262: Chapter 262 Dimensional Reduction and Array Control, The Dealer's Strategy

Behind the Trapping Array light wall—Shopkeeper Qian's hand stopped in mid-air.

The Breaking-Seal Formation Plate slipped from his fingers—clattering against the dark bronze alloy floor—emitting a dull, abrupt metallic impact. He opened his mouth—his lips moved at least three times—before he could squeeze a word from his throat.

"Lord Lu—"

He took a step forward—then stopped. The Trapping Array light wall stood between him and Lu Changyuan—that faint, thin greyish-white light screen reflecting a translucent arc under the ice-blue cold light Spirit Stones. Inside the light wall—the residual killing power of the Ancient Killing Array was climbing with every breath—constrained within a circular space by the sensing Array Patterns at the edge of the Trapping Array. For every unit the killing power climbed—the light wall contracted inward by less than half an inch.

Behind Shopkeeper Qian—there were at least thirty people in the Trapping Array. Their dharma robes were torn, armor plates shattered, Talismans burned out, and Formation Plates had failed. At least a dozen motionless bodies lay on the ground—face down—a thin layer of not-yet-coagulated blood pooling beneath them on the dark bronze alloy floor.

"The way you came—is the way you leave. This path." Shopkeeper Qian's voice was trembling—his vocal cords twitching uncontrollably after his Qi consumption reached its limit, the tail end of every word drifting upward— "Lord Lu—we have been trapped inside for nearly a day. The Killing Array's Qi is rising—in less than half a shichen—"

"What I asked was—why are you here."

Lu Changyuan's voice was calm. He pulled his right hand out from the inner pocket of his sleeve—a black crystal clamped between his index and middle fingers—the crystal's icy surface not reflecting the light under the hall's cold light Spirit Stones.

Shopkeeper Qian swallowed. His Adam's apple rolled against his thin neck—the skin on his neck pale greyish-white due to his exhausted Qi.

"The night we signed the contract—I pried something out of an old acquaintance from the Military Monitoring Department. The Seal—is on the verge of collapsing. Not in a few days—multiple places already have visible cracks. Some cracks are wide enough—for a person to slip in." He picked up the Breaking-Seal Formation Plate from the ground—rubbing his fingers over the cracks on the surface— "I contacted a few impatient factions—and put together this team. Taking advantage of the moment when the Seal's cracks were widest—we slipped in."

"No guidance token."

"No." Shopkeeper Qian's voice dropped nearly a full degree in pitch— "We thought—the cracks were the door. Entering from the cracks—we would surely find a way. But—as it turned out—" His gaze swept toward the depths of the Trapping Array. At the innermost side of the Trapping Array light wall—the residual sword-shaped Qi of the Ancient Killing Array was sliding slowly along the array wall—like a snake silently swimming in the dark— "we slammed into a dead end. The Trapping Array locked us inside—the retreat was sealed off. The killing power is rising—we've lost nearly thirty percent of our people—the rest—can't get out."

There was silence in the Trapping Array for less than half a breath. Those Cultivators still standing—dharma robes tattered, faces stained with blood, the luster of the Magic Treasures in their hands dimmed by at least half—all turned to look at Lu Changyuan outside the light wall. There were fewer than thirty people standing—but in everyone's eyes, a very complex hope ignited simultaneously.

Lu Changyuan did not act immediately.

He spun the black crystal between his fingers—the crystal's pulsation frequency forming a subtle resonance under his fingertips with the residual Spiritual Pressure after the Seal's outer wall had healed. He injected Qi into the crystal—the direction of the injection—different from the angle used to open the first section. This time, the Qi followed the dark golden radial fine lines on the bottom of the crystal, dispersing outward—shooting onto the Trapping Array light wall.

The killing power of the Trapping Array—stagnated.

The greyish-white line of killing power that had been slowly climbing inside the light wall—stopped in its tracks. The speed of the sword-shaped Qi afterimages swimming on the light wall slowed by nearly seventy percent—changing from "approaching" to "hovering and monitoring." The Spiritual Pressure inside the Trapping Array—changed from jumping up one level per minute to no longer changing.

Inside the Trapping Array—everyone froze simultaneously.

A Cultivator who looked like a Loose Cultivator knelt on the ground—hands propped on the dark bronze alloy floor—gasping for air. He had been bombarding the Trapping Array light wall for nearly half a shichen—his Qi exhausted, his Magic Treasure burned out—with only his last breath remaining. With the killing power stagnated—his body collapsed like a snapped string.

Shopkeeper Qian's eyes turned red in less than half a breath. His fingers pinched a dozen more cracks into the Breaking-Seal Formation Plate—then he tossed the plate aside—the plate bounced on the ground—landing in a pile of half-destroyed Magic Treasures in the corner.

"You can control the array—" his voice squeezed out from the depths of his throat— "You can—"

"I can pause it. I cannot dispel it." Lu Changyuan spun the crystal between his fingers again— "The time the killing power is stagnant is limited. The consumption of my Qi injected into the crystal—is not infinite."

A Cultivator wearing Loose Cultivator attire walked out from the crowd.

