Qing Chen crossed the threshold of the Marquis's Manor, and the gates slowly closed behind him.
Before they shut, he glanced back. Gao Wuyong still stood in the distance, wearing that gentle smile in which one could scarcely find fault.
Is something wrong with this man? I've already arrived, so why is he still hanging around? Qing Chen grumbled inwardly. Then the gates closed completely.
And the smile on his face vanished without a trace the instant they shut.
Standing in the middle of the forecourt, he did not head farther inside just yet, but swept up a hand. The manor command token hovered above his palm, and the next moment, all of Cangming Peak shuddered slightly.
At the foot and waist of the mountain, by the manor gates and in the inner courtyard, at the spirit spring and on the rear mountain, formation cores lit up in unison. Azure-white spiritual light coursed along the earth veins, rapidly winding around the entire estate.
The first layer, the Five Elements Spirit-Concealment Formation, blocked probing divine sense from outside.
The second layer, the Three Lights Townhouse Formation, connected to the underground spirit veins of Listening to the Waves Peak.
The third layer, the Water-Moon Bewildering Spirit Formation, drew on the energy of a tributary of the Luo River to disrupt dreams, illusions, and projections.
The fourth layer, the Golden Palace Manor-Protection Restriction, supplied by the Imperial Household Department, specifically guarded against outside enemies forcing their way in.
None of these formations was low-grade. In another province, they would have sufficed to secure the heartland of a Nascent Soul sect, yet Qing Chen felt not the slightest reassurance.
His sleeve moved again, and over a hundred formation flags flew out, silently settling in the forecourt, among the colonnades, on the roof ridges, and