You must understand, this mechanical formation is extremely dangerous; if you take the wrong step, you could face annihilation. This is a mechanical formation that Xuanlou prepared for the Southern Border Holy Clan, so it is definitely not an ordinary one. She must memorize every step and cannot afford to make the slightest mistake.
"I didn't expect Xuanlou to be able to set up such a powerful formation in such a short time." While memorizing the location of the formation and how to get there, Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow at Situ Jingyan and said with a hint of teasing, "It seems that Xuanlou's mastery of formations and mechanisms is not necessarily inferior to yours, Jingyan."
Situ Jingyan glanced at the diagram of the mechanism array in Xuanlou, and without hesitation, a wicked smile appeared on his lips as he honestly said, "Such an intricate array mechanism, completed in three days, I'm not sure I could do it."
Shen Qianmo smiled nonchalantly upon hearing this. She knew quite a bit about arrays and mechanisms, but compared to Situ Jingyan and Xuan Lou, she was far inferior. As for who was more powerful between Situ Jingyan and Xuan Lou, that wasn't something she considered. What did it matter to her who was more powerful? They weren't enemies anyway.
"This step is crucial and cannot be taken lightly, otherwise the formation will be activated and there will be no way to reverse the situation." Situ Jingyan also looked at the blueprints with a solemn expression, while giving Shen Qianmo another reminder.
Shen Qianmo wasn't unable to understand the mechanism and formation diagram; it was just that he was worried, so he wanted to check on Shen Qianmo again to prevent any mishaps. Indeed, when a person cares too much about another person, they easily lose their composure.
"Hehe. This step is naturally left for them to take." Shen Qianmo also noticed the place that Situ Jingyan pointed to, the key point to activate the entire formation and mechanism. If they take this step, the formation and mechanism will be fully activated, and even if the people of the Southern Border Holy Clan have extraordinary skills, they will have difficulty escaping from inside.
Chapter Five: Turning the Tables
The next morning, Shen Qianmo wore a fiery red robe made of silkworm silk. The red robe flowed, and a matching fiery red belt was tied around her waist, outlining her perfect figure. She was like a ball of fire, passionate and flamboyant, containing a fiery temperature and extreme charm.
His dark eyes were calm and still, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. His composed and unhurried face revealed nothing. Sensing the presence lurking beside him, Shen Qianmo's smile gradually widened. He gave Situ Jingyan a wink, his lips still curved into a smile.
The people of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan were unaware of the true meaning behind Shen Qianmo's gaze. They were still silently mocking her, thinking that separating from Situ Jingyan was digging her own grave.
She parted ways with Situ Jingyan. A profound smile played on Shen Qianmo's lips, but she feigned nonchalance, hurrying towards the dense forest where the traps and mechanisms were arranged. Only then did she stop. While seemingly waiting for the Southern Frontier Holy Clan, she was actually observing the terrain to determine the location of the traps and mechanisms.
"Shen Qianmo!" Shen Qianmo had just figured out the arrangement of the array mechanism when the deafening roar of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan came from behind her, filled with boundless hatred and a vicious desire to tear Shen Qianmo to pieces.
Shen Qianmo stopped, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her dark eyes concealed her emotions as she looked at the Southern Frontier Holy Clan members who had all appeared behind her, her tone languid and mocking. "What, the Southern Frontier Holy Clan members, finally stopped being cowards?"
"Hmph! Don't be so smug! Do you really think we, the Holy Clan of Southern Xinjiang, are easy to bully?! Trying to lure us away to cover for Situ Jingyan?! I think you're digging your own grave!" The Second King looked at the mocking smile on Shen Qianmo's lips, and his anger grew even stronger. Today, he would avenge his fallen brothers and take Shen Qianmo's life to pay tribute to those brothers who died at Shen Qianmo's hands!
A cold smile crept into Shen Qianmo's heart, but she deliberately put on a look of astonishment. She ran forward with slightly disordered steps, seemingly because she was afraid that the people of the Southern Border Holy Clan would make a move and was preparing to escape. In fact, every step she took was in accordance with the formation.
The Southern Frontier Holy Clan members were unaware of Shen Qianmo's plan and all followed her in pursuit. With so many of them against Shen Qianmo, they were determined to take her life! Escape?! Not so easy. They had finally gotten this opportunity and would not let Shen Qianmo go!
