Chapter 29

Luo Bay County Wang Family Old Residence, it is very quiet here, it can even be said to be deathly still. This atmosphere has lasted for three days.

But at the Wan Family Branch Hall, the situation is different, the atmosphere is growing increasingly tense.

In the hall, Wan Hong sat in the chief seat, he twirled the Jade Thumb Ring on his thumb, which was emerald green, and his gaze was very gloomy.

He originally thought that as long as they surrounded the Wang Family and prevented them from contacting the outside, the Wang Family would fall into chaos on their own.

Or, Wang Shan that old coot would be unable to restrain himself and come running out on his own.

But, three days have passed.

The Wang Family Courtyard is like a stone in a latrine—smelly and hard, with not a hint of movement.

They showed no sign of panic at all.

This made Wan Hong feel very uncomfortable, as if things were not under his control, and he felt irritated inside.

"Hmph, this old thing really does have some skill."

He said it coldly, his voice not loud, but the two trusted aides below were frightened enough to shudder.

"Zhao Qian, Sun Li." Wan Hong called them.

"Present!" The two immediately bowed in reply. They wore the Wan Family's uniform martial attire.

Wan Hong lifted his eyelids, glanced at them, and said: "Take a few people to the Wang Family gate and give me a 'warm-up' for my bones."

He paused, and a hint of a cruel smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Let's really test just how hard that old turtle's shell is!"

These two, Zhao Qian is at Body Refining Seventh Layer Mid Stage, and Sun Li is at Body Refining Seventh Layer Early Stage.

They are both capable warriors Wan Hong brought from the main house, far stronger than the Black Robe Steward that Wang Shan killed in the small grove before.

Upon hearing the order, the two immediately showed fierce smiles on their faces.

"Rest assured, Elder Hong!" Zhao Qian slapped his chest, saying, "We're off now; we'll definitely knock a few cracks in that old turtle's shell!"

Sun Li also chimed in: "A rural family gets a bit of luck and suddenly thinks they're capable? Just watch how we deal with them!"

Having received the order, they quickly summoned four more subordinates at Body Refining Fifth and Sixth Layers.

A group of six set off with a menacing air from the Wan Family Branch Hall, heading straight for the Wang Family Old Residence.

Along the way, shops on both sides of the street had closed their doors, and passersby kept their distance, fearing trouble.

These past few days, the Wan Family has been imposing blockades and pressure, and everyone is afraid.

Everyone knows the Wan Family is about to move against the Wang Family.

Not long after, Zhao Qian and Sun Li, leading six people, arrived at the gate of the Wang Family Courtyard.

The courtyard walls are very high, and the characters "Wang Fu" still hang on the gate.

However, the entire courtyard is covered by a thin layer of light shield.

This shield was strengthened by Wang Shan, and now it looks even less conspicuous.

Unlike before, when it flashed with Spiritual Light, it now resembles a transparent pane of glass, almost indistinguishable from the air.

If one didn't look closely, one wouldn't notice it at all.

"Hmph, what trick is this!" Zhao Qian spat contemptuously.

He wasn't foolish enough to directly strike the gate or the shield.

Wan Hong had instructed that this time was mainly for probing.

"Scatter!" Zhao Qian waved his hand, "Hit whatever looks unpleasant! Corners, windows, anywhere—just strike!"

The six immediately scattered, circling the outside of the Wang Family Courtyard, each having chosen a target.

They did not concentrate their attacks on one spot, but selected different positions.

They aimed at several sections of the courtyard walls and corners within the array's range, even at tree branches protruding from the wall tops, and began probing attacks.

"Ha!"

A Body Refining Sixth Layer subordinate, mustering all his strength, threw a punch at a wall corner.

The fist kicked up wind, raising a cloud of dust.

On the other side, Sun Li drew the knife at his waist, and Spiritual Light flashed on the blade.

A fierce blade qi slashed toward a window near the perimeter wall.

Others also mobilized Spiritual Power, forming energy balls that they hurled at various spots on the courtyard walls.

For a moment, outside the Wang Family Courtyard, fist winds howled, blade qi flew wildly, Spiritual Energy Fluctuations continued unabated, and the commotion was considerable.

Their purpose is quite clear.

