Chapter 256 - 255: Setting up the Array

Chapter 256: Chapter 255: Setting up the Array

The atmosphere on the rest of the journey was still rather tense.

Gu Qingyin felt that after Huo Xingchen’s explanation, it wasn’t just her reputation that had taken a hit, but her husband’s, her master’s, and even her son’s as well.

Seeing that Huo Xingchen was about to say more, Gu Qingyin quickly covered the boy’s mouth and forced a smile. "Be good. Save your energy."

Huo Xingchen blinked, indicating that he understood.

The expressions of the others grew even more complicated at the sight.

Dongfang Lingjun sighed and advised, "Qing Yin, be a little nicer to the boy."

Gu Qingyin was speechless. ’So all that explaining was for nothing?’

Not only had she failed to clear things up, but she had actually made it worse.

The path was just as Huo Xingchen had said. Once they passed the Ghost King’s territory, there were no major dangers, and the second half of the journey was completely unobstructed. Soon, the group arrived at their destination.

It was a small valley. There were no trees, only low-lying shrubs. Once cleared, it would be perfect for setting up an Array.

"Let’s rest for a bit," Dongfang Lingjun said, sitting down on a rock. He wiped the sweat from his face, but his eyes never stopped scanning their surroundings.

For once, Gu Ziqian was being diligent, standing on high ground and observing along with him.

The two of them exchanged observations from time to time.

Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingchen sat together, resting and listening to the two men chat. Although they couldn’t really understand, they pretended as if they did.

Huo Yunjing had taken the paper-man to find food. They had used up most of the supplies they’d brought in the game space, and since they weren’t sure how long they would be staying in the mountains, they had to conserve what they could.

Before long, Huo Yunjing returned holding two flower crowns. Behind him, the paper-man diligently carried a pile of wild fruit without complaint.

Huo Yunjing walked up to Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingchen and handed them the flower crowns without a word.

Huo Xingchen was delighted. "Thank you, Uncle!"

Gu Qingyin was a little surprised, but she also smiled, thanked him, and accepted the crown.

"Uncle Huo! Did you make this yourself?" Huo Xingchen put on the flower crown, took out his phone, and started snapping pictures with a CLICK-CLICK. He was thrilled. "Can you teach me?"

Of course, Huo Yunjing didn’t refuse. There were no nice flowers nearby, so he plucked a couple of blades of grass to use instead. The steps were the same, anyway.

Gu Qingyin didn’t put hers on. She stared at the flower crown, a little lost in thought. ’I wonder if my husband has this skill too? I’ll have to ask him when he gets here.’

After eating and drinking for over half an hour, the group got down to business.

First, they determined the range of the Array, then they cleared the weeds.

Since they were all Heavenly Masters, clearing the weeds became a showcase of their unique abilities.

Spells, talismans, Arrays, paper-men... they used them all! Despite the considerable amount of work, they finished it surprisingly quickly, and the area was left spotless.

Not a single blade of grass would be growing in this patch for the next two years.

By the time they finished clearing the site, the sky had grown dark, and the group got busy setting up camp.

The original plan was for Zhang Qiuyan to share a tent with Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingchen, but now that they knew Huo Xingchen was actually a man in his twenties on the inside, it was no longer appropriate for them to stay together.

So, Huo Xingchen was kicked out to stay with Huo Yunjing. The remaining two, Gu Ziqian and Dongfang Lingjun, each had a one-person tent.

The four tents were arranged in a semicircle in the clearing. A campfire was lit in the middle, and the camp cookout began.

Barbecue and wild vegetable soup were essential. For dessert, they had wild fruit from the mountains. The food wasn’t exactly delicious, but it was enough to fill their stomachs.

After dinner, everyone sat and chatted for a while before returning to their tents to sleep. They had to start constructing the Array after waking up tomorrow, so there wouldn’t be much time to rest.

With the Defensive Array that Zhang Qiuyan had set up around the tents, there was no fear of wild animals attacking. After the campfire was extinguished, the lights in the tents went out one by one. Beneath the night sky, only the lonely paper-man was left sitting outside.

The paper-man sat motionless until the sky began to lighten at dawn, at which point it suddenly stirred.

First, it carefully relit the campfire. Then, carrying a bucket, it went to the stream where Huo Yunjing had taken it the day before to fetch water.

By the time it arduously hauled the water back, everyone had already emerged from their tents.

Zhang Qiuyan was the first to see the paper-man. She cried out in alarm, "What happened to you?"

Gu Qingyin heard the cry and looked over, her expression equally speechless.

The paper-man’s hands were scorched black and white, clearly from being too close to the fire. Its legs and body were soaking wet. The only reason it was still standing was entirely thanks to its frame.

The paper-man put down the bucket and sheepishly raised a hand to scratch its head, pulling off a scrap of paper.

Gu Qingyin sighed. "Come here, let me patch you up."

The paper-man obediently walked over, raised its hands, and stood still.

Gu Qingyin lectured it as she worked. "You’re made of paper! Water and fire are your natural enemies. Remember to stay far away from them in the future. Don’t just go near them. What if you hadn’t controlled the distance properly when you lit the fire and caught on fire yourself? By the time I came out, you’d have been burned to ashes, and I wouldn’t have been able to fix you even if I wanted to!"

The paper-man stood motionless, taking the scolding.

"There." Mending it was much faster than rebuilding it from scratch. Gu Qingyin patted the paper-man’s head. "Stay away from the fire."

The paper-man nodded, silently entered the tents to help them pack up their sleeping bags and luggage, and then took down the tents after everyone had washed up.

"Let’s begin," Dongfang Lingjun said with a grave expression, taking on the role of commander.

With Huo Yunjing at the core, the other four each took up a position at one of the four corners of the Array.

Meanwhile, Huo Xingchen watched from a distance, accompanied by the paper-man.

The four people at the corners simultaneously began to inscribe the Array Patterns, occasionally using talismans to assist them.

In the clearing, glowing lines shot out from the sides of each person, intertwining and connecting with one another before finally converging on Huo Yunjing’s position.

The Array Pattern was extremely complex. The sun rose in the east and set in the west, but the process was still not complete.

Huo Xingchen sat on a large rock, holding a rice ball. He mumbled indistinctly as he ate and watched, "How much longer is this going to take?"

The paper-man couldn’t speak, but it had a pen. Upon hearing him, it was about to write a response on its own body.

Huo Xingchen quickly stopped it and handed over a small notebook. "Write here."

The paper-man took it and wrote a line of beautiful script: If all goes well, it will be finished by tomorrow morning.

Huo Xingchen blinked. "And if it doesn’t?"

The paper-man continued to write: That depends on the extent of the issue. But you’d best pray for success, otherwise we’ll be stuck in these mountains for a long time. Not eating or sleeping well will impact our health.

Huo Xingchen was amused. "You know quite a lot."

The paper-man didn’t respond further.

The construction of the Array Pattern went even more smoothly than they had expected, and it was completely finished before dawn.

They had worked with intense concentration for almost a full day and night. The moment it was complete, a hint of exhaustion appeared in everyone’s eyes.

"Let’s continue."

After just a few bites of food and a couple of sips of water, the group returned to their respective positions, ready to activate the Array.

"It all comes down to this," Dongfang Lingjun said, his voice grave. "Don’t be too hasty when you inject your Spiritual Power. Pay attention to the balance."

Everyone had run through simulations more than once, but they still nodded seriously at his words. After Dongfang Lingjun gave the signal, they began to inject their Spiritual Power.

As the Spiritual Power flowed in, the light from the Array grew increasingly brilliant, at one point even outshining the dawn clouds on the horizon.ℯℯ𝑙.