Chapter 110: Covered Head to Toe in Flags...

At the Qian residence, beside the fishpond in the backyard, Jiang Lin and Qin Xiao reclined in lounge chairs. Each held a fishing rod in one hand and a teacup in the other, sunlight warming their faces, lending them an air of serene contentment.

Nearby, their dog lay curled beside Jiang Lin’s chair, clutching its chew toy, peacefully napping through the afternoon.

“Junior brother, are we really fine just lounging around like this?” Qin Xiao yawned, setting down his teacup and scratching his foot.

“Don’t worry, all is well. If I remember correctly, activating the Blood Name Array isn’t simple. It can only be triggered at night and requires the blood of cultivators. Besides us, there are about a dozen scattered cultivators and sect members in the city. Though their strength isn’t impressive, they tend to stick together. Besides, nothing usually happens during the day... and if trouble does arise, it’ll be a problem for all of us.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the Blood Name Array’s activation depends not only on cultivators’ blood but also on the right timing—the blood moon. Only when the blood moon rises and the last necessary blood is absorbed does the array reach its highest chance of activation. Have you noticed, senior brother, that during our stay, there’s been no fluctuation in spiritual energy or signs of conflict? That’s because the enemy fears alerting us too soon. So, unless something unexpected happens, we’ll likely face annihilation only at night.”

Jiang Lin gazed at the calm surface of the lake, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

“This is the calm before the storm. According to my calculations, the blood moon will appear either tonight or tomorrow night—the perfect time for the Blood Name Array to trigger. When the blood moon hangs overhead, the array will pre-activate. At that time, the cultivators of the Lone Demon Sect in Donglin City will surely emerge en masse to battle us. Whichever side wins, the spilled blood will fuel the array’s final ignition.

“So, all we need to do is wait here. The enemy will come to us.”

“Junior brother, why don’t we strike during the day and sabotage the array unawares?”

Jiang Lin shot Qin Xiao a sideways glance. “Do you think I haven’t thought of that? The Blood Name Array has a main formation and eight auxiliary arrays positioned around it. After half a year of development, it’s certainly matured. At this stage, unless we destroy all parts, even if we break eight, the array will still activate.

“Moreover, though few know the array’s existence, the enemy isn’t foolish. They’ve likely set traps and ambushes at each auxiliary site. Even if we knew every specific location, what good would it do? It’s like playing ‘Yingxiong League’—if the enemy leaves their tower and fights us, we might hold our ground. But if we’re already at a disadvantage and charge to their high ground tower to start a fight, that’s just suicide.”

“Wait... I don’t understand the last part, junior brother.”

“That’s because ‘Yingxiong League’ is a game from my hometown. You don’t need to get it. For now… all we can do is wait… and react when the fight comes to us.”

Jiang Lin sighed softly, a trace of melancholy in his eyes.

To be honest, when Jiang Lin learned last night that this was the Blood Name Array and that it was nearly complete, he felt the urge to flee. But once inside Donglin City, escape was nearly impossible. He vaguely recalled a passage from a book by Great Master Tai Er about the Blood Name Array:

“When the Blood Name Array nears completion, the caster has no retreat, and those within the array have no escape. Any living being forcibly leaving the formation will be reduced to blood mist.”

In other words, stepping into Donglin City was like entering a devouring forest. Only by defeating the boss within could one hope to leave. Now, the city was a cage that only allowed entry, no exit.

Donglin City was sealed under a metaphorical lid—break through it forcefully, and death was certain.

But for Jiang Lin, these constraints were irrelevant. His resurrection token allowed him to revive freely within a hundred-mile radius, immune to such traps. How could the Blood Name Array contain him?

Still, Jiang Lin chose not to run.

This array demanded not only cultivators’ blood but also the lives of ordinary people. Though Donglin City was but a small town on Wutong Continent—like trying to find Xiamen on a map of Asia—it was vast in the cultivation world. Its total area equaled two Luoyangs on Earth, with a population nearing three million.

Three million living souls.

Assuming an even split between men and women, that meant 1.5 million living women. Though fifteen hundred thousand included elderly grandmothers, they had all been young once.

If Jiang Lin had not known, there would be no problem. But now that he was involved, perhaps he could save those 1.5 million women.

How could he simply walk away?

What if his future wife was among them? What then?

Besides, his senior sisters were here too (including Qin Xiao). Though one sister might later threaten to cut him down countless times atop the twin peaks, she was still his senior sister.

And though the protagonist rarely faces major mishaps, Jiang Lin could not shake his worry.

He absolutely refused to see his senior sister perish in vain.

Suddenly, Jiang Lin recalled the first time he met her—she wore a summer dress that was truly beautiful.

Alright, Jiang Lin admitted it: he was attracted to his senior sister’s figure. But he was honest about it, which was commendable.

He looked up at the sky—the sunlight was just right.

“Senior brother, you should head back first. Tell senior sister everything I shared with you this afternoon, but don’t mention it came from me. She prefers to work quietly behind the scenes.”

“...” Although Qin Xiao wanted to retort that senior sister had probably overheard everything, he held back.

“Alright then, I’ll head back. Junior brother, be careful. Once this Donglin City affair is over, I’ll take you to find the most beautiful girls and pet the fluffiest cat-eared maidens!”

Jiang Lin twitched a brow. “Senior brother, do you know you sound like an old general on a stage...”

“Why?”

“Adorned with flags from head to toe...”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. Here, take this.” Jiang Lin reached into his pants’ storage pouch (a special compartment made by Little Hei) and pulled out several cylindrical objects with pull rings.

“What’s this?” Qin Xiao looked at the long, thick items in his hand, turning them over.

“These are… high-explosive grenades…”

...

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[Thanks to the generous patron ‘Sui Yu Liuli’ for the 13,666 Qidian coins tip! I owe you a chapter, lord benefactor! (⑉••⑉)‥♡]