You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Chen Yang nodded, agreeing with Gu Jinghui's idea.

“Jinghui is right. The path of cultivation is inherently accompanied by the unknown and risks. The more unusual and heavily guarded a place seems, the more likely it is to hold a true opportunity. Since we’re here, if we leave without finding out the truth, we’ll always have a knot in our hearts and miss out on a possible great gain.”

He looked at Uncle Li, his tone firm.

"Uncle Li, caution is a good thing, but we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. We should be vigilant and proceed cautiously step by step."

Seeing that Chen Yang had made up his mind and Gu Jinghui was also eager to try, Uncle Li knew he couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he could only sigh.

"Alright, since you've all made up your minds, then this old man has no choice but to accompany you, even at the cost of my life. However, we must be extremely careful in all our actions."

"rest assured."

Chen Yang patted Uncle Li on the shoulder and then assigned tasks.

"In that case, we will stick to the original plan for now and split up to investigate. However, our goal is not to force our way through the mountain gate, but to look for clues in the area around the mountain gate to see if there is anything unusual or if there is a possible hub that controls this invisible barrier."

Remember, try not to stray too far apart; maintain contact within sight or perception range. Jinghui, you and Uncle Li form a team and explore the outer perimeter of the white jade mountain gate on the right. I'll go check out the dark green mountain gate on the left myself.

"understand!"

Gu Jinghui immediately replied that he was happy to be able to continue exploring.

Uncle Li nodded as well.

"Okay, Chen Shuai, please be very careful. If you find anything, please let us know immediately."

"You too."

After Chen Yang finished speaking, the three of them separated again and each carefully conducted a thorough search of the outer area of ​​the target mountain gate.

Chen Yang concealed his aura and approached the dark blue-black mountain gate, which exuded a sharp aura, like a ghost.

He no longer tried to use his sharp eyes to forcefully break through the invisible barrier, but instead raised his perception to the extreme, carefully observing everything around the mountain gate.

The patterns on the stone slabs, the weeds in the cracks of the steps, every trace of weathering on the mountain gate archway, the extremely subtle flow of spiritual energy in the air...

Time passed slowly. He searched the area near the mountain gate several times, but apart from sensing the omnipresent, repelling barrier that blocked his probes, he found almost nothing.

No traces of common array formations such as array flags, array bases, or runic stone carvings were found, nor were any hidden mechanisms or passage entrances discovered. Everything was "clean," so clean it was disheartening.

"Is a direct assault the only option? Or... are we going in the wrong direction?"

Chen Yang frowned as he stood in a clearing in the woods about a hundred meters away from the mountain gate, his gaze involuntarily drifting to a more distant place—the continuous mountain forest behind the mountain gate and other nearby terrain.

He had previously focused entirely on the mountain gate itself, believing that the core of its defenses must be closely integrated with the gate's architecture. But now, finding nothing, he had to broaden his thinking.

"Perhaps... the key to controlling this protective barrier lies not at the mountain gate, but outside the gate, in a relatively secluded place where one can control the entire situation?"

With a thought, Chen Yang turned around and left the area directly in front of the mountain gate, beginning to explore the mountainous areas to the side and behind.

He expanded his search area, no longer limiting it to within a hundred meters of the mountain gate, but encompassing a radius of several miles. His Fiery Eyes remained activated, but he no longer attempted to penetrate the mountain gate barrier; instead, he used them to carefully observe subtle differences in terrain, vegetation distribution, and spiritual energy concentration.

And so, about two miles from the core area of ​​the mountain gate, on the edge of a seemingly ordinary hillside forest, Chen Yang stopped, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

There's something very wrong with this grove of trees in front of us.

The surrounding trees, even those near the mountain gate and affected by the invisible barrier, are lush and full of vitality.

But the forest in front of us, which was about a hundred feet in circumference, was completely bare, with no leaves and the branches and trunks had a grayish color, which contrasted sharply with the lush green environment around us.

Even more strangely, the distribution of these dead trees subtly presents a regular arc shape, as if encircling a certain area in the middle.

Chen Yang focused his mind and activated his Fiery Eyes of Truth again, but this time he didn't look towards the mountain gate. Instead, he focused on the ground of the withered forest, the roots of the trees, and the central area they surrounded.

This time, he finally saw the difference!

About three feet underground in the center of the withered forest, extremely faint but clearly defined lines of spiritual energy flowed slowly. These lines were not chaotic, but formed a complex and vast three-dimensional network of nodes!