Taking the final step, Shen Qianmo glanced back at the Southern Frontier Holy Clan members who had caught up with her, a strange smile playing on her lips, before shooting off like an arrow at top speed in another direction.
The Southern Frontier Holy Clan members chasing behind were puzzled by Shen Qianmo's strange reaction, but they had no time to hesitate. They took the next step to chase after Shen Qianmo.
However, Shen Qianmo's steps were all calculated; the place she stepped on was the only place on this land where she could tread. The Southern Border Holy Clan, who were chasing behind, were completely unaware of the existence of the array mechanism and naturally stepped out casually. With each step, the array mechanism was activated.
A layer of mist immediately enveloped them. The scenery began to change. Everything spun rapidly. Even their companions behind them were no longer visible; how could they possibly see Shen Qianmo's figure?!
"Digging your own grave?! I'd like to see who's digging their own grave!" Shen Qianmo's slightly arrogant and mocking voice drifted from above, reaching the ears of every member of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan.
They'd fallen for her trap! All the members of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan realized what was happening! They thought they had seen through Shen Qianmo's scheme and caught her off guard, but they never imagined that it was all part of Shen Qianmo's plan. They had foolishly walked into her trap and even ridiculously thought they had outsmarted her!
"Damn it!" The two kings angrily struck out with their palms in the direction Shen Qianmo had left, unleashing powerful internal energy, but it was as if they were hitting cotton, with no effect whatsoever.
Screams of agony came from behind them. The two kings, who were huddled together, turned cold. Shen Qianmo had gone to such lengths to lure them here, even using herself as bait; it couldn't be as simple as the illusion array before them. Judging from the screams behind them, she must have triggered other arrays and mechanisms!
Damn it! We've fallen into Shen Qianmo's trap! And to make matters worse, they're not skilled in mechanisms and formations. Yet, they've been secretly monitoring Shen Qianmo the whole time. Even in the days before they attacked Shen Qianmo and Situ Jingyan, they were still observing their actions without anything unusual happening. How did they have time to set up this trap and formation?!
The First and Second Kings had no time to think. The mechanism had been activated. Arrows rained down on them endlessly. But the First and Second Kings were no ordinary men; with a flick of their sleeves, they nimbly dodged the barrage of arrows.
"This king of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan is indeed quite capable." Outside the formation, Shen Qianmo's lips curled into a cold and bloodthirsty smile as she observed the reactions of those within. The formation was fully activated; those with weaker abilities had long since perished within the mechanisms and array. Now, only the First King, the Second King, and a few guardians were still desperately resisting.
Upon hearing this, Situ Jingyan raised an eyebrow, a wicked smile playing on his lips, remaining noncommittal. The first and second princes were indeed quite skilled; they had endured so long under such traps without a scratch. Their skill level wasn't far inferior to his and Shen Qianmo's.
Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words, Xuanlou's empty eyes remained unchanged, but a gentle yet confident smile appeared on his lips, and his tone was mild yet contained a hint of domineering, "My array and mechanisms are not so easy to deal with. Even if you and Situ Jingyan were in the array today, you might not be able to escape unscathed."
Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow, glanced at Xuan Lou, and smiled slyly. She knew Xuan Lou wasn't one to speak carelessly; if he had said so, the formation and mechanisms must have something extraordinary about them. However, she wasn't worried. What she wanted was for the formation and mechanisms to be ruthless, the more ruthless the better, ideally wiping out the entire Southern Border Holy Clan.
However, even if the array traps don't kill the First and Second Kings, she and Situ Jingyan will definitely see them off on their final journey. Already exhausted from dealing with the array traps, even if they manage to break through with extraordinary abilities, they will still be no match for her and Situ Jingyan.
The elite forces of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan will be completely annihilated in the forest outside the South City today! Shen Qianmo's lips curled into a ruthless and bloodthirsty smile as she looked at the people resisting within the formation. A trace of solemnity suddenly flashed in her dark eyes. Turning her head, she saw that Situ Jingyan's dark eyes also flashed with a trace of solemnity.
