's Refinement process didn't wear everyone down to a certain point and kill them all at once. Instead, it started with the weakest.

Those who had survived to this point had all developed an unshakeable will. They no longer doubted Senior Brother Li's words. Those with Magical Treasures began their Sacrificial Refinement, while those without contributed Elixirs, all of them huddling together for survival.

Senior Brother Liang of the Demon Sect had described it perfectly: Daoist Sect disciples were like turtles, incredibly difficult to kill.

"Senior Brother Li, after we get out..."

Someone started to ask, but trailed off. Everyone's eyes were drawn to him, as if they were all anticipating the answer, already knowing the question.

Seeing this glimmer of hope, the elderly Senior Brother Li regained some of his suave demeanor, ignoring his pale face and the blood dripping down his chest. "We have faced life and death together, sharing this hardship. What happened in this Array stays in this Array. Once we are out... we'll act as if none of it ever happened."

After all, many of the survivors had shown an inclination to surrender to Senior Brother Liang of the Demon Sect. Senior Brother Li's words undoubtedly dispelled their anxieties.

"From now on, we will follow Senior Brother Li's lead..."

This scene of unity was a stark contrast to what Chen Qingyang had first witnessed upon his arrival.

'If you had to name the creatures in this world with the least faith, it would be this bunch of Cultivators,' Chen Qingyang thought. 'They only believe in a Dao they can grasp in their own hands. They know they must fight for every scrap of benefit, and they understand the true nature of the world all too well. As a result, they would never risk their lives for something illusory.'

'Changing so quickly is only to be expected.'

After regulating his Qi Mechanism and consuming all the Immortal Seedlings, Chen Qingyang prepared to harass Situ again.

Based on the last encounter, Situ should be the most wary, but because he had suffered minor injuries, his defenses were also the weakest. Besides, having already clashed once, they now had a better understanding of each other.

Of course, Chen Qingyang hadn't gotten off easy last time either; after all, his opponent's Cultivation was a level higher than his. He sent the Conscious Fish in first, having it practically hover right in front of Situ, watching his facial expressions, staring into his eyes.

The moment it saw any sign of laxness or a shift in attention, it would strike without hesitation.

It was like being watched by an incredibly cunning venomous snake. It didn't need to rest, you couldn't detect its presence, and you had no way of knowing when it would strike.

As the saying goes, even a tiger has to nap sometimes.

Suddenly, a fiery light erupted, like a steel needle piercing his mind. Just as Situ's focus wavered, a violent shudder ran through his body.

He hurriedly tried to block it with Yin Fiend Power, but in the split second his attention was focused on that, he saw a sword shadow fly in from the sky.

It shimmered with the colors of the Five Elements and was tinged with a cyan light. Its power was immense. Situ instantly understood: this was the real killing blow.

Greatly alarmed, he could only free up one hand to defend himself; the other could not leave the Inscriptionless Stele. If this attack landed, he would be seriously injured.

At that critical moment, Senior Brother Liang was attentive enough to push a bloody wave from the Array to roll toward the Five Elements Sword. In an instant, the wave of blood submerged the sword's shadow. The sword's form turned from solid to illusory, retreating as a flash of five colors.

'Still so strong!'

After all, it was his Lifebound Magical Artifact, connected to his very life. Even though Chen Qingyang had pulled back his power, he still felt a sharp pain in his Dantian and was instantly injured.

'I can't just take that hit for nothing. I have to press the advantage.'

Seeing this, Situ breathed a small sigh of relief, only to see the fiery light erupt again, lunging into his body. This time, it struck true, damaging his Meridians. His face turned crimson, and after holding it in for a long moment, he finally spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood.

He roared in fury, "You curs of the Dog Dao Sect! Do you dare show yourself and face death?!"

His heart was filled with extreme rage, and his curses echoed throughout the valley.

Seeing this, Senior Brother Liang was about to stir up another bloody wave to pursue the Conscious Fish. Just as Chen Qingyang was about to be hit, the tacit understanding between fellow sect members became apparent.

A golden light surged from beneath the blood-colored mist, looking as if it might shatter the entire Array. Frustrated, Senior Brother Liang had to switch his focus back to suppressing the activity below, forced to watch as Chen Qingyang escaped.

This time, he had stolen 1,434 Immortal Seedlings from Situ. At this rate, with his Cultivation, two or three more attacks like that would probably finish him off.

Practice makes perfect. Chen Qingyang had already figured out the pattern. Although this method caused him to get injured as well, they were all minor wounds.

His plan was to free all the Tai Xu Sect disciples and let them counter-attack the Demon Sect. Logically speaking, every life saved would be closely tied to him.

'As for using my fellow sect members to fight the Demon Sect to obtain Immortal Seedlings, I don't feel there's anything wrong with it,' Chen Qingyang reasoned. 'If not for me, these people would have just been refined to death in there. Letting them go and test their strength, to fight for the Great Dao, is also for their own good.'

