Chapter 214: Chapter 164: Heaven-Sent Divine Punishment (2)

There were nine flower buds in total, corresponding to nine leaves. They all bloomed at the same time. The flowers were unremarkable, possessing only a faint fragrance. Everything was so ordinary.

But it was destined to be anything but ordinary. Lightning surged through the dark clouds, as if the Thunder God was roaring within. An aura of destruction gathered, seeming as though it would annihilate these fragile flowers in the very next moment.

The vine seemed to sense this and absorbed nutrients with all its might. The flowers quickly withered, transforming into grape-sized green fruits that began to swell at a rate visible to the naked eye.

BOOM—

RUMBLE—

The Thunder God let out a roar, and the heavy dark clouds unleashed nine thick, golden thunderbolts, each striking one of the fruits sheltered by the leaves.

RUSTLE!

The leaves moved without any wind, their veins emitting waves of fluorescent light. The delicate leaves became the sturdiest shields for these fruits.

The golden thunderbolts struck them, releasing puffs of green smoke. A sound like a mournful cry seemed to emerge, echoing through the valley.

But how could the fragile leaves withstand the ferocious Celestial Thunder? After holding on for only a few breaths, leaf after leaf turned to ash in the blast, and the fruits they protected were not spared.

The sound of wailing grew louder, and a light rain began to fall from the sky, as if the heavens were weeping.

BOOM—

In an instant, nine fruits were turned to cinders. In the end, only the topmost leaf and fruit stubbornly survived in the ocean of thunderbolts.

It had absorbed all the nutrients for itself and began to rapidly transition from unripe to mature. Finally, it grew to the size of a fist, so brilliantly red that one couldn’t resist the urge to take a bite.

The instant it matured, the dark clouds above the valley vanished into thin air, leaving only a barely audible sigh to echo between the mountains...

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Two streaks of light, one after the other, rushed toward the three large mountains, but were blocked by an invisible barrier the moment they drew near.

"Damn it, why is there an Array here?" Hou Tianming, looking as if he’d seen a ghost, couldn’t help but curse.

Xia Qingxue’s figure emerged from the other streak of light. Her elegant brows furrowed slightly as she reached out a slender finger and tapped gently at the space before her. The seemingly empty air rippled like the surface of water.

’A Guardian Array? I wonder if it’s offensive.’ Xia Qingxue was not well-versed in Arrays, but her insight was considerable. She recognized at a glance that this was a naturally formed Guardian Array, enveloping all three large mountains.

This proved her navigation was correct. The treasure nurtured in this Small World was here, but how to get inside had become a major problem.

She had dedicated herself to cultivation and was unskilled with Arrays. To break through it, she could only rely on the method of using overwhelming force to shatter all techniques.

Although she only had an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, she carried treasures bestowed by her Sect. Breaking this Array wouldn’t be a difficult task, but the key question was whether this world could withstand that much power.

The Small World itself is powerful, but the spatial passage connecting it to the Purple Imperial Realm is extremely fragile. If a force exceeding a certain limit were unleashed, it would very likely be destroyed. At that point, you could forget about ever leaving and just live out your days as a native of the Small World.

Anyone in their right mind wouldn’t do such a thing. Thus, the Array became quite a thorny issue.

Although she knew there was little hope, she still cast her gaze toward Hou Tianming, who wasn’t far off.

Hou Tianming was just as helpless before the Array. The Celestial Vein Sect had considered that there might be Arrays, so he had brought a Tier Two Top Grade [Array-Breaking Talisman] capable of breaking most Tier Two Arrays.

But none of them had expected an Array higher than Tier Two to appear in the Qiantian Secret Realm. It was simply unheard of, because it surpassed the bearing capacity of this Small World.

Against a Tier Three Array, a Tier Two [Array-Breaking Talisman] was completely useless.

Besides, even if he had a Tier Three [Array-Breaking Talisman], he wouldn’t dare use it. The spatial passage would collapse. You couldn’t just throw your life away for a treasure, could you?

Now the situation was rather awkward. They were right at the entrance but couldn’t get in. All the two of them could do was stare helplessly.

"It seems you have no solution either." Xia Qingxue knew just by the look on his face and instantly gave up all hope.

"Are we supposed to return empty-handed?" Hou Tianming’s expression was unsightly.

