by <unknown>
But now that Ye Yuan was manipulating the array formation, it was completely different.
Lin Chao still had slight knowledge in array formations, but the Lan Clan three brothers were completely ignorant.
Hence, Ye Yuan mobilized the sword puppets to separate Lin Chao and the three of them completely and not let them have any chance to converge.
As long as they could not come together, they would not be able to cause lethal damage to the sword puppets. The array formation would also naturally not be broken so easily.
In a twinkle, another hundred over rounds passed. But Ye Yuan still had yet to show the slightest hint of being overpowered. The people from the Endless World who were watching had shock written all over their faces!
"The Tranquil Cloud Sect really picked up a treasure, to actually groom such a monstrous youth! If Ye Yuan doesn't die, the rise of the Tranquil Cloud Sect will be in the near future!"
"Yeah! If I didn't witness it with my own eyes, I simply dare not believe that this is real! He's only at the Spirit Condensation Realm. After he reaches Crystal Formation Realm or Sea Transformation Realm, how horrifying would he become?"
"What rise is there? No eggs can remain unbroken if the nest is overturned. This Fierce Gale World is going to attack soon. The sect masters are most likely still unaware of this matter! Furthermore, will Ye Yuan be lucky today? Sigh . . . It's too bad for this unparalleled genius!" another person said.
"This . . ."
That person involuntarily shot a glance at Lan Bao; the despair in his heart welled up once again.
This man was extremely powerful until it made people unable to give rise to the thought of resisting.
And at the moment, Lan Bao's eyes were staring at Ye Yuan like a cheetah. That unconcerned and leisurely feel was already gone!
Ye Yuan's heaven-defying performance finally made Lan Bao take him seriously.
A peerless genius like this, once he let him mature, there would be countless Fierce Gale World martial artists who would die in his hands!
Therefore . . .
Lan Bao's figure moved, vanishing instantly from where he stood!
When he appeared again in the next instant, he already arrived beside Ye Yuan!
Everyone watched this scene in terror. Especially the Tranquil Cloud Sect disciples. Their eyes unwittingly revealed despair!
"Ye Yuan!"
"Careful, Ye Yuan!" the Tranquil Cloud Sect disciples cried out.
But their cries were not as fast as Lan Bao's action. That deadly palm of his had already landed like lightning.
Everything . . . seemed to have become a foregone conclusion!
"Ah! No!" Yan-er covered her eyes in pain and could not bear to look at this scene.
But Li-er's pretty eyes flickered by the side. She still did not have any intention of making a move.
An ugly sneer flashed across the corner of Lan Bao's mouth. This sort of thing like destroying geniuses made people feel the greatest satisfaction. Especially a monstrous unrivaled genius like this!
Clang!
A dull colliding sound undulated out across the second level, vibrating everybody's eardrums until it hurt.
Under everyone's disbelieving eyes, Ye Yuan's figure flew out like a cannonball!
And in his arms, he was hugging a large square cauldron!
Ye Yuan did not die!
Facing imminent danger, Ye Yuan actually released the Square Cauldron and defended against Lan Bao's certain-kill palm move.
At the same time, Ye Yuan even put away all of the sword puppets inside his storage ring!
Very clearly, he had calculated that scene earlier long ago. Hence, he was ready long ago!
Keeping the sword puppets and pulling out the Square Cauldrons were actions done in just a blink of an eye.
Therefore, Ye Yuan escaped this calamity!
Wu Zhao watched this scene dumbfoundedly and dare not believe that this was real. Even he could not quite follow Lan Bao's actions earlier. Ye Yuan actually carried out a perfect defense!
"Goodbye! Don't bother to see me out!"
In midair, Ye Yuan's voice sounded out leisurely.
Ye Yuan's inverted flight speed was extremely quick. But he was evidently well-prepared. Putting away the Square Cauldron in midair, just as he was about to collide into a wall, he lightly tapped with the tip of his feet and turned toward a passageway. His figure disappeared!
