Chapter 113: Chapter 112: Dragon-Caging Array

"Martial Uncle, are you ready?"

「Three days later.」

Taoist Yi Hong stood in an open area at the edge of the village, watching Gu Zhao hold a Wooden Token dozens of feet away.

Taoist Yi Hong shook his head. "This Array just combines the Great Dragon-locking Array and the Shangqing Great Forbidden Dragon Binding Talisman. You haven’t even incorporated any Thunder Technique, so it’s not dangerous. What’s there to prepare for?"

"But the Dragon-Binding Talisman will restrain Divine Sense and Magical Power, and it also restricts your physical strength. You’d better be careful not to trip. That would be pretty embarrassing," Gu Zhao said with a grin.

Taoist Yi Hong clicked his tongue. "You’re not going to use your full strength from the get-go, are you?"

Gu Zhao just blinked without a word.

The next moment, Taoist Yi Hong’s eye twitched. The space around him suddenly constricted, as if dozens of iron chains had materialized from thin air. They instantly bound his hands, feet, limbs, and torso, and were even seeping through his skin, invading his very being.

Taoist Yi Hong felt his Divine Sense and Magical Power being suppressed. Even his physical strength was nearly drained away. His legs gave out from under him, and he staggered, about to collapse.

But just as he was about to hit the ground, the iron chains seemed to slacken, allowing him just enough strength to regain his footing.

"Damn!" Taoist Yi Hong was floored. He immediately circulated his True Qi, trying to expel the chains from his body.

But the chains were not without a power source. One end was locked onto him, while the other seemed connected to the void itself, feeding a ceaseless torrent of Magical Spiritual Qi that bound him tight.

Bound by the chains, Taoist Yi Hong felt it took immense effort just to swing his sabre or even move, to say nothing of casting techniques and fighting simultaneously.

"Break!"

With a sharp roar, Taoist Yi Hong’s Inner Breath True Qi erupted, shattering the chains inside him. In a flash, he was gone from his original position.

But Gu Zhao had already locked onto Taoist Yi Hong. He poured Magical Power into the Wooden Token, and the Shangqing Great Forbidden Dragon Binding Runes carved into the surrounding Purple Sandalwood stakes flared to life, transforming into iron chains that lashed out at the Taoist.

The Array was formed by eight stakes, producing eight chains. Once they ensnared Taoist Yi Hong, they clung to him like a festering disease, constantly trying to invade his body to bind his Divine Soul and Magical Power.

Distracted by fending off the chains, Taoist Yi Hong could only bring fifty or sixty percent of his full power to bear.

"Alright, alright!" Taoist Yi Hong waved his hands frantically. "That’s enough!"

Gu Zhao cut off the flow of Magical Power, dispelling the binding effect. He smiled and asked, "So, what do you think, Uncle?"

"If the White Wolf King were to show up now, with this Dragon-Binding effect, he would never be able to break through the Dragon-locking Array," Taoist Yi Hong said. "What’s this new Array called?"

Gu Zhao put away the Wooden Token. "This Array combines the effects of the Great Dragon-locking Talisman and the Shangqing Great Forbidden Dragon Binding Talisman. Qingyan and I came up with a name for it: the Dragon-Caging Array."

Taoist Yi Hong nodded. "One to lock, one to bind... it certainly has the feel of a cage. Locking a dragon and binding a dragon makes a caged dragon. A fitting name. I hope this Array can truly cage a True Dragon one day."

"You’ve got some high hopes," Gu Zhao chuckled. "We’re supposed to be descendants of the dragon, you know."

Taoist Yi Hong raised a single palm. "Blessed Infinite Celestial Venerable."

It was as if he had said nothing, and yet, he had said it all.

Taoist Yan Song stepped forward. "It’s a shame this thing is so cumbersome. Otherwise, we could just storm Three Extremes Mountain. Wouldn’t that make things easy?"

Gu Zhao was speechless. ’This one’s even more bloodthirsty.’

