142: Chapter 142 Array Master

Over the next few days, the beast eradication operation on the shores of Qingyun Lake continued to progress in an orderly fashion.

Every morning, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators would head out in different directions to hunt Yao Beasts. Li Hu was always at the forefront, his movements crisp and efficient, slaying far more Yao Beasts than the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Not only did he hunt low-Rank Yao Beasts, but he would also occasionally assist his fellow Disciples by restraining stronger Foundation Establishment Yao Beasts. He acted reliably and knew his limits, quickly earning the recognition of the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

One evening, while resting, Lin Zhentian specifically walked up to Li Hu and said, "Li Hu, your performance this time has been excellent. You have fought bravely for days and slain countless Yao Beasts! Once this mission is over, the Sect will surely reward you handsomely. Keep up the good work!"

Li Hu quickly stood up and bowed respectfully, his expression reverent and his tone humble. "Thank you for the praise, Elder Lin!"

Li Hu's posture was modest, without a hint of arrogance. The smile on his face was sincere and natural; anyone who saw him would think he was a loyal, diligent, and motivated Disciple.

In truth, Qin Changsheng was already fully aware of why Li Hu had been so well-behaved over the past few days.

Li Hu's endurance and restraint were merely because he was waiting for tomorrow's night of the full moon.

The Seal on the Qingyun Lake Secret Treasure would only loosen during the night of the full moon, when the Spiritual Qi was at its peak. Only then could one take the opportunity to break through the Seal and seize the Secret Treasure.

Qin Changsheng was in no hurry to act, nor did he deliberately test Li Hu. He continued to disguise himself as an inconspicuous Outer Sect Disciple, helping the others clear away Yao Beast corpses every day while secretly monitoring Li Hu's every move. Meanwhile, he silently regulated his breathing to recover his spiritual power, preparing for the treasure-snatching action on the following night of the full moon.

The next morning, Lin Zhentian issued the order to continue the Yao Beast clearing operation. The Foundation Establishment Cultivators set out as usual, with the Outer Sect Disciples following behind to clear the corpses and count the supplies. Everything was as orderly as it had been in previous days, with no signs of anything unusual.

Qin Changsheng remained blended into the group of Outer Sect Disciples, holding a simple blade and absent-mindedly clearing the remains of Yao Beasts along the lakeshore, but his Divine Sense never left Li Hu from start to finish.

However, during the day, Li Hu still showed no flaws.

It wasn't until evening, when Lin Zhentian ordered the team to withdraw, that Li Hu finally showed something different.

Li Hu looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, used a movement technique to dash toward the west.

Qin Changsheng followed Li Hu's aura and quietly trailed behind him.

Before long, Qin Changsheng followed Li Hu to a hidden cove on the western side of Qingyun Lake.

This place was overgrown with weeds that blocked all sightlines. It was extremely well-hidden; if one weren't looking for it specifically, they would never discover it.

On the open ground by the cove, Manager Ma Yingjie stood with more than a dozen Cultivators dressed in red robes.

Although they were some distance away and the light was dim, Qin Changsheng recognized at a glance that they were all from the Blood Demon Sect!

Furthermore, most of these Cultivators were at the Foundation Establishment Rank.

Manager Ma Yingjie quickly bowed. "Young Lord, I have brought all the nearby Foundation Establishment members as you ordered!"

Li Hu nodded slightly, his gaze slowly sweeping over the dozen or so Blood Demon Sect figures beside Manager Ma Yingjie before finally landing on Manager Ma Yingjie himself.

Li Hu turned slightly and asked Manager Ma Yingjie, "Manager Ma Yingjie, where is the Formation Great Master? There is bound to be a Great Seal Array outside the Secret Treasure at the bottom of Qingyun Lake. Breaking the array is of great importance; there must not be the slightest mistake."

Manager Ma Yingjie gestured toward an old man in Taoist robes and said, "Young Lord, this person is our Blood Demon Sect's Master Chen. He is proficient in all kinds of sealing and defensive Great Arrays. In the past, he has broken many tricky Formations in the cultivation world. His array-breaking techniques are extremely sophisticated."

Master Chen stepped forward slowly and bowed slightly to Li Hu. "This old servant greets the Young Lord."

Li Hu's gaze fell on Master Chen as he asked, "Old Chen, how long will it take to break that Great Array?"

Master Chen lowered his eyes in thought for a moment before replying, "In response to the Young Lord, the time required to break an array depends on its Rank and complexity. If it is an ordinary low-Rank Great Seal Array, this old servant only needs the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to successfully break it!"

"If it is a high-Rank complex Seal, or a Great Array reinforced by the spiritual power of a Yao Beast, it will take at most fifteen minutes to break an opening."

