Amid the drizzle, Mu Chen's entire body was tense, his grave eyes locked straight ahead. A figure holding a floral umbrella gradually emerged. It was a somewhat gaunt man with a gloomy, sinister face, lips as thin as blades, and a faint, cold aura.
Mu Chen kept his eyes fixed on the gloomy man as an inexplicable sense of danger welled up within him. Narrowing his eyes, he asked:
"You're not from the Liu Territory. Why are you looking for me?"
"Hahaha, indeed, I am not from the Liu Territory. However, someone paid a hefty price for my services."
The man smiled faintly. The floral umbrella in his hand swayed gently, and his thin lips moved almost imperceptibly.
"You can call me Ji Zong."
"Ji Zong? Ji Zong, the Man in the Rain?"
Mu Chen’s pupils contracted slightly. In the Northern Spiritual Realm, this name was no less famous than that of the Blood Butcher. Ji Zong’s strength was not superior to the Blood Butcher’s; in fact, he had only recently broken through to the initial stage of the Spiritual Wheel Realm. However, he possessed an identity that made many people extremely wary...
He was a Spiritual Array Master.
The Great Thousand World was composed of countless intersecting planes, so vast and boundless that even supreme powerhouses could only sigh at their own insignificance. It was a complex and wondrous place where myriad paths contended for supremacy.
Spiritual Array Masters and Spiritual Artifact Masters were among the rare few of countless extraordinary professions. Unlike the orthodox cultivation of spiritual energy, these professions demanded exceptionally rigorous and unique talents. Even for those monstrous geniuses with terrifying innate gifts who found spiritual cultivation effortless, the path of these professions was not necessarily smooth sailing. Conversely, some individuals with mediocre cultivation talent possessed extraordinary aptitude for these specialized professions, allowing their futures to become limitless.
When one door closes, another opens.
This saying was relatively common in the Great Thousand World.
Generally speaking, Spiritual Array Masters enjoyed an extremely exalted status. Countless factions sought to enlist their aid to construct defensive arrays, offensive arrays, or even more profound cultivation arrays...
A high-level Spiritual Array Master possessed immense appeal.
Spiritual Array Masters of the highest caliber could set up arrays with a mere flick of their fingers, borrowing the power of heaven and earth to shake the world.
The reason Ji Zong was famous throughout the Northern Spiritual Realm had nothing to do with his cultivation at the initial stage of the Spiritual Wheel Realm, but was entirely because he was a Spiritual Array Master.
A Rank 1 Spiritual Array Master, when aided by an array, was more than capable of suppressing a late-stage Spiritual Wheel Realm expert.
"I didn't expect that a mere disciple of the Northern Spiritual Academy like you would recognize my title,"
Ji Zong said with a laugh. His voice was shrill, like a young girl's, yet he was clearly a grown man; the contrast was deeply unsettling to anyone facing him.
"If you dare to make a move in Northern Spiritual City, you will be violating the taboos of the Northern Spiritual Academy. If they find out, you won't have a good ending,"
Mu Chen said, his eyes narrowing.
"Which is why I went to the trouble of setting up this Spirit Bewildering Array. No matter what happens in here, those on the outside will remain completely oblivious."
Ji Zong pointed at the empty street and cackled.
"So, you should obediently hand over that item to me. I don't want to kill you, lest Mu Feng goes berserk. Wouldn't it be better if we were all friendly like this?"
His gaze turned cold, and Mu Chen's body faintly emanated spiritual energy fluctuations. Although he had entered Ji Zong's array, he was not the type to easily compromise.
"It seems you truly won't listen..."
Ji Zong chuckled, then flicked his finger. The rain clouds drifting in the sky suddenly thickened, and powerful spiritual energy fluctuations radiated intensely.
"To be able to experience the might of the Spiritual Rain Array, consider it your good fortune."
Ji Zong waved his sleeve, and the rain clouds across the sky roared down, like a blade of clouds descending to engulf Mu Chen’s position.
The fierce offensive startled Mu Chen. A Spiritual Array Master was indeed formidable. Such a torrential attack would leave even a Spirit Wheel stage expert helpless.
"Spiritual Light Convergence!"
He quickly retreated, dark spiritual energy surging out in front of him, forming a pitch-black shield to protect his body.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The vast, rolling rain clouds relentlessly pounded the shield. A ripple spread across the shield, appearing unstable and on the verge of shattering.
Mu Chen’s strength, after all, was only at the late Spirit Movement stage. Ji Zong, on the other hand, was attacking with the power of the array, making it very difficult for him to block.
