Mysterious Array Book 169

  As long as you find the corpse, you can get a lifetime of savings from a Yuan Ying peak master. It sounds like a very good deal, only...

  "Senior, don't say that your wife was a cultivator from 5,000 years ago and it's hard to find her burial site. For a Yuan Ying cultivator, the place of burial is extremely dangerous! Since your wife is a high-ranking disciple of the Xuanji Gate, her mastery of formations shouldn't be lower than yours, right? We're just foundation-building cultivators, how can we guarantee our safety in bringing back the corpse?"

  "Not bad," Fang Zheng continued, "before we get any benefits, we have to go through a life-and-death struggle, this transaction is not quite fair."

  Zi Wei San Ren burst out laughing: "Good, good! If you're too stupid, it's not worth my while to make this deal." He paused for a moment, then said casually, "You want benefits first? Fine. I'll not only give you benefits, but also two hundred years of time. Little girl, with your age and cultivation, two hundred years should be enough for you to advance to the Dan stage, right? But don't think that just because you've reached the Dan stage, I won't have any control over you. The mark in your mind will take effect as soon as it's activated, and once it does, your life and death will be in my hands. And as for you, you young one, your lifespan is limited, you don't even have two hundred years..."

  Upon hearing this, Fang Zhengdao felt a bit tense. His previous words were not out of reluctance to be driven by others and seek favors from his senior, but that didn't mean he thought the transaction was unfair. With 70-80 years left in his lifespan, it was highly possible for him to find the corpse during this period, and when that time came, obtaining a Yuan Ying cultivator's accumulation would greatly increase his chances of advancing to the Yuanying stage! Even if he took a step back, he wasn't like that little girl beside him, who had already become nothing after 200 years, with no gains whatsoever. What he feared was that this senior would cancel his transaction qualification due to his limited lifespan, thus missing out on a good opportunity.

  I don't know if this Purple Microcosm cultivator used a mind-reading technique, but after pausing for a moment, he slowly and calmly said: "Don't worry, having one more chance to find Zi Lan's remains is always good for me. In the past, in order to wait a few hundred years, I searched all over Tianji and refined the Longevity Dan. Now there is still one left, so I'll give it to you!"

  Elixir of Long Life? Elixir of Long Life! The elusive Elixir of Long Life that even Yuan Ying cultivators find hard to obtain!

  He was taken aback for a moment before becoming overjoyed, stuttering: "I... senior... Longevity Dan..." His words became incoherent.

  Seeing his reaction, the Purple Microcosm Immortal burst out laughing. He then turned to Mo Tian Ge and said: "As for you, I'll give you a few options. The Longevity Pellet is useless to you, but I can offer you an Impervious Dust Pellet instead. You should know that consuming this pellet will increase your chances of successfully forming a Dan. If you think having a powerful senior in your sect isn't a problem for forming a Dan, then I can also give you either a top-grade magical artifact or an ancient, secret manual from the Xuanji Sect's archives - the 'Xuanji Formation Scripture'. Which one do you want?"

  Wu Chen Dan, top-grade treasure, Xuanji Formation Book! Any one of these is a rare treasure. Although the value of Wu Chen Dan is not comparable to that of Longsheng Dan, for these foundation-building cultivators who are about to form their elixir, it is the most practical. The top-grade treasure in the mouth of Yuanying cultivator is naturally not comparable to ordinary treasures, and it's likely that other Yuanying cultivators would be envious. Finally, there is the Xuanji Formation Book. The formation technique is vast and profound, and a high-quality formation book is priceless. However... ordinary cultivators simply do not have the energy to study it. It can only be used to exchange for spirit stones, but it's the most useless thing.

  But for Mo Tian Ge ——

  "Senior, junior wants the Xuanji Formation Book."

  "Oh?" Zi Wei's eyes widened slightly in surprise, clearly having not expected her to choose this.

  Moy Tian Ge said: "The Wú Chén Dān and the Fǎ Bǎo are precious to juniors, but they can be obtained. However, this Xuán Jī Zhèn Shū is truly one-of-a-kind."

  “……Not bad, you're a disciple of the Xuan Qing Sect and at such a young age, you have achieved such a high level of cultivation. You must be an elite disciple. I suppose it won't be difficult for you to obtain my Dan Yao and Fa Bao. However, you should think carefully, my Dan Yao and Fa Bao are not ordinary goods, ordinary cultivators who have formed their elixir can't even imagine them!”

  Zi Wei San Ren spoke like this, but she was treating her master as an ordinary cultivator who had formed a golden elixir.

