Chapter 447: Chapter 445: Spirit Locking Array
Shen Haoran fell into deep thought as he watched several disciples from the Qi Refining Sect carry Xu Hao away. Treating Xu Hao’s physical injuries was simple, but Xu Hao had pushed his potential past its limits. Even if his wounds were healed, he would be crippled for life—a result that neither Xu Hao nor Shen Haoran wanted to see.
However, there were very few ways to restore Xu Hao’s strength. But Shen Haoran knew of one: consuming an Elixir that had formed a Pill Cloud. An Elixir of this caliber was no mere pill. If Xu Hao were to take it, not only would his strength be restored, he might even use the opportunity to break through to the next level.
But Elixirs that had formed a Pill Cloud were exceptionally precious. Shen Haoran only had two. One was refined back in Divine Martial City, and the other he had obtained in the Five Elements Sect’s Secret Realm. If he brought either one out, the surrounding disciples would surely fight to the death for it. This was why he hadn’t immediately produced one to treat Xu Hao.
"You must be Shen Haoran. I am Bai Li, a disciple of the Nine Que Sect." Just as Shen Haoran was lost in thought, a dashing young man approached and spoke politely.
Hearing this, Shen Haoran looked up at the disciple before him, his brow furrowing slightly. The man had a pleasant and breezy demeanor, yet Shen Haoran sensed a faint hostility from him. He was certain they had never met, so he couldn’t fathom the reason for the man’s animosity.
"Junior Shen, be careful. The Nine Que Sect is a First-class Sect in the Northern Domain, second only to the Two Sects and Two Valleys. It’s considered one of the most powerful among the First-class Sects. This Bai Li is the leader of their younger generation. His strength reached the Tier Nine Spirit Marquis Peak long ago, and he’s ranked very high on the Hidden Dragon List—number eight. His Talent is on par with the disciples from the Two Sects and Two Valleys. Apart from the Northern Domain’s Four Heroes, Bai Li is one of the most famous figures of the younger generation. And on top of all that, he’s the future brother-in-law of Feng City, the man your guy just killed!" Ling Feng whispered to Shen Haoran from the side.
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Shen Haoran’s eyes narrowed. He now understood the reason for Bai Li’s hostility. ’So it’s because Xu Hao killed his brother-in-law.’
"What, are you looking to avenge Feng City?" Shen Haoran glanced at Bai Li and said coolly. ’So what if he’s the leading figure of the Nine Que Sect? He wasn’t even afraid of Ouyang Shaoyu and the other members of the Northern Domain’s Four Heroes, so why would he fear Bai Li, who ranked below them?’
Hearing Shen Haoran’s words, Bai Li simply shook his head and said, "Brother Shen, you’ve misunderstood. Feng City’s skills were inferior, so he deserved to die. It has nothing to do with me. I care far more about the Ten Thousand Swords Sect’s inheritance than his life. Brother Shen, while you may only appear to be a Tier Five Spirit Marquis, your true combat power is comparable to a Tier Nine Spirit Marquis. With your help, we’ll surely be able to break open the gates of this sect!"
"Oh, really?" Shen Haoran scoffed inwardly. While Bai Li maintained a suave and indifferent facade regarding Feng City, the dark glint deep within his eyes did not escape Shen Haoran’s gaze. Still, Shen Haoran had no intention of exposing him. He decided to play along, curious to see what tricks Bai Li was up to.
When the surrounding disciples heard Bai Li, they all stared at Shen Haoran with fiery gazes. That was right! With Shen Haoran’s help, there was hope of breaking the seal on the Ten Thousand Swords Sect’s main gate. Then, its inheritance would be within their grasp.
"The seal on the gate of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect?" Shen Haoran looked up toward the great gate. An invisible Energy emanated from it, enveloping the entire sect like a massive shell. To enter the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, one would first have to break this seal. No wonder there were so many people waiting at the mountain gate when he arrived. It was all because of this seal. Otherwise, with a ruin of this level being so tempting, how could they possibly have restrained themselves?
However, as Shen Haoran studied the seal more closely, he noticed something unusual. A cryptic smile played on his lips.
"It’s impossible for you all to break this seal," Shen Haoran said calmly, looking at the crowd.
"What? Impossible for us? What do you mean by that?" one of the Martial Artists asked, puzzled by Shen Haoran’s declaration.
"This seal is actually a Spirit Locking Array," Shen Haoran explained as he gazed at the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. "It’s an Array that cannot be broken with brute force. In fact, not only will brute force attacks fail to break it, they will actually make it even stronger. The Spirit Locking Array converts the energy from your attacks to power itself. If you want to disable it, the only ways are to find the eye of the array or destroy its Array Base!"
Hearing Shen Haoran’s explanation, the crowd exchanged glances, their eyes filled with doubt.
"Shen Haoran, you’re not just saying that because you want to hoard the Ten Thousand Swords Sect’s inheritance for yourself, are you!"
"Exactly! The Ten Thousand Swords Sect was a major Sect in Ancient Times. How could someone like you possibly understand its Arrays? You’re definitely just trying to fool us so you can claim the inheritance of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect for yourself!"
"That’s right! A little while ago, we nearly broke through the Ten Thousand Swords Sect’s seal. How could it be getting stronger? You’re definitely trying to deceive us!"
One after another, disgruntled voices rose up before the mountain gate as the surrounding disciples glared at Shen Haoran with open hostility.
Hearing their accusations, Shen Haoran snorted in disdain. "Believe what you will. The only reason you came close to shattering the Spirit Locking Array earlier was because it has fallen into disrepair over the ages and lacked the Spiritual Power to fully operate. However, after absorbing so many of your powerful attacks, the array’s strength has likely reached an incredible level. Forget all of us working together—even an expert at the Spirit Aspect Tier might not be able to open it now. If you don’t believe me, go try it for yourselves!"
"Hmph! So be it!" a disciple snorted, stepping forward. He pulled a Ghost Head Saber from his Storage Ring. The disciple then raised the saber, gathered all of his Spiritual Power, and brought it down violently upon the Ten Thousand Swords Sect’s Spirit Locking Array. A massive blade of light struck the Spirit Locking Array like lightning.
BOOM... A tremendous roar resounded. Then, a bizarre scene unfolded before the crowd. When the massive blade of light struck the Spirit Locking Array, it simply vanished without a trace. Other than the deafening sound, it failed to create even a single ripple on the array’s surface. It was as if the attack had been completely swallowed by the Spirit Locking Array.
"What? How can that be!"
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