Chapter 30: Chapter 29: Secret Skill: Martial Arts Battle Array
Qin Feng had no idea that the four-man Law Enforcement Hall squad pursuing him to the foot of Sunset Peak was no ordinary group of disciples.
They were the elite of the elite. Each of the four had his own specialty, and they were all skilled in the Battle Array Technique.
What was the Battle Array Technique? It was a method for the few to overcome the many! It was a Secret Technique based on Profound Arrays and combined with Martial Arts Secret Skills. Through mutual cooperation, multiple people could unleash two, three, or even ten times their usual power.
Battle Array Techniques were extremely precious and rare. A single one was what a family or clan relied on to establish its footing—a closely guarded Secret Skill capable of turning the tide.
Hundreds of towns surrounded Mountain and River City, each presided over by a great family. However, the number of families possessing a Battle Array passed down as a Secret Technique could be counted on one hand.
It was precisely because the Qin Family possessed such an inherited Battle Array that they were able to establish a firm foothold in Shanghe Town and build a foundation that has lasted for hundreds of years.
These four were proficient in the Four Spirits Demon Suppression Battle Array. The moment Qin Feng appeared, they instinctively fell into a combined-attack formation to trap him.
Their movements resembled a giant, four-sided revolving disk, sealing off all of Qin Feng’s room to maneuver.
"A Battle Array?" Qin Feng’s expression changed slightly. He had immediately recognized the secret behind their shifting Movement Techniques.
"You little whelp, you’ve got a sharp eye!" One of the four, a middle-aged man of about thirty, gave a faint smile. He was tall and burly, with the broad back and thick waist of a bear. His face was grim, and a single-edged saber was strapped to his back. He exuded a sharp, suffocating aura.
A cold sneer appeared on his face. ’Now that he’s fallen into our Battle Array, Qin Feng has one foot in the Ghost Gate. He won’t be escaping this time, even if he sprouts wings!’
’What’s a mere Basic Battle Array?’ Qin Feng sneered internally. ’I’ve broken countless Middle-Level Battle Arrays, even Advanced Battle Arrays! Showing off a Battle Array in front of an Array Grandmaster... they really have a death wish!’
But the middle-aged man’s tone made Qin Feng frown. That voice, that tone... it was familiar. He searched his memories. A moment later, he slowly raised his head.
"You’re Qin Yue!"
"Insolent Qin Feng! How dare you call Lord Qin Yue by his full name! What audacity!" a man in tight-fitting clothes with a long, horsey face immediately jumped forward, bellowing.
"No matter." Qin Yue waved a dismissive hand. His gaze was icy, and as he looked at Qin Feng, his eyes held a faint trace of pity. "A dead man walking can say what he likes. Pay it no mind."
With that, his tone shifted, and he chuckled. "Still, who would have thought the family of Qin Zhan, the genius of his generation, would come to such an end? It was one thing for him to die, but to think his only heir would soon follow him to the grave!"
He chuckled, the depths of his eyes growing even colder. His gaze on Qin Feng was like a viper eyeing its cornered prey. In that moment, victory was in his grasp. He was smug, filled with the triumphant joy of revenge. He turned to the three men beside him and said with a laugh:
"You probably don’t know what a genius Qin Zhan was back then. He began to show his talent for Cultivation at the age of ten, and before he was even fourteen, he had reached the Martial Arts Third Heaven. Then, during that year’s trials, he completely overshadowed everyone. Even the talented Legitimate Sons from the Patriarch’s Direct Lineage were so thoroughly suppressed by him they could barely breathe. Back then, I could only look up at Qin Zhan in awe, could only watch as he soared through the ranks and entered Mountain and River City. The heroic Qin Zhan of those days captured the hearts of countless noble ladies there!"
"A pity he had a shameless and utterly vicious ’good brother’!" The corner of Qin Feng’s mouth hooked into a cold smirk as he nodded and picked up where Qin Yue left off, speaking with ease.
