Chapter 377: The Zhu Que Army Goes Missing

The ruins of the Array Saint Sect are located in a remote, sparsely populated area northwest of Jingcheng; this region is filled with strange rocks, featuring nine bends and eighteen turns, and is shrouded in mist year-round.

Without a disciple of the Array Saint Sect to guide the way, outsiders entering the Stone Forest would quickly become lost within it.

Yan Zhenzhen brought Hua Changxi to the edge of the Stone Forest but did not invite her inside: "The Array Saint Sect is currently ill-equipped to receive external guests; please wait here while I consult the Elders."

Hua Changxi nodded, watching as Yan Zhenzhen walked briskly into the Stone Forest, where the pervasive mist quickly swallowed her figure.

During the wait, Hua Changxi wandered around the perimeter of the Stone Forest.

At first glance, the Stone Forest did not seem very large, yet she knew this was merely an illusion; staring into its depths gave one the illusion of looking down a deep tunnel, as if entering meant never returning.

Hua Changxi's curiosity flared again; she could not resist releasing her divine sense, carefully extending it deep into the Stone Forest.

However, the moment her divine sense touched the mist, her expression changed drastically, and she swiftly withdrew it.

The mist within the Stone Forest devours soul power!

Hua Changxi's expression turned serious; no wonder among the Four Sacred Lands of Alchemy, Talismans, Artifacts, and Arrays, the Array Saint Sect remained the most secure.

Compared to the Alchemy Saint Hall, which was as leaky as a sieve, the Artifact Saint Palace, whose mountain-protecting array had been blown open, and the Talisman Saint Pavilion, which suffered heavy-handed imperial interference due to the Prime Minister's Temple, only the Array Saint Sect had avoided forced infiltration by external powers.

Merely venturing deep into the Stone Forest would likely cause ninety percent of people to rot outside.

After waiting about a quarter of an hour, Yan Zhenzhen emerged from the Stone Forest accompanied by a cultivator dressed in white robes, with crane-white hair and a youthful complexion.

"Changxi, this is the Second Elder of the Array Saint Sect."

Hua Changxi clasped her fists in greeting: "Hua Changxi pays respects to the Second Elder."

The Second Elder of the Array Saint Sect smiled at Hua Changxi: "Young Friend Hua, I have heard much about you; seeing you today confirms that heroes indeed emerge from the youth."

Hua Changxi chuckled: "The Second Elder overpraises me." Unwilling to engage in small talk, she directly took out the fragment of the Karmic Fire Lotus: "Second Elder, these are fragments of karmic power."

Upon hearing this, the Second Elder immediately sobered, quickly accepting the storage bag Hua Changxi offered; sweeping his divine sense inside, he saw the karmic fragments were plentiful, not diminished, and his eyes trembled slightly.

The Second Elder looked at Hua Changxi again, his gaze now even more eager than before: "Young Friend Hua possesses remarkable fortune, to be able to produce so many karmic fragments at once."

Hua Changxi spoke vaguely: "It was merely a fortunate coincidence."

The Second Elder chuckled, offering no rebuttal.

Since Hua Changxi could produce so many karmic fragments at once to exchange for a teleportation array, she surely retained even more in her possession.

The Second Elder also produced a storage bag and an array formation diagram: "The array foundations, array stones, and array pillars required to set up the Otherworldly Realm Array are all in this storage bag; simply arrange them sequentially according to the diagram."

He paused.

"Setting up a sixth-grade teleportation array is a delicate task requiring the simultaneous release of spiritual power and divine sense; would you like this old man to assist you in arranging the array?"

The Second Elder had intended to probe Hua Changxi's cultivation level, but unfortunately, he failed to do so.

This girl must have cultivated a qi-concealing technique or worn some treasure, for even he, a Lingtai cultivator, could not detect her cultivation level.

Hua Changxi studied the array formation diagram carefully; having already arranged several teleportation arrays herself, she could roughly determine her ability to set up this one after reviewing the diagram.

