CHAPTER 166: CHAPTER 156: ANOMALY IN THE BACK MOUNTAIN

The hurried footsteps broke the silence of the main hall, echoing clearly in the spacious chamber.

Qin An turned to look toward the hall’s door, his brows slightly furrowed.

He saw a disciple of the Golden Array Sect rush in with a panicked expression, almost tripping over the high threshold in his haste.

Once the disciple steadied himself, he realized there were others in the hall.

His gaze fell on the patrol silver badge hanging at Qin An’s waist, and his face turned pale, quickly collecting his frantic expression.

Sun Cai noticed this, immediately clasped his hands in apology to Qin An: "My lack of discipline, forgive me for letting you witness such a sight, Mr. Qin."

After saying this, he turned to the anxious disciple, harshly questioning: "Why such panic? Even if it’s a major event, maintain your composure. Such behavior is unbecoming!"

Today, Qin An came to discuss arrays, and Sun Cai had been fretting for an opportunity to get closer to the patrol officer; now, he found his chance.

But unexpectedly, the disciple’s rudeness caused him great embarrassment.

The disciple quickly apologized repeatedly, then reported, "Sect Leader, there’s an issue with the rear mountain array again. Could you please go and take a look personally?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Cai instinctively prepared to say a few diplomatic words.

But before he could, he realized the gravity of the situation, his expression suddenly changed, no less panicked than the disciple’s.

He sprang to his feet, so abruptly that he dropped the teacup he was holding, which fell to the ground.

"What did you say? The array has a problem again? Hurry, follow me to check it out!"

Sun Cai took a couple of steps, suddenly remembering Qin An was still present, hurriedly turned back.

"Mr. Qin, I will arrange for a disciple to prepare accommodations for you. Once I’ve handled this urgent matter, I’ll return to discuss arrays with you."

He was clever; even in such a panic, he didn’t say "teach" but used the word "discuss."

After all, the person in front of him, though young, was firmly in the Returning to Storage Realm.

For a patrol officer, making life difficult for Sun Cai was as easy as eating and drinking.

Qin An nodded slightly, casually asking, "What might cause Mr. Sun such distress?"

This was reflexive, and after asking, Qin An had already risen, ready to leave the main hall to rest for a while.

Unexpectedly, after he spoke, a trace of hesitation appeared on Sun Cai’s face, as if he had something to say but found it difficult to express.

Qin An immediately caught this expression.

Qin An squinted his eyes, saying, "It seems the matter is not trivial."

From Sun Cai’s expression, Qin An detected an oddity.

This was no small matter, and quite unusual.

Sure enough, after Qin An asked, Sun Cai fell silent for a long time, hesitating for a good while before finally sighing.

"Mr. Qin, if you have the time, could you accompany me to the rear mountain for a look?"

Qin An raised an eyebrow, responding, "Of course I have time."

Returning to his accommodations at the Golden Array Sect would only waste time; this was a better opportunity to take a look.

Sun Cai’s earlier expression had piqued his interest.

Sun Cai nodded slightly, said no more, and gestured toward the path, "Please."

Qin An rested his hand on the Cold Star Saber at his waist, walking with the confidence of a dragon, leaving the main hall.

...

The rear mountain.

The ancient, towering trees were lush, the vegetation rich, and there were numerous birds and beasts.

Occasionally, a breeze would blow, sweeping away a few crunchy leaves.

The treacherous mountain path was dense with arrays, even with Sun Cai personally leading, it took quite some time to traverse.

Half an hour later, Qin An and Sun Cai arrived at the entrance of a cave in the rear mountain.

At this moment, a few middle-aged men were already stationed at the cave entrance.

Sun Cai stepped forward to introduce Qin An to them one by one.

"Mr. Qin, these are the elders of the Golden Array Sect. Elders, this is Mr. Qin, a patrol officer from the Evil Extermination Bureau."

Qin An nodded slightly.

The Golden Array Sect elders appeared overwhelmed and hastily cupped their hands politely to Qin An.

After they became acquainted, Sun Cai led Qin An to the cave entrance.

Approaching the entrance, Qin An sensed something amiss, squinting his eyes slightly.

"Why is there evil qi swirling?" Qin An remarked coldly.

The small breeze wafting out from the cave carried an obscure hint of evil qi.

Without careful detection, it would go unnoticed.

The presence of evil qi indicated the existence of rogue spirits or pseudo-gods.

Sun Cai showed a trace of helplessness on his face, explaining with a bitter smile, "The rear mountain cave was left by the previous sect leader of the Golden Array Sect, containing a sophisticated array that even we cannot disassemble."

"Recently, the array trembled briefly, then loosened slightly, allowing evil qi to seep out."

"We suspect there may be rogue spirits or pseudo-gods lurking within."

Qin An raised an eyebrow, his tone turning icy, "Since there are rogue spirits or pseudo-gods, why hasn’t this been reported to the Evil Extermination Bureau?"

Every sect has its unique history and foundation.

Even though the Golden Array Sect isn’t a dominant force in Lingzhou, Qin An found nothing peculiar about such a strange occurrence.

He simply thought it should have been reported to the Evil Extermination Bureau promptly.

According to Qin An’s senses, standing at the cave entrance, he could detect the evil qi, suggesting the rogue spirits or pseudo-gods hidden within the array were quite powerful.

The Golden Array Sect isn’t proficient in combat; if these entities emerged, the entire sect would likely fall prey to them.

Upon hearing this, Sun Cai’s expression subtly changed, a flash of fear crossing his face; he quickly waved his hands defensively.

"Mr. Qin, please understand, it was merely an unsolvable array before. If we reported it to the Evil Extermination Bureau, I feared the intense measures they might employ would doom the Golden Array Sect."

