Chapter 177: 127, Breaking through the Immortal Base Third Layer checkpoint, Human Emperor’s Body! (Chapter 6K)_3
Therefore, he had rushed to the 36 Layer Heavenly Gate Array, hoping to find a way out of his predicament.
The Punishing Law Bureau was largely staffed by Aristocratic Young Masters who had been merely filling their posts for years; they wouldn’t pay much mind to the grievances of Bottom-level Cultivators.
However, if the injured party was Xu Xing, who was suspected of being from an Aristocratic Family, then things would be uncertain.
When it came to protecting their shared interests, the Aristocratic Families wouldn’t listen to the excuses of a Commoner Ascetic Monk like him. They would likely spend considerable resources to find any Trace Clues that he had hired assassins.
With the methods available in the Cultivation World, no matter how carefully he covered his tracks, it would be difficult to evade the scrutiny of those determined to investigate.
If an investigation failed, a higher-level Bewitching Heart Array could still force him to confess.
...
Not here to apprehend me? Yang Shao thought. But... to engage in Breaking the Array?
Yang Shao didn’t rush into the 14th Layer Heavenly Gate Array. He glanced at Xu Xing’s actions and couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.
He had to admit, Xu Xing’s Array Talent was a notch above his own!
But it had only been a few years, a mere eight years—less than a tenth of the time he himself had spent studying array techniques.
Is he trying to ruin my opportunity? Or does he have some other goal?
Yang Shao couldn’t fathom what Xu Xing was planning.
He certainly didn’t believe Xu Xing had the ability to reach the 14th Layer Heavenly Gate Array.
But then, he was dumbfounded.
The first nine Heavenly Gate Arrays—the Firelight Array, Falling Stone Array, Purple Lightning Array, Golden Saber Array, and so on—one after another, Xu Xing dismantled them. While not instantaneous, his speed in breaking them was considerably faster than Yang Shao’s own pace just moments before.
How is this possible... Yang Shao cursed inwardly. He’s only studied for eight years... Is this really an array master with only eight years of experience?
Generally, Cultivators at the Immortal Foundation Realm could, at most, become Second Level Array Masters. This was because the Divine Sense and computational abilities required for third-level array techniques were beyond what those in the Immortal Foundation Realm possessed.
Only a Second Level Array Master could dismantle first-level array techniques with such ease.
Faster! I have to break through the 14th Layer Array before he enters the 14th Layer Heavenly Gate Array...
Without daring to delay even for a second, Yang Shao quickly stepped into the 14th Layer Heavenly Gate Array.
He had spent a day and a half breaking the first nine arrays.
The tenth array technique took him half a day.
The eleventh array technique took him a full day.
The twelfth array technique took him a day and a half...
But for the Thirteenth Formation, he had spent a full five days!
Each subsequent array technique grew progressively harder.
However, not even one quarter of an hour after Yang Shao entered the fourteenth array technique, his chest and abdomen suddenly heaved, and he spat out several mouthfuls of Fresh Blood. His face instantly turned deathly pale, devoid of any color, resembling a corpse.
Deducing an array technique inherently demanded utmost mental exertion, allowing no room for distracting thoughts.
With Xu Xing breaking through the arrays behind him, his anxiety about his crimes being exposed, and his prior overuse of the Yan Shen Art, all these factors combined had nearly exhausted his mental energy and Divine Sense, leaving his body weakened.
Keep deducing... he resolved. As long as I break the fourteenth layer, I’ll have a chance to ask Lord Kuimen for a Pill.
At this moment, Yang Shao decided he would risk death itself to break through the several layers of array techniques before him.
...
「In a Palace on a mountain peak behind the Sealed Demon Pan Palace.」
A large man in a golden robe, sensing something, opened his eyes. He peered through layers of obstructions, his gaze settling on the 36 Layer Heavenly Gate Array he had personally arranged within the Heavenly Gate Palace.
So, an Immortal Foundation Realm Cultivator has reached the fourteenth Heavenly Gate... he mused. No wonder this Dao Lord was awakened... His potential is limited, though; he’s nearly reached his limit on this path. Still, such dedication to seeking the Dao is praiseworthy. When he can go no further, I shall bestow upon him a Jade Divine Pill and accept him as an Unofficial Disciple.
The man in the golden robe was none other than Kuimen Daoist Lord. Witnessing Yang Shao’s desperate efforts, he nodded in appreciation and murmured to himself.
Some possess talent for Cultivation, while others excel in auxiliary arts like crafting Elixir Talismans. At the Realm of True Monarchs and Dao Lords, while Cultivation aptitude remains important, it is no longer the sole decisive factor. After all, individuals like them are typically Immortal Geniuses, the kind that appear only once every few hundred years.
However, Cultivators with notable talent in auxiliary arts are, in their eyes, sometimes more valuable than certain Cultivation-focused Immortal Geniuses. This is because cultivators skilled in auxiliary arts can offer them greater assistance, whereas a Cultivation Immortal Genius merely adds another powerful combatant to the Sect. The Flying Feather Immortal Palace is no minor School; it is one of the Ten Major Sects of East Huangzhou. Unless one reaches the level of a Nascent Soul Daoist Lord or a Nascent Soul Saint Monarch, mere Returning Core or Dao Pill cultivators are not considered particularly precious.
Wait... Is there another person breaking through the arrays behind this Foundation Establishment Cultivator? And their speed isn’t bad either. This is truly a rare occurrence. In the past, within the Pan Palace, it would often take decades for even one person to reach the 14th Layer Heavenly Gate Array.
Kuimen Daoist Lord was genuinely surprised.
For the Sealed Demon Pan Palace to produce two Cultivators with Array Talent consecutively was a fortunate event. He could tell at a glance that the latter’s proficiency in array techniques and Cultivation aptitude were not inferior to the Sect’s own Cultivation Geniuses; in fact, they might even surpass them, definitely placing them among the top tier.
However... Kuimen Daoist Lord frowned slightly. He cultivates the Withered Wood Sword Scripture, that fellow Giant Sword’s primary Cultivation Method. Should I inform Giant Sword about this... His time is nearly up; having such a Disciple would be a good thing for him.
He could see with a single glance how solid Xu Xing’s foundation was, and that his Magic Power was far more profound than his peers.
After a moment’s hesitation, Kuimen Daoist Lord retrieved a Golden Feather-like Token from his sleeve robe. He imprinted a strand of Divine Sense into it, then with a flick of his sleeve robe, the Golden Feather spun and shot off, piercing through the layers of Magical Prohibition around the Cave Mansion and speeding towards the deep sea to the south.