MTLNOVEL Chapter 82 Array Pattern Masters
"What... what do you mean?"
The tranquil face of You Hai King now bore a trace of dark ferocity.
He looked back towards Lichao City.
In this moment, Chu Lin realized something.
During this emergence of Bai Ze Secret Realm, all three major powers had arrived, but only the Jiang Family sent a single "Xie Zhen" into the river.
The vast majority of the Jiang Family's cultivators had not shown themselves!
"Do you really think your much-prized Tide Sacrifice Demon Technique is so unsolvable?"
Tang Fengshu's voice was hauntingly calm, "What if this great tide isn't enough to submerge Lichao City, what then will you do?"
With a thunderous crash!
The long-accumulating giant tide reached Lichao City, "landing" from the eastern shore, rolling waves stacking to nearly a hundred feet, majestic and powerful—
Pillars of blood shooting to the skies countered it!
But as the giant tide fell, dozens, nearly hundreds of green radiant beams rose in unison to the far east, forming a long light curtain, forcibly withstanding the first surge of the giant wave!
"I can't say much about other things, but the art of Array Patterns and Talismans, the Taoists still understand a bit," Tang Fengshu said coldly, "Intending to Blood Refine living beings to ascend to Yang God? Ask me if I'll allow it!"
This time she emerged from seclusion to come to Lichao City for the rendezvous, although she was alone.
But there is one good thing about the Taoist sect.
It has many disciples.
After she received the message from Chen Jingxuan, Tang Fengshu began to summon the Taoist disciples, passing down the art of Array Patterns and Talismans—
The great formation deployed by You Hai King this time enveloped the entire Lichao City.
Such a high-level formation has a feature, its Array Patterns are less difficult to inscribe; even the lowest-level Qi Refining Masters can perform the inscriptions!
But the downside is that it requires a large amount of work, the difficulty of forming is high, and thus it requires the cooperation of a great number of Array Pattern Masters...
Therefore, Chu Lin enlisted a large number of Demon Cultivators to distract attention while dispatching Chu Family cultivators to inscribe on the pre-prepared formation nodes in Lichao City!
Many Chu Family cultivators, up until the arrival of the great tide, didn't know the meaning of the ancient runes they were ordered to inscribe.
In other words.
Many of them were not Array Pattern Masters!
This, precisely, was the method to break the "Tide Sacrifice Demon Array," to remove the formation nodes of the Demon Array and establish a defensive grand formation of the same level, to counter the great tide!
"Hehehe..."
The laughter of You Hai King echoed from the great ship.
The man looked back at the storm-beaten city beside the river and said softly, "Tang Fengshu, if you had stayed in Lichao City to set up the formation, perhaps you could have withstood the great tide... but you chose to board the ship, do you think by relying on a few Taoist 'stinking fish and rotten shrimp,' you can set up an astonishing grand formation?"
He had clearly seen the first confrontation.
The seemingly sturdy Green Radiant Array had barely managed to withstand the first wave—
Once the Tide Sacrifice Formation begins, the tide will become increasingly fierce! What follows are waves that will only get higher than the last!
The moment the eight hundred miles of Qing State's prohibition began, You Hai King had deployed all of his informants.
Only a Great Practitioner of the level of the Master of World Pavilion could evade his "surveillance."
This also meant one thing: Tang Fengshu had not brought any other disciples with her to Lichao City for her mission.
"..."
The hand clutching the horsetail whisk slowly fell, and she said expressionlessly, "There is another way to break the situation."
"Kill me before the Tide Sacrifice begins."
You Hai King smiled and said, "Why don't you try it and see if you can do it."
Thunder rumbled overhead, coiling into dragons above Tang Fengshu's head.
The Thunder Technique was in effect.
This Master of Taoist World Pavilion pointed her horsetail whisk from afar at the python-robed man.
Chu Lin closed his eyes and spread his arms wide.
The Qilin bearing the great ship leaped out, opening its gaping maw at the woman in blue!
...
...
"Boom!"
A flash of lightning streaked across the chaotic skies above Lichao City.
Heaven and earth fell silent for a moment, then returned to normal.
Amidst the chaos of the city, sword lights shot through rapidly.
The Jiang Family, Imperial City Division, and the Taoist sect were all in action!
The contingency plan laid out by Jiang Qihu at this moment came into play...
The Jiang Family and Imperial City Division were responsible for hunting down the remnants of the Chu Family, any Chu Family cultivator involved in Array Pattern engraving was to be executed on sight!
Meanwhile, the Taoist sect was in charge of removing the Demon Array and inscribing a new formation!
Seeing the first wave of the great tide, carrying the might to end all worlds, blocked by the Taoist formation, all those who had lost hope had their spirits reignited... The cultivators of the Lichao City Lord's Mansion were steadying the populace's heart, the initially shattered order was being reestablished. But the crisis hadn't ended just there.
Because everything had happened too suddenly.
Despite Chen Jingxuan being in the Imperial City, controlling the fate through the Primordial Instrument... he couldn't achieve true "foreknowledge."
He could only react to situations as they arose.
Tang Fengshu had distributed forty-one "Everlasting Spring Formation" talisman papers to fourteen Taoist disciples.
Unfortunately, these fourteen Taoist disciples were not highly cultivated.
The highest among them was only at the peak of Foundation Establishment...
All they could do was to rush to the eastern shore of Lichao City at the earliest opportunity, lay out the Everlasting Spring Formation talismans, and then withstand this first tide surge!
Afterward, they would hasten the imprinting of Array Patterns.
The Jiang Family, Imperial City Division, City Lord's Mansion, all Array Pattern Masters, had gathered at the eastern shore.
The second wave of the great tide was imminent.
