Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8290: Awakener (1)

Over the following days, the group kept a constant watch on the formation. Night Demon and his companions had grown accustomed to their routine, returning each evening to provide Zhao Hai with exhaustive reports of their findings. Zhao Hai would then meticulously analyze and calculate the data. In this manner, another month slipped away.

Nearly three months had passed since their arrival at the Spiritual Array Sect. Li Ruohai and his team had returned a few times during this period, though Zhao Hai never met with him personally. Instead, he sent Night Demon to handle the interactions. Li Ruohai remained unsuspecting, as Night Demon explained that Zhao Hai was deeply immersed in studying the array, a detail Li Ruohai largely ignored.

During this interval, Li Ruohai’s group had achieved significant progress. By pooling their collective strength and utilizing battle corpses, they successfully breached several forbidden zones. These areas yielded valuable treasures and, crucially, some of the Spiritual Array Sect’s own cultivation methods.

The nature of these cultivation methods took Li Ruohai by surprise. Realizing how much they could benefit him, he became even more driven to dismantle more restrictions, hoping to seize further treasures and additional secret techniques from the sect’s archives.

After finishing his calculations, Zhao Hai identified a vulnerability in the formation. He began crafting a restriction designed to puncture the array. While this wouldn't dismantle the barrier permanently, it would create a temporary opening large enough for their escape.

Constructing this restriction was a slow process that would require at least two months. By the time it was finished, their scheduled departure would be imminent. Nevertheless, Zhao Hai persisted. Under the watchful eyes of Yan Bei, Zhao Wuji, and Night Demon, he couldn't simply produce a mountain of rare materials to build an array without triggering intense suspicion. Consequently, he was forced to work with very limited resources.

Furthermore, Zhao Hai realized that he was completely cut off from the world outside the Spiritual Array Sect’s territory. Communication arrays were non-functional, making it impossible to send messages. Most disturbingly, his spatial zone was being interfered with, preventing him from monitoring external events. This was an unprecedented situation for him. He was certain that the sect’s own magical array wasn't powerful enough to cause this; it had to be the result of a different energy entirely.

Zhao Hai had a strong suspicion regarding the source of this interference. It was well known that the Spiritual Array Sect had been obliterated by an entity from the Upper Realm. Regardless of the methods used by that Almighty being, residual energy was bound to remain. It was highly probable that this lingering force was what disrupted the link between his space and the outside world.

Zhao Hai reasoned that the power of the Upper Realm was truly fearsome. Even the masters of this realm possessed the strength to tear through space, so he had to remain extremely cautious. Since the Upper Realm’s power far exceeded anything here, it was not shocking that its remnants could affect his spatial abilities.

This interference was precisely why Zhao Hai spent so much time observing the mountain-protecting array and preparing his restriction manually. Overusing his spatial powers carried the risk of being detected, so he refrained from relying on them.

His caution regarding his spatial power wasn't actually directed at the Upper Realm beings—they had already moved on long ago. Instead, his primary concern was Li Ruohai.

A Demon Seed resided within Li Ruohai, and though it appeared dormant, Zhao Hai’s knowledge of this specific cultivation technique was insufficient. Because of this uncertainty, he didn't dare act carelessly. Even if the Demon Seed seemed to be sleeping, there was no guarantee. Old monsters like the Sect Master of the Corpse Demon Sect were notoriously untrusting, even of their own kin. They always kept a contingency plan. If a link existed through that Demon Seed, the Sect Master might see everything. If the secret of Zhao Hai's space were exposed, even the Blood Kill Sect wouldn't be able to shield him.

Zhao Hai was under no illusions; the Blood Kill Sect would not start a war with the Corpse Demon Sect or offend its leader just to protect him. If his secret came out, he would be truly cornered.

Left with no other choice, Zhao Hai maintained a low profile while focusing on growing stronger. He was confident in his cultivation path; his only real worries were time and whether the influential figures of the world would grant him enough of it.

The following month was dedicated to building the restriction. This was no simple feat, as he was essentially constructing a single-use array powerful enough to pierce the mountain-protecting barrier and facilitate their flight.

A month in, the formation was only half-finished when his fears finally manifested. In the middle of his work, the atmospheric pressure suddenly spiked. A crushing force erupted from the formation, weighing down on everyone present.

The team working on the restriction froze in shock. Zhao Hai’s face darkened as he shouted to Yan Bei and the others, "Return to the manor immediately and trigger the formation! Something is happening!" Leaving the unfinished array behind, he sprinted toward the manor with the others close on his heels. They reached the safety of the building quickly. Once inside, Zhao Hai commanded Night Demon, "Senior Brother, message Young Master Li. Tell them to fall back to our position right now and bring as many people as possible."

By now, Night Demon was fully convinced of Zhao Hai’s competence. Having witnessed his skill and the power of the Dao Tapir on the array, he held Zhao Hai in high regard. Feeling the terrifying pressure himself, he knew the situation was dire and immediately sent the word to Li Ruohai.

Zhao Hai’s hands blurred as he cast a spell into the Yin-Yang fish at the manor's center. The symbol began to rotate, releasing twin streams of black and white energy that surged through the building. A translucent protective shield rose around the manor, marked by a spinning Yin-Yang fish and the mysterious patterns of the Eight Trigrams.

Just as the shield stabilized, a thunderous boom echoed from deep within the sect grounds. A pillar of black-red light erupted into the heavens. As it ascended, the sky, the earth, and the very air of the Spiritual Array Sect were dyed a gruesome black-red hue. Only the area within Zhao Hai’s shield remained unchanged.

Standing calmly within the manor, Zhao Hai watched the horizon. "My suspicions were confirmed," he said grimly. "The Spiritual Array Sect’s magical array has awakened. Its vengeance is beginning, though the exact form it will take remains to be seen."

Yan Bei and Zhao Wuji looked pale. While they had trusted Zhao Hai, they had harbored secret doubts about his warnings of a sentient array seeking revenge. Now that his predictions were coming true before their eyes, their skepticism vanished, replaced by dread.

Night Demon approached Zhao Hai with a somber expression. "Young Master Li is on his way, but he only has about a hundred people with him. The others are scattered, and he has no way to reach them. What are our orders?" At this point, Night Demon was looking to Zhao Hai for leadership.

"Don't panic," Zhao Hai replied steadily. "We will take this one step at a time and save whoever we can. Those outside must have noticed the shift and are likely attacking the array from the exterior, which might help us. We just need to hold our ground. Meanwhile, I must finish the formation; it's our only guaranteed way out."

No sooner had he spoken than a massive, black-red palm materialized in the sky. The colossal hand slammed down toward the manor’s protective canopy. Zhao Hai reacted instantly, shifting his hand seals to make the Yin-Yang fish on the shield rotate faster. The symbol surged upward, colliding directly with the descending palm.

BOOM! The impact shook the air. The Yin-Yang fish managed to halt the giant hand, but the palm did not dissipate; it continued to exert downward pressure. The Yin-Yang fish held firm, locked in a stalemate. Zhao Hai realized the sect’s array was trying to drain his resources. Since the palm was fueled by the mountain-protecting array itself, its power was nearly limitless. While Zhao Hai’s array was formidable, he realized he needed to adapt. He would have to let the Yin-Yang mirror take over the array's management so he could free himself to take further action.