"Let’s wait. It’s said that Niu Dazhuang received the Second City Lord’s true teachings and is already a Tier Two Top-grade Array Master. When they catch up, perhaps they’ll have a way."

With that, she descended directly to the foot of the mountain and began to rest her spirit with her eyes closed.

The treasure was right before his eyes, yet he had to wait for others to come and claim a share. Feeling indignant, Hou Tianming said, "I refuse to accept this!"

He summoned a Spiritual Sword and slashed at the barrier with all his might.

BOOM—

The sword strike directly dented the Array’s barrier. Before Hou Tianming could even feel happy, his Spiritual Sword was instantly repelled.

The next moment, countless Array Patterns appeared in the air. Hou Tianming’s heart skipped a beat—he sensed the aura of death.

SWOOSH!

A golden light descended from the mountain peak, heading straight for Hou Tianming. It moved so fast that, with his Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, he had no time to react at all.

PFFT—

The golden light struck him in the chest. Hou Tianming immediately spat out a large mouthful of blood, and his whole body was sent flying backward.

"Foolish." Xia Qingxue frowned slightly. ’To attack rashly without even knowing what kind of Array it is... He really didn’t bring his brain with him.’

Meanwhile, Hou Tianming, having fallen from the sky, scrambled wretchedly out of a crater in the ground. He took out a Copper Mirror covered in cracks from his chest, his heart filled with dread.

If not for this Heart-Protecting Mirror, that last strike would have probably taken his life!

"What on earth is this treasure, to have such a powerful Guardian Array?" Looking toward the three mountains, Hou Tianming felt a surge of residual fear.

In truth, it was his own fault for arriving a step too late. Had he arrived a day earlier and witnessed the rolling Celestial Thunder for himself—a scene reminiscent of a Celestial Tribulation—he would have never dared to court death like that.

Having learned his lesson, Hou Tianming no longer dared to be presumptuous. He sat down obediently to one side to heal, waiting for Niu Dazhuang and the others to arrive...

They hadn’t made any stops along the way, so they were the fastest. Song Changsheng, however, had been scavenging his way here and was nearly two ancient hours behind them.

When Song Changsheng sensed the auras of Xia Qingxue and the other person, he thought the treasure already had an owner. But upon getting closer, he immediately realized something was off.

Hou Tianming looked utterly wretched, his aura weak, and it was obvious he had sustained serious injuries. Xia Qingxue, however, sat cross-legged on a large piece of Qingshi, her aura as stable as ever, not looking like she had been in a fight at all.

’What’s the situation here?’ Song Changsheng frowned slightly. Although Hou Tianming’s abilities were average, he had no problem dealing with a typical Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Who in this Small World could have beaten him into such a miserable state?

He wasn’t familiar with the pair, so Song Changsheng didn’t ask. Instead, he cast his gaze toward the valley ahead. He could feel a strong life fluctuation coming from inside.

’The treasure is still here.’ Song Changsheng was inwardly delighted. ’It seems I’m not too late. I still have a chance.’

"[Eye of Truth], open!"

He refused to believe that the pair wouldn’t be moved by the sight of treasure. There was most likely something tricky going on here. And sure enough, with the help of his Pupil Technique, he saw the three large mountains enveloped by dense Array Patterns.

’It’s actually a [Three Talents Array] formed with the three mountains as its foundation. Its rank is somewhere between Tier Two and Tier Three. No wonder no one has gone in.’

Song Changsheng could tell the type and grade of this Array at a glance, but his own attainments in Arrays were insufficient. Breaking it would be very difficult.

"What have you discovered?"

He was staring in a trance. Xia Qingxue, who had been resting with her eyes closed, had stood up at some unknown point and was now looking at him, asking in a cold voice.

A trace of vigilance immediately rose in Song Changsheng’s heart. Although he was observing the Array, his Divine Sense had been monitoring the duo’s movements the entire time, yet he hadn’t noticed when this woman stood up.

’This woman’s power is extraordinary, she can’t be underestimated.’ Even though his opponent only had an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, Song Changsheng did not dare underestimate her in the slightest.

On the surface, however, he gave an impassive nod and said, "I have figured out a few things. This [Three Talents Array] is not easy to break, but it’s not without a chance."

...