C13 Worryfree Ancient Tomb

Chapter Thirteen: The Carefree Ancient Tomb

"Has anyone seen Huo Niu?" Huo Gen inquired, looking around at the gathered people.

"He darted into the ancestral hall earlier," a villager from the crowd spoke up.

"I'm afraid he might have fallen down there," Muh Tong said, his face ashen as if he were facing his final moments, his hand trembling with sorrow as he pointed toward the dark abyss.

"I'll go down and check; he might still be alive," Huo Gen stated, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"I'm coming with you," Lu Feng declared firmly. He had grown fond of Huo Niu, despite being constantly badgered with questions every day. If it weren't for their close bond, he wouldn't feel so compelled.

Huo Gen gave Lu Feng a hesitant look but eventually nodded in agreement. His hesitation stemmed from the fact that this was a village matter, and he felt a bit guilty for involving Lu Feng, especially with the unknown dangers that might lie below. However, he consented, moved by Lu Feng's determined and unwavering gaze, knowing that Lu Feng's feelings for Huo Niu ran deep.

After making preparations, the two carefully descended into the cave beneath the ancestral hall.

They had expected to reach the bottom after just a few steps, but to their surprise, Lu Feng and Huo Gen found themselves going deeper and deeper. Even after a considerable amount of time, they hadn't reached the end.

"This is odd," Huo Gen remarked, his torch casting light on the path that still stretched endlessly ahead.

"Indeed, it feels as though we're walking in circles," Lu Feng shared his thoughts.

The term 'Trapping Array' suddenly flashed through his mind, and connecting it to their predicament, Lu Feng was taken aback. "It seems we've unwittingly entered a Trapping Array."

"A Trapping Array?" Huo Gen echoed with confusion. "Is there really such a formation in this small village?"

Different Array Diagrams and Array Patterns yield various effects. For instance, offensive Array Patterns exude a sense of lethality and are known as Killing Arrays. On the other hand, Array Patterns designed to trap can make the formation incredibly versatile and impregnable, typically used in Trapping Arrays. Besides these, there are also Illusion Arrays, Teleportation Arrays, Auxiliary Arrays, and more...

At that moment, Lu Feng and Huo Gen found themselves up against a Trapping Array.

A Trapping Array is a formation designed to harm or confine someone through special configurations. It's often laden with numerous prohibitions that can both weaken an enemy's strength and make escape impossible.

Lu Feng sifted through his memories of Trapping Arrays, drawing connections to the myriad of arrays laid by the two elders in the valley, searching for subtle similarities.

"It was hidden here all along!"

After several rounds of searching, Lu Feng's face lit up with a smile. He moved aside a few stones and replaced them with jade slips engraved with Spirit Suppressing Patterns, momentarily disrupting the flow of the Array Patterns.

Next, he swiftly fired an arrow at the stone wall ahead.

Instantly, the wall gave way, and the sound of shattering Array Jade echoed around them. A new entrance emerged, from which a dazzling light spilled forth.

"Was the Trapping Array really broken just like that?"

Huo Gen watched, wide-eyed and speechless, unable to contribute or interrupt, as Lu Feng worked his magic.

"Breaking this Trapping Array must have involved quite a bit of luck," Lu Feng said with a chuckle. He had managed to locate a piece of Array Jade by drawing on his knowledge of such arrays. By using a jade slip with the Spirit Suppressing Pattern, he disrupted the array's operation and pinpointed its vulnerability, swiftly neutralizing the array.

Beyond the fallen wall lay a stone chamber, its entrance marked by two ever-burning lamps casting a faint glow.

"Who would have thought there'd be such a hidden realm beneath the ancestral hall?" Huo Gen remarked, awestruck by the sight before them.

Together, they descended the entrance steps and lit the remaining candlesticks on the stone room's walls.

Upon closer examination, Lu Feng was astonished to find the walls adorned with countless patterns, seemingly depicting a complex set of cultivation techniques.

"This looks somewhat like the Archery technique passed down in my family," Huo Gen observed with amazement.

Lu Feng scrutinized the designs and indeed, as Huo Gen had suggested, there were numerous parallels. Yet, the Archery depicted on the walls appeared far more intricate and mysterious, as well as more systematically complete.

Lu Feng refrained from scrutinizing the techniques too closely, as they were the ancestral skills of Carefree Village. It would be improper for him to learn them without permission.

"Mr. Huo Gen, you keep watch. I'll check around for any signs of Huo Niu," Lu Feng said offhandedly.

"There's no rush. We can always look at this later," Huo Gen replied, unconcerned, as he quickly stepped up to walk beside Lu Feng.

"This stone chamber can't be the final point," Lu Feng observed, noting the flickering flames on the candlestick.

"There's a draft, a moving air current," he deduced. "There must be another way in or out."

The two meticulously inspected every brick and tile within the chamber, their attention eventually settling on the two ever-burning lamps at the entrance.

If there was a hidden secret in the chamber, it had to be controlled by something still functioning—leaving only the two lamps as suspects.

Lu Feng and Huo Gen examined the lamps, one on each side, turning them simultaneously, yet nothing seemed to happen.

They tried every combination—left to right, right to left, both to the left, both to the right—but the chamber remained unchanged.

