We've been tricked!
Wu You was a quick-witted person, and almost the instant he saw the Third Master of the Shen Family preparing to chase after the fleeing Wang Ye, he knew he had been tricked!
Although he didn't know what conflict Vice Minister Wang had with the Shen Family, or what role Chen Qing played here, he knew that Chen Qing had deliberately lured him here.
As a member of the imperial court, and Wang Ye as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, theoretically, if the other party were to take action against Wang Ye, I should step in to help.
Clearly, that's what they were thinking.
The two sides stared at each other, locked in a stalemate for several breaths.
Wu You realized what was happening, nodded to the other person, and then pulled Hong Lie along, pretending not to have seen anything, and walked to the other side.
This action startled Master Shen San. What did it mean?
The imperial court isn't going to stand up for Wang Ye? The Duke of Qin's faction is at odds with Wang Ye? But Hong Lie is the emperor's man, so why is he also pretending not to see it?
After a moment of doubt, Shen Yimiao didn't hesitate. He bowed to Wu You and Hong Lie, then took Laoba and chased after them.
Although this delay wasn't long, it was enough for sorcerers like Wang Ye and Murong Yunji to create a significant distance. If Liuzhou hadn't been under lockdown, Shen Yimiao wouldn't have even considered continuing the pursuit.
With Shen Laoba by their side, the two followed the traces of the other's magic all the way to the outskirts of the city, and only stopped outside the Great Azure Mountain!
" Azure Dragon Barrier!"
Shen Yimiao frowned as he looked at the barrier of Azure Dragon Mountain: " The Azure Dragon Inheritance is indeed related to the prefect of Liuzhou. Moreover, judging from this, that guy should have already mastered the Azure Dragon Spell. He can even use the barrier of the previous generation of Azure Dragon Sorcerer. Laoba, are you confident in breaking this barrier?"
Eighth Master Shen squinted his eyes, which were almost closed, and shook his head. "This barrier is very complex and powerful. There might be an even stronger internal barrier inside. I don't recommend forcing your way in. Perhaps we could consider using the ordinary people of Liuzhou City to force this Prefect Chen to show himself!"
"No." Shen Yimiao shook his head. " Hong Lie and Wu You are both in Liuzhou. The imperial court has support in Liuzhou. Even if we kill them to silence them, we'll still leave a lot of traces. Wang Ye, who has no background, is alright, but Hong Lie and Wu You are different. The Hong Household are loyal to the emperor. If something happens to their direct descendants, and the emperor doesn't investigate, his subordinates will definitely lose heart. The same goes for Wu You. The Duke of Qin of Qin is not someone to be trifled with. If he hadn't given in back then, whoever is in that position now might not have been able to conquer the Central Plains!"
Upon hearing this, Eighth Master Shen frowned. In other words, Liuzhou was untouchable. The Hong Household's son and Wu You were officials appointed by the imperial court, and it was impossible for them to sit idly by and directly harm the people of Liuzhou. In other words, the only way was to find a solution through the Azure Dragon Barrier.
"As Third Brother should know, my magic is fine for fighting people, but it's most troublesome when facing ancient barriers like this."
Shen Yimiao fell silent upon hearing this.
The Laoba's technique is a secret inheritance from the Dragon Palace, an application of the essence of technique. It seems basic but can exert extremely powerful destructive force. In a head-on confrontation, even the eldest brother back then would not be a match for the current Laoba Brother. However, the Laoba's technique has a weakness, which is that since it is based on the power of Yin and Yang, it cannot use very powerful spells.
Those seemingly overwhelming and massive spells were none of what Laoba could use. Of course, such spells wouldn't be advantageous in a one-on-one duel, but they were a different story when it came to breaking formations.
There are essentially two ways to break a spell array: one is through analysis, familiarizing oneself with the spell's structure, and then destroying the structure to disintegrate it. However, this requires a thorough understanding of the spell array and a significant amount of time.
He was not skilled in spell formations, and the current situation did not allow him to slowly study the renowned Azure Dragon Array outside.
The only remaining option is a direct assault!
Although the Azure Dragon Spell is powerful, its lineage has only recently appeared. The opponent should not be very proficient in using this formation, so there is a chance to find an opening and launch a strong attack.
but
Shen Yimiao looked around, his brows furrowed.
"What's going on, Third Brother?" Shen Laoba asked suspiciously. "Do you suspect something's amiss?"
Shen Yimiao nodded. "The location of Great Azure Mountain is very advantageous to me. It is surrounded by mountains and water, and the river leads directly to the Yangtze River. With Murong Yunji here, the other party should know a lot about my magic formula. Why did you choose this location?"
"Third Brother, aren't you overthinking this?" Eighth Master Shen looked around and said, "This barrier is incredibly complex. It's definitely not newly set up. It must have been set up by the Azure Dragon Sorcerer who left behind the legacy. That guy surnamed Chen can only create such a formation by using the previous one's setup. Of course, he can't choose the location, because once he leaves this place, he can't possibly set up an Azure Dragon Barrier on his own!"
"That makes sense." Shen Yimiao nodded, finally convinced. He formed a hand seal, and a massive amount of spiritual energy instantly gathered. In the next instant, the entire river in Great Azure Mountain stopped flowing and was instantly drained. The water surged directly above Shen Yimiao, like a celestial Heavenly River!
Standing atop Great Azure Mountain, Chen Qing took a deep breath. "Truly magnificent!"
Wang Ye, standing nearby, was also shocked. "It's said that the main branch of the Shen Family are all comparable to the Nine Ministers, and it seems that's no exaggeration. Such immense spiritual power is truly worthy of a great sorcerer who became famous two hundred years ago!"