Li Hu did not immediately respond. His brow furrowed slightly as he fell into deep thought.

He knew very well that the Secret Treasure at the bottom of Qingyun Lake was an ancient legacy. The Great Seal Array outside it was definitely no ordinary low-Rank Formation. Furthermore, with a Golden Core Yao Beast guarding it year-round, the Great Array would certainly be reinforced by the Yao Beast's spiritual power, making its complexity far exceed the norm.

Although Old Chen saying it could be broken in fifteen minutes was within expectations, he had to make complete preparations to ensure every step was foolproof.

Li Hu walked to the front of the group and began to issue orders. "Manager Ma Yingjie, personally select two of the strongest Blood Demon Sect Disciples to dive into Qingyun Lake and find a way to lure that Golden Core Yao Beast toward the camp where Lin Zhentian is located!"

"Remember, you must be extremely cautious. Do not let the Golden Core Yao Beast notice any flaws, and do not let Lin Zhentian and the others discover your identities. You only need to lure the beast over and let Lin Zhentian stall that Golden Core Yao Beast!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Manager Ma Yingjie quickly bowed to accept the order.

Li Hu nodded slightly and looked at Old Chen again. His tone softened a bit but still carried authority. "Old Chen, once the Golden Core Yao Beast is lured away and the image of the Secret Treasure appears on the lake's surface, I will trouble you to act personally. You must break the array within fifteen minutes; there must be no delay!"

Old Chen bowed slightly, his tone firm. "Rest assured, Young Lord."

"Very good!" Li Hu said in a deep voice. "Once the Great Array is broken, everyone listen to my command: cooperate fully to seize the Secret Treasure! Once the Secret Treasure is in hand, evacuate Qingyun Lake immediately. There must be no lingering, lest the Heavenly Sword Sect discovers anything unusual!"

"Yes!" the Blood Demon Sect Disciples answered in unison.

Li Hu raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. "Before the night of the full moon arrives, everyone must conceal their aura and stay within the cove. No one is to act without permission or reveal their presence, lest you alert the Heavenly Sword Sect Cultivators and disrupt our plan."

Everyone restrained their auras and silently retreated to the hidden parts of the cove, quietly waiting for the arrival of the night of the full moon.

Li Hu still seemed somewhat uneasy, and he quickly asked Manager Ma Yingjie, "Where is Hu Nan now?"

"Young Lord, a Disciple monitoring him just reported that Hu Nan is currently slaying Yao Beasts with Jiang Lijuan!" Manager Ma Yingjie replied.

"Good, good..." Hearing this news, all of Li Hu's concerns vanished.

After all, the Misty Forest was tens of thousands of miles away from here. It was impossible for Hu Nan to reach this place in such a short time.

Meanwhile, not far away, Qin Changsheng also silently began to calculate the possibility of seizing the Secret Treasure.

First of all, it would be difficult for him alone to seize the Secret Treasure from so many Blood Demon Sect experts.

He had to have Hu Nan come here to keep Li Hu in check.

As for how to get Hu Nan to rush over...

Qin Changsheng had already made a decision in his heart, and that was suicide.

After Hu Nan committed suicide, Qin Changsheng would only need a hundred Spirit Stones to summon him again.

Thinking of this, Qin Changsheng did not hesitate. He closed his eyes and concentrated, his mind suddenly focusing. His Divine Sense, like an invisible blade, pierced through the dense forest by the shore of Qingyun Lake and reached Hu Nan in the Misty Forest.

At that moment, Hu Nan was resting in a tent in the camp, and outside the tent, several Cultivators were monitoring the area.

With just a glance, Qin Changsheng knew that these people were all from the Blood Demon Sect.

"Hu Nan, Bingjie," Qin Changsheng commanded.

Hearing Qin Changsheng's words, Hu Nan did not hesitate for a moment. He condensed a wisp of pure spiritual power in his palm and, without any hesitation, struck it directly toward his vital Dantian.

"Puff—" In the next instant, Hu Nan's figure turned into clusters of light spots and disappeared from within the tent.

And the Blood Demon Sect members monitoring outside seemed to have no reaction.

After all, they were only monitoring Hu Nan to make sure he didn't go out.

Qin Changsheng waved his hand, and a hundred Spirit Stones appeared nearby. As Qin Changsheng recited an incantation, Hu Nan's figure appeared there.

More than ten minutes later, beneath the surface of Qingyun Lake, a crimson light suddenly filled the sky.

The crimson light tumbled and surged in the air like boiling blood, finally slowly converging and gradually condensing into the shape of a circular mirror.

The mirror pierced through the churning lake water and reflected into the night sky, dazzling and brilliant.