"Perhaps we need to master the Archery depicted on the walls to uncover a new passage?" Huo Gen speculated.

"Mr. Huo Gen, why don't you give it a try?" Lu Feng suggested.

"Come on, let's learn it together!" Huo Gen invited, looking at Lu Feng earnestly. "I consider you a close friend, almost family. There's no need for formalities between us."

"Let's study it together, so I won't have to teach you afterward," Huo Gen said warmly, pulling Lu Feng closer.

Lu Feng felt moved by Huo Gen's generosity. His friend's willingness to share his knowledge without reservation was truly admirable.

The wall was covered with various Archery techniques, most of which were comprehensive and straightforward. Beyond a few sophisticated moves, the majority focused on the art of drawing the bow, the angle of release, and timing the shot.

Lu Feng and Huo Gen already had a solid foundation, so they quickly mastered the Archery depicted on the stone wall, memorizing the techniques, arrow feather crafting, and other details from start to finish.

Oddly enough, once they had learned the majority of the skills, the wall before them opened up a passage without any prior indication, startling the two who were deeply engrossed in their studies.

As the stone door ascended slowly, they instinctively thought that Huo Niu had triggered a mechanism elsewhere.

Yet, when the door was fully open, Lu Feng and Huo Gen saw no sign of Huo Niu. Instead, they were greeted by a large and peculiar structure on the other side of the door.

The ceiling of this new stone chamber was immensely high, at least four or five times that of the previous room, allowing it to house such an enormous and bizarre edifice.

From a distance, the building resembled several giant round stone plates stacked in decreasing sizes, akin to a colossal cake or a pagoda with its top shorn off. Each layer was about a third of Lu Feng's height, and upon closer inspection, there were seven layers. At the apex, three stone pillars stood at equidistant points, their tops flaring out like umbrellas, resembling massive bowls turned upside down.

"Let's go check it out," Huo Gen whispered.

They proceeded with caution, and after ensuring it was safe, they exchanged glances and began their ascent, layer by layer.

Lu Feng led the climb with Huo Gen following closely. The stone plates were somewhat high, making the climb tiring, but it wasn't too challenging for them. Upon reaching the sixth layer, Lu Feng noticed a significant drop in the ambient noise but didn't think much of it and climbed to the final layer.

Once he steadied himself, he realized the cause of the silence.

Huo Gen was nowhere to be seen. Unbeknownst to him, he was now the sole occupant of the vast stone chamber.

A cold sweat formed on Lu Feng's back as he felt an eerie chill. The stone room was too peculiar...

And the sight of the pattern beneath his feet only added to his unease, sending his mind into disarray.

At the pinnacle of the stone plate, a remarkably lifelike eye was carved into the center—a vast and somewhat eerie eye that seemed to fixate on him with an unyielding gaze.

The eye was surrounded by enigmatic and intricate ancient patterns, their lines simple and worn, exuding an air of antiquity. These were clearly not mere decorative flourishes.

Perhaps it was the presence of the eye at the heart of the stone plate that made Lu Feng feel as though the patterns were pulsating with life.

As he studied these venerable markings, a sense of familiarity washed over Lu Feng, yet he couldn't quite place where he had seen them before.

From his vantage point atop the stone plate, Lu Feng's eyes widened in realization—the peculiar structure beneath him bore a striking resemblance to an 'altar' he had once read about.

Such altars were elevated platforms used for ancestral sacrifices, and in some regions, it was even customary to offer living people in homage to the spirits of the past.

At that moment, Lu Feng found himself the sole offering upon this altar.

A sense of foreboding gripped him as he attempted to leap away and flee the unsettling site.

But his efforts were futile; no matter how he contorted his body, he could not break free from the confines of the stone plate, scarcely two meters across.

The eye pattern at the apex of the stone plate began to morph, its slight opening transforming into an angry glare, emanating a palpable menace. The ancient patterns that encircled the eye now flowed gently, casting an ancient orange glow.

"The harbinger of an array's activation!"

Although Lu Feng was neither startled nor panicked, he was at a loss on how to intervene, left only to watch the unfolding transformation.

The nature of this peculiar and ancient Array Pattern eluded him. Its complexity and sophistication suggested a rank far from ordinary.

The Array Pattern, radiating an ancient orange hue, seemed to exude an aura of desolation. Centered around the eye, it expanded outward, rapidly draining the Spiritual Energy within the stone plate, leaving Lu Feng feeling drained and struggling to breathe.

"The Ancient Desolate Pattern!"

The recollection finally struck Lu Feng. The enigmatic and supremely intricate pattern before him was none other than the legendary Ancient Desolate Pattern.

He had once casually perused a summary tome in Exquisite Valley, the Exquisite Treasure Mirror—a compendium of the most special and formidable Array Patterns on the Profound Heaven Continent. And now, the Ancient Desolate Pattern, a pattern of renown from the book, unfolded before his eyes.

The Ancient Desolate Pattern, listed as the seventeenth in the Exquisite Treasure Mirror, imbues any array it forms with the power of desolation, draining the Spiritual Energy and rendering the space eerily silent...

Lu Feng recalled this passage from the book with crystal clarity. Yet, the tome offered no clues on how to break such an array.

Indeed, the solutions to the Array Patterns chronicled within its pages were not the kind of secrets that could be easily divulged in mere sentences.