Ye Xuan said, puzzled, "Did something happen here? I don’t know, I just went down for a swim."
"Is that so?"
The man’s eyes suddenly turned sharp.
SHLUCK!
With a soft sound, his sword pierced through Ye Xuan’s leg. The strike was incredibly fast. Ye Xuan only saw a flash of cold light. The opponent was very strong and also wielded a sword!
"I will give you one more chance. I want to hear the truth.
"Besides, to tell you the truth, I saw the anomaly that occurred here. When I arrived, the water column had just fallen. I was a step too late. However, I have investigated this lake. There is nothing underwater except for the corpse of a Zhang Family member. So, how did you suddenly appear in the water?"
The man’s words made Ye Xuan frown deeply. He finally understood why the man was glaring at him like a tiger watching its prey, even harboring a hidden killing intent. It turned out the other party had also rushed over during the anomaly, only to arrive a step late.
"Are you Zhang Wuzong?" Ye Xuan asked suddenly instead of answering.
As soon as he spoke, the sword in the man’s hand moved again. But this time, Ye Xuan was prepared. A top-grade Profound Level longsword appeared in his hand, intending to block the incoming strike.
However, it couldn’t be blocked.
CLANG!
The Profound Level Treasure Sword in his hand shattered. The man’s sword was undoubtedly a Spirit Level weapon. Only a Spirit Level weapon could snap a Profound Level weapon so effortlessly.
SHLUCK!
The exact same leg suffered another stab. Blood gushed out, dyeing the ground red.
"I am the one asking the questions, not you. Furthermore, what gives you the right to address me by my name?" the man spoke again, his voice cold and indifferent.
His words were an indirect admission that he was indeed the Zhang Family’s genius, Zhang Wuzong. This Zhang Family genius was truly formidable. Out of all the experts in the Zhang Family, Ye Xuan was only wary of Zhang Wuzong. Everyone said that on that night, Zhang Wuzong’s single sword strike transformed into three thousand, shattering the Clan Protection Grand Array that had guarded the Ning Family for a thousand years.
Ye Xuan originally never wanted to clash with Zhang Wuzong, which was why he had been holding back everywhere within the Secret Realm. But now, the other party had revealed a clear killing intent toward him.
So, should he kill Zhang Wuzong? And could he even kill Zhang Wuzong? Even if Ye Xuan unleashed his Dragon Soul and played all his trump cards, would he be a match for him?
The reason Ye Xuan felt uncertain was that he couldn’t determine the opponent’s cultivation level from his aura alone. Zhang Wuzong hadn’t used his full strength when he struck just now. Ye Xuan was currently at the 7th Layer of the Frenzy Spirit Realm. He was confident he could fight against an expert at the 6th Layer of the Super Spirit Realm, but he had absolutely no clue which layer of the Super Spirit Realm Zhang Wuzong was at. It could be the 7th Layer, or even the 8th Layer, or the 9th Layer!
At this moment, Ye Xuan was somewhat speechless, realizing that one truly shouldn’t let arrogance get the better of them. He had just boasted about being someone with immense luck, yet who would have thought he’d run into the Zhang Family’s genius the moment he came out? Was his good luck at an end, replaced by sheer misfortune?
His mind racing, Ye Xuan said, "I don’t know either. All I know is that earlier, the ground shook and dust filled the sky. I faintly saw a ray of light through the dust. Even though this light appeared deep inside, I came in to take a look."
"Get to the point."
"After I came in, I saw the water of the entire lake shoot up into the sky, and below it, an opening appeared."
"An opening?"
"Yeah. A black hole appeared at the bottom of the water."
It was unclear whether Zhang Wuzong believed him, but he continued, "Then when you arrived, was there anyone else?"
"Yes, there were a few outstanding youths from the Zhang Family. The one leading them was called Wuying. It seemed he was the one who discovered this place."
Ye Xuan was telling the absolute truth. He knew the young man in front of him wasn’t easy to fool, and making up a lie on the spot would only backfire.
"Wuying..." Zhang Wuzong raised an eyebrow. His younger brother?
If so, this Secret Realm was actually discovered by his younger brother.
Ye Xuan added, "When I arrived, I happened to see that young man named Wuying kill another person with a single sword strike."
"Oh. And then?" Hearing that his brother had killed someone, Zhang Wuzong’s expression remained completely unchanged.
"Then, they went inside, and I deliberated for a long time. Eventually, unable to resist my curiosity and the temptation, I slipped in while the stone doors were still open."
"In that case, what was inside? Why are you the one who came out? What about my brother and the others?"
"I don’t know either. After I went in, there were three paths. I took the one on the right and didn’t see them. I kept walking forward and found a thatched cottage."
"A thatched cottage? Were there treasures inside?" A glint of light flashed in Zhang Wuzong’s eyes, brimming with killing intent.
Even if Ye Xuan hadn’t seen that look in his eyes, he would never have admitted there was anything! Saying there were treasures would be seeking his own death.
He shook his head and said, "There was nothing, only a tunnel. Inside the tunnel was a glowing door. I thought I had stumbled upon a great fortuitous encounter, but after walking through, I just appeared in the water. You know the rest."
Hearing this, Zhang Wuzong remained silent. He scrutinized Ye Xuan carefully, as if trying to see right through his soul. Obviously, he didn’t quite believe Ye Xuan’s story.
"Oh, right, I know how to activate the mechanism. It opens the entrance." Sensing Zhang Wuzong’s mistrust, Ye Xuan spoke up again.
"You know?"
"Yeah. When I arrived, I heard them exclaim something about not expecting a mechanism here. The positions they were standing in at the time seemed to be..."
Ye Xuan supported his injured leg and limped around the edge of the lake, appearing as though he were searching for the mechanism’s location. But in reality, he had no idea where the mechanism was. He was merely stalling for time, desperately trying to come up with a countermeasure.
"A mechanism..." Zhang Wuzong, however, seemed to realize something. His body flashed, appearing at the northern side of the lake.
On the ground, there were bizarre carvings that looked like a maze. Could this be the mechanism? Zhang Wuzong had actually noticed this carving long ago but hadn’t known where to start.
Just as Ye Xuan was contemplating whether he should take this opportunity to flee swiftly, Zhang Wuzong looked up and said, "Come over here and see if this is the place."
Ye Xuan let out a breath and ultimately chose not to run. The disparity in their cultivation was simply too massive; he wouldn’t be able to escape. He had to calm down and bide his time for an opportunity.
Soon, Ye Xuan arrived beside the carvings on the ground and put on an act of inspecting them. Originally, he had no idea what these carvings were. But as he stared at them, the Array knowledge passed down to him by the Array Fool automatically surfaced in his mind. Werent the carvings on this surface the most fundamental Array Patterns?
Array Patterns resembled various characters and symbols. When correctly linked together, they could trigger a certain kind of power. However, the placement of these patterns was visibly chaotic.
Without saying a word, Ye Xuan placed his hand on an Array Pattern that looked similar to the natural sign, "?". But that wasn’t right. It couldn’t be moved.
Suddenly, as if thinking of something, Ye Xuan dove straight into the water.
"Hmm?" Zhang Wuzong frowned slightly but didn’t jump in after him. He certainly didn’t believe Ye Xuan could escape through the water. There was no path beneath this lake.
After Ye Xuan went under, his body radiated Spiritual Light, preventing the water from touching him. He swam swiftly. On a section of the wall, he spotted a protruding stone. On that stone was the exact same "?" rune.