Sage of Humanity

If Lu Ye were to develop an array destruction technique, afterward, all the major forces of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge would have nowhere to cry; the Surreptitious Palace is now fully supporting Lu Ye, and once he succeeds, they will be the first to benefit—it's like getting the first taste of the soup.

Attacking one's own protective array, what's that really? Even if the array is destroyed, so be it; Gu Canyang was even eager to witness this scene.

Seeing Gu Canyang's stance, how could Lu Ye not know what he was thinking?

"Then, thank you, Brother Gu."

Gu Canyang laughed heartily, "It's a minor matter, Brother Yiye, you're too polite."

"Who controls your sect's big array?" Lu Ye asked.

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Gu Canyang pointed to the youth in white next to him, "Junior Brother Wey Li is in charge of the big array."

Wey Li immediately stepped forward, "Does Fellow Daoist Lu have any instructions?"

"Not at all, but please, Fellow Daoist Wey, adjust the array back to its previous state." The reason Lu Ye had stopped was that the big array had been pushed to its ultimate level by Wey Li, and continuing to strike would not have the same effect as before.

He had just begun to research how to decipher the protective array, naturally starting from the simplest. Once he understood the intricacies, it wouldn't be too late to increase the difficulty.

Upon hearing this, Wey Li quickly activated the jade cluster in his hand, and the humming and operant big array gradually stabilized.

Gu Canyang spoke a few more words with Lu Ye and then led his people away.

Researching the array destruction of a big array isn't something that can be done in a short amount of time; there was no need to gather here and spectate. However, one could foresee that in the coming days, their own protective array would likely suffer greatly.

Not only did Gu Canyang's side not bear any complaints, he was even somewhat looking forward to it, instructing Wey Li to fully cooperate with any of Lu Ye's needs.

Once the people from the Surreptitious Palace had left, Lu Ye once again activated the Insight to enhance his vision, looking towards the nodes of the big array.

The previous probing helped him understand that, even when the array was operating at its lowest level, and even if he could see the nodes, it was impossible to break the array by brute force.

Of course, if the array's power wasn't increased, given the power of his previous strike, he also had a chance to break the array, but such an event clearly wouldn't happen. Attacking the enemy's station, once he made a move, the enemy would definitely strengthen the array.

Since brute force won't work, his only option was to rely on the Path of Spirit Runes.

He observed the flow and changes of the Yin and Yang Dual Origins at the nodes, conceptualizing a way to solve the decryption, and raised his hand to press it below the light screen of the big array. When spirit force surged powerfully, using the spot under his hand as the source, the spirit forces spread out in all directions, and the Yin and Yang Dual Origins quickly expanded, instantly covering a radius of ten feet.

In the past, Lu Ye couldn't achieve this extent, even if he was a Spirit Runes Master and his control over his own spirit force was stronger than cultivators of the same realm, he couldn't construct Yin and Yang Dual Origins covering such a large area in an instant.

But after refining his psyche in the Soul Cleansing Pool in Xianyuan City, his control over his spirit force had greatly improved, allowing him to surpass his previous limits.

Breaking an array and opening the restriction lock of a storage sack work on the same principle, as an array itself is a massive restriction.

The difference is, array breaking demands higher requirements, Lu Ye could take it slow when unlocking the storage sack's restriction lock, just needing to activate his spirit force to create basic elements contrary to those of the restrictions, which could decode the storage sack's restriction lock.

Array breaking couldn't be done slowly, because the big array is constantly in operation, and being too slow meant it couldn't be broken.

This was still a big array without someone propelling it; if someone was propelling it, the changes in the array would be even more, and then breaking the array really would require seizing an instantly fleeting opportunity.

Right now, to break the array, Lu Ye needed first to clearly see the integration of the Yin and Yang Dual Origins near the nodes, and second, to create completely opposite basic elements within an extremely short time and perfectly align them.

By doing so, the basic elements he created could dissolve this part of the big array's light screen, therefore breaking the node and opening the array.

With the Insight Spirit Runes enhancement, the first point was no difficulty for him, the challenging part was the second.

After resting briefly, Lu Ye made a second attempt.

Even though he had strong control over his own spirit force, achieving this was not easy, because in just a few brief moments, he needed to create hundreds or even thousands of basic elements, each without any mistakes, otherwise, they would be ineffective.

In the following days, the cultivators from the Surreptitious Palace frequently saw a lone figure sitting beside the big array, occasionally their own protective array would suddenly hum and shake.

Initially, the cultivators were quite unaccustomed to it, but as it happened more often, they began to see it as normal.

The person in charge of controlling the array, Wey Li, also received messages from Lu Ye from time to time, making corresponding adjustments to the big array.

With the full cooperation of the Surreptitious Palace, the progress of Lu Ye's decoding of the big array gradually improved, summarizing experience and lessons from his numerous failures and adjusting his approach.

The books brought from Madam Yun's place were a great help at this time, as many perplexing problems could find inspiration or even answers in those books.

Time quickly flew by, and it was a month later.

It was still the same location of the previous node, Gu Canyang and Wey Li stood inside the big array while Lu Ye stood outside, the two sides separated by the big array's light screen.

