44: Undercover: Shi Xiaodan

Just as that Nascent Soul Realm Family Elder of the Shi Family was about to turn and leave, a Level 6 Void Maelstrom Array around him was activated by Long Aotian.

Soon.

In less than two breaths, that Nascent Soul Realm Family Elder of the Shi Family died under the Maelstrom Array.

As the Realm of Void Formation continuously improved and his study of Void Formation deepened, the power of the Void Maelstrom Arrays set up by Long Aotian also grew stronger and stronger.

At the same time, Long Aotian's speed in setting up Formations also continuously accelerated, steadily approaching his ideal and standard of forming ordinary Formations with a wave of his hand and Void Formations with a single thought.

After killing a Nascent Soul Realm expert, Long Aotian used his Divine Sense to transfer the expert's shredded body to a Small Valley with a single thought, while also collecting the opponent's storage ring into his Treasure Pagoda.

Anything placed inside the Treasure Pagoda, even if it had tracking marks, would instantly lose connection with the outside.

Safe!

Reliable!

Rest assured!

Near the Small Valley, Long Aotian prepared an even greater killing move for the Shi Family, continuously inscribing Void Maelstrom Arrays.

On Immortal Severing Mountain, he had witnessed five Level 5 Void Maelstrom Arrays completely break the mentality of an Out-of-Body Realm expert, ultimately succeeding in eliminating a Family Guardian at the Out-of-Body Realm Ninth Revolution Peak Stage from the Shi Family.

Now, his Void Formation had already broken through to Level 6, comparable to an ordinary Level 7 Formation, capable of easily trapping and killing Out-of-Body Realm experts, and also capable of trapping Spirit Division Realm experts for a brief engagement.

If he were to set up enough Level 6 Void Maelstrom Arrays, and if the Shi Family's defensive grand Formation truly concealed any Spirit Division Realm experts, it might just be possible to reenact the Immortal Severing Mountain moment, using multiple Level 6 Void Maelstrom Arrays to break the mentality of the Shi Family's Spirit Division Realm experts and kill a Shi Family Old Ancestor-level expert.

While digging a pit for the Shi Family's Spirit Division Realm experts in the Small Valley, frantically inscribing multiple Level 6 Void Maelstrom Arrays with his Divine Sense, he also continued to control the Void attack Formation to assault the defensive grand Formation, luring out the people inside.

Not long after, less than two breaths of attack, Long Aotian shut down the Void attack Formation.

At this moment, the atmosphere within the defensive grand Formation must have been very strange.

A Nascent Soul Realm Family Elder had just gone out to investigate, and not long after, the defensive grand Formation was attacked again.

What exactly happened outside the defensive grand Formation?

Where was the Family Elder from their Shi Family who went out?

Why hadn't he resolved the problem or returned?

Could it be that there was truly some tricky problem outside that even a Nascent Soul Realm Family Elder couldn't solve?

Clearly, the person who came out the second time was a bit slower than the first, evidently dispatched after a brief discussion.

As expected.

It was an Out-of-Body Realm expert who emerged!

"Heh, it's truly surprising, the Shi Family really does have other experts hidden here!"

Under the prying of his Divine Sense, Long Aotian couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

The Out-of-Body Realm expert who came out was not one of the two Out-of-Body Realm experts he had tracked following Shi Jing.

What did this mean?

Inside, there must still be many Shi Family members!

After this Out-of-Body Realm expert flashed out of the defensive grand Formation, the entrance to the defensive grand Formation was immediately closed again, preventing Long Aotian from using the opportunity to extend his Divine Sense inside to probe the situation.

"Quite cautious!"

Upon arriving outside, this Out-of-Body Realm expert of the Shi Family did not have the angry expression of the previous Nascent Soul Realm expert; instead, his brows were tightly furrowed into a ' river' shape, and he stood motionless at the entrance and exit of the defensive grand Formation.

Clearly, he was worried about something!

Worried that there was indeed some danger outside?

Standing at the entrance and exit of the defensive grand Formation, if there was truly danger outside and he was attacked, he could quickly flash back into the defensive grand Formation to take cover?

However, to Long Aotian's utter astonishment, this Out-of-Body Realm expert of the Shi Family, after coming out, merely stood motionless at the entrance and exit for three minutes, and after his Divine Sense detected no problems outside, he went back in.

"..."

He just went back in like that?

