Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8273: Restriction (1)

A pair of disciples from the Dark Ghost Sect had utilized a specialized tracking spell to hunt down Zhao Hai and his companions, intent on slaughtering them. While the Dark Ghost Sect and the Blood Massacre Sect had previously cooperated to ambush other major sects in the Forest of Emerald Blood—inflicting significant casualties—that truce was purely a matter of temporary convenience. In reality, the two sects remained locked in a bitter war of attrition, making any true peace impossible. Consequently, it was entirely expected for disciples from these rival factions to engage in lethal combat upon crossing paths in this wilderness.

In this particular instance, the Dark Ghost Sect members had initiated the pursuit. They had specifically refined this tracking technique to target Blood Massacre Sect disciples within this region. Given that the scouts sent here by the Blood Massacre Sect were all elite cultivators, eliminating them would constitute a major strategic triumph for the Dark Ghost Sect.

The duo was clever enough to realize that because Zhao Hai’s group had avoided flying into the area, something was likely amiss. Adopting a cautious approach, they landed and proceeded on foot. Although their knowledge of formations was limited, they moved forward with extreme vigilance, step by step.

To their surprise, they traversed nearly two miles without encountering a single trap. This led them to believe that Zhao Hai’s party had already neutralized all the restrictive spells along the path. Feeling triumphant, they mocked Zhao Hai and his group in their hearts for being fools who acted as their unwitting vanguards.

However, their secret celebration was cut short when they suddenly felt a crushing grip around their ankles. Startled, they glanced down to see four skeletal hands rising from the earth, pinning them in place. The two disciples immediately surged with strength, attempting to shatter the bony restraints through sheer force.

In that exact moment, a volley of bone arrows rained down upon them from every direction. These projectiles were exceptionally long, resembling heavy spears more than arrows. Alarmed, the cultivators instantly manifested protective shields with a single thought. They waved their hands, summoning defensive celestial devices while drawing their primary weapons. One brandished a massive, wicked sickle, while the other held a long black banner.

The bone arrows slammed into their personal shields, piercing through them instantly. Their faces paled as they realized the terrifying power behind the volley. Fortunately, their specialized defensive celestial devices managed to intercept the remaining arrows. Seizing the opening, they struck down at the skeletal hands gripping them and leaped into the air. They abandoned caution, desperate to reach the sky, believing that flight would keep them out of reach of the ground-based skeletal threats.

As they ascended, more skeletal hands clawed out of the dirt, narrowly missing their heels. The two men began to breathe a sigh of relief, but the skeletal hands abruptly vanished. In their place, several bone snakes erupted from the soil, coiling toward them. These serpents were slender but incredibly long, their eye sockets flickering with eerie blue will-o’-the-wisps. It was a ghastly sight.

Startled once more, they pushed higher into the sky while swinging their magic tools at the lunging serpents. The snake heads were smashed aside, falling back to the earth, as the cultivators climbed nearly a hundred meters into the air. Just as they thought they were safe, the surrounding atmosphere filled with billowing black Qi. This mist coalesced into translucent black chains covered in wicked, inverted thorns that lashed out to bind them.

The disciples were stunned. Despite having defensive artifacts active, they were forced to use their weapons to hack at the encroaching chains. Both men specialized in close-quarters combat; even the one wielding the black banner used it as a melee weapon rather than a Thousand Ghost Banner meant for long-range soul attacks. They frantically swung their celestial devices, desperate to keep the black chains at bay.

Clang! Clang! Crack! Their weapons severed the chains repeatedly, yet the black Qi simply reformed the links instantly, continuing the relentless pursuit. Realizing that their Qi would be exhausted long before the chains were depleted, the two decided to retreat. Covering two miles in the air was usually a simple task.

But as they turned to flee, the black mists shifted and twisted, transforming into massive black pythons. These creatures were covered in shimmering black scales, though their heads and eyes were a vivid, unsettling red. Their blood-colored tongues and smoking bodies radiated a terrifying aura that made the cultivators' skin crawl.

