Zhong Wanshan’s wife’s name is Yue Lin.
Indeed, Zhong Yue’s very name was taken from his mother’s surname.
She was a full-fledged Yuan Spirit and the Fourth Elder of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. Being Zhong Wanshan’s childhood friend, they were a match made in heaven and the envy of untold number of people.
But right now, she was engulfed in heavenly bolts and earthen flames.
Zhong Wanshan, eyes red and hysterical, was about to rush inside the array without regard for anything else. The other two Elders of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect had to quickly rush ahead to stop him, exclaiming, “Vice-chieftain Zhong, you mustn’t!’
“The interior of the array is too dangerous! You can’t risk it!”
“Make way!”
Zhong Wanshan growled. “How could I not try to save Lin’er when she’s inside?”
Be that as it may, Zhong Wanshan calmed down clearly then, as the heavenly bolts and earthen flames had cleared. Even so, the interior of the array was an utter blur, with no hope of gaining a clear view of whatever was inside, let alone confirming Yue Lin’s condition.
Zhong Wanshan turned toward Jade Hollow Child then and asked, “True Habitant of Jade Hollow, why hasn’t Cloudy Sky Fairy Child arrived yet?”
Jade Hollow Child flashed a pained smile and said, “I don’t know. Perhaps they were delayed in their journey.”
Despite what he said, Jade Hollow Child was a little speechless.
What the heck was the True Habitant of Nine Dragons playing yet?
How long has it been?
With his speed, True Habitant of Nine Dragons should have returned an hour ago.
“You don’t know?”
“Delayed on their journey?”
A flame of fury ignited within Zhong Wanshan then and he sneered. “Isn’t the Penglai Sect just trying to take advantage of the situation?”
After all, how could Zhong Wanshan not be furious?
The Ten Thousand Swords Sect was not alone in wanting to capture Jiang He, since the Penglai Sect was going all-out as well, sending three of their Elders. Even so, the Penglai Sect merely watched without contributing—Zhong Wanshan’s own family of three had entered the array in their first attempt to crack the array, only to end up with their son’s heart strained and his Yuan Spirit wounded.
And now, when they mounted a second attempt, Zhong Wanshan’s wife was captured within the array, her fate unknown.
On the other hand, while the Penglai Sect had supposedly sent for someone accomplished at cracking arrays ended up nowhere to be seen.
The True Habitant of Jade Hollow frowned and turned towards the array, saying, “Now is not the time for this, Vice-chieftain Zhong. Let’s work together and enter the ray—anything else could wait until after Elder Yue is rescued.”
“Fine!”
Zhong Wanshan nodded, while sneaking a message to Zhong Yue through acoustics, saying, “Don’t be reckless. If I’m caught within the array as well, return to the sect immediately and request help from the chieftain.”
Zhong Yue complied hoarsely.
With that, the two Convergence-tier cultivators present entered the array, triggering the Ten Thousand Phenomenon Array instantly the moment they entered. The array’s radiance surrounded them immediately, with Zhong Wanshan’s whole body shuddering.
He then looked ahead and bellowed in rage, “Lin’er…”
All he saw was his wife’s corpse, lying on the ground, her entire body charred and almost reduced to ashes by the heavenly bolts and earthen flames.
He lunged forward and held her up.
And yet, Jade Hollow Child cried out just then, “Be careful, Vice-chieftain Zhong… the illusory array is not yet broken!”
Jade Hollow Child himself saw nothing on the ground up front.
But even before he finished, the sight before him rapidly altered into a rundown village. Children were playing at the edge, while a woman wearing hemp garments walked up to him and firmly pulled him by the ear, scolding sharply, “Brat! Don’t you ever listen to me? Are you trying to kill yourself, going to fish under the river?”
“There are river daemons beneath the water. Aren’t you afraid they would eat you?”
“Mother?”
Jade Hollow Child’s whole body shuddered as mist swirled in his eyes.
