322: Chapter 316 The Array of Divine Interception

He continued to transmit his voice, "Yes, it is right inside the underground secret room of the Alliance Leader's mansion."

"However, there is one thing that absolutely no one in the outside world knows about."

Speaking of this, his voice carried a hint of amazement and awe.

"Before entering seclusion, Alliance Leader Liu sold off all the collections in his private treasury and even used a large sum of public funds from the Alliance."

"He exchanged them for a massive amount of High-Grade Spirit Stones."

"Afterward, he set off alone to the legendary and extremely dangerous Southern Wasteland Cultivation Realm."

The Southern Wasteland?

Chen Zhiwen's pupils constricted slightly.

That was one of the Forbidden Grounds of the cultivation world, but also a place of opportunity.

Yao Beasts ran rampant there, and poisonous miasma covered the land, but countless Heaven And Earth Treasures that were hard to find elsewhere grew there.

Especially for those old monsters stuck in a Bottleneck, it often meant their last glimmer of hope.

"What did he go there to do?" Chen Zhiwen pressed.

"It is said that it was to attend an underground auction that only Nascent Soul Cultivators could enter."

Huang Yu's voice lowered even further.

"After the Alliance Leader returned, although he looked quite disheveled and had suffered not-insignificant injuries,"

"the joy on his face could not be concealed no matter what."

"This Junior dares to make a guess."

"He most likely bought that legendary divine object capable of assisting with a Breakthrough of a Bottleneck."

"For example... an advanced version of the Nascent Soul Condensation Pill, or some kind of Spiritual Plant capable of refining the Nascent Soul."

Hearing this, Chen Zhiwen already had a plan in mind.

If what Huang Yu said was true.

Then Alliance Leader Liu's purpose for this seclusion was only one.

That was to charge towards the Mid Nascent Soul Stage!

"What are the odds of a successful Breakthrough this time?" Chen Zhiwen asked indifferently.

Huang Yu hesitated for a moment, then held up three fingers.

"At least thirty percent."

"For a Breakthrough at the Nascent Soul Stage, this is already an extremely high probability."

"Therefore, the entire Alliance is on high alert, fearing that even the slightest whisper might leak out and attract enemies to cause trouble."

Chen Zhiwen nodded slowly.

He felt quite satisfied with Huang Yu's tactfulness.

This was indeed extremely important intelligence.

It was even more critical than the previous intelligence regarding those three allies.

"Thirty percent chance..." Chen Zhiwen sneered internally.

"If he really succeeds in his Breakthrough, that would be a real problem."

"A Mid Nascent Soul Stage Alliance Leader is enough to shift the balance of the entire war."

"By then, the price to pay for annexing the Artifact Refining Alliance would be much higher."

This news was both bad and good for him.

The bad news was that the enemy's strength might be stronger than anticipated.

The good news was that since he knew, he had a countermeasure.

Strike while the iron is hot.

Or, at the very least, he could not let him break through smoothly.

"Very good." Chen Zhiwen withdrew his Divine Sense pressure, and the expression on his face softened slightly.

"This news is very useful to this seat."

"It seems you are indeed a smart person."

Receiving Chen Zhiwen's praise, Huang Yu felt the tension in his back release, and he nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

He quickly squeezed out a flattering smile.

"Being able to relieve Senior's worries is this Junior's good fortune."

Since things were out in the open, Huang Yu wanted to take a step further to build a closer relationship.

"Senior," he respectfully proposed.

"Although this inn is elegant, it is crowded and noisy after all."

"This Junior has a private residence at the Shangguan Mansion, where the environment is quiet and the Spiritual Qi is quite abundant."

"If Senior does not mind, why not move there to stay?"

"This Junior can also be at your side to serve you at any time."

This was indeed a sincere invitation.

If he could invite this big shot to his home to wait upon, then in the future, in front of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, he would have some connection.

However, Chen Zhiwen waved his hand and refused without hesitation.

"No need."

"This seat is accustomed to quiet, and does not like to disturb others at their mansions."

"You only need to arrange a quiet guest room for this seat near this main hall."

"Closer to the core area, so it's convenient if this seat wants to find you."

The reason was dignified.

In reality, Chen Zhiwen wanted to be closer to that Alliance Leader's mansion.

Only by being close could he "visit" that Alliance Leader Liu who was in closed-door seclusion when night was deep and quiet.

Although Huang Yu was a bit disappointed, he dared not disobey.

"Yes, this Junior will go and arrange it right now."

"Please wait a moment, Senior."

...

The night was deep.

The moon hid behind thick clouds, leaking only a few strands of pale light.

The entire Artifact Refining Island was shrouded in dead silence.

Midnight, the third watch.

This was the time when people were most exhausted and their vigilance was at its lowest.

Chen Zhiwen, who had originally closed his door tightly, now appeared silently in the courtyard.

