203: Thunderous Shackles, inviting you into the trap.

Inside the temporary camp, a stealth Formation completely isolated the outside world. Only a moonlight stone in the center emitted a soft glow.

Lin Xuan gazed at the Family map drawn by Gongsun Yu on the ground, his brows slightly furrowed. Su Wanqing stood quietly by his side, her frost silence sword resting on her lap, eyes closed in meditation, her aura blending with the surroundings. Qu Feiyan, on the other hand, leaned languidly against a rock, a wisp of blood-red spiritual Qi coiling and dancing like a spirit snake on her fingertips.

Gongsun Yu looked at Lin Xuan, then at her two Senior Sisters, hesitated for a moment, and spoke softly: "If only Junior Sister Yun Shang were here, her Star Spirit Body is the most sensitive to energy perception, and she would surely find the flaws in the Formation faster." Although she was slightly older than Yun Shang, she had joined the Sect later, hence she referred to Yun Shang as Junior Sister.

Qu Feiyan scoffed at the words, lazily sweeping her long hair: "Come on, little Yun Shang received that great Star Palace Legacy, and Supreme Elder Yuheng wishes he could stuff her into a Secret Realm for a hundred or eighty years of secluded cultivation. She's probably gnawing on a star core in some Star Secret Realm right now, how could she have time to accompany us to brave this Dragon's Den?" Her tone was teasing, but it also highlighted the fact that Yun Shang was being protected by the Sect for secluded cultivation due to receiving a significant Legacy.

Su Wanqing slowly opened her icy eyes, her voice clear and cold: "Junior Sister Yun Shang's Legacy concerns ancient secrets and requires time to digest. Moreover, she needs to report the matters of the ancient hall to the Sect in detail. With her absence, we must rely more on ourselves."

Lin Xuan nodded, his gaze still fixed on the map: "Yun Shang has her Opportunity, and we have our own path. Right now, the Gongsun Family is a hurdle we must overcome." His fingertip pressed heavily on the Forbidden Ground area in the back mountain, his tone grave, "The Guixu Cult has been operating here for a long time; they will not be unprepared. They anticipated that Xiaoyu would seek help, and they also anticipated our arrival. At this moment, they have probably set up a trap, waiting for us to fall into it."

"I just investigated the periphery and found that even an ordinary Golden Core deacon had a Nascent Soul-level Divine Soul Restriction planted on him. Their defenses are far stricter than usual. This trap must be extremely dangerous."

"What could it be?" Gongsun Yu couldn't help but ask, her small hands tightly clasped together.

Lin Xuan pondered: "The Gongsun Family was established on thunder techniques, and the 'Nine Heavens Thunder Annihilation Formation' is their greatest reliance. I suspect they might have twisted or strengthened the grand Formation, possibly even combining it with the Guixu Cult's Netherworld power, using the entire Family area as a base to form a targeted death trap—a 'Thunder Domain Cage' just waiting for us to step into it."

He looked at Gongsun Yu, his gaze sharp: "If this Formation is twisted, its power will likely far exceed what is recorded, and it may even contain strange effects that corrode the Divine Soul and defile spiritual power. Moreover, with your mother as a hostage, we are constrained and, even if we see the trap, we have no choice but to enter."

"Then... what do we do?" Gongsun Yu's face turned pale.

Qu Feiyan stood up, a hint of bloodlust flashing in her charming eyes: "What else can we do? Meet force with force, adapt to circumstances! No matter what trap it is, we'll tear it open! This big sister is itching for a fight and wants to see if that corrupted grand Formation can withstand my blood lotus Demonic Sound!"

Su Wanqing also gripped her frost silence sword, and an icy Sword Intent surged: "Only by breaking the situation. Finding the core of the grand Formation, or rescuing Auntie, can turn the tide."

Chaos swirled in Lin Xuan's eyes, and his primal nascent soul vibrated slightly, deducing various possibilities. "Forcing our way in is the worst option. We need an Opportunity, an Opportunity that allows us to turn the tables after stepping into the trap." He once again cast his gaze to the location marked 'Family Ancestral Hall' on the map.

"Xiaoyu, are you sure this Seventh Uncle-Grandfather is trustworthy?" Lin Xuan asked in a deep voice.

Gongsun Yu nodded vigorously, her eyes firm: "Seventh Uncle-Grandfather Gongsun Shoujing is the most rigid person in the clan, but also the one who values rules and Bloodline Legacy the most. He has guarded the ancestral hall for hundreds of years without a single mistake. If even he has betrayed the Family, then... then the Gongsun Family is truly beyond saving." Her words carried a last glimmer of hope.

"Good." Lin Xuan made a decision, "Then we'll take a gamble. Gamble that this Seventh Uncle-Grandfather has not yet been controlled, and gamble that he can become our 'eyes' within the Family! First, we must find a way to contact him without alerting the grand Formation or the Guixu Cult's informants!"

The night deepened, and the thunderclouds above the Thunder Roar Mountain Range seemed to sense the impending storm's oppression, rolling more violently. An invisible net had already spread, and Lin Xuan and the other three were about to become the 'fish' entering the net. However, whether these fish would be caught or could break through the net and stir up trouble remained unknown.