He knew very well that everything he saw was conjurations by the illusory array. Even so, he was possessed, unable to pull himself out.
***
Outside, one joss stick burned out.
Then, two joss sticks burned out.
Soon…
Two hours had passed.
Seeing that neither Zhong Wanshan nor Jade Hollow Child were coming out, Zhong Yue’s eyes went red. Casting another look at the array, he promptly took to the skies and disappeared over the horizon.
The two Elders from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect traded glances, with one of them saying, “Keep an eye on this place. I’ll return to our sect and ask our chieftain for help.”
With that, the other Elder from the Penglai Sect took to the skies as well, and instantly disappeared over the horizon.
He flew as quick as lightning all the way out of the Hua Nation, crossing the vast seas before returning to the Penglai Sect. That was where he found the Penglai Sect chieftain, Vice-chieftain Cloudy Sky, Elder Nine Dragons, and the many other Elders gathered together in a meeting.
“Fifth Elder!”
The True Habitant of Nine Dragons felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Fifth Elder, his expression shifting. Even so, he spoked first, “What’s the situation, Fifth Elder? Vice-chieftain Cloudy Sky and myself ran into a little problem on the way back to the Hua Nation.”
He then told Jiang He about meeting Jiang He. In response, the rather indignant and upset Fifth Elder had a colorful look on his face as he froze and muttered dumbly, “You mean… Jiang He was not at home?”
The True Habitant of Nine Dragons nodded.
Then, the Fifth Elder asked, “So, the array at Jiang He’s house is unmanned?”
The True Habitant of Nine Dragons nodded again.
“So… does he know that someone is trying to crack his array?”
The True Habitant of Nine Dragons thought about it, before shaking his head and say, “Probably not.”
“Haha!”
Fifth Elder suddenly started laughing over a dozen seconds before stopping. Gritting his teeth, he exclaimed, “Wonderful! To think that a commoner cultivator like Jiang He himself could have the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect running in circles!”
Once he remembered that Jiang He was not at home, while he and a bunch of other cultivators were standing outside it for most of the day, not to mention that both Jade Hollow Child and Zhong Wanshan had been captured by the array, and the fate of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect’s Fourth Elder was unknown…
Would their sects have any sort of respect left if news of that were to spread?
Even the Penglai Sect chieftain was glowering right then. Turning toward Cloudy Sky, he said, “Go forth at once, Cloudy Sky. Crack that array and retrieve Jade Hollow Child!”
“Moreover, that brat Jiang He must be eliminated!”
“If he is taken out, would the Penglai Sect still have any dignity left among other cultivator sects?”
“Nine Dragons, visit the Ten Thousand Swords Sect and inform them that Jiang He is overseas.”
Hence, The True Habitant of Nine Dragons and the Cloudy Sky Fairy Child moved out once more and flew into the Hua Nation, after of which they parted ways: The True Habitant of Nine Dragons would head alone to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect while the Cloudy Sky Fairy Child headed to Jiang He’s house to crack the array.
On that very night, several veins of Sword Qi streaked through the night sky from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. It was the vice-chieftain who shouldered a bronze bottle gourd, who left through the mountain archway as he flew overseas.
Likewise, several veins of immortal radiances shot out of the Penglai Sect, and began to search for any trace of Jiang He in the boundless ocean.
***
Meanwhile, at Jinyintan Village, Cloudy Sky Fairy Child dropped out of the array with a ragged body and coughed out a mouthful of fresh blood.
She was carrying out a corpse, too.
From its appearance, one could more or less see that the corpse was female, and clearly belonged to the Fourth Elder of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.
Zhong Yue was there and back again by then, and promptly bounded towards them at the sight. After wailing hysterically several times, his tone suddenly changed as killing intent surged over his body. “Jiang He, I will never rest until I kill you!”
He then turned toward Cloudy Sky, kneeling as he begged, “Cloudy Sky Fairy Child, I beg you, save my father—he is still inside the array with your Penglai Sect brother, the True Habitant of Jade Hollow.”
