Chapter 729: Arrival of the Martial Emperor

Chapter 729: Chapter 730: Arrival of the Martial Emperor

The cave was situated directly ahead, right in the center of the ten Restriction Arrays. Everyone’s heart pounded. ‘Could there be an even more incredible treasure inside?’

Zhan Shang, in particular, couldn’t restrain himself. His eyes lit up, and he moved to charge inside.

“Wait!” Jiang Chonghuang’s expression changed abruptly as he shouted. As the words left his mouth, Mu Jin, who was beside him, suddenly pulled out a handful of array flags from his Storage Ring and swiftly tossed them into the hall.

HUM!

A hazy ripple sealed the surrounding space, enveloping everyone within.

Xu Guanglin and his men felt their vision blur, and then they lost sight of Ye Xuan.

It wasn’t just Ye Xuan who had vanished. Diao Minghuang, Jiang Chonghuang, Mu Jin, You Yuanming, and the others were gone as well. All that remained before them was a hazy, indistinct world.

‘An Array,’ Xu Guanglin thought, startled. He immediately struck out with his palm. BOOM! The hazy void before him trembled for a moment before quickly returning to normal.

‘It’s an Eighth-Level Array.’ Xu Guanglin’s expression darkened instantly. ‘For it to block my strike, this Array Mu Jin deployed must be extraordinary. It has to be at least an Eighth-Level Array, and a powerful one at that.’

“Damn it, Jiang Chonghuang and his group…”

Anxiety surged in Xu Guanglin’s heart. He knew full well what Jiang Chonghuang and the others were up to—they were undoubtedly after Ye Xuan’s treasures.

At this thought, he began to strike relentlessly. RUMBLE! Deafening booms echoed as the entire grand Array rippled violently.

“Xu Guanglin, what do you think you’re doing? We’re just making a deal with this Xuan Ye; it has nothing to do with you. Once our transaction is complete, I’ll naturally let everyone out of the Array. Stop at once!”

Jiang Chonghuang’s voice echoed from within the Array.

Xu Guanglin was unmoved. “Jiang Chonghuang,” he roared, “I don’t care what deal you’re making with Young Master Ye! Open this Array at once, or don’t blame me for what happens next!”

Jiang Chonghuang replied, annoyed, “Xu Guanglin, if you insist on being stubborn, then so be it. If you have the power, open the Array yourself. How utterly foolish.”

With that, he ignored Xu Guanglin completely.

The cold look on Xu Guanglin’s face was replaced by tension. He turned to Xu Zhen and the other two and said urgently, “You three, attack with me! We need to break this Array!”

“Ancestor, is that really necessary?” Xu Ping suddenly sneered from the side. “Jiang Chonghuang and the others are obviously after the Earth Fire and other treasures on Xuan Ye. That’s why they set up this Array. Once their ‘deal’ is done, they’ll naturally take it down. There’s no need to be so anxious. Besides, that Xuan Ye did absolutely nothing and still demanded thirty percent of the Xu family’s profits. He’s the type to devour you whole. What’s more, we’ve already cut ties with him.”

“What the hell do you know?” Xu Guanglin’s expression was grim. “We’ve made a huge mistake.”

Xu Ping looked stunned. “What huge mistake?”

Xu Guanglin transmitted his voice, his tone frigid. “Do you really think they set up this Array just for Xuan Ye’s treasures? If that were true, why would they trap us inside as well? If I’m not mistaken, their target is everyone here. After they deal with Xuan Ye, we’ll be next.”

“How could that be…” Xu Ping and the others were shocked.

“Hmph, why not? They’re all from powers within the Profound Domain, so they must know each other well. We, on the other hand, are complete strangers to them. I’m afraid they had this planned back when we were divvying up the Restriction Arrays. They’re just wary of my strength and want to pick us off one by one. And you idiots still think they’re only after Xuan Ye’s treasures. So foolish.”

Xu Ping and the others couldn’t help but draw a sharp, cold breath. If what their Ancestor said was true, they were in grave danger.

Although they were powerful, their group only consisted of one Third Layer Martial Sovereign and three Second Layer Martial Sovereigns. Their opponents, however, had two Third Layer Martial Sovereigns, nearly ten Second Layer Martial Sovereigns, and an Eighth-Level Array. Trapping and killing them was not an impossible feat.

Realizing this, Xu Ping grew nervous as well. He and the others joined in, furiously bombarding the grand Array.

“That Xu Guanglin is a crafty one,” Jiang Chonghuang said, his face a little grim as he watched the four of them relentlessly attacking the Array. “He must have guessed that we’d turn on him after we deal with that kid. That’s why he refuses to just stand by and wait.”

Diao Minghuang sneered. “Why worry about them? Master Mu Jin’s Array can trap Xu Guanglin and his men for at least an hour. In that time, we’ll have long since killed Xuan Ye. The one we should be watching is that fellow Zhan Shang. I have a strange feeling about him.”

“Don’t worry, Diao Minghuang,” Mu Jin said with a cold laugh, as he was the one monitoring the Array. “Zhan Shang is under my watch and hasn’t made any unusual moves. He seems to have bought our explanation that we’re only going after Xuan Ye.”

In his senses, Zhan Shang hadn’t shown the slightest panic when the Array suddenly enveloped him. On the contrary, after hearing their explanation, he had simply sat down cross-legged within the Array and started cultivating.

