Misty Rain of the Old Times

This is a desolate mountain more than 200 miles away from Yucheng. Liu Yuyuan said that yesterday he and those people first left Yucheng for 100 miles, then turned onto a remote path and came here. Finally, they stepped into the mountain valley and encountered an accident and almost died inside.

Standing atop a tree, Chen Xuan, seemingly part of nature, surveyed his surroundings with great interest. He gently raised his hand, and a small bird that had been preening its feathers on his shoulder hopped onto his fingertip and spread its wings without fear.

Looking around, the area is deserted, with low mountains and sparse forests. Also affected by the drought, the surrounding vegetation is withered and yellow, giving it a desolate and bleak appearance. However, in unexpected corners, a considerable number of poisonous insects and ferocious beasts lurk: scorpions, centipedes, venomous snakes, spiders, tigers, leopards, and wolves. For ordinary people, it is an environment that is no less than a nine-out-of-ten chance of survival.

Noticing these circumstances, and with the information provided by Liu Yuyuan, it was highly likely that the valley was the origin of the Acacia Ice Moon Flower planted at Yuexiang Residence. Chen Xuan guessed that the presence of poisonous insects and ferocious beasts was man-made, to prevent people from accidentally approaching the place.

However, no matter how sparsely populated the place was, Chen Xuan's powerful and keen senses still detected many traces of human activity. As the saying goes, "a wild goose leaves a trace," and no matter how much you try to cover it up, it cannot be completely erased.

It looks like people come and go here frequently.

A moment later, Chen Xuan’s gaze returned to the mountain hollow, the place Liu Yuyuan had described as a place that felt like entering another world once you stepped into it. Du Juan had also told him about this place that morning, and he had witnessed Liu Yuyuan and the others disappear from sight as soon as they entered, as if they had vanished into thin air. There were even some hidden and special marks left by Du Juan on the tree where Chen Xuan was standing.

'That's quite interesting,' Chen Xuan thought to himself as he looked around the mountain valley.

He had to admit that, to the naked eye, there was nothing special about it; it was just an ordinary mountain hollow that stretched inwards, with its end visible from a few hundred meters away, and everything seemed perfectly normal.

However, what Liu Yuyuan and Du Juan said piqued Chen Xuan's interest. Since he couldn't see anything unusual with the naked eye, he decided to explore it in another way. Considering that there might be someone hiding in that seemingly ordinary mountain hollow, Chen Xuan was not afraid, but he also didn't want to make too much noise and alert the enemy. Otherwise, he could wipe out the entire mountain hollow and the surrounding hills with a single reach.

With a flicker of thought, he lightly snapped his fingers, the sound barely perceptible. The feedback from that faint sound was not like a clay ox sinking into the sea and disappearing into thin air, but it was also different from the normal feedback of the environment in the mountain valley he saw. The sound waves weakened considerably after entering the valley and became even deeper. From this, Chen Xuan judged that the valley was deeper and more winding than it appeared to the naked eye.

From this, he could be certain that what lay ahead was not a mountain pass at all, but merely concealed by its appearance. In fact, a certain distance away, there was a winding cave inside. Having cultivated a profound sonic technique, he could clearly judge his surroundings by sound wave transmission. He had once sold Xiaoyao Pills in Mo City while playing the role of an 'alternative' person, and someone came to cause trouble, so he used his sonic technique to test his skills.

In this situation, a strange light flashed in Chen Xuan's eyes, and three words instantly appeared in his mind: Concealment Array?

He had expected this and was not surprised. In order to build his own floating island in Yang County without making a fuss, he was currently researching the concealment array. He even made a special trip to Tai Xuan Sect to obtain the complete array information through a transaction. However, after so long, he still hadn't figured it out, let alone set it up himself.

If what he sees before him is indeed a concealment array, he might actually gain something unexpected on this trip. If he can directly access the core of the array, and with his long-term exploration, he will definitely gain something, and who knows, he might even be able to fully understand this array and set it up himself.

Unfortunately, Lao Liu wasn't good at this, so he didn't receive much guidance. With no one to teach him, he had to figure it out on his own.

What is this? The formation that the Tai Xuan Sect has been able to only watch helplessly for hundreds of years has been set up here by someone else? The person behind this must be someone important. The name Qin Ruyu subconsciously appeared in Chen Xuan's mind. There's no reason why, her identity and background are there. Her grandfather is a Grandmaster, so it's not surprising that she has such means. Besides, something is not right about her.

'However, it's not certain yet; further verification is needed, and perhaps even an in-depth experience is required.'

