Chapter 598 - 538: Bizarre, Fissure

Chapter 598: Chapter 538: Bizarre, Fissure

’Is the stele itself blank, or were the words erased by someone?’

Chu Mu stared at the blank Jade Stele, looking thoughtful. After a moment, he gently stroked the stele. The jade felt rather soft, its color cool and clear. Logically, it should be a Spiritual Material with a gentle or perhaps cold Attribute.

But when he used his Divine Sense Perception, this Jade Stele was as violent as fire, even carrying faint wisps of an Intent of Slaughter.

Chu Mu tried to recall a Spiritual Material with such properties. In his experience, there were many Spiritual Materials with similar characteristics, but one that perfectly matched all the traits of this Jade Stele... he couldn’t come up with a clear answer.

’A Spiritual Material beyond my knowledge...’

Chu Mu pursed his lips. His Divine Sense flowed out and enveloped the Jade Stele. Just as its surface was completely devoid of markings, his senses detected no Array Prohibition Pattern on the stele either.

Unwilling to give up, Chu Mu observed it for a while longer. In the end, he had to admit that this Jade Stele was truly just an ordinary stone stele.

Other than the Jade Stone itself possibly being a rather unique Spiritual Material, there was nothing else unusual about it.

It didn’t even have any discernible connection to the plaza.

The plaza itself, on the other hand, was a much clearer matter.

The small plaza was completely enveloped by a Grand Array on all sides.

Regardless of whether Xie Yu’s words were true or how credible they were, the fact that this array needed to be broken was unlikely to be a lie.

As his thoughts raced, Chu Mu scanned the dense fog in all directions. After a brief inspection, a general conclusion formed in his mind.

’The outermost layer’s most direct manifestation seems to be... an Illusion Array?’

Chu Mu narrowed his eyes. He took a step forward, reaching the edge of the plaza. His Divine Sense was like a blade, protected by Sword Intent Divine Protection, as he cautiously probed the mist at the edge.

The instant his Divine Sense touched the mist, an indescribable sense of agitation welled up within him. The world seemed to spin once more, and at that moment, Chu Mu’s heavily guarded Heart Spirit was suddenly breached.

In that brief moment, the world spun dizzily again, followed by an evolution that felt like ages passing in an instant.

It was as if he had returned to his past life. Even amidst a world of splendor, all that prosperity had nothing to do with him. Just like before, he was caught in a hustle and bustle, wasting his entire life...

It was as if he had returned to the Cultivation Immortal Realm, the existence of his Spiritual Radiance exposed. The whole world became his enemy, and he was hunted everywhere, plunging him into a heart-pounding despair...

Or it was as if his Cultivation had stagnated, unable to advance even an inch. Day after day, no matter what he tried, he couldn’t take another step on his Immortal Path. As he reached the end of his lifespan, he could only cry out to the heavens in grief, unwilling to die yet utterly helpless, feeling his Essence, Qi, and Spirit decay and disintegrate bit by bit...

In the plaza, only an instant had passed. But in that brief lapse of his Heart Spirit, for Chu Mu, it was an endless cycle of reincarnation, where ages passed and the world transformed.

HUM!

At some unknown moment, a crisp sword hum suddenly rang out. The sound went from faint to deafening in a single instant.

The sword hum swept through his Sea of Consciousness, and his breached Heart Spirit instantly stabilized.

Chu Mu snapped out of it as if waking from a dream. His face was pale, and when he looked again at the churning white mist before him, his eyes were clearly filled with dread.

’This mist, this Illusion Array...’

’It can actually draw out the deepest flaws in a living being’s heart!’

He had been so heavily on guard, yet the flaws in his Heart Spirit were still exploited, manifesting layer after layer of Illusory Reincarnations.

If his Sword Intent hadn’t protected its master and shocked him awake, the final outcome of being trapped in such an endless Illusory Reincarnation would likely have been nothing more than an empty shell, its Heart Spirit completely exhausted.

Chu Mu pondered for a moment, then collected his Heart Spirit and began to walk along the edge of the plaza. This time, he was clearly more cautious, avoiding direct contact with the white mist as much as possible.

About fifteen minutes later, he seemed to sense something and stopped at the plaza’s edge. With a flick of his hand, the Jade Scroll he had received from Xie Yu appeared, hovering over his palm.

The methods the Xie Family had used to break the Array Prohibitions during their several entries into this Ruins Cave Mansion were all recorded clearly within it.

The Xie Family’s method for breaking the Array Prohibition was to find the array’s nodes and then use brute force to tear open a fissure.

It was simple and crude. The only problem was gauging the right amount of force to use.

The method to break the Array Prohibition was very clear, but at this moment, Chu Mu seemed to hesitate.

He stood at the edge of the plaza, making no move for a long time.

After a good while, he finally started walking again, continuing along the plaza’s edge to once more inspect the Grand Array that enveloped it.

According to the Xie Family’s Jade Scroll, this plaza could perhaps be considered the first trial of the Ruins Cave Mansion.

Passing this stage would grant one the qualification to officially enter the Relic Trial.

’But the question is... what is the point of this barrier Array?’

’If it’s for protection, then why is that Space Gate completely unobstructed? Why does it let anyone enter and exit freely?’

’And why, when peeking into this Ruins Cave Mansion from the outside, was there a "door within a door"?’

It seemed that from the moment the Space Gate appeared to his arrival at this plaza, everything looked normal on the surface, yet every single detail felt strange.

’This Illusion Array before me... seems unusual as well...’

Chu Mu narrowed his eyes. He then focused his Heart Spirit, and the sharpness within his Sea of Consciousness instantly formed several Sword Intent Barriers, completely encasing his Heart Spirit.

Once again, under this heavy guard, a wisp of his Divine Sense probed into the rolling white mist before him.

And this time...

Just as abruptly as before, his heavily guarded Heart Spirit was once again inexplicably breached. The endless cycle of Illusory Reincarnations manifested and enveloped his Heart Spirit once more.