Chapter 587: The Immortal's Legacy Array in the Depths of Mingying

Chapter 587: The Immortal's Legacy Array in the Depths of Mingying

February 19, 2025

The Mingying Battlefield has not changed much over the years.

The two great nations, Jin and Chu, have invested a tremendous amount here.

Even though the onslaught of youwu has intensified in recent years, they have managed to withstand it.

Leveraging their advantageous terrain, they have, overall, stabilized the situation on the Mingying Battlefield.

Following the border cities of the Jin Kingdom, one after another.

The border cities of the Jin Kingdom are quite different from those of a small country like Zhou.

There aren't as many farming households in these border cities.

The Jin Kingdom is vast, and it doesn't lack land for cultivation.

Therefore, there's no need for farming households to come to the borders to till the land, and the Jin court won't offer any tax exemptions.

The border cities are relatively developed, mostly relying on trading goods with passing martial artists.

There are also some adventurers seeking to strike it rich by gathering medicinal herbs.

Although the Jin Kingdom's territory is expansive, every year, many people scour the land in search of herbs.

Even in the most remote regions, there are numerous herb gatherers.

These places are also dangerous.

Despite the danger, the competition remains fierce.

Under these circumstances, some herb gatherers have turned their attention to this area.

Few venture into the wilderness.

Martial artists rarely venture inside, let alone herb gatherers.

The wilderness is an untouched treasure trove.

Unlike within the country, one doesn't need to navigate treacherous cliffs to gather medicinal herbs.

Although there are youwu threats in the wilderness, many herbs are easily accessible.

Youwu possess a keen perception of martial artists above the fifth tier.

However, they are not as sensitive to ordinary people.

Even the common folk are aware of this.

Even now, many places still maintain the practice of sending lower-tier martial artists on scouting missions.

If they have good response qualities, this method is actually quite effective.

Along the way, Su Chen has witnessed the lives of the border residents of the Jin Kingdom.

Sometimes, a wealthy nation doesn't necessarily mean its people are wealthy.

The Jin Kingdom is a top-tier power in the world, yet many of its people still lead arduous lives.

Su Chen can only sigh and acknowledge that he cannot change this situation overnight.

With youwu wreaking havoc on the borders and the Mingying Battlefield being a gold-devouring beast, the Jin court faces no shortage of challenges.

Su Chen doesn't have the confidence to believe that his presence here can change everything.

There are many people in the Jin court, and not all of them are incompetent or corrupt officials.

If he were in charge, the people might even have a harder life.

Su Chen is self-aware, and he knows that he should focus on his own tasks.

The most crucial task at hand is to go to the Mingying Battlefield and uncover the issue with the Yuan Shi Seal.

After traveling along the border for about seven days, he finally reached the peripheral city of the Mingying Battlefield.

This place should have been visited by most martial artists from the Jin Kingdom.

As long as they show some growth and gain some strength, they will be sent to the Mingying Battlefield for training.

Even if they can't enter the central region, they will still follow along and observe from the periphery.

It is because of this that an industry chain has formed in this peripheral city.

The industry of gathering intelligence thrives in the peripheral cities of the Mingying Battlefield.

The intelligence gathering here is fundamentally different from the buying and selling of information in Zhou.

Zhou's information trade focuses on extremely time-sensitive news.

What happened recently, and where did something else happen?

This type of recently occurred news can be purchased in Zhou.

In these peripheral cities of the Mingying Battlefield, gathering intelligence simply involves asking questions.

For example, who from a certain sect has what kind of strength, what is their background, and how strong are they?

How powerful is a certain force, and how deep are their roots?

Information with time sensitivity is basically impossible to obtain here.

Of course, information can also be sold.

Many young people of average strength come here to sell information about their own sects.

The sect leader has conflicts with so-and-so, and their sect doesn't get along with this or that force, having a strained relationship.

As the industry grows, it becomes more and more prosperous.

Upon arriving, Su Chen's first priority is to gather information.

Regarding Sang Moyuan's identity and the news about him.

Wuluan Mansion has been mired in trouble over the past one or two years, and it has also become the focus of public opinion.

Therefore, a lot of related news has been collected on the Mingying Battlefield.

It is a hot topic.

There are many people seeking information, but even more selling it.

