A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 113 Cloud Nest Lights Up

The flying fish arrived silently, yet their momentum was overwhelming.

However, after the previous arrow strike, Bai Tong had gained some understanding of the characteristics of this flying fish. With a flick of his wrist, he drew the bow seven-tenths open, and four feathered arrows were simultaneously nocked and fired.

"Arrow-making self-imposed prison order!"

After the arrows fell, they lined up in the passage ahead, and purple light curtains rose up, connecting and merging to completely block the passage.

Bai Tong's archery skills were initially derived from the spiritual cultivation methods he obtained from the world of "Inuyasha". Later, in the Reincarnator Base, he obtained the "Red Bow Demon-Slaying Order" from the Jade Hall, one of the eight sects of Kunlun in the world of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy".

The most ingenious aspect of this technique is that it uses arrows as talismans wherever spiritual energy reaches. Although it always appears to involve shooting with a bow and arrow, it actually has multiple effects such as encirclement, illusion, defense, exorcism, and healing.

This set of arrows is specifically designed for spirit beings.

The light barrier formed by the four arrows looked thin, but when the flying fish at the front crashed into it, it was as solid as a copper wall or iron barrier.

In that instant, hundreds of flying fish, their sharp, javelin-like upper jaws, crashed into the light screen, bending violently and ejecting their bodies with soft chirps.

However, the number of these flying fish was countless for a time. After a mere hundred were thwarted, the flying fish continued to surge forward one after another, like waves crashing against the purple light screen.

The four feathered arrows embedded in the ground began to tremble.

Just to be on the safe side, Bai Tong had already moved the flying carpet back to the more spacious area of ​​the stone chamber.

"The fish in the cloud nests rise at dusk and work tirelessly through the night, only resting when the sun shines."

Lu Chunhua quickly and steadily took out a trophy-shaped lamp from her backpack. As she pressed the switch on the base, she said with a hint of delight, "This array change is best suited for use in fixed underground structures. It was very difficult to break in ancient times, but for us now, there is a clever way."

"Don't let the flying carpet move backward, let's just squeeze through."

She raised the lamp in her hand high, took two steps forward, and stood with Bai Tong at the front of the flying carpet.

White Copper hesitated for a moment.

Behind him, Guan Luoyang said leisurely, "She seems to know a lot."

Bai Tong took a purple crystal arrowhead, a long arrow with a vermilion shaft, nocked it on the string, drew the bow three-tenths open, and prepared himself. He then channeled spiritual energy into his feet, accelerating the flying carpet.

When the arrows nocked on the bowstring touched the purple light barrier, the four arrows pinned to the ground shattered simultaneously.

But the faint, colorless spiritual energy was drawn from the purple light curtain, forming an ellipse with the arrow on the bowstring as its fulcrum, enveloping the flying carpet and the three people on it.

A surging tide of flying fish rushed in, but unexpectedly, these flying fish no longer used the sharp part of their mouths to attack.

They swung their bodies with incredible agility, deliberately changing direction as they slid past the spiritual energy shield.

Although the sheer number and overcrowding still put some pressure on the shield, it was much better than the expected situation for the white copper shield.

"This is a lamp I prepared that can simulate the changes in the solar spectrum. Although it can't compare to the light emitted by the real sun's nuclear fusion, it is about 70 to 80 percent similar in terms of the characteristics of the light alone."

Lu Chunhua held up the lamp in her hand, and the light shone through the colorless spiritual energy shield onto the flying fish.

The flying fish, which originally seemed to be made of hazy mist, appeared to have translucent fish skeletons under this light, and became much more docile from its frantic attack.

The flying carpet moved forward amidst the crowded school of fish. All around, in front, behind, and to the sides, were translucent fish floating and swimming. The fish skeletons reflected the light, creating a dreamlike and ethereal beauty.

Guan Luoyang reached out and touched the lamp. It felt warm, and it didn't seem much different from a household light bulb.

"This harmless light has such a miraculous effect; it seems we underestimated Miss Lu."

The force of these flying fish striking is no less than that of machine gun bullets. The key is that they have no physical form, making them even more difficult to defend against, and they fill the entire passage, leaving no way to avoid them.

