Chapter 1156

In fact, before Tian Hu could remind him, Tian Yan's ability to read expressions and tones activated instantly.

Her clear eyes suddenly shimmered with golden light.

All things in the world were instantly captured within her gaze.

Even Gai Nie, who had used the Wind Rush Step to enter another dimension, could not escape detection.

"At Zi position, three ke; advance to Xu position, one ke!"

After observing Gai Nie, Tian Yan was first startled.

She did not understand why Gai Nie's state differed so greatly from his surroundings.

Yet she was always calm, and at once called out the direction of Gai Nie's movement!

"Want to run? Not a chance! Form the array!"

Upon hearing this direction, Tian Hu realized it was precisely the path Gai Nie had intended to sneak past them and enter the palace.

He sneered inwardly: since my good niece has uncovered your disguise, you won't set foot inside today, no matter what.

At Tian Hu's command, the five halls of Nongjia's elite warriors immediately drew their weapons.

In an instant, they formed an array at the palace gate.

At first glance, the array appeared to be merely random positioning.

But as Gai Nie, still stunned by being exposed by Tian Yan, stepped into the array,

just as he sensed something strange, Tian Ci, beside Tian Yan, launched a preemptive attack, prompted by her warning.

Tian Ci was long known as Nongjia's number one expert!

His Wu Gong had reached the Realm of Heavenly Beings.

Yet since birth, Tian Ci had carried a flaw: he was mentally impaired.

Outside of training or combat, Tian Ci behaved like a child.

Even when Tian Meng was still alive, this Nongjia number one expert listened only to Tian Yan.

He had also obtained the Jianjiang and Moye twin swords, ranked fifth on Hu Zi's sword manual.

Each sword alone was a Grade Earth divine weapon.

When combined, they reached Grade Heaven divine weapon status, nearing Grade Immortal.

Legend said that if Tian Ci's cultivation advanced into the Mythical Realm, Jianjiang and Moye would ascend with him.

Whether this legend was true, Gai Nie did not yet know.

But as Tian Ci attacked, he felt it might be true!

For the Wind Rush Step differed radically from the martial arts of Jiuzhou.

The power driving the Wind Rush Step was mental energy transformed into thought-force.

Once activated, the user entered another dimension.

There, one could not be sensed, nor attacked.

At least, that had been Gai Nie's experience when fighting over a dozen green-skinned knife-wielders.

But now, not only had Tian Yan uncovered his path, but as Tian Ci struck with Jianjiang and Moye, he realized Tian Ci's attack could pierce dimensions.

If he continued to ignore it and act as before,

this strike would injure Gai Nie!

But how was this possible?

Gai Nie's mind was filled with shock, yet his hands did not hesitate.

With no choice, he drew his half-destroyed Yuan Hong sword and unleashed the Vertical Sword Art.

Boom!

Despite Gai Nie's astonishing Vertical Sword Art defense,

under Tian Ci's full-force strike, he was forced to stagger backward repeatedly.

Worse still,

because while in Wind Rush Step, any action would force one out of that dimension.

This single blow left Gai Nie trapped in the encirclement of Nongjia's five halls.

"Hehe! The famed chief swordsmaster of the Great Qin palace, hiding like a coward."

Seeing Gai Nie revealed, Tian Hu smirked strangely,

"I merely did not wish to fight the good friends of Nongjia."

This was Gai Nie's honest truth—some Nongjia experts, like Simu Wanli of the Four Peaks Hall, were old acquaintances of his.

Yet now Simu Wanli avoided Gai Nie's gaze entirely, clearly unwilling to reminisce.

"Who's your friend?"

Tian Hu sneered,

"Do you think you're hiding behind false familiarity because you're terrified in our Dize Ershisi Array?"

Let me tell you—no deal!"

This array was none other than Nongjia's gate-defending technique: Dize Ershisi!

Unlike Confucian, Mohist, and Yin-Yang sects,

in the Great Qin, Nongjia was the largest sect by number.

Yet Tian Ci, known as Nongjia's number one expert, could barely enter the Realm of Heavenly Beings only through external aid.

Among the myriad sects of the Hundred Schools, Nongjia seemed profoundly out of place.

Yet none of the other sects held enmity toward Nongjia.

For one, Nongjia was vast in numbers; for two, it possessed this Dize Ershisi array!

It is said that this Earth Marsh Twenty-Four is a wondrous formation created by the sages of the Agricultural Sect through the generations.

So long as one cultivates the Agricultural Sect's internal cultivation method and knows the formation's positioning, one can set the formation!

With two or more people, the formation can be deployed at any time.

Each additional person increases the great formation's power by one fold.

Now before this palace gate, gathered nearly half of the experts from the Agricultural Sect's other five halls, aside from the Shennong Hall.

They joined hands once more to lay down this Earth Marsh Twenty-Four.

Even so, their average strength was only at the Earthly Immortal Realm.

For a moment, Gai Nie too furrowed his brow deeply.

"I am not an enemy of the Agricultural Sect's members.

I have come this time only by order of His Majesty Qin Huang, merely to investigate a bit.

If you still recognize yourselves as members of the Hundred Schools of Thought, then please step aside!"

Even though the situation was unfavorable to Gai Nie, he merely furrowed his brow, cupped his fist, and spoke.

The reason Great Qin can lay claim to being the foremost imperial dynasty—first, naturally, is that the Great Qin Imperial Court's official strength is formidable, brimming with talent.

Second, within the Great Qin Realm, masters from countless schools of the Hundred Schools of Thought have gathered like clouds—truly a constellation of stars.

But all these many masters—whether the prominent schools like the Confucianists and Mohists, or the esoteric ones like the Yin-Yang School and so forth—must obey the Qin Huang's edicts.

Otherwise, with a single decree from the Qin Huang, that sect could vanish from Great Qin.

Though the Agricultural Sect claims a hundred thousand disciples, in the end it too belongs to Great Qin.

Gai Nie spoke thus only hoping these Agricultural Sect masters would not commit one error after another.

Their aiding Cheng Jiao is already a capital crime of treason.

Now that Qin Huang Ying Zheng has arrived, Great Qin's masters and great army will clearly gather in force shortly thereafter.

Once it reaches that point, even if these Agricultural Sect people wished to turn back, they likely will have no chance.

But if they fear now and let Gai Nie pass.

From what Gai Nie knows, Qin Huang Ying Zheng might grant the Agricultural Sect a path to survival.

Otherwise it will be both jade and stone burned together.

These words, however, needed no pointing out by Gai Nie.

Among the Agricultural Sect hall masters and experts present, which one did not know?

"Hah! That kills me with laughter."

Tian Hu laughed, bending forward and backward,