"The Small Earth Array."
Hidden in mid-air by his Cloud Escape, Yang Jing observed Qiu Feihua's Cave Mansion below. The Small Earth Array was renowned for its immense Defense Power. Among Tier One Arrays, its defensive capabilities were considered top-notch, capable of even withstanding several full-power attacks from an Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
He took out the *Initial Understanding of Array Dao* he had purchased earlier. The Small Earth Array was famous enough to be included within it.
[Do you wish to use the Skill Book "Initial Understanding of Array Dao" to empower the Mingyi Dog (Iron Head)?]
Yang Jing confirmed. Then, in one go, he spent all the Spirit Stones he had on him to raise the *Initial Understanding of Array Dao* to the level of Integration and Mastery.
Empowering the *Initial Understanding of Array Dao* required even more Spirit Stones than the Mica Refining Technique. If he hadn't looted over two hundred Spirit Stones from Xu Hongzhi's Storage Bag, he truly wouldn't have been able to raise it to this level.
The Dao of Arrays was as vast and profound as a sea of mist, encompassing a massive amount of knowledge on calculations, the Five Elements, feng shui, and Restrictions.
Because Iron Head had already undergone several empowerments, he was somewhat accustomed to the process. Although the tidal wave of information left his eyes glazed over, he at least managed to stay conscious.
Only after Iron Head had recovered did Yang Jing ask:
"Are you confident you can break this Array without making a sound?"
Iron Head pushed his Bright Qi Talent to its limit. Previously, he could only see the flow of Spiritual Qi within an Array, knowing what was happening but not why. Now, he understood the profound mechanics behind its operation.
The entire Small Earth Array held almost no secrets from him, not to mention that Yang Jing had also obtained the Token for entering and exiting the Array.
He nodded confidently, his eyes fixed intently on the Small Earth Array.
Yang Jing took out a Communication Talisman he had found in Xu Hongzhi's Storage Bag. Mimicking Xu Hongzhi's voice, he sent a call for help and gave a location.
Once activated, the Communication Talisman transformed into a streak of faint light and flew into the Small Earth Array.
A moment later, Qiu Feihua shot out from his Cave Mansion, riding a leaf-shaped Flying Spiritual Artifact in a great hurry. He was absolutely furious. Daring to make a move on his disciple was a direct slap to his face.
After Qiu Feihua was a good distance away, Yang Jing used the Token to open the Small Earth Array, carrying Iron Head as he quietly flew into the Cave Mansion. At this moment, only a group of mortal servants were inside.
"Take control of the Array from here. Be careful."
Iron Head wagged his tail and nodded with a serious expression.
Yang Jing used his Cloud Escape and flew out of the Array. Even with Qiu Feihua pushing his Flying Spiritual Artifact to its limits, it didn't take long for Yang Jing to catch up.
Qiu Feihua didn't fly directly to the location mentioned in the call for help. Instead, he first flew to the Huang Family, a family with Foundation Establishment masters, and requested the assistance of three of their Late Stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators before heading to the rescue.
Having reached Qi Cultivation Perfection in his middle years and killed countless people for the Huang Family, Qiu Feihua was no reckless hothead. In his eyes, it didn't matter if his disciple Xu Hongzhi was dead; what mattered was slaughtering the scum who had dared to challenge his authority.
If someone had set up an ambush, that was even better. The three extra combatants from the Huang Family would be more than enough to give the enemy a world of hurt.
However, to Qiu Feihua's surprise, when he cautiously arrived at the location from the Communication Talisman, it was completely empty.
The three Huang Family Cultivators who had been hiding in the rear caught up, and they all examined the scene.
"It seems your disciple was subdued with almost no resistance. Because there's little Magical Power residue, it will be very difficult to find the culprit, even if we ask the Law Enforcement Team to bring the Void Mirror," one of the Huang Family Cultivators said.
Qiu Feihua's expression was grim. Together with the three men, he rounded up a number of Independent Cultivators from outside San Yuanli and dragged them into the settlement.