"I can’t drag this out like this, I must break the array first!"
Gazing at the rapidly depleting black shield, thoughts raced through his mind. With his current strength, directly defeating Ji Zong seemed impossible. The only way out was to break the array. Once the array was broken, Ji Zong would be like a tiger without fangs, his threat greatly diminished. Moreover, without the array’s cover, he would absolutely not dare to make a move within Northern Spiritual City.
But, to break an array constructed by a Tier 1 Spiritual Array Master was easier said than done!
Mu Chen took a deep breath, his mind becoming clearer. Ji Zong was only a Tier 1 Spiritual Array Master; his ability to set up arrays had not yet reached the realm of arrays controlled purely by will. Thus, he must rely on an external object to control the array’s operations.
That external object was also the Spiritual Array Master’s weakness. It would surely be placed in the most easily protected location.
Mu Chen’s gaze swept over Ji Zong. In a flash, he noticed the ornate umbrella in the other man’s hand…
His strength was still far from matching Ji Zong’s, not to mention he was still trapped within the array. There was only one point he could exploit: Ji Zong also thought like him, and thus… that contempt was his best opportunity.
"Shatter!"
The black shield, condensed by Mu Chen’s spiritual energy, finally shattered. The rain clouds slashed across his face, leaving streaks of blood. Mu Chen’s brows shot up like swords. He stomped his foot down and charged straight towards Ji Zong’s position, cutting through the pouring rain.
Seeing this, Ji Zong chuckled faintly and waved his hand. The rain clouds condensed into a rain spear, its sharp tip thrusting towards Mu Chen.
Mu Chen tilted his body and dodged. He slapped his palm on the ground, changing direction and shooting forward, his movements like a nimble ape, evading the sharp rain spear.
"Not bad agility!"
Ji Zong continuously praised him, but his attacks grew increasingly vicious. He raised his hand again, condensing several rain spears and spreading them out into a brutal spear array, aiming precisely at Mu Chen’s vital points.
His agile figure leaped and shifted directions, but he still couldn't avoid a long spear grazing his chest, tearing his clothes and leaving a deep, bloody wound from which fresh blood spilled.
But he completely ignored the injury on his chest, forcefully advancing a few more steps to close in on Ji Zong. The other man frowned, seeing his attacks were ineffective, and a shrill voice emanated from him:
“This kid even knows to attack the array’s core. Your insight is truly sharp. However, while the idea is good, you’ve overestimated your own abilities and underestimated the disparity in our strengths.”
Ji Zong smiled faintly, his hand clenching. As if the very elements converged into his palm, solidifying into a liquid longsword, powerful spiritual energy fluctuations surged out.
Mu Chen's hands clenched into fists as two black seals imbued with domineering spiritual energy appeared on his palms, blasting toward Ji Zong without pause.
The fist-seals roared as they struck, tearing through the rain and causing Ji Zong's heart to stir with surprise. He clearly hadn't expected Mu Chen's late-stage Spiritual Movement Realm strength to be able to unleash such a sharp attack.
If he weren't a Spiritual Array Master himself, but merely an ordinary early-stage Spiritual Wheel Realm expert, he might find it difficult to capture Mu Chen today, but...
"However, it's still not enough..."
His eyes turned cold, and the liquid sword in his hand moved powerfully, making a "whoosh" sound as it cut through the rain. Like a water python striking out, it slashed directly at those two black seals, emitting an equally violent spiritual energy!
Spiritual energy roared, shaking Mu Chen's body back a few steps, and the two Senluo Death Seals were also forced to retreat. Ji Zong, with only early-stage Spiritual Wheel Realm strength but possessing the might of a spiritual array, was fully capable of clashing with a late-stage Spiritual Wheel Realm expert. If Mu Chen wanted to fight head-on, it would clearly be difficult for him to gain the upper hand.
He gritted his teeth, watching the two Senluo Death Seals gradually being forced back, and glanced at the sharp sword tip. That cold aura pierced straight toward his chest, making his skin twitch and tremble.
"Ha!"
A sense of threat enveloped his heart, and Mu Chen glared angrily, roaring. The Great Pagoda Art circulated fiercely from deep within his body.
After many trials, he vaguely understood that the mysterious power within his body seemed only capable of being urged forth in moments of life and death.
And now... was the most opportune moment.
"Come out!"
Mu Chen shouted loudly, and outside his body, a dazzling light suddenly flared up. A vague, shimmering light pagoda radiated brilliance, piercing through his skin and faintly appearing within his body.