Chapter 528: 527 joint action
"What happened here?"
Among the three odd characters, the Golden Saber Elder, being the most hot-tempered and curious, couldn’t help but rush towards the black hole.
Jade Axe Lady and Silver Sword Gentleman did not want to fall behind either, as this was an intriguing space that certainly raised curiosity.
As they got close, they could feel powerful array system energy rushing towards them. They had wandered through the martial world for many years and had seen various array systems, yet none were as profound as this one.
"Could it be that an ancient relic was opened by someone?"
The Golden Saber Elder looked to the most knowledgeable Silver Sword Gentleman.
After pondering for a moment, Silver Sword Gentleman suppressed his excitement and said, "The array system here should only cover the periphery of the relic, and it seems that someone has already deciphered it. However, there is still a strong hallucinating effect in the air... I have heard a rumor that the Illusion Lord has hidden his burial chambers in the Immeasurable Desert."
"Holy moly! You’re not suspecting that this place is the Illusion Lord’s cave, are you?" Golden Saber Elder exclaimed.
Having explored the ends of the earth for over two centuries, this trio’s greatest hobby was adventuring.
In truth, they were not originally from Xuanwu State but had arrived a decade ago. After performing several eye-grabbing feats, their reputations had grown significantly.
They had already decided to retire and live out their remaining years peacefully once they left the Immeasurable Desert.
Who would have thought they’d stumble upon such a place right before concluding their journey.
"Old man, you’re not considering taking on another adventure, are you?"
Jade Axe Lady gave the Golden Saber Elder a sidelong glance and said, "We have less than twenty years left to live. Even the finest treasures are meaningless to us now. So, we should stay peaceful."
Golden Saber Elder shook his head, "Girl, you’re wrong. It’s often said that those who fail to seize heaven-sent opportunities cause their own undoing. Fate clearly meant for us to discover this place at this stage. I might just have to explore it."
Jade Axe Lady and Silver Sword Gentleman exchanged looks and both could only respond with a helpless shake of their heads.
"If neither of you wishes to go, you’re welcome to wait for me outside"].
Declared the Golden Saber Elder.
"We’ve always stuck together and won’t let you go alone!"
Silver Sword Gentleman declared his stand.
As both men turned towards Jade Axe Lady, she said, "Alright, but this will be the last time."
Amidst the sound of laughter, the trio disappeared into the deep cave.
The desert occasionally saw bouts of harsh wind driving past it, but no signs of human activity remained.
In the blink of an eye, another month had passed.
A few shadowy figures approached the area. As inferred from their aura, each one was a lord and one among them was evidently an advanced lord.
"Shadow Lord recognizes many people, but seeing how our sect’s top experts have been murdered and their bodies destroyed, the person aiding the Shadow Lord is surely concealing their true identity! Upon inspection, our list of suspects only points to Spirit Mist Lord who is not hidden."
"Hmph, it must be him without doubt!"
After the top experts from the various sects were killed one by one, given their last-known locations, these few people drew several routes and searched along them, which ultimately led them here today.
Soon enough, they discovered the same massive black hole. Their expressions dramatically changed, and they left one behind to report back while the rest charged into the black hole.
The news just began to circulate among the Sects when it immediately caused a huge stir. The news uncontrollably spread to other superior forces before it even had time to be locked down. Eventually, the news kept spreading further.
All the superior forces across Xuanwu State were enticed in no time.
"Illusion Lord’s cave? Ha-ha-ha! This is a heavenly blessing! Send the order. I, the Suzerain, will break my meditation immediately, and the five Grand Elders will accompany me."
Located behind Heavenly Inquiry Sect’s back mountains stood a man with a purple face. He waved his hand, and immediately someone soared off into the distance.
"Illusion Lord was definitely among the top five in terms of power in Shuntian Capital’s 600-year history. It is necessary to go this time."
In the heart of a magnificent architectural complex stood a palace.
Inside the palace.
The Assembly Master of the Tianyuan Association, ’Golden Eyebrow’ Lu Zixiong, opened his eyes with overwhelming ambition reflected on his face.
Although he was one of the top fifty in Shuntian Capital, who wouldn’t want to go further? Especially Lu Zixiong, who was still quite young, under two hundred and twenty years-old, he still had plenty of time and energy left.
If he could inherit the martial arts of Illusion Lord, who could say for sure that he, Lu Zixiong, could not compete with the top ten of Shuntian Capital?
The location was a gigantic castle surrounded by a jungle. Occupying several thousand acres, all the buildings inside the castle were built with greyish-white marble and shaped like hexagons.
In the center of the castle’s wall were three characters that would strike fear into anyone in the martial world — Tang Family Fortress!
The Tang Family Fortress was none other than the Shu Tang Sect’s subdivision in Xuanwu State.
"This event will attract lots of attention. Additionally, since all the top-tier powers and superior sects have locked down any news, there won’t be any low-level distractions. This can serve as a great adventure for the younger generation."
On top of the Tang Family Fortress’s inner Star Gazing Pavilion stood a skinny, pale middle-aged man with a smile on his face.
The situation was definitely spiraling out of control. Alongside the native powers of Xuanwu State, even the top-tier powers’ subdivisions, presumed themselves highly arrogant, also dispatched their personnel, intending to explore the Immeasurable Desert.
There was a sense of increasingly pressing tension within the upper circles of the Xuanwu State martial world.
Luckily, the Immeasurable Desert was vast enough. Despite being deserted hundreds of miles outside, any signs of individuals who had passed through remained unnoticed as the surroundings were uninhabitable.
"The Illusion Lord’s cave?"
Within a mansion, Shi Xiaole received a letter transmitting confidential news from the Ai Family, his face adopting a contemplative expression.