The pythons lunged. The Dark Ghost Sect disciples roared, slashing at the beasts with all their might. However, their weapons only produced a metallic clanging sound upon impact, failing to draw blood. The pythons, seemingly enraged by the strikes, let out sky-shaking roars and renewed their assault.

The two men scrambled to dodge the massive serpents. Suddenly, a gargantuan black net dropped from above, threatening to ensnare them. Trapped between the net and the pythons, they raised their celestial devices in a frantic block. The pythons closed in, opening their maws to reveal venomous fangs that looked like curved daggers.

In a final act of desperation, white light flashed as they launched several ritual implements at the snakes. The pythons ignored the attacks, shrugging off the implements to bite down on the cultivators. Though their defensive ritual implements held for a heartbeat, they were quickly crushed. The two men were swallowed by the mass of black pythons, and a moment later, two blood-curdling screams echoed through the air. Slowly, the black Qi dissipated, and the sky cleared as if the brutal struggle had never occurred.

Five kilometers away, Zhao Hai and his two companions stood watching the horizon. Despite the distance, they had maintained a clear view of the entire execution. Only after the final traces of black Qi vanished did Zhao Hai exhale slowly. He remarked solemnly, "The restriction spells of the Spiritual Array Sect are truly formidable."

Yan Bei looked at him, bewildered. "Little Hai, I thought you were the one who set those traps?" Yan Bei had been under the impression that Zhao Hai had designed the entire defensive perimeter and was ready to praise his brilliance.

Zhao Hai shook his head. "No, I only placed ground-level restrictions to force any pursuers into the air. I suspected a no-fly zone existed here, which is why I insisted on walking. It seems my hunch was right. The anti-air restrictions in this place are incredibly lethal."

The faces of Yan Bei and Zhao Wuji paled. They had previously wondered why Zhao Hai was being so cautious about flying, thinking they could defend themselves in the air. Now they realized how naive they had been; the Spiritual Array Sect’s flight prohibitions were absolute death traps.

Zhao Hai turned to his companions and said firmly, "Let’s move. We are nearing the eye of the formation. If we can neutralize it, these restrictions will vanish, and the rest of our journey will be much easier. Follow me." He resumed his pace, with Yan Bei and Zhao Wuji following closely in silence.

After another five miles, Zhao Hai came to a halt. The others stopped immediately, looking ahead at a dilapidated manor. The estate wasn't particularly large—roughly the size of Shen Nan Zheng’s Main Killing Yard—but it was in a state of total ruin. The perimeter walls had crumbled, and the heavy front gates were broken, with one half lying in the dirt and the other hanging precariously. A shattered plaque lay before the entrance, bearing two distinct words: Yin Yang.

Zhao Hai stood before the gate, his expression grim. "This is it. I believe the formation’s eye is located within this manor." He stared at the ruins as if a great danger lurked within the shadows of the broken building.

Yan Bei and Zhao Wuji were confused. In their experience with other forbidden zones—like the one Zhao Hai and Yan Bei had previously conquered—the core areas were usually preserved by residual energy, looking pristine while the surroundings decayed. This manor, however, looked genuinely ancient and abandoned, showing no signs of magical preservation.

Despite their confusion, their trust in Zhao Hai was absolute; they knew they wouldn't have survived this far without him. Still, they couldn't perceive what made this specific ruin so threatening.

Zhao Hai glanced at them and asked seriously, "My knowledge of the Spiritual Array Sect is limited. Do either of you know what their greatest specialty was?" He hadn't even heard of the sect until the recent competition, so he hoped for some insight.

Yan Bei and Zhao Wuji exchanged a look before Yan Bei answered, "I’ve only heard that the Spiritual Array Sect excelled above all others in the creation of magical arrays. It’s said even their weapons were essentially manifested arrays. Beyond that, I know very little." Zhao Wuji nodded in agreement, indicating his knowledge was just as sparse.