Although his Soul Sense was only at the Peak of Third Grade, his control was exceptionally refined. Normally, he could shatter a Grade Four Array in an instant. Even against a Grade Five Array, he could at least unravel a portion of the puzzle array.

But now, before his Peak of Third Grade Soul Power could even begin to analyze and break this Array, it was blocked by a strange force. This showed that the Array’s strength was far more terrifying than he had initially imagined.

This kind of restrictive power didn’t seem like something a modern Array could produce. Typically, only ancient Arrays possessed such strength.

’This must be some kind of ancient Array, and a very high-level one at that. Since when could this City Lord’s Mansion deploy such an Array?’

Though alarmed, Ye Xuan showed no sign of panic. He stopped trying to forcefully break the great Array trapping them with his Soul Power. Instead, he took one step left, two steps forward, then one step right, moving continuously, his feet seeming to follow a mysterious, runic rhythm.

BUZZ!

A unique, mysterious ripple spread out from the center of his feet.

The surrounding mist immediately dissipated in part, revealing the bewildered figure of Ouyang Xiaoshan.

"Young Master Xuan."

Ouyang Xiaoshan, who had been dizzy and disoriented in the distance, cried out in pleasant surprise upon seeing Ye Xuan.

"Ouyang Xiaoshan, move on my command."

Ye Xuan spoke calmly, sending a series of instructions directly into Ouyang Xiaoshan’s ears. Ouyang Xiaoshan was startled for a moment, then immediately began to move his feet in quick succession.

The mysterious ripple once again spread out from the center of their two pairs of feet. Gradually, a few more members of the Imperial Guard came into view.

"All of you, move on my command..."

Ye Xuan continuously directed the Imperial Guard members as they appeared. What he was controlling was a profound operational method of the Hundred Linked Array. Gradually, all eighty-plus members of the Imperial Guard who had practiced the Hundred Linked Array came into view, each standing on a specific array node.

However, the members of the Ye family and the dozen or so people who hadn’t mastered the Hundred Linked Array were nowhere to be seen.

"Young Master Xuan, where are the others?" Ouyang Xiaoshan couldn’t help but ask.

"They’re right beside us, but because they aren’t standing on the nodes of the Hundred Linked Array, we can’t perceive their presence. Now, everyone listen to me. Move according to the positions I command."

Under Ye Xuan’s command, the many Imperial Guards began to move in a rapid flow. At the same time, Ye Xuan’s hands continuously formed one seal after another, merging them into the surrounding space.

Gradually, the white mist between everyone quickly vanished. Then, Ye Batian and the others’ figures began to appear among the group, until everyone had shown up with bewildered expressions.

"Young Master Xuan, did we break the Array?" Ouyang Xiaoshan asked in pleasant surprise.

Ye Xuan shook his head. "The Array isn’t broken. I just used the Hundred Linked Array to isolate an independent space within the enemy’s Array. Everyone, be careful. The enemy’s Array is terrifying. It must be some kind of ancient Array, at least Grade Five or higher. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a Grade Six Venerable-level Array."

A Grade Six Venerable-level Array?

Everyone was stunned. A Grade Six Venerable-level Array could only be set up by a Tier Six Array Grandmaster at the very least. Such a figure was impossible to find in the entire Liuyun Kingdom.

As for a Grade Six Array, they had never even heard of one, let alone seen one before.

But now, they were actually trapped inside such an Array.

What shocked them even more was that, under Young Master Xuan’s command, they had actually used the Hundred Linked Array to carve out an independent space within this Grade Six ancient Array, free from its control. ’Just what kind of terrifying Array is this Hundred Linked Array that Young Master Xuan taught us?’

At this thought, all the Imperial Guards were dumbfounded, deeply shaken by how formidable Ye Xuan was.

"Young Master Xuan, what do we do now? Can the Hundred Linked Array break this Array?"

Ye Xuan’s expression was grave. "It’s difficult. The Hundred Linked Array is actually no weaker than their Array. It’s just that your understanding of Arrays is too limited, so you can’t bring out its true essence. More importantly, your own strength is too weak."

All the members of the Imperial Guard looked ashamed.

Staring at the vast expanse of white all around them, everyone felt clueless and at a loss, though they weren’t panicking.

Although they had carved out a unique space within the Array, free from its control, they couldn’t even see the path ahead. How were they supposed to find Wei Hong and the others, let alone break the Array?

After Ye Xuan and his group used the Hundred Linked Array to isolate an independent space, Wei Hong and the others, who were in a room deep within the mansion, also showed expressions of astonishment.

"Oh? They’ve got a few tricks. What kind of Array did they set up? To actually carve out a separate space within this Mist Array, free from its restrictions... Impressive, truly impressive," the man in the colorful robe said repeatedly, his eyes flashing with amazement.

"Master Lv Hao, does that mean they’ve broken the great Array?"