Nonetheless, Cloudy Sky Fairy Child shook her head. Turning towards the nearby array with a troubled gaze, she then said, “I can’t crack that array.”
“Eh?”
Zhong Yue became flustered. “No way! Cloudy Sky Fairy Child, you are famed for arrays among cultivators, and my mother has often mentioned that your accomplishment would not fall short in comparison to the Taixu Sect’s chieftain. Jiang He is merely a commoner cultivator who has gained providence through some dumb luck… how could you fail to crack his array, Fairy Child?”
“Are you doubting me?”
Cloudy Sky shot Zhong Yue a cold glare, before turning to an immortal radiance and disappearing into the night.
She returned to the Penglai Sect just over an hour later, sought out her chieftain and said, “There might be someone powerful backing Jiang He, Chieftain. Gaining such cultivation at his youth is already astonishing, and he would certainly be the reincarnation of an immortal if he really was the one who put that array in place.”
“Oh?
“What do you mean?”
“Jiang He is not the one who has set that array in place. I’ve seen it—there are probably three more layers in that arrays at his house: an illusory array, a death array and a guard array. Not even our mountain-guarding array is a match for it.”
The Penglai Sect chieftain turned quiet at that.
There must be someone powerful backing Jiang He…
He had actually expected that, but while his Penglai Sect was a first-rate immortal sect in ancient times, they had yet to gain their previous prosperity.
Moreover, it was not as if there were no elites in their sect. Would they really have anything to worry about unless the one backing Jiang He was not an immortal?
***
Meanwhile, at the Atlantic Ocean, a towering wave suddenly kicked up over the surface of the calm sea. Jiang He was riding atop a five-hundred-meter serpent, and punching the creature repeatedly with his sandbag-sized fists.
“Do you yield?”
“Are you going to listen?”
“Eh?”
“It’s dead?”
Jiang He could not help but shake his head and chuckle bitterly as the Feral King serpent beneath him stopped moving, even feeling a little self-doubt…
Did his physical beast-taming method even work?
This was already the third one…
Though there were a lot of Feral Kings in the ocean, their numbers were still limited. If this continued, Jiang He expect that he would push all marine Feral Kings to the brink of extinction.
“It shouldn’t be the physical beast-taming method since I’ve effectively used it on the black panther before. The fact that it has become really obedient is definite proof…”
Jiang He pondered.
If the physical beast-taming method was not the problem, the Feral Kings in the oceans must be the problem.
There was a twinkle in his eyes then.
With a turn of his hand, he took out a jade charm which was flashing at the moment. Jiang He studied it by releasing a vein of his divine mind and was left a little surprised…
This jade charm that Elder Mo had given him could transmit both image and audio?
A luster shone upon the jade charm then and it took Elder Mo’s appearance, who whispered, “Things aren’t looking good, Jiang He. I have just received word that the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect are working together to bring you down…”
With that, Elder Mo told him a brief summary of what he knew about the present situation.
Jiang He did a double take, but soon become furious, “You mean to say that the small fry from the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect are wreaking havoc at my house while I’m not at home?”
Elder Mo was dumbstruck.
Wreaking havoc at your house?
Isn’t there something wrong with your phrasing?
Regardless, Elder Mo quietly said, “I don’t know if they are wreaking havoc at your house, but I do know that the Fourth Elder at the Ten Thousand Swords Sect died at your house’s array.”
“Meanwhile, Zhong Wanshan, vice-chieftain of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, as well as True Habitant of Jade Hollow, who is the Senior Elder of the Penglai Sect, are now still caught within the array, not to mention that the vice-chieftain of the Penglai Sect, Cloudy Sky Fairy Child, have failed to crack your array and withdrew.”
“Right now, both chieftains of the Penglai Sect and the Ten Thousand Swords Sect are asking my chieftain for help, hoping that he would help crack the array.