The prices aren't too high.

At this moment, Sang Moyuan's identity is directly revealed to Su Chen.

Sang Moyuan is Qiu Ruoxue's only son, and Qiu Ruoxue is Qiu Ruoshuang's elder sister.

In other words, Sang Moyuan is Qiu Ruoshuang's nephew.

His previous speculation had come true at this moment.

However, Su Chen did not want this to be true at all.

The grudge between himself and Sang Moyuan, and the Wuluan Mansion, had already run deep.

Even if Qiu Ruoshuang did not approve of her nephew's words and actions, he was still her nephew, a family member.

Being caught in the middle, she would undoubtedly suffer.

After asking this question, Su Chen did not inquire further.

The page selling the information kept insisting, saying he could offer a discount.

But for Su Chen, he only wanted to inquire about this one piece of information.

After a brief rest at the restaurant, Su Chen began planning his journey to the Mingying Battlefield.

The southern part of the Mingying Battlefield, including the southeast and southwest, was guarded by martial artists.

Su Chen did not want to attract attention, so he decided to go from the east.

That area was where the demons lurked, and the danger level increased significantly.

However, it wasn't a big problem for Su Chen.

He was highly perceptive when it came to demons, often spotting them before they noticed him.

After thinking it through, Su Chen began his journey.

It was noon, the time when demons were least active.

Most demons preferred to move at night, and at this time, the sky was at its brightest.

The visibility was also the best for humans.

The demons would naturally choose other times to be active.

Entering the Mingying Battlefield from the east, heading west.

This position led directly to a low-lying area.

It was here that Su Chen had obtained the treasure left by Jingbo Immortal.

There should be more treasures in the Mingying Battlefield, not just these few.

But this time, Su Chen did not intend to search for treasures.

His purpose was clear: to investigate the origin of the Yuan Shi Seal.

The Seal Slave had described the location where he obtained the Yuan Shi Seal in great detail.

However, Su Chen was not sure if what he said was true.

Previously, when it came to matters concerning his core interests, the Seal Slave had not been honest.

Avoiding some dangerous crises, Su Chen headed deeper into the battlefield.

According to the Seal Slave's description, he reached the predetermined location on the same night.

This place was actually quite deep, an area where demons were more numerous.

When the Seal Slave was young, his strength and talent were both mediocre.

It was quite a feat for him to venture to this place.

Obtaining such an opportunity was not easy for him.

Among the younger generation, there were few who dared to venture to such a location.

The young Seal Slave might have felt some despair back then.

He described how his talent and strength were both mediocre.

Coming here was probably a last-ditch effort.

This area seemed normal, quiet, and devoid of human traces.

It was difficult for martial artists to reach such a location in the Mingying Battlefield.

Su Chen understood why there were no human traces here.

However, not only were there no human traces in this area, but there also seemed to be no demon traces.

Typographical error, content redacted for clarity.

With his skill in demon hunting, Su Chen could see the traces of demons coming and going.

But in the vicinity, for a month or two, there had been no demons at all.

Not even a passing trace was spotted.

Although this place was remote, it wasn't a dead end.

Even if one didn't intend to come here, they might still pass through.

With so many demons in the wilderness, the complete absence of their traces could only mean one thing.

These demons were actively avoiding this area.

Su Chen had initially suspected that the Seal Slave might be deceiving him again.

But seeing this unusual situation, Su Chen felt there might be some truth to it.

Calming himself, Su Chen patiently searched for any clues.

With the naked eye, nothing seemed amiss.

Su Chen had also studied mechanical arts and had decent skills and strength.

But after looking around, he still couldn't find any traces of mechanisms.

One hour, two hours...

Su Chen came up empty-handed. He could confirm that this place was strange, and demons avoided this area, centered around this location.

Even if it had nothing to do with the Yuan Shi Seal, there must be some other strangeness.

After half a day of searching, he still had no results.

Su Chen calmed down and began to think carefully.

He connected the clues he had.

First was the information from the Seal Slave; apart from this location, there was nothing else of value.

Su Chen thought more about the things left by Jingbo Immortal.

As he thought, Su Chen focused his mind on the gentle breeze blowing around him.

After learning the art of riding the wind and summoning lightning from ancient books, Su Chen's perception of wind and thunder was different from ordinary people.

