Chapter 318: Chapter 132: Two Divine Power Realm Reinforcements, the Maple Valley Ambush
To activate the all-important Nine Nether Spirit Locking Array, it would take at least four Divine Power Realm experts working together to channel the yin energy of the ley lines and commune with the Netherworld!
And to maintain the Grand Array’s stability—to prevent it from backfiring on them or collapsing prematurely—required at least ten Spirit Awakening Realm Martial Artists to serve as nodes, continuously supplying Primordial Qi!
But now?
Where was everyone?!
Everything had been ruined by that damned Ghost-faced Man and the idiotic Ghost Moon!
Ghost Moon had taken their elite forces to intercept the Demon Suppression Bureau, and his fate was now uncertain. There was no telling when, or if, he would return.
He, Zhang Yunpeng, was supposed to be the master strategist directing things from behind the scenes, yet he’d been reduced to a general with no army!
What a joke!
BANG!
Zhang Yunpeng could no longer maintain his facade of composure. He slammed his fist down on the mahogany desk beside him!
Unable to withstand the force, the hardwood surface collapsed with a dull thud.
A terrifying wave of Primordial Qi erupted like a storm, sending the books on the shelves rattling and scattering the wisp of rising smoke.
The three kneeling figures trembled, burying their heads even lower as cold sweat soaked their backs.
But Zhang Yunpeng didn’t spare them a single glance.
He was filled with hatred!
He despised that elusive Ghost-faced Man!
He had always believed he was the master puppeteer, the one controlling the fate of Cyan Yang Ancient City, manipulating everyone like pieces on a board.
He never imagined there was another player, one hidden even deeper and far more ruthless, who had silently swept his pieces off the board!
To this day, he still knew nothing of his opponent’s origins!
An utter humiliation!
And a fatal threat!
After the surge of rage came a bone-chilling cold and a sense of powerlessness.
He now had only two choices...
One, send a message back to Dragon Ridge Mountain immediately and plead with the Divine Sacrifice Envoy for aid, requesting that he send more experts.
Two, patiently wait for the experts from Qing Province, the ones arranged by the "higher-ups" to "assist" him, to arrive.
Zhang Yunpeng was dead set against the first option!
That was a last resort, absolutely unthinkable unless he had no other way out.
If the Divine Sacrifice Envoy found out he had bungled the situation this badly, there was no telling if that volatile lord, who regarded human life as worthless, wouldn’t just obliterate him with a palm strike from leagues away!
Even if he were lucky enough to survive, the charge of incompetence would be undeniable. The thought of the cult’s tortures was enough to make his blood run cold. That would be a fate where even death was a mercy he wouldn’t be granted!
And yet, none of this was his fault!
It was that arrogant fool, Ghost Moon, whose reckless actions had time and again squandered their perfect opportunity!
But could he actually say that to the Divine Sacrifice Envoy?
’Accuse the Divine Sacrifice Envoy’s own Direct Disciple?’
"Hhhh... hhhh..."
A repressed, animalistic gasp escaped Zhang Yunpeng’s throat.
After a long moment, as if drained of all strength, he collapsed onto the grand armchair behind him. He looked as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
He waved a hand weakly, his voice hoarse with exhaustion. "Get out... All of you, get out!"
As if granted a royal pardon, the three men in black scrambled to their feet with a quick "Yes, sir!" They tiptoed out of the study and gently pulled the door shut behind them.
The study fell into a suffocating silence, leaving Zhang Yunpeng utterly alone.
He closed his eyes, his fingers digging into his throbbing temples.
It seemed all he could do now was wait.
Wait for the "powerful reinforcements" from Qing Province to arrive.
’As soon as they arrive, I’ll have to activate the Grand Array immediately, whether our preparations are complete or not!’
’It’s my only chance to salvage this. The risks are enormous, but it’s still better than begging the Divine Sacrifice Envoy for help.’
’Wait a minute...’
Zhang Yunpeng’s eyes, which had been squeezed shut, suddenly snapped open. A strange glint appeared in their depths.
’No, actually... I have a third option.’
’After all, I, Zhang Yunpeng, am the rightful magistrate of Cyan Yang County...’
’Ghost Moon might fail.’
’The Divine Sacrifice Envoy might fail.’
’But how could I, Zhang Yunpeng, possibly fail?’
A cold, twisted smile slowly crept across Zhang Yunpeng’s lips. It widened and widened, finally becoming a silent, savage grin that looked especially ghastly in the dim study.
’If it really comes to that,’ he thought, ’I’ll just let the Divine Sacrifice Envoy and Ghost Moon serve as my stepping stones!’
...
「The next day.」
The setting sun, red as blood, stained the layered evening clouds with a tragic beauty. Its light poured down, blanketing the winding, rugged, and maple-filled Maple Valley in an ominous, golden-red haze.
The wind in the valley died down, leaving only the sound of rustling maple leaves as they fell.
But hidden within the silence was a tension that made one’s heart pound.
This was the main thoroughfare to Cyan Yang Ancient City, but at this moment, it felt like a slumbering Fierce Beast, waiting for prey to walk right into its trap.
CLIP-CLOP, CLIP-CLOP-CLOP—
The urgent, rhythmic sound of hoofbeats suddenly split the air. Horseshoes striking the stone path sent small pebbles trembling, shattering the valley’s silence in an instant.
Four carriages sped along the valley floor, their wheels kicking up clouds of dust.
The carriages appeared ordinary at first glance, but the wood of their cabins held a faint, dark luster, and the axles were wrapped in non-slip beast hide. It was clear they were no common vehicles; they exuded an unusual air.
Just as the wheels of the lead carriage were about to round a narrow bend—
WHOOSH!
An ear-piercing whistle suddenly tore through the air!
Three pitch-black arrows shot forth, their heads shimmering with the eerie light of a Lunar Eclipse. Like vipers slithering out of the Netherworld, they moved faster than the naked eye could follow. With three soft thuds—THWIP, THWIP, THWIP—they precisely pierced the walls of the first three carriages!
Inside the first carriage, a middle-aged man in a black robe with a grim face and high cheekbones snapped his eyes open, a blade-like glint of cold light flashing within them.
Faced with this sudden attack, his expression betrayed no hint of panic. He merely gave a cold snort as his right hand, clad in a Black Gold Silk Glove, shot out like a bolt of lightning. His fingers formed a claw, knuckles white with strain, and precisely snatched the arrow’s shaft from the air!
But the very instant his fingertips touched the shaft—