Recalling Zhan Shang’s earlier deal with Ye Xuan, Mu Jin could only conclude that the man was an idiot.

“In that case, let’s kill the kid first.”

Jiang Chonghuang sneered. As he finished speaking, he, Diao Minghuang, and a few others slipped into the Array. Their figures flickered once and then vanished completely.

Within the hazy expanse of the grand Array, Ye Xuan extended his senses, observing his surroundings.

He had sensed something was wrong the moment Jiang Chonghuang spoke. By the time the Array trapped him, a calm expression had settled on his face.

‘An Eighth-Level Flowing Light Forbidden Element Array. It seems Mu Jin’s skill with Arrays is quite impressive.’

Ye Xuan sneered inwardly, though his expression remained perfectly calm. ‘Jiang Chonghuang and his group actually want to use an Array to trap me? That’s like trying to teach a master carpenter how to use an axe.’

He had recognized it at a glance: the Array Mu Jin had used was the Flowing Light Forbidden Element Array, a particularly powerful type of Eighth-Level Array. It could seal off a region of space, making it difficult for even a Martial Sovereign to escape.

But to think it could trap him, Ye Xuan, was nothing more than a fool’s dream.

‘Since you all want to play, I’ll play along.’

Ye Xuan sneered. He made a show of having Erhei and Xiaohai guard him as he shouted loudly, “Jiang Chonghuang, I’m not sure what kind of deal you want to make, but you can just tell me! Why go to the trouble of trapping me in an Array?”

As he spoke, he covertly began to move toward the “Life Gate” at the core of the Flowing Light Forbidden Element Array.

At the same time, his senses clearly pinpointed the figures of Jiang Chonghuang and Diao Minghuang.

The two men were cautiously approaching, one from his left and one from behind. They were clearly wary of Xiaohai and Erhei; even within the cover of the Array, they intended to use a sneak attack to kill him.

Ye Xuan sneered inwardly, keeping Xiaohai and Erhei ready. The moment those two attacked, he would give them a lesson they would never forget.

After all, Jiang Chonghuang and Diao Minghuang were two Third Layer Martial Sovereigns. If not for his own currently low cultivation, Ye Xuan wouldn’t have needed to resort to such schemes.

Most importantly, Zhan Shang was still lurking somewhere. Ye Xuan was far more wary of him than he was of Jiang Chonghuang and Diao Minghuang.

After about a dozen breaths, when the lurking Jiang Chonghuang and Diao Minghuang were a mere ten meters from Ye Xuan, they suddenly made their move.

SWISH! SWISH!

Two streaks of light shot toward Ye Xuan, one from the left and one from behind.

Just as Ye Xuan was about to have Xiaohai and Erhei counterattack, his expression changed drastically. With a wave of his hand, he recalled Xiaohai and Erhei into his Spirit Pet Bag. Then, he leaped straight into the Array’s Life Gate and snapped the most critical array flag with a single kick.

BOOM!

The entire grand Array shuddered violently. As the white mist began to dissipate, Ye Xuan, without a moment’s hesitation, took advantage of the brief fissure that appeared in the Array and dove straight into the black cavern that had just appeared at the front of the hall.

“How could this be?”

Jiang Chonghuang and Diao Minghuang’s attacks hit nothing. They stared, stunned at the scene, completely unable to comprehend what had just happened.

WHOOSH!

Just then, another streak of light followed close behind Ye Xuan, rushing into the black cavern. It was Zhan Shang.

BOOM!

With its core flag broken, the Flowing Light Forbidden Element Array roared and revealed a fatal flaw. Sensing the fluctuation in Profound Qi, Xu Guanglin and his men seized the opportunity, unleashing a full-power strike that shattered the grand Array.

“Jiang Chonghuang, I demand an explanation,” Xu Guanglin said, fuming, the moment he was free.

He had barely finished speaking when a figure suddenly descended into the hall.

The newcomer was slender, and his entire body radiated a weathered, time-worn aura. The boundless might he exuded just by standing there pressed down on everyone, making it hard for them to breathe.

“Lord Blood Sword Martial Emperor!”

Upon recognizing the newcomer, Jiang Chonghuang and Diao Minghuang were startled. They hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects.

The man’s reputation was immense. Anyone who operated within the Profound Domain’s Third Heaven knew of him: the Blood Sword Martial Emperor, Shi Guangliang, nicknamed Blood Sword.

‘A Martial Emperor from the Profound Domain has actually entered this mysterious land.’

Jiang Chonghuang and the others were secretly alarmed. They had all entered this place via the Celestial Yin Valley, which typically only attracted Martial Kings and Martial Sovereigns; Martial Emperors were rarely seen in the vicinity.

The Blood Sword Martial Emperor’s appearance here clearly meant that many other Martial Emperors from the Profound Domain had gotten wind of this place and were now rushing over from all directions.

“What happened here?” the Blood Sword Martial Emperor demanded in a cold voice, his gaze sweeping across the hall. “I thought I saw someone rush into that cavern just now. Who was it that entered the moment they saw me arrive?”

Jiang Chonghuang and the others had been so stunned by the Martial Emperor’s arrival that they hadn’t considered it. Now that he mentioned it, the realization dawned on them, and their faces filled with shock.