He did not use the main entrance.

A faint layer of purple light shimmered on his body.

The light was not glaring; instead, it was like a layer of transparent gauze, completely isolating his figure and aura.

Purple Star Breath-Concealing Technique.

This was a high-level secret technique inherited from the Chen family.

It is said that when cultivated to the extreme, one can turn oneself into nothingness; even a Great Expert at the Soul Transformation Stage would find it difficult to detect any clues if they did not investigate carefully.

Although Chen Zhiwen had only cultivated it to the Minor Achievement Realm.

It was enough for him to act recklessly in this place where early Nascent Soul stage cultivators were everywhere.

"Hoo..."

There was no sound of wind.

Chen Zhiwen's figure swayed slightly and disappeared from the spot.

The next moment.

He had already appeared on a rooftop a hundred zhang away.

His toes lightly tapped the tiles, like a falling leaf, without making a single sound.

Along the way.

He saw quite a few night patrol teams.

Those Cultivators wearing the Artifact Refining Alliance uniforms mostly only had Qi Refining Stage cultivation, and occasionally the leader was at the Early Stage Foundation Establishment.

They carried Spirit Stone lanterns, yawning, and walked through the streets and alleys carelessly.

They were completely unaware of the black shadow speeding overhead.

"Is this what they call strict security?" Chen Zhiwen sneered inwardly.

For Mortals or low-level Cultivators, this could indeed be considered an impregnable fortress.

But in the eyes of a powerhouse of his level.

It was simply like his own backyard; he could come and go as he pleased.

Soon, a magnificent complex of buildings appeared in his field of vision.

Alliance Leader's mansion.

This was not just Liu Shengli's private residence.

It covered an area of a hundred acres, with pavilions and towers arranged in a staggered manner, and it even drew in a branch of a Spiritual Vein, making the concentration of Spiritual Qi here far exceed that of the outside world.

It was the heart of the entire Artifact Refining Alliance.

Important institutions such as the Alliance's treasure vault, Cultivation Technique pavilion, and Enforcement Hall were all established here.

Chen Zhiwen crouched in the shadow of a flying eave, his gaze scanning the mansion below like a hawk.

His goal was very clear.

Night exploration of the Alliance Leader's mansion, killing two birds with one stone.

First, to take a stroll in the legendary treasure vault.

Although he was quite wealthy now, he always preferred more high-level Artifact Refining Ore.

Especially since he needed to re-forge the hidden edge sword, he still needed a few rare auxiliary materials.

The Artifact Refining Alliance had accumulated wealth for hundreds of years; there must be some good things in the treasure vault.

If he could steal something while he was at it, that would be for the best.

Second, and most importantly.

To search for traces of Liu Shengli.

He must confirm his current state.

If he hadn't broken through yet and was at a critical juncture.

Then Chen Zhiwen wouldn't mind giving him a "helping hand," causing him to suffer Qi Deviation, and completely cutting off his thoughts of a Breakthrough.

Even if he couldn't kill him directly, he would cripple him.

He absolutely could not let the Artifact Refining Alliance have a Mid Nascent Soul Stage powerhouse emerge at this critical moment and disrupt his grand plan of annexation.

"Divine Sense Manifestation." Chen Zhiwen's mind stirred.

The originally formless and intangible Divine Sense, now under the blessing of the Purple Star Breath-Concealing Technique, seemed to have taken on a physical form.

It transformed into a wisp of black smoke that was hard to see with the naked eye.

It merged silently into the night.

He himself seemed to have turned into a mass of shadows, sliding along the base of the wall into the backyard of the Alliance Leader's mansion.

This was the Forbidden Ground within the Forbidden Ground, and the guards were obviously much stricter.

Almost every ten steps, there was a Foundation Establishment Stage hidden sentry.

There were even two teams of Early Golden Core Stage Cultivators patrolling in the air, their Divine Sense scanning the area below at all times.

Chen Zhiwen held his breath, lowering his own vital signs to the minimum.

He was like a ghost, moving calmly right under the noses of dozens of guards.

The opponents only felt a breeze blow by, scratched their heads in confusion, and continued to walk forward.

"These visible guards are just for show," Chen Zhiwen thought to himself.

His gaze fell on the quiet path leading to the depths of the backyard.

It seemed empty there.

But in his Divine Sense perception, it was filled with murderous intent.

"One, two, three..." Chen Zhiwen counted silently.

Within this short distance of a hundred zhang, there were actually over ten extremely hidden sentries.

Some were hidden in the crevices of rockeries, some were hiding in the crowns of ancient trees, and some were even lurking underground.

These hidden sentries were not living people.

But a kind of spiritual energy warning device similar to a Puppet.

Once any strange spiritual power fluctuation approached, they would erupt instantly, sound an alarm, or even launch a suicide attack.

