Chapter 172: The Magic Array on the Verge of Collapse

"Lord Sun Licheng, how is it?"

Seeing Sun Licheng return, Hong Sunaibu and the others hurriedly gathered around to ask.

Sun Licheng's expression was very grim. He forced a smile and said to everyone, "Order everyone to stand down from combat readiness. We'll make camp outside the valley shortly."

Hearing that the battle was called off, everyone was utterly confused, but given Sun Licheng's consistent track record, they still went ahead to carry out the orders.

Soon, the force of over two thousand Sandmen retreated to a sheltered spot and began setting up camp, while the skeletons at the valley entrance slowly withdrew back into the valley.

Early the next morning, led by Sun Licheng, Caroline, Abner, Solomon, Clark, Hong Sunaibu, and dozens of personal guards rode camels into the valley.

Not long after entering the valley, a squad of skeleton soldiers appeared, led precisely by a skeleton general clad in heavy armor.

Seeing this skeleton general, everyone was momentarily stunned; the fellow before them possessed extraordinary strength.

"My Lord Divine Envoy, please this way."

The skeleton general made a gesture of invitation and then led the skeleton soldiers forward.

"This must be the commander of the skeleton army, right?"

Caroline asked softly.

Noticing the armor, which was superior to that of ordinary Goblin King officers, Sun Licheng nodded slightly. This skeleton's intelligence was not low; it should be a powerful figure under Balak.

Because Balak had sworn an oath in the name of the God of Oaths yesterday, Sun Licheng was not afraid of any malicious intentions on his part. This was the wonderful thing about the magic world—an oath was absolutely a binding and reliable form of guarantee. Reminiscent of the seller reputation on a certain Earth e-commerce platform, Sun Licheng felt a strong impulse to invite His Majesty the God of Oaths back to Earth.

Balak's cave was quite peculiar, resembling a large navel embedded in a gigantic boulder. It was filled with numerous blue glowing crystals, casting a bluish hue over the entire cavern.

Today, Balak was dressed in formal attire. His exquisite black necromancer robe gave his mummy-like face a somewhat solemn appearance.

"Welcome, Lord Divine Envoy."

Balak bowed deeply.

After everyone returned the courtesy, Balak said to Sun Licheng, "Lord Divine Envoy, please follow me to the subterranean river."

With that, he led Sun Licheng and the others deeper into the cave.

Sun Licheng had not expected that beneath the barren, vegetation-free boulder mountains, there would be so many caves. These caves interconnected, extending in all directions and plunging deep underground.

With a soft pop, a small fireball appeared above everyone's heads, illuminating the entire cavern brightly.

"Light Fireball spell. So Lord Divine Envoy is also a mages,"

Balak remarked with a sigh of admiration after everyone spent a brief moment in wonder.

Sun Licheng smiled and said, "A mere trick. Please continue leading the way, Lord Balak."

After walking for quite a considerable time, Sun Licheng and his group finally heard the sound of flowing water.

Standing on a dry riverbed, Balak pointed to his right and said, "That side is the ancient magical array." Then, pointing to his left, he added, "Behind that pile of rubble is the subterranean river."

Sun Licheng looked in the directions Balak pointed and discovered severe collapses on both the left and right sides. From the left, the rushing sound of water could be heard.

"Where is the subterranean river flowing now?"

Sun Licheng asked.

Balak shook his head and said, "There is an old riverbed over there, but where it leads, I do not know. To prevent the river water from eroding the magical array, I diverted the subterranean river into that old riverbed."

"Look at the good mess you've made! Because of this stunt of yours, how many people have died in the sand sea!"

Hong Sunaibu immediately flew into a rage, roaring at the necromancer.

Sun Licheng waved his hand to stop Hong Sunaibu's shouting, then, under everyone's watchful eyes, walked over to the collapse on the right.

He placed his right hand against the rubble and closed his eyes.

Soon, Sun Licheng began using his elemental guidance power to probe the terrain here.

Although Balak had mentioned that there was an ancient magical array here, Sun Licheng decided to verify it himself.

Before long, a topographical map of the entire area was imprinted in Sun Licheng's mind.

Sure enough, behind the rubble lay a vast space where five gigantic pillar-like objects stood. Even without seeing them, Sun Licheng could still sense these five massive pillars continuously radiating a soul-shaking power.

If compared to the magic crystals of magical beasts, it felt akin to massive boulders of a mountain.

Within the space encircled by the five pillars, continuous magical fluctuations surged, as if suppressing something on the ground. And on the ground, despite the suppression of the magical fluctuations, a bone-chilling, icy aura persisted, as though emanating from the netherworld.

Having finished probing the magical array, Sun Licheng opened his eyes and walked up to Balak with a heavy expression.

"I can sense the formidable power of this magical array, but how did you know that the river water was eroding it to the verge of collapse?"

Although Sun Licheng could be considered an expert in magical arrays, he had no experience in predicting the lifespan of one, so he asked Balak out of curiosity.

Balak's face flushed slightly, and he stammered, "When we were at the Necromancy Academy, classmates often set traps for each other, and magical arrays on the verge of collapse like this were the best tools. Therefore, I am very familiar with the fluctuations of magical arrays. Just by sensing the magical fluctuations, I can tell the state of the array."

Hearing this, Sun Licheng couldn't help but be amused in his heart. If many programmers on Earth started their journey by playing games, then Balak's use of magical arrays began with childhood pranks among classmates—the two truly shared a remarkably similar charm.

Regardless of how unconventional Balak's initial reasons for understanding magical arrays were, this technique of determining a magical array's lifespan through its fluctuations was exceptionally practical.

Hugging the philosophy of better safe than sorry, Sun Licheng humbly began asking Balak for guidance.

Seeing that he was taken seriously, the young Balak was more than happy to share all his knowledge, quickly explaining the crucial points to Sun Licheng.

Sun Licheng's brain had been specially enhanced by divine power and possessed extremely high intelligence, allowing him to grasp these concepts in no time.

When he pressed his hand against the rubble on the right once more and fully perceived the fluctuations of that magical array, he finally confirmed that this array was indeed on the brink of collapse.

At a certain point where the riverbed passed, the magical fluctuations were extremely unstable. If the river water were allowed to erode it a bit more, the ancient magical array would undoubtedly be completely ruined.

"Thank goodness Balak stumbled upon this place by accident; otherwise, the fellow sealed inside would probably have broken out long ago."

Thinking of this, Sun Licheng couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his brow. To make even deities regard it with utmost seriousness, just how terrifying must that existence be!

After inspecting the magical array, Sun Licheng probed the subterranean river as well, finding the water volume to be abundant. Only now, the river was flowing in the exact opposite direction.

"How is it, Sun Licheng? Any discoveries?"

Caroline asked Sun Licheng, her eyes filled with anxiety.

Sun Licheng stood up, smiled slightly, and said to everyone, "The situation is manageable. Let's head up and discuss it."