Were we too late?
Ling Han's gaze swept across the place. There were at least over a hundred people here; furthermore, those were only the ones standing outside the pavilion—who knew how many more were inside.
Ling Han pulled a person away and asked, "Old chap, may I ask, what is going on here?"
Luck seemed to be on his side as he happened upon someone who liked to brag about his knowledge, and proceeded to explain to him right away in an endless torrent.
This was a library, a place where a great deal of secret techniques was stored—there were martial art techniques as well as cultivation techniques. Each and every of the secret techniques was wrapped up within a light sphere that remained afloat in midair as it fluttered about. If one wished to acquire them, one would have to strike out and intercept them. Then, once they managed to seize it, they had to shake it to break the light sphere, and the secret technique that lay within would be theirs.
Everyone could only enter once and stay for a day at most; after gaining a secret technique, regardless of whether the time was up or not, one would be delivered out.
Ling Han was surprised as he said, "Isn't there an elite of the Shattering Void Tier here? Why not just directly collect this entire library, isn't that much simpler?" How nice it would be if he could obtain the whole library in a single go; in that way, whatever techniques there were would all belong to him.
That person gave an exuberant laugh, and remarked, "Youngsters, thankfully it is me that you asked, otherwise, others definitely would not know it!" He then lowered his voice while adding on in a feigned mysterious manner, "Just so you know, this pavilion itself is precisely an array, yet in the event that the array is met with an attack, it will then destroy all the secret techniques that lie within."
Understanding dawned on Ling Han in a flash—try to forcefully obtain the library, and one would only end up not being able to obtain anything at all. Then, naturally, one could only play the game according to the rules. It was not that the elite of Shattering Void Tier could not deal with this array, but rather that this array used the secret techniques as "hostages", leaving the Shattering Void Tier elite with no way around it as well.
"Thank you." He nodded towards that person, and then turned to Zhu Xuan Er and the others. "We shall go and try our luck too."
They squeezed through the throngs of people and entered the library.
"Yi!"
As soon as they set foot in the library, their expressions vividly revealed the astonishment they were feeling. This place was seemingly like a vast starry sky—amid a pitch-black environment, there was a scatter of light specks dancing and swinging about, just like a sky full of meteors.
Scrutinizing upon it carefully, it was precisely as that man from before had said: the secret techniques were wrapped up within light spheres, hovering in the skies all around.
Of course, this was not a starry sky. At first glance, the space was huge, but in fact, it was only a square one acre big, and its height was approximately 150 meters. For a cultivator, this sort of size and height was nothing short of just a leap. They could land wherever they wished.
However, just as Ling Han was thinking to rise high into the air, he detected that there was a force forcing him down right away. He moved his body in a bounce, but his speed was in fact heavily hampered by the strong suppression.
Err, this greatly heightened the degree of difficulty in seizing the light sphere.
Everyone had to abide by the rules here. One could choose not to comply or try to resist, but according to the impressive strength of the array here, probably even Heaven Tier elites could only behave honestly. Shattering Void Tier elites perhaps could break down such bonds, but the consequence would be the loss of all the secret techniques here.
Ling Han didn't know who'd actually designed this library, but it was really quite a trick.
The probability of that person being Fatty Ma was pretty high; after all, he had an extraordinarily great inclination and knack for mischief.
Here, everyone could only advance at the pace of a normal person, and the height of one's leap was also not high; hence, as far as the light spheres that filled the sky were concerned, it appeared that there was practically no feasible way. However, amidst the random motions of the light spheres as they danced about in the air, there were also rare occasions when they touched the ground, and they could still be captured.
This would then depend on luck because this place was actually quite expansive. If one did not keep a watchful eye in advance, when the light spheres flitted down, one would also not be in time to catch it.
Ling Han swept in the direction of the light spheres in the air. Because the extent of the motions was too rapid, while their frequency was too close, he had a hard time getting a good look at the things within the light spheres, catching only a few words occasionally. For instance, "Sunflower Demon", "Cultivation Execution", and other such incomplete names, believed to be the names of these secret techniques.