"Starting now," Wey Li shouted lowly, pulling out the jade cluster controlling the big array. Under his command, the protective array was instantly prompted to its utmost limit, the light screen covering the station becoming much more solid, with halos flowing over it.

Opposite him, Lu Ye's eyes, bolstered by the Insight Spirit Runes, intently followed every minute change at the node of the big array. He watched for the duration of one incense stick's time before suddenly stepping forward.

A splendor flashed over his legs as the Move-Like-The-Wind Spirit Runes enhanced his speed to the utmost. At the same time, spirit force surged around his body, and hundreds of Yin-Yang Dual Origins were seamlessly integrated into his surface, spreading out and allowing him to don a layer of spirit robe constructed from basic elements.

Then he collided with the protective array, his entire being embedding into it. Under the stunned gazes of Gu Canyang and Wey Li, the body that had embedded itself into the big array freed itself from the array's confines. It felt as though he was pulling his body out of the array, even emitting a slight 'pop' sound.

"Just like that."

Lu Ye stabilized his spirit force, having moved from outside the big array to inside it, where he stood before Gu Canyang and Wey Li.

His initial research focused on how to break through the Formation, but as he delved into it, the direction of his research shifted, mainly because Lu Ye realized his current cultivation was still too low. Even if he could forcibly break through the nodes of the big array, he couldn't maintain it.

If one were to liken the protective array to a ripple on water, then the principle of array destruction would be to create an opening in this ripple. Thus, when attacking the enemy's territory, one's side could charge through this gap into the enemy's territory and engage the enemy directly, without being hindered by the protective array.

With his current abilities, Lu Ye couldn't create a lasting opening in the ripple; at best, he could only create a crack. However, this was meaningless since the big array had self-repairing capabilities, and the crack would quickly be sealed.

Realizing that his previous ideas were unattainable, Lu Ye almost gave up, but after reading something in a book, he had some creative new ideas.

The ensuing half-month of experiments led to the current results.

Gu Canyang and Wey Li gazed at Lu Ye in stunned silence for a long while.

"How did you do it?" Gu Canyang was utterly baffled. The big array was clearly still operational, yet Lu Ye had effortlessly walked from outside the array to inside it, a feat that seemed almost inconceivable.

"The big array has nodes, and the node's position is its flaw. Find the node, discern the integration of the basic elements at the node, then use spirit force to produce the exact same basic elements and forcefully insert them into the node. By doing so, you can merge yourself with the big array through its nodes and break into it," Lu Ye explained.

Gu Canyang pondered thoughtfully, "I see."

Internally, he screamed, I don't understand at all!

"Simply put, it's a disguise, a deception," Lu Ye clarified. "I envelop my body with spirit force, constructing the same basic elements as those at the node of the big array and disguising myself. Upon entering through the node, the big array mistakenly believes I am a part of it, thus accepting my presence."

This time, Gu Canyang vaguely understood a bit, but he genuinely couldn't fathom it—could one really deceive an array?

"Brother, it's the same principle as a fly not targeting a seamless egg," Wey Li suddenly mentioned.

Gu Canyang realized, "The protective array is like an egg, and Brother Yiye is..."

"If you really want to think of it that way... it's not impossible," Lu Ye replied.

"But that seems hardly meaningful," Gu Canyang frowned.

Although Lu Ye had demonstrated in front of them how to break into the big array through deception, this method wasn't very helpful for overtaking the enemy's territory; without breaking the array, it was hard to capture the place.

"Here's what I'm thinking..." Lu Ye began elaborating carefully, and Gu Canyang's and Wey Li's eyes gradually lit up as they listened.

By the time Lu Ye finished, the two exchanged glances, each seeing the eagerness in the other's eyes. If this plan succeeded, it would certainly be a significant achievement, with rewards from their sect surely to follow.

Thus, without any hesitation, Gu Canyang declared, "It's rare for Brother Yiye to brave such risk; our Surreptitious Palace has no reason to shrink back."

"Shall we wait for news from you too?"

"I'll arrange the other matters,"

Shortly afterward, at the Soaring Cloud Palace outpost, Zhou Pei, who was meditating, received a transmission. Checking it, he found it was from Gu Canyang and replied, "Brother Gu, what's the matter?"

"Good news!"

"Oh? Where does the joy stem from?"

"Interested in attacking Fenghua Courtyard's outpost, Brother Zhou?"

Zhou Pei's spirit immediately rallied, his eyes clearing significantly.

Half a day later, at the boundary between the territories of Surreptitious Palace and Fenghua Courtyard, several cultivators were engaged in battle. However, one side soon fell into disadvantage, and after being injured, retreated.

The victors did not rashly pursue, as it was hard to ascertain whether the enemy was luring them deeper—such incidents had occurred often before.

The injured were from the Surreptitious Palace, among them a spirited young lady who clearly was not resigned. After escaping to a safe distance, she turned back and shouted at several people from Fenghua Courtyard, "Just you wait, I'll call Senior Brother Gu to wipe you all out."

The leading person from Fenghua Courtyard sneered, "Bark all you want, dog. Come if you dare!"@@novelbin@@

The young lady, infuriated, screamed and rushed forward with her sword, but fortunately, her companions, still rational, quickly restrained her.