Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8303: Beheading _1

The elder from the Bloody Massacre Sect waited outside, though a visible tension gripped him. The moment for the Spiritual Array Sect’s protective mountain array to fracture was drawing near. Each time these cracks manifested, they remained open for six hours—a window of time sufficient for him to infiltrate the sect's territory and conduct a thorough investigation.

However, the recent disturbances within the Spiritual Array Sect weighed heavily on his mind. Disciples returning from the interior reported that the sect’s own spiritual arrays had begun actively attacking them, a phenomenon never seen before. Consequently, there was no guarantee the crack would even appear this time. If it did, it would be a stroke of luck, sparing him the heavy price of burning his cultivation to force an entry.

The restrictions within the Spiritual Array Sect were notoriously severe. Any cultivator at the Dharma Refinement realm or higher would find their power suppressed upon entry. For instance, an Island Lord attempting to trespass would not only face suppressed cultivation but would also be relentlessly targeted by the arrays. Entering required risking one's life. Because of this, sects typically only dispatched disciples at the Dharma Essence realm. Higher-level cultivators generally avoided the territory entirely.

Nevertheless, the necessity of eliminating Zhao Hai outweighed the risks. He had to enter the Spiritual Array Sect if the situation demanded it. Killing Zhao Hai was a chance to earn significant merit, especially since the members of the Blood Sea Alliance loathed the youth intensely. Zhao Hai’s death was non-negotiable.

The scheduled time arrived. Standing up, the elder witnessed a surge of fluctuations rippling across the mountain protection array. Slowly, a fissure tore open, widening steadily. Overjoyed at the sight, he immediately projected his mental power into the Spiritual Array Sect's lands to scout the area.

His mental sweep instantly detected two figures attempting to fly out. However, sensing his presence, the pair immediately halted and retreated back toward the heart of the sect. The figures were none other than Zhao Hai and Yan Bei. Realizing he couldn't afford to hesitate, the elder surged forward, flying directly through the breach and into the sect's domain.

He had braced himself for an immediate assault, yet to his astonishment, no attacks came. He crossed the boundary with ease, a fact that left him momentarily dazed. Once he regained his senses and surveyed his surroundings, he was struck with disbelief.

Before him stood a collection of houses. Though their arrangement lacked strict order, they possessed a certain aesthetic charm. Most importantly, there wasn't a single sign of decay. In his previous visits, the elder remembered the Spiritual Array Sect’s territory as a wasteland of crumbling walls and dilapidated ruins. Seeing these pristine buildings was incredibly eerie.

Even more startling was the sight of Zhao Hai and Yan Bei standing a short distance away, watching him with calm smiles. A prickle of danger caused him to tense up instinctively. Addressing them, he said, "Zhao Hai, Yan Bei, come with me. You two have been lingering here far too long, and I’ve been waiting for months. Follow me now. If you miss this chance, you’ll be trapped here for years."

Zhao Hai chuckled as he looked at the elder. "Elder, please don't worry. If we wish to leave, someone will see us out. Look, he’s already here." Zhao Hai gestured behind the elder. Stunned but cautious, the elder refused to turn his head. Instead, he scanned the space behind him with spiritual power and found nothing. His expression darkened as he barked, "Zhao Hai, what is the meaning of this? You dare mock your elder? You think you can lie to me?"

Zhao Hai shook his head and sighed. "I must ask, elder, are you truly a fool? We didn't leave because we were aware of your betrayal, yet you come in here playing the part of a concerned protector. I honestly don't understand why you think we are still in the dark. Did you think we expected you to turn your head so we could run? If we wanted to flee, we would have done so already. Elder Formation, please say something. He doesn't believe you exist." Zhao Hai spoke toward the empty space behind the elder.

The elder snorted, ready to retort, when a voice suddenly echoed from behind him. "I say, boy, are you the only one with a brain among these human cultivators? Why do these other fellows seem so dim-witted to me? Given their lack of wits, how did they ever manage to reach their current level of cultivation?"

