Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 272 Mother-Child Magic Array

This light gate is different from the stone gate outside. It clearly contains a trace of extraordinary energy fluctuations. It is not static, but seems to be slowly moving according to some kind of law, forming circle after circle, which looks very dynamic.

Du Fan scanned the area with his divine sense and found that although the energy within the light gate was not weak, it would not be too difficult for him to forcefully break through it; he could do it in at most an hour.

"This gate of light is not a magic array, but the materials used to construct it are somewhat special, and it also contains several types of defensive restrictions. With your supernatural abilities, it should not be difficult to forcibly break through it. However, I do have a way to open this gate of light with these restrictions," Guo Huaifu said honestly.

"Let's do it." Du Fan put his hands behind his back and slowly stepped back a little.

"Yes." Guo Huaifu replied, raised his arm and placed it directly on the light gate. With a gentle push, the light gate slowly opened.

Du Fan's lips twitched slightly upon seeing this. It's that simple!

"This barrier was created by my ancestor, so anyone with the Guo family bloodline can easily push it open. Senior, please come in," Guo Huaifu said in a low voice, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Du Fan felt a little annoyed, thinking to himself, "You could have just pushed me away directly, why did you have to say so much nonsense! I thought this sect had some unexpected trick up its sleeve..."

However, he did not blame the other party. After taking a deep breath, he stepped into the portal.

After passing through the light gate, Du Fan and his companion found themselves in a stone chamber. The chamber was about an acre in size and three zhang high. The surrounding blue stone walls were inlaid with egg-sized milky-white gems, from which soft halos of light emanated, illuminating the entire chamber as if it were daytime.

Du Fan glanced around and his expression darkened slightly. According to the map, this was the mysterious cultivator's cave, but it was completely empty and there wasn't a single treasure in sight!

"What's going on?" Du Fan's gaze instantly fell on Guo Huaifu, and he said coldly.

"Senior, this is not the actual location of the cave." Guo Huaifu's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly spoke.

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Du Fan's heart stirred, and a look of suspicion appeared on his face. Then, his gaze shifted, and he began to examine the entire stone chamber again. Finally, his gaze fell on the bluestone floor in the center of the stone chamber.

There stood a circular array, entirely blue, about ten feet in diameter, carved with patterns of insects, fish, birds, and beasts. Around these creatures were runes adorning its surface.

These runes vary in size, ranging from as thick as a thumb to as thin as a hair, and there are over a thousand of them in total. They must have been arranged in some specific order.

"This is... a magic array?" After observing for a while, Du Fan suddenly looked surprised and couldn't help but blurt out.

Du Fan was no stranger to magic arrays, but this one had no spiritual energy fluctuations whatsoever, and it was decorated with insects, fish, birds and beasts, just like ordinary carvings, which was quite different from other magic arrays. Therefore, he did not recognize it at a glance.

"Senior, you are wise. By passing through this magic array, we can reach the true location of the cave." Guo Huaifu seemed excited, his eyes suddenly brightening, and his voice trembling as he spoke.

"The cave you mentioned that requires a powerful Foundation Establishment realm cultivator's divine sense, along with special methods, to open, is this magic array, isn't it?" Du Fan said thoughtfully, his eyes flashing.

"That's right. This is actually a miniature teleportation array, and it's also the last barrier to entering the real cave. Once we activate this array, we can use it to teleport there." Guo Huaifu said with excitement.

"What kind of special method are you talking about?" Du Fan asked softly.

"It is my essence blood, senior. Shall we begin now?" Guo Huaifu glanced at Du Fan cautiously and asked tentatively.

"You'd better not try anything funny. Even if something unforeseen happens to me during this process, I, Li, am confident that you will die before me." Du Fan did not agree immediately, but instead glanced at Guo Huaifu and said without any emotion.

"Senior is too kind. How could I, a junior, do such a foolish thing?" Guo Huaifu clasped his hands in a bow, gave a wry smile, then straightened his expression and continued:

"After I drip my blood essence into this magic array, it will be pre-activated in about half a cup of tea's time, and another magic array will be created."

The second magic array requires the powerful divine sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator to be injected into it, essentially completing a secondary confirmation of the array's activation. After that, we quickly step onto the second magic array to complete the final test and successfully teleport inside.

"I think your ancestors set up these restrictions not only to prevent outsiders from entering, but also to restrict your Guo family lineage. Otherwise, why would there be a second confirmation?"