Lan Bao did not chase after right away. He placed his palm behind his back.
If there were people standing behind him right now, they would notice that his palm was currently trembling faintly!
Very clearly, he himself also suffered a tremendously powerful recoil from that palm just now!
"Tier 5 Profound Artifact!" Lan Bao clenched his teeth and enunciated each word.
His face was currently livid with rage. It was apparent that he still could not quite accept the truth. A Spirit Condensation Realm brat actually escaped from his hands!
"Big Brother, what now?" Lan Hu asked.
"Take care of these people first! The passageways here are all sealed off by us. He can't escape!" Lan Bao said.
"Yes!"
Hearing Lan Bao's words, the people from the eight sects all turned ashen.
Lan Bao came in front of everybody and said in a solemn voice, "I'm very angry right now. So . . . all of you have to die!"
"Hold your horses!" Lin Chao suddenly said.
Lan Bao frowned and said, "What?"
"Big Brother Lan Bao, weren't you planning to turn into them slaves and send them to the Fierce Gale World previously? In my opinion, it's best not to kill them. Ye Yuan that brat is extremely cunning. These are all his fellow disciples. Just in case we can't find Ye Yuan, we can use them to force Ye Yuan to show himself!" Lin Chao said.
Lan Bao pondered for a moment and nodded his head as he said, "What you said makes sense. Do as you say then!"
Although it was just a brief single exchange, Lan Bao could deeply sense Ye Yuan's boldness and cautiousness.
But when Mo Yuntian heard that, his face spontaneously became ashen. That bit of joy from Ye Yuan escaping instantly vanished into thin air!
"Want to take us as hostages? Dream on!"
Mo Yuntian cried out and was about to commit suicide.
But Lan Bao said coldly, "Want to die? Have you asked me?"
He just casually tapped, but was even faster than Mo Yuntian's own actions!
Then, Mo Yuntian collapsed softly like Mei Zhen.
"Lin Chao, seal off their dantians and escort them back to the Fierce Gale World!" Lan Bao said coldly.
Following that, he came in front of Wu Zhao and the rest again, saying, "It's your turn now. You people can choose to die, or . . . become slaves!"
336 To Catch a Turtle in a Jar! |
Actually, the instant Lan Bao and company appeared, Ye Yuan was already racking his brains on how to escape.
After he saw Lan Bao's strength, he knew that wanting to bring everyone away was already something impossible.
Ye Yuan was not a foolish person, being fully aware that he was outmatched. If he went on, it would be a certain death.
That was not bravery, but stupidity!
Staying behind to die together with Mei Zhen and the rest was the most stupid choice.
Furthermore . . . if even he was sent inside too, then it would really be hopeless.
As long as he, Ye Yuan, did not die, there would always be a chance to rescue everybody.
Hence, from that time, Ye Yuan already made preparations to escape alone.
Ye Yuan had made the decision long ago. If Mei Zhen, Mo Yuntian, or the rest suffered anything untoward, he would definitely bury the entire Fierce Gale World with them someday!
This might perhaps be as hard as ascending to the heaven to others, but to Ye Yuan, it was not far off.
Ye Yuan did not say any threatening words before leaving because him threatening at this time was overly feeble. Other than i
nfuriating Lan Bao, it served no other use.
Ye Yuan scuttled along. The entire second level's rooms and passageways appeared clearly inside his mind.
There was only one exit in the second level. Then where was his path to survival?
There was only one life-road, which was the third level!
From the beginning, Ye Yuan had never thought about leaving through the exit on the first level!
After Lan Bao came up, Ye Yuan quietly entered Heart Like Still Water Realm. He wanted to find the third level's entrance!
Hence, Ye Yuan recalled the entire process of seeking treasure in the second level desperately. Finally, he discovered a clue!
The second level had many big and small rooms. Naturally, there were also big and small aisles.
When Ye Yuan mapped out all the roads he walked through in his mind clearly, he unwittingly came to a sudden realization!
