327: Chapter 328 Enemy attack!

This Deacon Zhou had likely heard about the matter, which was why he was being so exceptionally polite to him.

But that was fine too; it saved him trouble.

Ye Changge put away the jade slip for the mission and smiled, saying:

"Many thanks for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Zhou. I will take a close look when I return, and if I have any interest, I will trouble you again."

"It is no trouble at all! Fellow Daoist Ye, feel free to come anytime; I will be waiting for you!"

Zhou Qing quickly waved his hands, his tone becoming even more enthusiastic.

He calculated in his heart—this Fellow Daoist Ye was able to backhand an Elder with a False Core into Xuanyin Cave; the person standing behind him couldn't possibly be just any Golden Core True Person, could it be a Nascent Soul True Lord?

For someone like this, establishing a good relationship would only bring benefits and no harm.

"Then... Fellow Daoist Ye, the Spirit Stones here are fine. If there are no other issues, shall I take my leave first?"

Zhou Qing asked tentatively.

Ye Changge nodded: "Thank you, Fellow Daoist. Please, go ahead."

Zhou Qing cupped his hands, turned, and left with a light step, clearly in a good mood.

Ye Changge watched him leave, and only when the figure disappeared at the end of the corridor did he exhale a breath of stale air.

"Finally, the matter is settled."

He muttered to himself, rubbing his somewhat stiff neck.

This trip to the Lingxiao Sect was originally to offer up Spirit Stones and, in passing, to visit his eldest son, Ye Bufan.

Unexpectedly, he encountered that business with Meng Tiande, which almost caused a huge problem.

Upon learning that his younger brother, Ye Changsheng, had gone out to perform a mission, Ye Changge left behind some Spirit Stones. Without further delay, he came to the mountain gate, summoned Xiao Jin, and turned into a streak of light, leaving in the direction of Longmai Mountain!

Meanwhile, at the Ye Family on Longmai Mountain.

The night was deep, and all was silent.

The Longmai Mountain's Mountain-Protecting Array—the "Azure Water Heaven-Blue Grand Array"—was like a layer of pale blue water curtain, enveloping the entire mountain range. On the water curtain, ripples of light faintly flowed; it was dreamlike, illusory, and truly beautiful.

However, in the northwest corner of the Grand Array, in a seemingly inconspicuous and remote corner, two figures were lurking sneakily in the night.

One of them, with a haggard face and a withered aura, was that Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Li Family who had been forced by Ye Changge to sign a Spiritual Contract and was now living under someone else's roof—Li Xuanfeng.

The other person was a tall man in a black robe, his face hidden by a hood. His features could not be seen, only a pair of eyes as deep as pools, flashing with cold light.

"Master, this is the weakness of our Family's former Grand Array—the Azure Water Heaven-Blue Grand Array."

Li Xuanfeng pointed at the pale blue water curtain in front and lowered his voice, his tone very respectful, even carrying a hint of fawning, "Only we know about this side; that Ye Changge surely hasn't repaired it."

He paused and added, "This array was set up by a Formation Great Master whom our Li Family paid a huge price to hire back then. It has been reinforced by several generations of Family heads. Although its defense is strong, the array base in this northwest corner, due to an unstable foundation, has been repaired many times and has always had a hidden ailment. As long as one finds this spot and attacks with special methods, one can tear open a crack and sneak in silently."

The black-robed man heard this and nodded slightly without speaking.

He stepped forward and raised his right hand.

On his right index finger, he wore a ring entirely black, with a black bead the size of a dragon's eye embedded on the ring face. A ghostly light flowed, emitting an aura that made one's heart palpitate.

He gently turned the ring, and the black bead detached from the ring face, floating above his palm, rotating slowly.

"Hum—" The black bead emitted a slight humming sound. Strands of black Qi, as thin as hair, peeled off the surface of the bead like little snakes and surged toward the pale blue water curtain in front.

The moment those black Qi strands touched the Grand Array, they did not trigger any violent reaction.

They were like water droplets merging into the sea, silently seeping into the Grand Array, moving slowly along the spiritual energy meridians of the Formation toward the location of the "hidden ailment."

The black-robed man closed his eyes slightly, as if he were sensing something through those black Qi strands.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a cold arc curling at the corners of his mouth: "Found it."

The reason he dared to sneak into other families' territory in secret was, naturally, because he had means to rely on.

This bead, named "Restriction-Breaking Bead," was a rare treasure specifically for breaking all kinds of Formations and Restrictions.

Facing an ordinary First-Order Grand Array, it could break it silently, as if entering an empty place.

Facing a Second-Order Grand Array, as long as the weak point was found, with some time and effort, one could also tear open a crack without alerting the person who set up the array.

This was also why he had been able to sneak into the Spiritual Land where Li Xuanfeng was currently located, quietly subduing this "Li Family Elder."

"Master's divine skill is peerless!" Li Xuanfeng, seeing this, quickly buttered him up, "Once this Grand Array is broken, that Ye Changge will surely be caught off guard, and then—"

"Shut up." The black-robed man coldly interrupted him, his tone carrying a hint of impatience, "Watch attentively."

Li Xuanfeng quickly fell silent, not daring to say another word.

Time passed slowly.

The black Qi continuously seeped into the Grand Array, like countless ants gnawing at that fragile foundation.

On the surface of the Grand Array, that layer of pale blue water curtain began to show subtle fluctuations, like a lake surface ruffled by a breeze, ripples spreading layer by layer.

But the fluctuations were extremely slight; if one didn't look carefully, one wouldn't be able to detect them at all.

A trace of smugness flashed in the black-robed man's eyes.

At this speed, in another hour, he would be able to tear open a crack large enough for one person to pass through.

By then, he would be able to sneak into Longmai Mountain without anyone knowing and take that thing...

However, just at this moment—

"Hmm?" Deep within Longmai Mountain, in the Changsheng Hall. Xiao Caiyue suddenly opened her eyes, a strange look flashing in her beautiful eyes.

She had just been sitting cross-legged, cultivating and adjusting the Yin-Yang Qi that had just calmed down within her body, when she suddenly sensed a trace of extremely weak spiritual energy fluctuation.

That fluctuation was extremely obscure; if it weren't for the fact that she had been wholeheartedly studying the Longmai Mountain's Grand Array these days and had a thorough understanding of the entire Formation's spiritual energy flow, it would have been impossible to detect.

"Enemy attack?" Xiao Caiyue murmured, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

She did not hesitate in the slightest, her slender fingers gently tapping in the air, and a palm-sized, entirely emerald-green Formation Plate appeared out of thin air, floating before her.

On the Formation Plate, densely engraved with mysterious runes, it was now glowing slightly, emitting a faint "humming" sound.

The needle in the very center rotated slowly and finally pointed to one direction—the northwest corner.

Xiao Caiyue's gaze narrowed.

She stood up, her water-blue wide-sleeved fairy dress swaying gently with her movements, outlining her slender and graceful figure.

She holding the Formation Plate, walked quickly out of Changsheng Hall and arrived at the veranda outside the hall.

The night was deep, and the moonlight, like water, spilled over the mountains, rivers, and vegetation of Longmai Mountain; everything appeared quiet and peaceful.