The material of his dharma robe was at least two grades higher than the others—Foundation Establishment Peak—broad-shouldered and thick-backed—with an old sword scar on the webbing of his right hand stretching from the base of his index finger to his wrist. His Magic Treasure was a dark bronze heavy war sword—inlaid with at least a dozen Spirit Stones—but at this moment, the Spirit Stones were all dimmed. His footsteps did not hesitate as he walked out—the force of every step stomping onto the dark bronze alloy floor was intentionally doubled.

"Little brother—" his voice was hoarse—but beneath the hoarseness was a habitual hardness— "You are outside. We are inside. Your method of controlling the array—I have seen it. But your Qi—surely cannot be injected indefinitely."

He took another step forward—standing at the innermost side of the Trapping Array light wall—his chest less than half a foot from the light wall. The Spiritual Pressure of a Foundation Establishment Peak rippled outward from his body—stirring up a circle of extremely fine ripples on the light wall.

"If you are sensible—let us out immediately. Otherwise, once we break through—"

Two flashes of Sword Qi exploded on the Trapping Array light wall simultaneously.

Shadow One's sword moved from the upper left to the lower right—Shadow Two's sword from the upper right to the lower left. The two flashes of Sword Qi crossed and slashed at the same point on the outside of the light wall—a combined attack. The Peak value of the Spiritual Pressure leaped to the threshold of Golden Core Early Stage in less than half a breath. At the spot where the light wall was struck—a sword mark nearly two inches deep sank in—the light at the edge of the sword mark was shaken and dissipated outward by nearly half a circle by the combined Sword Qi. The residual killing power inside the Trapping Array was shaken back by at least a foot by this strike—the hovering sword-shaped Qi afterimage retreated rapidly—only stopping again when it reached the deepest part of the Trapping Array.

Both swords returned to their sheaths. Shadow One and Shadow Two stepped back simultaneously—retreating to three steps behind Lu Changyuan. The positions they stood in were exactly consistent with their stance after every combined attack demonstration—less than three feet apart—hands pressed on the sword hilts—expressionless.

Inside the Trapping Array—that Loose Cultivator's Gold-Rank Enforcer stood in place—his right foot involuntarily shuffling back less than half an inch. His lips were pursed tight—his chin pressed down less than half a degree—his eyes staring at the sword mark on the light wall that had not yet fully healed. Foundation Establishment Peak—but in the face of the Golden Core Early Stage combined attack Peak—his Spiritual Pressure had been completely suppressed in that instant.

Lu Changyuan tossed the black crystal. The crystal flipped once in his palm—landing back between his fingers—the dark golden fine lines flashing under the ice-blue cold light.

"Twelve forks." He pressed the crystal back into his palm— "Nine are dead ends. At the end of the dead ends is the backlash of the Seal—once you step in, you can never come back."

His fingers pointed one by one in the direction of the twelve entrances—from left to right—pointing from the first to the twelfth.

"Three are paths of life—only I know them."

He stopped his finger at Shopkeeper Qian's position. Shopkeeper Qian was behind the Trapping Array light wall—less than three steps from the light wall—his standing posture six days ago had been that of an acquaintance—now it had become that of someone awaiting rescue.

"Shopkeeper Qian—you signed a spiritual contract at the Chamber of Commerce. The goods in your warehouse—have already been sold at market price. No loss." Lu Changyuan switched the pulsation frequency of the crystal from array control mode back to sensing mode—the fine lines on the bottom of the crystal changed from radiating outward back to contracting inward— "But here—if you want to get out—you must sign something else."

There was silence in the Trapping Array again.

This time, the silence lasted nearly twice as long as the last. Among the fewer than thirty people standing—some were exchanging glances—some were looking at the sword mark on the light wall that had not yet fully healed—some were looking at the twin dark guards behind Lu Changyuan whose standing postures were perfectly synchronized.

Shopkeeper Qian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth—the blood was seeping from between his teeth—blood naturally seeping from his gums after his Qi was exhausted, the wound was internal, not on the surface. He put his hand down—rubbed it on his tattered dharma robe—and then raised his head.

"What conditions."

Lu Changyuan pulled a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve.

The porcelain bottle was empty. He crouched down—placing the porcelain bottle on the ground in front of the Trapping Array light wall—the base clicking against the dark bronze alloy floor with an extremely light and crisp sound.

"Swear an oath by the Heavenly Dao—drip your essence blood into this bottle." He stood up— "From this breath onward—all your gains in the ruins—I want a cut. Every Spiritual Plant, every Magic Treasure fragment, every Spirit Stone—divided by proportion."

He paused.

"As for how much of a cut—" he looked at every face in the Trapping Array—scanning from Shopkeeper Qian to the Loose Cultivator Gold-Rank Enforcer—and then to those faces in the back he did not recognize— "tell me first—how thick of a sincerity you have prepared."

On the Trapping Array light wall—the sword mark slashed by the combined Sword Qi had already healed by nearly half. Inside the light wall—the residual killing power, after stagnating for nearly half a shichen—began to tremble slightly—like a snake with its head pinned down—gathering strength to break free.

The countdown—was still running.