CHAPTER 399: THE FORMATION MASTER'S WARNING

"……"

Jiang Ye could vaguely sense—

The blood gradually flowing into the little brown bottle seemed less blurry in consciousness compared to when it was in the stone pillar's groove.

And this bottled "blood" state appeared quite similar to the Light and Shadow Escape state.

However, the Light and Shadow Escape state consumed a tremendous amount of the light clone's talent abilities.

Yet this blood state seemed like a passive state with no consumption at all.

Of course, this state couldn't move as rapidly as Light and Shadow Escape either.

It could move, but only slowly flow like a liquid.

Jiang Ye was also worried about being detected as abnormal by the Blood Thief, so he didn't dare move recklessly.

However...

The Blood Thief's blood collection process with the little brown bottle lasted about one minute.

Strangely, despite so many big shots present, they all just watched from afar without anyone stepping forward to interrupt.

Especially Salvation...

He should have known that what was in the groove was transformed from Jiang Ye's Blood Person clone!

Yet, he didn't interrupt either.

Only when the Blood Thief finished collecting blood, and the stone pillar groove turned from blood-red to deep black...

The stone pillar that had erupted from the Blood Pool slowly began descending back into it.

Fortunately, its descent didn't trigger any more tremors or warnings throughout the Doomsday Apartment.

Meanwhile, the short figure flashed and leaped from the stone pillar to where Salvation and the others stood.

Jiang Ye now clearly saw that this dwarf stood just over one meter tall but had the wrinkled appearance of an old man.

Overall, he looked like a naturally short dwarf.

The dwarf glanced at the Dark Purple Figure and called out "Alliance Leader Fu Li" in a cool tone as a greeting.

Then he looked toward the Moon Phase Clock direction, frowned at one of Salvation's mechas, and said in a heavy tone:

"I know you want to delay the Ninth Day's arrival, but this is the Moon Phase Clock! Don't cause any more trouble in the future!"

After speaking, the figure shifted and transformed, splitting into eight identical figures.

Then, without Salvation's permission, these eight figures whooshed into the eight moon phase diagrams on the Moon Phase Clock.

Jiang Ye watched with shock, thinking: Did this guy even enter the left and right "Full Moon" and "New Moon" diagrams?

Would he be thrown out with slapping sounds too?

However, he noticed that the Salvation mechas previously holding the iron chains were now withdrawing.

The single remaining Salvation mecha, while still mechanically expressionless, had an aura that felt more relaxed than before.

Nearby, Fu Li looked toward the Moon Phase Clock with unfathomable eyes.

Meanwhile, the Evil Infant Wulie had returned to his innocent childlike appearance, elegantly wiping the burn-like red marks on his palms from pressing the iron chains... 𝘙ÄΝỘ𝖇ƐȘ

Now completely showing no trace of his previous anxious madness.

The smiling Beautiful Woman appeared thoughtful.

The balding middle-aged man asked her something, but she shook her head silently.

So the balding man turned to Wulie: "That dwarf... what's his background?"

Wulie, perhaps in a good mood, still looking innocent, uttered four words: "Formation Master."

The balding middle-aged man's eyes flashed with astonishment.

Then Wulie added: "He should be an Array Grandmaster or even Great Array Grandmaster now... but acquaintances usually still call professional permission players 'Master'."

After all, first impressions stick, and "Master" was the most habitual address.

When masters advanced, they usually didn't make a show of it, so outsiders rarely corrected the title.

After Wulie finished speaking, the balding man and silent beautiful woman both wore inexplicable expressions.

Including Jiang Ye, who now looked at Wulie with different eyes.

From his tone, he and the Formation Master counted as "acquaintances."

Indeed.

Strong players who survived past the Seventh Day were already extraordinary.

Let alone someone who survived while infected with Lightburn...

The balding man and beautiful woman clearly knew Wulie's capabilities and cautiously asked:

"So the Formation Master has a way to delay the Ninth Day's arrival?"

After all, being infected with Lightburn, they cared most about this matter.

Wulie didn't answer immediately. He glanced at Salvation, then looked at the Moon Phase Clock before slowly saying:

"After all, the formations within the Moon Phase Clock were all set by the Formation Master. Past delays of the Moon Phase Clock's time mostly benefited from formations he arranged."

"Since he used the word 'future' with Salvation just now, it naturally means Salvation still has a 'future' and won't die so quickly."

These words seemed directed at the balding man and beautiful woman.

