Chapter 335 170: The Greatest Tragedy of All Time

Ever since he met Scholar Jingtan, Jiang Ran had been studying the art of arrays under his tutelage.

'Although I can't be sure if I'll one day capture a grandmaster of arrays and acquire their skills, it's better to seize the opportunity before me than to wait passively for some uncertain future.'

One was eager to learn, while the other, despite finding it agonizing, did his best to teach.

As a result, Jiang Ran's proficiency with arrays had improved by leaps and bounds recently.

He found a spot to sit cross-legged and began to silently observe the web-like array of swords.

He held a few stones in his hand, occasionally tossing them out in a process of trial and error.

Time ticked by. In the short span of a tea break, Jiang Ran had already tried several methods, but he was still unable to get past the array.

He couldn't help but frown.

Ruan Yuqing had little knowledge of this art, so she simply stood beside Jiang Ran and watched quietly.

But as she watched, she began to notice something.

"Young Hero Jiang, look. It seems like something is carved on those giant swords."

Jiang Ran had been so focused on the array that he hadn't paid any mind to the swords themselves.

It was impossible to tell how these swords had been forged, but each one was astonishingly large.

They were like massive stone pillars, and if one looked closely at the relief carvings on them, one could indeed make out some abstruse details.

Jiang Ran shifted his focus from the array to the reliefs on the swords. He blinked, staring at them.

"Are these carvings... depictions of the tortures from the Eighteen Layers of Hell?

"But there are far more than just eighteen of these swords..."

All told, there were one hundred and eight of them.

Jiang Ran had already figured out that these one hundred and eight points corresponded to the thirty-six Heavenly Spirits and seventy-two Earthly Fiends. Depending on their positions, they could form thousands of different configurations.

That was precisely why breaking this array was so difficult.

"Not every sword has a relief carved on it,"

Ruan Yuqing said softly.

"Do you think this might be related to how we break the array?"

"It's hard to say..."

Hearing this, Jiang Ran couldn't help but take another look at the reliefs on the swords.

He felt that the tortures depicted were the very height of cruelty.

'This only made me wonder even more who could have created such a place.'

'Who was lying in the coffin at the center of the array?'

'And what was the purpose of the blood channels in the rooms above, which funneled blood into that chasm?'

One question after another arose in his mind, only to dissipate just as quickly.

Finally, his gaze settled on the few swords that had reliefs carved into them. A moment later, he tossed another stone from his hand.

This time, it went perfectly smoothly.

After the stones landed, nothing happened.

Jiang Ran and Ruan Yuqing exchanged a glance, both seeing the pleasant surprise in the other's eyes.

"Miss Ruan, you truly are clever. I couldn't see the forest for the trees—I was only looking at the array and didn't realize there were clues hidden within it.

"The key to breaking the array really is these swords with the relief carvings.

"Using them as key points and calculating based on the patterns of the Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends, we can break the array and get through."

Jiang Ran was overjoyed.

Ruan Yuqing laughed.

"Young Hero Jiang, you shouldn't tease me. Your progress with arrays in such a short time is what shows true, heaven-sent talent.

"I only noticed the carved swords were different by a stroke of good luck.

"If you weren't an expert in this art, the two of us getting across would be nothing but a pipe dream."

At this, the two of them shared another smile.

But even though they had found the way, whether they could cross safely was still uncertain.

Jiang Ran tested his theory a few more times. Once he was certain it was correct, he turned to Ruan Yuqing.

"Miss Ruan, to get past this array, we cannot make a single misstep.

"You can't follow behind me. We have to cross together..."

"Alright."

Ruan Yuqing didn't argue, simply offering him her hand.

But looking at their intertwined fingers, Ruan Yuqing couldn't help but click her tongue.

"I feel like you're taking advantage of me again."

"Am I?"

Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you? You were dragging me around like this in the Ghost King Palace, and now here, under this courier station, you're doing it again.

"People will talk if word of this gets out."

Ruan Yuqing shook her head lightly.

"Then let's not let it get out, shall we?"

"So we're just going to be sneaky about it?"

"..."

'I feel like our conversation is rapidly spiraling in an unpredictable direction.'

He quickly cleared his throat and said,

"Let's go. We should cross first."

"Mm."

Ruan Yuqing nodded slightly, her hand tightening on her Gentle Water Sword, ready for anything unexpected.

The next moment, Jiang Ran moved, pulling Ruan Yuqing along with him. Their forms blurred into a series of afterimages—he was using the Celestial Nine Steps.

With a light tap of his foot, he landed on a chain connected to the first sword.

His body rose, moving through the air. In the blink of an eye, they had already taken three steps.

But as he leaped for the fourth step, aiming to land on the central platform, flames erupted without warning.

Jiang Ran's brow furrowed. With another tap of his foot, his body recoiled, returning them to their previous foothold.

"What happened?"

Ruan Yuqing, one arm wrapped around Jiang Ran, turned her head to look at the erupting flames, her heart pounding with fear.

'If we had been the slightest bit careless just now, we both would have fallen into the magma pool below, leaving not even our bones behind.'

Jiang Ran murmured thoughtfully,

"When I tested it with the stones, the fourth step should have let us reach the central platform."