The teleportation room within Shuyu Zhai was also small. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all intricately carved with numerous complex array patterns.

Sun Lingtong stepped out of the magic array and approached the only door. He didn’t immediately push it open, but instead cautiously used his thieving arts to scout the world beyond the door. After employing five different detection methods, he finally confirmed that the door was safe. He took a deep breath and sent a mental message to Ning Zhuo: “Xiao Zhuo, I’m about to push the door open.”

A life-thread connection had always linked Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo. Ning Zhuo nodded mentally in response: “I am ready.” The big-headed youth was fully focused in his cave dwelling at Bao Teng Ya. Shuyu Zhai was his mother’s former cave dwelling, and Ning Zhuo naturally hoped to explore it himself. But reason led him to a more sensible arrangement. Sun Lingtong’s cultivation was higher than his, and he possessed many thieving arts, all of which made Sun Lingtong a more suitable candidate for exploration.

In the Battle of Wang Chuan Di Fu, Sun Lingtong even ventured deep behind enemy lines into a national capital, wreaking havoc before making a clean getaway. His achievement had a huge impact on the sacrificial altar battlefield. Although he relied on his senior sect brother, Zeng Jide, if Ning Zhuo had been in Sun Lingtong’s position at the time, he certainly wouldn’t have achieved the same performance.

Sun Lingtong was suitable for front-line exploration, while Ning Zhuo was better suited for providing backup. There was no one more suitable than him! Ning Zhuo possessed the divine ability Ren Ming Xuan Si, coupled with the Tongling realm, making rescuing Sun Lingtong a matter of a single thought. Back in Bai Zhi Xian Cheng, not even the Dao field could stop Ning Zhuo from saving Sun Lingtong.

Of course, in Shuyu Zhai, there were magic arrays and restrictions between Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo, so whether this external rescue method would still be effective was a question. But such an arrangement was already the greatest safeguard.

Exploring Shuyu Zhai was risky. In the message jade slip, Fo Yi Meng Yaoyin did not reveal more details. Her condition had reached its limit, and she could only choose to entrust more important matters to Ning Zhuo. She only instructed Ning Zhuo that Shuyu Zhai contained many defensive measures, and that there were no bloodline identification methods, urging him to be cautious. After all, when she left Wan Xiang Zong, she did not anticipate giving birth to a son.

After Sun Lingtong pushed the door open, he entered a secret chamber. In the center of the chamber, a millstone-like array disk sat on the ground, slowly rotating. The disk body was carved from a single piece of Chen Hu Yu Sui, inlaid with three hundred and sixty water-patterned steel beads. The interconnected beads subtly revealed the tracks of flowing water. From the base of the disk extended hundreds of array patterns, thick and thin, like crystalline water veins, or living roots penetrating the four walls.

Sun Lingtong’s eyes flashed: “This is the control hub for the entire Shuyu Zhai cave dwelling’s array!”

Ning Zhuo rejoiced: “In that case, as long as we control this place, we can disarm all the defensive measures within Shuyu Zhai. No wonder Mother didn’t explain much in the jade slip.”

Sun Lingtong didn’t answer; he felt a subtle sense of unease from the bottom of his heart. He always took such feelings of unease very seriously. Sun Lingtong had extensive thieving experience; whenever he felt uneasy during a theft, it meant he had already perceived some bad information but hadn’t fully understood it.

Sun Lingtong didn’t rush into action but observed carefully. He directly activated his Tian Zi Ling Mou, observing for a moment, and broke out in a cold sweat. “These water-patterned steel beads are actually water-element Yin Lei condensed into form. Once triggered, the array patterns will lock the entire room, sealing off space. At that point, anyone who trespasses will die without a burial place. No, the entire Shuyu Zhai will be destroyed instantly.”

Ning Zhuo was astonished.

Sun Lingtong wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed: “How could Auntie set up a teleportation array in the array hub without any precautions? That’s where I felt uneasy! If it were me, and I set up a secret passage connecting to the outside, I would also guard against enemies using it to teleport into Shuyu Zhai. This array disk has an identity recognition function. I absolutely cannot touch it until I’ve deciphered this layer and achieved a disguise!” Sun Lingtong made his judgment. His gaze swept around: “Next, I need to choose one of these six doors.”

The array hub room contained the array disk for the entire cave dwelling. A clearly added small room contained only the teleportation array. Besides that, there were six doors distributed on the four walls. Sun Lingtong constantly maintained his detection spells and began to cautiously walk within the array hub room. Every two or three steps, he would stop, activate a round of thieving arts, inspect the surrounding array patterns, and then pull out various talismans, releasing them one after another. His techniques made even Ning Zhuo feel dazzled.

Ning Zhuo also held his breath, his body and mind in a state of tension. He was naturally very familiar with Sun Lingtong. He knew: Sun Lingtong had unleashed his full power. He had only been this fully focused no more than five times in their decade-long acquaintance.

