Where Did You Go in the Dead of Night?

Ru Jijie and Qian Meng looked at each other, unable to recover their senses for a long while.

Only after Lu Feng's figure had departed did they finally pull themselves free from the sight before them.

"Did he break it or not?"

Ru Jijie stared blankly at the courtyard before her, shrouded in dense, majestic spiritual energy. She could not make out the scene within at all.

Qian Meng could not decide either. With a bitter smile, she said, "Though the Azure Mountain Sect Master's display was incomparably stunning, he never even entered the courtyard gate. He probably failed to break it."

Ru Jijie nodded in agreement. "Though the formation laid by the Azure Mountain Sect Master is formidable, at its root it is still a Spirit Gathering Array. He merely replaced the formation core with a Withered Sea Essence Stone and added nine High-Grade Source Stones to supply power..."

Ru Jijie had initially thought that Lu Feng should be unable to break the courtyard formation as well, but she suddenly sensed a faint disturbance ahead. Her face paled in shock, and her voice trembled with excitement. "Th-this formation inside the courtyard... it seems to be dissolving!?"

"What?" Qian Meng froze. Looking over in disbelief, she found that it was indeed as the former had said, and she could not help but be horrified. "How is that possible? How could a mere Spirit Gathering Array achieve such an effect? Did we overlook something?"

The two immediately circulated their Soul Consciousness and began quietly sensing their surroundings.

After a long while, both of them came back to their senses at once.

Ru Jijie exclaimed in sudden realization, "I understand now. It's because of that Withered Sea Essence Stone, as well as the Azure Mountain Sect Master's Hundred Rivers Return to the Sea!"

Qian Meng nodded. "Exactly. Just now, we only paid attention to the Azure Mountain Sect Master's formation setup, yet overlooked that he did not merely use the Withered Sea Essence Stone within the formation. He also exploited its properties to silently hollow out a ring of spiritual energy along the outer edge of the courtyard, then combined it with the Hundred Rivers Return to the Sea technique to spread trails of spiritual energy all around the courtyard—even beneath the ground!"

Ru Jijie said admiringly, "No wonder that surging tide of spiritual energy did not scatter wildly after being diverted by Senior Artisan Hero's formation, but instead flowed outward in a circuit..."

At this point, cold sweat broke out across Ru Jijie's back. "Do you think the Azure Mountain Sect Master never intended to confront the courtyard gate and break the formation head-on? Was he merely using Senior Artisan Hero's formation to buffer that force of release?"

Qian Meng swallowed heavily, her expression grave. "If that is truly the case, then the Azure Mountain Sect Master's calculations and courage are far too terrifying. He even managed to use a formation laid by someone like Senior Artisan Hero as one link in breaking the formation."

Where Gu Tianlao stood, he no longer needed to pay attention to the spiritual tide surrounding the courtyard. He only needed to ensure that no one disturbed this arrangement.

As he circulated his Soul Consciousness, he asked Huang Helou, "Old Huang, do you think our Sect Leader has created another miracle? This is a formation set up by Artisan Hero!"

Huang Helou laughed speechlessly. "Didn't you see how pleased he looked when he left? What more is there to say? This formation can clearly be broken. Though I do not know what method the Sect Leader used, I can clearly sense that the entire courtyard is like a little boat adrift upon rivers and lakes, slowly taking on water—and this lake was undoubtedly created by the Sect Leader."

Gu Tianlao asked doubtfully, "If it can truly be broken, why has there been no result for so long?"

Huang Helou chuckled. "Didn't you hear what the Sect Leader said before he left? This time, it will likely take until dawn to break it."

"That long?" Gu Tianlao was stunned. "Do you think our Sect Leader did it on purpose, to punish you for concealing this matter and not reporting it to him immediately?"

"You were the one who first suggested concealing it," Huang Helou said jokingly, though a trace of worry appeared on his face. "Breaking such a formation before dawn is already shocking beyond belief. If the Sect Leader truly held anything back, it certainly would not have been because of you. More likely, he was considering Artisan Hero's dignity."

In truth, this was already the utmost Lu Feng could accomplish.

Although Lu Feng had employed the Hundred Rivers Return to the Sea technique and expended one Withered Sea Essence Stone along with nine High-Grade Source Stones, his own strength was what it was. The final formation he could create could only barely be called a "stream," rather than a "river or sea."

Accordingly, when facing the powerful formation within the courtyard, he could only wear it down little by little through the image of a boat upon a lake. He could not smash through it in one burst.

Yet given the current situation, this could already be called a perfect performance.

While Huang Helou was considering Artisan Hero's dignity and worrying whether the latter might become enraged if the formation were truly broken—

Ru Jijie and Qian Meng were discussing the same matter as well.

Compared with Huang Helou, the two of them understood far better the feelings Artisan Hero was about to face.

If the formation was broken, it would be unexpected, but not something impossible to accept.

But if a formation that one had painstakingly crafted and taken pride in was broken by another formation—one that was an utterly unimpressive Spirit Gathering Array—

That would not be a pleasant feeling at all.

Ru Jijie and Qian Meng could no longer guess what kind of mood someone like Artisan Hero would be in upon learning of it.

Thinking of how such a person followed his own joys and angers, acting without regard for rules or common sense—

For a moment, the two of them actually began to feel faintly worried for Lu Feng.

Yet at this moment, Lu Feng had already returned alone to Gu Lingling's courtyard, to the side room that had once belonged to him.

It remained exactly as it had been.

There was seemingly nothing to change. There had never been a single piece of furniture inside, only four walls.

After casually setting down a soundproof, spirit-isolating Auxiliary Array that covered most of the courtyard, Lu Feng was just about to recover and regulate his breathing when he suddenly recalled that he had another identity for this trip up the mountain.

Xiong Erlian and Bai Yifei were both still in the courtyard set aside for recruiting new disciples.

After some thought, Lu Feng decided to return there first. On one hand, he was somewhat worried about Bai Yifei, that little boy. After all, Lu Feng had brought him into the sect, so he ought to look after him somewhat. On the other hand, it was because of Xiong Erlian.

Lu Feng had always felt that this forthright woman, who appeared carefree, simple-minded, and foolish, concealed many secrets in her heart. He did not know what intention she harbored in coming to the Azure Mountain Sword Sect while hiding her strength.

Perhaps she had been sent by another force to ruin the Azure Mountain Sword Sect's reputation.

There had been such precedents in the Sect Force Realm. An evil sect had once sent a disciple to infiltrate a rival force. After successfully becoming a disciple of that force, he went around murdering, setting fires, pillaging, and committing every evil imaginable. For a time, he had thoroughly ruined that sect's reputation and even drawn many enemies to it.

Now was a crucial period for the Azure Mountain Sword Sect's return to the Sect Force Realm. Lu Feng naturally could not simply watch as the sect suffered some unexpected mishap.

His figure silently departed from Gu Lingling's courtyard.

He put on the Snowy Jade Soft mask again, returning to the face of "Feng Sanlu."

As though no one else existed, he returned to the Newcomer Courtyard.

Just as Lu Feng was about to return to his Guest Room, Xiong Erlian's doubtful voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

"Where did you go in the dead of night?"