Chapter 301: Chapter 273: Nine Divine Artifacts_2

All nine swords radiated an imposing divine aura; if Li Cheng hadn’t suppressed it, a good number of villagers within the premises might have been shaken to death.

After inspecting them, Li Cheng found that while the nine swords looked identical on the outside, the number of Divine Patterns born inside them varied from eight thousand to nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine.

Yin Qingshan swallowed hard, “Brother Li actually managed to refine so many Divine Artifacts at the same time? The highest quality among them almost qualifies as a mid-grade Divine Artifact!”

A Divine Artifact with less than ten thousand Divine Patterns is considered low-grade, while one with ten thousand to one hundred thousand Divine Patterns is deemed mid-grade.

Needless to say, the gap between low-grade and mid-grade is quite substantial! Li Cheng didn’t respond to Yin Qingshan, as he was presently digesting the artifact refining process. The failure to produce a mid-grade artifact was not only due to the limitations of the materials’ grade, but also to how they combined together and his own Cultivation restraints.

These two rounds of Artifact Refining could be considered a second refinement using waste materials; succeeding was already quite commendable.

Whoosh!

Li Cheng inserted the nine swords into the Formation, replacing the short sword that was there before, and then said, “Now we can rest assured. With Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold’s strength, they won’t be able to break this Formation.”

“However, if we draw the people from Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold into the Formation, everyone will have to evacuate, or there will inevitably be casualties.”

Listening to Li Cheng’s words, the crowd looked at each other, unable to hide their excitement.

Yin Qingshan took a deep breath, “Those people from yesterday all perished, and it’s easy for Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold to trace their deaths back to our village. They are likely almost here by now; we need a plan to lure all of them into the village.”

This Killing Formation naturally required the victims to be lured in.

But with so many people dead at once, Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold’s next move certainly wouldn’t be easy to predict; they wouldn’t readily enter the village.

Li Cheng nodded, “It’s a shame we don’t have materials for refining an Array Plate; otherwise, if the Formation was borne by an Array Plate, we wouldn’t have this worry.”

Yin Yue burst out of the crowd, “The Hidden Spirit Array is perfectly blended with the surrounding environment. Wiry don’t we all hide in the Divine Field, and when people from Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold arrive and see no one, they will definitely come into the village to search. Then we can activate the Formation to trap them?”

Li Cheng shook his head, “It’s useless. To investigate Hidden Spirit Village, two or three people will suffice; they won’t all come in.”

After a pause, Li Cheng looked at Yin Qingshan, “Where is the Divine Field? May I take a look?”

“Of course, there’s no problem. Brother Li, follow me.”

The entrance to the Divine Field of Hidden Spirit Village was actually inside the ancestral hall. Yin Qingshan flipped a spirit tablet, and between the two pillars next to it, a light gate appeared.

“This is a minor Hidden Spirit Array set up by our ancestors; it’s only a first- level Formation and serves solely the purpose of concealing. The Divine Field is inside.”

Stepping through the light gate, what appeared before them was a neatly arranged field covering over ten acres.

It was divided into twelve plots, each slightly over an acre, all enveloped by their individual Formations.

“These are all first-level Formations. Normally, everyone channels their Divine Power into the Formation, and the Formation then transports it to the fields, serving as nourishment for the Divine Rice to grow,” explained Yin Qingshan. Understanding dawned on Li Cheng. No wonder the villagers disappeared every morning, only to reappear at noon looking exhausted; it turned out they had been channeling Divine Power here.

The yield of Divine Rice was not high, and it was such an effort-intensive process, truly difficult indeed!

The short sword in his possession, worth seven thousand two hundred Divine Stones, was equivalent to seven thousand two hundred kilos of Divine Rice, which might take seven or eightyears to cultivate.

After a brief inspection, Li Cheng said, “Let everyone come in and hide. I’ll wait outside alone. If most of Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold’s people enter the village, I will use the Formation to blast them. If they don’t come into the village, then I’ll use those nine Divine Swords to fight my way out.”

With the information provided by Yin Qingshan, the only ones Li Cheng needed to worry about were the First Master and Second Master; the other four hundred or so people could be eliminated with a wave of his hand.

Yin Qingshan was taken aback and quickly shook his head, “That’s not possible. How can we let Brother Li take such a risk? If it comes to it, we’ll just activate the Formation and hide inside. After all, they can’t breach it, can they?” Li Cheng smiled and shook his head. Then, an idea struck him—a daring one! If people from Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold arrived, they would surely only send a few people to investigate the village, not charging in full force.

But Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold was their stronghold; their trek to Hidden Spirit Village meant their own defenses would be vulnerable.

Wiry not take the opportunity to set up the Hidden Spirit Array at Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold’s main base?