But clearly, they were meant for Salvation's ears.

Wulie thought this way but actually felt uneasy himself.

After all, the Ninth Day concerned his own survival too.

Salvation glanced at him but didn't respond.

The group of big shots waited quietly until the crow feathers emerging from the Moon Phase Clock retracted.

The iron chains that had been operating toward the Moon Phase Clock now operated toward the Blood Pool direction.

This completely reversed scene looked like time flowing backward.

Soon, the entire Moon Phase Clock returned to calm.

Jiang Ye hadn't noticed before, but now observing carefully, he discovered—

The iron chains wrapped around the Moon Phase Clock seemed complex and patternless.

But all eight moon phase diagrams on the clock aligned with specific chain link points.

These chain link points appeared like special calibration marks.

Jiang Ye carefully studied these calibration marks, speculating about their relationship with time.

But he couldn't observe for long before several whooshing sounds—the eight figures that entered the moon phase diagrams now flew out.

Unlike others who had been thrown out and fallen to the ground, these eight short figures landed steadily.

Soon, the eight figures shifted and transformed again, rapidly merging into one.

The figure shook its sleeves and quickly flashed before the Salvation mecha.

Simultaneously, those small eyes, faintly carrying a mean quality, glanced sideways at Jiang Ye.

After that brief, dismissive glance, the dwarf's gaze returned to the genuine Salvation mecha.

He casually waved a hand, and eight glass tubes floated suspended before him.

They appeared yellowish-brown too, but slightly lighter than the blood-collecting little brown bottle.

Jiang Ye could also perceive these weren't the glass bottles containing his Blood Person clone.

The short figure spoke solemnly to Salvation:

"To prevent you from causing any more trouble, I've removed all the corpse oil from the eight array disks."

"Until the Ninth Day arrives, don't target the Moon Phase Clock anymore."

"Of course, if you successfully survive to the Ninth Day, I'll repair the array disks for you again."

Wow! So he's forbidding tampering with the Moon Phase Clock?

Indeed, Salvation immediately grew anxious and hurriedly said: "But without moving the Moon Phase Clock..."

His words unfinished, the dwarf waved to interrupt:

"While retrieving the corpse oil, I made some adjustments."

"Based on the current chain calibration marks, the Ninth Day won't arrive before this Novice Apartment cycle ends."

"Of course, this assumes no interference."

"If you have apartment bosses intervene to delay the Novice Apartment's operation time, or continue targeting the Moon Phase Clock, causing any more trouble..."

"Then, I can't say for sure."

"..." Salvation remained silent for a moment, then bowed respectfully to the dwarf and said solemnly: "Thank you, Master."

The dwarf nodded with an air of authority, while his peripheral glance toward Jiang Ye still carried traces of dissatisfaction.

After a moment of silence, he finally turned directly to Jiang Ye.

As their eyes met, those murky elderly eyes held obscure, profound meanings.

After a brief stare-down, the dwarf spoke in a somewhat sarcastic tone:

"I know this incident happened because you persuaded Salvation."

"But kid, I advise you—don't meddle in affairs that don't concern you."

As he spoke, the dwarf narrowed his eyes slightly, letting faint cold light escape through the slits.

Then, his agile figure leaped several times and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Jiang Ye frowned inwardly.

Clearly, this Formation Master had seen through his identity.

He even knew the blood collected in the little brown bottle came from him.

But did he know the blood still retained Jiang Ye's consciousness?

And that final warning about not meddling...

Was it just warning against this instance of sending a clone into the Blood Pool?

Or was it secretly warning him not to interfere with the formation arrangements in the black ice domain?

Jiang Ye felt it was probably the latter.

After all, Salvation seemed to hold this Formation Master in high regard.

Having just warned Salvation not to target the Moon Phase Clock anymore,

Salvation likely wouldn't "act recklessly" going forward.

So the Formation Master had no need to warn Jiang Ye again.

Thus, it was probably warning against meddling in the black ice domain...

In the black ice domain, within the chess grid space under the full moon.

Jiang Ye's Zhou Qiming clone naturally received the Formation Master's meaningful warning simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Lin Jing and Zhao Dongliu's team operated with extremely high efficiency.

They had already gathered all players controlling array disks into the black ice domain.

The twenty-five cross-region players under Zhao Dongliu's control all followed instructions from their respective District 9999 administrators.

"Instructions" essentially meant threats and control.

These players were almost impossible to mess up.

