Chapter 1429 - 418: Do You Prefer Sour or... Spicy? (6k)_4

Second Elder carefully examined the jade scroll map, then nodded slightly towards Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing stood up and said, "Second Family Head, it’s right below us!"

Shen Yunlan’s eyes flashed with brilliance as he gazed down at the terrain, puzzled, "This is the peripheral area of the Fifth Tail; our Shen Family mercenaries frequent this area, and I have never heard of any restrictions being present."

Zhou Qing remained silent.

Shen Yunlan seemed to have an epiphany and quickly smiled apologetically, "I was rash. To escape the detection of the master with 30,000 spirit seals, such an ancient restriction is naturally not something an ordinary cultivator can discover."

Zhou Qing nodded in understanding.

"Master, to prevent any anomalies from the restriction from leaking out, I will go and set up a concealment array." Second Elder stepped forward to respectfully report.

"Go ahead, and be careful." Zhou Qing instructed.

"I understand, Master!" Second Elder chuckled and turned to leave.

As he watched Second Elder’s departing figure, Shen Yunlan suddenly felt a twinge of unease in his heart.

This was a keen intuition formed after countless life-and-death crises as a Spirit Slash Realm Perfection expert.

However, Master Qingzhou was merely at the late stage of Divinity Transformation, and his disciple only had a Nascent Soul cultivation; they should not pose any threat to him.

Then this unease must be stemming from...

"The secret realm guarded by this restriction must hide a shocking opportunity!" A fleeting gleam of greed flickered in Shen Yunlan’s eyes.

He volunteered for this mission after hearing Master Qingzhou mention the ancient restriction that even 30,000 spirit seals could not shake.

If he could break the restriction with the master’s help and assist when danger arises, it would undoubtedly draw them closer.

At that time, with part of the treasures from the secret realm, and with the master recruited under the Second House, everything would fall into place.

With the aid of this Array Master, wouldn’t his chances of vying for the position of Family Head significantly increase in the future?

"If there is indeed the legendary inscription-level divine technique inside..." At this thought, a trace of ruthlessness suddenly flashed in his eyes, with a hint of killing intent looming.

"Then the position of Family Head would be insignificant!"

What made him even more cautious was the fact that, as expected, his eldest brother and third brother were quietly following behind him all the way.

"Heh, they want to compete with me?"

Fortunately, he was well-prepared. Over the past half month’s journey, he deliberately took winding routes, making the path unpredictable and hard to follow.

Whenever passing through dangerous places, he would secretly activate the "Thousand Illusions Pearl," leaving behind multiple traces of clones with the same aura at junctions, indistinguishable from the real one.

Not just that—

He also carried the "Heaven-Evading Talisman" obtained from an ancient relic years ago; once activated, even his eldest brother in the Supreme Realm could hardly deduce his whereabouts.

Additionally, he sealed all tokens related to the Shen Family on him—including the Family Head Order, the bloodline jade pendant, even the family emblem on his clothes—to avoid being detected by any tracking secret techniques.

Yet, his eldest brother was still quite formidable and nearly discovered them a few days ago.

Luckily, he managed to cover himself with the "Severed Fate Jade" he had acquired by chance, temporarily cutting off all bloodline sensory links, catching his brother off-guard.

With such meticulous arrangements, surely no one could trace his steps here.

Upon realizing this, he quickly calmed his heart and spirit, donned a kindly smile, and looked towards Zhou Qing: "Master, is there anything I need to do?"

"No need, just wait here quietly."

Zhou Qing sat cross-legged on the green rock, eyes slightly closed, with a serene expression.

Seeing this, Shen Yunlan had to suppress the anxiousness in his heart, stood with his hands behind his back, and waited together.

About an hour later—

"Buzz—"

A peculiar buzzing sound suddenly resonated through the heavens and earth, akin to the low growl of an awakening ancient beast.

Soon after, five radiant beams of light surged skyward from five directions of the mountain range, their crimson, cyan, green, white, and yellow colors intertwining, sketching out complex and profound array patterns on the firmament.

"This is... the Five-Color Restriction?!"

When Shen Yunlan saw the restriction covering the entire mountain range, his pupils contracted, and a look of disbelief appeared on his face.