After a brief meditation, just as he was preparing to strike again, he noticed the world seemed to be clearing up. The Blood Evil Qi he could feel in the valley was receding at an extremely fast rate.

The five Inscriptionless Steles, which had been driven deep into the ground, were being pulled out bit by bit. The mountains and rivers began to tremble, the grass and trees shook, rivers flowed backward, and strange rocks rolled about.

The scene was like the stirring of an Earth Dragon.

Senior Brother Liang was a decisive man. Seeing the situation turn against him, he immediately began to dismantle the Array and prepare to flee.

With every step they took back, more golden light pierced through the blood mist. It seemed Senior Brother Li was about to counter-attack.

Senior Brother Liang's Sixth Realm Cultivation far surpassed his own, so Chen Qingyang naturally didn't dare to confront him directly. He once again had the Conscious Fish hover in front of Situ.

Setting up an Array wasn't easy, and dismantling it was no simple task either. With the people inside pressing their advantage, the slightest hiccup could cause a fluctuation in the Array.

He used the same method to find an opening, and then the flame erupted instantly. Just as he expected, Situ's resistance was weaker after being injured. The Separation Dragon Earth Fire raged through his Meridians, even burning its way to his Spiritual Sea Divine Soul. The number of Immortal Seedlings Chen Qingyang obtained instantly broke two thousand.

"You son of a bitch! It's you or me!"

Situ gripped the Inscriptionless Stele tightly with one hand while his other, shimmering with a Profound Gold Color, swiped at the location of the Conscious Fish. Chen Qingyang retreated just in time, causing Situ's fingers to grasp at empty air.

Affected by this, the Inscriptionless Stele that was slowly being pulled out shook violently, and the golden light from underground grew even stronger.

Although Senior Brother Liang noticed the commotion, he didn't dare move rashly. He stood atop the stele, tapped his finger, and drew a Blood Talisman in the air.

The talismanic script was extremely complex. Aside from inscriptions of unknown meaning, seven words were written in the center with blood: "Earth Palace of the Holy Mother of Posterior Earth." An apricot-yellow color mixed with the blood-red, and as it appeared, wind and thunder shook the earth and yellow sand filled the sky. Its power was truly immense!

It also consumed a great deal of his mental energy. His face instantly turned deathly pale. The Blood Talisman blotted out the sky as it slammed down into the valley.

BOOM! RUMBLE! Another series of massive explosions erupted.

The golden light below was violently suppressed, and his entire presence surged with power.

However, after a successful strike, he didn't press his advantage. Instead, he shouted, "Junior brothers, now!"

With that, he was the first to pull out an Inscriptionless Jade Stele. The others followed suit, each putting in their effort. When it was Situ's turn, he was clearly willing but lacked the strength. He had to grip the stele with both hands, straining so hard that he began to bleed from all seven orifices before the Inscriptionless Stele even started to budge.

How could Chen Qingyang let such an opportunity pass? He struck again, like a venomous snake.

But to his utter surprise, after the flame entered Situ's body, it met no resistance at all, and was allowed to wreak havoc within him.

"Up!"

Situ roared. The veins on his hands bulged, and blood seeped from beneath his skin as his entire body turned crimson. Perhaps it was the intense pain that made his eyes bulge, with bloodshot veins crawling all over his face.

Finally, he pulled out the Inscriptionless Stele.

So, he had been willing to sacrifice his own life just to dismantle the Array.

"Junior Brother!"

Senior Brother Liang watched this scene, his eyes filled with sorrow. He cried out, but it was a cry of helplessness.

Right before his eyes, a Flying Sword shot down from the sky. Situ, who was already on his last breath, was pierced straight through. The Qi Mechanism of his physical body was instantly annihilated.

"Junior Brother!"

Having been forced to watch it all happen, one could only imagine the fury raging in Senior Brother Liang.

He roared, catching the Inscriptionless Stele that was tossed to him, and then charged forward to attack. Chen Qingyang immediately understood: he wanted to protect Situ's Divine Soul. But that was something Chen Qingyang wanted as well.

No longer restricted by the Array, Senior Brother Liang shot toward the Conscious Fish at incredible speed. Chen Qingyang was betting that Senior Brother Li wouldn't just stand by and watch. The Conscious Fish hurriedly dove into the valley.

Before Senior Brother Liang could enter, a beam of golden light shot into the sky. It was a Sharp Sword, its hilt carved in the shape of the Eight Trigrams, and it shot straight toward him.

"Liang! You dared to plot against this Daoist Master? I'll have your life!" It was the voice of Senior Brother Li.

The Conscious Fish took advantage of the chaos to slip away. In a forest ten miles away, it deposited the Divine Soul it had snatched into the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl.

There was no need for Chen Qingyang to appear for what came next. It would be bad to expose himself, whether to the Demon Sect or to his own.

He left the Conscious Fish there to watch the show while his real body continued on to a more distant location.