Anyone who cast this technique would undoubtedly be left severely battered internally, unable to even circulate their Spiritual Qi. If they were to consume a Spirit Revitalizing Pill at this point, the potent energy contained within the pill would only cause irreversible damage to their body’s cells and organs.
In other words, casting the Celestial Ascension Lotus Secret Technique would render the user a cripple.
This was exactly why the technique was classified as a Forbidden Technique—unless one faced a life-and-death crisis, it was not to be used.
The First Elder did not notice the gleam in Zhang Wuying’s eyes. He continued, "Wuying, let us hurry forward while the power of the Forbidden Technique remains, and see what fortuitous encounters lie ahead."
"Understood, First Elder."
At the same time, on the left path, there was also an array. However, the array on the left was merely a Trapping Array.
The Zhang Family’s Ninth Elder and Eighth Elder were trapped within an Array Barrier.
This meant that the three paths—from left to right—contained a Trapping Array, a Killing Array, and an Illusion Array, respectively.
Of these three arrays, the Illusion Array was the hardest to break. The Killing Array was the second hardest, and the Trapping Array was the easiest.
Those caught in a Trapping Array only needed to attack continuously. Even if they couldn’t shatter the array, they could exhaust its energy. Once the energy was depleted to a certain point, the Trapping Array would naturally dissipate.
Of course, although the Trapping Array was the easiest to deal with, breaking it would consume a considerable amount of time. One or two days likely wouldn’t be enough. It was estimated that those trapped would be stuck for ten days to half a month.
The one that truly offered a way out and saved time was actually the Killing Array in the middle.
This was because the Killing Array only spanned a hundred meters. Although its power was astonishing and capable of killing Zhang Family Elders, before its power could stack up, Super Spirit Realm experts still had a chance to retreat calmly—as long as they repelled the statues and avoided getting encircled.
Among the three arrays, the Illusion Array remained the most difficult.
At this moment, Ye Xuan was already overwhelmed with anxiety. Even if his mind was as tranquil as still water, how could he possibly break an Illusion Array? Was he destined to be trapped here until death?
Just as Ye Xuan’s thoughts were in turmoil, the ground began to tremble. It seemed someone was attacking the Illusion Array with all their might. Ye Xuan immediately guessed that it was the Zhang Family Elders.
At this moment, the two elders were frantically attacking the ground like madmen.
The Illusion Array was indeed difficult to break because everything around them was illusory. But it was precisely because of this illusory nature that, as long as one closed their eyes, they would realize they were still standing in their original spot. And their original spot was the corridor.
Attacking above was out of the question due to the risk of a cave-in, so they chose to attack beneath their feet. If they just smashed a deep pit into the ground, wouldn’t they break the Illusion Array? There couldn’t possibly be another Illusion Array underground. Who would have the ability to lay an array beneath the earth?
The continuous attacks from the two elders were the cause of the tremors.
Their actions might have seemed foolish, but in reality, this was exactly the method to break a low-level Illusion Array. That was, unless the Array Master had anticipated this and laid down a Guardian Array on the ground, meaning one would have to destroy the Guardian Array first before they could shatter the earth. Or, perhaps the floor was constructed from exotic stones that simply could not be broken.
The two elders didn’t know if the ground beneath their feet was shattering because the scenery they saw remained unchanged. They merely continued to attack, trying their best to cave the ground in. As long as they exited the boundaries of the Illusion Array, the array would naturally vanish. They could then dig a tunnel and escape.
Ye Xuan had actually thought of this method as well, but he found it foolish. If one went underground, how would they know which direction they were facing? Which way should they dig the tunnel? Even for a Cultivator, how long would it take to dig a tunnel all the way out? Therefore, unless there was truly no other option, he would not resort to this.
Ye Xuan remained seated cross-legged. Even though he didn’t understand arrays, he wanted to do his utmost to find a flaw.
Right at this moment, the Dragon Capturing Cauldron in his Sea of Consciousness emitted a radiant glow. Its position shifted to the left three times.
At first, Ye Xuan was somewhat confused, but then his eyes lit up. He stood up and also moved three steps to the left.
After he moved, the Dragon Capturing Cauldron shifted upward ten times. By closely following its lead, the illusory city vanished ten minutes later. Ye Xuan stepped out of the Illusion Array’s boundary.
"Dragon Capturing Cauldron, you can actually break an Illusion Array... That means you possess sentience!"
Ye Xuan was immensely astonished. Treasures with sentience only existed in legends.
Suppressing the shock in his heart, he turned his head and saw that the two Zhang Family Elders were still frantically attacking the ground. However, the ground emitted the glow of an array. In other words, the floor was protected by a Guardian Array.
This was an Array-in-Array. An Array-in-Array was absolutely not something an ordinary Array Master could set up.
Shaking his head, he turned around and quickly left. He wanted to know where the end of this path ultimately led. Were there truly fortuitous encounters here? And what kind of encounters would they be?
At the same time, on the middle path.
The First Elder and Zhang Wuying appeared in a massive cavern. In the center of the cavern sat a thatched cottage.
The two stood before the thatched cottage, neither daring to act rashly. Since they had come from the Killing Array, they subconsciously assumed that hidden dangers lurked within the cottage.
The First Elder finally spoke. "There doesn’t seem to be any danger here. Wuying, you go in. Haven’t you always wanted to surpass your older brother? Now, your opportunity has arrived."
Hearing his words, Zhang Wuying furrowed his brows. The First Elder was actually telling him to go in first. Was there a trap? Did the First Elder see that there was danger inside and want to use him as cannon fodder? Or was he truly yielding this fortuitous encounter to him? Zhang Wuying hesitated.
The First Elder frowned and said, "What’s wrong? Are you worried there’s danger inside? Too afraid to go? If you don’t even have this little bit of courage, how will you ever surpass your brother?"
As the First Elder spoke, he let out a sigh, seemingly disappointed by Zhang Wuying’s failure to meet his expectations.
Without waiting for Zhang Wuying’s reply, he spoke again. "Then I will pave the way for you, while my current strength has yet to fade. Wuying, wait for me here."
With that, the First Elder opened the door and entered the thatched cottage. The moment he stepped inside, the door automatically shut.
Zhang Wuying had absolutely no idea what the situation was like inside. Gritting his teeth, he was still debating whether or not to enter.
He thought, "Forget it, I’ll go in!"
Ultimately, Zhang Wuying decided to follow him in. Although he was worried about potential danger inside, if there wasn’t any danger and it turned out to be a fortuitous encounter, wouldn’t the First Elder claim it all?
Just as he prepared to take a step, a brilliant light emanated from within the cottage. The light was blinding; it seemed some kind of array had been activated.
"First Elder... is everything alright in there?" Zhang Wuying asked.
Inside the room, the First Elder didn’t respond. There was no movement at all, nor were there any sounds of fighting.
Zhang Wuying gritted his teeth and dashed into the thatched cottage anyway.
Upon entering, he discovered that the entire thatched cottage—both the floor and the walls—was carved with dense Array Patterns. The blinding light he had seen from the outside was generated by them. The radiant light of the array swirled and flowed, making the small thatched cottage look like a mysterious starry sky.
"This..." Zhang Wuying was dumbfounded. It was his first time witnessing such a spectacle.
"First Elder, there’s someone here!" Zhang Wuying suddenly exclaimed, pointing above his head.
Directly above them, a figure had abruptly appeared. This person had very long hair that fluttered with an ethereal grace. His eyes were as profound as the starry sky, holding an intriguing sense of mystery. He hovered in the air, looking down at the First Elder and Zhang Wuying.