320: Chapter 318 The Great Array Shattered, the Building Empty

Less than half an hour after Yun Ming left, a terrifying aura pressed down from the horizon.

It did not approach gradually, but descended instantly, like a great mountain crashing down from the Nine Heavens. Under this pressure, the light shield of the Mountain Guardian Array trembled violently, the formation patterns flickering crazily, emitting a buzzing sound of being overwhelmed. Fine cracks even appeared on the surface of the light shield, spreading like spiderwebs in all directions, ready to shatter at any moment.

Outside the array, the besieging Yao Race Cultivators stopped their attacks one after another, prostrating themselves on the ground, trembling. It was not fear, but submission. Submission from the depths of their Bloodline.

A figure that blotted out the sky appeared on the horizon. It was a giant roc, pitch black, with a wingspan of unknown thousands of miles. With its wings spread, it covered half the sky. Its feathers shimmered with a cold, metallic luster, each one like a sharp long blade. Its eyes were golden, vertical pupils, coldly overlooking the earth like a god looking down upon ants.

With a gentle flap of its wings, a hurricane passed through, flying sand and moving stones. The light shield of the Mountain Guardian Array swayed violently, the spiritual light flickering as if it were a candle flame about to be extinguished at any moment. Nine Nether Roc, Soul Transformation Middle Stage, the master of that bird's nest, the ruler of the Yao Race within a thousand miles.

It hovered in mid-air, neither descending nor attacking. It just looked at the array, no emotion in its golden vertical pupils.

Behind it, from another direction, came a hearty laugh. The laughter was loud, rough, like muffled thunder rolling in the clouds, making people's eardrums ache.

"Nine Nether, you really are a piece of trash." The voice did not hide its mockery. "A Soul Transformation Sect, and you still need to call me to help you? The Soul Transformation Sects in the other continents were long ago broken through. Only this one remains, and you still can't gnaw it down? If this gets out, I feel embarrassed for you."

Before the words faded, a giant beast stepped out of the clouds. It was a rhinoceros, its body like a continuous mountain range, its four hooves stepping into the Void Realm. With every step it took, the space shook violently. The small Yao on the ground couldn't stand steadily; some fell to the ground, others were shaken into the air. The Yao Cultivators in the sky also wobbled, flapping their wings to barely stabilize their figures. Thick-Armored Ancient Rhino, Soul Transformation Early Stage. Daoist Lord Zhenshan, known for his defense and strength, it is said that his thick armor can even withstand a full-force blow from a Soul Transformation Late Stage Cultivator.

Daoist Lord Zhenshan walked closer, his massive body hovering opposite the Nine Nether Roc, lowering his head to look down at the Mountain Guardian Array, two heavy white breaths spraying from his nostrils.

The Nine Nether Roc snorted coldly. "This place is different. Two Soul Transformation Sects combined into one, their Formation complementing each other, making it extremely difficult to break. I have tried several times and could do nothing to it. That is why I called you all here."

Daoist Lord Zhenshan flicked his tail dismissively, his huge tail sweeping through the Void Realm, bringing up a gust of wind. "No matter how strong the Formation is, it is only a dead object. With one punch from me, any Formation will shatter."

The Nine Nether Roc did not reply. His gaze passed over Daoist Lord Zhenshan, looking toward the distant horizon, his golden vertical pupils slightly contracting. "Where is Soul-Binding? Why hasn't she come yet?"

Daoist Lord Zhenshan grinned, revealing a mouthful of jagged fangs. "Her? On the way, she discovered a group of humans. Those people were building a Teleportation Array, wanting to escape this Small World. Soul-Binding said, it doesn't matter if the people escape, but their treasures must be left behind." He paused, his laughter growing louder. "You know, that woman is very greedy."

The Nine Nether Roc frowned. He was dissatisfied with Daoist Lord Soul-Binding's actions, but he did not say it. He just remained silent for a moment, then spoke: "The two of us cannot break this array. They also have two Soul Transformation Cultivators, plus the blessing of the Formation, we cannot gain an advantage."

