Chapter 673: Underground Palace

If the array doesn't reveal its form, how would you know if it's meant to trap, kill, confuse, or create illusions? It's like fighting a spiritual beast: you don't even know what it is or its weaknesses, yet you claim you'll kill it. What kind of joke is that? Anyone with even a slight understanding of arrays wouldn't talk like that.

"The path of array formations is vast and profound, with a long history of inheritance. It's no less significant than the master teacher profession, ranking among the top professions on the entire continent! To speak of 'breaking' such an enigmatic field so casually is truly audacious!"

Princess Feier continued to huff, as if finally having a chance to vent the frustration from losing two bets in a row. She stood up, eyebrows raised, and surveyed her surroundings, speaking with an air of commanding authority: "Although this valley isn't large, it spans over a hundred mu, with millions of trees and plants of varying heights. In terms of terrain, it connects to steep mountains in the distance and marshlands nearby, with the left facing the sun and the right facing shade.

"It's a prime location for array formations, where 'yang' scorches 'yin' and 'heavenly qi' converges, making it suitable for various setups. There are as many as 14,372 types of Sixth-level arrays that can be deployed here, and each has countless variations. Without seeing the array activated and carefully analyzing it, you'd never know which one it is!

"You don't know the array, its variations, its scope, or its strength... I just want to ask you one thing: how do you intend to break it?"

With a flick of her hand, Princess Feier let out a cold snort.

Xing Yuan and the others nodded repeatedly.

Although this Yu Feier was headstrong and prone to emotional outbursts, she was indeed extraordinary when it came to array formations. She was quite famous even within the Master Teacher Academy. Otherwise, Luo Qiqi wouldn't have invited her after receiving the mission.

"Alright, Feier... Teacher isn't proficient in array formations, but you can explain it properly. What's with that tone...?"

Luo Qiqi's pretty brows furrowed, surprised that her best friend had uttered so many clearly insulting words after the teacher only said a single sentence.

There was no doubt that her teacher was exceptional in alchemy; even a Six-star Alchemist might struggle to compare. However, when it came to array formations... he was a bit weak. But that was normal; no one could be strong in everything.

"It's not as complicated as you make it sound, is it? Aren't arrays formed by combining array flags with the natural environment? If you find the flags, wouldn't breaking it be simple?" Zhang Xuan said, ignoring her reprimand.

"Arrays are composed of array flags, but do you know how many combinations there are? Even if you know where the flags are, breaking it requires removing them one by one, in a specific order. A single mistake could cause the array to backlash, killing everyone on the spot!" Yu Feier's face turned red with anger, listening to his increasingly ignorant remarks.

What nonsense! If she had known this guy was completely clueless about array formations, she would have challenged him to an array competition in the first place, instead of losing twice in a row.

"Cough, cough, Teacher, arrays aren't that easy to break, especially hidden ones; you can't even find the array flags..." Luo Qiqi's face also flushed, and she quickly interjected. Before she could finish, she saw the young man in front of her scratch his head and stomp his foot on the ground.

An array flag popped out from underground, landing in his palm. He looked at her with an embarrassed expression. "The array flag you mentioned... is it this one? I think... it wasn't as troublesome as you made it sound!"

"Huh?" Everyone froze, their expressions as if they had seen a ghost.

Yu Feier, who had just thought his words were frivolous and that he knew nothing, had her eyes wide to the point of popping out of their sockets. She was practically going crazy. Is this real? She had been drenched in sweat, utterly exhausted, almost collapsing on the spot, yet she hadn't seen a single hair of the array. And this guy just casually stomped his foot on the ground... and the array flag came out! Does it have to be this exaggerated?

"This... it seems so..." Luo Qiqi swallowed hard.

The array flag in front of them looked ancient and was severely corroded, clearly indicating it had been buried underground for a long time. It was likely from the array that had been vaguely discernible earlier.

"Feier, look..." She couldn't help but turn to look.

"Look at what? Even if he coincidentally found one array flag, it's useless if he doesn't find the others in the correct order. If arrays could be destroyed so easily, Six-star Array Masters would be worthless..." Princess Feier gritted her teeth, forcefully suppressing the shock in her heart.

So what if you coincidentally found one array flag? A powerful array has at least a hundred flags, scattered everywhere. Finding just one, while it might alter the array's structure, won't allow you to destroy it completely! Doing so might even accidentally trigger the array to explode completely. A grand array maintained for thousands of years accumulates terrifying spiritual energy. If it explodes, it could very well be like the previous Cleansing Pool, where even cultivators at Human-Mortal 8-dan couldn't withstand it, being instantly blown to smithereens.

Array formations are no child's play. If they could be broken so simply, wouldn't Five-star and Six-star Array Masters have studied for nothing?

The more she thought, the angrier she became. Just as Princess Feier was about to continue speaking, she felt someone tug her arm. She looked up and saw it was her best friend, Luo Qiqi. She couldn't help but frown, "What is it?"

"Don't rush to speak. Just look over there first..." Luo Qiqi's face flushed.

