CHAPTER 204: CHAPTER 72: ARRAY (PART 2)

"I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel like eating roasted rabbit and braised rabbit," Gu Qingqing murmured as she looked at the rabbits.

"I’ll catch them for you." Jun Wu, who was right beside Gu Qingqing, heard her words and swiftly moved away.

He moved so quickly that before Gu Qingqing could react, he was already beside the rabbit, grabbing the frightened creature, and returned to Gu Qingqing’s side.

"Do you want it roasted?" Jun Wu, holding the rabbit in one hand, looked at Gu Qingqing and asked.

Gu Qingqing looked at the rabbit in Jun Wu’s hand, then at Jun Wu, blinked her eyes, unable to react, and instinctively replied, "Yes."

"Alright, wait for me." Jun Wu responded, glanced around, and headed towards the lakeside.

By the time Gu Qingqing reacted, Jun Wu had already started preparing the rabbit, and she could only swallow the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

"Geng Geng, what is Jun Wu doing?" Rong Ye also noticed Jun Wu’s actions and walked over to Gu Qingqing, asking curiously.

"I just mentioned wanting to eat roasted rabbit while looking at the rabbits, and Jun Wu went and caught one for me. He’s dealing with that rabbit right now." Gu Qingqing glanced at Rong Ye, then refocused her attention on Jun Wu, explaining to Rong Ye.

Rong Ye glanced at Jun Wu, tugged at the corner of his mouth, for some reason feeling a bit full.

He thought for a moment, realizing he couldn’t be outdone by Jun Wu. Recalling the fish he saw in the lake while drinking water earlier, a light bulb went off in his head, and he ran off to find Mu Chen.

Mu Chen was initially drawn to the woods and found several low-level medicinal herbs, which happened to have hemostatic and healing properties. Delighted, he gathered them and, upon seeing Rong Ye approaching, invited him to help.

Rong Ye initially sought Mu Chen for help, only to end up helping Mu Chen instead.

"What were you coming to find me for just now?" After gathering the herbs, Mu Chen, satisfied, turned to ask Rong Ye.

Rong Ye was momentarily stunned before remembering his purpose for finding Mu Chen, "I want to catch fish, but I don’t have a weapon, so I wanted you to help me catch a few with your Red Flame Spear."

Mu Chen’s face froze for a moment, "My Red Flame Spear is an Immortal Artifact!" he emphasized to Rong Ye.

"I know," Rong Ye replied, looking at Mu Chen, bewildered, "What about it being an Immortal Artifact? I just don’t have any handy tools, and besides, the fish is for Geng Geng to eat."

Upon hearing that the fish was for Gu Qingqing, Mu Chen dropped his reluctance, carefully storing the herbs and directly dragging Rong Ye to the lakeside.

He looked into the lake and indeed found fish, sizable ones at that. Gripping the Red Flame Spear, he observed for a moment, and when a fish swam by, he hurled the Red Flame Spear.

The spearhead pierced through the fish, capturing it, and Mu Chen retrieved the spear and threw the fish to Rong Ye. Using the same method, he speared two more fish and stopped once he felt it was enough.

Rong Ye, carrying the three fish, went to prepare them while Mu Chen gathered a pile of firewood, ignited it, and waited for Rong Ye and Jun Wu to finish their tasks, placing the food on the fire to roast. They gathered around the fire, waiting for the food to cook.

Mu Chen had already ground the herbs into a paste and applied it to Si Lin’s wounds.

"Doesn’t something feel off here?" Nan Hua suddenly asked as he looked at the fire before him.

"What’s off?" Rong Ye asked carelessly, flipping the fish over the fire.

The others also focused on Nan Hua, waiting for him to continue.

"Actually, I’m not quite sure. It’s just a feeling. Ever since we entered the Trial Land, I’ve felt something was off, but due to being preoccupied, I ignored it until now. Once we arrived here, the feeling returned—a strong sense of incongruity," Nan Hua shook his head, his expression conflicted, expressing his perception.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingqing and the others carefully observed their surroundings, even closing their eyes to feel intently.

"It does feel a bit off," Si Lin also spoke with a frown.

"Hmm," Yue Zhao glanced at Si Lin and nodded, "Actually, I was also pondering this. Rong Ye mentioned earlier about what we know—the Rong Family’s ancestor established the Rong Family and made it a dominant force in Rong City, even renowned in the Sub-immortal Realm, after exiting this Trial Land.