The fluctuations emanating from this node share the same origin as the "veil" barrier that shrouds the Qinghei Mountain Gate, but are more subtle and more central.

Moreover, with his keen eyesight, he also "saw" a faint, ethereal spiritual vein, like "water vapor," extending from the far underground, flowing into this node like a stream and maintaining its basic operation.

"found it!"

Chen Yang was overjoyed.

"Sure enough, the true core of the mountain-protecting formation is not at the obvious mountain gate, but hidden beneath this inconspicuous woodland on the outer perimeter! This method... is truly well concealed. Moreover, this formation seems to rely on some kind of water-based earth vein power to maintain its basic concealment and stability."

Instead of taking immediate action, he first took out his phone and contacted Gu Jinghui and Uncle Li.

"Hey, Jinghui, Uncle Li, have you found anything over there?"

Chen Yang asked.

Gu Jinghui's somewhat dejected voice came from the other end of the phone.

"No, not a single thing! The area outside Baiyu Mountain Gate is so clean it looks like it's been licked clean, there isn't even a single special stone. Uncle Li has practically scraped the ground clean."

"I've made a discovery here."

Chen Yang said in a deep voice.

"Come over here right now and meet me. Be careful of the route and don't make too much noise."

Upon hearing that a discovery had been made, Gu Jinghui's voice immediately rose.

"Really? You've found a way in? Wait, we're on our way!"

Before long, Gu Jinghui and Uncle Li arrived at the location shared by Chen Yang.

The two were taken aback when they saw the withered forest that seemed out of place in the surroundings.

"Chen Yang, what's wrong with this forest? Is it infected?" Gu Jinghui asked, pointing to the bare trees.

Uncle Li was more careful. He walked to a dead tree, reached out and touched the trunk, and then looked at the ground.

"It feels like... the life force of this land has been drained, or it has been isolated by something."

Chen Yang nodded, pointed to the ground in the center of the withered forest, and explained to the two of them.

"You guessed the key. I discovered that the protection of these two mountain gates is not a simple gate control array, but a larger and more advanced 'mountain protection array'. The true core of the array is not on the mountain gates, but cleverly hidden in these remote places far away from the mountain gates."

This withered forest is where one of the main array eyes of the protective formation of the dark green mountain gate on the left is located.

"A mountain-protecting formation?"

Gu Jinghui and Uncle Li were both startled. They had heard of the Mountain-Protecting Array. It was the ultimate defensive measure used by major sects to protect the foundation of their entire sect. It consumed a huge amount of resources, was complex to set up, and its power was far beyond that of ordinary restrictions.

"Correct."

Chen Yang continued.

"Moreover, this formation is cleverly designed. Its main energy does not rely entirely on the stored spirit stones, but rather draws on a water-attribute spiritual vein deep underground, using the continuous water-based spiritual power to maintain the formation's basic characteristics of 'concealment' and 'stability'."

It's the same effect we experienced before—shielding all detection and absorbing external attacks. To break through this barrier, directly attacking the mountain gate won't work; we must start here, cutting off or interfering with the operation of this core array, especially severing the underground water veins it connects to.

Uncle Li nodded repeatedly as he listened.

"I see! No wonder we didn't get a response no matter how we tried. Chen Shuai, what are you planning to do? Do you need our help?"

Chen Yang waved his hand.

"No need. If too many people are involved in breaking through this kind of targeted ley line, it's easy to trigger a backlash from the formation. You should all step back and observe from a safe distance, so you can provide backup in case of any unexpected events."

Although Gu Jinghui wanted to join in the fun, he knew what was important and quickly retreated with Uncle Li to behind a boulder several hundred meters away, watching the scene nervously.

Seeing the two step back, Chen Yang took a deep breath, his eyes sharpening.

He walked to the center of the withered forest, and activated the Pure Subtle Primordial Descent Technique within his body at full power, with powerful spiritual energy surging through his meridians.

He didn't choose to violently destroy the ground with his Xuan Sword—that might directly trigger a powerful counterattack from the formation. Instead, he slowly raised both hands, palms down, aiming at the seemingly ordinary ground beneath his feet.

"The flow has stopped!"

Chen Yang uttered a soft shout, unleashing a rather unorthodox technique from the Qingwei Yuanjiang Great Art, a spell that proved remarkably effective in certain situations. This technique did not involve direct attack, but rather used a special spiritual energy frequency and vibration to interfere with and sever the natural flow and connection of spiritual energy or specific attribute powers within a certain range.

A light blue, water-like ripple appeared on his palms. Instead of spreading, the ripple slowly sank into the ground like a drill.