The setup of the second level was essentially an array formation!
This array formation was not some entrapping formation or killing formation, but it was an array formation setup in order to conceal the third level's entrance!
Starting from the entrance, if one did not know array formations, no matter where the person walked, he would never find the third level's entrance.
Want to find the entrance leading to the third level? The only way was to cracked this array formation in order to find the correct route!
Thinking this through, Ye Yuan also could not help sighing emotionally at the ingenious mind of the person who designed this Eternal Splendor Palace.
And this Eternal Splendor Palace was a legacy that Lu Linfeng left behind. Using this sort of method to conceal the third level's entrance also matched with the theme.
It was just that there was no obstruction whatsoever entering the second level. Everybody entering the array formation was also equivalent to placing themselves inside the game.
As the saying went, those closely involved could not see clearly. That was not said for fun.
It was an exceedingly difficult matter for a person inside the game to want to see through the puzzle.
Even for a Tier 9 array master like Ye Yuan, when he did not enter Heart Like Still Water realm, he was also completely clueless.
Or maybe, the designer of this Eternal Splendor Palace was Lu Linfeng himself!
Starting from then, Ye Yuan started to plan his escape!
Ye Yuan did not run away immediately. Because he simply could not escape. Lan Bao's movement techniques were definitely much quicker than him.
Provoking Lin Chao to confront him, then luring the other three to attack, but the final goal was to bait Lan Bao to come and attack him!
This was Ye Yuan's method to force himself to his wit's end, leaving no room for escape so that he would fight out of desperation and win. It was also a solution that was not a solution.
When Lan Bao attacked, Ye Yuan was still inside Heart Like Still Water heart realm and could barely keep up with his movements.
Hence, he released the Square Cauldron to forcefully withstand Lan Bao strike and to borrow the recoil strength of this blow from him to escape swiftly!
The Square Cauldron was a profound artifact. Even if Lan Bao's attack was stronger, it would also be hard to shake it in the slightest.
Even the escape route was also planned out by Ye Yuan long ago. That strike from Lan Bao did not deviate, sending Ye Yuan exactly to his planned route leading to the entrance of the third level!
And because of the backlash, it would definitely hinder Lan Bao's speed of pursuit. In addition, he was wary of Wu Zhao and the rest and might not choose to chase after right away!
All of this and everything was all within Ye Yuan's calculations!
He succeeded!
Ye Yuan's movements were extremely swift. He mustered up all the essence energy within his body and did not dare to rest at all. He was afraid of Lan Bao and co chasing after.
With his present strength, he was completely not Lan Bao's match.
"Soon, almost there! Still a bit more left!"
Ye Yuan tasted sweetness in his throat. A mouthful of blood surged to his chest but was forcefully suppressed by him.
Lan Bao palm was no joke. That palm shocked his own hands until it went numb. One could imagine just how great the power was!
Even if there was the Square Cauldron blocking in the middle neutralizing much of the force, that impact force still caused severe injuries to Ye Yuan!
In truth, when he received that palm, Ye Yuan's internal organs already suffered serious wounds. His viscera felt terrible as they had shifted positions.
But Ye Yuan had no time to be in pain. He had to escape at the first moment. Therefore, he forcefully persevere all the way until now!
The current Ye Yuan was relying completely on his last trace of willpower to forcefully hang on.
However, mustering essence energy with full force aggravated Ye Yuan's injuries even further. His consciousness had already become increasingly blurry.
Ye Yuan already cracked the array formation in his mind previously and figured out the route. But walking toward it at this time felt so distant away.
He did not have the opportunity to retry once more nor the time to fall unconscious. He must find the entrance to enter the third level!
Finally, Ye Yuan saw a light pillar ahead. That was the third level's entrance!
But . . . the present Ye Yuan had already reached his limits.
"Is this as far as I go . . ."
Ye Yuan desperately wanted to move his feet, but they become increasingly heavier.
The several dozen feet distance was a short distance away, yet poles apart.
Phhsst!