This year's North Sea great tide was indeed more spectacular than any previous year, but this was not good news.
The height of the second wave was almost double that of the first.
The City Lord's Mansion was doing its utmost to evacuate the populace—
But if the second wave were to hit, it would mean that a third, then a fourth wave would follow.
```
How many living beings in this city will suffer because of this?
Array patterns and talismans shone brightly, suspended in the air before the riverbank. In just half an incense stick's time, these Array Pattern Masters, spurring their horses on, had replicated hundreds of Everlasting Spring Array talismans.
The weeping willows growing along the riverbank, under the influence of the talismans, sprouted thick, long vines, with green light cascading down to form a protective wall.
By the riverside of Lichao City, in the direction of the pagodas, this grand formation was finally completed, and it looked spectacular.
But at that very moment.
A young woman wearing a conical hat and face veil, carrying a shabby basket on her back, came to the riverside alone.
She looked at the seemingly sturdy Green Radiant Array, then turned her gaze toward the rising Tongtian Tide that was drawing nearer.
Beneath the conical hat, her eyes conveyed three parts anxiety and seven parts trepidation.
"Hey——"
"Idlers are not allowed near!"
A Taoist disciple noticed this reckless woman.
The tide was imminent now.
Had not they been shouldering the burden, who would wish to come to this riverside?
Just as he was about to drive her away.
"I am an Array Pattern Master!"
Deng Baiyi took a step back, retrieved a talisman and tossed it into the air, where it was ignited by Primordial Power, allowing her voice to spread across the banks of the Carp Tide River.
"Array Pattern Master?"
The Taoist disciple, hearing this, was overjoyed and gestured, "Quick! You've arrived just in time, we're short-handed right now!"
The more Everlasting Spring Array talismans they could engrave, the better!
"Everyone..."
Deng Baiyi hurriedly spoke with urgency, "This grand formation will not last long!"
Upon these words, the looks from the other Array Pattern Masters towards Deng Baiyi turned strange!
"Are you mad! What nonsense are you spouting?"
The Taoist disciple said irritably, "Do you know who has passed down these talismans?!"
The Master of World Pavilion!
What kind of extraordinary and divine figure that was!
If even the talismans bestowed by the Pavilion Master could not save Lichao City, then who could?
Would they really trust a young maiden who appeared to be only in the Qi Refining Realm?
Moreover... the first wave of the tide had already been successfully halted.
"It's not like that."
Deng Baiyi took a deep breath and said, "The formation that you are currently engraving, it's called the 'Everlasting Spring Array', right?"
The Taoist disciple was startled for a moment.
"Everlasting Spring Array, which thrives upon wood, can convert the spirits of plants... I don't know the identity of the one who passed down the talismans, but I understand her intent; she knew very well that with the power of us Pattern Masters alone, we cannot set up the grand formation in time to withstand the massive tide, thus she handed down the simplest 'Everlasting Spring Array'!
As long as we can replicate enough 'Everlasting Spring Array' talismans, we will be able to use the vegetation along the banks of Lichao City to effectively block the tide!"
Deng Baiyi said swiftly, "Haven't you all realized? The 'Everlasting Spring Array' has already pushed the spirits of the vegetation by the Carp Tide River to their limits!"
Everyone looked up.
Indeed... with the help of the grand formation, the spirits of the vegetation had grown tens of times taller, forming a verdant and radiant barrier that covered the sky.
Adding more talismans could indeed enhance the formation's strength.
But at this moment, the formation had reached its limit! The progression was slower with each additional talisman!
Under such circumstances, the manpower and time spent, and the results achieved... were no longer proportional.
"The person who bestowed the talismans wanted us to buy some time."
Deng Baiyi clenched her teeth and said, "But relying on the 'Everlasting Spring Array', the time we can delay is extremely limited. The next wave, or perhaps the one after that, if we're unlucky... the formation will be overrun! Once the formation breaks, at least half of Lichao City will be submerged!"
Hearing this, the Array Pattern Masters all looked grim.
Although they already knew that Lichao City was targeted and escape was impossible—
they had still come here clinging to hope!
What Deng Baiyi revealed, the brutal truth, and the imminent arrival of the massive tide created an unprecedented oppressive atmosphere on the riverside.
"I have an ancient formation."
Deng Baiyi bit her lip and continued, "It won't take up too much time; I just need you all to clear the way a bit, help me insert the talisman paper at the array's focal points along the riverbank... Maybe I can help us all hold out a bit longer."
As soon as she spoke.
The riverside of Carp Tide River fell into complete silence.
Boom!
The second sound of thunder resounded between heaven and earth.
The tide had arrived!
The Taoist disciple who had first scolded her looked at Deng Baiyi, hesitating all the while, but now made up his mind, stepping forward quickly to take the stack of talisman papers from Deng Baiyi's hands, then distributed them to the other Taoist disciples.
"Quickly! Everyone, put yourself into action!"
In such times, no explanations were needed.
Just one person needed to take the lead.
Then others would act together!
The talismans prepared by Deng Baiyi were soon distributed among all the disciples-
She stood at the key position of the grand formation, directing dozens of Array Pattern Masters, inserting talisman papers and setting up array flags.
All the outside noises gradually faded away.
The sound of the tide, the sound of thunder; as the array patterns took shape, it seemed as if all the noise of the world had nothing to do with her.
The last sound Deng Baiyi heard—
was the weak inquiry from Jiang Huang in the basket on her back.
"Sister Baiyi, are we going to die?"
Deng Baiyi took a deep breath.
She gripped the key central talisman that controlled the grand formation, and then looked up defiantly at the oncoming tide, her eyes full of resolve.
"No, we won't."
"I will make sure we survive."
"Everyone will survive."
```