After absorbing all the True Qi and Blood Energy from Ning Teng's body, the Blood Sword in the air traced a bloody streak back into the scabbard behind Ning Xuan.
"Mr. Lin," Ning Xuan said, bowing with clasped hands, "my name is Ning Xuan and I am also from the Joy Sect, but I have always greatly admired you and bear no hostility."
Lin Mo gave him a cold glance and then asked, "Are you also here for the Flood Dragon?"
Ning Xuan kept his head lowered and replied, "I am indeed interested in the Flood Dragon, but it's only a legend; whether or not it truly exists, I do not know."
He finished speaking and stood in place, showing no intention of leaving.
Lin Mo didn't pay him any further attention, immediately proceeding to examine the soft armor from Wei Zeyu's body.
Ning Xuan coughed once, and a trickle of fresh blood spilled from the corner of his mouth; then he took out an Elixir and swallowed it.
Lin Mo glanced at him; his strength was that of a Basic-level Martial God, and having reached this level before the age of thirty made him much stronger than Ning Teng, indeed a genius among Heaven's Chosen Sons.
However, Ning Teng had just fought a protracted battle with Lin Mo, so whether it was his strength, True Qi, or Mana, all were depleted. There was no need for Ning Xuan, with his strength, to struggle so much to kill him.
The only reason was that this person was deliberately feigning injury to make others let down their guard.
Lin Mo, being a supreme powerhouse, had seen all kinds of conspiracies and traps.
"Mr. Lin," Ning Xuan said with furrowed brows, eyes looking ahead, "I've heard that there's a grand Array here in the valley, and entering it is a matter of life and death."
Lin Mo nodded slightly and said indifferently, "There is indeed an Array in existence, but now is the time when its operation is at its weakest."
In front of the valley, two mountain peaks stood tall, marking merely the edge of the Array; the real Array would start to manifest when passing between the two mountain peaks. Putting the soft armor away, Lin Mo took no further notice of Ning Xuan and walked alone towards the front.
Ning Xuan followed Lin Mo and respectfully said, "Mr. Lin, how about I accompany you? If we encounter any situation, I can also lend a hand."
"Hmm," Lin Mo stepped forward, responding indifferently.
The two made their way forward, the path becoming increasingly narrow. When they reached the point where the two mountains neighbored each other, the road was only wide enough for a small cart. However, the deeper they went, the more concentrated the Spiritual Energy became.
"The Spiritual Energy here is so rich; it's an excellent place for cultivation," Ning Xuan said admiringly, following behind.
After passing between the two mountains, a valley even more vast than the outside appeared before them, containing a spring pool with water cascading down, scattering beads of jade-like splashes.
The valley was full of blooming flowers and plants, like a sacred tourist spot in springtime for outings.
But about ten meters ahead was the Array zone, with a dark great rock to the east, cold spring water to the west, a majestic tree with a crown that spread like clouds to the south, and to the north, an odd flower with fruits the size of baby fists, translucent and jade-like.
At the center lay a peculiar scale, carved with ancient runes and faintly radiating a red glow.
Lin Mo felt a shock in his heart; this was a Five Elements Formation, and it seemed that the matter of the Flood Dragon was definitely true. Perhaps it was injured in the starry sky, which is why it fell to Earth.
"Whoever set up this Array must have strong cultivation," Lin Mo thought to himself.
With that in mind, Lin Mo offered up the soft armor which flew into the Array without causing any disturbance; the soft armor slowly covered the runes on the peculiar scale at the center.
"Just as I thought, this Scale Armor is from the Flood Dragon itself, that's why there's no rejection," Lin Mo murmured to himself.
Ning Xuan, who stood aside, watched intently and a ripple of emotion flashed deep in his eyes, for the power of the array seemed to have weakened by another fraction.
"Mr. Lin, who would have thought you possess such profound knowledge of arrays?" Ning Xuan's face showed admiration.
Lin Mo merely glanced at him coldly, "You want to take a look inside too?"
Ning Xuan bowed with his hands clasped, "Mr. Lin, I indeed wish to look around, but I wouldn't dare touch anything inside."
"Fine, follow behind me, and do not wander off, or you will trigger the array," Lin Mo instructed, then with hands clasped behind his back, he stepped on the fresh green grass and walked forward.
Ning Xuan nodded and followed in Lin Mo's footsteps, carefully placing his feet in the imprints Lin Mo left behind, and together they moved towards the center - one step, two steps, three steps, without any irregularities.
However, just as Lin Mo was a mere ten meters from the Array Eye, suddenly, an ancient tree to the south shook and its branches crazily extended, about as thick as a thigh, and with a gust of piercing wind, swung toward Lin Mo.
Lin Mo turned his head and noticed Ning Xuan had stepped to the side.
"Mr. Lin, be careful!" Ning Xuan's face showed urgency.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Lin Mo chopped out seven or eight Wind Blades with his hands, severing all the approaching branches.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Lin, it was an unintentional mistake on my part. I didn't expect this to happen," Ning Xuan said with a guilty and fearful expression, as if afraid of Lin Mo's anger.
Lin Mo gave him a glance and continued walking forward until he reached the Array Eye. He cast several spells on the scales, and soon the scales trembled briefly before returning to calm.
"The array has now been disabled."
This array had thwarted many strong contenders over the decades, yet Lin Mo had disabled it in mere moments, which caused Ning Xuan to frown slightly.
Arrays are powerful and mysterious, but everything follows rules, much like a large machine—humans only need to press a small button to start or stop it, and the principle is the same.
Lin Mo said as he walked toward the north, where a plant bore dripping green fruit, enticing as Bi Yu and seemingly delectable.
Ning Xuan stepped in Lin Mo's footprints and followed behind, eyeing the fruit suspiciously, "Mr. Lin, what are these?"
"Green Jade Fruit, not much use," said Lin Mo, his gaze moving away from the fruit.
Looking back, Lin Mo noticed Ning Xuan had been following his footsteps diligently from the Array Eye to this point, clearly showing a cautious character.
"I'm quite thirsty; I'll have one." Ning Xuan said as he picked a green fruit and took a bite, smiling, "Tastes quite good. Mr. Lin, would you like to try?"
"No need."
Lin Mo paid him no attention and continued walking. The Flood Dragon's corpse was not here. Perhaps the Flood Dragon hadn't died after all but was injured and stayed on Earth, waiting for its wounds to heal before leaving the planet.
Reaching the edge of the Cold Pond, its Cold Energy was overwhelming, with mist rising and adding a hint of mystery.
A huge cave lay hidden behind the waterfall pouring down. Lin Mo casually waved his hand and a blast of True Qi appeared from nowhere, extending dozens of meters and cleaving the waterfall in half. His True Qi acted as a barrier against the waterfall, forming an entrance.
Lin Mo stepped lightly and darted into the opening like a graceful Yanzi.
Ning Xuan hesitated briefly, then quickly followed suit.