vrcanaries Chapter 1837: Diverting trouble to the east
Chapter 1837: Diverting trouble to the east
"What exactly did they say?" Master Lingxu asked in a deep voice.
Han Tieshan tried hard to recall: "I heard it intermittently, and it seemed to be a complaint that Longyin Temple was urging them too much, saying that the Venerable One had instructed them to keep them calm for the time being, and to make further plans after the Holy Gate was stabilized."
It wasn't collusion, it was exploitation and precaution?
Mingchuan quickly analyzed the situation in his mind.
It seems that the Jijie Zen Temple and Longyin Temple are not allies, but rather mutually exploitative and each harboring their own ulterior motives.
Yueyao is eyeing Xingmen, and so is the Jiemie Zen Temple; they might even go further.
The "Venerable One" mentioned by the Silent Zen Temple is probably the key figure in their operation, and his strength is likely above the Integration Realm.
"Anything else? What else do you know about this underground cave and the sacred gate they talk about?" Mingchuan pressed.
“Deep in this underground cave…” Zhao Hu licked his dry lips, “I was tied to a stone pillar, facing that huge pit. Although I couldn’t see the bottom, I could feel something below… something enormous, slowly rotating, emitting a kind of… ancient, chaotic, yet seemingly very orderly power.”
“Every so often, those ascetics would throw some shimmering starlight-filled ores into the pit, and... and the souls of struggling demonic beasts and even cultivators sealed inside crystals!”
“They are feeding something deep within the cave, or perhaps they are using some kind of power from deep within the cave to maintain and strengthen this formation and stabilize that gate,” the Blue-Faced Fox judged.
While she was treating the patient, she also vaguely sensed unsettling fluctuations of immense life force and chaotic energy emanating from deep within the earth's depths.
"This place is not safe to stay for long." Although Crimson Fox had suffered some shock while covering the rear, he was fine after recuperating. He was the most impatient of them all.
“Those bald monks and iron lumps are definitely searching for us everywhere. This crevice is well-hidden, but it won't hold for long. We need to think of something quickly, either fight our way out or…”
He looked at Mingchuan and Lingxu Zhenren.
Mingchuan was also thinking rapidly.
A direct confrontation?
On their side, they and Zhao Hu and others suffered heavy losses in combat power, while Lingxu Zhenren, Chiyanhu, and Qingmianhu were still in good condition, and Ye Yan was also capable of fighting.
The enemy has at least nine ascetics above the Core Formation stage, three Nascent Soul stage experts, dozens of puppets, and the giant of malevolent energy that was injured by the Crimson Flame Fox but not destroyed. There may be even more ambushes.
Not to mention the Venerable One who might be on his way.
A direct confrontation would be unlikely to succeed, and there is a high probability of being surrounded again.
Destroy the formation?
That unstable star gate node seems to be connected to the array and the depths of the earth's cavity. If it is forcibly destroyed, will it cause a massive explosion or spatial collapse?
Risk is extremely high.
"We must thwart their plans, prevent them from stabilizing that stargate node, and even more so, prevent that Venerable One from arriving smoothly," Master Lingxu declared decisively. "But we cannot act recklessly."
He looked at Mingchuan: "Young friend, can your spatial power sense the key node connecting the formation to the energy deep within the earth's aperture? Or, is there a natural weakness in this earth's aperture space that can be utilized?"
Mingchuan understood what Lingxu Zhenren meant.
Since it cannot be destroyed head-on, perhaps we can cut off its energy source, or create chaos in the environment to escape, or even inflict heavy damage on the enemy.
He closed his eyes again, enduring the discomfort in his soul, and carefully extended his slightly restored spatial perception.
This time, he no longer focused on the enemy outside, but carefully sensed the entire cavern, especially the energy flow arteries of the giant pit and the dark golden array, as well as the structure of the rock walls and the dome.
A moment later, he opened his eyes, a strange light flashing in them.
“I’ve discovered two things,” Mingchuan said in a low voice. “First, the energy core of that formation is not entirely in the formation itself, but is deeply embedded in a certain location in the wall of the pit, connected to the formation on the ground through several hidden, dark golden veins that resemble energy conduits.”
“Severing those conduits will greatly reduce the power of the array, and may even interrupt the energy supply to the stargate node.”
“Second…” He paused, then pointed to the other side of the cave, away from the dome where they were currently hiding in the crevice.
“The rock strata there have a very special structure, as if they were impacted by a huge force, melted and then cooled, forming a highly unstable crystallized layer.”
"Moreover, I can sense a faint resonance there with a certain turbulent energy source deep within the earth's depths."
"If... we can impact that place with enough force, it could very likely trigger a large-scale collapse of the rock strata, and even... it might cause a localized rampage of the chaotic stellar energy deep within the earth's depths."
Master Lingxu's eyes lit up: "Shifting the blame eastward?"
“Good!” Mingchuan’s thoughts became clear. “We can split into two groups. One group, consisting of me, my master, or the Green-Faced Fox, will use spatial concealment or life mimicry to sneak over and try to sever the energy conduit between the formation and the earth’s aperture.”
"The other route is for you, Senior Lingxu, and the Crimson Flame Fox to create a big commotion to attract the enemy's attention, and then seize the opportunity to attack that unstable dome, causing it to collapse and energy to go berserk, creating chaos."
"Once the chaos begins, we can take advantage of the confusion to evacuate, and perhaps even see if there's a chance to surprise that Venerable One who hasn't shown up yet."
This plan still carries considerable risk, but it is undoubtedly more proactive and feasible than a head-on confrontation or waiting to be defeated.
"Who will sever the energy conduit? That requires extremely precise control and stealth capabilities," the Blue-Faced Fox asked.
“I’ll go.” Mingchuan said without hesitation. “My spatial abilities are best suited for concealment and precise manipulation. Moreover, I have the clearest perception of those energy channels.”
"No! You're in terrible shape!" Ye Yan immediately objected.
“Master, I must go.” Mingchuan looked at Ye Yan with a determined gaze. “Only I can accurately locate and sever those energy conduits. I will be careful and retreat after a single strike.”
Master Lingxu pondered for a moment and nodded: "It's fine. But the Green-Faced Fox must go with you. Her life mimicry and purification power can cover you when you take action and immediately heal you from any potential backlash from the evil energy after you succeed."
“Okay.” Mingchuan did not refuse.
"Then let's go set off a big firework display for those bald monks!" Crimson Flame Fox rubbed his hands together, his eyes blazing with fire.
“The timing of our creation of chaos must be synchronized with your severing of the energy conduits, or a moment later.” Master Lingxu pondered carefully.
“Once the energy conduit is severed, the formation will fluctuate, and the enemy will inevitably notice. We need to trigger the collapse of the dome before they can react, re-stabilize the formation, or send someone to check, leaving them unable to defend themselves.”
"Zhao Hu, Elder Han, since your injuries haven't healed, you'll stay here. My master and these fellow Daoists will protect you and be ready to provide support at any time," Ming Chuan instructed.