"This shameless ’good brother’ of his was a fawning sycophant in his moments of glory, shamelessly worming his way into his life and currying favor. He gained Qin Zhan’s trust by practically groveling at his feet. Of course, behind his back, he rode on Qin Zhan’s coattails, using his name to reap countless benefits and rise rapidly despite his own mediocre aptitude. But after Qin Zhan died, this vicious ’good brother’ was the first to leap out and seize everything—all of Qin Zhan’s property, even his Mistresses. Then he cruelly drove his ’good brother’s’ only son away to some remote backwater!"
Qin Feng let out a cold, dry laugh. "Tell me, isn’t a person like that a shameless beast in human skin?"
Seeing Qin Yue’s face turn ashen, the other men exchanged uncertain glances. Qin Feng laughed and pointed at Qin Yue. "That’s right, you’ve probably guessed it. This beast is none other than your companion, Qin Yue! The one and only Legitimate Son of the Law Enforcement Hall’s Elder Qin Ming! Beneath his sanctimonious disguise, he’s a monster with a human face, a creature worse than any beast!"
"You little bastard!" Qin Yue’s face flushed. When Qin Feng pointed at him, his expression instantly turned the color of liver. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white and let out a series of sharp CRACKS. He was so furious he felt like his lungs would explode.
Seeing the wavering looks on his three companions’ faces, Qin Yue flew into a rage out of shame and roared, "What are you standing there gawking for? Get him! Slaughter this little beast!"
CLANG! The murderous sound of four pieces of Refined Iron clashing rang out, and an incomparably sharp, cold aura swept forward, surging like a torrential flood.
With a flash of saber light, four faint, fleeting saber-shadows descended upon Qin Feng, enveloping him completely.
The Qin Family’s Spirit Martial Level Secret Skill: Gale Blade Technique! Though it was the same Saber Technique, its power was on a completely different level when executed by these four elites from the Law Enforcement Hall.
The saber light was as dense as scales, a tempest of blades! It threatened to cleave through any enemy in its path with the force of a landslide.
Qin Feng’s expression grew grave. He hadn’t expected their combined attack to be so ferocious. He suspected that even a Martial Arts Fifth Heaven expert wouldn’t dare to meet their coordinated strike head-on.
’So it does have some tricks,’ Qin Feng thought, his expression turning cold as his eyes glinted. ’The Four Spirits Demon Suppression Battle Array may only be a simple Basic Battle Array, but when used by four Martial Artists at the Martial Arts Fourth Layer, it integrates them from a pile of loose sand into a single, cohesive unit. Their auras resonate, creating a dynamic array that fluidly combines trapping, killing, and exterminating. Even a Martial Arts Fifth Heaven Martial Artist would be forced to flee. If I were just an ordinary wanted criminal at Martial Arts Third Heaven Perfection, I’d surely meet my end here!’
However, he was no ordinary Martial Artist at Martial Arts Third Heaven Perfection.
With a single step, Qin Feng’s figure moved like a phantom, slipping through the seemingly airtight net of saber light like a wraith.
He was like a shuttle diving straight into the brilliant saber light. His figure, like a phantom breeze, stirred faint ripples in the air as the four men watched with mocking eyes.
"What an impetuous brat! Daring to charge into the array alone. The ignorant child is courting death!" Qin Yue roared with laughter. As Qin Feng had noted, the Four Spirits Demon Suppression Battle Array was only a Basic Battle Array. It lacked the terrifying amplification effect of a Middle-Level Battle Array, but it had another extremely important function: integration.
Integrating the power of four Martial Artists at the Martial Arts Fourth Layer was far more than simple addition. In a way, the four of them were comparable to a single, skilled saber wielder at the Martial Arts Fifth Heaven Middle Stage.
The Martial Dao had Nine Heavens, and each Heaven was a world of its own. The gap between the Martial Arts Third Heaven and the Fourth Heaven was immense; a single layer represented a vast difference in strength. The gap between the Third Heaven and the Fifth Heaven, spanning two whole layers, was even more massive.
The difference in power was enormous. The four men’s first priority had been to stop Qin Feng from escaping; their second was to trap and kill him.