According to the letter, all the top-tier powers’ subdivisions, as well as the superior sects, had already dispatched their main forces. The Immeasurable Desert was about to become the most dangerous battlefield in the Xuanwu State martial world.
The reason for the Ai Family sending a letter was to inform Shi Xiaole that this period was a rare time of relaxation. Powers such as the Xiahou Clan and the Tianyuan Association could not afford to pay attention to him, hence he could act boldly.
Shi Xiaole put down the letter and tapped the table with his finger.
Under normal circumstances, he certainly dare not venture into the limitless sandy frontier where grandmasters converge and the Assembly of Lords gather.
With his current strength, going to such a place would be a suicide mission. Even if there were no grandmasters, entering the Illusion Lord’s cave mansion alone would be a life or death situation.
Although Shi Xiaole’s perception has reached the Divine Border Realm level, that does not mean he can break all the Array Systems of the Lords, especially when the opponent is the Illusion Lord.
Fortunately, during his previous chat about Array Systems with Shui Lingping on the Tiantai Cliff, she had mentioned the Illusion Lord and brought out a book that contained detailed records of the Array Systems he had used throughout his life.
What truly astonished Shi Xiaole was not how terrifying the Illusion Lord’s arrays were, but that Shui Lingping had written her own solutions to breaking each array after each description!
That’s right, a twenty-five-year-old woman dared to decipher all of the famous array methods of the first Array System Master of Shuntian Capital for the past six hundred years.
If he had not witnessed Shui Lingping’s abilities, Shi Xiaole would not have believed it and would have even suspected that such Array breaking methods were just a joke.
However, now an uncontrollable urge started to sprout in his heart.
If the Array breaking methods were accurate, then in the Illusion Lord’s cave mansion, he would naturally possess an advantage, being able to effortlessly convert the dangerous array power into aid!
Should he go?
After lengthy contemplation, as a sunset appeared on the horizon, Shi Xiaole finally made the decision to make the trip.
Firstly, with the strength of the Illusion Lord, the items within his cave mansion must be extraordinary. It would be a pity not to go.
Secondly, for some reason, Shi Xiaole had great confidence in Shui Lingping and did not believe that she was exaggerating her abilities.
Moreover, to determine whether it was mere bragging, all he needed to do was enter the mansion and try out a few arrays. If anything felt wrong, he could just leave immediately.
...
Below the pitch-dark cavern lay a plain of unknown width and length.
With numerous torches lit, extraordinary figures stood revealed. Upon closer inspection, these individuals were renown, no-nonsense characters from Xuanwu State.
Among them were many high-level Lords and even more than a dozen top-level Lords. As for mid-level and low-level Lords, there were hundreds if you included them all.
However, those with abilities just below that of the Lords were the most numerous.
After all, even in a top-tier power, the number of Lords are limited, they are the mainstays of the power and would not all be sent out. Only at the Illusion Lord’s cave mansion would one see so many Lords. Otherwise, most historical sites would not have this many Lords present.
These people were clearly divided into four groups.
In the east stood experts from the Tianyuan Association, Xiahou Clan, Tianyan Sect, and others.
In the west stood members from the Ai Family, Yu Family, Heavenly Inquiry Sect, and their experts.
The characters on the north and south sides, by comparison, exhibited an aura not in the least inferior to those in the east and west. They were experts from several top-tier power divisions.
Of course, the attendance of these people was not coordinated. It was because they had broken the previous Array Systems but were stumped by the current one and, over time, ended up gathered here.
"The Array System skills of the Illusion Lord are extraordinary. It may be hard for one to break it alone. How about we join forces?"
The speaker was a scholarly middle-aged man, the current family head of the Yu Family, Yu Qinghe.
"Well said."
The man leading the Ai Family, the father of Ai Wenhong and Ai Wenqian, Ai Yinglong, immediately responded in agreement.
Even the opposing power to both families had no objections.
Before, there were people who had tried to force their way through, such as one elder from the Tide Gate. But with his near-Lord level strength, he was reduced to ashes the moment he stepped into the array.
What’s more, the array’s aura here is both hidden and powerful. In contrast, middle-level Lords and above may stand a chance of passing through, but it’s a different story for others.
Subconsciously, the experts of Xuanwu State turned their eyes to the experts from the few major power divisions.
"Haha, I, Tang, indeed have this intention."
The middle-aged man from the Tang Family Fortress was very generous.
The people in charge of the Blood Emperor’s Cave, Oblivion Assembly, and Heavenly Snow Mountain also expressed the same sentiment.
Although they looked down on the local powers of Xuanwu State, they were still from top-tier powers and did not show any abnormalities on the surface.
With that, the Array Elders from all the major powers gathered together. Standing at the forefront, they consulted together and continually discussed strategies to break the array.
About half a day later.
Boom!
The array in front of them was successfully broken.
However, the array strength was stronger than what these Array Elders predicted. The aftermath caused a dozen below the level of Lord to be incinerated on the spot.
In the following days, people broke three more large arrays, but the time required was increasing and each attempt at breaking an array resulted in considerable casualties.
Especially in the third large array, the radiance killed nearly half of the non-lord level experts while two protected Array Elders also perished.
When they reached the fourth large array, it turned out to be an array within an array. This time, a few low-level Lords were injured and three more Array Elders died.
"The Illusion Lord was indeed the Illusion Lord!"
All the faces of the people present showed displeasure. Even the experts from the various main divisions of the top-tier powers put away their contempt.
They haven’t even reached the core of the mansion yet. Through hundreds of years of time, the array still has such lethality, which makes it imaginable how powerful the Illusion Lord was in his glory days.
