Chapter 38: Taking the Initiative

"Lord Black Butler, that group has arrived again."

In a cave less than a hundred miles from the ruins, a man dressed in black robes, appearing skeletal in form, reported respectfully to a figure sitting upon a blood-colored iron throne ahead.

A tall figure sat upon the blood-colored iron throne, clad in a crimson robe embroidered with a black bat mark on the chest. His face was shrouded in a mass of blood-colored mist, making his features indistinguishable.

The Black Butler leaned lazily against the armrest of the throne, his fingers tapping an irregular rhythm. After a long silence, he spoke coldly, "Can they break that damned [Xuan Yang Heavenly Gang Array] this time?"

The skeletal man said cautiously, "My Lord, it seems they are well-prepared this time. Two individuals suspected of being formation masters have already entered the array; they must have made ample preparations."

"Oh? It seems these people have some use after all. It wasn't in vain that I waited for them here for over a year. The task the Branch Master assigned to me is finally nearing completion."

The Black Butler's tone softened slightly, and his mood improved considerably.

"Congratulations, my Lord! In the future, you shall be the number one butler under the Branch Master's command. Achieving the Purple Mansion realm and establishing a new branch will be within your grasp before long!"

Seeing this, the skeletal man immediately unleashed a torrent of sycophantic flattery.

To his surprise, the Black Butler merely let out a cold snort. "Hmph, if it weren't for our nest in the Wangyue Mountains being destroyed by the Song Clan, I could have broken that [Xuan Yang Heavenly Gang Array] long ago. Why drag it out until now!"

"Those useless wretches truly deserved their deaths. They actually failed to seize even a few brats with spiritual roots, and they even ruined the chess pieces you placed in the Wangyue Mountains," the skeletal man added quickly in agreement.

"That is not for you to discuss. Send people to watch that group. Once the array is broken, kill them all without mercy. Do not let them touch anything within the ruins, understood?" the Black Butler said coldly.

"Understood!"

...

On the outskirts of the ruins, Zhu Yiqun and the others were exerting all their strength to maintain two passages, completely unaware that they had fallen into a trap set by the Blood Demon.

"Old Zhu, why haven't Fellow Daoist Xu and Fellow Daoist Song finished yet? The consumption is too great; everyone is reaching their limit," Li Hu said, his face now deathly pale.

As for the others, aside from Zhu Yiqun, Zhuang Yuechan, and Xu Yunhe, none were in good condition; the spiritual energy within their bodies was nearly exhausted.

"Hold on a little longer. We've prepared for so long, and there won't be another opportunity like this. I believe they can do it," Zhu Yiqun comforted the group through gritted teeth, though he could not help feeling anxious in his heart.

He could only pray silently that he hadn't misjudged them...

Inside the grand array, Song Changsheng was nearing the center. At this stage, the difficulty of deduction had become immense.

If not for the fact that Song Changsheng had spent years contemplating Daoist scriptures, which had greatly enhanced his divine soul, he truly would not have been able to maintain such high-intensity deduction.

"The array eye should be nearby. Three to the left, two up." Song Changsheng's footsteps shifted slightly. As he took his final step, his gaze sharpened. With a wave of his sleeve, he summoned the [Water Element Shield] to protect himself.

*Clang—*

A profound bell toll rang out as a massive phantom of a bronze bell appeared, instantly colliding with the [Water Element Shield].

"Defend!"

While using the [Water Element Shield] to protect himself, Song Changsheng rapidly retreated, landing steadily on the path he had previously deduced.

"To think a Spirit Tool is being used as the array eye. The owner of these ruins certainly has grand tastes!" Song Changsheng couldn't help but marvel as he looked at the bronze bell phantom before him.

In this world, although magical tools were categorized by cultivator realms into First-Order, Second-Order, and so on, a distinction arose once a tool reached the Second-Order. This was because Foundation Establishment cultivators could nurture a magical tool within their dantian, a process known as "Spirit Gestation."

Through long-term nurturing or the use of special methods, a magical tool could develop spirituality; this was what constituted a Spirit Tool.

Beyond that, they were further categorized into Dharma Treasures, Spirit Treasures, Law Spirit Treasures, and so on.

Regardless of the rank of the blacksmith, what they initially refined were merely ordinary magical tools; spirituality had to be cultivated through post-natal nurturing—though certain special methods were exceptions.

Although a Spirit Tool was comparable to a Second-Order magical tool, their values were incomparable. A magical tool was a dead object, but a Spirit Tool possessed a sliver of intelligence, making it a semi-living entity capable of helping its master maximize their strength.

One should not underestimate this; in actual combat, it provided a massive boost.

Magical tools were easy to obtain, but Spirit Tools were hard to find. Even within the Song Clan, there were only a few inherited Spirit Tools, all of which were cherished family treasures.

"Though it is a high-grade Spirit Tool, it is an ownerless object after all. It should suffice."

While Song Changsheng was lost in thought, the bronze bell phantom launched another attack, sending silent, vortex-like ripples spreading from the phantom.

"Treasure Gourd, come forth!" Song Changsheng recalled the [Water Element Shield] to protect himself and summoned the [Water-Fire Treasure Gourd] to clash head-on with the bronze bell phantom.

The gourd and the bell collided, instantly producing a series of thunderous roars and continuous vibrations. Song Changsheng waved his sleeve again, and twelve array flags rushed out in a line.

The flags formed a circle in the air, surrounding the bronze bell phantom.

Holding his breath, he carefully manipulated each triangular array flag to integrate them into the foundation of the grand array according to his deduced pattern.

Song Changsheng's current actions were incredibly bold. He didn't just want to destroy the array eye to break the formation; he wanted to seize control of the array itself.

He had already fully comprehended the array patterns of this [Xuan Yang Heavenly Gang Array]. He only needed to follow the original operational laws of the array and set up a reversal formation at the array eye.

By controlling the array eye, he could turn the tables and take the control of the entire grand array into his own hands.

Song Changsheng did not do this to monopolize the treasures in the ruins, but to leave himself a contingency plan.

After all, with so many people in the group and him being a temporary addition, if someone turned malicious and tried to burn the bridge once they crossed the river, he would be able to counter them.

It wasn't that he was being suspicious of others, but rather that caution ensures a long journey!

*Clang, clang, clang!*

The bronze bell phantom seemed to have discovered Song Changsheng's intention, increasing the frequency of its attacks. For a moment, the Treasure Gourd was forced back repeatedly.

Song Changsheng's face gradually turned pale. Every attack from the bronze bell caused a shock to his divine sense. If it were Xu Yun here, her divine soul would likely have been shattered by now, leaving her in a state of idiocy.

"A mere Spirit Tool thinks it can turn the heavens upside down?" Song Changsheng took out several soul-consolidating pills, swallowed them, and shouted with wide, furious eyes.

"[Water Element Shield], go!"

He directly abandoned his own defense, committing both of his top-tier magical tools at once, instantly suppressing the bronze bell phantom.

He took this opportunity to set up the reversal formation.

Thanks to his profound understanding of array patterns, the deployment of the formation proceeded very smoothly.

The moment the formation succeeded, Song Changsheng erupted with full power, suppressing the Spirit Tool acting as the array eye and forcibly branding it with his own soul imprint.

At this moment, he had taken over the majority of the grand array's authority!

...

(End of Chapter)