" Little Ying," Chen Qing glanced at Chen Ying beside her, whose face was pale and Chen Ying looked visibly guilty, "We'd better hold on to this first wave!"
Chen Ying nodded upon hearing this. "I will do my best!"
Unlike the group that sealed Ziyue, Ziyue was directly sealed inside the barrier by the Azure Dragon Barrier and had her surrounding spiritual energy drained, even if she was strong, a sorcerer couldn't mobilize the elements of heaven and earth, so it was like a skilled cook trying to cook without rice. But Master Shen San was different; he could use his magic to launch a strong attack from outside the barrier.
At this point, although the barrier can still resist, it puts pressure on the person controlling it!
"They're here!"
Wang Ye looked at the sky and reminded her. Chen Ying took a deep breath and focused all her energy on the magic array. A dragon's roar was released, and a blue light shot into the sky outside the barrier. Complex runes flashed and covered the entire Great Azure Mountain.
Shen Yimiao sneered. It's actually a little girl controlling the magic array; she's got some nerve!
He recognized the girl. Mu Hongqing had brought her to visit the Shen Family during his first year as the education commissioner, clearly hoping to obtain a high-level technique for her. Back then, the Laoliu son politely declined. The girl's aptitude was indeed excellent, but the Shen Family currently had no plans to establish a new main branch, and Mu Hongqing couldn't offer any substantial bargaining chips.
He personally examined this girl's aptitude back then, and it was indeed top-tier, no less than the Laoshi'er of the newly established main branch. She had great potential for development, but if she had so much potential, wasn't it a bit of an exaggeration to directly give her the Azure Dragon Spell?
This guy surnamed Chen really has a big budget!
But is it too much to think you can stop yourself with just a girl?
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, Heavenly River, like Heavenly River pouring down, surged directly towards Great Azure Mountain!
"Tsk tsk, the water flooding the green hills. If we had used this scene for our promotional video back then, we probably wouldn't have been overshadowed by NetEase's games in the first place."
Chen Qing sighed in disbelief, while Chen Ying beside him turned as pale as a sheet under the immense water pressure!
Fortunately, the barrier was robust enough that even when I failed to defend myself properly several times, its own stability allowed me to maintain the operation supported by my spiritual energy.
"As expected of the Four Saints Sorcerer who became famous a thousand years ago!" The Laoba exclaimed from outside. Although the person had been gone for a thousand years, the barrier he left behind could still operate so ingeniously. Under the heavy pressure of the third brother's Mysterious Water pressure did not reveal a single flaw.
Water magic is arguably the most suitable for breaking magic arrays. If there is even the slightest flaw, the water will seep in. With Third Brother's abilities, as long as a tiny bit of water vapor leaks in, he can use all the water vapor inside the barrier to his advantage, attacking from both inside and outside. No matter how powerful the barrier is, he can break it.
Yet this barrier erected by a junior girl was able to completely block Third Brother's magic. It has to be said that this barrier is quite ingenious, probably not much different from the Dragon Palace secret arrays mastered by Sixth Brother.
Shen Yimiao was also amazed. Apart from the ones controlled by the Laoliu of Nanyang City, this was only the second time in two hundred years that a magic array could block him!
"Step back!"
Upon hearing this, Laoba nodded and moved to the side, shifting ten meters away. He knew that his third brother was about to get serious!
Being blocked outside by a little girl, even if the other party used the Azure Dragon Spell, would still sound terrible if word got out, especially since the Laosan of the Shen Family is someone who cares a lot about his reputation!
Bang!
Suddenly, Shen Laosan stood up from his wheelchair, and a massive amount of spiritual energy gathered, suspending him in mid-air!
The next instant, Heavenly River came from all directions, accompanied by thick fog!
This scene immediately shocked Wang Ye and Chen Ying.
This Shen Laosan is truly remarkable; he can actually draw water directly from the river from this very location!
The surging river, carrying mist, gathered around Great Azure Mountain, and then, under Shen Yimiao's immense spiritual power, converged in the sky. An even more exaggerated situation occurred: the massive water source, which was about to engulf the entire mountain range, was frantically compressed under Shen Yimiao's control of spiritual power. In the end, the surging river water gathered into pearl-sized droplets, forming a rain of droplets in the air!
Seeing this, Murong Yunji said in a deep voice, " Laosan is getting serious. This is his signature Mysterious Water Technique. Each drop of water gathers billions of units of water, making its weight incredibly heavy. He once destroyed the Northern Wolf City with just three drops of this water. That little girl can't withstand it!"
Chen Ying was also covered in cold sweat. She knew very well that she couldn't catch those water droplets, not even a single one!
"Really," Chen Qing stepped out of Great Azure Mountain, hovering in mid-air, and looked at Master Shen San, saying, "Is it really necessary to make such a fuss over a little girl!"
"You're Chen Qing?" Shen Yimiao looked calmly at the man in mid-air, but was extremely wary. What did this guy mean by leaving the Azure Dragon Barrier? Was he going to take my technique head-on?
In terms of direct power, his technique was arguably the strongest in the Shen Family. Did this young man really intend to take it head-on?
But if he doesn't take the hit head-on, the Azure Dragon Barrier behind him will break, destroying the farmland inside, and the girl controlling the barrier will die. So, will the little guy take the hit or run away?
Chen Qing glanced at Laoba, who was more than ten meters away from Shen Yimiao, and then at the thin mist that had somehow spread over. He chuckled and said, "Senior, why aren't you making a move yet?"