Moreover, over the past millennium, whenever the Rong Family was on the brink of decline, they would send their most promising disciples into the Trial Land. Two of them successfully emerged with increased cultivation, helping the Rong Family overcome crises. This indicates that despite its dangers, the Trial Land is well-suited for cultivation. Otherwise, it must contain treasures.

Yet, upon entering, our Spiritual Power was sealed, and we couldn’t sense the Spiritual Energy in the air, making cultivation impossible. How could one’s cultivation skyrocket this way?"

"Yeah, without Spiritual Energy, how do you cultivate? Could there truly be some miraculous Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures inside?" Mu Chen chimed in out of curiosity, following Yue Zhao’s line of thought.

"Any Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures capable of swiftly boosting cultivation are not easily consumed—one misstep, and you could explode! Besides, without Spiritual Power, even the sand scorpions, Blood Ghost Vines, and demon beasts we encountered would be ordinary animals or plants!" Nan Hua added.

"Then what’s up with this Trial Land? Is there some secret?" Gu Qingqing asked, furrowing her brow, puzzled.

Nan Hua and Yue Zhao suddenly exchanged a glance, speaking simultaneously, "It’s an Array!"

Their expressions turned excited, especially Nan Hua’s.

"As an Array Master, I actually forgot about arrays!" Nan Hua smacked his forehead, dissatisfied with his response.

Except for Yue Zhao, the others stared at Nan Hua in confusion, completely at a loss for what he was saying.

"Third senior brother, are you saying there’s an array here?" Gu Qingqing asked, looking around, not quite understanding.

"Yes," Nan Hua affirmed confidently, "If I’m not mistaken, the array here should be a Yin Yang Illusion Array. This array is like a mirror, replicating reality within the array, making the array’s situation mirror reality. It’s similar to an Illusion Array but not exactly. Just as we can’t use Spiritual Power or storage spaces, Spiritual Power exists in reality but not within the array—this is the array’s greatest feature, its indistinguishable reality and illusion!"

"So if we break the array, we can use Spiritual Power and storage spaces?" Gu Qingqing’s eyes sparkled at Nan Hua’s explanation.

She wasn’t particularly bothered by the inability to use Spiritual Power or storage spaces; her main concern was losing contact with Little Yu upon entering and worrying that Little Yu might get anxious or into trouble. If she could use Spiritual Power and storage spaces, she could release Little Yu!

"Correct." Nan Hua nodded, confirming Gu Qingqing’s hypothesis.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s break the array!" Rong Ye stood up immediately, addressing Nan Hua.

The lack of Spiritual Power was disconcerting, especially in danger. He and Yue Zhao could only watch, unable to help—a frustrating reality for Rong Ye, who enjoyed fighting. Now aware that an array was the cause, he naturally wanted to break it as soon as possible.

Naturally, the smile froze on Nan Hua’s face, "I haven’t found a way to break it yet."

In an instant, the smiles that had just appeared on everyone’s faces froze, and they fell into a solemn silence.

This was one of those situations where you know what’s wrong but can’t resolve it, a very frustrating predicament. However, Gu Qingqing and the others didn’t blame Nan Hua. After all, the array seemed extremely advanced. Noticing it was challenging enough for Nan Hua, and they trusted his abilities—if he noticed it, he’d undoubtedly find a solution!

So, Gu Qingqing and the others didn’t disturb Nan Hua; instead, they continued with what they were doing. Rong Ye and Jun Wu resumed roasting, and once the roasted fish and rabbit were ready, they shared the food among everyone, enjoyed a meal, and began exploring the Oasis.

As mentioned earlier, the Oasis was vast. They first walked around the lake and then explored the area, discovering many small animals in the woods, along with some herbs—all low-level without any Spiritual Power.

What puzzled them was the absence of demon beasts, unlike their previous experience in the desert where demon beasts were abundant!

While Gu Qingqing and the others were exploring, Nan Hua remained seated by the lake, looking at the water—a habit of his when thinking. He preferred quiet places, and if there was water, he liked sitting by it for comfort and to stimulate his thoughts.

The lake teemed with fish, all large and, like the small animals, showed no fear toward humans, as if oblivious to danger, appearing at ease.

Nan Hua’s gaze lingered on the fish, his mind racing to find a way to break the array.

Suddenly, a blue glow flashed in his vision. He blinked, watched that spot closely, and after a while, upon seeing the blue glow again, his eyes brightened, and he leaped up from the lakeside.

"Come quickly, I’ve found a way to break the array!"