Chapter 146 — Zuo Jin's Grief and Fury [Second Update]

Yan Le wore a strange expression. In charge of business and given to traveling far and wide, he naturally knew how to read lips. And those who could read lips bore expressions identical to his—they had been stunned by the biting, venomous words coming from Nanmen Yang's mouth.

The silence around them was almost eerie, so deep that Yan Le tried several times to open his mouth, yet the words would not come. That uncanny stillness pressed on them like a weight, and no one dared speak.

Pei Xu's mind was a muddle; he had lost the capacity to think entirely. This bizarre, grotesque spectacle before him was the final straw that broke the camel's back—all his wisdom, all his experience, availed him nothing now, and his gaze went blank.

How had their own sect produced such a troublesome character...

Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz.

It was like the sound of a swarm of bees beating their wings, swelling little by little until it merged into a torrent, like countless floods rushing onward with a thunderous roar. Everyone felt their ears ringing, and for one instant they could hear nothing at all.

After a while, the wave of sound subsided, settling into something gentler.

Astonishment, bewilderment, shock... every emotion blended together and surfaced on the faces of the crowd. No one could remain calm any longer.

"One mouth on that Nanmen Yang is worth ten flying swords!" Yan Le could not help but exclaim in praise—and no mistake, it was praise! Long versed in the ways of the jianghu, he knew how much sheer talk could accomplish in many a situation.

Shi Dai hurried to ask, and by the time Yan Le had repeated what Nanmen Yang said, the others were left standing dumbstruck.

Who could have imagined that a man so rough and rugged could utter words so vicious and cutting?

Hmm, perhaps Nanmen Yang really had not meant it that way.

The only one who would not think so was most likely Tiansongzi. Tiansongzi could well imagine what depths of rage his beloved disciple must be feeling to lose his composure so utterly! He felt it as if it were his own; his old face was already murderous.

The sect masters gathered around naturally did not dare provoke Tiansongzi at such a moment. That Tiansongzi could helm Dongfu for so many years was not owed solely to the legacy his forebears had left him; his own strength was unfathomable as well.

Before long, "A real man! Use a big sword!" spread like wildfire among the cultivators. Those who wielded great swords all thrust out their chests and lifted their heads, wearing looks of immense pride. But on the faces of far more cultivators was a look caught between laughter and tears.

And at last the people understood what had truly happened.

The blankness in Pei Xu's eyes faded considerably. Everything has its proper measure, and when that measure shifts, so too does the nature of the thing itself. Take the use of talisman arrays, for instance: earlier Pei Xu had thought it a disgrace. But when the array Zuo Yan laid down could stir up such a commotion and sweep up a whole host of experts in one net, Pei Xu felt rather pleased with himself after all.

Whose disciple could lay out a talisman array and raise such a din?

Whatever the final outcome of Zuo You's array might be, after this contest some might mock Yu Bai, but no one would ever speak of Zuo Yan and his talisman arrays in a mocking tone.

Now that they understood what had happened, the crowd's curiosity did not diminish in the slightest—on the contrary, it grew even stronger.

What was happening inside the array?

With so many experts gathered within a single array, what kind of change would it bring about?

How would they break the formation?

The people were consumed with curiosity!

Just then, Xiao Guo suddenly gave a cry of surprise: "Shi Heng's array—it seems... it seems to have grown bigger!"

Xiao Guo's words instantly drew every gaze to Zuo Jin's array.

Xin Yan spoke up abruptly: "That's right, it has indeed grown bigger."

Astonishment once again showed in the eyes of Pei Xu, Yan Le, and the others, while the rest of the disciples were utterly baffled.

One, and another, and another still...

Zuo Yan, busy laying out his array, was struck dumb. What were these people doing? Had they gone mad?

He stared blankly for only a moment before fury seized him.

Zong Mingyan alone had already wrung him dry, and now you people come to kick a man when he is down!

That was right—Zuo Yan instantly defined their conduct in a single phrase: kicking a man when he is down!

He could not fathom what grudge these people suddenly bore him, but one thing was plain: they had not come to help him.

Nothing is more hateful than kicking a man when he is down! Zuo Yan ground his teeth.

By now he had abandoned all thought of winning. With this many experts charging into the great formation at once, to dream of winning was to talk nonsense.

Villains! You pack of villains! I'll fight you all to the death!

As though he could see the Kunlun jade slip waving him a reluctant farewell, drifting farther and farther from his grasp, boundless grief and indignation welled up in Zuo Huan. It was precisely this grief and fury that swiftly hardened Zuo Yan's resolve: he would teach these opportunists who piled on the fallen a lesson they would never forget!

You want to pluck benefits from me? I'll smash every tooth in your mouths!

He gave no thought at all to retreat. Eyes bloodshot, he cursed these damned fellows with the most venomous, biting words he could muster! Yet at the same time his movements grew ever more deft, and materials poured from his hands as though spirit crystals cost him nothing.

He felt the blood in his veins burning—he had been driven to utter fury!

"Ah! The array is still growing!"

"It really is growing!"

"Didn't you hear Nanmen Yang? Bigger! Bigger! Even bigger!"

"If I were Zuo Yan, I'd have run for it long ago—and let all these people stay trapped inside! Ha!"

"Run? Where would you run to? The moment you step out of the array, you're dead! Anyone outside is stronger than him—without the array's protection, he'd die in no time."

Speculation broke out on every side; everyone was utterly at a loss as to why Shi Heng's array kept growing. Yet among all the theories, no one could guess what Zuo Yan was really scheming. Could Zuo Yan still be nursing some vain hope?

No one would think so—there were simply too many experts in there!

Every expert at the entire Sword Trial was in there!

Pick any one of them at random, and Zuo Yan was bound to lose; to say nothing of so many experts gathered together, each of whom could, with a casual wave, send the great formation crumbling to pieces!

Crumbling to pieces?

Zuo Yan knew full well what those inside the array were thinking. He sneered inwardly, his hands never slowing for an instant. The *Heavenly Ring, Moon's Song Formation* was a fourth-grade talisman array—if it had nothing formidable about it, how could it deserve to be called fourth-grade?

Perhaps they could break it, but never in one or two moves. Unless they found the array's vital point, they could forget about crushing or destroying it by brute force alone.

And that vital point was not so easily found...

Zuo Jin's hands flew, which also made it easy for the cultivators outside the array to see it rapidly expanding.

But no one dared charge into the array again!

At present, the interior of the array had become the most dangerous place in all of Songtao Pavilion!

The instant Su entered the array, her vision blurred, and she found herself standing in a desolate wilderness. Cool, moonlit radiance poured down like water, and she felt as though she were in a dream.

She gazed as far as the eye could see, and all around was vast and empty. She had no idea where to begin.

That damned kept man! Why had he not sent out his paper cranes yet?