When Li Yuanqing saw the scene, he cursed his luck internally and went forward with trepidation.
"Master Qiu, what's happened to cause such a commotion?"
He was, after all, at the peak of Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer Perfection, so Qiu Feihua still showed him a sliver of respect.
"My disciple, Xu Hongzhi, went missing after a trip to your San Yuanli. I've come to find out what happened to him."
Qiu Feihua's eyes swept over the dust-covered Independent Cultivators.
"Please have everyone in the village come out."
Li Yuanqing's face was a mask of anguish.
"This… shouldn't we call the Law Enforcement Team first?"
Qiu Feihua's expression turned cold, and he slapped Li Yuanqing across the face.
"You old geezer! I call you 'brother' out of courtesy, but without it, you're nothing! Are you trying to force my hand, to make me drag every single person out of your village one by one?"
Li Yuanqing's face flushed crimson, but he couldn't afford to offend Qiu Feihua, who was backed by the Huang Family and was incredibly powerful in his own right.
A short while later, all the Cultivators of San Yuanli had come out. Yang Jing had already quietly returned to his Cave Mansion and was now mingling in the crowd. He hid behind the Zhang Brothers, watching as their faces paled at the sight of Qiu Feihua.
"Tell me everything you know."
Qiu Feihua's murderous expression silenced every Cultivator present. Four Late Stage Cultivators were enough to slaughter everyone there, even if they were all Independent Cultivators. And these were family-backed Cultivators, no less.
Yang Jing didn't hide much, recounting in detail everything that happened before and after Xu Hongzhi's visit to his Cave Mansion.
Qiu Feihua brazenly used his Spiritual Eye Technique to inspect Yang Jing's Cultivation. Confirming that he was only at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer, he immediately dismissed him as a suspect. In his view, a Qi Cultivation Third Layer Independent Cultivator was no different from a cripple. Yang Jing had neither the ability nor the time to ambush Xu Hongzhi.
He turned his attention to the Zhang Brothers.
Feeling the icy gaze, the Zhang Brothers' knees went weak, and they were about to collapse to the ground.
"Master Qiu, we've been framed! Our loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon!"
Qiu Feihua's eyes were like ice as he barked at the Zhang Brothers:
"You two knew my disciple Hongzhi's whereabouts best. Besides you, who else could have organized an ambush for him?"
The Zhang Brothers crumpled to the ground like puddles of mud. They never could have imagined that their attempt to curry favor with the powerful would, in an instant, send them plummeting into a bottomless abyss.
Qiu Feihua ignored the two pieces of trash on the ground and said to the three Huang Family Cultivators:
"Brothers, please take these two culprits, along with all these Independent Cultivators, back to the Huang Family for a thorough interrogation. We must wipe out the entire gang of Tribulation Cultivators that harmed my disciple."
"Of course, of course!"
The three Huang Family Cultivators' faces lit up with joy. They hadn't expected to earn some extra profit from this.
The Independent Cultivators that Qiu Feihua's group had brought back with them erupted into chaos. They hadn't realized Qiu Feihua's appetite was so large. The quick-witted ones immediately activated their Wind-controlling Talismans and turned to flee.
"SHIING!"
With a sharp whistle, the Flying Sword on Qiu Feihua's back unsheathed itself, transforming into a streak of red light that shot toward the fastest-fleeing Independent Cultivator.
The man's soul nearly fled his body. He activated a Defensive Talisman while screaming:
"Master Qiu, spare me! Master Qiu, spare my life! I'll hand over all my wealth!"
The next moment, the red light sliced through his activated Spiritual Qi Shield as if it were paper, dicing the Independent Cultivator into two pieces. After killing him, the Flying Sword, without pausing, proceeded to slay the other few escapees.
The remaining Independent Cultivators cowered like quails, too terrified to move. As for the Zhang Brothers, they had already pissed their pants.