Chapter 158: The Mysterious Magic Array

Without another word, Ileena leapt into the air first, landing on the back of the Giant-winged Crow. Her sleeves fluttering like a fairy over water, she crossed the abyss towards the cave on the opposite cliff wall. Her frame was slender and her weight light, especially without her equipment. Since the Giant-winged Crow had ample carrying capacity, it effortlessly ferried her across.

Sun Fei could naturally tell that Ileena was rushing to be the first to the other side. She clearly remained uneasy, worried about potential dangers lurking within the mysterious cave.

Sun Fei shook his head, understanding her concern.

He retrieved a long rope from his Belt Space. Whirling it with all his might, he suddenly flung it forwards. The rope shot straight across like a taut line. The iron claw at its tip smashed into the rock face on the far wall and lodged itself firmly. He secured the other end to a prominent boulder on his side. Then, with a shout, Sun Fei activated the Druid skill, “[Werewolf Form]”. Instantly, he transformed into a tall werewolf. He stepped onto the ‘rope bridge’ and began walking swiftly across the abyss. Unlike the “[Giant Bear Transformation]” which boosted Might and defense, “[Werewolf Form]” enhanced agility and perception. Sun Fei therefore moved steadily and rapidly across the rope, even faster than Ileena. By the time Sun Fei reached a cave entrance on the other side and had stored the rope, Ileena was just arriving, gliding over on the Giant-winged Crow.

The passage within the cave was pitch black. Sun Fei manifested his gear and donned a ring granting +15 light radius, brightening his vision considerably. He then summoned his Dire-Wolf Spirit again and began exploring. After clearing the first seven classes, Ileena had gained the strength and magical attributes of the other six Mercenaries. She now wielded the magic of fire, lightning, ice, and poison all at once. Perhaps because of the rewards for clearing the stages, the people of the [Rogue Encampment] had grown accustomed to Sun Fei possessing skills from multiple different classes. Seeing him summon the Druid’s Dire-Wolf Spirit and Giant-winged Crow didn’t faze Ileena in the slightest.

The stone walls of the cave passage remained starkly plain, devoid of decorative patterns, murals, or anything similar. Consequently, the pair couldn’t glean any useful information.

However, after proceeding along the passage for several kilometers, they were forced to stop.

The path ahead forked.

And not into just two paths.

The end of their passage opened into a stone chamber roughly a hundred square meters in size – relatively spacious. This chamber connected to a full ten entrances leading to other unknown passages. Yet what made Sun Fei’s heart leap was the presence of structures within the room at last. It consisted of five circular stone pillars, each about a meter high but varying in size. These were neatly arranged at the five points of a pentagram, surrounding a central stone monument nearly two meters tall.

Moving closer, Sun Fei noticed more details. The tops of each stone pillar were carved with a multitude of intricate, delicate lines. Sun Fei guessed correctly that this was an unseen Magic Array pattern. The work was extraordinarily fine and clear, unquestionably the work of a master Mage. All the lines converged at the very center of the pillar’s flat surface. Here, there nestled a six-cornered conical indentation, almost as if something had once been embedded there but was now missing.

Sun Fei stared at this six-cornered indentation; the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed. An idea struck him. He retrieved a Perfect-grade Amethyst, synthesized thanks to the [Horadric Cube], from his Belt Space. He turned it base-down and gently placed it into the depression. Sure enough, the perfect gem slotted perfectly into place without the slightest misfit.

Buzz… Buzz…

A faint humming suddenly filled the air. The amethyst seemed activated by some invisible energy. A hazy purple light flared from it. Then, visibly, the purple light seemed to come alive. It flowed out across the delicate lines carved into the stone surface like liquid energy. In moments, the entire small Magic Array’s pattern brimmed with pulsating purple mana…

But… that was it. No other changes occurred.

Sun Fei turned his gaze to the four other identical stone pillars. Sure enough, each had a similar Magic Array inscribed on top. Each pattern was unique in its intricacies, but all featured the same central six-cornered conical indentation. Sadly, Sun Fei currently possessed no other Perfect-grade gems. Lower-tier gems inserted into the other depressions produced no reaction whatsoever.

As for the two-meter tall stone monument standing at the center of the pillars, it showed no peculiar features. It was a blank stone stele. No characters were carved, no patterns etched, certainly no Magic Array. Its surface was smooth as a mirror, perfectly flat. Sun Fei scrutinized it carefully for a long time but found nothing remarkable.

Besides the five pillars and the blank monument, the chamber held absolutely nothing else.

Sun Fei finally decided to take imprints of the Magic Arrays on the five pillars. Then, they moved on to the next phase of exploring. Staring at the nine other passage entrances opening from the chamber, Sun Fei exchanged a look with Ileena and sighed. “Looks like we rely on luck now!”

