After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

"This is the protective array." The white wolf looked up at the broken array, his voice filled with worry. "If the array completely collapses, this secret realm will be exposed to the outside world."

"At that time, the spiritual veins here will dry up, and we will have nowhere to stay."

Minghe looked up and frowned, saying, "The structure of this formation is very complex. It doesn't seem to be a single formation, but rather several different formation patterns overlapping together."

"We recognize some of the human array patterns, but this part of the demon race..." He shook his head, turning to Jiang Che and Luo Yiyan, "How much of it can you understand?"

Jiang Che examined it carefully for a moment, then pointed to several nodes on the edge of the formation that were still in operation: "These should be the spirit gathering array and the defensive array, which are still relatively intact. But the core array eye should be the key to driving the entire array."

"I've never seen this part of the structure before; it doesn't seem like a commonly used technique."

Minghe nodded, also indicating that he had never seen similar array patterns in the sect's records.

Lin Zhixu stared at the incomplete formation for a long time, and the more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.

Where have you seen it?

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him.

He remembered! In the illusion within the ruins, he had seen Mu Changqing teach Yu Linzhou similar array patterns.

The patterns and the way spiritual energy flowed were extremely similar to the protective array before them.

Could this grand formation have been left behind by Yu Linzhou?

Moreover, Xiao Hei was also brought back by him. He said that Xiao Hei's parents were chased and killed, leaving only this cub, and Xiao Hei was of royal blood in this tribe.

It seems that Yu Linzhou and this group of demonic beasts probably have a deep connection.

White Wolf couldn't help but feel disappointed: "I am already very grateful that you all came to visit."

Just then, Luo Yiyan suddenly let out a soft exclamation, leaned closer to the edge of the array pattern, and said with a hint of uncertainty in her voice, "This array... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

The three people and the beast all turned their gazes toward him at the same time.

Luo Yiyan looked down and rummaged through his storage ring. "Wait, let me look for it."

He flipped through the pages for a while before finally pulling out a yellowed ancient book, the words on the cover long since blurred and illegible.

He quickly flipped through a few pages, his finger pausing on a particular line. He carefully examined the patterns of the array before him for a moment, then looked up: "Found it. This is it! It records a similar array!"

The white wolf's eyes lit up, and its tail wagged involuntarily. "Really? That's wonderful! We'll have to trouble you all to help reinforce it. Our entire clan will be eternally grateful!"

Luo Yiyan held the ancient book, but the expression on her face gradually became awkward.

"Sorry... I haven't learned this formation yet."

White Wolf: "..."

The white wolf's newly ignited hope was dashed once again, leaving him stunned in place, his ears drooping involuntarily.

Luo Yiyan held the ancient book, flipped through a few pages, and quickly added, "This formation is too complicated. It says that at least a Nascent Soul cultivator is needed to activate the core array eye. Even if all of us work together, we won't have enough spiritual energy."

"Moreover, the materials for repairing the array patterns are incomplete. One of the crucial ingredients is called 'black jade marrow,' which I've never even heard of."

He spread out the ancient book for everyone to see; the dense annotations and array diagrams on it made people dizzy.

Minghe asked, "Does this document explain how to contact the person who originally set up the formation?"

Luo Yiyan flipped through it and shook his head: "It only records the principles and setup steps of the formation, without leaving a name."

Jiang Che stroked his chin thoughtfully, then suddenly said, "However, since this formation was set up jointly by the human and demon races, it means that the human cultivator who set it up was extremely powerful."

"Moreover, ten thousand years have passed now, and we don't even know if the person who set up the formation is still alive. If not, wouldn't it be impossible to repair?"

The white wolf hesitated for a moment: "Only ten thousand years have passed. The lifespan of human cultivators... shouldn't be that short, right?"

The four people: "..."

Ten thousand years is too short?! Just how long can these monsters live?!

Jiang Che coughed lightly and explained with difficulty, "Well, senior, to be honest, there are very few human cultivators who can live for more than ten thousand years, even in the entire cultivation world."

"Disciples like us in the Foundation Establishment stage are lucky if we can live for two or three hundred years. Even those in the Golden Core stage only live for a thousand years, and only those in the Nascent Soul stage and above can live for several thousand more years."

"As for ten thousand years, that's something only a great being at the Mahayana stage or above would dare to dream of."

He paused, then couldn't help but add, "You just said 'only ten thousand years have passed,' may I ask how long the average lifespan of a nobleman is?"

White Wolf thought for a moment, "I just turned 30,000 years old this year, and some of the elders in the clan have lived for more than 100,000 years. The royal bloodline is even more long-lived."

After she finished speaking, seeing that the four of them fell silent, she seemed to realize that her words were inappropriate and quickly tried to make amends, "Of course, humans also have their strengths. You cultivate quickly and have high comprehension, unlike us demon beasts, who only advance one level every thousand years."

Looking at her sincere expression, Jiang Che had a lot of things to say but couldn't get out of his throat. In the end, he could only silently curse God for being unfair.

Lin Zhixu was much calmer than him. He said, "Since we can't repair the great formation for the time being, we'll set up a few defensive barriers to help you in the emergency. We'll come back to help you repair the great formation once we get help from the sect."

The group nodded. They couldn't repair the complex protective array, but setting up a few defensive barriers that could provide support was more than enough.

Everyone immediately sprang into action.

White Wolf looked at the defensive barrier that was gradually stabilizing with the combined efforts of the group and bowed gratefully.

Her gaze immediately fell on Lin Zhixu. After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but ask, "Young friend, I was just about to ask. Does the aura you carry seem to indicate that you've seen a descendant of my royal family before?"

Lin Zhixu thought for a moment and then summoned Xiao Hei from the spirit beast bag.

The little guy was half asleep when he was suddenly moved. He let out a dissatisfied whimper and snuggled his head into Lin Zhixu's arms.

The white wolf stared blankly at the little black ball curled up in Lin Zhixu's arms, its eyes suddenly brimming with uncontrollable excitement.

She involuntarily took a step forward, then forcefully restrained herself, her voice trembling slightly: "Yes, there's no mistake, this is the aura of my clan's royal bloodline! May I ask where you encountered it, young friend?"

Lin Zhixu lowered his head and stroked Xiao Hei's fluffy ears: "It was given to me by my elders. They said that Xiao Hei's parents both died in an accident, and it was only because its parents risked their lives to protect it that it survived."

The white wolf's eyes dimmed for a moment, and he lowered his eyelashes, whispering, "So that's how it is. What a pitiful child."

She paused, as if she had thought of something, and her brows furrowed slightly. "However, our royal lineage is rare, and no offspring have been born in the last thousand years."

"I think it's only been born a short time. Judging by its age, it shouldn't be one of the newest cubs in our clan. That's rather strange."

Could it be one of the clansmen who were lost to the outside world?