With utmost concentration, Su Chen felt the gentle breeze that brushed past.

Following its trail, he began to search for its source.

Most of the breeze blew from the east, but there were several strands that seemed to emerge from the ground.

These breezes were so faint that they could barely be called wind, merely wisps of airflow.

However, the fact that they emerged from the ground indicated that something lay beneath.

Su Chen immediately set to work upon this realization.

With the assistance of his innate talent, it was merely a matter of digging, which wouldn't take long.

Following the airflow, Su Chen gradually dug downward.

The process wasn't a straight vertical descent, as he had to wind his way several times.

The varying soil density likely caused the airflow to curve and emerge elsewhere.

As he dug deeper, the hole became deeper.

When the depth reached about five zhang, Su Chen's foot suddenly sank, and the soil beneath collapsed.

His body fell into a spacious underground chamber.

The chamber was pitch-black, and Su Chen hesitated before climbing back up.

He made a more durable torch and then returned underground.

With the light source, he could see the interior of the chamber clearly.

The extreme darkness that had been present earlier was difficult to penetrate even for a Stalwart cultivator like Su Chen, despite his enhanced vision.

After the chamber brightened, he saw a pile of dry bones.

The flesh had long since withered away, leaving only some clothing on the bones.

As he ventured further, he encountered a dry bone every two or three steps.

Based on their positions, these people seemed to have died in some sort of formation.

Subsequently, an incredibly powerful pressure descended upon them, extinguishing the entire group.

Su Chen wasn't capable of assessing the strength of these people before their deaths.

However, the items they left behind indicated their extraordinary identities.

The weapons around them were all exquisite and top-tier.

Those who wielded such weapons were undoubtedly not ordinary martial artists.

With so many people, all equipped with top-tier weapons, it was hard to imagine what kind of elite force they belonged to.

The person who instantly ended their lives must have been even more formidable.

Judging from the scene before him, even Qiu Ruoshuang, a Return to Unity Realm cultivator, wouldn't have been able to achieve this.

Su Chen followed the passage, delving deeper into the chamber.

As he ventured further, the sense of submission to the pressure from the Yuan Shi Seal also grew.

Feeling this pressure, Su Chen knew he had found the right place.

Deeper within, there seemed to be a hidden cavern.

On the periphery of this cavern, an intricate defensive array was set up, making it difficult to observe.

This array was challenging for others to comprehend, but Su Chen understood it clearly.

It was the same method used by Jingbo Immortal for array deployment.

The deceptive techniques were identical to what Su Chen had learned from the secret manual left by Jingbo Immortal.

Moreover, the dim lighting, even with the torch, made it hard to see clearly.

If one didn't have a deep understanding of arrays, it was highly unlikely to discover this defensive array.

Bending down, Su Chen removed some obstructions and began to disable the defensive array.

Only then did he realize that this array was actually an Explosive Formation.

When triggered, the entire formation would enter a chaotic state.

Usually, when an array encountered issues, it would halt.

But this formation's pattern was unique, a signature technique of Jingbo Immortal.

The reaction upon activation would be extremely intense.

Consequently, the entire array would explode and shatter.

On the defensive array, various harmful objects were also installed.

As the array exploded, these objects would detonate simultaneously, attacking the surroundings.

Su Chen carefully dismantled them.

He felt that this place might be another relic left by Jingbo Immortal, but he couldn't be sure.

In the other relics left by Jingbo Immortal, there weren't as many obstacles.

Moreover, there were no arrays that could harm people.

However, if one failed to detect this Explosive Formation, even a powerful martial artist might be in danger.

After disabling the defensive array, Su Chen continued deeper into the cavern.

Pushing open a stone door, he found several more defensive arrays within the hidden cavern.

He wondered if the owner of this place had set up these arrays as a test.

If so, the consequences of failing the test were a bit harsh.

Fortunately, Su Chen had some understanding of these arrays, preventing him from sharing the same fate as the others.

After dismantling six defensive arrays, Su Chen finally reached the innermost part of the hidden cavern.

There, a dry skeleton sat atop a decaying meditation cushion.

The cushion had withered away over time, leaving only a hollow shell.

Oddly, the skeleton above seemed to retain a hint of the pressure it once possessed.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end