Misty Rain of the Old Times

Sunlight occasionally filters through cracks and openings at the top, hundreds of meters high, but it cannot dispel the darkness below. Plant roots, like coiled snakes, extend deep into the gloomy cave, either hanging in mid-air or clinging to the rock walls.

Not long after their escape, Liu Yuyuan and his companions were still reeling from their ordeal. They felt a sense of relief, as if they had survived a calamity. If it weren't for Chen Xuan, they didn't think they could have survived the enemies who captured them, especially since they were trapped in the Ten Thousand Ren Strangulation Knot. Even the slightest movement could lead to being torn to shreds. No one knew how torturous it was for them to maintain that awkward posture; just thinking about it made them shudder.

The key point is that they don't even know the background of the enemy. Liu Yuyuan was reminded by Chen Xuan and found clues about the missing woman's case by secretly investigating Yuexiangju. As a result, he invited like-minded people to try to enter the illusion again to investigate. However, after carefully entering, they were ambushed, seriously injured, knocked unconscious and taken away before they even had a chance to react.

After regaining consciousness, they found themselves in a pitch-black chamber. In the darkness, an indistinguishable male or female voice warned them that if they cooperated, they might survive. Then a light source appeared, and the Ten Thousand Blade Strangulation Knot came into view. The person in the shadows demonstrated the terrifying nature of the Ten Thousand Blade Strangulation Knot to them. They were powerless to resist and had no choice but to follow orders and enter the Ten Thousand Blade Strangulation Knot.

From beginning to end, they didn't even know who their enemy was. They were stuck in the treacherous confinement of the Ten Thousand Blades Strangulation Knot, enduring the torment. The secret chamber went dark again, but fortunately, the ordeal didn't last long. When they saw the light again, they also saw Chen Xuan, who easily rescued them in a few moves.

Immediately afterwards, those unknown enemies had no chance to resist Chen Xuan, collapsing to the ground unable to move, not even knowing how Chen Xuan had made his move.

Having roamed the martial world for many years, Liu Yuyuan and his companions, despite their reputations, were still at the bottom level. Only then did they realize how unimaginable and beyond their comprehension were the methods of the legendary grandmasters.

Amidst their myriad thoughts, they saw Chen Xuan casually wave a palm upwards, an unbelievable scene unfolding before their eyes widened in astonishment.

Under Chen Xuan's seemingly casual movements, there was no earth-shattering power, no dazzling light and shadow, and no deafening noise. It was so natural and freehand that one could only feel as if a gentle breeze was blowing by.

Immediately following, hundreds of meters above them, the solid, thick rock layer, including the lush vegetation growing on it, was silently reduced to dust, with the destruction extending over an area of ​​tens of meters!

To Liu Yuyuan and the others' astonishment, such terrifying destructive power did not cause much of a commotion; they only vaguely felt the world tremble slightly.

The vast area at the top silently turned to dust, without collapsing like a celestial river or causing a chain reaction that buries the surrounding rock below. Instead, endless dust from the pulverized area shot into the sky under a terrifying, invisible force beyond their comprehension. From Liu Yuyuan's perspective, the huge underground space above appeared as if the sky had been ripped open, with the midday sun shining through the billowing dust, dispelling most of the darkness. Countless scurrying animals and poisonous insects quickly fled from the sunlight, creating a rustling sound everywhere.

Chen Xuan was not surprised by Liu Yuyuan and the others' shocked reaction. He would have done the same if he were in their shoes. He was not deliberately showing off his skills in front of them. To him, this was just the most convenient and quickest way to guide others.

Having been a Grandmaster for several years, Chen Xuan's control over his own power had long reached a level of subtlety. While he might not be good at creation, destruction was certainly not difficult for him. He could simply break through the top and shatter the rock layers into dust almost silently. With precise control over every bit of power, he naturally wouldn't leak out and cause chain reactions of damage.

He was just giving directions to others; he had no intention of burying this place.

All of this seemed to him as if he had only done a trivial little thing.

'In that case, even if an illusion is set up to conceal the top, some of the array bases will have been damaged and malfunctioned, right?'

With this in mind, Chen Xuan looked at the endless dust rising into the sky above. To prevent the dust from flowing back down after the old power was exhausted, he waved his hand again. An invisible palm force accompanied by a gentle air wave dispersed the dust and swept it away. Perhaps some dust would still inevitably fall down, but it would also prevent the 'crime scene' below from being overly buried.

He could certainly completely eliminate the dust, but that would take some time and wouldn't make much sense.

