Chapter 2170: Langxian Garden

Qin Sang exited the beast array, pretending to leave, then stopped a short distance away, lost in thought.

Including the beautiful woman in palace attire, there were at least three opponents. As for their cultivation levels, inferring solely from the pressure they emitted might not be accurate, but there should be at least one late-stage Void Refinement expert among them.

Unless Liu Li and Liao Chen were already severely wounded and incapacitated, coordinating with them from inside the array offered a strong chance of breaking through and rescuing them.

The challenge now was how to contact them.

Qin Sang's figure slowly ascended. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly flew out from his dantian, landing on his shoulder. Its wings gently fluttered, and the Heavenly Eye emitted a strange radiance. Simultaneously, Qin Sang's gaze deepened, as if the entire world before him was reflected in his pupils.

As he activated his Heavenly Eye divine ability, the world in his vision began to transform. Mountains, rivers, and vegetation gradually blurred, and everything in the world became masses of colorful qi, some drifting, others stagnant.

The most noticeable was a mass of crimson qi that almost filled Qin Sang's entire field of vision; this was the aura emanating from the beast array. The spirit beasts comprising the array were fire crows, fire oxen, and similar creatures, naturally capable of controlling fire. As a result, the fire spirit qi here was exceptionally dense, also forming one of the grand array's foundations.

It was evident that the closer he got to the core of the grand array, the purer the color and the more solidified the fire spirit qi became.

After a long gaze, Qin Sang's expression subtly shifted as he noticed some unusual signs. The fire spirit qi in the beast array was not only dense but also seamlessly integrated; however, Qin Sang perceived an inexplicable sense of disharmony. He didn't know the source of this feeling but understood it wouldn't arise without cause. Following this intuition, he continued to observe the array.

Gradually, Qin Sang seemed to find the reason: this disharmony might stem from the spirit beasts within the array.

"Could it be that the spirit beasts in the array don't belong to a single master, but are actually the spirit beasts of several individuals, jointly forming this grand array?"

A thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind, and he formed a conjecture. Even if they belonged to the same sect and cultivated the same method, there would certainly be differences between different cultivators; it was impossible for them to be perfectly identical. They could use various methods to conceal and compensate for these differences, but they could never erase them.

No array is flawless!

This difference was akin to the array's 'gate of life' – its weak point.

Of course, even knowing the difference existed, finding it was far from easy. In fact, the array masters were already doing their best to conceal it; another mid-stage Void Refinement cultivator would not have been able to detect it. Qin Sang's discovery was primarily due to the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Even if he could find it, using this to break the array would be incredibly difficult.

Those controlling the beast array would certainly be more aware of its flaws than those trying to break in, and they would remain constantly vigilant. Moreover, since the array was composed of spirit beasts, it was more flexible than other spirit arrays, capable of changing its formation at any time. Ultimately, it would still come down to the strength of both sides.

However, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's Profound Illusory Divine Light had miraculous effects in deciphering and traversing array restrictions. If Qin Sang didn't try to break the array but instead used this slight disharmony to infiltrate the spirit array and ascertain the positions of Liu Li and Liao Chen, it was possible!

With this thought, Qin Sang observed with even greater focus, and a plan gradually formed in his mind. Not long after, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly vigorously flapped its wings, and a faint glow, the Profound Illusory Divine Light, immediately enveloped Qin Sang's body.

Qin Sang and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly instantly vanished without a trace.

Under the protection of the Profound Illusory Divine Light, Qin Sang quietly reached the edge of the beast array. After lingering for a moment, he chose a river and traveled upstream, crossing over a dozen mountain ranges to reach a location deeper than his previous one. At this moment, he was at the edge of a dense forest, with three fire oxen, either standing or lying, close by. Yet, the array masters were completely unaware of his presence.

As time passed, the scenery within the beast array unfolded before Qin Sang, revealing crisscrossing mountains and beautiful landscapes. Surprisingly, the scenery was intact, with no signs of damage, indicating that no major battle had occurred here.

"Was the battlefield somewhere else?"

Qin Sang mused internally. Perhaps Liu Li and the others had fled all the way here, only to be trapped by the beast array, unable to escape. If he could find the battlefield, he might deduce some information from the traces left there. However, time was short, and Liu Li and the others might not be able to hold on for much longer.

The situation was better than Qin Sang had expected; there were no fluctuations from combat, meaning the array masters probably hadn't found them yet. The changes in the beast array also corroborated Qin Sang's judgment. As the spirit beasts continuously moved, the array's power swept through every corner repeatedly, clearly searching for them.

However, this was also a problem for Qin Sang; without any guidance, he didn't know the positions of Liu Li and Liao Chen.

Qin Sang rubbed his fingers. When the blood crane dissipated, he had sealed away a trace of Liao Chen's essence blood. He wondered if Liao Chen could sense it.

