Chapter 1058 - 886: Bizarre

Led by Wu Jinliang, the group stealthily traveled underground and successfully reached the next vein.

Wu Jinliang also kept his promise, allowing the Golden-haired Rat Clan to take turns resting and working, while he led San to stay highly vigilant around, to avoid being caught off guard if someone tracked their energy and came to find them.

For this reason, he didn't dare let San close his eyes, constantly urging him to observe the surroundings.

On the other side, Yu Yifu's group finally confirmed they were trapped. Realizing they had fallen into a trap and fearing there might be more deadly moves waiting, they frantically attacked the array barrier, within which sandstorms raged.

But the blockade capability inside this array was no less than the exterior protective power of the array; even repeated combined efforts couldn't break through.

Seeing everyone gradually stop, Yu Yifu ordered loudly, "Don't stop, attack in turns. If anyone outside passes by and hears the commotion, they will come down to check."

Then Luo Yuanfeng poured cold water on the idea, "It should be useless. You see, before, just the aftershock of an attack from outside could lift the ground, but here, under a combined assault, the attack power can't even shake up a grain of sand outside the barrier. That means the attack power is absorbed or dissolved by the array. Given Yanfu Continent's unique environment, people on the surface might not notice the underground commotion being this deep underground."

This statement chilled everyone even further. It's not really being trapped that scared them, but the uncertainty of what they would face next and an instinctive suspicion that danger was approaching.

Someone asked, "Can the people guarding the exit find us here?"

Everyone turned their gaze to Yu Yifu upon hearing this. As long as someone comes, even if they can't rescue them, at least they can reach the outside world and seek help from the Royal Court.

Of course, asking for help is somewhat embarrassing and proves incompetence but is better than losing their lives.

Yu Yifu pondered quietly. Logically, they should be able to find them. He left ten people at the exit, including a cloaked person who had cultivated the Demon Eye, specifically for transmitting messages if needed. But the problem is, those guarding the exit wouldn't leave without orders. Most of the personnel were already brought over by him; they wouldn't wander without reason.

Even if something happened, even if they encountered danger, with Shi Chun as a precedent, they could escape into the exit.

The key question is whether the person who set this trap would allow them to stay alive until someone comes.

Moreover, it's uncertain when the people at the exit would notice something's amiss. Once too much time has passed and the energy scattering ceases, even a Demon Eye Cultivator might not find their location. After all, this ghostly place is always in motion.

With this in mind, he admitted frankly, "They can find us, just not sure when." While saying this, he swept his gaze over the crowd, resolutely saying, "We're not afraid of a fair fight. To guard against sneaky tactics, everyone must stay alert. Ensuring safety first allows us to study a way out. Brother Luo, you continue to study the method to break the array. Brother Lin, you are skilled with poisons, we must prepare to guard against falling for it. Others take turns watching the surroundings, signal if anything unusual appears."

After assigning tasks to everyone, Yu Yifu noticed there was still an idle person: Li Hongjiu, wrapped in a cloak and frowning, occasionally fiddling with the cloak on him.

Li Hongjiu was also puzzled, wondering what trick Wu Jinliang was playing, how he got him trapped as well?

Being trapped here and given a cloak to put on first, is there something special about this cloak?

Thus, he secretly probed the cloak.

Suddenly, his vision blurred and one figure appeared nearby, powerful mana immediately enveloping him, pressing him to the point he couldn't move, and he saw it was Yu Yifu.

Others nearby also noticed this scene, all staring attentively.

Yu Yifu directly snatched off the cloak from Li Hongjiu and finally released him.

Li Hongjiu flexed his arms, suspiciously asking, "Mr. Yu, what do you mean by this?"

While carefully examining the cloak, Yu Yifu indifferently replied, "Why did you suddenly wear a cloak?"

Li Hongjiu sighed, "With the sand sometimes flying all over the place, I don't have high cultivation like you guys, putting on a cloak—does it even have to be a problem?"

After thoroughly checking and finding nothing, Yu Yifu held the cloak and sniffed it, finding no scent. He immediately threw the cloak back into Li Hongjiu's lap and switched topics, "I heard Shi Chun is a crafty one. Now Shi Chun is trapped at the exit, logically, this remaining group should just be a leaderless mob. Where do they get the courage to toy with us? It seems there is an expert involved who isn't easily separable from the situation. Are you sure you don't know the expert's identity?"

"..." Li Hongjiu was at a loss. Even without Shi Chun, wasn't Wu Jinliang still around? Do you think Wu Jinliang is someone to easily provoke?

He recalled when he first met the two, how close he came to death in his first confrontation with Shi Chun, escaping only by bluffing, and later he got struck back by Wu Jinliang, who actually caught him alive, leaving him very aggrieved.

Prior that, when he had to carry a crippled Demon Cultivator back to gain the trust of this side, such a bold and reckless tactic was also Wu Jinliang's doing. This thick-skinned, black-hearted, treacherous guy, and you Nanshan leader actually ignored him?

But on second thought, it's understandable; given the power and status difference with Shi Chun's group, one might not take them seriously unless personally experienced.

Moreover, Wu Jinliang's radiance was mostly overshadowed by Shi Chun, so not taking Wu Jinliang into account is not unreasonable.

He now fully understood why these people suffered such a loss. If they regarded Shi Chun's group as a potential threat, surely, they would've been on guard front and back, and not so easily lured together and rounded up without exception.

Prior, with Wu Jinliang retreating repeatedly, who here thought Wu Jinliang's group dared to counterattack? Apparently, none.

Not just them, even he, Li Hongjiu, didn't anticipate that Wu Jinliang would counter-strike, despite once being counter-struck by him before.

