Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 1035 Stone King, Attack!
After sensing the trajectory of fate that seemed to be manipulated by an unseen hand, Xu Xuan couldn't help but sigh softly:
"The myriad destinies of Heaven are to be sought here; the rise and fall of the world are not within our control."

Although these words, spoken by this "source of causal pollution," carry a hint of irony, upon closer examination of the various controversies he has personally been involved in over the past few years, they do indeed have a certain aptness.

It could even be said that it is precisely because of the saying "a long illness makes a good doctor" that a kind of almost instinctive intuition has been cultivated in countless entanglements with fate and calamities.

The so-called "Yuhe Ancient Road" ruins are not merely auspicious omens; on the contrary, they conceal some enormous risks!
Moreover, this risk is escalating and has even threatened humanitarian safety.

Otherwise, why would fate go to such lengths to precisely "arrange" all of these young people, who are all blessed with "protagonist auras," to be placed in this city?

Of course, Xu Xuan was an extremely decisive person.

While I may feel a sense of unease, I will never pretend not to know, nor will I recklessly walk headlong into a trap.

He immediately turned around and left the city again, went to a secluded place, crushed a specially made communication jade talisman, and sent a signal to summon the Stone King.

At this point, there was simply no time to temporarily transfer a suitable scout from the south.

Besides, the current situation may not be entirely a bad thing.

The "Yuhe Ancient Road" was not created by the Holy Father. If it can be resolved, we might be able to obtain some "heavenly benefits" or valuable information from it.

Although the Stone King was surprised that it had been summoned immediately after hiding in the deep mountains, it did not dare to delay and transformed into a yellow light, arriving in front of Xu Xuan at top speed.

"The time has come when the organization needs you."

Following the Great Turtle and King Kiricha, the Stone King also heard this familiar classic line that signifies an important mission.

"The legend of that underground river... is probably not auspicious; there may be evil spirits lurking below."

"The specifics are still unclear... You need to go underground and investigate carefully."

"Be careful and cautious. If you sense anything is wrong, retreat immediately. Safety first."

Upon hearing this, the Stone King's rock-like face remained expressionless, but a resolute light flashed deep within his stone eyes.

I have already made up my mind.

It is said that the Stone King was once a tyrant who dominated hundreds of miles of water, with countless demon soldiers and generals under his command. He was unruly and no one dared to provoke him.

Later, his business in the south was ruined, and he was forced to lose his job. After a series of job changes, he became Xu Xuan's bodyguard.

Now, they are even taking on the role of "spies" who infiltrate behind enemy lines to gather intelligence.

This change in identity is quite significant.

But at this moment, the Stone King felt no resentment at all; on the contrary, he felt that it was exactly what he wanted!
Having followed Xu Xuan for so long, from the misty Jiangnan region to the Central Plains and the North, I have witnessed and even been personally involved in countless momentous events that have shaken the land and been recorded in history.
Yet, amidst those magnificent scenes, a once-glorious old monster is relegated to an insignificant background, barely making a splash. Is that reasonable?!

It certainly knew that its most prized fighting techniques were no match for beings of the Huai River Monkey and the Underworld Overlord, so it was understandable that they were useless.

Even the celestial divination and earth vein perception abilities, which are relatively rare in the cultivation world and were once a source of pride, seemed to collectively malfunction during this journey north, repeatedly failing to be accurate.

This often left him feeling frustrated and embarrassed, as if he were a hero with no place to use his talents.

It's a disgrace to the bodyguard industry to always be protected by the people you need to protect.

You should know that even a stone has spirit and dignity!
At this moment, facing the task solemnly entrusted to him by Xu Xuan, the Stone King's deep, rock-grinding voice rang out, carrying an undeniable firmness:
"Don't worry, sir."

These four simple words represent a do-or-die spirit.

This time, there are no earth-shattering battles, no intricate heavenly secrets; it is the time to unleash the inherent power of earth and stone and demonstrate their true value!
This time, I must complete the task flawlessly and prove that I am no ordinary stone!

Having said that, the earth around him rolled silently, and his huge rocky body merged with the earth beneath his feet like a drop of water merging into the sea, leaving no trace. He then silently moved towards the legendary ancient road of the Yu River.

Xu Xuan looked at the ground where the Stone King had disappeared, and for some reason felt something was off.

Upon further reflection, it seemed that the Stone King's words, "Don't worry, young master," were somewhat strange.

In today's world, where can you find a copy that you can truly "reassure"? Which one isn't fraught with danger and unpredictable changes?

He wanted to chase after him immediately and remind him to "be sure to be steady and prioritize safety," but as he had learned before, the Stone King's escape techniques in water and earth were top-notch. Once he merged with the earth, he could travel thousands of miles in an instant, and it was already too late to catch up.

Well... I can only wish you good luck.

Xu Xuan gazed in the direction where the Stone King had left and silently added a blessing from the Holy Father.

Meanwhile, Shi Wang had quietly arrived near the ruins of the "Yuhe Ancient Road" outside Xingyang City, which had been sealed off by the government.

It did not dive directly underground into the core area, but cautiously emerged from behind a secluded earthen slope.

It seems the task is indeed quite challenging.

The area surrounding the ruins was secured with a special array designed to prevent practitioners of Qimen Dunjia from using earth-遁 (earth-遁) stealth techniques.

For the Stone King, this level of formation was not particularly difficult, but to bypass it completely silently would require considerable effort and was quite troublesome.

Furthermore, the presence of human qi and blood forming a military formation above can hinder the operation of spells; it would be awkward if you got stuck in the ground.

