Chapter 90: The Array Eye

Though Li Zhen’s spiritual energy had only recovered to 34 points, he immediately ceased his cultivation upon receiving a military order.

He had been taught at school that once on the battlefield, one must obey military orders without question.

Any cultivator who defied such orders would face severe punishment.

“Mr. Zuo, I’ve received a military order!” Li Zhen reported to Mr. Zuo.

“Be careful and prioritize your safety!” Mr. Zuo didn’t inquire further, simply offering words of caution.

He was well aware that military orders were not to be questioned or discussed indiscriminately.

Li Zhen nodded towards three senior students before setting off in a particular direction.

“Mr. Zuo, what is Li Zhen going to do?” Wang Rushi and Shi Xuan overheard the mention of a military order but didn’t ask. Fang Congzhi, being younger and more curious, couldn’t contain his question.

“You’ll find out soon enough!” Mr. Zuo noticed the direction Li Zhen had taken, forming a guess in his mind, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Along the city wall, at regular intervals, were structures like the one Li Zhen approached. These were sealed rooms embedded within the wall’s thickness.

The only window faced outward, allowing a view of the external surroundings.

This was one of the key nodes of the defensive array. Even during large-scale battles, entry was strictly forbidden to cultivators without a special military order.

For cultivators without special abilities, casting spells at the formation eye consumed more spiritual energy than it could provide.

The continuous restoration of a cultivator’s spiritual energy didn’t come from nowhere; it required vast amounts of ambient spiritual energy to be transformed through the formation. In battle, such consumption was equivalent to the formation itself coming under attack.

Li Zhen, having validated his identity through the wristband, descended via the stairs into this small chamber.

Upon entering, he felt his body enter a strange state, as if he had merged with the defense formation, becoming a part of it.

Spiritual energy, transformed by the formation, flowed ceaselessly into his dantian—a repository of vital energy in the abdomen.

In just two seconds, his dantian was replenished. The formation eye replenished a cultivator’s spiritual energy at a rate of 50 points per second.

Li Zhen now understood why the military command had stationed him here—his lightning magic was needed.

Of course, his importance wasn’t as high as he’d imagined; rather, it was the care of two Foundation Establishment true cultivators that was involved.

Li Zhen didn’t want to waste time. His mind connected with the Dragon Heart Space, and in an instant, he channelled the ‘Heavenly Thunder Magic.’

Cultivators valued lightning magic due to its terrifying power. Even the ‘Heavenly Thunder Magic’ wielded by Li Zhen, only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, could shatter the defensive armor of a group of Silver-Backed Iron Armored Bears.

Unburdened by concerns of spiritual energy depletion, Li Zhen maintained a relentless pace, conjuring one ‘Heavenly Thunder Magic’ strike per second.

This magical technique inherently possessed a ‘breakthrough’ effect, which was why it tore through the silver armor’s defense with a single blow.

“It’s Li Zhen! He’s moved into the Formation Eye!” Wang Rushi realized upon noticing the successive Heavenly Thunder Magic attacks, pinpointing Li Zhen’s strategic position.

“That does seem the most suitable spot for him!” Shi Xuan observed, his eyes fixed on a monster whose defenses had been breached. His hand glided over his flying sword as he remarked.

Even other Late Qi Refining Stage cultivators would require multiple attacks to break through the silver armor’s defense. In contrast, Li Zhen’s use of Heavenly Thunder Magic was akin to a bottle opener, effortlessly shattering defenses with each strike.

Li Zhen mechanically unleashed Heavenly Thunder Magic, drawing upon the condensed essence he’d gained from devouring this very technique. Originally, his understanding of ‘Heavenly Thunder Magic’ surpassed the ‘Understanding Magic’ realm. However, due to the technique’s high spiritual energy requirement, he’d lacked opportunities for practical application, resulting in a relatively low mastery level.

With each consecutive casting, the experiences and insights he’d acquired began to seamlessly integrate, transforming into his own knowledge.

Throughout this process, the potency of his ‘Heavenly Thunder Magic’ also continued to advance.

Initially, a single bolt of his magic could penetrate the silver armor’s defense, leaving merely superficial burns on the monsters. Later, however, his attacks not only breached the armor but also induced a state of electrical paralysis in the creatures.

With aerial monsters eliminated, the armored warriors shifted their focus to the ground, significantly easing the pressure on the great defensive array.

The monsters directly facing the shield were predominantly those equipped with the silver armor.

Previously, cultivators’ attacks on these monsters had been arduous, with Li Zhen’s individual contributions appearing minuscule against the overall defensive line.

