Chapter 676: Chapter 675 Nine Profound Great Formation
After parting ways with the three eccentrics and Xin Zhuliu, Shi Xiaole met with a Daoist priest.
He is a somewhat unknown character in all of Wuling Villa, as he often keeps a low profile and spends most of his days in seclusion.
"Master Lianchen, it’s been a long time."
Shi Xiaole greeted him with a smile.
This Daoist, was none other than Lian Chen, who had stepped in to rescue Shi Xiaole and Su Yanru when they were being relentlessly pursued by two top-tier members of the Sky Evil Sect.
"A decade has rushed by, yet Master Shi remains unchanged, your fame, however, now reverberates across the world."
Lianchen remarked somewhat wistfully.
A decade ago, under the direction of Martial Uncle Xuhuai, he came in search of Shi Xiaole. Since then, he had stayed behind and diligently trained his Martial Arts skills.
Perhaps it was because of his compatibility with the Mysterious Skill Secret Technique, his cultivation had reached the third tier of Dragon Gate Realm, but when compared to the young man in front of him, he seemed greatly inadequate. Even any random elder of the Wuling Villa could easily kill him with their power.
Shi Xiaole remained cheerful,"Master, as we’ve known each other for a while now, I have another thing for you." For the third time, he offered the Effortless Seeking Technique.
Despite Lianchen’s modest skills, Shi Xiaole, with his keen insight, noticed that after practicing the Mysterious Skill Secret Technique for ten years, the Daoist’s demeanor and mental state had a distinct spirit of transcendence guides them towards their true nature.
The Effortless Seeking Technique is a technique that emphasizes naturalness and aligning oneself with the principles of the universe. Shi Xiaole was intrigued to see what kind of master could be cultivated combining this technique with the Mysterious Skill Secret Technique.
"Many thanks, Master Shi."
Lianchen accepted, with a fleeting look of joy flashed across his face without any pretentious refusals.
After Lianchen left, Shi Xiaole walked over to the window of Yinfeng Pavilion, smiling as he watched the two little boys in the distance; they were Shi Xiaole’s honorary disciples, Chou Hentian and Qi Yuanzheng.
Hate is one of the strongest powers in the world, a fact that was validated in Chou Hentian.
According to Zhu Ling, over the past two years he did three things every day: training, eating, and sleeping. Without these necessities to sustain life, he probably would not bother doing the latter two tasks.
Through his tireless dedication, Chou Hentian’s progress surpassed everyone’s expectations. At nine years old, his cultivation level had reached the third tier of the Qi Absorption Realm. He had also mastered the Extreme Hatred Fist and the Extreme Resentment Fist, and could now compete against those in the seventh tier of the Qi Absorption Realm.
Contrastingly, there was Qi Yuanzheng.
The eight-year-old only reached the first tier of the Qi Absorption Realm, and his Little Faceless Skill seemed to be stuck at the beginner stages. Though his achievement had surpassed most of his contemporaries, compared to his natural talent, it left the people of the Villa somewhat disappointed.
Shi Xiaole, however, knew that Qi Yuanzheng was fooling many.
Qi Yuanzheng was clearly not in the Qi Absorption Realm’s first tier, but the fifth. Watching his sparring with Chou Hentian, it seemed that he was deliberately holding back. His Little Faceless Skill was probably almost perfected too.
"Little Zheng, you are hiding really well."
Upon hearing that voice, Qi Yuanzheng faltered. Chou Hentian took advantage of the opening and punched him, sending him flying ten meters away into the grass.
"Don’t make a sound now. I know you’re trying to save your senior brother’s face, but if you really want to help him, you should show your true strength and stimulate his fighting spirit of hatred!"
Overwhelmed with emotion, Qi Yuanzheng composed himself and looked at Chou Hentian, "Senior Brother, you won’t blame me if I beat you, will you?"
"Bring it on!"
Chou Hentian swung his fist, a wave of strong hatred gushing in his wake.
Qi Yuanzheng, who had been defensive until then, suddenly rushed forward like a cheetah. With a sweep of his right hand, he threw Chou Hentian twenty meters away. This set the eyes of those around them wide with astonishment.
"This..."
Some people looked surprised, while others nodded with smiles.
"Both of you, come to the sixth floor of Yinfeng Pavilion tonight."
After transmitting his thoughts, Shi Xiaole turned and walked back into the pavilion.
Since taking them as honorary disciples, Shi Xiaole didn’t have plans to leave them to their own devices. That said, he didn’t intend to be overly involved either. Instead, based on their respective personalities and talents, he would offer appropriate guidance.
Their future accomplishments still largely depended on themselves.
Late at night.
Bang!
A loud noise echoed across Wuling Villa.
"Who’s there?"
"We’re under attack!"
One after another, figures appeared in the night, gazing into the sky with uneasy expressions.
With Wuling Villa’s reputation and power, who dared to act so audaciously?
"A master in the Divine Barrier Realm?"
Standing on a lintel, Xin Zhuliu wore a serious countenance.
The intruder departed swiftly, but the residual aura caused Xin Zhuliu to feel a hint of unease. Without doubt, the person who came must have been a Terrestrial Immortal, and his cultivation level was far above Xin Zhuliu’s.
Looking at the Yinfeng Pavilion in the distance, Xin Zhuliu forced a smile, "This must be why you want me to progress quickly, to help you protect the rear, damn it!"