First, to test how quickly the Wang Family's array reacts and how strong its defense is.

Second, to use this harassing attack to consume the array's energy.

Third, and most importantly, they hope to find the array's weak point or the location of its Array Nodes by striking different spots.

Far away at the Wan Family Branch Hall, Wan Hong sat with his eyes closed.

But his powerful Spiritual Sense had already locked onto the Wang Family Courtyard.

Every move Zhao Qian and his companions made, each attack, he felt very clearly.

At the corner of his mouth lay a hint of a cold yet amused expression.

He wanted to see how Wang Shan would respond to this harassment and probing.

Would he be frightened into flustered haste, opening the array's defense to the maximum, thereby revealing its energy consumption and defensive limits?

Or would he endure it, let them strike as they please, exposing the array's defensive baseline?

Either way, it's within his plan.

However, inside the array, Wang Shan's expression remained very calm, which was somewhat beyond Wan Hong's expectation.

As Zhao Qian and his group had just approached the courtyard, he sensed it through the strengthened array.

When the first strike hit the courtyard wall, he sat in the inner hall and merely gave a cold snort.

With this little trick, you want to probe the depths of his enhanced Misty Spirit Gathering Array?

You're seriously underestimating people.

He wasn't the least bit flustered.

He knew perfectly well that the other side was probing.

If he reacted too strongly now, immediately pushing the array's defense to maximum, though it could block the attack, it would also let the enemy easily learn the array's energy consumption and defensive limit.

That would be foolish.

"Zeze." Wang Shan called out in a low voice.

"Father, I'm here!" Wang Zeze, the fourth son standing nearby, replied at once.

He was close to reaching the third layer of Body Refining; his strength wasn't enough yet, but his mind was sharp.

Wang Shan then entrusted him with the task of controlling part of the array's auxiliary functions.

"Following the method I taught you, go to the pivot of the artificial hill in the rear courtyard and place these spirit stones into the designated slots." Wang Shan handed him three low-grade spirit stones.

Wang Shan's tone was flat, but his eyes betrayed a chill.

"Focus on activating the Misty Array and give those two seventh-layer Body Refiners a good 'look‑after'."

He thought: Want to probe?

Then let you taste the flavor of this enhanced Misty Array!

"Yes, Father!"

Wang Zeze didn't dare delay; after taking the spirit stones, he hurried toward the rear courtyard.

He found a few inconspicuous grooves at the base of the artificial hill.

Following his father's instructions, he skillfully embedded the three low-grade spirit stones into them.

The spirit stones had just been set in!

Hum—

Inside the light shield surrounding the Wang Family Courtyard, invisible ripples spread.

What was merely a slightly hazy area now had visibly thicker mist!

Especially where Zhao Qian and Sun Li were.

A vast white mist appeared out of nowhere and instantly enveloped them.

Their vision was immediately blocked!

What's more alarming was their Spiritual Perception.

Their usually keen perception had become slow and blurry, as if sunk in mud.

The surrounding sounds also became erratic, making it impossible to judge distance.

"What's going on?"

Zhao Qian's heart jolted; he stopped his attack and warily scanned the surroundings.

All he could see was rolling thick fog, even his nearby subordinates were indistinct.

"Sun Li? Where are the others?" he shouted.

"Elder brother, I'm here!" Sun Li's voice came from not far away, a mix of surprise and doubt: "This mist is really strange; it seems to be interfering with us!"

While they were puzzled, Wang Shan in the inner hall curled the corner of his mouth into a cold smile.

The Misty Array had only just begun.

He conceived the idea in his mind and quietly controlled the array's energy flow.

He didn't use the array core's strong defense to bluntly block those scattered attacks; that would waste too many spirit stones.

He merely directed a tiny amount of the array's energy to the spots where those fifth- or sixth-layer Body Refiners were attacking.

At the same time, he triggered the physical traps he had previously set up there.

These traps were set up by the clansmen using the limited resources Wang Shan had at hand.

For example, sharp wooden stakes were buried at the wall corners, coated with a hunting paralytic poison.

For example, some ground was dug into shallow pits filled with sharp rubble.

For example, simple mechanisms hid poisoned short spears or crossbow bolts in the wall cracks.