Originally, Guan Luoyang and his group would have had to go through a lot of trouble to get through here.

Lu Chunhua, who has a deep understanding of the characteristics of fish, can easily create a safe passage with just a light here.

"Everything in the universe is interconnected and mutually restraining; every rule has its counter. An ordinary person like me cannot possibly overcome all odds with sheer force, so I can only rely on reading more books and making more preparations to increase my chances of survival."

Lu Chunhua solemnly and cautiously observed the school of fish and said, "Among the four formations, Cloud Nest is the most unpredictable. Although it uses flying fish as its form, it is still difficult to guard against any deeper dangers. We still cannot let our guard down."

As they spoke, the flying carpet finally passed through the school of fish, and the huge number of flying fish slowly drifted away, leaving an empty space ahead.

Anyone who experiences the transition from extreme crowding to such spaciousness and quietness will inevitably feel a little relaxed.

Just then, a huge shadow suddenly rushed towards them from between the two walls.

The white copper bowstring was drawn back, and with this action, a large amount of spiritual power was poured into the arrowhead. The purple light was dazzling, and the colorless spiritual power shield appeared almost solid in an instant, and it was clear at a glance that the defensive strength had increased dramatically.

However, the two enormous shadows did not collide directly with each other; instead, one struck the front of the shield from the left, and the other struck the rear of the shield from the right.

The protective shield floating in mid-air was not breached, but it was inevitably spun around by the combined force of the two impacts.

Lu Chunhua stumbled and fell onto the flying carpet.

White Copper leaped from the flying carpet and fired an arrow that grazed the massive shadow ahead, leaving a purple mark.

After landing, he flicked his longbow backward, causing the flying carpet to retract upward and envelop Lu Chunhua in protection.

Guan Luoyang also leaped backward, striking the enormous creature behind him with a palm strike that caused it to lose its balance and crash into the ground.

It turned out to be a manta ray, with a snow-white belly, a black back edge, and a pattern in the middle that resembled a white ghost face; it was also known as a devil ray.

After the manta ray landed, green energy surged around Guan Luoyang, and the temperature soared. He was about to strike down with even more force.

Suddenly, the manta ray's figure flipped to the side like a phantom and disappeared into the wall.

Guan Luoyang followed up with a horizontal palm strike, slamming it against the wall, causing the entire wall to tremble slightly.

The wall was of extraordinary quality. After he removed his palm, only a shallow palm print less than a centimeter deep was left on the wall. However, a trace of warm, light red blood flowed down from the palm print.

The palm strike, a convergence of essence, energy, and spirit, can injure both physical and spiritual beings. Although the manta ray escaped quickly, it was ultimately injured by the palm strike.

The two wounded manta rays were never seen again.

Guan Luoyang and Bai Tong continued forward, their flying carpet folded like a small pyramid, floating in mid-air, protecting Lu Chunhua.

A muffled sound came from inside. "Could you leave me a corner? I can't see anything outside, so I can't make any judgments."

White Copper glanced at it and pointed upwards with its finger.

At the top of the "pyramid," like a peeled banana, several corners are turned up, revealing a hole through which a head can peek out.

Lu Chunhua gripped the edge of the hole with both hands, tiptoed, and poked half her head out. She had changed into a safety helmet with a light and put it on her head.

Guan Luoyang, standing protectively behind her, happened to see that the few strands of hair on the back of her head, which had been carefully styled, had become messy, like a small animal sneaking out of a tree hole.

"ha!"

He chuckled somewhat inappropriately, then quickly returned to the main topic, "Miss Lu, I don't have much experience exploring ancient tombs and underground palaces, but along the way, I've had a subtle feeling."

"I don't know how much effort it must have taken to build this massive underground structure back then, but from the entrance to the stone chamber and here, the various mechanisms and array effects don't seem to be designed to completely bury and kill anyone who disturbs the tomb."

"Does it actually have the air of deliberately enticing people to delve deeper, a design to test those who come later?"

Lu Chunhua immediately replied, "I didn't say this was an ancient tomb, did I?"

Guan Luoyang: "Hmm?"

"This was never a tomb. It was an underground palace that Qiu Ran Ke built during his prime as the king of Buyeo to house a certain treasure."