"Thank you, Second Elder; for now, I shall not trouble you. I will attempt to arrange it myself first, and if I truly cannot manage, I will come back to bother you."

Having said this, she pointed out several aspects of the diagram she did not understand and asked for clarification on the spot.

Seeing Hua Changxi decline his offer, the Second Elder gave her a deep look, then earnestly answered each of her questions.

Once certain she understood every step of the array formation process depicted in the diagram, Hua Changxi smiled and thanked the Second Elder: "I have other matters to attend to, so I shall not stay any longer."

The Second Elder smiled: "If Young Friend Hua ever needs array disks, array flags, or the like in the future, feel free to contact Zhenzhen."

Hua Changxi agreed with a smile: "I will." Afterwards, she exchanged a parting glance with Yan Zhenzhen and departed on a cloud.

Only after Hua Changxi's figure disappeared from sight did Yan Zhenzhen turn to the Second Elder: "Second Elder, are these karmic fragments truly that valuable?"

The Second Elder nodded: "In ancient times, when various sects recruited apprentices, they would first test everyone's character and mindset."

"You have visited the Artifact Saint Palace; you should recall the Stairway of Heart Inquiry behind its mountain gate, which consists of ten thousand steps."

Yan Zhenzhen nodded.

Walking back toward the Stone Forest, the Second Elder continued: "One of the primary materials used to construct the Stairway of Heart Inquiry is karmic fragments."

"Karmic fragments can induce karmic illusions in people; through these illusions, one can observe a person's inner heart and roughly judge their character and conduct."

"Many sects cannot obtain karmic fragments and must resort to setting up mere illusionary realms instead, but the effect is greatly diminished."

"Furthermore, when arranging offensive and killing arrays, adding karmic fragments to induce a person's karmic obstacles can greatly enhance the array's destructive power."

Saying this, the Second Elder looked at Yan Zhenzhen: "This Hua Changxi possesses profound fortune; do not let your relationship with her fade."

Hearing this, Yan Zhenzhen felt somewhat displeased: "Second Elder, Changxi and I were already friends; your words make it seem as though I associate with her only because of her deep fortune."

The Second Elder laughed heartily: "This old man misspoke."

Meanwhile, having obtained the teleportation array, Hua Changxi went directly to the Artifact Saint Palace, handed the Karmic Fire Lotus fragments to Tong Yao, and then returned to the Lingguang Hall.

"Where should I set up the teleportation array?"

Hua Changxi scanned the Lingguang Hall, finally choosing the empty plaza opposite the Discipline Hall as the teleportation location.

Taking out a set of teleportation array materials, Hua Changxi began arranging the array according to the steps outlined in the formation diagram.

A sixth-grade teleportation array was not easy to set up; moreover, Hua Changxi lacked experience in array formation, so it took her fully ten days to complete the array on the Lingguang Hall side.

Afterwards, she immediately traveled to the Nine Heavens Fire Spring to begin arranging the array on the other side.

Several more days passed before she completely finished setting up this teleportation array.

Hua Changxi stepped into the teleportation array at the entrance of the Nine Heavens Fire Spring; her vision blurred, and the next moment she stood in the plaza opposite the Discipline Hall.

Although it had taken over half a month to complete this 'Lingguang Hall–Nine Heavens Fire Spring' teleportation array, Hua Changxi was still very pleased; just as she prepared to set up the 'Lingguang Hall–Karmic Fire Platform' array, her Yiniantong device vibrated.

Xie Hanzhang from the Mission Hall reported: "Hall Master, recently members of the Zhu Que army have gone missing; dozens of Zhu Que soldiers have vanished so far."

Yang Zhaoye from the Discipline Hall added: "The Battalion Commanders mobilized collectively; in recent days, they have searched every corner of Nanxiang County, yet they found no trace of the missing Zhu Que soldiers—no sign of life, no corpse."