The Pastoral Life of a Cultivation Master

Chapter 3274 A Simple Farewell Ceremony
Chen Mo touched the array barrier with his palm and slowly sensed the state of the array.

The entire barrier enveloped the vast valley, with a continuous, shimmering white light, isolating it from all external pathways.

Such a massive formation was truly the first time Chen Mo had ever seen anything like it.

Therefore, faced with such a massive array barrier, he was actually a bit at a loss, not knowing where to begin analyzing this great array.

After all, the level of the array formation he cultivated was only at the intermediate level of the beginner stage.

He raised his hand and gently placed it on the cool, smooth barrier. The moment his fingertips touched it, a circle of shimmering spiritual light rippled across the surface of the barrier, and a warm, gentle sensation spread from his fingertips.

This array barrier is really responsive.

He gently activated the true energy within his dantian, and the gentle force slowly impacted the barrier. A faint rebound was felt at his fingertips, but this force vanished in an instant. The vast majority of the attack was silently swallowed up and dissolved by the barrier, leaving only a trace of unabsorbed force that formed a slight rebound.

Chen Mo's eyes narrowed slightly, and he suddenly increased the output of his true essence, unleashing a burst of powerful spiritual energy that bombarded the barrier with all his might.

The barrier's spiritual light surged violently, its flow suddenly accelerating, like boiling water, frantically devouring the power he unleashed.

The recoil force increased slightly, but it still couldn't shake his figure, nor could it leave any damage on the surface of the barrier.

At this moment, he was certain: this barrier was no ordinary formation, but a complex, layered, and interlocking mountain-protecting formation. The formation possessed a rich and enduring spiritual energy, with its own power to devour and dissolve, capable of neutralizing any external attacks. With his current cultivation level, attempting to break the formation by brute force was nothing short of a pipe dream.

If the spiritual energy were to be continuously depleted day after day, year after year, it might take hundreds or thousands of years to exhaust the barrier's spiritual energy. However, the group is trapped here with limited resources and an unknown future, and they simply do not have such a long time to waste.

If brute force fails to break the formation, then the only option is to find the core of the formation.

In truth, he harbored a considerable desire to break the formation using brute force. After all, if he could break such a massive protective formation through sheer force, it would demonstrate his exceptional strength, perhaps even reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

Unfortunately, he is currently just a minor cultivator at the fifth level of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Chen Mo slowly withdrew his hand and looked up at the ancient building complex at the very top of the mountain path, where only the outlines of shadows could be seen. The buildings, shrouded in mist, were situated at the highest point of the valley, right next to the top of the barrier. Their advantageous location made them highly likely to be the main control center of this giant mountain-protecting formation.

Ordinary, simple formations can crumble simply by destroying their base; however, this mountain-protecting formation, which covers the entire valley, has a complex structure and immense spiritual power. It not only requires a continuous supply of massive amounts of spiritual power but also needs a dedicated main control hub to regulate its operation.

Only by finding the central point and controlling the array's core can the barrier be completely shut down and broken.

Fortunately, the formation is currently only in its basic isolation and sealing functions; its powerful abilities such as killing, imprisonment, and attack are dormant. If the formation were fully activated, everyone here would already be gone without a trace. These intruders might also have been blasted to death by the formation!
Thinking of this, Chen Mo broke out in a cold sweat. He had been careless. If he had triggered the killing formation of the mountain-protecting formation when he entered this great formation the day before yesterday, not to mention others, he himself might have been annihilated by the formation.

For the first time, Chen Mo felt like he had almost lost his life. From now on, he needed to be more careful, avoid being reckless, and be even more cautious and discreet. Chen Mo glanced back; Qian Ying and Zhou Zixing were still searching for supplies in the plaza and halls, while the other martial artists were engrossed in organizing timber, unnoticed by his actions. He turned back to face the barrier, a flash of spiritual light in his dantian, and the jade sword quietly appeared in his hand.

He held the sword in one hand, flicked his wrist, and the sharp tip of the sword pierced through fiercely.

Zheng!
A crisp metallic clang suddenly rang out, and the spiritual light on the surface of the barrier surged violently. The area where the sword tip was pressed against bulged outward slightly, forming a transparent arc, like a tough yet soft film of water.

The sword continued to exert pressure, and a steady stream of profound true essence poured into it. However, the barrier was extremely resilient, and no matter how much force was applied, it could not be torn or damaged. Only the flow of spiritual light became more and more rapid, continuously consuming the spiritual power hidden in the formation.

However, the amount of energy consumed was negligible. Moreover, this great formation also had the property of absorbing spiritual energy; most of the spiritual energy he had just used to attack the formation through the jade sword was absorbed by the formation.

After observing for a while, Chen Mo reluctantly sheathed his sword, and the jade sword once again disappeared into his dantian.

Sigh! Just as I thought, brute force couldn't break this great formation. I was even wondering if the formation, being a thousand years old, might have been punctured by a magical artifact due to insufficient spiritual energy replenishment. If it could create a hole, it would give me the confidence to escape.

Unfortunately, after trying it, I realized that as a mere Foundation Establishment Stage 5 cultivator, I shouldn't even think about destroying the array barrier. I'd better try other methods!
The only way to completely shut down the formation is to climb the mountain path and explore the central ancient building at the top.

After the experiment was completed, he flashed back to the three women, standing silently to protect them from outside disturbances and safeguarding their meditation.

The morning passed quietly, and the event came to a peaceful close amidst the three women's focused practice and the busy preparations of the others.

At noon, the group ate some simple food to replenish their energy. After a short rest, a martial artist came to summon the four of them. Inside Qian Wantong's main hall, a lot of wood had already been collected, but the demolition work had not continued because Elders Qian and Zhou were searching the entire plaza for supplies. So they had to wait until Elders Qian and Zhou finished searching the plaza before they could resume demolishing the main hall and moving the firewood.

Therefore, taking this opportunity, Qian Wantong arranged for some martial artists to collect the bodies of the martial artists who died in battle the previous night. Then, he used sleeping bags to piece together the collected bodies and put them into the sleeping bags. After roughly classifying them, he prepared to bury them and let them rest in peace.

After all, leaving the bodies of fallen warriors scattered on the ground without any proper burial is not only disrespectful to the dead but also a form of mental torture for the living. Seeing their comrades who died last night is also a blow to morale.

Once the burial process was complete, Qian Ying and Zhou Zixing came over to say goodbye. So Qian Wantong had the martial artist invite Chen Mo and the other three to participate in the ceremony together.

Chen Mo and his three companions naturally agreed and followed the martial artist.

The burial site was chosen on open land on both sides of the mountain road. The soil here is soft, the terrain is high, and it is far from the residential area, so it will not be disturbed by strange beasts.

Including Chen Mo and his three companions, there were nearly twenty martial artists, who formed two teams and carried sleeping bags containing their bodies to the mountain path behind the square.

Chen Mo and Ouyang Ruoxi, along with the other three, also helped carry the two sleeping bags over there.