Daoist Lord Zhenshan's laughter stopped abruptly. He lowered his head, glaring at the Nine Nether Roc with those copper-bell-sized eyes, the white breath spraying from his nostrils becoming heavier.

"Nine Nether, when did you become so cowardly?" His voice deepened. "I want to see just how hard this broken array can be."

He raised one front hoof and stomped down hard. The Void Realm shattered, black cracks spreading to the surroundings. The light shield of the Mountain Guardian Array flickered violently, and there were more cracks, but it did not shatter.

Daoist Lord Zhenshan frowned, withdrew his hoof, and his body began to change. His mountain-like massive body slowly shrank, his bones creaking, his armor closing, his limbs stretching. Within a few breaths, a rugged man stood in the Void Realm. He was covered in a layer of pitch-black leather armor, his bronze-colored skin gleaming under the spiritual light. He was a full ten feet tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, his arms thicker than an ordinary person's waist.

He flexed his wrists, his knuckles cracking, and then punched out violently.

The fist Qi was silent, but the space shattered. With his fist as the center, black cracks spread to the surroundings like a spiderweb. The fist Qi slammed into the light shield of the Mountain Guardian Array, the light shield trembled violently, and there were more cracks, but it still did not shatter. Daoist Lord Zhenshan withdrew his fist, looked down at his own fist, and then looked at the array.

He frowned tightly.

"Not bad." There was a hint of surprise in his voice. "It can withstand thirty percent of my strength." He moved his shoulders, his mouth grinning, revealing a mouthful of fangs. "Then try this punch."

His body began to rise. One foot, two feet, five feet, ten feet. His figure swelled, muscles bulged, veins popped out, and the leather armor creaked as it was stretched.

He clenched his fist, and a phantom of a giant rhinoceros appeared on his fist. The giant rhinoceros raised its head and hooves, roaring to the sky, the sound shaking the wilderness.

Daoist Lord Zhenshan punched out.

The giant rhinoceros phantom detached from his fist, turning into a black stream of light, crashing into the Mountain Guardian Array.

Boom—!

The shockwave spread to the surroundings, sweeping away the small Yao outside the array. Many small Yao with low cultivation exploded directly in mid-air, turning into clumps of blood mist.

Dust rose, blotting out the sky, and nothing could be seen.

The Nine Nether Roc looked at the dust, the corner of his mouth moved slightly, emitting a disdainful snort.

He couldn't break this array even with his full strength, how could this stupid cow break it with one punch? He guessed that this array needed at least three Soul Transformation Cultivators to attack at the same time, with full force, to have a chance to break it.

Then, he heard the sound of shattering.

It was not the sound of formation patterns breaking, but the thin, crisp sound of a bubble being popped.

The dust slowly dissipated.

The Mountain Guardian Array had disappeared.

The light shield shattered into countless points of light, floating in the air, like fireflies, like a meteor shower, like a grand farewell.

Daoist Lord Zhenshan stood on the ruins, hands on his hips, laughing loudly.

His laughter echoed on the open plain, shaking the distant mountains.

"Nine Nether! How about that? My punch is much more useful than those fancy methods of yours!" He turned around, looking at the Nine Nether Roc, his mouth grinning to his ears. "I want seventy percent of the spoils. You have no objection, right?"

The Nine Nether Roc did not answer.

His gaze passed through the dust and landed on the land inside the array.

His pupils contracted violently.

The Sect mountains of the Shenduan Sect were still there, the Golden Core mountain gate of the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion was still there, and the foundation of the Mountain Guardian Array was still there.

But there was no one inside.

Not a single person.

The lights in those halls and pavilions were extinguished, those spiritual fields were abandoned, the doors of those warehouses were wide open, and they were empty inside, not even a single Spirit Stone was left. Only a few scattered Spirit Stones lay in the array foundation, maintaining the last operation of the array. There was no Soul Transformation Cultivator sitting in the array foundation, no Nascent Soul Cultivator transferring spiritual power, only those Spirit Stones were barely holding on.

No wonder Daoist Lord Zhenshan smashed it with one punch.