Thinking of this, Chen Xuan raised his hand and gestured, and a few leaves flew towards the mountain hollow, as naturally as leaves falling in the wind. Soon he saw that the leaves disappeared into thin air after entering the mountain hollow, just as Liu Yuyuan and Du Juan had described.

Squinting slightly to sense the subtle movements of the falling leaves, Chen Xuan understood that the leaves hadn't disappeared; they simply became invisible to the naked eye once they entered the mountain hollow, as if they had entered another space.

'It seems I need to go inside and experience it firsthand to truly understand its unique features.'

Despite his thoughts, Chen Xuan still didn't go in directly. As he said before, it wasn't that he was afraid of any danger inside, nor was it that he had forgotten one of the purposes of his visit: Liu Yuyuan. With his strength, unless someone of the same level posed no threat to him, he was safe. Liu Yuyuan and the others had been inside for a while, and even if something had happened, it would have already happened. There was no need to rush.

He first needs to figure out the coverage area of ​​the formation in front of him, even if it doesn't have much significance in itself.

The rest was easy. He used the leaves to 'find the way' and quickly figured out the range of the formation. It was less than a kilometer in radius, and the range was not regular. It covered several surrounding hills from the mountain hollow in front of him.

After roughly defining the area, and based on Liu Yuyuan and the others' descriptions, this mountain pass should be the entrance, and of course, there is definitely more than one entrance.

From then on, there was nothing worth studying from the outside. Chen Xuan then drew two conclusions: first, the formation itself was not offensive; second, it was simply a disguise to conceal the true situation inside.

He then decisively rejected his previous guess; what he was seeing was not a concealment array at all, but an illusion array.

The reason he was so certain was because Chen Xuan already had information about illusion arrays in his head, which Old Liu had passed on to him. However, he hadn't studied it in depth until now, as he simply didn't have the time. Besides, he was quite lazy. He had once wanted to set up an illusion array in his courtyard in Yang County, but his research on the mist array and other matters delayed him, and he hadn't been able to implement it until now.

He had been studying the Concealment Array during this time, so when he saw the Illusion Array in front of him, he fell into a preconceived notion and only realized what was going on after a little investigation.

The illusion array before him was fundamentally different from the concealment array he was studying; they were on completely different levels. He had information about illusion arrays, though he hadn't studied them in depth. He understood that illusion arrays only achieved their deceptive effect by interfering with vision, and they still relied on the environment to create a perceptual error. This was why Liu Yuyuan and the others said that stepping into that area was like disappearing into thin air; essentially, they were still there, but they were simply invisible due to the visual deception of the environment.

Concealment arrays are different. If set up, they can truly make an area seem to disappear out of thin air. Although it is not a complete disappearance in the true sense of material things, it is still a deception of perception. However, without special methods, it cannot be observed at all. It has risen to the level of cognitive distortion at the mental level. To those who do not understand it, it is no different from disappearing in the true sense.

For example, if Chen Xuan were to set up a concealment array to hide a mountain, and that area 'disappeared,' due to the distortion of perception and mental understanding, people would only see a bottomless cliff ahead, and stepping into it would truly result in 'falling to their deaths.' It's that unreasonable.

Therefore, although illusion arrays and concealment arrays may seem to achieve the same effect, they are fundamentally different and are not the same concept at all.

Of course, formations vary from person to person. Some people are exceptionally talented and can make illusion formations work in a variety of ways, achieving results that are no less effective than concealment formations. Ultimately, it depends on the individual.

With a flicker of thought, Chen Xuan figured out the current situation and had no more worries. Even if he hadn't had any in the first place, he even felt a little self-deprecating, thinking he was making a mountain out of a molehill.

The illusion array can affect his visual senses, but many things are fundamentally unchangeable. As long as he ignores the erroneous perceptions he sees, the so-called illusion array has no effect on him at all and is essentially useless.

Even though he was a Grandmaster, he couldn't project his mental energy to directly investigate the surrounding environment. However, he could get the true situation hidden behind the illusion array back to his mind just by observing the fluctuations in the airflow. He unveiled the ridiculous veil of the illusion array, and the true situation inside was completely exposed.

Under the influence of the illusion array, what appeared to be a desolate mountain valley narrowed as one ventured deeper, ending after only a few hundred meters. However, in Chen Xuan's true perception, what lay ahead was a canyon that widened as one ventured deeper, surrounded by jagged rocks and some darkness. At the deepest part of the canyon was a small pool of water, and at the bottom of the valley was a dark, ten-foot-high cave entrance, the destination of which was unknown.

