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The border of the City Lord's Mansion stood in eerie silence. The ancient dome-like constructs remained unmoved by time, their surfaces weathered by countless storms. Mottled traces of erosion marked their stone walls, speaking of a past long buried beneath the sands of history. Unlike the grand structures of Glory City, these ancient edifices seemed to belong to a different era, an age lost to time. (Image)
Nie Li walked ahead, his keen eyes scanning the towering domes. He knew of Glory City's history—how it had been built and destroyed countless times, how the five Legend rank ancestors had led thousands of survivors here after the madness of the demon beasts. Many families had been rebuilt from the ruins, but the original history of the city had been erased, swallowed by time.
Even the most powerful Demon Spiritualists of the city could not penetrate the mystery of these constructs. The faint white glow that enveloped them was an ancient array—one that defied understanding.
Nie Li, Xiao Ning'er, Du Ze, and Cao Wang had arrived here under careful escort, their path secured by experts from various factions who had confirmed multiple times that they weren't being followed.
Nie Li turned to Du Ze and asked curiously, "Where's Lu Piao?"
Du Ze shrugged. "He's on his way. He said he's bringing his fiancée."
Fiancée? Nie Li blinked, recalling a red-haired girl he had once met in his mansion. Lu Piao had requested his help in optimizing her cultivation technique. After analyzing it with the A.I. Chip, Nie Li had improved the technique and handed it back to Lu Piao, but he hadn't seen her again. He had been too busy.
Just as he was thinking about it, two figures flashed toward them from a distance.
Lu Piao arrived with a teenage girl beside him. She wore fiery red training clothes, and her presence radiated an unshakable confidence, a strong aura that demanded respect. This girl was Xiao Xue. (Image)
Nie Li and Xiao Ning'er turned to observe the newcomers.
Lu Piao grinned and said, "Hey guys, sorry for being late."
Under the weight of their gazes, Xiao Xue's previously confident stance faltered slightly. Her hands, which had been firmly placed on her hips, suddenly lowered, and a soft blush colored her cheeks.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Lu Piao's fiancée, Xiao Xue," she said, her voice unexpectedly gentle, carrying a warmth that seemed to melt the tension.
Ever since they were young, Lu Piao and Xiao Xue were very good childhood friends, in the start her Xiao family wasn't supportive of his friendship with Lu Piao, and their developing romance but later as Lu Piao talent shined, they were very accepting.
Then, turning toward Nie Li and the others, she smiled and said, "Thanks for taking care of Lu Piao all this time. I hope you will continue looking out for him in the future."
"Of course," Du Ze replied without hesitation, nodding.
Lu Piao looked at Du Ze in horror. "Since when did I need to be taken care of?!"
Xiao Xue's expression twitched slightly. The second half of her sentence had been meant as a polite remark, but Du Ze had answered it completely seriously. Her gaze turned toward Lu Piao, an unspoken message flashing in her eyes: What kind of unreliable friends do you have?
Du Ze fought back a grin.
Lu Piao, meanwhile, was glaring at him. "Du Ze, I swear I'll get you back for this!"
Nie Li watched their banter with amusement before clearing his throat. "Alright, alright. Welcome to the group, Xiao Xue. Now, Lu Piao, why did you call us here?"
Lu Piao scratched his head. "This place… I came here when I was a kid. My friends and I used to play around here. But there's a strange barrier in the center of this construct. We tried everything to break it, but nothing worked. I figured… well, since you can do anything, maybe you could break it?"
Nie Li's eyes flickered with interest.
Du Ze, intrigued, asked, "Nie Li, your knowledge of inscription arts and arrays is impressive. Do you think you can break this barrier?"
Xiao Xue was also curious. She had heard stories of this place—how even Lord Ye Mo, the strongest Legend rank Demon Spiritualist in Glory City, had failed to break through the barrier.
"Let's find out," Nie Li said, stepping forward.
The moment they entered the ancient array, a strange sensation washed over them.
Nie Li's sharp instincts kicked in immediately. "A.I. Chip, analyze this energy fluctuation. Is this a time distortion?"
[Beep! Scanning… Beep!
Spatial Array detected! Time and Space laws might be affected because of the array.]
Nie Li's expression darkened slightly. Time and space were among the most mysterious laws in existence, understood by very few.
As he moved closer to the center of the structure, he could feel the barrier's resistance—a soft yet powerful force that repelled him. He pressed his palm against it, feeling the strange texture, like silk woven with unseen power.
"A.I. Chip, scan the array for weak points. Locate the array locks. Find a way to break the barrier."
Lu Piao mumbled, "This barrier is way stronger than I remembered. When I was a kid, I tried to break it with an axe. The axe ended up flying out of my hands and nearly took some poor brat's head off. He was so scared, he peed himself and ran crying to his dad… I got punished so bad."
Nie Li smirked while the others chuckled.
Xiao Xue shot Lu Piao a glare before pinching his waist. "Why are you even telling that embarrassing story?"
Lu Piao winced. "Ow! Okay, okay, I get it!"
Nie Li's A.I. Chip finished its analysis, displaying a series of runic inscriptions.
[Beep! Analysis complete!
This array is a remnant of the Origin Barrier from the Woodland Empire's late era. It uses twenty-three Stones of Light as its activation core. Even ten Legend rank Demon Spiritualists attacking together couldn't break it.]
Nie Li had a mischievous smile as he shared the finding with everyone.
Lu Piao stared. "Wait… not even ten Legend ranks could break it? And I tried using an axe?"
Everyone gave him that look again.
"Hey! I was just a kid, okay?!" Lu Piao huffed.
Xiao Ning'er smiled and asked, "Nie Li, can you open it?"
"I'll need time to study it." Nie Li turned to Cao Wang. "Make sure the perimeter is secured. If anything happens, inform me immediately. The rest of you can explore or rest."
Everyone scattered, examining the area.
Xiao Ning'er stood nearby, silently watching Nie Li. Her heart fluttered slightly as she observed him working, his eyes shining with a deep intelligence.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xue approached her.
"You're Xiao Ning'er, right?"
"Yes." Ning'er smiled.
Xiao Xue quickly struck up a conversation, easily finding common ground.
Nie Li, however, was fully engrossed in deciphering the ancient inscriptions. (Image)
The sixteen dome-like towers surrounding them stood tall, covered in glowing inscriptions. Each was connected by invisible links of energy. The deeper Nie Li examined, the more fascinated he became.
Beneath the barrier lay something hidden, something powerful—something worth protecting.
And he was going to uncover it.