A myriad of emotions transformed into a bitter smile in his mouth, "Mr. Yu, I really don't know why such an expert emerged among them. I was hiding in the mountain cultivating before, unaware they would enter Yanfu Continent, and after I wasn't even aware I'd be coming in."

Yu Yifu glanced at him sideways; without evidence, he indeed couldn't do anything about them. The other party's identity and background were significant; he couldn't act without proof.

But from this inquiry, he gained insight: during the Battle of Great Pardon, Shi Chun was able to save this fellow desperately; it seems she wouldn't easily kill him. As long as this fellow remains in their hands, it might be some sort of guarantee for now.

As days went by, Luo Yuanfeng became more and more interested in this great formation, which meant he still hadn't found a solution to break it.

After enduring for more than ten days, the feared persecution never appeared, making the group that remained vigilant somewhat fatigued.

Under the dazzling starry sky, amidst the vast sea of sand, stood a magnificent building with a strong metallic feel, which was a Magic Artifact brought along by a major figure from the East Victory Royal Court.

Suddenly, several individuals with bodies covered in scars were dragged out inside the hall. They were people from the Heavenly Court's Dingnan Prefecture, precisely Shi Chun's brought subordinates. After losing contact with the group, they searched everywhere for Wu Jinliang's team and were subsequently discovered by the East Victory Army who were searching everywhere, leading to their capture one after another.

Under harsh interrogation, nobody held their tongue; separated and questioned, they all confessed.

However, the escape route they hoped for did not appear. After being dragged out, they were swept away by a flick of the sleeve, turned into blood fragments.

Capturing officials from the Heavenly Court and using torture, leaving no witnesses alive was expected.

Bian Weiyin, who witnessed this in the hall, had a complicated expression. Indeed, she had come. Of course, she herself wasn't willing to come but was forced by Wei Mo. Being able to occupy one of the hundred spots granted her considerable respect.

In the center of the grand hall stood a dignified, black-haired, robust figure named Lu Xun.

On the surface, Wei Mo was the one spearheading this operation, but the real authority lay with Lu Xun.

"Shi Chun exited Yanfu Continent, actually returning much earlier," Lu Xun said, looking around the crowd, conveying the sense of asking for their opinions.

Bian Weiyin stood in the corner in silence. All the present were major figures, and even the lowest among them were like Wei Mo. Seeing how courteous Wei Mo behaved towards everyone affirmed this; Wei Mo was once someone who could crush a person from Wukang Mountain with a single word.

Since entering Yanfu Continent, she had been anxiously alert. Learning that Shi Chun had left, she finally felt at ease. The romantic entanglement was secondary; what mattered was the fear of being in opposing positions when meeting again.

Nevertheless, she was puzzled, unsure what Shi Chun was up to, always getting involved in major events, yet somehow ending up in Yanfu Continent. Couldn't she stay low for once?

Wei Mo mused, "But his mount is still here. According to several people's confessions, they found two veins of Sandalwood Gold right upon entry. The likelihood of this being attributed to luck is quite slim; those rumors are perhaps not without basis."

Lu Xun nodded, "The few informants didn't know of the rumors about the mount; saying it was luck makes sense. However, none of them encountered that group. With that group suddenly disappearing and being untraceable, what's the deal—could it be that they've already been captured by others?"

Wei Mo pointed to several Lifebound Lanterns guarded by a Magic Artifact on the hall, "Whether they've been captured by others is uncertain, but at least the lanterns are still lit, proving the mount hasn't left, indicating the matter hasn't concluded."

These Lifebound Lanterns were said to be taken from death row prisoners; if the matter had concluded, the prisoner would be executed, and the lantern would extinguish on its own.

Lu Xun gazed over the crowd, "We can only continue searching one area at a time."

The reaction among the crowd was rather indifferent; no choice—the Yanfu Continent was too vast.

To put it simply, if Yanfu Continent's size was that of a house, the Heavenly Domain in comparison is like a drop of water in a room...

In a flash, three months passed.

Outside the exit of Yanfu Continent, night had fallen, and Shi Chun was looking up at the stars. Comparing the resplendent star river within Yanfu Continent, the starry sky here appeared quite dim.

He wasn't in the mood to gaze at stars; his puzzlement was about not knowing what Wu Jinliang was up to—why hadn't Li Hongjiu been sent to deliver things yet? Specifically asked Li Hongjiu to relay messages, instructing Wu Jinliang not to be too greedy.

It had been over three months, still no sign of anyone; could something have happened? After all, the Heavenly Court Guard General here informed him three months ago that the Lifebound Lanterns of the subordinates he brought inside had extinguished.

Logically, if Wu Jinliang was alerted, given his cowardly nature, with the 'Beidou Refusal Array' in hand, even if trouble arose, he ought to be able to protect himself; without absolute confidence, he wouldn't have dared let Wu Jinliang take the risk.

Most bizarre for him was that no one came out anymore from within, nor did anyone enter from outside.

For such a significant matter, with no conclusion after such a long time, both the Heavenly Court and the Four Great Royal Courts showed no further reaction, seemingly abandoning their sent personnel after dealing with initial needs.

The internal reactions left him baffled; the external reactions left him equally perplexed. At this point, neither going out nor going in became feasible.

If he were to leave, with Wu Jinliang's Lifebound Lanterns still lit, given the prior agreement, how could he abandon them and run away? Reentering meant facing a swarm of experts inside.

Add to that, suspicion arose as to whether Wu Jinliang's excessive greed was causing the current anomaly, as this explanation most closely matched the present situation.