So Jiang Ye agreed they didn't need to come to the Hanging Moon chess grid, but could remain in their assigned chess grids as directed by their 9999 administrators.

Meanwhile, the six "fake pieces" controlled by Lin Jing also brought their "fake boards" to this Hanging Moon chess grid space.

Among these six, aside from Ouyang, Lu Fang, and Bai Ruowan.

The later three appeared quite low-key.

They hadn't received direct instructions from the Formation Master but accidentally obtained array disks, thought they might be useful, and kept them.

Finding this Hanging Moon chess grid was completely guided by the array disks.

During the guidance process, they thought some heavenly opportunity had arrived.

But upon arriving, they found themselves facing a group of big shots!

Their first instinct was to flee.

However, after being disciplined by Lin Jing, they quickly became as docile as Ouyang's group, all expressing willingness to obey organizational commands.

Thus, all thirty-two players and thirty-two array disks needed to activate the formation were assembled.

Worth mentioning—

The other twenty-one cross-region players operated their array disks from various chess grids throughout the black ice domain, showing no obvious pattern in the short term.

Meanwhile, Feng Cheng, Liu Re, Li Peng, and Zhao Dongliu—the four cross-region big shots from BCDE districts—operated their array disks from chess grids connected to the four directions around the Hanging Moon chess grid.

And Lin Jing representing District A, plus the six fake pieces, needed to operate from that Hanging Moon chess grid itself.

High above, as Wang Lingling's screams gradually ceased, the moonlight emitted by the full moon seemed to dim.

Lin Jing also frowned at the full moon but didn't comment, instead telling Jiang Ye:

"Basically, everything is ready."

The subtext being: we can start setting up the formation now.

However, Jiang Ye still hadn't decided whether to proceed with the Formation Master's plan.

Now having received this warning...

He actually felt somewhat rebellious inside.

Mainly because he suspected that even if he watched Lin Jing—this "hidden weapon"—closely, it might be utterly useless!

He was only beginning to understand the Formation Master's methods.

This was someone capable of setting formations inside the Moon Phase Clock!

Once the formation he arranged in this black ice domain completed, Jiang Ye might gain nothing from it!

Coincidentally, in the Abyss Restricted Zone, with the Little Old Woman's assistance, Yuan Qiu obtained the [Privileged One] identity and selected [Nomadic Merchant] as her replication identity.

Afterward, the group continued advancing toward the Abyss Restricted Zone's depths.

Previously, walking on the outer radiation soil areas, they kept getting teleported out.

But now that the Ghost Valley Soul Shepherd Formation was broken, moving inward wouldn't trigger teleportation.

Jiang Ye used Xiao Hei to secretly send Xiao Bai a message, asking her to help inquire about the Formation Master from the chubby guy.

He even provided a pretext—using the Ghost Valley Soul Shepherd Formation's array disk to see if they could uncover any information.

But Xiao Bai's strength fell short of the chubby guy's, and without Lin Ling backing her now, she felt quite hesitant.

While hesitating, she overheard Yuan Qiu whispering to the hunched Old Woman:

"It's strange..."

"I can actually sense living beings deep within the Abyss Restricted Zone!"

"Using the [Nomadic Merchant]'s [Free Movement], I seem able to reach directly near those beings..."

Regarding [Free Movement]'s effects, Zhou Yuling had briefly explained to Jiang Ye.

She could sense where living beings existed.

But not all beings could be clearly identified.

According to Zhou Yuling's speculation, beings she had recent interactions with could have their specific locations sensed.

Whereas beings with no long-term interactions, or never interacted with, couldn't have their locations sensed.

Simply put, it was like having a god's-eye-view map in her mind.

This map marked numerous "gray dots" representing beings she could [Free Movement] to.

But for most beings, she didn't know exactly who they were.

Only a few beings with recent interactions appeared as "bright dots"—she knew who was there.

So Yuan Qiu's situation was similar now.

She could sense beings existed at the Abyss Restricted Zone's center.

But since she never contacted them, she didn't know their specific identities.

When the Old Woman told Yuan Qiu she needed to bind a permission identity, she had hesitated.

But after truly becoming a [Privileged One], her shock was no less than Jiang Ye and Zhou Yuling's before.

Visibly, this young girl seemed somewhat inflated with confidence.

Without waiting for the Old Woman's response, she asked excitedly in a low voice:

"With [Free Movement], I can go anywhere easily. Should I go ahead to the beings near the restricted zone center to scout the situation?"