Amidst the endless dust swirling outside, Chen Xuan withdrew his gaze and smiled at Liu Yuyuan and the others, saying, "Your purpose for coming here differs somewhat from mine. I imagine many more people will arrive soon. Let's wait a moment; I'll go ahead and take a look."

As soon as he finished speaking, they were still staring at the sky in disbelief, somewhat lost in thought. Chen Xuan didn't disturb them. He flashed and disappeared silently from the spot, flying up through the gap created by his palm and arriving outside in the bright sunshine.

The endless dust spread like dark clouds obscuring the sky, preventing sunlight from penetrating immediately. Standing atop a large tree, Chen Xuan quickly surveyed his surroundings and already had a clear understanding of the situation.

Before this, the area around was indeed covered by an illusion array. However, when he broke through the ground, the bronze mirror that set up the illusion array was destroyed, thus rendering the illusion ineffective. Previously, he had seen a dense forest outside through the gap in the top, but now what appeared in his view was a barren mountain with sparse vegetation and few inhabitants.

With Chen Xuan's eyesight, he could vaguely see the Jade City in the distance from this place, which he estimated to be about a hundred miles away. In other words, the general direction he was heading towards the Jade City was actually through the twists and turns underground from the entrance of the illusion array.

More than a hundred miles underground from Jade City, there actually exists a place where flowers are grown using women's corpses. This is probably what is meant by "the darkest place is under the lamp." With illusion arrays concealing it and experts guarding it, it is truly difficult to detect.

After a brief look around, Chen Xuan put aside his thoughts but did not leave immediately. Instead, he looked in the opposite direction of Yu Cheng, at the entrance where he had come from underground to this place...

Meanwhile, the scene there was quite different.

As one of the core locations of the Yuhua Kingdom and its secondary capital, Yucheng has a population of over ten million and is home to countless martial arts practitioners, including many masters. There is even the Grand Princess Song Yuzhi, who is at the Grandmaster level, personally overseeing the area. As news of a seemingly clear lead in the case of the missing woman spread over the years, tens of thousands of people gathered at the entrance in just half a day, and more are still arriving.

Most of them were chivalrous people from the martial arts world, driven by a passion for justice. Whether they were after fame and fortune or for the sake of justice, they all rushed over upon hearing the news. The matter was of great importance, and the Yuhua Kingdom's court not only dispatched experts but also mobilized its army!

Normally, people in the martial arts world rarely align themselves with the imperial court's forces. However, since everyone shares the same goal, no conflict has broken out, but the lines between them remain clear.

Besides a few innate masters and members of the special investigation and arrest department, the imperial court of Yuhua Kingdom also dispatched an elite army of three thousand men, totaling over three thousand. This was far fewer than the assembled martial arts practitioners, but their imposing presence was in no way inferior. Faced with the disciplined imperial troops, the numerous martial arts practitioners were like a heap of loose sand.

The range of the illusion array covering the entrance has been roughly explored. Thousands of people are scattered outside. Over this period of time, some skilled and daring people have entered to explore, but they have not gained much advantage. Half of them went in and never came out again. Occasionally, roars and screams could be heard, but then they fell silent.

The illusionary realm had too many advantages. A mere hundred or so people were responsible for guarding this place, and there was only one person with the innate cultivation level. Yet, they had rendered the people outside, who numbered nearly a hundred times as many, helpless. In just a few hours, three innate experts who had broken in had been ambushed and killed within it!
As time went on, more and more people came from outside, and the guards inside gradually felt the pressure. There were already casualties, and even the leader, who was at the Innate Realm, was injured. Even though they had the advantage of the formation, they were exhausted from dealing with the continuous intruders, many of whom were experts.

However, as long as the formation remains, they can hold their ground and keep out the tens of thousands of people gathering outside.

However, the guards at the entrance were filled with despair. At this point, no one from above came to deliver further instructions, which made them suspect that they had been abandoned. With so many people outside, they couldn't hold out for long. The best course of action was to retreat deeper and leave through the intricate underground passages, but they dared not leave without orders from above.

If things continue like this, the stalemate will be broken sooner or later, and it's only a matter of time before the illusion is breached.

By this time, Liu Yuehong and Wu Kai, who had initially dominated the scene in the morning, were no longer the leaders. However, they were still innate masters, and Liu Yuehong, in particular, came from a prestigious sect in Jing Kingdom. She was not reduced to a lackey after the mutation and still had influence and considerable weight.

They were among the first to arrive here, and through their own efforts, they figured out how to deal with the illusion array, which greatly helped those who came after them.