"The Holy Son isn't in the South City?!" Shen Qianmo and Situ Jingyan exclaimed almost simultaneously.
They had been unable to find any trace of the Holy Son. They had initially assumed he was adept at concealing his tracks. But now it seemed that wasn't the case.
Even if the Holy Son is adept at concealing his tracks, under such circumstances and within such a formation and mechanism, he would have absolutely nowhere to hide. And now, there is no trace of the Holy Son within the formation.
The only possibility is that the Holy Son is not in the Southern City. The Holy Clan has always wanted to avenge the Holy Maiden and use this opportunity to open the gates to the Central Plains. How could the Holy Son possibly let such a good opportunity pass by without coming to the Southern City?! Would he simply allow the Four Kings to deal with them? Had he fallen for their scheme?!
"The Southern Frontier Holy Clan has stood for a thousand years; it's definitely not that simple." Situ Jingyan's dark eyes suddenly darkened, and a bloodthirsty and indifferent smile slowly curled at the corners of his mouth.
It seems the Southern Frontier Holy Clan is even more powerful than he initially perceived. This Holy Son, who has been hiding in the shadows, must possess a mysterious force that even the Blood Demon Tower and the Demon Palace haven't been able to uncover. Otherwise, he would never have allowed the Four Kings to come to their deaths in the Southern City.
A hint of interest flashed in Shen Qianmo's dark eyes, and the smile on his lips became even more bloodthirsty and alluring. "If you're really that weak, you don't deserve our personal attention."
While Shen Qianmo, Situ Jingyan, and Xuan Lou were discussing, the formation and mechanisms were also changing rapidly. Fewer and fewer people remained within the formation. Only the Second King, the First King, and three guardians remained; the rest had all perished under the traps.
"Damn it! What kind of formation is this?!" The Second King had been shot in the hand with an arrow, and blood was flowing freely. However, he had no time to care about the wound on his arm. He looked at the endless hidden weapons and attacks all around him with a disheveled and furious expression, and said through gritted teeth.
"A deadly formation. It's a deadly formation." Even the usually silent King Yi's eyes reddened. He hadn't expected that their momentary carelessness would lead them to fall into Shen Qianmo's trap and be caught in a deadly formation. Although he could tell it was a deadly formation, he had no idea how to break it.
"A deadly formation?!" Upon hearing the first king's words, a hint of despair and resentment flashed in the second king's eyes. Although he was not an expert in formations, he had heard of the most ruthless and powerful deadly formations.
Those who enter this deadly formation will suffer life-threatening consequences. Moreover, such a large-scale formation offers absolutely no opening. Furthermore, it contains numerous interconnected mechanisms and arrays; it seems they are determined to kill them!
"Ah!" Several more screams rang in his ears, and the king's brows furrowed even deeper. These were the cries of his protectors; how could he not recognize them? It seemed that very few people remained alive within this formation.
Shen Qianmo squinted at the last two people remaining in the formation: the First King and the Second King. Her dark eyes were icy cold, devoid of any pity or sympathy.
A deadly formation. Their aim is to take the lives of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan. Since they dared to provoke Tianmo, they should pay the price. No matter how mysterious or powerful the Southern Frontier Holy Clan is, no matter how deeply the Southern Frontier Holy Son has hidden, Tianmo will absolutely not back down! Since the Southern Frontier dared to provoke them, they will certainly not be afraid of the Southern Frontier!
"Watch out!" The First King saw the Second King's outstretched hand shooting a poisoned arrow. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He immediately pulled the Second King aside and barely dodged the poisoned arrow. However, before his feet even touched the ground, steel-like poisoned spikes appeared where they were about to land. The First King's face turned even more ugly. He twisted his body and pulled the Second King sideways to avoid the poisoned spikes.
Before they could even land properly, another barrage of hidden weapons rained down. The two princes had already been hit by several hidden weapons, their faces pale, and they were on the verge of death. Although the first prince had some knowledge of formations and his martial arts were slightly better than the two princes', he had also been injured quite a bit after struggling through the tight formations and traps for so long. He was already struggling to protect himself, let alone the two princes, which made it even more difficult for him.
"Big brother, don't worry about me." The second king could see that the first king was struggling, so he pushed the first king away and shouted.