Chapter 242: Chapter 242: Bizarre Ancient Formation

Ye Xuan planned to use the Mist Array as the foundation for a new estate. Once it was built, the entire Ye family would be under the Mist Array’s protection.

This Tier Six Mist Array belonged to the ancient lineage of Puzzle and Trapping Arrays. It was incredibly powerful, and though no one knew who had originally established it, its presence alone could shield the Ye family from disaster.

The Wei family had simply been unlucky to run into an Array Master like Ye Xuan, which was why their defenses had been so easily breached. Otherwise, even if Li Yifeng had led the hundred-thousand-strong Golden Lion Corps to attack, he likely would have struggled to break through the Mist Array and capture Wei Hong and his men.

Ye Xuan had been constantly worried that the Shadow Killing Sect would move against his family. This Mist Array was the solution. Without a Tier Six Martial Venerable, breaking a Tier Six Array was simply impossible.

So, as soon as he stepped outside, Ye Xuan turned his full attention to the Mist Array.

Upon careful inspection, he was immediately captivated by the array’s design.

This Mist Array was a Tier Six, venerable-level array, belonging to an ancient school of array formation. However, it was vastly different from the schools of ancient arrays Ye Xuan knew. It seemed to be completely integrated with the world itself, concealed within the void. It was so well-hidden that if the passage of thousands of years hadn’t caused some of its Array Bases to surface, it would have been impossible for someone at Lv Hao’s level as a Fourth Grade Soul Refiner to ever discover it.

’What a unique method of construction.’ After observing the entire Mist Array, Ye Xuan couldn’t help but marvel. The person who had established this array must have possessed a truly heaven-defying mastery of Array Formation, one that was no weaker than Ye Xuan’s own in his past life. The way certain patterns and Array Bases were handled clearly showed that this Array Master’s understanding had reached the absolute pinnacle.

But what puzzled Ye Xuan was that his keen eye could tell the array had been constructed at least several thousand years ago. Typically, arrays used Profound Stones for power. If left inactive, they would usually deplete their energy after a few decades or a century and become defunct.

But this Mist Array was clearly thousands of years old. Ye Xuan had initially assumed it was still active because Lv Hao’s group had added a new power source, but a closer look proved him wrong, and he grew suspicious. He paced back and forth, carefully examining every part of the array, every single pattern. His Soul Sense, which had just broken through to the Fourth Grade, permeated each Array Base, comprehending everything within.

"Huh!" After a full several hours of observation, Ye Xuan suddenly gasped in surprise. His brow furrowed as a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"What a peculiar array!" Ye Xuan exclaimed. He had finally figured it out. The Mist Array wasn’t powered by Profound Stones at all. The few shattered Profound Stones on the outer Array Bases were merely a smokescreen. Its true power source came from beneath. Several of the array’s patterns faintly connected to the deep earth below, continuously drawing waves of cryptic energy.

’What on earth is hidden beneath this estate that it can provide an endless supply of energy?’ Ye Xuan was inwardly alarmed. If he hadn’t been a Ninth-level Imperial Tutor of Array Formation in his past life, even a regular Array Grandmaster would have never been able to discern this.

Ye Xuan felt a flicker of hesitation as an ominous feeling welled up inside him. The Mist Array was far too strange; it was unlike any ordinary ancient array. If something dangerous was hidden below, building the Ye family estate on top of it would be catastrophic if that something were ever disturbed.

But Ye Xuan was unwilling to simply abandon the Mist Array. After all, with his current cultivation, the most he could deploy were Fifth-level Arrays—and some of the weaker ones at that. If the Shadow Killing Sect were to target the Ye family, a mere Fifth-level Array would be completely unable to stop their assault.

After long deliberation, Ye Xuan finally made his decision: he would proceed with building the estate on the foundation of the Mist Array.

This ancient Mist Array had been here for thousands of years. Since it had remained peaceful for so long, he reasoned that as long as they were careful, it was unlikely an accident would conveniently occur now. Besides, whatever was hidden beneath the array wasn’t necessarily dangerous.

Most importantly, using the Mist Array to protect the Ye family was only a temporary measure. In a couple of years, once his strength had recovered further, he was confident he could discover what was hidden beneath Tianxu Province. If it turned out to be something dangerous, moving the Ye family away then wouldn’t be a major issue.

With that thought, Ye Xuan’s resolve solidified.

With his current cultivation, he still couldn’t set up a Tier Six Array on his own. And apart from him, the Ye family had no other skilled Array Masters. To enable his clansmen to control the Mist Array, Ye Xuan had to modify its original structure.

Ye Xuan didn’t act rashly. He observed it carefully for a long time until a plan finally formed in his mind.