He had his concerns.

The array in the rear mountain was set up by the previous sect leader.

Even with his array expertise, he still couldn’t break it.

Forcing it would surely cause significant upheaval.

The Golden Array Sect itself isn’t a major power in Lingzhou, and it doesn’t have many disciples.

If the array were truly broken, exposing hidden dangers and causing damage to the Golden Array Sect, Sun Cai would feel guilty towards the lineage of sect leaders, even in death.

He knew that the Evil Extermination Bureau only cared about the result.

If they really sensed a demonic pseudo-god inside, they would forcibly break the array, and he, as the sect leader of the small Golden Array Sect, couldn’t stop the Bureau’s decision.

As for why he informed Qin An today, it was because the array was truly about to lose its hold.

An elder stepped forward, glanced apprehensively at Qin An, and offered, "Mr. Qin, please don’t blame us, the array has become increasingly loose, and the evil qi inside is increasingly evident."

"There is an extremely strong presence within. If there were any alternative, we wouldn’t have resorted to this."

Qin An coldly said, "What a poor move."

At this, the attendees fell silent, as if on thin ice.

Sun Cai smiled bitterly, "Sir is right in your reproof."

He also knew he indeed made a poor move.

Rather than letting the array continue to loosen, it would be better to have the Evil Extermination Bureau come and flatten the place violently.

He was merely hoping, hoping that with the Golden Array Sect’s capabilities, they could decipher the secret forbidden techniques of the array before it loosened completely, and eventually seal the array.

But obviously, he overestimated himself and the power of his sect.

Qin An lightly tapped the scabbard with his fingers, "So, what do you want me to do?"

Since Sun Cai was willing to bring him here, there was surely something he wanted to discuss.

Sun Cai hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands, "I humbly ask Mr. Qin to eliminate the entity within the array, so as to resolve the crisis of my Golden Array Sect."

Qin An looked at Sun Cai with indifference, remaining silent.

Sun Cai showed a bitter smile, then took a book from his bosom and handed it to Qin An, "Mr. Qin, I know it’s irresponsible to hide this, but the Mountain Patrol doesn’t concern itself with such things."

"If Mr. Qin can help the Golden Array Sect and not report this matter in detail, this book will be yours."

Qin An took the book, glanced at it, and found that the cover read "Golden Array Skill."

Then, Qin An teasingly asked, "From the looks of it, this seems to be your Golden Array Sect’s Cultivation Technique, and not an ordinary one at that. Are you willing to give it to me?"

Sun Cai decisively nodded, "Mr. Qin, if you want to learn the array, just read this book thoroughly, and you can understand its fundamentals. While you might not master it, it will save you far more time than discussing arrays with me."

Qin An rubbed his chin, "Approximately how much time can it save?"

Sun Cai looked up, "Once you finish reading it, you’ll know the essentials of arrays. At Mr. Qin’s speed, one day is enough."

Qin An lowered his hand, "One day isn’t much at all."

He came here precisely to find the path to a new vocation.

Now this path seems to be clear.

There is a demonic pseudo-god within this mountain cave. If possible, slaying it and extracting its demon core would be an additional benefit.

Hearing Qin An speak like this, Sun Cai knew Qin An agreed, and let out a sigh of relief.

The reason he was willing to tell Qin An was due to the Mountain Patrol’s focus on outcomes over process.

Moreover, in such matters, the Mountain Patrol advocates for annihilation rather than capture.

And the news of their withholding information is unlikely to spread.

Qin An stared at the cave ahead and asked, "How do we get in?"

Sun Cai promptly replied, "Mr. Qin, you just need to head straight in."

"I’ll go down with Mr. Qin, and if there’s an array, perhaps I can be of assistance."

Qin An said nothing but gripped the hilt of the Cold Star Saber—a silent implication.

Sun Cai, smart for someone who held the leader position for so long, understood Qin An’s meaning, which was simply to lead the way directly.

He then exchanged glances with the elders, signaling them to maintain order outside, and led the way into the cave.

...

The cave was extremely dark, with no end in sight.

Sun Cai took out a jade stone from his bosom and, after channeling some True Qi, it emitted a soft glow, serving as the only light source.

Gusts carrying evil qi wafted intermittently from within, filling the cave with a gloomy aura.

Neither Qin An nor Sun Cai spoke.

After walking for nearly the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, a pitch-black door appeared ahead.

The door bore intricate reliefs, appearing exceedingly exquisite.

Between its seams, evil qi accompanied by the sound of the wind resonated eerily.

Sun Cai turned and said, "Initially, we couldn’t enter due to the unbreakable array, but now with its loosening, it gives us a prime opportunity."

"Just open this door, and we can enter the core."

At this, Sun Cai’s face showed a bit of difficulty, and he continued, "The Golden Array Sect is not adept in combat, and I’m not skillful either. This door is also exceptionally sturdy, so we cannot break it."

"We ask for Mr. Qin’s assistance."

Qin An raised an eyebrow, stepped forward, drew the Cold Star Saber from his waist, and executed the Ice Flame Water Breaker technique, now at Returning to Storage Realm Small Success.

As the saber technique was unleashed, the saber light shone like a rainbow.

The force, combining both hardness and softness with the power of ice and fire, intertwined and erupted with immense power.

After slashing the door, it shattered and flew backward.

The scene behind the door appeared before Qin An.

Qin An took it all in, his pupils slightly contracted, and his right hand gripping the Cold Star Saber tightened abruptly.

Beyond the door was an immensely large stone cave, as dark as a behemoth opening its bloody maw.

In the center of the grotto, the soil had been ruptured, exuding a rotten aura.

Within the broken soil, a shimmering light flickered.