Lu Chunhua continued, "In the 'Strange Tales of the Sea Kingdom' left by an unknown swordsman of the late Tang Dynasty, there is a legend about the king of Buyeo and an underground palace in the mountains."

"It is said that when the bearded man went to sea, he obtained a magical object that could grant immortality. However, for some unknown reason, he did not use it himself, but instead hid it in an underground palace, setting up numerous trials. Only those who could pass all the trials could obtain that treasure."

Guan Luoyang, in high spirits, said, "So it's a test? It's more interesting than I thought."

"Isn't Luo Bense afraid of eating himself to death with something left over from over a thousand years ago?"

Bai Tong gave a cold, sarcastic remark, but quickened his pace slightly.

In this world, those who possess extraordinary powers are nominally called fighters. However, the term "fighter" doesn't seem to have been around for very long, giving the impression that the history of extraordinary individuals is relatively short and recent.

In reality, many people who are nominally martial artists have inherited secret techniques from schools of martial arts from thousands of years ago. Their true extraordinary history coexists with the annals of humankind in this world and can be traced back thousands of years.

If the immortal treasure left behind by the Bearded Stranger really does retain its miraculous effects, then the white copper must never be allowed to fall into Luo Bense's hands.

………………

"Cough! Hmm!"

Luo Bense cleared his throat, feeling like he was about to sneeze, suspecting that he hadn't recovered from the effects of navigating those traps and formations earlier.

He was wearing a black and gray windbreaker, his hair was dyed jet black, but there were some visible stubble on his chin, as he hadn't had time to groom himself lately, and his canvas shoes were also stained quite a bit.

"Boss!" The assistant beside him handed him a teacup, looking exhausted. "The brothers are all tired. Why don't you rest here for a while?"

Luo Bense took a sip of tea, looked back, and nodded.

Most of his men who came with him this time have been lost. The remaining men may not be physically exhausted, but they do need a break psychologically.

But the results this time far surpassed those of his previous visits.

In the previous instances, when choosing between various paths, we encountered traps such as poison arrows, oil, pits, and crushing boulders. If we were not careful, we would lose our way and find it difficult to even break through the outermost perimeter.

This time, they have broken through at least three important checkpoints from the outermost perimeter.

The flying fish in the first level don't appear to have a physical form, but when they actually hit a person, they will directly take away a part of their flesh and blood.

The clothes and skin are still intact, but a piece of muscle will suddenly be missing, and patches of the body will shrivel up.

The sense of panic, combined with the impact of the flying fish piercing through his body, caused Luo Bense to lose eight of his tough and capable subordinates, and the others were also injured to varying degrees.

What's more troublesome is that those flying fish don't just charge once; they relentlessly pursue them, chasing them from the first-level stone chamber, taking countless detours until they reach the second level of the checkpoint, at which point they finally retreat in a sorry state.

The stone chambers and corridors on the second floor looked much quieter and more spacious, without those strange schools of fish, but at intervals there were a few sharp swords hanging in mid-air.

To avoid triggering the traps, the group carefully circled around them, but the anxious subordinates felt increasingly tense, their throats dry, cold sweat pouring down their backs, and their hearts pounding like drums.

It wasn't until the explosives expert responsible for carrying the bomb kept asking those around him for water, and the sweat coming out of his body was twice as much as the water he drank, that they realized something was amiss.

The man who usually liked to play with gunpowder and was so daring that it seemed like he was courting death, sweated profusely until he fainted and convulsed before his companions watched him die.

Emotions seemed to explode because of that person's death; some were so scared that they were sweating profusely, while others began to curse and rage, deliberately trying to detonate the swords hanging overhead.

Even though Luo Bense destroyed all the suspended swords, he still couldn't quell the extreme emotional changes among his subordinates. It wasn't until, with the guidance of the accomplice he had found, they escaped the second level of the checkpoint that everyone seemed to suddenly wake up from a nightmare and realize their previous abnormality.

That is the art of bird divination.

Hidden mechanisms emit inaudible fluctuations that disrupt a person's rational balance, like the songs of a hundred birds, guiding a particular emotion and taking over the entire mind and body.

If this continues for a while, their reason will be destroyed, and they will become madmen who are constantly sad, angry, or laughing.