Soon, the materials he requested were delivered.

Although the Mist Array was unique and powerful, far beyond his current ability to create from scratch, and even though ancient arrays were a special case, the field of Array Formation had evolved over countless years. Many ancient schools had been lost to the river of history, but the art itself had been continuously streamlined and perfected. For Ye Xuan, making a few simple modifications wasn’t a particularly difficult task.

Even so, it still took Ye Xuan a full half a month to complete the modifications to the Mist Array.

Within that half month, with the help of Li Yifeng’s hundred-thousand-strong army, the Ye family estate was fully constructed. An incredibly lavish complex, spanning nearly ten square li, now stood before everyone’s eyes.

"Grandfather, Father, Uncle, this is the control center for the Mist Array. It’s actually mobile. You see, the truly important component is this control sphere. I forged it using a unique technique, and only Profound Power cultivated from the Unrivaled Earth Destruction Skill can operate it. I have also imprinted the control methods for the Mist Array inside. You just need to permeate it with your Profound Sense to learn how to operate the array."

"Oh?" Hearing Ye Xuan’s explanation, the old man’s interest was piqued. He placed his right hand on the Crystal Ball and guided his Profound Power into it with his Profound Sense. Instantly, every corner of the estate appeared with perfect clarity in his mind. At the same time, on a mirror-like surface before them, images of clansmen coming and going throughout the estate materialized.

After a brief moment of learning, the old man immediately grasped the controls. With a single thought, the entire King Ye Estate vanished in an instant. Everyone inside felt as if they had been plunged into a dense fog, completely unable to perceive their surroundings and totally cut off from their companions.

The sudden event threw the many servants and Ye family members into a panic. Only Ouyang Xiaoshan and the few others who knew what Ye Xuan had been working on were startled for a moment before they calmed themselves.

The old man focused his will again, and the boundless fog vanished, revealing the entire King Ye Estate to everyone once more.

"Grandfather, what you just used was the Mist Array’s puzzle effect. Beyond that, you can also trap enemies located in any region of the grand array, then command our clansmen to pick them off one by one. And that’s not all. After my modifications, the Mist Array has offensive capabilities as well. It can easily eliminate Tier Four Celestial Martial Artists, though it’s not as effective against Martial Sects of Tier Five and above. Against them, it can only cause some confusion and disarray." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Ye Xuan explained in detail.

"Haha, excellent! With this grand array, the Ye family is practically impregnable!" After fully understanding the Mist Array’s capabilities, Ye Batian and the other two men were dumbfounded and ecstatic. According to Ye Xuan, any Tier Five Martial Sect who entered would be trapped with no hope of escape. Even a Tier Six Martial Venerable, if caught inside, would need at least ten days to half a month to break free.

Ye Batian immediately issued an order: the control sphere was to be placed in the deepest part of the inner courtyard, put under strict guard, and no unauthorized person was to approach it.

The Ye family estate was divided into an inner and outer courtyard. The outer courtyard was where servants and other staff lived. The inner courtyard was where the direct line of the Ye family resided, and this deepest part was the family’s core forbidden ground. This place was accessible only to Ye Batian, Ye Xuan’s father Ye Zhanyun, and the Patriarch, Ye Zhanxiong. No one else in the family was permitted to enter.

After spending some more time at home, with the Floating Light Assembly drawing near, Ye Xuan finally departed from his family and returned to the Royal City.

Upon his arrival in the Royal City, Kuchen and the others had been waiting anxiously. Seeing Ye Xuan return, Kuchen heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Young friend Ye Xuan, you certainly kept us waiting. If you hadn’t returned soon, I was about to head to Tianxu Province to look for you myself."

Although the Floating Light Assembly was still more than a month away, the venue itself was a month’s journey from the Liuyun Kingdom. If they didn’t depart soon, they would risk being late.

Now that Ye Xuan had arrived, Liuyun Kingdom’s team of participants set out immediately.

Early the next morning, Ye Xuan made his way to the Royal City’s Soul Master Tower. By the time he arrived, a crowd of Soul Refiners had already gathered in the main hall.

"Is that the legendary Master Ye Xuan who cured His Majesty’s illness?"

"That’s him? Why is he so young?"

"How could he not be young? I heard he’s only sixteen. He joined the Profound Spirit Academy and graduated a year later as a Tier Two, Third Layer Martial Artist. I wonder if he’s broken through to become an Earth Martial Artist by now."

"A sixteen-year-old Tier Three Earth Martial Artist? I doubt it. Our Liuyun Kingdom hasn’t seen a genius like that in the past century."

"I heard he’s the reason the whole Royal City was turned upside down. Several marquises lost their lives, and even a few Princes were implicated."