They had never expected Qin Feng to make such a ’foolish move’ and fight them to the death. This played right into their hands.
The four men’s expressions changed from cautious to relaxed. Mocking smiles appeared on their faces. As long as he was inside the Array, no matter how formidable Qin Feng was, they were fully confident they could trap and even kill him.
Qin Yue’s face twisted into a savage grin. "You impetuous brat, you have no one to blame but yourself for walking into your own death!"
"A toad yawning—such big words. A few mangy dogs from the Law Enforcement Hall, daydreaming in broad daylight!"
A disdainful sneer echoed from the center of the Battle Array, enraging the four men so much their eyes seemed to spit fire. Qin Feng’s Movement Technique was incredibly fast. After comprehending the Clear Wind Realm, he had completely fused his understanding of it into the Clear Wind Spirit Refining Stake and the Gale Bone-Forging Fist, creating a unique Movement Technique.
This Movement Technique looked deceptively simple, but when he used it, he became like an intangible breeze scattering into a dense forest.
The Four Spirits Battle Array they formed was like a dense, layered, and lush forest, while he was a wisp of wind. No matter how thick the forest, there was always a gap for the wind to slip through.
"What kind of Stepping Technique is that!" The four men’s faces changed. Like an exploding firework, their four figures shot out to land in four different directions. With grim expressions, they stared intently at Qin Feng, who stood in the center of the Battle Array with a cold smirk.
Qin Feng’s Movement Technique was too slippery; even their pride and joy, the Four Spirits Demon Suppression Battle Array, couldn’t contain him. They had never seen such a refined and agile Stepping Technique. ’But why does it feel... familiar?’
’It seems to have elements of the Clear Wind Spirit Refining Stake and the Gale Bone-Forging Fist, but those are just two Human Martial Level Basic Skills. How could they be this miraculous? It has to be an illusion!’ All four men immediately dismissed the thought. It was simply too unbelievable!
’Could this be one of the Creations Qin Zhan left him?’ Qin Yue wondered. He felt he’d hit upon the truth, and his eyes burned with an undisguised, feverish greed as he stared at Qin Feng.
’If I could obtain this Movement Technique, I could easily face even a Martial Arts Fifth Heaven Martial Artist! What has that little beast ever done to deserve such an inheritance?’
His eyes turned red. Lowering his long saber, he said slowly to Qin Feng, "Qin Feng, you’re not escaping today. The Four Spirits Demon Suppression Battle Array is far more powerful than what you’ve seen. We haven’t even used our strongest technique, the Four Spirits Combined Attack. Once we unleash it, not even a Martial Arts Fifth Heaven Martial Artist could withstand it. I’ll give you one last chance. Hand over whatever boon you received from Qin Zhan, and I’ll spare you. Otherwise, your life is forfeit!"
"Qin Zhan?" Qin Feng looked startled. ’What does this have to do with Qin Zhan?’ he wondered. ’Could it be he really had some sort of treasure on him?’ His thoughts turned, and he instantly realized they had misunderstood.
Clearly, these people knew nothing about the ruins of the Six Tripods Ancient Temple. They assumed his abilities were somehow connected to that so-called father of his.
’Still, from the sound of it, there must be more to Qin Zhan’s story,’ a sliver of doubt appeared in Qin Feng’s mind.
Seeing Qin Feng lower his head in thought, Qin Yue assumed he was wavering. A false, cold smile touched his lips.
"Qin Feng, do you remember a certain woman named Aunt Lan?"
"Aunt Lan?" Qin Feng’s expression flickered. The image of a kind, loving woman surfaced in his memory. This body’s mother had died when he was young, so he had been raised on his wet nurse’s milk. Although Aunt Lan was not his birth mother, the bond he felt for her was stronger than if she had been.
The corner of Qin Feng’s eye twitched. Even though he wasn’t the original Qin Feng, he had inherited his memories and could empathize with his feelings.
A sense of foreboding washed over him.
"What about her?" Qin Feng asked coldly, his eyes downcast as he suppressed a sudden wave of irritation.