Taken individually, these ordinary means pose little threat to Body Refiners.

But now, with the Misty Array interfering and Wang Shan's precise guidance of weak array energy, the effect is completely unexpected.

"Ah!"

A fifth-layer Body Refiner who was striking the window suddenly felt the ground give way beneath his feet.

The ground collapsed abruptly, and he fell whole into a shallow pit full of sharp rubble.

He let out a sudden miserable cry as his ankle was sliced open in a deep gash.

Another cultivator striking the wall corner was jolted by a sudden recoil, his qi and blood surging.

He staggered backward, still unsteady, when a sharp wooden spur "whooshed" out of the adjacent wall.

The spur grazed his arm as it flew past, leaving a burning sting.

Someone else felt his ankle tighten; looking down, he saw sturdy vines that had sprouted from the ground and wrapped around his foot.

These sudden changes left those fifth- or sixth-layer Body Refiners scrambling in panic.

Their attack rhythm fell into utter chaos.

The situation was no better for Zhao Qian and Sun Li.

Though their cultivation was high and they weren't directly hurt by the traps, they clearly sensed something was off.

Their attacks—whether fist wind or blade qi—struck those ordinary courtyard walls or corners, only to be swallowed up without a sound.

Not only that, they also felt their spiritual power was being drained a bit faster than usual.

The surrounding thick fog that wouldn't dissipate also made them vexed.

Their perception was suppressed so low they couldn't even locate the enemy.

"Damn, this damned place!"

Sun Li cursed and swung his blade, splitting the fog ahead.

But the fog dispersed and regrouped, which was utterly useless.

Just as he was distracted, the ground beneath his feet suddenly bulged upward.

Several thick vines coiled up like poisonous snakes!

Sun Li was unprepared, his footing wavered, and he nearly fell.

What made him break out in a cold sweat even more was that, just as he was losing his balance, a black short spear shot out from an inconspicuous crack in the wall with a whoosh!

That short spear was fast, its tip flashing with green light, obviously coated with deadly poison!

In the critical moment, Sun Li exerted force at his waist, performing a desperate Iron Plank Bridge and narrowly dodging.

The short spear whizzed past his nose, the wind it generated making his cheeks sting.

"Big Brother! Be careful! This formation is weird and there are traps!" Sun Li shouted loudly, frightened.

Zhao Qian's complexion also looked grim at this moment.

He tried to strike with stronger spiritual power at a spot he felt might be a weakness in the formation.

But the result was the same—his spiritual power seemed to be swallowed, causing no real damage.

Instead, because he exerted too much force, it stirred the surrounding fog into even more violent turbulence, leaving him slightly dizzy.

After trying for a long time, not only did they fail to grasp the details of the Wang Family's formation, they actually suffered a loss.

Although only two of his subordinates suffered minor injuries, their morale was gone.

Staying longer would not only be useless, but could also lead them into a deeper trap.

Zhao Qian and Sun Li exchanged a glance, each seeing hesitation in the other's eyes.

"Retreat!"

Zhao Qian immediately decided, letting out a low shout.

Continuing to fight would be pointless.

No one dared to linger any longer; they covered each other, carefully retreating from the fog's range and returning in a sorry state to the Wan Family Branch Hall.

"Grandfather Hong..."

Zhao Qian stood in the center of the hall, his face showing a hint of shame.

He spoke carefully: "That Wang Family formation... really is somewhat strange."

"Its defense is not weak."

"Moreover, the mist interference is very strong."

"When our people go in, their sight and perception are greatly affected."

"Inside, they've also set up many harmful ordinary traps."

"We... we weren't able to uncover any useful intelligence."

"Instead, two of our people sustained minor injuries."

Wan Hong listened to the report, sitting upright in the chief seat.

His complexion had grown so dark it seemed water could drip from it.

He pressed his finger on the Jade Thumb Ring, exerting slight force, producing a faint creaking sound.

Killing intent flashed in his eyes, utterly undisguised.

Trash!

He couldn't even figure out a tiny Wang Family formation!

But he was even more infuriated by Wang Shan's way of dealing with it.

That Wang Shan, keeping a low profile, relied on a few petty tricks to make them return empty-handed.

He even suffered a minor loss.

This was practically a slap to his face!