  Mò Tiān Gē knows that, like Zǐ Wēi Sǎn Rén, a peerless sword cultivator who is almost all-powerful, his stored wealth might be even better than his own master's. However, she needs to form her dan, and Jìng Hé Dào Jūn will surely help her find the Wú Chén Dan, also known as the top-grade treasure. It's unlikely that Jìng Hé Dào Jūn doesn't have it. The only thing is the Xuán Jī Zhèn Shū, since it's a secret of the Xuán Jī Mén that's not passed down, it must have its unique aspects. If she misses this opportunity, it will be very difficult to get it again. Moreover, she has left a hidden intention: since Xiāo Zǐ Lán is the Grand Elder of the Xuán Jī Mén, his burial site must also be full of mechanisms and traps. With the Xuán Jī Zhèn Shū, the danger will greatly decrease.

  "The junior has thought it through." After a pause, Mo Tian Ge continued, "However, senior, Fang Zheng's lifespan is not long. If you give him the Longevity Dan, he won't be able to find it for another two hundred years, and for him, that's no big loss, unless he advances to the next stage and forms his dan. But even if I don't advance, I still have several hundred years of good life ahead of me. If I can find the corpse, then so be it. But if I can't find it, wouldn't that be too much of a loss? This isn't fair for me!"

  For this matter, Mo Tian Ge was extremely indignant. She now has a bright future ahead of her, but was suddenly placed under a 200-year ban by someone for no reason; if she doesn't succeed, her life will be gone - how can that be endured? Moreover, from the start of her cultivation, it was to fight for freedom, and now being controlled by others is truly not a pleasant thing. It's just that this Zi Wei San Ren has extraordinary means, and didn't say anything absolute, so she could only endure it.

  It seems that her anger was audible. Ziwei Sanren chuckled: "You little girl really won't take a loss, will you? Alright, I'll give you another piece of Sunstone. And the treasures on this table, you can divide them among yourselves. Additionally, as long as one of you brings back Zilan's corpse within 200 years, I will erase the mark in your Sea of Consciousness. So, before you sit and meditate, don't forget to come back and take a look, perhaps one of you has already completed it. Hahaha..."

  Whether or not he has lived alone for a thousand years, this purple microcosm of the xìng grid obviously has an evil side, deliberately teasing them.

  Moyan took a deep breath and calmed himself down, he couldn't let him get under his skin first.

  "Alright, it's like that, I can only accept it then. Two hundred years... I'm a bit curious, once the seal on your divine consciousness is lifted, can you really last for two hundred years?"

  "Little girl, even if you come from a renowned sect, your knowledge is still shallow! This is my unique creation, the Splitting Divine Sense Technique. Don't say two hundred years, I'm afraid that by the time you've all become enlightened, my divine sense will still be around."

  "This Zǐwēi dispersing person, cannot be measured with common logic. As a sword cultivator, he is well-versed in array techniques and mechanisms, and can even refine the Longevity Pill. He has also created various spells, and it's likely that he has dabbled in alchemy as well. He can almost be called an all-around expert. Even if he were to create some unique divine sense technique, it wouldn't be surprising."

  "What about you?" Seeing Mo Tian Ge had nothing more to say, Zi Wei San Ren turned and asked Fang Zheng Dao Ren.

  "Very well, I accept."

  "Good!" As soon as Zǐ Wēi Sǎn Rén finished speaking, Mò Tiān Gē only felt the stagnant spiritual energy on his body relax, and in an instant, he regained control of his body and could move again.

  She let out a breath of relief, moved her hands and feet, and found that the spiritual energy was flowing smoothly, without the feeling of being lifted by a thousand pounds as before.

  "Do you have any other questions, just ask. If you step out of this Dongfu, the 200-year countdown will begin. Whether you succeed or not, you must come back to see me after 200 years! If I'm in a good mood, I might give you more time. If I'm not, humph!"

  Two hundred years... Not considering Fang Zhengdao, Mo Tian Ge felt that she should have been able to gather some news by now. At this moment, she had many questions, and since entering the valley, her mind was filled with them, but due to being in constant danger, she hadn't been able to get any answers. Hearing Zi Wei San Ren speak like this, she asked: "Disciple indeed has many questions, I wonder if senior is willing to explain?"

  Zi Wei San Ren said: "You go first and let me hear."

  After some thought, Mo Tian Ge slowly said: "Firstly, is the valley's gust of wind and miasma related to the array you set up? But why was it so easy for me to break through when I reached the bottom of the valley? Secondly, what's with the stone statue and altar at the entrance of your Dong Fu? And then there's..."

  "You're so garrulous!" Zi Wei San Ren interrupted her somewhat impatiently, "I've told you everything from start to finish, haven't I?"