"Over there?" Princess Feier's pretty brows furrowed. She couldn't help but turn her head, and upon seeing it, her mouth twitched. She almost fainted on the spot.

The young man, who had just been standing not far away, had moved over twenty meters away at some point. He was bending down, pulling array flags from the ground one by one as he walked, much like a farmer pulling garlic. When he was pleased, he even whistled.

*Whistle, whistle, whistle whistle...*

Her eyes rolled back. Princess Feier almost cried. Does it have to be this exaggerated? This was a hidden array that she had expended immense effort to make visible, and he was just walking along, pulling out a flag with every step...

When others dealt with hidden arrays, they would first use array-breaking silver needles to make them visible, then determine the type of array based on its shape and power, find the 'gate of life' or similar points, and then employ various methods to break it... But this guy, he didn't even know what the array was, and he was already pulling out flags... He must be crazy!

Of course, many people could simply pull out array flags, but... how could he do it so confidently, so nonchalantly, without even knowing the array? And he was even whistling... Was he really that confident? Wasn't he afraid of a backlash? Fortunately, she hadn't bet with him on breaking the array, otherwise, it would be even harder to recover now...

"It seems... Teacher knows the location of every array flag, and also how to pull them out without triggering a backlash..." Luo Qiqi's throat went dry.

When she heard his earlier words, she thought this teacher was only proficient in alchemy and utterly clueless about array formations. Only now did she realize that he wasn't clueless at all... he was practically an expert! Even Princess Feier, a Five-star Array Master, was far inferior to him! Even... the array masters at the academy who were best at breaking arrays couldn't do this, could they? Look at him... the precise positioning, the leisurely steps, the helpless gaze, the confident whistling...

Good heavens! Could it be that he set up this array himself? Otherwise, how could he be so familiar with it?

"This..."

"Did he just... break the array?" Xing Yuan, Wu Zhen, and Ye Qian also widened their eyes, exchanging bewildered glances.

Hidden arrays were among the most difficult to break. Not only did they conceal themselves from sight, but more importantly, without revealing their form, there was no way to know how to break them. Pulling array flags from underground while whistling... How could such a method of array breaking exist? It was like a dream!

"Alright!"

As everyone stared in shock, the young man flicked his hand, storing the pile of array flags into his storage ring. Then he dusted off his palms and looked over indifferently. Although these array flags were corroded, they were all components capable of setting up a Sixth-level array, and ancient artifacts at that. They were quite valuable, so he would keep them for now.

Seeing all the array flags removed, the group quickly looked around. Sure enough, the previously empty valley had changed. A colossal gateway, over two zhang tall, appeared before them. Its casting material was unknown, but it was covered in ancient marks, clearly indicating it had been there for at least a thousand years. Behind the gateway, a stone staircase descended, stretching downwards endlessly, vanishing from sight.

"It really is an underground palace!" Seeing the gateway revealed now that the hidden array's concealment was gone, everyone's eyes lit up. It seemed Luo Qiqi's information was accurate. This was understandable; if the academy hadn't verified the information and made a judgment, they wouldn't have issued it as a mission offering academic credits upon completion.

"Let's go in!" Xing Yuan's eyes gleamed.

"Not so fast. This underground palace hasn't been opened for who knows how many years; there might be all sorts of miasma inside!" Luo Qiqi stepped forward, turning her wrist to retrieve a jade bottle. "These are detoxification pills I specially refined. They can neutralize thousands of types of miasma that breed in underground palaces!"

After speaking, she opened the jade bottle, and several round pills rolled out. Underground palaces, when sealed for long periods, accumulate toxic gases due to decaying corpses, insects, and stagnant air. To enter, one must prepare appropriate medicines beforehand; otherwise, even a Bridge Heaven realm expert might not be able to withstand it.

"Understood!" Aware of the danger, everyone took a pill and swallowed it. Zhang Xuan didn't make an exception and also took one to put in his mouth.

"Wu Zhen, you're skilled in various mechanisms. We'll be relying on you in a bit!" Seeing that everyone had taken their medicine, Luo Qiqi looked again at Wu Zhen, who was standing nearby. Among the group, Wu Zhen was a Heavenly Craftsman, intimately familiar with all kinds of mechanisms and traps. The underground palace was fraught with dangers, and no one could guarantee there wouldn't be traps.

"Don't worry!" With a flick of his wrist, Wu Zhen produced something resembling an umbrella. It was the Thousand Mechanism Umbrella, a tool specially used by Heavenly Craftsmen to disarm mechanisms.

"Let's go down!" With the Thousand Mechanism Umbrella open, Wu Zhen led the way toward the gateway. The others didn't hesitate, following him in single file. Seeing that everyone else was prepared, Zhang Xuan said nothing more and walked forward behind Luo Qiqi.

Upon entering the gate, they were immediately met by complete darkness, as if they had gone blind. Xing Yuan stepped forward, flicked his palm, and several luminous pearls rolled down the stairs, instantly illuminating the area below. The staircase below continued to descend, its end not visible in the immediate vicinity.

"Keep going!" After glancing around to confirm it was safe, Wu Zhen let out a low cry and led the way downwards.