"Truly a good method," Chen Zhiwen exclaimed in admiration.

"If it were an ordinary early Nascent Soul stage cultivator like Xia Yu, no matter how sharp their Divine Sense was, they would likely stumble here."

"Because their Divine Sense is not strong enough to penetrate the camouflage layer of these devices."

"But I am different."

A confident arc curled at the corner of Chen Zhiwen's mouth.

Under his powerful Divine Sense scan.

These deeply hidden sentries were like fireflies in the night, with nowhere to hide.

He carefully avoided all the warning lines.

Like dancing on the tip of a knife, yet never touching the blade.

Finally, he passed through layers of blockades.

And came before a solitary three-story pavilion.

This pavilion was incompatible with the surrounding buildings.

It was cast entirely from black mysterious iron, emitting a cold metallic luster.

What was even more eye-catching was.

The surface of the pavilion was always shrouded in a faint layer of eight-colored light.

The light flowed unsteadily, as if it had a life of its own, breathing in the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

"Level 4 Formation—Spirit-Isolating Sense-Blocking Formation."

As a former Artifact Refining Grandmaster, Chen Zhiwen recognized the origin of this Formation at a glance.

This was a rare item.

This Formation not only had amazing defensive power, but what was even more terrifying was its special effect.

It could completely block the Divine Sense infiltration of Cultivators below the Nascent Soul Stage.

Even if a Nascent Soul Cultivator forcibly investigated, they would be subjected to the Formation's backlash and suffer Divine Sense attacks.

Lightly, a splitting headache; heavily, damage to the Divine Soul, turning into an idiot.

"It seems this is the place." A gleam of light flashed in Chen Zhiwen's eyes.

Before this, he had used his terrifying Divine Sense to explore the space within tens of thousands of zhang around the Alliance Leader's mansion.

He did not find any traces of Liu Shengli.

Only this pavilion before him, which was the treasure vault of the Artifact Refining Alliance.

His Divine Sense could not penetrate it.

It was like a black hole, devouring all investigations.

"If Liu Shengli really stayed in the Alliance to charge towards the Nascent Soul."

"Then, this is undoubtedly the best hiding place."

"It is both safe and allows him to use the spiritual objects in the treasure vault to assist in his Cultivation."

Chen Zhiwen did not rush to act.

He observed quietly.

Around the treasure vault, there were only four Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators on guard.

Standing in four directions, like sculptures.

This defensive force seemed a bit weak for such an important place.

But Chen Zhiwen soon understood the reason.

He keenly noticed that the eight-colored light shrouding the pavilion, although it looked brilliant.

But in the depths of the light, there was a sense of hollowness and dimness.

Like... a light bulb with low battery.

"So that's how it is." Chen Zhiwen felt a surge of joy.

"Although this Spirit-Isolating Sense-Blocking Formation is powerful, it is also a money-guzzling beast."

"To maintain its Peak operation, the daily consumption of Spirit Stones is simply an astronomical figure."

"Although the Artifact Refining Alliance is wealthy, it cannot afford to burn money like this year after year."

"Therefore, they usually only activate the basic functions of the Formation."

"Which is simply blocking Divine Sense investigation."

"As for those terrifying Divine Sense counter-attacks and physical defense functions, they should be in a dormant state right now."

This was simply a god-given opportunity!

If the Formation were fully activated, if Chen Zhiwen wanted to force his way in, he would probably have to go through a lot of trouble, and might even alert the whole mansion.

But now...

This was about the same as not locking the door.

"Swish!"

Chen Zhiwen's figure was like lightning.

Taking advantage of the moment when the night was deepest.

He was like a ghostly shadow, instantly sweeping across the open ground of several dozen zhang.

The four Foundation Establishment Stage guards only felt their eyes blur.

Before they could react.

Chen Zhiwen had already slid along the ground into the slightly opened window gap of the first-floor hall of the pavilion.

The whole process was smooth and flowing, without any sound.

Not even the flow of air was disturbed.

Entering the inside of the pavilion.

That oppressive feeling instantly rushed towards him.

Chen Zhiwen did not land.

But like a gecko, he clung tightly to the high roof beam.

He held his breath, feeling everything around him.

"Such a strong suppressive force."

Although the Formation only had its basic functions activated.

But being in the eye of the Formation, the sense of oppression against the Divine Sense was still terrifying.

Chen Zhiwen felt as if his Sea of Consciousness was being squeezed hard by an invisible giant hand.

The Divine Sense that could originally cover a range of thirty thousand zhang.

At this moment, it was actually forcibly compressed to only seventy percent remaining!

"Is this the power of a Level 4 Formation?" Chen Zhiwen was secretly shocked.

"Just the lowest power of automatic operation can suppress my Divine Sense to this extent."

"If it were fully activated..."

He dared not imagine.