  "The whirlwind and miasma above the valley are indeed caused by my array, but you can easily break through it because of your good fortune. This is the same answer to your second question. In the past, I hid in this place and saved hundreds of ordinary people from war, seeing their pitiful state, I brought them back to the valley, they worshipped me as a god, and this stone statue and altar were erected by them, so I simply changed it into the entrance of my cave abode - the stone statue is my wife Lan. The reason I saved them was just thinking that Zi Lan didn't like my violent and murderous nature, so I occasionally did some good deeds, so when they carved the god statue, I let them carve it in the likeness of Zi Lan. In this way, even if I occasionally leave the cave abode, I can still see her appearance."

  "Before I sat in meditation until my death, these ordinary people had lived at the bottom of the valley for thousands of years, passing down from generation to generation. Among them, a few cultivators emerged, but unfortunately, their spiritual roots were not good. Later, when I sensed that my lifespan was approaching its end, I ordered those cultivators to move all the ordinary people out of the mountain valley. This mountain valley has a hidden spiritual vein, but at the time of my death, I arranged this hidden spiritual vein into an illusion array, which is no longer suitable for ordinary people to live in. It's precisely because no one was here to maintain the array that you were able to break it so easily."

  "So that's how it is, the illusion array set up by our predecessor in the hall was using this hidden spiritual vein? Why are everything fake, but the harm is real? How can we get out of the array?"

  "Hmph!" Zi Wei San Ren coldly snorted, saying, "This naturally involves complex theories, which I have all recorded in the Xuanji Zhen Shu. If you study it thoroughly, you will naturally understand. As for breaking the array, the nine of you are either drained of your vital energy, or too weak, or your determination is firm enough to resist the illusion array's temptation. Heh heh, this array was originally a test of your determination, a mercy from my hands. Otherwise, you would be trapped inside forever, unable to escape. In this life, a thousand years pass in an instant; a thousand years are but one day. Once the array is activated, after one day passes, everything ends. If you lose control and fall under its temptation, your vital energy will be depleted and you will die. But if you maintain control over yourself, even if you survive, it would be as if time stood still for a thousand years, with endless time passing, until finally going mad and dying. Therefore, if you cannot break the array, there is only death!"

  Mo Tian Ge and Fang Zheng Dao Ren were both shocked. Such a terrifying formation... Although it was an illusion, it was even more frightening than a killing array! At this moment, Fang Zheng Dao Ren was already secretly regretful, why wasn't that book of mysterious array given to himself?

  "So this series of levels is just a test by our predecessors?"

  "Not bad." Zi Wei said in a light tone, with a hint of coldness, "If you can't even withstand the gusts and miasma entering the valley, then you're basically useless. As for the illusion array, it's to test your heart and willpower. If you can't pass, I estimate you won't have the patience to find Zi Lan's remains either. The Moonlight Illusion Stone path is to see if you're too greedy, whether you have enough calmness. If you're easily mesmerized by those treasures, you might betray me. Lastly, it's about your strength, if you can't even defeat five people, then your martial arts are too weak! Of course, I still need to take a look myself, if you're too stupid, I'll end you on the spot. You two are not bad, you've passed all the tests."

  "...This sentence made Mo Tian Ge's anger rise to his head, but he finally endured it. This Zi Wei San Ren was indeed cold-blooded and ruthless, with so many schemes coming one after another, without any consideration for the lives of those who entered the valley. If Xiao Zi Lan really loved him as he said, and could endure him for 200 years, still being loving husband and wife, then she already deeply loved him."

  "What's wrong, little girl, you have an opinion again?"

  "Mokuyou Song couldn't help but angrily say: 'Senior, you're using mind-reading techniques again?!'"

  Seeing her get angry, Zǐ Wēi Sǎn Rén burst out laughing: "Don't be so fierce with me, didn't your master tell you that when dealing with seniors, one must be respectful and courteous?"

  "...I'll bear with it!" Mo Tian Ge took a deep breath and fell silent. Having been used to being with Jing and Dao Jun, she indeed didn't show enough respect to her seniors, but that also depended on who it was. Over the past half day, she had probably figured out what kind of temperament Zi Wei San Ren had.

  This senior, if you can't meet his requirements, he won't give you a second glance whether you're dead or alive. If you pass his test, he'll spare no effort to give you everything he has. She shows off her little temper, and it's probably even more to his liking.

  "Junior still wants to ask, does senior seem to understand the art of mechanism?"

  "Huh," Purple Microcosm Immortal was somewhat surprised to hear her ask this, "You actually know about the art of mechanisms? That's rare, nowadays the art of mechanisms has already been lost, not many people know about it."