’You’re all in your seventies and eighties,’ Gu Zhao thought. ’You should be at that wise, tranquil age where you understand the will of heaven and your heart’s desires. Why is every single one of you more hot-headed than a teenager?’

"In the web novels I’ve read, people use Array Flags. They’re portable, so you can set up an Array anytime, anywhere," Taoist Yan Song said with a laugh. "We’re old, but your minds are sharp. You should look into it."

Gu Zhao, "..."

...

「Changzhou Prefecture, Three Extremes Mountain.」

A sprawling complex of buildings, a mix of grand halls and rough-hewn caves, dotted the mountainside. Magnificent palaces stood beside dilapidated wooden huts, all scattered in twos and threes across the shady slope, seldom touched by the sun.

A hulking, dark-skinned man woke from a drunken stupor. He shook his head and asked a serving girl beside him, "Has the Second King returned?"

"N-no..." the servant girl replied timidly.

"Hmm?" A cold glint flashed in the hulking man’s eyes. The servant girl flinched and couldn’t help but take a small step back.

"Three days, and he’s still not back!" The hulking man rolled out of bed. Seeing the girl’s terrified expression, he sneered, "Are you that scared of me?"

"R-Replying to the Great King, this humble servant is not afraid." The girl lowered her head, her eyes fixed on the floor.

"That’s right. Because being afraid is useless!" The hulking man roared with laughter. He then thrust his hand straight through the servant girl’s chest, ripped out her heart, and shoved the bloody organ into his mouth.

The girl’s face was a mask of horror. Her mouth gaped open, but no sound escaped. The light faded rapidly from her eyes as she collapsed to the floor.

"Clean this up," the hulking man ordered nonchalantly. He then left the room, gnawing on the still-beating heart.

After he left, two men in sackcloth entered. Their faces were numb, but their bodies trembled as they began to deal with the girl’s corpse.

The hulking man strode toward the mountain’s main cavern. Every servant he passed along the way dropped to their knees, not daring to look up. "Great King!"

This hulking man was none other than the master of Three Extremes Mountain, the Black Bear King.

As the Black Bear King made his way to the main hall, he saw a disheveled woman stumble out of a side chamber. Before she could even scream for help, a large, dark hand shot out and dragged her back inside.

The Black Bear King glanced back to see a man who resembled him poke his head out. "Father."

"Where’d you get her?"

"Snatched her off the main road."

The Black Bear King nodded, unconcerned. He ignored the vacant, horrified look in the woman’s eyes as she saw the heart in his hand. In a couple of bites, he shoved the last of it into his mouth, wiped his hand on his clothes, and strode into the main hall of Three Extremes Mountain.

"Big Brother." A plain-faced man in yellow robes hurried forward as the Black Bear King entered the hall.

"Any word from Second Brother?" the Black Bear King asked.

"None." The Yellow Dog King shook his head. "Sanwei and Rou Niang haven’t come back either."

The Black Bear King snarled. "Old Ghost Golden Wind?"

"Couldn’t be him." The Yellow Dog King shook his head. "He hasn’t left Changping Prefecture lately. Besides, he seems to be renovating the Golden Wind Hall, acting all secretive. No idea what he’s plotting."

The Black Bear King fell silent.

"Do you think they were just held up by something?" the Yellow Dog King asked.

The Black Bear King let out a cold laugh. "Do you believe that?"

The Yellow Dog King didn’t believe it either.

The Black Bear King shot the Yellow Dog King a meaningful glance. "Maybe it was the Spirit Court."

The Yellow Dog King licked his lips, saying nothing.

Bian Ancestor is dead. Rumor has it the River Demons in Bian Palace are now at each other’s throats.

The Golden Wind Sect lost Consort Yu and several Guardians, and now the Golden Wind Divine King has suddenly gone quiet.

Now it’s Three Extremes Mountain’s turn. The messenger sent to the Second Young Master returned, saying he’d vanished. The White Wolf King went to investigate, and now he’s gone silent too.

Is this the work of a single group?

Or are there several different forces targeting them?

It seemed a storm was brewing over Changping Prefecture.