The Supreme Martial King Shocking All Realms Chapter 3381 - 3376: Stupid Methods and Good Methods_1

Xingtong’s face lit up with excitement as she remarked, "I have been waiting for this moment, let us go."

She now viewed Yang Chen as her primary pillar of support; unless he gave the word, she would never have dared to suggest entering on her own.

With Yang Chen’s decision finalized, the pair darted forward and crossed into the Cloud Bow Palace.

Although the main entrance to the palace stood wide open, the interior remained shrouded in mystery, impossible to perceive.

Upon crossing the threshold, the surroundings underwent a sudden transformation, bearing no resemblance to the world outside.

The palace materialized as a fully enclosed domain, ringed by mountain chains with several trails snaking out toward what looked like other destinations. However, when they attempted to probe the area with their souls, the discovery was jarring: every exit from the mountain range simply connected to yet another range.

The chains seemed infinite, rendering any attempt to navigate or locate an exit using their souls completely futile.

Both Xingtong and Yang Chen stood frozen, stunned by this grim reality.

Yang Chen let out a soft chuckle and inquired, "How much information do you possess regarding this Cloud Bow Palace?"

"I know very little. I only chanced upon the knowledge that this palace could assist Sky-separation Realm cultivators in breaking through to the Heavenly Fate Realm. Beyond that, I was blind to its secrets," Xingtong replied, pouting with frustration.

Yang Chen shrugged, noting, "If that is truly all you know, we may find ourselves in significant trouble."

"How so?" Xingtong asked, looking confused.

"Have you failed to observe it? There is a formation array active nearby," Yang Chen observed, standing slowly with his hands clasped behind his back.

"It is merely a formation array. Every array has a weakness waiting to be exploited. Besides, you wield the Space-Time Law; surely such a formation cannot hinder you?" she countered with a trace of disdain.

Yang Chen offered a thin smile, "You are not wrong, yet you underestimate the complexity of this formation. If my memory serves, this setup is identical to one documented in ancient texts."

"What specific formation could it be?" Xingtong demanded.

"The Four-Sided Heavenly Gate Array!" Yang Chen declared gravely. "It possesses three distinct traits, the first being its profound ability to deceive. It comprises 108 minor formations, each harboring four possible exits. Anyone trapped within must identify the correct path for every single segment. A single error forces one to restart the journey from the very beginning."

Xingtong’s expression hardened immediately, "Are you suggesting we must navigate all 108 formations without a single slip?"

Yang Chen confirmed, "That is the reality we face."

Xingtong blurted out, "What kind of hellish formation is this? It is absurdly treacherous."

"If the path to the Heavenly Fate Realm truly resided here and were easily obtained, it would have been plundered during previous raids on the Forbidden Spirit Palace. It certainly wouldn’t remain for us to claim," Yang Chen said with a light smile.

"You mentioned two other characteristics? What are they?" asked Xingtong.

Yang Chen replied calmly, "The remaining traits are that our souls cannot penetrate the barrier, and my Space-Time Law is severely inhibited within these walls. Usually, I could use my Law to bypass such traps with ease, but here, it proves ineffective..."

"Even your Space-Time magic is useless? What are we to do?" Xingtong frowned in distress.

Yang Chen shrugged again, "At this stage, our best recourse is to scatter your insects to test every exit. While the plan is viable, every section of this formation looks identical. We have no way to verify if a choice is correct or false. Consequently, even with your swarm, it will consume an immense amount of time."

Xingtong patted Yang Chen’s shoulder and laughed, "Time is a luxury I have. If you hadn’t suggested it, I, as the Insect Mother, would never have thought to utilize them this way. Insects are the one thing I have in abundance!"

The moment she finished speaking, Xingtong prepared to unleash her entire hive.

Before she could act, Yang Chen raised a hand, "Wait!"

Xingtong looked at him, bewildered, "What is wrong?"

Yang Chen lowered his tone, "Have patience. A more tedious approach may no longer be necessary."

Though confused, Xingtong soon realized why, her eyes widening in realization.

Another group had entered the Cloud Bow Palace: powerful beings from the Netherworld!

"Netherworld entities..." Yang Chen squinted.

"It is them!" Xingtong gasped.

"You recognize them?" asked Yang Chen, intrigued.

Xingtong smirked, "Of course. You are simply out of the loop. Each sect maintains an elite squad and a first-rate team. The elite squads exist solely to hunt for treasures, and this is one of the Netherworld’s finest. Those two in the lead, the ones at the early Heavenly Fate Realm, are the White Claw Ghost King and the Heavenly Bone Ghost King."

Yang Chen rubbed his chin, nodding, "So that is their arrangement. What of that Emperor-level Netherworld King, the one at the Sky-separating Realm?"

"You have a sharp eye to identify an Emperor-level King so quickly," Xingtong remarked.

Yang Chen gave a slight shake of his head. There was no need to tell her he had already slain various Emperor-rank ghosts. Identifying them by their presence had become second nature to him.

"That Sky-separating Realm Netherworld King is known as the Dominating King of Hell. It appears, much like yourself, he has pushed past the typical limits of the Sky-separating Realm," Xingtong added, "though I cannot gauge his true combat capability."

Yang Chen’s brow twitched as he watched the figure following the two Ghost Kings, "So that is the Dominating King of Hell!"

"Do you know him? Oh, wait, I recall now—when we spoke with those human parties earlier, they mentioned his name," Xingtong recalled.

Yang Chen dismissed the thought lightly, "The Dominating King of Hell is of no concern to me. Our goal remains helping you reach the Heavenly Fate Realm. As it happens, our solution has just arrived."

"What is your plan?" she asked.

"With these Netherworld beings here, releasing your insects would be foolish. If we are caught, the two of us will be at a massive disadvantage against their entire squad," Yang Chen explained.

Xingtong gritted her teeth, "You are right. They chose the absolute worst time to intrude."

Yang Chen chuckled softly, "We cannot fault them. Even if they had stayed away, using that method would have risked exposure to anyone else who entered. However, now that they have appeared, a better path has opened up."

"What is it?" Xingtong pressed.

"We follow them," Yang Chen smiled, "Observe them closely. They seem to navigate this formation with absolute confidence. It is highly likely they possess the knowledge required to traverse these paths safely."