Yinfeng Pavilion, Sixth floor.
Shi Xiaole gazed at the night sky, flanked by Chou Hentian and Qi Yuanzheng.
"Master, was someone just trying to harm us?"
Qi Yuanzheng asked, lifting his small head.
"Yes, and that person is very powerful."
Shi Xiaole said calmly.
"It doesn’t matter, with Master here, even the strongest person has to lie down obediently."
Qi Yuanzheng expressed his admiration, oblivious to the fact that he had just had a brush with death at the Netherworld Gate.
Shi Xiaole patted his head and looked at Chou Hentian, saying, "You two, if one day your Master is not here, the responsibility of protecting the villa will fall on your shoulders."
The two small bodies couldn’t help but tremble, then a mysterious strength surged in them. Even Chou Hentian vowed, "Rest assured, Master, when your disciple’s training is complete, any demon that dares to trespass the Wuling Villa will be sent to their doom!"
A figure landed in the village several dozen li away from the villa and walked into the manor in the alley.
"You’re back already? How many people did you kill?"
Qiu Yuansheng and others were drinking wine in the courtyard, laughing as they asked.
"None, you’ve underestimated the Wuling Villa."
The figure looked grim. He was an Earth Immortal of the Divine Barrier Realm’s fifth tier from the He Family.
"What are you talking about?"
The head of the He Family frowned.
"I originally wanted to sneak in, kill a few people first, but I encountered an Array System that revealed my traces."
"With your skills, you couldn’t break the array system?"
The Earth Immortal from the He Family drank some wine angrily without answering, which was more telling than any answer.
Qiu Yuansheng gave a cold smile, "It seems the background of the Kirin isn’t that simple. No worries, we will disguise ourselves and blend in tomorrow."
A young man with no connections could not possibly have an array system capable of resisting Terrestrial Immortals. This revelation cast a shadow over Qiu Yuansheng’s heart, deepening his resentment.
Of the more than twenty Terrestrial Immortals, one from the Hell Gate named Five Poison Elder, a specialist in shape-shifting, tried to infiltrate the villa the next day under the pretense of joining the Wuling Villa.
As soon as he approached the foot of the mountain, he sensed a deeply profound array system enveloping the entire Nine Heavens Mountain. He tried to punch, but his punch was directly swallowed up.
"Damn it!"
The Five Poison Elder cursed loudly.
After making some inquiries, he found out that the Wuling Villa had sealed off the entire mountain due to an attack the night before and that they would notify when it would be unsealed.
"No need to rush! The more powerful the array is, the more energy it consumes. We will wait and see, dispatching two people every day to patrol surreptitiously, killing anyone who comes out of the villa without mercy! Eventually, the array will run out of energy."
Upon hearing the news, the head of the He Family laughed maliciously.
"Right, let’s see if we can’t starve them to death!"
The array system of the Wuling Villa heightened the vigilance of these more than twenty Earth Immortals. Regardless, that was all it did. After all, if there were truly powerful masters, there would be no need for the Wuling Villa to seal the mountain.
As for a joint attack, it would make too much noise and would be contrary to their original intention. Moreover, if they really wiped out the Wuling Villa, they would likely force the Kirin to go into hiding, becoming a perpetual problem.
Under Yinfeng Pavilion, three hundred meters underground, there was a huge round stone chamber. The surface of the stone chamber was engraved with countless tiny characters. Each flickering character sent energy through the iron pillar in the center to the sky above.
"The Nine Profound Array, after absorbing the energy of heaven and earth for six days, can operate continuously for one day. As of now, it should last for about five months."
Inside the stone chamber, Shi Xiaole whispered.
Yinfeng Pavilion is connected to the Nine Profound Array, which is why he detected the intrusion of the Earth Immortal from the He Family last night and activated the array immediately.
If it weren’t for the other’s presence, Shi Xiaole would surely not be its match.
He had a faint guess about the identity of the other party. Therefore, he decisively activated the Nine Profound Array at any cost.
Unfortunately, when the array system was designed, he didn’t know if Shui Lingping did this intentionally, but the entire Nine Profound Array could only be used for passive defense. Otherwise, Shi Xiaole wouldn’t mind using the array to kill a few people.
Zhu Ling said, "Master, rest assured, I have already followed your orders and sent loyal followers to leave by the secret path. I believe that in a few days, news of the Earth Immortal Lieges of the three major families gathering at Nine Heavens Mountain will be spread."
At first, hearing this news had made her very anxious, but the figure standing before her had inexplicably calmed her down. Knowing the nine ways of retreat, her mind suddenly cleared.
Nodding, Shi Xiaole said, "Be sure to notify the relevant parties about this matter, keep an eye on the reactions of the villa’s higher-ups, and record them one by one. Also, if nothing major happens, you don’t need to come looking for me."
After saying this, he walked into the inner part of the stone chamber and the door instantly closed.
Normally, the Earth Immortals from the three great noble families would retreat, but things are hard to predict. Therefore, Shi Xiaole did not have a single thought of relaxing.
He intended to utilize the coming five months, turning pressure into motivation, for a long period of seclusion.
Zhu Ling opened her mouth, wanting to say something but hesitating.
She instinctively felt that Shi Xiaole’s seclusion this time was extraordinary, but couldn’t pinpoint what was unusual. Remembering the various things he had done in the past, she could only shake her head helplessly and leave.
