Free Web NovelChapter 262: Chapter 261: Blood Array
The Bone-Eroding Flying Armor saw Wen Qingye trying to flee, and they took to the air, sticking close behind him.
With every leap, Wen Qingye swung his One Thought Sword. A massive Sword Aura would coalesce on its blade before slashing toward the Bone-Eroding Flying Armor.
Each time the light of his sword passed, a swath of the Bone-Eroding Flying Armor would fall, but this was only a small fraction of their total number.
The Bone-Eroding Flying Armor never managed to catch up to Wen Qingye, all thanks to his incredible composure. How could an ordinary Registered Disciple possibly deal with these ferocious creatures so calmly?
In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Wen Qingye was already starting to feel the strain. His Primordial Qi was draining at an alarming rate, and even taking a pill wasn’t enough to replenish what he was using.
’These Bone-Eroding Flying Armor are huge... Wait!’ Something suddenly occurred to Wen Qingye.
’Their mutation must be because they ate something. Could that something be the corpse of the Blood Profound Turtle? Or some other kind of treasure?’
At this thought, Wen Qingye’s heart burned with anticipation.
He suddenly stopped and, with a flick of his wrist, a simple, ancient Copper Mirror appeared in his palm.
SHIING!
A brilliant golden light suddenly shot out from the Copper Mirror, dazzling the eyes.
SSSSS! SSSSS!
The golden light was like a scorching flame. The instant it touched the Bone-Eroding Flying Armor, they let out strange shrieks. Their bodies, as if incinerated, turned to dust that drifted slowly to the ground.
Seeing this, the Bone-Eroding Flying Armor recoiled in fear, their wings fluttering uncertainly. But it was only for a moment; they charged at Wen Qingye once again.
Wen Qingye’s brow furrowed. ’These Bone-Eroding Flying Armor are just too savage.’
With no other choice, Wen Qingye put away the Copper Mirror and started running forward again.
The Bone-Eroding Flying Armor resumed their relentless pursuit, as if they wouldn’t rest until Wen Qingye was dead.
On Ancient Temple Mountain, Wen Qingye ran from the mountainside to the summit. The number of Bone-Eroding Flying Armor around him had somehow swelled, forming a dense, black mass that sent a chill to the bone.
Howling winds whipped across the summit, which was wreathed in a sea of clouds. The lush green of the surrounding mountains was visible at a glance.
Below the summit of Ancient Temple Mountain lay a sheer cliff, its depths completely obscured by clouds and mist.
Wen Qingye watched the Bone-Eroding Flying Armor slowly close in, his eyes showing no trace of fear or panic. With a flick of his sword, he cut his own arm. Bright red blood flowed out, drifting in the air.
Seeing the blood, the Bone-Eroding Flying Armor rushed toward it. In an instant, the scattered creatures converged into a dense swarm.
In a flash, Wen Qingye moved like the wind, vanishing from the sight of the Bone-Eroding Flying Armor in an instant.
The Bone-Eroding Flying Armor were all scrambling for the fresh blood. Although they reacted quickly, by the time they did, Wen Qingye was long gone.
At once, the Bone-Eroding Flying Armor acted as if they had lost something precious. They began to search their surroundings, seeming lost and bewildered.
Wen Qingye was hiding in a corner. The wound on his arm had already healed completely, and his aura seemed to have vanished, entirely retracted within his body.
Watching the restless, wandering Bone-Eroding Flying Armor, Wen Qingye chuckled to himself. ’I could have escaped long ago, but to lure more of them here, I had to take the risk.’
After flying around for a while without finding any sign of Wen Qingye, the Bone-Eroding Flying Armor finally swarmed down over the cliff’s edge.
Seeing this, Wen Qingye grew curious. ’Is there something strange at the bottom of this cliff?’
After waiting a while longer and sensing no further movement, Wen Qingye cautiously approached the cliff’s edge. But the vast sea of clouds obscured everything below.
Wen Qingye took out his One Thought Sword. The Bone-Eroding Flying Armor were extremely keen; if he used even a sliver of Primordial Qi, they would surely discover him.
Therefore, Wen Qingye planned to use his One Thought Sword to slide down.
Wen Qingye plunged his One Thought Sword into the cliff face, then kicked off a nearby rock. As he fell, the blade sliced through the stone. Gripping the sword with both hands, he controlled his rapid descent.
SCRRRAPE!
A grating sound echoed from the cliff face, accompanied by a shower of brilliant sparks.
With the wind howling around him, Wen Qingye plummeted down the face of the cliff.
Ancient Temple Mountain was quite high. A full hour passed before Wen Qingye could vaguely make out the scene below.
’A Blood Array?’
Wen Qingye didn’t see any Bone-Eroding Flying Armor, but he did see red soil on the ground—an intensely deep, crimson earth.
’Looks like the Blood Profound Turtle’s corpse must be around here,’ Wen Qingye thought.
After its death, the Blood Profound Turtle had used all of its blood as a catalyst to activate this Blood Array. The array served to protect its physical body and the nine Profound Pearls it had left behind.
Wen Qingye slowly landed on the ground. Because of the outer layer of the Blood Array, the Blood Profound Turtle’s body was completely concealed. All Wen Qingye could see was a patch of red earth, and nothing more.
Breaking a Blood Array requires extensive preparation. One would need specific Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to neutralize the blood left behind by the Blood Profound Turtle. Soul-Dispelling Powder would also be necessary, as the creature’s Divine Soul might still linger; the powder would force it into Reincarnation.
Wen Qingye, however, had no need for Soul-Dispelling Powder; he had his own ways to help the Blood Profound Turtle’s Divine Soul pass on. Besides, by the looks of it, an unknown amount of time had passed. The creature’s soul had likely dissipated long ago. The Blood Array, on the other hand, was going to be a problem.
After all, even in his previous life, Wen Qingye had studied very little about arrays.
Wen Qingye stared at the soil before him, stained red by the Blood Profound Turtle, and fell into deep thought.
’The Bone-Eroding Flying Armor were able to devour the Blood Profound Turtle’s flesh, which means they got inside the Blood Array. And the Purple Smoke Rat obtained the Blood Profound Turtle’s eyeball, so it must have gotten inside the Blood Array too.’
’The Bone-Eroding Flying Armor probably corroded a path through the surface of the array with their slime, and that path might be hard to find. But the Purple Smoke Rat should have left some kind of trail when it went in.’
At this thought, everything clicked into place for Wen Qingye.
Wen Qingye lowered his head and began searching for the Purple Smoke Rat’s trail. The path it left was incredibly convoluted, so Wen Qingye could only begin to walk along the tracks it had left behind.
’Left three, forward four... right one, forward seven...’
Wen Qingye began to test the path, moving slowly, step by step. freёweɓnovel.com
After a short while, as Wen Qingye was still testing the path, a familiar vibrating sound suddenly rose from the surroundings.
’The Bone-Eroding Flying Armor?’
Wen Qingye frowned and instinctively took a step forward.
WHOOSH!
In that instant, a mountain-like object materialized before Wen Qingye. Its presence was majestic, blocking out much of the light. It was covered in strange patterns that seemed to hold some profound mystery—this was the shell of the Blood Profound Turtle.
Just then, a huge swarm of Bone-Eroding Flying Armor suddenly appeared from behind the distant cliff face. They seemed not to notice Wen Qingye, instead rushing madly back up toward the top of the cliff.
’Has someone else come to Ancient Temple Mountain?’ Wen Qingye wondered.