Chen Yang closed his eyes and focused his mind, letting the special shockwave penetrate downwards, sensing the invisible "connection" between the array node deep underground and the distant water vein.

found it!
In his perception, the "connecting line" was composed of pure water-elemental earth vein spiritual energy, like an energy projection of an underground river, flowing steadily and continuously into the array eye beneath the withered forest. Chen Yang manipulated his "flow-severing" power, precisely wrapping it around the "connecting line," and then, with a sudden twist!
It was as if a silent cracking sound was echoing deep underground.

The ground in the heart of the withered forest trembled slightly, and the pervasive, unsettling sense of shielding in the air suddenly became somewhat disordered.

Immediately afterwards, a more noticeable tremor came from beneath my feet and quickly intensified!
"Rumble..."

Not only was the withered forest where Chen Yang was located shaking, but in the distance, the two mountain gates facing each other across the gorge also began to shake violently at the same time! Dust and rubble that had been silent for countless years fell from the dark green mountain gate and the white jade mountain gate, and the already somewhat dilapidated buildings groaned under the weight of the rubble.

Above the two mountain gates, the once calm clouds suddenly churned and churned like boiling water, with muffled thunder rumbling in the depths of the clouds. Twisted beams of light flickered rapidly on the surface of the buildings, like circuits on the verge of collapse.

This commotion far exceeded Chen Yang's expectations, and was much more massive than any single restriction he had ever broken before!
Gu Jinghui and Uncle Li watched in astonishment from afar, also startled by the sight of the world changing color.

Fortunately, the violent turmoil did not last long. After about a dozen breaths, the tremors began to subside, and the strange phenomena in the sky gradually calmed down.

When everything returned to calm, Chen Yang clearly felt that the incredibly sturdy "veil" barrier that had previously shrouded the two mountain gates had disappeared!
Although the mountain gate itself may have other internal restrictions, the core protective array that isolates the inside from the outside and shields against detection has been successfully "cut off" and temporarily paralyzed by him!
Chen Yang finished his practice, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, with a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead.

This method of "cutting off the flow" may seem like a trick, but in reality, it requires a very high level of perception and control from the caster, and it also consumes a lot of energy.

He walked back to Jinghui and Uncle Li, and the two immediately surrounded him.

"Holy crap! Chen Yang, what kind of move was that? It was so loud! I thought you were going to tear this island apart!"

Gu Jinghui looked at the two mountain gates, which had returned to calm but were now noticeably more "open" with lingering fear.

Uncle Li also sighed.

"This mountain-protecting formation truly lives up to its reputation. Just breaking through the outer barrier caused such a celestial phenomenon. If this were during the peak of the sect's prosperity, with disciples controlling it and abundant spiritual energy, we probably wouldn't even be able to get close, let alone break the formation."

Chen Yang nodded, his gaze sweeping over the two mountain gates that were no longer mysterious, a hint of emotion in his eyes.

"Yes, you can see the whole leopard from a single spot. The sect that was able to set up such a grand formation back then must have been far more glorious and prosperous than we can imagine. Unfortunately, no matter how glorious the heritage, it cannot withstand the passage of time and changes, and it eventually declined."

Gu Jinghui, however, didn't have many feelings; he was rubbing his hands together impatiently.

"Forget how glorious they were back then, they're all ours now! The barrier's gone, can we go in now? Chen Yang, quick, tell me, what's the plan? Or should we split up?"

Chen Yang composed himself and nodded.

"Yes, the barrier has been broken, but the situation inside is unclear. There may still be residual restrictions or unknown dangers."

Just to be safe, let's stick to the original plan. You two will form pairs, look out for each other, and explore the white jade gate on the right. I'll go to the dark blue-green one on the left. Remember, safety first. If anything seems amiss, quit immediately and contact us by phone.

"understand!"

"it is good!"

Gu Jinghui and Uncle Li responded in unison, their eyes blazing with a desire to explore.

Without further delay, the three each chose their targets, and with a flick of their bodies, flew towards the immortal abode ruins that had finally opened their doors to them.

Chen Yang moved with incredible speed, and in just a few leaps he crossed the previously insurmountable invisible barrier, landing steadily beneath the towering archway of the Qinghei Mountain Gate.

Beneath his feet were heavy bluestone steps that stretched upwards, disappearing into the clouds halfway up the mountain. The air was filled with an ancient, metallic, dusty scent, different from the spiritual energy he had sensed earlier on the outskirts. (End of Chapter)