Liu Yuehong and Wu Kai, who had entered the illusion array more than once, were both seriously injured. Wu Kai, in particular, was the first innate master to venture deep into the illusion array. He was injured the first time he entered and managed to get out, but after recovering, he entered again. The second time, he left his left arm inside. Liu Yuehong fared better, having prepared a plan in advance. She entered three times, and although she was not crippled, she was pale and her strength was greatly reduced, no longer at its peak. She was ambushed and poisoned, but fortunately, she was able to withdraw and receive timely treatment.

She was desperate to find her daughter who had been missing for several years. She even wanted to go back in, but was stopped by her fellow martial arts practitioners. She had already done enough. Otherwise, even the white-clad junior disciple she brought with her couldn't dissuade her.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, including Liu Yuehong and Wu Kai, a total of thirteen innate masters gathered together, staring intently at the two men in black in the middle, their eyes gleaming with hope of breaking the deadlock.

After half a day, as people volunteered and entered the illusion array one after another, they had made a breakthrough. Two guards were captured alive by a later master and brought out. As long as they could get them to talk and know how to move freely in the illusion, the illusion array would no longer be an insurmountable barrier for them. There were too many extraordinary people from the martial arts world gathered here, so it would not be difficult to get them to talk. It just depended on whether they wanted to suffer.

Stared at by pairs of eyes, the two captured guards turned pale and trembled.

On the other side, the imperial court, after understanding the situation, had a brief discussion and came up with a way to break the formation. They did not need to risk their lives to test the formation like the martial arts practitioners, but instead prepared to organize an army to sweep through. In the face of absolute strength, the illusion formation, though wondrous, was not an insurmountable barrier.

Of course, there are methods to pushing forward. It's not about going to our deaths together, but about using siege equipment. Catapults are already in front. Under the 'bombardment', as long as one of the bases is destroyed, the illusion array in front will be easily broken.

After discussing the matter, the officials from the imperial court looked at a valiant woman. With a slight nod from her, one of them addressed the group of martial arts masters, saying loudly, "Gentlemen, please listen to me. We admire your righteous actions, but please step back a bit. We are about to organize a break of the formation to avoid accidental injury."

The reason I wanted to take a look at that dashing woman before was because of her special status. After all, she was Sun Qingzhu, the Grand Princess's apprentice, and there were few people in the entire Yuhua Kingdom who didn't give her some face.

She came here after leaving Qin Ruyu. Although she did not hold a position in the imperial court, her master was the Grand Princess of Yuhua Kingdom. Strictly speaking, she could not be considered a member of the martial arts world, so she did not associate with martial arts people, but stayed with the imperial court.

They had already extracted the method of movement within the formation from the guards they had captured and brought out, but upon hearing the reminder from the court officials that they were going to get serious, they had no choice but to temporarily put it aside. If they could advance easily, there was no need to risk their lives. Nobody was a fool, and besides, no one could guarantee that the information extracted from them was true.

As the crowd dispersed, a dozen catapults were cocked amidst the sickening sound of their winches, and millstone-sized round stones were placed in place. These things could cause considerable damage when launched. If you were lucky, one volley could destroy the array base and solve the problem. If not, you could do it several times. The range was only so big, and the shockwaves could even loosen the array base and break it.

Sometimes, the more complex the situation, the simpler the solution is, provided you have the ability to handle it.

At a command, more than a dozen catapults roared into action, and round stones the size of millstones crashed into the illusion with a whooshing sound. Even though they disappeared from sight like mud oxen sinking into the sea, the sound of them falling still made people's eyelids twitch.

That's a purely violent siege weapon. If it were hit head-on, even a moderately skilled innate expert would probably be seriously injured and cough up blood.

The rumbling sounds of impact continued to echo from the illusion. The people who were waiting for the outcome, I don't know who started it, looked towards the distant horizon, where smoke and dust rose into the sky like a huge mushroom cloud, spreading out like rolling dark clouds that blotted out the sun.

What happened?

The people looking over there stared blankly, their heads full of question marks.

No, it was just a volley of catapults; did they somehow manage to smash through the ground in the distance?
Witnessing this scene, some people quickly realized that something was wrong and that something must have happened there. Immediately, some people couldn't sit still and rushed in that direction, since it seemed that there was nothing they could do if they stayed there.

However, at that moment, an urgent shout came from behind, causing everyone's expression to change immediately.

"Something terrible has happened, everyone! Just as our attention was focused on this place, something terrible has happened in Jade City! Almost exactly half an hour ago, hundreds of renowned and beautiful women were kidnapped and disappeared, including even the Prime Minister's granddaughter, Miss Qin Ruyu! The sky has fallen...!" (End of Chapter)