Sun Lingtong exerted all his strength, stopping and starting, sometimes having to retreat and take detours. It took him the time it takes to brew half a cup of tea to reach one of the doors. From when he started moving to his current position, the straight-line distance was no more than twenty steps. Sun Lingtong informed Ning Zhuo, and after receiving a response, pushed open the door.

Light from beyond the door flooded in, making Sun Lingtong’s pupils contract. What appeared before him was a winding corridor. The corridor was supported by twelve ice crystal jade pillars, and an invisible force held back the lake water outside. The swimming fish and water plants of Bi Yu Hu outside the corridor were perfectly clear. A school of fish swam overhead, their thrashing tails stirring up currents that seemed about to surge into the corridor.

Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo were both stunned by this unexpected sight. Sun Lingtong’s heart pounded, and he sent a mental message: “This is Zhen Kong Gou Jing!”

Ning Zhuo, reminded, was also shocked: “Y-yes, it seems so.” Zhen Kong Gou Jing was a highly advanced array-setting technique; cultivators with shallow array Dao attainments absolutely could not achieve it. Ning Zhuo had already encountered a similar difficulty in array-setting techniques: the Wuxing Shu Niu. In the Hei Yun battlefield, Ning Zhuo found the array hub but couldn’t destroy it. That was precisely the Wuxing Shu Niu technique!

Sun Lingtong’s array Dao attainments were deeper than Ning Zhuo’s, and he was the first to recognize it. At this moment, he stared at the corridor before him, his eyes glowing, and genuinely exclaimed: “This is my first time seeing this array-setting technique with my own eyes. It’s already rare for a magic array to construct an internal space. But Zhen Kong Gou Jing can disassemble, shape, and reconstruct the internal space of the magic array. From the outside, Shuyu Zhai appears to be just a hall at the bottom of the lake. But walking inside, this hall is reassembled and reconstructed with the cave dwelling’s magic array, forming a wonderful state where architecture and magic arrays are tightly integrated! Xiao Zhuo, what level has your mother’s array Dao attainment reached?”

Ning Zhuo’s mouth was dry: “I don’t know either. You know my situation, Big Brother. You’ve read all the ancient texts Mother left behind. Wait, why are you so sure this is Mother’s arrangement, and not the arrangement of Shuyu Zhai itself?”

Sun Lingtong shook his head, very certain: “Shuyu Zhai’s status is similar to Pan Shi Dong Fu, ranking among the top cave dwellings in their respective mountain peaks. But you’ve already been to Pan Shi Dong Fu, how was its magic array? Even Xie Tang’s Jiu Gong Zhen, in terms of grade and difficulty alone, is definitely weaker than this grand array here. This must be Auntie’s work!”

Ning Zhuo blinked, his eyes a little red. He sighed: “Alas, if Mother had left me some array Dao ancient texts, perhaps my array Dao attainment would be similar to Shen Xi’s.”

Sun Lingtong shook his head: “This must have been your mother’s well-intentioned effort. If she had left behind profound ancient texts, it would probably have brought disaster upon you. After all, you were only a two-year-old child then. Your mother wouldn’t completely trust me, an outsider.”

Sun Lingtong stood still. He dared not move. Such a corridor was certainly not for sightseeing. Beneath the beautiful lake scenery lay hidden traps and deadly dangers. Clearly, this was another anti-theft measure. Sun Lingtong observed for a full stick of incense before frowning deeply and beginning to try. He tiptoed, taking a tiny, extremely careful step forward. As his front foot landed on the floor tile, ripples of water emanated across the tile’s surface.

Sun Lingtong took several more steps, his path zigzagging, creating more and more ripples on the floor tiles, which began to undergo a qualitative change. Several water arrows materialized out of thin air, all shooting towards Sun Lingtong. Sun Lingtong could only dodge, retreating rapidly. This only triggered more defensive measures; a stream of water attacked him from behind, wrapping around his waist and binding him tightly. Sun Lingtong tried to retaliate, but the binding water possessed restrictive power, preventing him from reacting in time.

Ren Ming Xuan Si! Tong Ling Jing! In this critical moment, Ning Zhuo immediately acted to save him, pulling Sun Lingtong from the scene and placing him in the cave dwelling at Bao Teng Ya. Sun Lingtong was still shaken: “This array is so powerful! Xiao Zhuo, if you hadn’t acted in time, I would definitely have been seriously injured.”

Ning Zhuo: “Big Brother, you suffered this for me.”

Sun Lingtong waved a hand: “No, I should thank you for giving me this opportunity to steal and explore; it’s truly exhilarating, ha ha ha.” Sun Lingtong laughed loudly, his eyes shining brightly, a look of keen interest on his face. “Do you know? The harder the obstacles ahead, the more they ignite my desire for challenge. Xiao Zhuo, let’s decipher the magic array in the corridor together.”