Long Aotian was a bit unsettled.

Gritting his teeth, this time he decided to activate two Level 6 Void attack Formations to assault the defensive grand Formation... inside the defensive grand Formation.

The Shi Family's Out-of-Body Realm expert who had retreated back inside said to everyone with a relaxed expression: "There's absolutely nothing going on outside."

"...Then why hasn't Elder Seventy-Two returned? Where is he?"

"...How should I know? I went out to investigate, and within the range of my Divine Sense, there was no trace of Elder Seventy-Two for tens of thousands of miles around. I'm guessing he might have left for something important?!"

"Hmph, Shi Xiaodan, who would believe that? Could it be that you were too timid to investigate carefully?"

"Who's timid? Guardian Twenty-Seven, don't make personal attacks. I, Shi Xiaodan, at least went out once, and you? You didn't go out and yet you dare to call me timid? Who gave you the courage?"

Shi Xiaodan was a bit angry.

Although Guardian Twenty-Seven was right, he had indeed not investigated carefully due to timidity or some other reason, but his rebuttal was spoken with righteous indignation.

At least, he went out, and the other person did not.

Calling him timid?

It didn't hold water!

"...You."

Guardian Twenty-Seven's face turned red and then green from Shi Xiaodan's words, and he was actually unable to retort.

"Bang bang bang—"

"..."

Just then, the defensive grand Formation was attacked again, and this time they could clearly feel that the attack was stronger than the first and second attacks, causing their faces to change dramatically.

"Shi Xiaodan, is this what you meant by 'nothing is going on outside'?"

Guardian Twenty-Seven seized the opportunity, immediately attacking Shi Xiaodan with sharp eyes, while everyone else also looked at him with unfriendly gazes.

"..."

Shi Xiaodan also hadn't expected that the defensive grand Formation would be attacked again so soon after he came back in. This made him a bit annoyed, and at the same time, being looked at by everyone made him feel guilty. He lowered his head slightly and retorted stubbornly: "When I went out to investigate, there was clearly nothing happening. Who knows if someone is playing a prank? Anyway, I don't care. I've already gone out once; this time it's your turn!"

"Hmph, useless thing, get lost. This time I'll go. I want to see which fool is tired of living and looking for trouble!"

Having been rebuked by Shi Xiaodan once, Guardian Twenty-Seven was very displeased. This time he didn't force Shi Xiaodan to go out again but volunteered himself.

"...Guardians Twenty-Three and Twenty-Four, you two go with Guardian Twenty-Seven as well!"

"...Yes!"

"..."

Shi Xiaodan immediately became unhappy.

Why was it that when he went out, he went alone, and others watched him, but when it was someone else's turn to go out, three people went together, with all sorts of worries?

These damned guys were clearly bullying him.

Damn it!

Did they think he was easy to bully because he came from a small branch Family?

Shi Xiaodan did not express his inner dissatisfaction but looked at them coldly, thinking:

I'll endure them for now!

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shi Jing heading towards the Cultivation room where Long Aoxue was imprisoned. Shi Xiaodan's eyes couldn't help but roll around, and he picked a bone: "You all say, could the person attacking the defensive grand Formation have followed Young Master Shi Jing and them? Did Young Master Shi Jing and them expose this place to the enemy? The person attacking the defensive grand Formation might be an expert from the Long Family?"

"..."

Hearing Shi Xiaodan's words, which shifted the blame, Shi Jing, who was about to enter the Cultivation room to get intimate with Long Aoxue, couldn't help but stop in his tracks, his brows tightly furrowed as he looked at Shi Xiaodan with an unfriendly gaze.

"..."

"What, why are you looking at me like that? Am I wrong? Before Young Master Shi Jing and them came, how many years had the defensive grand Formation not been attacked? As soon as Young Master Shi Jing and them arrived, not long after, the defensive grand Formation was attacked. If it wasn't Young Master Shi Jing and them who led the enemy here, you could beat me to death and I wouldn't believe it."

"Nonsense! Shi Xiaodan, don't slander us. If the other party truly followed us, they should have ambushed us halfway, not waited until we entered the defensive grand Formation to attack it."

Shi Jing was also angered by Shi Xiaodan's words for a moment. This was clearly shifting responsibility onto them; how could he be happy about that?

If something really went wrong here and their responsibility was confirmed, the punishment they would receive from the Family would not be light...