Next, Qin Sang traversed the entire periphery of the beast array but found nothing. He then slowly moved towards its center. The closer he got to the core, the more careful he had to be; if exposed, there would be no time to retreat, effectively walking into a trap.

Qin Sang slowed his pace, pausing occasionally to observe and sometimes having to navigate around obstacles. However, progress was fairly smooth, and he gradually approached the array's core.

"It seems they are most likely hiding in there..."

Qin Sang gazed at the layers of mountains before him, frowning in thought. He could sense that the area ahead was heavily sealed by the array masters, virtually impenetrable. Qin Sang was currently at the edge of this area and did not rashly enter.

Liu Li and Liao Chen had not yet been exposed, but this situation certainly couldn't last. The search area was gradually shrinking, and they would be found sooner or later.

At this moment, several crane calls came from afar. Qin Sang glanced slightly, seeing three fire cranes flying towards him. The leading fire crane was already a great demon in the Nascent Soul stage, yet it was merely a pawn manipulated by the beast array masters. The fire cranes spread their wings, gliding in the sky, their sharp eyes darting back and forth. They flew past Qin Sang, completely unaware that someone was hidden there. As they passed Qin Sang, the fire crane on the left swung its head, its gaze sweeping over Qin Sang's hiding place. Its expression was normal.

Qin Sang's gaze slightly narrowed. He noticed that when the fire crane looked over, a strange glint seemed to flash in its pupils. This was unlike any other spirit beast, as the spirit beasts in the array were controlled by others and had lost their self-awareness.

"Could it be..."

Qin Sang's heart stirred. He followed behind the fire crane, hesitated for a moment, then quietly sent a wisp of his spiritual sense into the fire crane's body. This was undoubtedly a risky move, for if Qin Sang's judgment was wrong, he might be exposed.

A moment later, Qin Sang received a response.

"Is that True Monarch Qin?"

It was Liao Chen's voice!

Qin Sang's heart filled with joy. His strategy had worked; Liao Chen must have sensed his essence blood.

"It's me. Where are you now?" Qin Sang immediately asked.

Liao Chen's voice was clearly weak, indicating a dire situation. After a moment of silence, Liu Li responded instead. "Fellow Daoist Qin, we are inside a mountain cavern, hiding with the help of the Wuyang Cloak..."

After a pause, Liu Li added, "My senior brother is injured."

The Wuyang Cloak must be a supreme concealment treasure. With True Monarch Ning present, Qin Sang wasn't surprised by any treasure they might possess.

Qin Sang sensed that Liu Li was still in good condition and felt a slight relief. "Was Grandmaster Liao Chen injured by the enemies?"

Liu Li replied, "Senior brother was injured in the spiritual valley. Then, before his injuries healed, he encountered them, and they took advantage of his weakened state..."

"It's just that this monk's luck was poor..."

Liao Chen sighed deeply and explained the full story. It turned out that after Liao Chen entered the Holy Land, he planned to first go to a spiritual valley to obtain a fortuitous encounter, but unexpectedly, that was when things went wrong. This fortuitous encounter was crucial for Liao Chen; he had already reached a bottleneck, and if he could obtain it, he hoped to break through to the late-stage Void Refinement in the Holy Land, which would give them greater confidence in their subsequent actions.

They headed straight for the spiritual valley. As they were well-prepared, their entry into the valley was quite smooth. However, just as they were about to obtain the fortuitous encounter, an anomaly suddenly occurred. At that time, a ray of colorful light suddenly descended, instantly illuminating the entire spiritual valley. Strange gray figures emerged from the colorful light. At that time, Liao Chen was fighting two spiritual valley guardians, and the gray figures learned all the divine abilities he used. Simultaneously, the colorful light caused an anomaly in the spiritual valley. Caught off guard, he was injured by the combined efforts of the gray figures and the spiritual valley guardians.

Liu Li, having remained on the periphery, escaped the calamity.

More colorful light!

Qin Sang thought, 'As expected.' The colorful light had disrupted this Holy Land trial; while some benefited from it, many others were unlucky, and Liao Chen was one of them. By now, he wondered how many unfortunate people had their good fortune ruined by the colorful light, or even perished because of it. As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly.

The colorful light attracted nearby cultivators, and as soon as the two managed to escape the spiritual valley, they were pursued. They fled all the way here, but were ultimately trapped by the beast array.

Liao Chen said remorsefully, "True Monarch Ning instructed this monk to assist Junior Sister, but unexpectedly, I became a burden to her. I am at the end of my tether; even burning my essence would only give me one last fight, while our opponents are still at full strength. If both of us try to survive, we will only die together. There's only a slim hope of getting Junior Sister to safety if I fight to the death, but she flatly refused."