Ning Zhuo nodded emphatically. The two brothers first summarized the information they had gathered, then discussed the magic array in the corridor. During this time, Ning Zhuo also brought out the ancient texts his mother had left behind for both him and Sun Lingtong to study. Although the content of these ancient texts was relatively basic and more related to mechanism techniques, some clues could still be gleaned from them. After all, these were Ning Zhuo’s mother’s writings. From them, one could perceive the author’s temperament and thought patterns.

“Difficult, still too difficult,” Sun Lingtong sighed. Although they gained something, it wasn’t much.

Ning Zhuo: “We need to test it a few more times to figure out the array layout of the corridor.”

Sun Lingtong’s expression was grave: “I feel that we shouldn’t attempt it too many times. Auntie wouldn’t have set it up this way. Based on the existing array patterns, it’s very likely that after a few more triggers, the entire corridor will be sealed off. At the very least, that’s what will happen. What I’m more worried about is that it will activate the central array disk and trigger the self-destruction of the entire Shuyu Zhai!”

Ning Zhuo thought for a moment: “If that’s the case, I’m afraid we’ll have to improve our array Dao attainments.”

Sun Lingtong shook his head: “That’s unreliable. Cultivation arts cannot be achieved overnight. A serendipitous encounter like your previous Five Elements realm is quite rare.”

Ning Zhuo sighed: “Alas, let’s try it first and see.” His array Dao foundation was solid, and Sun Lingtong’s array Dao was stronger, but the two brothers, working together, felt their own smallness before the magic array set up by Meng Yaoyin. Sun Lingtong clearly had a powerful tool like Zhen Li Xi You Suo, but he simply couldn’t find an opportunity to use it—he couldn’t find any flaws or gaps in the magic array.

Tu Dun Jue entered the mountain, Zhen Li Xi You Suo passed through Qian Teng Yin Yun Zhen, and Sun Lingtong entered the teleportation stone chamber. Through the teleportation array, he entered Shuyu Zhai again. Passing through the array hub room, he still chose the same door as before. Pushing open the door and entering the corridor, he and Ning Zhuo once again faced the previous challenge.

The corridor had not completely returned to calm; ripples of water still echoed on the brick surface. This was a situation that hadn’t occurred before, also verifying Sun Lingtong’s earlier ominous guess—they hadn’t tried many times! However, just as Sun Lingtong was about to continue testing the array, a thunderous blast suddenly sounded.

“What’s going on?!” Sun Lingtong looked up in surprise and uncertainty. He was currently at the bottom of the lake, seeing the lake water agitate, forming surging currents. Not only Bi Yu Hu, but the entire Yun Mo Ding was shaking. Ning Zhuo, in his紧张, almost used his divine ability again to pull Sun Lingtong back. He was surprised to find that Bao Teng Ya, where he was, was also shaking!

“What happened?” Sun Lingtong was the first to calm down; he was sure it wasn’t due to his side. Ning Zhuo immediately dispatched Chu Lao to investigate the situation. Chu Lao was also new and not adept at gathering information. Ning Zhuo knew this, so after sending Chu Lao out, he also sent a flying letter to contact Yu He Ye.

Soon after, Yu He Ye’s flying letter reached Ning Zhuo first. Yu He Ye stated that he was also startled, then informed Ning Zhuo that a young cultivator named Niu Cheng was trying to find Xie Tang’s array Dao magic treasure, thus triggering the Jiu Gong Zhen. The Jiu Gong here referred to the nine mountain peaks, including Bao Teng Ya and Yun Mo Ding. Therefore, the nine peaks simultaneously experienced tremors. At the end of the letter, Yu He Ye expressed his speculation: Niu Cheng possessed extraordinary talent, and to cause such a huge impact, he was likely to succeed. If Ning Zhuo desired this array Dao magic treasure, Yu He Ye stated that he would do his utmost to assist, in gratitude for Ning Zhuo’s life-saving grace! Ning Zhuo wrote back to comfort Yu He Ye, telling him not to worry about this matter.

Chu Lao, however, had not yet returned. Ning Zhuo had no guards by his side, and for a moment, he dared not focus on exploring Shuyu Zhai. Meng Ye Hu and Yuan Da Sheng were still not repaired, and repairs were quite troublesome. He had been relying on Chu Lao, but he had been dispatched to gather information. As for Qing Chi, Ning Zhuo would not count on an amnesiac girl. Ning Zhuo, cautious by nature, immediately sent a flying letter to recall Chu Lao. He also contacted Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong sat cross-legged on the floor tiles, his eyes gleaming: “Xiao Zhuo, no hurry! I’ve figured out the secrets of the corridor’s magic array.”