"It’s not that easy." Lv Hao sneered. "Governor Wei Hong, this ancient Mist Array around your mansion is a Grade Six Venerable-level Array. If it could be broken so easily, why would I have cared about it so much, spending all this time researching it? Don’t you worry. This Mist Array is just a Puzzle Array and a Trapping Array. You’re well aware that I haven’t even used the real killing techniques yet. Once I do, no matter what heaven-defying tricks those guys have, they’ll have no escape from certain death."

Lv Hao cackled sinisterly.

Hearing Lv Hao mention the "real techniques," Fang Tianhong and the others nearby seemed to recall something. Their expressions changed abruptly, revealing looks of fear and dread.

「Within the Great Array!」

"Young Master Xuan, what do we need to do now?"

Ouyang Xiaoshan and the others were like headless chickens inside the great Array, completely unable to find a way out.

"You don’t need to do anything. Watch me break this Array!" Ye Xuan observed the great Array carefully for a long time, then suddenly snorted. "Divine Spirit Gaze—Break Illusion!"

His eyes suddenly transformed into deep, cyan pools. A formidable Soul Power blasted out in all directions, and soon, the surrounding situation began to appear within his pupils.

A messy courtyard, ruined buildings... The entire City Lord’s Mansion flickered in and out of view, heavy with an air of death and completely devoid of life. To his surprise, corpses were scattered everywhere in every corner of the mansion. From their appearance, they were all servants of this City Lord’s Mansion.

The blood around them had not yet coagulated, meaning they had died not long ago. Yet their bodies were like dried husks, just skin and bones, a terrifying sight. Their eyes were all wide open, filled with utter terror, and their faces were twisted, clearly having endured excruciating torture before death.

Ye Xuan’s pupils returned to their normal clarity, but his face was slightly pale, a clear sign that he had consumed a great deal of Soul Power.

Chen Xing couldn’t help but ask, "Young Master Xuan, how is it? Did you see anything?"

Ye Xuan regulated his breathing for a moment, then opened his eyes and said calmly, "Dried corpses. The mansion is filled with dried corpses. They should be the original staff of the City Lord’s Mansion."

Horror flickered in everyone’s eyes. They asked in shock, "Dried corpses? Where did dried corpses come from? Could it be that before we arrived, Governor Wei Hong killed all his own men and fled? But isn’t that method too ruthless? To kill all his subordinates just to cover his tracks!"

Ye Xuan stared at the empty white light before them and said slowly, "Not necessarily. This ancient Array is currently active; it’s impossible for it to run like this without someone controlling it. Moreover, this person’s skill in Arrays is by no means weak. It seems the situation here is more complicated than I thought. Everyone, pay attention and don’t get separated. The way those servants in the mansion died is extremely strange. We need to be extra careful."

Ouyang Xiaoshan couldn’t help but say, "But Young Master Xuan, we can’t even walk around in this Array."

"Don’t worry, just watch me," Ye Xuan said calmly. A series of array flags suddenly appeared in his hands. With a flurry of movements, he tossed the flags one by one. Like swifts, they flew into the hazy white mist and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Just as everyone was staring in utter amazement at Ye Xuan’s actions,

"Disperse!"

Ye Xuan let out a low shout. An invisible force emanated from the surrounding white mist, and then the mist began to scatter. Everything around them gradually became clear, revealing an open space of over a thousand meters in radius.

The scene before them was exactly as his Divine Spirit Gaze had shown, only even more shocking to behold. Numerous servants from the City Lord’s Mansion lay scattered about, their bodies shriveled and devoid of blood and life force. The blood on the ground had turned almost purplish-black, emitting a heaven-piercing stench that assaulted the nostrils.

Seeing this, the two young women, Leng Yingying and Feng Rouyi, immediately showed expressions of disgust. Nausea welled up inside them, and they both furrowed their brows. If not for their considerable cultivation, they probably would have started vomiting uncontrollably.

"What a disgusting method," Ouyang Xiaoshan said angrily, his face dark. Suddenly, his brows knitted together, and he let out a cry of surprise. "Huh? Young Master Xuan, there are no wounds on these bodies. How did they die?"

The other members of the Imperial Guard nearby also let out cries of surprise. On the shriveled corpses before them, they couldn’t find a single wound. There was only blood flowing from their seven orifices, a truly miserable sight.

Following Ye Xuan’s lead, the group proceeded deeper. Along the way, Ye Xuan continuously threw out array flags, and the cleared space grew larger and larger. The number of corpses appearing around them also increased.

「In a room deep within the mansion.」

"Well, I’ll be. The kid actually has tricks like this." The man in the colorful robe watched Ye Xuan on the mirrored surface, his eyes flickering with surprise. He murmured in astonishment, "This kid’s method of breaking the Array is incredibly refined. To actually find several nodes in this Mist Array and break the whole by attacking single points... it’s unbelievable. Even if it were me, I’m not sure I could do it as effortlessly as he does. I never thought a small kingdom within the Thirteen Nations Alliance could produce such an Array genius. He would be an excellent choice for a disciple."

The man in the colorful robe actually felt a stir of appreciation for his talent.