It was not how strong Daoist Lord Zhenshan was; it was that no one was guarding this array anymore.

The Nine Nether Roc's Face sank completely, so gloomy that water could drip from it.

Daoist Lord Zhenshan also discovered something was wrong, and his laughter stopped abruptly.

He stared blankly at the empty Sect, his mouth open, unable to close it. He turned around abruptly, grabbed a Golden Core small Yao beside him, and lifted it in front of him. "Where are the people! Where are the people inside!"

The small Yao was trembling with fear, stuttering: "I... I don't know... They were just here... We have been attacking, we didn't see anyone come out..."

Daoist Lord Zhenshan threw the small Yao out, it fell to the ground, smashing a big pit, and turned into a puddle of meat paste.

He turned around, looking at the Nine Nether Roc, the muscles on his Face twitching. "Nine Nether, what is going on?"

The Nine Nether Roc did not answer. His gaze swept across the entire ruins, his Divine Sense spread out, covering a thousand miles. There was no breath of living people, no breath of any Cultivator, not even the breath of dead people. Those people seemed to have evaporated into thin air, disappearing from this array.

His voice was as cold as ice in the deep winter. "They ran away."

"Ran away?" Daoist Lord Zhenshan's voice raised an octave. "Where did they run to? This thousand-mile radius has been surrounded by us, where could they run from? To the sky or into the earth? There are our Yao Cultivators underground too! They can't fly even with wings!"

The Nine Nether Roc ignored him. He landed in front of the Shenduan Sect's mountain gate, bent down and picked up a Spirit Stone scattered on the ground. The Spirit Stone had already dimmed by more than half, its spiritual power almost exhausted, obviously used to maintain the last operation of the Formation. He crushed the Spirit Stone, and the powder drifted from between his fingers.

"They withdrew everyone." The Nine Nether Roc's voice was very calm, terrifyingly calm. "The Disciples, Elders, and Sect Master in the Sect, all resources, treasures, and Spirit Stones have been emptied. Only an empty shell was left, along with these few Spirit Stones, deceiving us for so long."

Daoist Lord Zhenshan also landed, his huge body causing the ground to sink a large chunk. He squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil, smelled it, and then threw it on the ground. "There is the aura of a space Magic Treasure. The grade is not low, at least sixth grade."

"Sixth grade?" The Nine Nether Roc turned around, looking at him. "Are you sure?"

Daoist Lord Zhenshan stood up and patted the dirt off his hands. "Not sure, but at least that level. To be able to hold an entire Sect, plus two Soul Transformation Cultivators, an ordinary fifth-grade space Magic Treasure cannot do it. They must have used some kind of space supreme treasure, packed everyone into it, and then secretly transported it away from underground or the sky." He paused. "We have defenses both underground and in the sky, but they have Soul Transformation Cultivators, it's too easy to deceive those small Yao."

The Nine Nether Roc was silent for a long time. He stood on the ruins, hands behind his back, looking at the empty mountain gate in the distance. The wind blew over, rolling up a few withered leaves, spinning at his feet. There was no anger on his Face, no frustration, only a cold, repressed calmness.

"Pass the order down." He spoke, his voice not loud, but the Yao Cultivators within a hundred miles heard it clearly. "Search with all your strength. Dig three feet into the ground, and find those people."

Daoist Lord Zhenshan also stood up, his rugged Face full of anger. "I will also give the order. All subordinates, all move out. Find those people, I want to tear them into pieces with my own hands."

The orders of the two Soul Transformation great Yao were passed down, and the Yao Cultivator group was suddenly in an uproar.

Countless Yao Cultivators scattered away, some went east, some went west, some went north, some went south, some drilled underground, some flew into the high sky.

They were like a group of disturbed ants, pouring out of their nest, searching crazily on this land.

The Nine Nether Roc stood on the ruins, looking at the departing Yao Cultivators, no emotion in his golden vertical pupils.

His fingers curled slightly, then loosened again.

He knew that the hope of finding those people was slim.

But he still had to find them.

Not for the spoils, but for Face.

He could not tolerate a prey slipping away from under his nose.