Yin Wujou gritted his teeth and steadied himself, pressing his palms firmly against the iron plate. He poured all his Spiritual Power into the task, no longer rushing to finish, but instead making subtle adjustments and correcting each point in reverse.
Take three steps back, retract the misplaced Spiritual Power, and reset the aura of the Hai hour node.
Then, following the chronological order, we retraced the eleventh loop, calibrating the disordered patterns one by one.
Finally, the alignment with the celestial energy veins was restored, and the process was slowly brought to a close.
This process is several times more difficult than activating the array normally. Reversing the formation is like crossing a river against the current. Every step requires resisting the backlash of the formation, the pressure of the Spiritual Power, which is extremely exhausting in terms of mental and Spiritual Power.
Sweat trickled down Yin Wujou's forehead, soaking his hair and completely drenching his back. His meridians throbbed with a tingling numbness, and his Spiritual Power was being rapidly depleted. Yet, his hands remained as steady as a rock, his fingertips moving with perfect precision, without the slightest deviation.
He knew this was his only chance.
Yun Su the groundwork for ten years, Pei Yuan waited for ten years, and Old Zhou sealed the iron plate for ten years. Everyone waited, endured, and laid the groundwork for it. They absolutely could not let it all fail at this moment, here and now.
Three very soft thuds suddenly echoed from inside the old building on the ground.
Under the cover of night, three dark figures silently slipped into the lobby. Their movements were swift and unpredictable, landing without a sound. Their auras were completely concealed, making them excellently hidden. They were clearly well-trained professional spies, with a clear target: the underground passage.
They had clearly been eyeing the former site of the Spirit Vein Bureau for a long time, lying in wait and meticulously planning their entry under the cover of night when no one was around. However, no one expected that someone would secretly break through the formation and open the door tonight.
As soon as the three dark figures landed, a sudden chill rose from the void in front of them.
Snow Empress stood silently at the exit of the passage, her figure as upright as a pine tree, blocking the three people in front of her. Her aura was cold and stern, and she silently locked down all three people's routes of advance and retreat.
She didn't take the initiative to act, nor did she ask any further questions. She simply stood there quietly, her eyes devoid of any emotion, yet she exuded an aura of dominance that suppressed the entire scene, silently declaring—this path is blocked.
The three spies suddenly stopped, clearly not expecting that someone would be on guard and intercepting them in the deserted building late at night.
After a brief moment of surprise, the three instantly dispersed, forming a triangle with perfect coordination. Dark Spiritual Power suddenly emanated from their bodies, and a murderous intent was revealed. Their faces were covered by masks, revealing only pairs of cold and sinister eyes, which were fixed on the Snow Empress, revealing the ruthlessness of someone who had spent years navigating the darkness and acting decisively.
"Those who have nothing to do with this, leave immediately." The voice of the spies on the left was hoarse and deep, carrying a hint of threat. "This is forbidden territory; you are not to be trifled with. Do not seek your own death."
The Snow Empress stood calmly in place, not moving an inch, her tone cold and indifferent. "Retreat."
It's just one word, without any threat or ostentation, yet it carries absolute certainty and power.
The three spies exchanged a glance, a ruthless glint in their eyes. Without another word, they sprang into action, unleashing three streams of dark Spiritual Power that hurtled towards Snow Empress. Their moves were cunning and vicious, each strike aimed at her vital points.
Their cultivation was not weak, their teamwork was excellent, and they were good at both offense and defense. They were clearly elite bodyguards who had been working together to carry out secret orders for many years, and were by no means ordinary street thugs or wandering martial artists.
But in front of the Snow Empress, she was still utterly powerless.
Facing the attack from three opponents, Snow Empress neither dodged nor evaded, waiting for the attacks to get close. Just as the Spiritual Power was about to touch her, she suddenly shifted to the side, so fast that she was left as a blur, avoiding all the attacks.
The next instant, she raised her hand and drew her sword. The slender blade was drawn silently, without the slightest sharp sound, only a cold, clear light piercing the darkness.
One sword, two swords, three swords.
The three moves were executed cleanly, precisely, and ruthlessly, without a single superfluous movement.
Three muffled groans rang out almost simultaneously. The Spiritual Power around the three spies instantly dissipated, their moves were completely broken, and they staggered backward. A fine bloodstain appeared on their shoulder, forearm, and chest. Their Spiritual Power meridians were precisely cut by the sword, and they completely lost the ability to fight again.
The whole process took only a fleeting moment.
There was no earth-shattering struggle, no fierce and dangerous clashes; it was all about the overwhelming power of absolute strength, flowing smoothly and seamlessly.
The Snow Empress sheathed her sword, her movements slow and silent, her demeanor remaining aloof and indifferent, as if she had merely brushed away three feet of dust rather than repelled three elite spies.
Her gaze swept indifferently over the three men, her tone flat. "Who sent you?"
The three spies were deathly pale, their breathing erratic, their eyes filled with terror and horror, clearly utterly overwhelmed by this terrifying power. They exchanged glances, but no one answered, though a resolute glint flashed in their eyes.
The next second, all three raised their hands simultaneously, their fingertips gathering power, intending to destroy their own heart meridians and shut their mouths to die.
Professional assassins leave no confessions, no clues, and no leads.
A cold glint flashed in Snow Empress's eyes; she had anticipated this.
She took light steps, instantly closing in. Her fingertips flashed with Spiritual Power, precisely striking the acupoints on the hearts of the three men. Swift as lightning, she sealed off their chance to destroy their own meridians.
"Want to die? Too early."
As her cold voice fell, she grabbed the three men's shoulders and gently twisted them.
Three faint sounds of bones shifting rang out simultaneously. The Spiritual Power around the three was completely sealed, leaving them weak and powerless. They even lost the strength to raise their hands to commit suicide, collapsing limply to their knees, becoming prisoners.
Snow Empress did not conduct any further investigation.
She knew that these assassins were trained from childhood, with hearts as hard as iron, unafraid of torture or death. Ordinary interrogation methods were simply ineffective in getting them to talk, and forcing them to interrogate would only backfire, forcing them to detonate their remaining Spiritual Power and perish together with the enemy.
The most important thing right now is to guard the passage and isolate it from interference, giving Yin Wujou enough time to repair the formation and ensure its successful activation.
She raised her hand and flicked out three Spiritual Power bands, which precisely Entanglement the limbs of the three people, binding them firmly to the ground, unable to move. Then she turned around and returned to the entrance of the passage, standing quietly on guard, her back straight and firm, isolating all external movements and potential dangers from the outside world.
Before the door to the underground chamber, Yin Wujou finally completed the last adjustment of his Spiritual Power.
The misplaced nodes were completely put back in place, the disordered patterns were restored to order, the reversed circuits were straightened out, and the array on the verge of collapse was forcibly reversed, stabilized, and completely restored by him.
The twelve-hour cycle was completely closed, the flow of spiritual light became more stable and lustrous, the tremors of the entire stone door completely subsided, the restless aura suddenly subsided, and was replaced by a gentle and profound unlocking power.
Buzz--
A long, deep, and steady ringing sound rang out, echoing throughout the entire three underground levels.
The dense array patterns on the stone gate lit up with a pure white glow, gradually fading and disappearing into the stone body, and all the sealing, balancing, and self-destruction mechanisms were released.
The next second, the heavy bluestone door slowly pushed open inward.
The crack in the door widened, and the dark, sealed interior was gradually revealed.
The secret chamber was small and square, with walls made of solid bluestone, tightly sealed. The floor was flat and clean, without a speck of dust, clearly purified by the Spiritual Power of the array over the years, leaving it spotless.