However, the third layer of the formation is even more ferocious than this.

The art of windlessness.

As they stepped into a certain passage, suddenly all the surrounding stone walls stopped transforming, and the air became extremely viscous.

When you're inside, your whole body is stuck together, yet you feel empty and powerless.

Being unable to breathe through the mouth and nose is a minor matter. The group that Luo Bense brought were the most elite men under his command, and it was common for them to hold their breath for more than ten minutes.

But as their breathing stopped, their blood also abnormally and immediately tended to stop.

Luo Bense unleashed his full power, forcefully fighting his way out of that area. When he turned back to rescue his men, he found that more than a dozen of them were already dead, their bodies cold and lifeless.

Having finally passed through that dangerous area, it's only natural that we need to rest for a while.

As Luo Bense sipped his tea, regretting his loss, his gaze unconsciously drifted to the side.

There stood a young man with loose, flowing hair that reached his neck, wearing an ordinary tracksuit with the zipper open, revealing a black short-sleeved shirt with English letters tattooed on it.

A squirrel with pure gold fur and only a few white hairs on its forehead climbed onto the young man's left shoulder, its fluffy tail wrapping around his right shoulder.

This is Luo Bense's collaborator, the renowned treasure hunter of the past two years, Lang Shiqi.

He was feeding a squirrel some nuts in his hand, while two tall white men stood behind him, each carrying a large backpack filled with all sorts of rare and precious artifacts they had collected along the way.

There were only three people in the group, and having so few people really had its advantages; none of them died on the way.

If the other two were to encounter even the slightest danger, Lang Shiqi would be able to free up his hands and rescue them both from peril.

Lang Shiqi noticed the gazes fixed on him, looked up, chewed twice, and spat out a pink bubble.

Boo!

He continued chewing his bubble gum and walked towards Luo Bense: "Boss Luo, is something wrong again?"

Luo Bense took a sip of hot tea, exhaled, and said, "Looking at those two backpacks you're carrying, they're like mountains of gold and silver, dazzling my eyes."

Lang Shiqi smiled and said, "It was made clear beforehand that all the antiques and such would be mine, and you only need the treasure in the center of the underground palace."

"Of course, I was just making a few random remarks."

Luo Bense probed, seemingly unintentionally, "But brother, are you really not tempted or curious about that treasure?"

"It's probably a magical artifact, an ancient relic from a thousand years ago. Even if you manage to get your hands on it, who knows how long it would take to get used to it. In this day and age, as long as I have money, I can just pick something that suits me better."

Lang Shiqi said lazily, "It's the 21st century now. There are billions of people on this planet, more than a hundred times the population of ancient times. There's no shortage of materials or skilled craftsmen. Money is the only truth."

Luo Bense said enviously, "It's only because you have this treasure-hunting rat with you that you have this confidence. This little rat is good at avoiding bad luck and good fortune. No matter what detour you take, you can't go wrong by following it. I've seen it for myself."

"By the way," he pointed to several passages ahead, "brother, let this little mouse see which way we go next."

Lang Shiqi touched the squirrel's forehead and made a few low chirping sounds.

The little squirrel finished gnawing on the walnut kernel and then pounced down in a flash.

Both of them turned their gazes to the little squirrel, and their expressions changed from an angle where the other couldn't see them.

The unwavering desire in Luo Bense's eyes was enough to completely dismantle the businessman's facade he had adopted.

It's true that the world is changing, and it's also true that more and more resources are being developed by more advanced and widespread technologies, but some resources are becoming increasingly scarce.

The Immortal Fruit of Solitary Emptiness has been a rare treasure since ancient times. If the definite news of this thing were to spread, even top-tier martial artists who can be rated five stars and are famous throughout the seven continents would probably be tempted.

Lang Shiqi stared at his mouse with clear eyes, silently thinking: Metal strikes and it stiffens; wood strikes and it explodes; water strikes and it flees; fire strikes and it hides; earth strikes and it dissolves.

Under heaven, besides the First Emperor's Cosmic Blade, only the Qin King's Zhaodan Sword and the Western Emperor's Sword, which he used to execute Wu An, are among the few that can be used...

He glanced almost imperceptibly at the ancient sword beside Luo Bense.

(End of this chapter)