Picking an entrance at random, Sun Fei led the way with Ileena following closely behind. They proceeded at a cautious pace. To avoid getting lost, Sun Fei carved a flower symbol into the cave wall roughly every five meters. The passage twisted, turned, rose, and fell as they walked. About ten minutes later, they emerged into another chamber identical to the first one. It too branched off into over a dozen passage entrances.

Sun Fei paused in disbelief, not expecting this scenario.

This chamber was the exact size as the previous one. It also connected to nine other passage entrances. And, positioned right in its center, were five small stone pillars surrounding another blank monument. Each pillar bore an engraved Magic Array. Sun Fei took out his earlier imprint rubbings and painstakingly compared them. The five Magic Arrays here were identical copies too. If it weren’t for the fact that Sun Fei saw no trace of the symbol he had left earlier here, he would have sworn they’d somehow circled back to the previous stone chamber.

“Looks like luck is still our guide!”

After marking the entrance they emerged from, Sun Fei also carved a symbol onto the center of the blank stele. He then chose another entrance at random, gripped Ileena’s hand firmly, and sent the Dire-Wolf Spirit ahead to scout while they followed at a distance.

Less than ten minutes later, sweat broke out on Sun Fei’s forehead.

Yet again, an identical chamber appeared before them. Still nine branching passages, like endless dark holes leading to who-knows-where. Still five pillars and a blank monument. Still the exact same copied Magic Arrays… Sun Fei felt close to panic. This place was a colossal labyrinth that could confound a deity! Chamber after chamber, corridor after corridor, a sprawling network. Every passage represented a potential path, and every path held a different outcome. Though Sun Fei hadn’t excelled at math in his past life, even he understood that under these conditions, just relying on luck to navigate this branching cave system? The odds were less than one in a hundred million.

“We can’t just blunder around like this any longer!”

Sun Fei pondered carefully and quickly reached a decision. Leading Ileena, he retraced their steps, following the flower symbols they’d left behind. Soon, they reached the entrance to the passage where they’d first entered the system. Sun Fei repeated his earlier trick, using the rope to swing back across the freezing chasm to the solid ground of the initial mysterious space. Ileena once again flew across atop her Giant-winged Crow.

“You head back to [Hero City], Ileena,” Sun Fei said. “Oh, and take this Aura Manual. Pass it on to Uncle Lampard and see if he can train with it…” He pulled out a manual labeled “[Lightning Fist]” from his Belt Space and handed it to Ileena, adding cautiously, “But be sure to tell Uncle Lampard clearly: I compiled this manual myself. I’ve practiced it myself and haven’t found any flaws, yet he should still proceed cautiously. If he notices anything wrong during cultivation, he must stop immediately! He must not continue!”

This Aura Manual was the one Sun Fei had modified. He’d designed it based on the Qi Channels for Battle Qi flows he’d learned in Assassin Mode. Over the previous weeks, he’d tested it himself. While he couldn’t store Battle Qi in his body, rendering the cultivation useless for building power, this flaw actually made him the perfect test subject. Even if flawed pathways existed, it wouldn’t cause him Qi deviation leading to sealed or destroyed channels. During his cultivation tests, Sun Fei corrected several minor flaws he discovered. By now, after multiple revisions, he believed it was flawless. He named the manual “[Lightning Fist]” because he realized the Qi Channels he’d added specifically targeted speed enhancement. They could make the user’s punches as swift as lightning while multiplying their force several times over.

Ileena memorized Sun Fei’s instructions. Stepping through a suddenly appearing indigo Portal, she left reluctantly for [Hero City].

This was one benefit of having upgraded the Divine Skill, [Summoning]. Not only could he summon monsters from the lands connected to the first chapter, the [Rogue Encampment], but he could also now teleport NPC companions to fixed locations, thereby saving Sun Fei considerable time and trouble.

Sun Fei could theoretically teleport himself to [Hero City] using [Summoning], but he refrained. His declared one-month absence had a purpose beyond exploring the [Divine-Demon Ruins]. He wanted Shampoo City to develop for a month without his direct control. Sun Fei understood he needed to give his subordinates space to act. If he micromanaged everything, he’d exhaust himself and also prevent his underlings from growing their own capabilities. A nation couldn’t become truly powerful relying solely on one person. Sun Fei had laid the foundation for Shampoo City; now he waited for others to spring up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, growing strong and capable.

After seeing Ileena off, Sun Fei began walking towards the [Mountain of White Bones].

He had imprints of the Magic Arrays from the stone chamber. Perhaps Nun Auntie and that eccentric old man could identify something from them. It was better to gather more clues before attempting further exploration. Furthermore, he needed to return and use the [Horadric Cube] to synthesize four more Perfect-grade gems. Maybe activating those mysterious Magic Arrays was the key to escaping this apparent maze. Of course, after nearly a day and night of constant exploration, despite his formidable power, Sun Fei felt deeply weary. He needed rest first.