In that craggy valley, on the cliff face, and even on the hilltops on both sides, a hundred or so people were scattered about, completely hidden from Chen Xuan's senses. Among them was a master of innate cultivation, who was undoubtedly one of the guards here. Liu Yuyuan had almost died here yesterday, which must have been the work of these people.

Perhaps his cultivation level wasn't high, but it wasn't that bad either. However, under the influence of the illusion array, he couldn't distinguish the real environment at all, and he couldn't see where the enemy was. He was like a sitting duck, caught off guard and unable to defend himself, making it easy for the enemy to succeed.

There were signs of a battle in the valley, and blood that had not yet dried, but Liu Yuyuan and his men were nowhere to be seen. Du Juan had seen them come in with her own eyes, and Chen Xuan wondered if they had already confessed.

With a gentle wave of his hand, the little sparrow on his fingertip flew away. Chen Xuan took a step forward and silently floated into the canyon, just like returning home. The hidden guards were completely unaware of his arrival, each performing their duties, most of them watching the entrance of the canyon.

When Chen Xuan arrived at the canyon, to the naked eye, the surroundings were clearly a rustling forest. Just as Liu Yuyuan had said, stepping into the valley felt like entering another world, where reality was indistinguishable. Such a sudden change would throw anyone off balance, and it would not be surprising if someone were to launch a sneak attack.

In fact, those who practice martial arts have reached a certain level of skill. They are all able to see in all directions and hear in all directions. Being able to locate sounds is the foundation. They can close their eyes and not be misled by the environment. It is not so easy for the guards in the valley to launch a sneak attack. The blame lies with Liu Yuyuan for being too confident in his disguise yesterday, thinking that he could easily find out the truth by blending in with the people of Yuexiang Residence.

Judging from the latest signs of the fight, he brought his men back today. Having learned from yesterday's experience, he was prepared and was able to avoid being overpowered in one fell swoop like yesterday. However, his men are nowhere to be found, and their fate remains uncertain.

Unaffected by the illusion array, Chen Xuan wandered around, observing his surroundings with great interest. If he wanted to, he could easily wipe out all the guards here, but to avoid alerting them, he did not do so.

Strolling leisurely like a ghost, Chen Xuan soon arrived at a stone wall. In an inconspicuous place was a palm-sized bronze mirror, its workmanship extremely exquisite and complex. Upon closer inspection of the smooth mirror surface, intricate array patterns could be seen hidden within.

After observing for a moment, Chen Xuan looked at the direction the bronze mirror was pointing, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

He then left and wandered around for a while, having explored the entire area within a thousand meters. Within the range of the illusion array, he discovered a total of thirty-six similar bronze mirrors. Each one seemed the same, but in fact, there were subtle differences. They were distributed in special locations, some embedded in stone walls, some hanging on trees, and some submerged in water.

With this, he knew for sure that it was indeed an illusion array, not the concealment array he had initially thought. The thirty-six bronze mirrors were the core of the illusion array.

This illusion array itself isn't particularly sophisticated; it's roughly equivalent to the mist array that Chen Xuan had already mastered. The array itself isn't dangerous, at least not for him. However, for most innate masters, being trapped in it would still put them in a very passive position, and it would be difficult to escape without finding the right method.

The environment within the illusion array is not static; it changes every hour. This is achieved by combining and displaying images of the surrounding environment through a special connection between the thirty-six bronze mirrors. Those who understand it can immediately see the clues, while those who don't will be completely lost.

Chen Xuan happened to know the rules of this formation. Once he understood them, he could silently take control of the illusionary formation and turn the tables if he wanted to. But he didn't do that. He hadn't even followed the clues to find the person behind it yet. What if he scared them away? Anyway, it wouldn't affect him at all.

To be honest, he hadn't studied this formation before. Now that he had a practical reference and his own understanding of formations, it wasn't difficult for him to create and set it up himself after a little thought. Unlike the previous Mist Formation, he didn't need to keep trying from scratch. It was a small achievement, but it was somewhat useless to him now. Better than nothing, and he could still play with it sometimes.

After spending a little time learning about the formation and making some progress, Chen Xuan didn't take any further action. It was time to get down to business, such as where Liu Yuyuan and the others had gone, whether someone was targeting him, and what secrets were hidden behind it all.

Silently appearing behind a canyon guard—the most powerful innate expert in the area—Chen Xuan gently patted the man's shoulder. The man instinctively turned around, but before he could react, he met Chen Xuan's purple eyes… (End of Chapter)