Liu Li said, "It's not yet time for true despair; how can we give up so easily? Even if Fellow Daoist Qin hadn't encountered the blood crane, we might not have been without hope." She then said to Qin Sang, "I used a divine ability of the Imperial Command Talisman to secretly control this fire crane. I had intended to slowly transfer this wisp of divine sense towards the edge of the beast array to inform you of our situation, but it aroused the enemies' vigilance, so I dared not act rashly. Unexpectedly, you were able to infiltrate. With this, we can coordinate from inside and outside and should be able to break this array!"

Listening to Liu Li's lengthy and tireless explanation, Qin Sang felt only one thing: unfamiliarity. However, compared to her previous demeanor, where she could barely utter a word and her intentions had to be guessed, this change wasn't bad at all.

"Although this humble Daoist can infiltrate this array, breaking it will not be easy." Qin Sang frowned and asked, "What is their origin, and how strong are they?"

"They are from Langxian Garden," Liao Chen said.

"Langxian Garden? A sect from Kanzhou?" Qin Sang seemed to recall the name from his time in Kanzhou.

"That's right, Langxian Garden is indeed a sect from Kanzhou. It keeps itself hidden from the world, and its fame isn't as widespread as the major sects in Kanzhou, but its strength and origins are extraordinary. True Monarch Ning once said that Langxian Garden also inherited a lineage from the Supreme Dao Sect. In Kanzhou, there are many sects similar to Langxian Garden, and this time, other sects have also sent people, such as Bichen Pavilion..."

Hearing Liao Chen's explanation, Qin Sang only then realized that Kanzhou harbored so many hidden sects, most of which had ties to the Daoist sect. With so many sects possessing the Supreme Dao Sect's inheritance, had the Supreme Dao Sect already fragmented, splitting into numerous large and small sects? The concentration of these sects in Kanzhou should not be a coincidence; perhaps the Supreme Dao Sect was once located there.

Unfortunately, during his years in Kanzhou, he was solely focused on collecting spirit materials for altar casting, willingly serving the Five Elements Alliance, and had no leisure to investigate the hidden secrets behind it; otherwise, he should have noticed something. However, Qin Sang did indeed feel that Daoist cultivators were more prevalent in Kanzhou. The cultivators' demeanor was uninhibited, and the atmosphere seemed more relaxed than in other heavenly states, perhaps influenced by the Daoist Alchemy Sect.

True Monarch Ning also held a lineage of the Supreme Dao Sect's inheritance, so logically, there should have been some historical connection. On the contrary, Langxian Garden and other sects had clashed with Purple Cloud Mountain multiple times in the Holy Land; they were old rivals. No wonder they tried to kill Liu Li and the others upon encountering them.

"How many people from Langxian Garden came, and what are their strengths?" Qin Sang continued to press.

"There are two of them in total," Liao Chen said. "One is a mid-stage Void Refinement cultivator, and the other is a top-tier late-stage Void Refinement expert. If not for this person, we would have had a chance to escape."

"Only two?" Qin Sang's eyes flashed. "I previously found three people..." He briefly explained his previous probing.

"The second wave of pressure must have been a disguise, aiming to subdue us without fighting!" Liu Li stated flatly, "They must focus on manipulating the beast array to prevent us from escaping, and they certainly want to avoid provoking others."

Qin Sang secretly nodded. Since there were only two enemies, he felt less apprehensive. His top priority was to break the beast array and rescue Liu Li and Liao Chen.

"Do you two have any good strategies?"

Liu Li replied, "With Fellow Daoist Qin's assistance, escaping shouldn't be difficult. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Qin is willing to take some risks and go a step further? They might possess information useful to us, and we could also learn about the strength of other adversaries through them, preparing for future encounters."

"Oh? How confident are you, Fairy?" Qin Sang's interest was piqued.

Liu Li calmly explained, "The Imperial Command Talisman has a divine ability called 'Emperor's Edict.' By casting this ability, I can forcefully make some spirit beasts temporarily obey me, creating a huge, momentary flaw in the spirit array. Due to my insufficient strength, I cannot maintain it for long, and they will quickly regain control of their spirit beasts. Originally, our chances alone were slim, but with Fellow Daoist Qin here, it's different. From my observation, this array seems to be jointly formed by both their spirit beasts. I will specifically target that woman's spirit beasts. If Fellow Daoist Qin takes advantage of their distraction and launches a sudden attack, we might succeed!"

The Imperial Command Talisman could actually forcefully seize control of spirit beasts from Void Refinement cultivators! This talisman came from True Monarch Ning, and while its power might be limited by Liu Li's cultivation, its high rank was beyond doubt. Since Liu Li dared to say this, she must be confident.

He hadn't expected Liu Li to remain calm even in such a dangerous situation and even devise a counter-strategy. Qin Sang silently pondered the plan and deemed it feasible.