"Of course, this setup is an obstacle for us outsiders, but for your Guo family, it should be a form of protection. There must be something dangerous inside that cave." Du Fan looked at Guo Huaifu with a half-smile.

"Senior, please don't misunderstand. There is a reason why our ancestors set such restrictions. It was mentioned in the relics of our ancestors that those whose cultivation level is insufficient should not enter the cave. At the very least, one must reach the Foundation Establishment stage to be qualified to enter, otherwise their lives will be in danger."

"However, since you are already a Foundation Establishment expert, even if there are some dangers in the cave, it shouldn't be a problem for you. That's why I didn't elaborate on this matter earlier." Guo Huaifu was startled upon hearing this and quickly bowed, explaining.

Upon hearing this, Du Fan's expression didn't change much, but he was a little puzzled. The second layer of restriction of the mysterious array was clearly a form of protection for the Guo family bloodline. In that case, there must be something in that real cultivator's cave that a cultivator at the Qi Refining Realm couldn't contend with.

"Actually, there may not be any danger in the cave. It could be because of the inheritance of the cultivation technique. Those with insufficient cultivation cannot withstand this technique. The minimum cultivation level for cultivating this technique is Foundation Establishment. Therefore, the owner of the cave set such restrictions in the hope that the younger generation can safely inherit the technique." Du Fan's eyes flashed as he thought of another possibility.

"Alright, we can begin." Du Fan pondered for a moment and made his decision. Now that he had come all this way, even if there were some risks involved, there was no reason to give up halfway. Besides, with his current strength, he believed he was not much weaker than a Foundation Establishment stage expert. If he was determined to escape, he should still have a 60-70% chance of success.

"Alright, this junior will begin now." Guo Huaifu finally breathed a sigh of relief, took a few steps forward, stood in the center of the magic circle, bit his finger, and accurately dripped three drops of blood essence into the mouth of the lion beast in the magic circle before stepping out of the magic circle and standing a little behind Du Fan, respectfully bowing.

Just as Guo Huaifu had said, after about half a cup of tea's time, a low humming sound suddenly came from the magic array, followed by clusters of soft, milky-white halos emerging from the array.

As the white light increased, the insects, fish, birds, and beasts carved in the magic circle seemed to come alive, slowly wriggling and stretching their bodies as if they had a spirit. At the same time, they opened their mouths and uttered strange and incomprehensible syllables, which seemed somewhat eerie.

After about ten breaths, the entire magic array was enveloped by layers of milky white light. The lion beast at the very center of the array suddenly opened its mouth and let out a low roar, then dissipated and transformed into a white ray of light that soared into the sky and hovered and danced above the magic array.

Upon seeing this, Du Fan's eyes twitched, and he subconsciously took two steps back. At the same time, he suddenly increased his magical power, looking as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

"Senior, there's no need to worry. According to the records of our ancestors, this magic array only has the functions of teleportation and restriction, and it will not launch an attack on its own," Guo Huaifu said in a low voice.

"I have my own judgment on this matter," Du Fan said with a cold snort, showing no politeness.

Upon hearing this, Guo Huaifu's expression changed, and he repeatedly agreed, daring not to say anything more.

Du Fan was mostly focused on the changes in the magic array, but he also kept a small portion of his divine sense on Guo Huaifu to prevent any trickery. However, since activating the magic array, Guo Huaifu had only spoken once and had been standing there obediently with his hands clasped, without showing any unusual expression. Only then did Du Fan feel slightly relieved.

The white glow danced in the air for a full quarter of an hour before pausing, then abruptly descending towards the magic array. In an instant, it disappeared into the array, seemingly merging with the light on its surface.

With a loud "boom," the entire stone chamber trembled slightly.

The next moment, the magic array shone brightly and emitted a series of loud buzzing sounds. Then, a circle of double images appeared at the edge of the magic array, which could be vaguely seen as another magic array. The two magic arrays sometimes overlapped and sometimes separated, like a mother-child array. The rapid vibration made people feel dizzy at first glance.

Before long, the sub-array separated from the mother array and stopped abruptly about a foot above it, then hovered there motionless.

Upon closer inspection, the sub-array in mid-air was identical to the mother array on the ground below in terms of style, shape, and carvings. However, after the two arrays separated, the lion beast in the center disappeared.