Yin Qingshan still had some formation materials in his possession!

With his Array setting skills, as long as he didn’t activate it, Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold would definitely not notice, and once they all returned, they could be captured in one fell swoop!

Upon this thought, Li Cheng couldn’t help but stroke his chin. It was feasible, completely feasible!

“Village Chief, give me the location of Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold!”

Yin Qingshan was startled, “You’re planning to pull the rug from under their feet?”

“We’ll see when people from Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold arrive. If both First Master and Second Master come here, then this plan will have no problems,” Li Cheng said with a smile.

Without the two leaders to defend it, Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold presented no threat to Li Cheng.

Even if Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold had a Formation for protection, Li Cheng could ignore it. If worse came to worst, he would simply set up the Hidden Spirit Array outside of their Formation. Then, at most, it would be a battle of Formation against Formation to annihilate Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold.

“Village Chief, Brother Li, they’re coming!” At that moment, a burly man ran into the Divine Field, shouting anxiously.

Li Cheng quickly left the Divine Field and saw dust billowing to the east as an overwhelming divine presence bore down on them.

“Four hundred twenty-seven people, the two leading them are extremely strong, they must be the First and Second Masters, good! The opportunity has arrived!” Li Cheng’s eyes narrowed as he looked toward Yin Qingshan.

Yin Qingshan clenched his teeth and pulled out a piece of Beast Skin, “Brother Li, look, this is our village’s location, here, is Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold. There are two natural maze-like Formations on the way, but I only know the method to pass through one of them.”

With a sweep of his Divine Sense, Li Cheng memorized the map, “I’ll activate the Formation right now. They won’t be able to break it, and they will probably be in a standoff here for quite some time.”

As he spoke, the Hidden Spirit Array was already activated, and from the outside, the entire village had disappeared.

“Good, I will do my best to delay them!” Yin Qingshan said resolutely.

Li Cheng nodded. Enveloping his entire body with his Domain, he left silently and without a trace.

With the Nine Swords as the core, Li Cheng had absolute confidence that Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold would not be able to break the Array, at least not in a short time!

“Indeed, their presence disappeared right here, huh? Hidden Spirit Village actually set up a Concealing Formation, and the whole village suddenly vanished!” Over four hundred people rode Giant Beasts as they sped over, and from a great distance, their Divine Senses lost track of Hidden Spirit Village.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a cold expression, his aura was sharp like a blade – he was the First Master, Blade.

Next to him was a middle-aged man who bore some resemblance to him – he was the Second Master, Blade Edge.

At this moment, Blade Edge had an extremely ugly expression on his face, “Who would have thought that Hidden Spirit Village, always so rule-abiding, would dare to make a move against Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold? It turns out they now have an Array Master!”

First Master Blade’s face was filled with a murderous intent, “The ancestors of Hidden Spirit Village were not simple, but from today on, there will be no Hidden Spirit Village in this world!”

As soon as his words fell, First Master Blade waved his hand and a Heaven God State mid-term expert beside him burst forth, charging towards the position of Hidden Spirit Village as fast as lightning.

Bang!

After flying out over ten miles, the man collided with an invisible wall and was bounced back.

“First Master, it’s here!”

The crowd saw it too, and First Master Blade snorted coldly, a pitch-black Great Blade appearing in his hand.

With the Great Blade in hand, First Master Blade leapt forward and slashed down with all his might with a strength to split mountains, “Break for me!”

Hum!

A kilometer-long huge blade light howled towards them, and inside the Array, everyone felt their bodies tremble!

But when that huge blade light touched the invisible wall, it only caused a ripple and failed to break through the Formation!

As the ripples spread, everyone from Move Cloud Mountain Stronghold revealed incredulous expressions. First Master had attacked the Formation with a Divine Artifact and hadn’t managed to break through?

Taking advantage of the moment when the ripples spread, everyone clearly saw that it was an invisible membrane that enveloped the entire Hidden Spirit Village.

But the next moment, the ripples disappeared, and the image of Hidden Spirit Village was gone once again.

Big brother, it seems it’s the Hidden Spirit Array passed down by the ancestors

of Hidden Spirit Village!” Blade Edge’s voice came from behind.

Blade’s expression darkened as he nodded, and with a wave of his hand, he

commanded, “Everyone attack with all your strength!”

To break a Formation, one doesn’t necessarily need to understand it; if the attacks exceed the Formation’s endurance limit, the Formation will naturally break.

Within the Array, Yin Qingshan let out a sigh of relief in secret, “As expected, even with a Divine Artifact, Blade couldn’t break the Formation!”

What followed was a delay tactic, giving Li Cheng enough time to set up his

Array!