114. Array Base Spirit Stones

In truth, Chen Fengyun had already discerned through a sweep of his divine sense that the formation was merely a common protective array. Breaking it would require destroying only a few of its foundation points. However, he chose not to act; firstly, because he did not wish to reveal his abilities to the crowd so early, and secondly, because he wanted to observe the effectiveness of these martial arts masters working in unison. As for whether the building protected by the array contained any treasures, Chen Fengyun did not yet know. Yet, he was certain that once the array was breached, his divine sense could quickly sweep through the interior, and he would be the first to snatch up anything of value.

"Gentlemen, there is only one building inside, and even if there are treasures, there likely won't be many. Let us reach an agreement: only those who contribute to breaking the light barrier shall have the right to enter and search for treasures. Whatever one finds belongs to them, and those who did not participate in the attack have no right to enter. If anyone attempts to seize items by force, shall we all unite against them?" Hong Zhongshan looked at Feng Tianbao, then addressed the five or six masters standing at the front.

In addition to Hong Zhongshan and Ma Dingdang of the Northern School, and Feng Tianbao of the Southern School, Zhou Zixu from Xi'an, Takeda Takao from Japan, Wilson the Dark Blood assassin, and Lee Lin-hee from Korea stood at the forefront, while the others watched from a distance.

"That is only natural. Since we are exerting effort together to break the barrier, the contents should be divided among us. Anyone else who dares to snatch them will be our enemy," Zhou Zixu of Xi'an responded first.

"This approach is feasible. However, what one finds belongs to oneself; if you find nothing, it's your own bad luck," Takeda Takao of Japan said with a smirk, confident in his superior speed and certain he would be the first to rush inside.

"Fine. Whoever dares to snatch my loot, I will take their life," Wilson the Dark Blood assassin threatened bluntly.

The surrounding martial arts masters merely scoffed in silence. None of them replied or participated; instead, they watched cautiously, hoping to gauge the situation within the underground palace.

"Boom!"

At that moment, the masters launched their attack on the defensive barrier. Their fierce strikes slammed into the light shield, causing it to tremble, but it did not break. Chen Fengyun, however, noticed that this defensive formation was anchored to the ground, where several points emitted faint spiritual fluctuations, providing energy to the shield.

"So that's how it is. It seems this ancient sect was quite formidable, with enough influence to use spirit stones to maintain the defensive arrays of their buildings, and for so long, at that."

Chen Fengyun’s divine sense detected white, bean-sized stones at the foundation points—the source of the array’s energy.

"There must still be considerable spiritual energy in these stones. I cannot let them waste it; I shall give them a helping hand," Chen Fengyun thought. He retreated behind a massive boulder, concealing his presence.

He summoned his flying sword, guiding it into the earth toward one of the array's foundation points. By destroying these bases, the barrier's defense would plummet, making it easy to shatter while preserving the spirit stones themselves.

"Boom!"

Just as the masters had launched several attacks with the barrier only wobbling, Chen Fengyun seized the opportunity to destroy one of the foundation points. To the surprise of the others, cracks appeared on the light shield, stirring them into a frenzy of excitement. With the foundation destroyed, not only could Chen Fengyun’s divine sense enter the barrier, but his flying sword also tunneled through the ground and into the building.

"Boom!"

The group attacked again, and the cracks on the shield widened. As it neared collapse, the flying sword emerged from the ground inside the building, allowing Chen Fengyun’s divine sense to scan the interior instantly.

"What a pity, there is nothing here." Chen Fengyun shook his head. It was not a living quarter but a meditation chamber; aside from a straw cushion on the floor, it was empty.

"Boom!"

As the masters finally shattered the barrier, Chen Fengyun used his flying sword to retrieve the cushion and the bean-sized spirit stones from beneath the floor. Meanwhile, the others scrambled into the building, searching frantically for treasure.

"Why is there nothing here?"
"Why is there a hole in the floor?"
"Look, the soil seems fresh. Did someone get here before us?"
"Did anyone find anything good?"

The scene inside was chaotic, yet they found nothing of value. Several masters, in their rage, dismantled the entire building, but aside from some decent construction materials, they gained nothing. They noticed the hole in the floor, and though Chen Fengyun had filled it with dirt when his sword withdrew, their suspicions were aroused, though they had no proof.

"Whew..."

Outside, Chen Fengyun calmly retracted his flying sword. He held the straw cushion and the spirit stones. To his disappointment, the cushion was ordinary and contained no special energy. The spirit stones, however, were indeed imbued with spiritual energy. His cultivation system vibrated, eager to absorb them, but Chen Fengyun decided to store both the cushion and the stones in his miniature heavenly realm for later use.

He believed that within this underground palace, he would find other items containing special energy—like the archway at the entrance—which would provide enough attribute points to raise his cultivation level. Spirit stones were rare and hard to come by; if he absorbed them now, he might regret it later. After all, attribute points were for his personal use, while spirit stones could potentially be used for his earth dragon.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

The masters emerged from the ruins, some clutching building materials, others empty-handed.

"A waste of effort," Feng Tianbao muttered as he returned.

"The underground palace is vast. Let us keep searching; perhaps there are treasures further ahead," Chen Fengyun advised. The Southern School members nodded and continued to search. On the other side, the Northern School also resumed their search, while the other masters staked out their own areas. However, they had to rely solely on their eyes, unlike Chen Fengyun, who had already swept the surroundings with his divine sense.

"There is a bronze lamp here. You should take it," Chen Fengyun said shortly after. Having confirmed it was not a magical artifact, he let Chu Wangshu keep it.