But everything changed with the introduction of martial fighter armor. A mere one or two strikes from them could now slay monsters protected by silver armor.

After their deployment, monster casualties mounted rapidly.

In the face of such devastation, the eyes of the Unicorn Wind Wolf flashed with ferocity as it vanished from sight.

An ear-piercing alarm blared from one of the armored warriors’ suits, signaling that a formidable enemy had locked onto him.

He attempted to react, but the Unicorn Wind Wolf’s speed was simply too swift.

A Late Qi Refining Stage cultivator bolstered by a martial fighter armor was roughly equivalent to a half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, the disparity between half-step Foundation Establishment and true Foundation Establishment was vast—never mind the fact that second-order monster beasts generally surpassed even Foundation Establishment true cultivators in combat strength.

The soldier felt an irresistible force bearing down on him as his fighter armor’s defenses crumbled in an instant. It was only due to the multiple layers of protection within the military-grade fighter armor that he wasn’t killed on the spot.

In the eyes of other cultivators, they witnessed the Unicorn Wind Wolf materialize before the fighter armor, followed by a flurry of armor fragments flying in all directions, while the remnants of the fighter armor were sent soaring upward.

Sensing that the life within the fighter armor hadn’t been extinguished, the Unicorn Wind Wolf prepared to deliver a finishing blow.

Boom! Li Zhen’s Heavenly Thunder Magic arrived just in time, striking the Unicorn Wind Wolf squarely on the head.

The Unicorn Wind Wolf’s attack faltered momentarily. Shaking its head, it turned to gaze directly at Li Zhen.

Upon examining the spot where the Heavenly Thunder Magic had struck, Li Zhen noted that not even a hair was singed—a clear indication that his magic hadn’t breached the wolf’s defenses.

It was only the inherent intimidation that thunder magic carries against living beings that had momentarily halted the Unicorn Wind Wolf’s attack.

“Strike!” Pei Zhenxiu whispered, her sword light flashing faster than the sound of her voice.

Her attack was brilliantly timed, striking at the precise moment the ‘Unicorn Wind Wolf’ was startled by the ‘Heavenly Thunder Magic’.

By the time the wolf sensed the attack, the sword glare was less than two meters away.

Renowned for its speed, the wolf twisted in mid-air, attempting to dodge – but it was a step too late.

The sword glare cleanly severed one of the ‘Unicorn Wind Wolf’s’ front legs. Had it not dodged swiftly, the strike would have been aimed directly at its life.

With a lost front leg, the ‘Unicorn Wind Wolf’ couldn’t spare a moment to search for Li Zhen, the source of the thunder magic. Just as it moved to take its severed limb in its jaws, it vanished mysteriously.

There was no time to ponder this oddity; Pei Zhenxiu’s flying sword had not retreated and continued its assault.

The wolf transformed into a blood mist, allowing Pei Zhenxiu’s sword glare to pierce through harmlessly.

When the ‘Unicorn Wind Wolf’ reappeared, it was several kilometers away, its absence of a front leg rendering it pitifully inadequate, like a mangy old dog.

The entire battle had been exceedingly brief. Observing cultivators, unaware of the missing leg, would merely assume the ‘Unicorn Wind Wolf’ possessed some special ability, allowing it to retract its severed limb.

No one suspected Li Zhen, hidden within the city walls. The fight between Pei Zhenxiu and the ‘Unicorn Wind Wolf’ had taken place near the very spot where he stood, unseen.

As the sword light sliced through the Unicorn Wind Wolf’s foreleg, his perception of spiritual objects intensely alerted him that this limb could be harvested.

Li Zhen maintained his Heavenly Thunder Magic at a rate of once per second while diverting part of his attention into the Dragon Heart Space to examine the severed leg.

Monster corpses were immensely valuable to human cultivators.

Especially the bodies of second-order monsters, not a single part went to waste.

The skin could be made into second-order talisman paper or magical robes, the bones were material for crafting tools, and the meat was edible.

Of course, a single foreleg’s skin was too small and irregularly shaped, at most yielding two blank sheets of talisman paper.

When it came to crafting tools, Li Zhen knew better than to cause trouble by taking a Unicorn Wind Wolf leg bone to have it refined by others.

Stealthily pilfering small items was one thing, but truly exposing this special ability would leave him tolerated by none.

A cultivator capable of silently purloining spiritual objects within a certain range posed a threat. Those who learned of it would face a stark choice: either control this ability themselves or eliminate the threat permanently. There was no third outcome.

Even if it meant wasting the Unicorn Wind Wolf’s foreleg, Li Zhen decided it was a small price to pay to avoid bringing trouble upon himself.