The young master said that caution is paramount.

After a moment's thought, he decided that he should infiltrate from the ground. So he used his magic to summon a thin cloud of mist, which further reduced the visibility of the already dim night.

Suddenly, the massive rock body became as light as a feather, landing silently, precisely avoiding dry branches and rubble with each step, and stealthily made its way into the camp like a ghost.

Do you even realize how prestigious the title of the former No. 1 Demon King of Dongting Lake truly is?
Even if we don't conquer cities and seize strongholds, we're top-notch at stealth.

However, when it silently arrived at the outskirts of the camp and hid in the shadows to observe carefully, it couldn't help but frown.

Such a tight defense... or rather, such an elaborate defense!
There are formations here, and multiple layers of alert and protective formations are stacked together.

Although these formations may appear dim and weak individually, there are quite a few of them, and their distribution is... very "amateurish".

It is precisely this "amateur" nature that is most troublesome.

The defensive capabilities have been greatly reduced, but the various formations with different functions are haphazardly superimposed and intertwined, interfering with each other and creating a chaotic situation. This has instead formed a sensitive area with no rules, where the alarm can be easily triggered if one is not careful.

To have gone so far as to neglect the essentials and pursue the trivial, I wonder if it was due to some wise person's guidance.

In contrast to the amateurish formation, the soldiers' patrols and defenses within the camp appeared exceptionally professional.

The complexity of the passwords, the overlapping coverage of the patrol routes, and the precise and seamless timing of the troop rotation all prove that this is no ordinary Tuen Mun garrison, but a well-trained and battle-hardened elite force.

Their equipment was also very sophisticated; their armor and weapons gleamed coldly in the night.

What's even more eye-catching is that there are several team leaders in the group who have special compasses, talismans and other magical artifacts hanging from their waists. They have a calm demeanor and sharp eyes, and are clearly the elite of the elite, specializing in dealing with unconventional situations.

The immense human energy and the imposing military aura mingled together, forming an invisible force field that enveloped the entire surrounding area.

In this environment, any ordinary cultivator who gets close will have their magical power greatly suppressed, dropping to a level almost like that of an ordinary person.

If one is a cultivator who has not yet "entered the Dao", they probably cannot even cast a basic spell.

"It seems the target is indeed here," Stone King thought to himself.

After all, this combination of "military formations controlling blood pressure + elite soldiers patrolling + magical artifacts leading the way" can stop more than 90% of cultivators and ensure the absolute safety of the core area of ​​the ruins.

But nothing could stop me!

Although the Stone King remained expressionless, he still harbored a degree of pride.

The art of divination can even roughly calculate the destiny of a true dragon, so it is naturally not easily suppressed by ordinary blood and qi or the evil aura of military formations.

This is because it is essentially about "observing" the trajectory of the heavens and their connection with all things, rather than directly "interfering" with reality through magical power.

As long as there are no higher-level causal illusions or calamities to interfere, one can align with the "Heavenly Heart" of the Heavenly Dao's operation, follow the mysterious trajectory to deduce, and be successful in everything.

However, as the saying goes, "Fortune tellers sacrifice their own fortune in exchange for knowledge."

Peeping into the secrets of heaven is never without a price; the greater the price paid, the clearer and more accurate the information obtained is often.

Those imperial historians who met tragic ends proved this point through their own fates.

What the Stone King is even more proud of is that, in addition to its unique talent for observing the heavens, it also possesses a vast and boundless capacity for calculation and deduction.

During my studies at Baoan Hall, I carefully studied Professor Qin's works on mathematics and physics from Chongqi Academy.

Now is the perfect time to combine theory with practice.

He stood quietly in the thin mist he had summoned, as if he had become part of the environment, and observed intently for a whole hour.

He memorized the rotation times, fixed routes, and even the subtle habitual movements of all the patrolling soldiers, and at the same time, he used the art of divination to roughly estimate the most likely direction of the core area.

Then he calmly stepped inside.

Yes, it was just like taking a stroll; I walked in openly and naturally.

The flickering firelight, the elongated shadows, the pervasive mist, the blind spots, the faint sounds from afar, and even the changing light and shadow cast by the moving clouds above... all become "tools" that it can use.

As for those scattered warning formations, those that could be avoided were cleverly avoided, and those that could not be completely avoided but were of low level were simply concealed or interfered with by using extremely subtle earth elemental power.

Sometimes his steps were three steps forward and two steps back, matching the intervals between patrols; sometimes he would turn in all directions, stepping on the weak points where the spiritual light of the formation flowed.

It really didn't use much demonic power; it relied entirely on its perfect grasp of timing, environment, and formation principles, like an invisible ghost, silently sneaking in.

On one occasion, he even walked slowly past several worshippers who were sitting cross-legged and monitoring the fluctuations of the array, and they were completely unaware, still immersed in their meditation.

This is the absolute crushing of one's level of understanding, experience, and skill.

Leaving aside the abnormal events around Xu Xuan that frequently involve star destiny and the underworld, an old demon king of the third realm would be a powerful figure in the ordinary human world, capable of dominating a region and inspiring fear in countless cultivators.

Sure enough, even away from the "source of causal pollution," the Stone King was still the most powerful demon king.

However, when it successfully broke through the most stringent external defenses and entered the heavily protected internal area, it found that the situation inside was actually much simpler.

Surprisingly, there were not many soldiers guarding the area, and the elite patrol routes outside were deliberately kept away from this core area.

(End of this chapter)