412 Disturb the Grass, Startle the Snake! (2/2)
”Greetings to the City Lord!” Lin Tianhao said loudly. Those behind him quickly cupped their fists and saluted.
Wang Baole smiled and nodded at the crowd. He was about to announce the outcome of the visit, and inform everyone that a research facility was to be built in the city. However, just as he was about to speak, he frowned suddenly. His eyes fell on one of the Foundation Establishment realm cultivators from the four Dao Colleges in the crowd that had come to receive him!
He was a middle-aged man. His expression was that of respect, his eyes brimming with enthusiasm and passion. He was no different from what Wang Baole had remembered him to be. Except… he exuded a faint but, to Wang Baole's eyes, clear… Dark Qi!
Wang Baole's pupils contracted immediately. He was about to take a closer look when he sensed others exuding Dark Qi in the crowd. There were as many as five of them!
Wang Baole's heart leaped to his throat. He might have discounted one as an accident, but to have five in the group receiving him—that was simply horrifying. Wang Baole didn't act recklessly. He quickly retracted his gaze and continued to smile, but he was no longer in the mood to announce the new research facility. He left the port with Lin Tianhao.
During the return trip, Lin Tianhao stayed by Wang Baole's side, reporting the various incidents that had taken place in the city during his absence.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
Wang Baole seemed normal while he listened to Lin Tianhao's reports, but he was observing Lin Tianhao closely as well. He verified that there was no Dark Qi on Lin Tianhao and let loose a breath of relief. He boarded the cruiser headed back for the City Lord's Office. As the group of people sped past, Wang Baole stood at the edge of the cruiser. His expression revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Secretly though, he had made use of his access rights to the array formation and merged with the array formation. He began to inspect and gaze over the entire city.
Upon merging with the array formation, Wang Baole could immediately sense his Great Baole Array Formation filled with Dark Qi. The Dark Qi didn't originate from the catacombs but from within his city and its countless cultivators…
It was coming from them and being absorbed by the Great Baole Array Formation. This sent Wang Baole reeling. He immediately inspected the Great Martian Array Formation. Based on his sensitivity towards Dark Qi, he could also immediately sense a similar spirit energy within the Great Martian Array Formation.
Something's wrong! Wang Baole's breathing quickened. He turned and looked at Lin Tianhao. The latter was about to report on the Art of Longevity.
There's also this Art of Longevity. It suddenly appeared and was taken up very quickly by the population. We found nothing out of the ordinary after investigation, but together with the Deputy City Lord, we still decided to control its dissemination. Wang Baole's eyes suddenly narrowed when Lin Tianhao mentioned that point. He didn't interrupt the latter but continued to listen to Lin Tianhao's report. They reached the City Lord's Office. That was when Wang Baole suddenly issued an order. They would not be going to the office and would head to his residence instead.
When the cruiser reached his residence, Wang Baole got off as usual. He waited for Lin Tianhao and the rest to leave before entering his residence. The expression on his face immediately shifted to one of extreme seriousness. He activated the array formation and entered the chamber for seclusion. He sat down and crossed his legs, activating his access rights and merging with the array formation once again.
Once again, through the new city's array formations, he sensed Dark Qi inside countless cultivators in the entire city. With a solemn face, he pulled out the Art of Longevity that Lin Tianhao had sent to him. He studied it and found something amiss.
There's nothing wrong with this technique… nothing wrong if you practice it elsewhere. Only when you practice it in the new city, above the catacombs, where the air is heavy with Dark Qi, will something terrible and wrong happen!
It exploits the unique feature of the Great Martian Array Formation, which absorbs the population's Spirit Qi, and sends Dark Qi inside the Great Martian Array Formation… this cannot be the work of someone from the Federation. There's a great likelihood that it's the work of the Divine Armament Catacombs… but the monsters inside the cave are all without intelligence. How could they have come up with such a plan? This was what alarmed Wang Baole the most. He thought for a while and decided that the most important thing now was to expel the Dark Qi inside the practitioners of the Art of Longevity inside the new city!
Compared to finding the mastermind, this was a task more urgent. After all, as long as the array formation remained standing, the new city would remain safe and impenetrable. That was an unchangeable basic principle.
Perhaps I can kill two birds with one stone, and make the mastermind reveal himself! Wang Baole thought and finally came to a decision. He was going to be decisive about this. He was going to make a rash move and alert the enemy!
Before that though, he was going to have to make some preparations and refine a few special Dharmic Artifacts. It was fortunate that the entire city was a vast Eternal Fortress. Within it were core parts that only Wang Baole could access, where countless construction puppets were. Wang Baole had the ultimate advantage when it came to refining Dharmic Artifacts!