The Diviner reacted incredibly quickly. Almost as soon as the gale sprang up, he activated the grand array formed by the stone pillars.
At first, the pillars had seemed dark and rough. Now that they had stirred to life, the human figures carved in relief upon them sprang into sharp focus.
Peddlers and porters, scholars and heroes.
The scenes on each pillar were different.
All forty-nine pillars blazed with searing white light.
The light streamed like threads, weaving into a net that trapped Yu Beidou and Liu Huai, who lay on the ground.
The light was violent, yet it gave off no heat. Instead, it radiated an endless chill.
A mournful song rose, like the grief of gods. Wails of anguish followed, like the sobbing of ghosts.
Heaven and earth were a cage, locking gods and ghosts inside, never to escape!
What boundless hatred!
Rumble!
Inside the cavern, gods wept and ghosts wailed. Outside, Boulder Valley was suddenly transformed as well.
Li Shou and Zheng Fatty had only just been thrown out of the cave when the valley's natural array was activated.
One array in the valley, another in the cave.
The Diviner glanced back at the array outside and knew that he could no longer count on Zheng Third and Li Fourth. But before entering the cave, he had clearly tampered with Boulder Valley too. Now, though, he could not influence it at all. In the struggle for control over this natural array, he was undoubtedly at a disadvantage!
He looked at Yu Beidou again, his gaze growing warier.
Yu Beidou, seated cross-legged in midair, studied the array inside the cave and furrowed his brow. "Heaven and earth as a cage? The Blood Sacrifice Life-Locking Array?"
He sighed. "You've already gone farther and farther down this wrong path..."
Those