412 The Plan Failed
“Bullsh*t! Your junior sister was spreading lies, inciting everyone into a frenzy of mutual destruction.”
There was a cacophony of voices around, their words littered with accusations of the other party’s alleged wrongdoing. The truth of the matter, however, was undecipherable. The bronze realm was a labyrinth of complexity, so the information between them was blocked.
Xiang Mingfeng surveyed the pandemonium before him, his face sullen and voice silent.
Bang!
Suddenly, an explosion echoed. The surrounding area devolved into a chaotic battle zone immediately. In a matter of moments, nearly a hundred people had fallen…
…
Several hours later, under a clear sky, Qin Huai’s vision blurred once again. The massive bronze wall still stood.
With a determined thought, Qin Huai activated the thousand divination blood technique to calculate the number of visceral prefecture realm experts in the level-one array.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The light emitted from the blood puppet in his dantian had notably dimmed. Five streaks of blood crawled across the ground, indicating that five individuals were on the move.
“It seems that after the truth was revealed, all sorts of hidden figures have begun to exert their influence,” Qin Huai noted, narrowing his eyes.
The old lunatics had nearly been eradicated, and the upcoming king-tier group was far from reaching the visceral prefecture realm. These five individuals were likely experts hidden within the bronze realm.
As he had hypothesized, the current level-one array was a hodgepodge of strengths and weaknesses. It was hard to discern how many of the remaining individuals were familiar faces.
He rose to his feet.
The use of the thousand divination blood technique didn’t consume one’s lifespan, but it did severely drain vitality. Furthermore, according to his understanding of the art, the blood essence consumed by it was irreplaceable. The technique didn’t merely consume vitality, it sacrificed it. There was no way to replenish it.
Qin Huai then activated the blood heart technique, hoping to recover his blood essence. But, to his surprise, there was no response. A frown etched on his face, he muttered, “It appears I cannot carelessly use this thousand divination blood technique.”
No wonder the old man from the Thousand Divination Tower was so weak. It was likely related to the overuse of this blood technique. It made sense when he considered it — if the price for unveiling the secrets of the heavens was insignificant, then chaos would ensue.
It would involve one spying on the heavenly secrets, carting a large stack of blood tonics, and life-prolonging medicines. Only then, after hundreds or even thousands of calculations, would they dare to move. A war could even break out after a few decades or a hundred years.
Qin Huai rose to his feet. Following the trail of his memory, he headed toward the lifeless bodies of the old man from Wuji Mountain and Liu Laicheng.
The ground was barren. It was as if the entire level-one array had been reset, and the corpses buried.
Turning around, Qin Huai walked to the bronze wall. Identifying a hollow in a tree as usual, he took a seat and started comprehending the ancient azure illusion scripture.
In Qingzhou City, atop Wuji Mountain, a middle-aged man stood surveying the vast Qingzhou landscape. Despite his elegant and refined robe, his robust muscles were hard to conceal.
This man, Kong Binghuang, was the lord of Wuji Mountain and one of Qingzhou’s most formidable figures.
A tall, concerned-looking middle-aged man standing behind him broke the silence. “Mountain Chieftain, in recent months, the disappearance rate of young experts in Qingzhou has spiked. Some are even being abducted without provocation!”
Kong Binghuang furrowed his brows. “Such an occurrence… Ancient history has no records of this. I fear something substantial has transpired in that peculiar place. Regrettably, despite its existence for ten thousand years, we’re still in the dark about it. Our only choice is to wait.”
With a sigh, Kong Binghuang gazed into the distance, a look of helplessness clouding his face.
…
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed.
Roused from his meditation, Qin Huai stirred and slowly rose from his seated position in the tree hollow. The crackling sound of his joints reverberated in the stillness. He had been in a cross-legged position for too long, and his body felt as if it had rusted over.
“Brother Zhou?” a surprised voice sounded from nearby.
Qin Huai turned to find Fang Huo approaching him. “Fang Huo? I see you’re still alive…”
Fang Huo approached quickly, exhaling deeply. “I figured you’d wind up in the level-one array. Is that where you were last time?”
Qin Huai merely nodded, not bothering to refute.
“It must’ve been hard to hide. What were those old lunatics up to?” Fang Huo asked, laughing.
“They were incredibly powerful, beyond what I could have imagined. But you’re right, we young ones, with our strong physical bodies, do have an edge against them.”
“And did you manage to kill one or two?” Fang Huo inquired further.
Qin Huai simply smiled, not uttering a word. A couple should still be alive.
“I’ve spent this time hunting for their traces but found none. I wonder what those old fools are scheming,” Fang Huo mused aloud, an expression of vexation on his face.
“How is Xiang Mingfeng’s plan progressing?” Qin Huai queried, genuinely curious.
A bitter smile stretched across Fang Huo’s face. “The negotiations collapsed. Those people sought both an exit and the grand opportunities the bronze realm can offer. Their greed knows no bounds.” Fang Huo scoffed disdainfully. “They have no comprehension of their own abilities yet they yearn for this grand opportunity. Their greed is as limitless as a snake. No wonder they’re so weak.”
Qin Huai listened silently. Just as he anticipated, the inherent nature of humans had set the plan up for failure. The negotiations were a complete disaster, as evidenced by Fang Huo’s scathing tone.