  "So, senior really understands the art of manipulation?"

  "Hmph!" Zǐ Wēi Sǎn Rén said proudly, "I know a bit. What, you want me to teach you the art of mechanisms?"

  "Meng Tian Ge hastily said: 'If senior is willing to teach, finding back the remains of Zun Furen's body, junior will definitely do his best.'"

  "Are you no longer putting your heart into it? Don't forget that your life is still in my hands." Zi Wei San Ren said lazily.

  “……”

  "Haha, you're really interesting, little girl." Seeing Mo Tian Ge's expression, Zi Wei San Ren laughed very happily, a strange spiritual energy circled around her body. "Alright, I'll be honest with you, it's not impossible for me to teach you the mechanical technique, but... let's talk about it when you fulfill your promise, if I were to teach you everything you want to know all at once, wouldn't that be boring?"

  Mò Tiān Gē's expression softened, and this Zǐ Wēi Sǎn person also made sense. Whatever she wanted to learn, he would teach her; was there ever such a good deal?

  "Right," Zi Wei San Ren changed his tone, "Those few people just now, were they taken away by you?"

  "...is." The old man answered honestly, and Tian Ge asked cautiously, "Are you going to take it back?"

  "Hmm... no puppet, I'm also in a difficult situation. How about this: you leave four puppets here and take two away as collateral. I'll repair it and teach you the control method, okay?"

  Upon hearing this, Mo Tian Ge was overjoyed: "Senior's words are as heavy as nine tripods?"

  Zi Wei San Ren coldly snorted: "Would I deceive a mere Qi Foundation stage junior like you? You're overestimating yourself!"

  The more talented a person is, the more arrogant they are. Mo Tian Ge endured this remark and took out the six stone carvings one by one. Fortunately, she had picked them up earlier after killing them and put them in her Qian Kun bag, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to pick them up so cheaply.

  Hearing their conversation, Fang Zheng's eyes turned red with regret. He had given up the stone statue because it was damaged by them and couldn't be used anymore, only to be exchanged for spirit stones. But he hadn't expected that the owner would come out and propose such a condition. If he had known earlier, how could he have let it go? This is a late-stage foundation-establishing puppet! If he could use it himself, his strength would increase exponentially! Thinking about it, he could only blame his bad luck, sigh!

  "Elder," Fang Zhengdao asked respectfully while the spiritual energy was repairing the puppet, "May I ask, Elder, can we pick up the treasure on the Moonlight Illusory Stone Path outside?"

  "If you have the ability, just take it away yourself."

  "... Fang Zhengdao was silent. What he meant by saying this was that he hoped the senior would tell them the method of cracking the Moonlight Mirage Stone, but the answer..."

  "Don't even think about the things on that path, don't underestimate that road. Those moonlight illusion stones are also an array formation. If you take those things, the array will be activated immediately, and at that time, the entire Dongfu will become a killing array."

  The spiritual energy escaped from the stone-carved human figurine's ear, and only a few "cracking" sounds were heard. Several figurines stood up one by one, holding swords and standing upright, their momentum suddenly emerging.

  The repair of the puppet was completed, and Zi Wei San Ren said: "It's done, it's not something good, what do you have to be sorry about? Little girl, I'll teach you how to control these puppets now."

  After finishing speaking, Mo Tian Ge suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head again, and some things appeared in his mind.

  In the past, Mo Ya Qing passed on her **secret**, which was also directly imprinted by divine consciousness. At that time, she was just an ordinary person. Now she is a foundation-building cultivator who has specially cultivated her divine consciousness, but when facing the partial divine consciousness left behind by Yuan Ying cultivators, she still has no ability to resist.

  The path of immortality is still very far away from her.

  "After you've finished asking questions, take your things and leave the valley."

  "......Senior," Mo Tian Ge hastily said, "you haven't mentioned anything about the Honorable Lady yet! The Xuanji Gate was already destroyed, and we didn't know what happened back then. Where can we go to find the Honorable Lady's remains?"

  "This problem has been prepared for you long ago." Zi Wei San Ren said lazily, "There is a grid under the table, with several copies of Yu Jian inside. Each of you can take one copy, which contains all the information. If you still can't find it after this, then you're just unlucky!"

  "Alright, everything that needs to be said has been said. I should rest now too. You've taken what you needed, use the jade key to unlock the exit and leave. Remember, come back in 200 years!"

  As his voice fell, the strange and mysterious spiritual energy in the stone room slowly dissipated...

  Got up a bit early today...... Thanks for the rewards from Lidian, Sasa and classmates from 5,000 years ago, as well as Simm's 588, Starry Eyes...