The voice caused the elder’s blood to run cold. He lunged forward desperately, putting a thousand feet of distance between himself and his previous position before spinning around. He found a bald old man standing where he had just been. Although the man was aged and hairless, he radiated vitality. Curiously, the elder could detect no fluctuations of Dharma power from him, which was deeply confusing.

The old man glared at the elder and huffed, "For countless years, your kind has been pestering me. Finally, I have the chance to take my revenge." The formation spirit had long desired to punish the intruders, but he had lacked the means in the past. Now that a high-ranking target had practically delivered himself, he had no intention of being merciful.

Confused, the elder asked, "Who are you? And who is disturbing you?" He failed to recognize the old man's true nature. It was a reasonable mistake, given that the figure appeared entirely human.

The old man sneered. "You truly don't know me? Hahaha, how ridiculous. Never mind. Zhao Hai, tell this fool who I am." The old man’s form was becoming increasingly human as his strength bolstered his intelligence. As Zhao Hai had noted, possessing a physical body made him a unique form of life, capable of human speech.

Smiling, Zhao Hai addressed the elder. "Elder, this is the array spirit of the Spiritual Array Sect’s mountain-protecting array. We refer to him as the Array Elder. He was in a deep slumber for a long time, but now that he has awakened, he finds these disturbances quite irritating." Zhao Hai bluntly revealed the entity's identity.

The elder froze in shock, staring at the old man with wide eyes. "You... the formation spirit? That's impossible. If the spirit still functioned, this sect's array would never have been breached, and we never would have been allowed inside." He knew the sect had been fallen for ages; it made no sense for the spirit to suddenly appear and act now.

The Array Elder let out a cold laugh. "Little brat, your luck has run out. You won't be leaving this place today." With a casual wave of his hand, a massive palm manifested in the sky, descending rapidly toward the elder. The elder wasn't weak; he tried to dodge, but the air around him suddenly grew heavy. Space itself seemed to solidify, pinning him in place. Despite his power, he couldn't break the seal instantly. In that split second of hesitation, the giant hand clamped down on him.

Panic surged through the elder. He channeled every drop of his magical power, radiating a fierce red light in an attempt to shatter the spectral grip. However, he had underestimated the strength of the array. The Spiritual Array Sect’s mountain-protecting array was designed to restrain hundreds of Island Lord level experts simultaneously. Now, enhanced and focused on a single target, it was insurmountable. He was trapped.

Elder Zhen snorted and flicked his wrist. A flash of crimson light transformed into a blade, decapitating the elder instantly. The man died without further struggle. It was a pathetic end for someone of his stature; had he been more cautious and resisted with his full strength from the start, he might have survived longer. But by dismissing the old man due to his lack of visible spiritual energy, he had signed his own death warrant.

Once the deed was done, the Array Elder turned to Zhao Hai. "Zhao Hai, do you want this corpse? I noticed you’ve been collecting the bodies of the others. Do you have a use for this one?" Having observed Zhao Hai’s habit of gathering remains and spirits, the Array Elder offered the remains freely.

In the past, the Array Elder had required Yin souls. When disciples died within the territory, he would harvest their souls to supplement his own or refine them into auxiliary arrays. This was the reason Zhao Hai had noticed the formations growing stronger as more people died.

However, the Array Elder no longer needed such things. His many arrays were now integrated into his being via array talismans. Having fully absorbed the souls previously used to power the system, he had no further use for new ones. To him, these Dark Souls were clutter; to Zhao Hai, they were resources.

Zhao Hai didn't decline. "Thank you, Elder Zhen," he said with a grin. "I’ve been practicing some corpse refining techniques lately. This is a perfect chance to test them. If I can successfully turn an elder into a battle corpse, it will be a significant asset." Without hesitation, he stowed the elder's body away.