Chapter 9: East Wilderness

"Young brother, why are you in my master's cave?" the elder asked, being the oldest and the first to recover his senses. He raised the black flag in his hand and frowned.

Chen Mobai's heart sank when he heard this, and an embarrassed expression appeared on his face.

In the Immortal Sect, it was forbidden to investigate another's cultivation level without their permission, so he didn't know the two individuals' realms. However, sensing their spiritual energy fluctuations, he estimated they were not far off from his own level.

Furthermore, the way the elder and the younger person entered the cave clearly indicated they possessed the correct key.

Although he had entered the water mansion by accident, he had, after all, occupied this treasure land for several days for cultivation. Being caught red-handed by the master's disciples felt somewhat awkward.

"Please don't be offended, elder. I entered by accident and will leave immediately."

Chen Mobai was about to leave, but suddenly he noticed the elder and the younger person, who had just entered the water mansion, standing apart in an unfamiliar manner. A thought flashed through his mind, and he halted his movement.

"I see. There are no signs of damage to the Azure Water Grand Formation. The young man said he entered by accident, which seems to be true."

The elder swayed the black flag in his hand, inspecting the grand formation that protected the entire cave. After confirming that the restrictions in the three side halls were intact, he let out a sigh of relief and nodded at Chen Mobai.

"I will now open the formation; you may leave, young man."

As he spoke, Chen Mobai saw a two-meter diameter hole appear in the glowing barrier covering the water mansion, right at the main entrance of the front hall. However, the outside water did not rush in, seemingly blocked by an invisible force.

Under the gaze of the elder and the younger person, whose demeanor clearly indicated they wanted him to leave, Chen Mobai, despite his suspicions, nodded slightly. He walked between them toward the opening.

Just as Chen Mobai was about to step through the opening in the glowing barrier, a stream of azure light, like ink spilling across the sky, poured out from his clenched palm. It transformed into a full-body wooden armor, enveloping him completely.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Three brownish-yellow long needles appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Their tips glowed with a dull yellow light, striking the wooden armor in front of Chen Mobai.

"It's just trespassing, yet you resort to such vicious attacks! Is there no law anymore?!"

Chen Mobai turned around to see the ordinary-looking youth holding a needle box in one hand and forming a hand seal with the other, his eyes icy. He couldn't help but be enraged.

Diyuan Star, ruled by the Immortal Sect, maintained the legal system of the previous civilization internally.

Murder was a serious crime.

If the "Wood Armor Talisman" hadn't been pre-activated by Chen Mobai, set to automatically trigger upon attack, he would probably have died on the spot.

"Get to it!"

Seeing his magical artifact blocked and Chen Mobai looking "murderous," the brown-robed youth feared the latter might have a move that would result in mutual destruction. Although he was at Qi Cultivation Layer Six, he didn't want to waste too much spiritual energy before breaking the restrictions. So, he drew three more long needles from his needle box while shouting at the elder.

"Alright, behold my divine thunder!"

Hearing this, the elder roared, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He waved the black flag in his hand towards Chen Mobai, then with his other hand, he flicked a dark blue talisman paper from his sleeve.

However, the talisman paper was aimed at the brown-robed youth.

A crackling sound was heard, and the brown-robed youth cursed angrily. He then forcibly reversed his spiritual energy, turning the flying needles he had controlled and prepared to shoot at Chen Mobai, instead aiming them at the elder.

As Chen Mobai looked on, utterly bewildered, the brown-robed youth was struck by the elder's divine thunder and fell, his face filled with unwillingness.

His flying needles, however, were blocked by the power of the water mansion's formation, manipulated by the elder waving the black flag.

With a "clink, clink, clink," the flying needles fell onto the floor tiles, their tips embedding straight into them, revealing their sharpness.

"Hahaha, with your mere third-rate inheritance from the Flying Needle Sect, you actually thought you could split the gains from this secret realm with me? This is the lawless Eastern Barrens!"

Amidst the elder's laughter, he waved the black flag in his hand again, controlling the Azure Water Grand Formation to kill Chen Mobai. However, the power of Chen Mobai's "Wood Armor Talisman" had not yet been exhausted, blocking the incoming waves of water.

"Where exactly is this place? The Eastern Barrens? There's no such place name among the Immortal Sect's thirty-six Grotto-heavens and seventy-two Blessed Lands!"

Chen Mobai had been deeply immersed in the immense shock of the elder and the youth ruthlessly turning on each other and trying to kill one another. But the burning heat from the Wood Armor Talisman in his palm, whose spiritual energy was running out and starting to combust, instantly woke him up.

The elder's cultivation level was unknown, but the black flag in his hand was the core of the water mansion's grand formation, allowing him to control the entire formation's power.

Although the Azure Water Grand Formation itself had no direct offensive power, if Chen Mobai were trapped and hit by a lightning talisman like the brown-robed youth, his fate would undoubtedly be the same: utterly dead.

At this critical juncture of life and death, Chen Mobai didn't hesitate. He unleashed an Azure Arrow Talisman that he had already prepared to activate.

Swish, swish, swish...

Five azure long arrows, like vines, emerged from thin air, rapidly covering the area where the elder stood.

"Hmph, if this were outside the water mansion, I would certainly retreat a great distance."

The elder chuckled, confidently waving the black flag in his hand. The power of the Azure Water Grand Formation was activated, transforming into invisible ripples that froze four of the azure long arrows in mid-air right before him.

"How did you, a mere child, cultivate to Qi Cultivation Layer Five with such terrible aim...?"

Just as the elder was smiling and preparing to close the opening, completely trapping Chen Mobai, his expression suddenly froze.

He realized that the Azure Water Grand Formation was no longer under his control. He then saw the glowing barrier's opening, which was about to close, halt. But Chen Mobai, who could have used this opportunity to escape the water mansion's formation, remained at the entrance, pulling out two more Azure Arrow Talismans and staring coldly at him.

"How does this brat know that this formation flag primarily controls 'defense'?"

The elder looked around, and his heart involuntarily trembled.

It turned out that the four spiritual energy arrows from Chen Mobai's Azure Arrow Talisman, which had shot towards him, were merely a feint designed to attract his attention.

The other arrow, which had seemed to miss, landed precisely on a formation base not far from him, breaking a formation flag that was embedded there.

Although the Azure Water Grand Formation was a Tier 2 formation, it had no defensive power against attacks originating from within the formation itself.

Chen Mobai, who had long since thoroughly explored this water mansion, exploited this weakness. He broke a formation flag in one corner, causing the smoothly operating grand formation to immediately jam.

The elder's face turned ashen. He glanced at the three side halls behind the water mansion, but sensing that the talisman in Chen Mobai's hand was about to activate, he gritted his teeth, preparing to retreat.

His cultivation level was only Qi Cultivation Layer Three.

If the black flag in his hand hadn't been the core controlling the Azure Water Grand Formation, he would never have dared to attack the brown-robed youth and Chen Mobai.

But at that very moment, azure light shimmered across the air. Both Azure Arrow Talismans in Chen Mobai's hands had been activated, and ten spiritual energy arrows materialized in the air, aimed directly at the elder.

"Young brother, no, Senior, please spare me..."