He called up the Eye of Truth, and used it to diligently capture the information that was displayed within these light spheres.
"Found it!" After almost an hour later, Ling Han finally locked onto one of the light spheres. The name that manifested within it was Earth Overturning Seal!
Even if he possessed the Eye of Truth, it was also so difficult; he reckoned that others totally could not even make clear the situation. They struck out to grab as soon as they saw a light sphere flitting over, as for whether they managed to successfully grab their target or not, that was a different matter.
This light sphere was now fluttering swiftly aloft. Ling Han tried to use the Blood Sucking Origin Gold, but that thing's speed was too fast, and he simply could not catch up with it.
No, there had to be a solution.
Ling Han looked closely, no longer impulsively striking out for fear that he would accidentally latch onto other light spheres, after which he'd be sent out of the library.
"Ya, Niu caught one!" Hu Niu delightedly cried out; her luck was exceptionally good. One of the light spheres actually walked into the trap and floated down towards her body—that little girl naturally would not hold back and took that light sphere.
The little girl was also immediately delivered out of the library.
Ling Han withdrew his gaze and continued to fix his eyes on that light sphere with the Earth Overturning Seal wrapped within it.
After observing it for less than half a day, he finally discovered that, in fact, there was a sequence to the revolving motions of the light spheres. It was just that the variations were incomparably complicated, so calculating them naturally would be beset with difficulties.
"The next drop point would be… there!" Ling Han immediately moved his body and ran in the direction of the place in accordance to his calculations. But he only made it halfway there when someone actually emerged ahead and blocked his path.
"Make way!" As Ling Han spoke out these words, slightly half of his body was winding around from the side of the other's body; after all, they did not know each other, and if he were to rashly charge forward, it was highly likely that he would be dealt a severe blow by the other.
Shua, his figure passed through, and ahead of him a light sphere was in the midst of descending swiftly, no more than three meters away from him.
This normally would just be in a split second's speed, yet now, Ling Han needed to run towards it in three steps.
"Humph, how dare you!" That person was actually furious, and instantly drew out his saber and delivered a slash in Ling Han's direction.
Xiu, the Saber Ray transformed into a drill that struck forth swiftly.
He was merely passing him, moreover he had already spoken out in advance, and did not even touch him, and yet he wanted to kill?
Ling Han did not move to parry the blow, for it'd be a waste of time, and directly used his body to forcefully take this blow. He even did not have the energy to revolve the particles within his body to try to avoid injuries at all cost.
The Saber Ray slashed onto his body, releasing an aftershock that trembled through his body in its wake. Bloodstains could be seen tainting his back. Thankfully, it was only a minor wound, and the Body of Diamond had automatically healed the wound.
He stretched out his hand in the direction of the swiftly descending light sphere, but the light sphere grazed through his fingers, rebounded from the ground, and returned back to the sky once again.
F***!
Ling Han was swearing in his heart, it was clearly because he was slashed by the other that he missed, short by a mere hair's breadth difference at that.
Damn him!
"Hehe, youngster, this is a lesson for you, next time don't be so impulsive!" the person who delivered that slash spoke from behind Ling Han, his words filled with delight at Ling Han's predicament.
Earlier, he slashed for he, firstly, indeed felt annoyed, and secondly, when he chanced upon the light sphere descending towards the direction that Ling Han was precisely rushing to, he was immediately filled with envy. If I could not get it, why should I let you get it?
Such a trifling Spiritual Infant Tier junior, he naturally had nothing to fear from him given he was at the peak of the Deity Transformation Tier and his battle prowess had exceeded nine Battle Stars!
How could it be that this little junior still dared to retaliate against him in a bid to even the score?
Ling Han did really feel like killing someone, but when his gaze swept across the light spheres in the sky, he actually forcibly held back the urge. He had to start afresh to seek it out, then lock onto that light sphere and calculate when would be the next time it was going to descend and where was the location it would land at.
There was only a day's time, and according to the sequence from before, it appeared he only had one last chance left.