Ye Yuan's injuries finally could not be suppressed anymore and erupted!
Fresh blood wetted the clothing in front of his chest. The landscape before Ye Yuan became increasingly fuzzier.
He reached out, desperately wanting to be able to reach the light pillar ahead. But . . . he collapsed in the end.
In a trance, Ye Yuan saw a strikingly beautiful woman appeared out of the void and reach out a pair of elegant arms to support him. A wave of fragrance hit his nose.
Then . . . he was out cold.
Li-er sighed lightly and said, "You have done enough already!"
. . . . . .
Roughly an hour later, Wu Zhao and the rest had their dantians sealed, restricting their essence energy.
And at this time, many more people appeared from the underground passageway again.
These people were mostly Crystal Formation Realm martial artists. Lan Bao passed the eight sect captives to them and let Lan Yun lead the escort to send them into the Fierce Gale World!
Once Lan Yun left, Lan Bao said in a grave voice, "Lan Hu, Lan Feng, you guys bring people to guard the entrance area. If Ye Yuan shows up, kill him on the spot!"
"Yes!" Lan Hu and Lan Feng received the orders and blocked off the entrance completely.
"Lin Chao, you follow me together with others to ransack this second level completely! I want to see where that brat can hide!" Lan Bao said.
Since Ye Yuan fled, Lan Bao's heart had been raging the whole time. If not because the passageway matter was important, he would have long brought people to seek Ye Yuan out.
Now, everything was settled. He was going to catch a turtle in a jar.
337 Grand Yan Space! |
Lan Bao brought his subordinates and launched a large manhunt. But after half a day passed, there was nothing.
Bang!
The irate Lan Bao slapped a palm on the wall. The wall was fine, but his hand vibrated until it tingled.
The whole Eternal Splendor Palace had been reinforced with array formations before. It was incomparably sturdy. How could a Sea Transformation Realm damage it with one palm?
Lan Bao did not wish to lose face in front of his subordinates. He held back the pain and said furiously, "Where on earth did that brat hide to?! Hmm?!"
F
inished talking, he turned to look at Lin Chao.
Lin Chao smiled bitterly. How would he know where Ye Yuan went?
The second level was only so big. Places that should be searched had been searched. One could really say that they dug three feet underground but did not even catch a shadow.
They completely did not find another exit in the second level. Could it be that he could fly up to the skies?
Lin Chao suddenly thought of something and said, "Could it be that . . . he went up the third level?"
Lan Bao's face also changed as he asked, "The third level? Where's the entrance?"
Lin Chao shook his head and said, "I don't know! We've already searched all the places here. We even scoured the corners of every room. We totally did not find the entrance!"
With their knowledge, it was simply impossible to think that this second level itself was a large formation.
Hence, they remained at a loss as to where the hell the third level's entrance was!
Just like this, another half a day passed. Lan Bao finally gave up.
The passageway had just opened up. There were too many things to be done. Lan Bao also could not possibly place all of his energy here constantly.
But he did not give up, leaving Lan Feng behind to guard the exit.
. . . . . .
"Miss, why did you not bring Mister Ye away but send him into the third level instead?" Yan-er asked, being somewhat puzzled.
"This place is the Dao teachings that the Grand Yan Divine King left behind. Even I'm unable to pry into any secrets in the third level. Perhaps this might be a fortuitous encounter for Mister Ye," Li-er said.
"So that's the case . . . But Mister Ye really took every conceivable possibility into account and found a feeble thread of life in the middle of a hopeless situation! This second level is actually a large formation. We didn't discover it before this, but not only did Mister Ye notice it, he even found the entrance to the third level. Truly remarkable! But sadly . . . he lacked just a tiny bit in the end. If he didn't encounter Miss, he'd probably . . ."
Li-er smiled beautifully and said, "Maybe it's already foreordained by unseen forces for me to help him cross this tiny bit? This thing called fate, who can say it clearly? One can only say that Mister Ye was fated not to die."