Chapter 255
Chapter 255
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 255
Chapter Title: Zhuge Clan (1)
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Hubei Province's Yungzhong Mountain.
This was the territory of the Zhuge Clan, the powerhouse dominating the region in the martial world, and also the site of one of the dragon veins.
In truth, dragon veins were part of feng shui principles to begin with, so it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the headquarters of renowned factions were mostly situated in such auspicious lands.
Whether they had seized good land thanks to their strong influence, or their power had grown because they occupied prime territory, the order varied from case to case.
Thanks to this, they could maintain relative stability even in this chaotic situation, while staking their all on both securing additional dragon veins through war and defending their home base.
Moreover, the Zhuge Clan was a prestigious family renowned as one of the top names in formations and spell arts.
The defenses around Yungzhong Mountain, where they had taken root, were akin to an impregnable fortress that no one could breach.
'That was the case... until now.'
Today, the Second Division Leader of the Heavenly Mechanism Guard, overseeing the clan's outer perimeter defenses, gripped his sword tightly and glared at the intruder before him.
The location they were in was the interior of the Great Luo Chain Lock Formation, the sixth out of the seven formations enveloping Yungzhong Mountain.
Excluding the final formation designed to counter enemies who had already infiltrated the clan proper, this was essentially the last line of defense.
The clan's proud formations spanning the entire mountain... the defenses they had been so confident in had been pierced all the way here in an instant.
At first glance, it might seem unworthy of their reputation, but naturally, they had their own justifications.
'Damn it, they bypassed the formations by coming from the sky and rushed straight here?'
Formations inherently relied on specific artifacts or natural terrain, so they were inevitably optimized for dealing with ground-based enemies.
Of course, the Zhuge Clan had incorporated spell arts to prepare countermeasures for aerial threats to some extent, but there were limits. There was no way they could have prepared for an opponent who freely soared through the skies and crossed over the entire mountain!
'Even if this isn't a particularly tall mountain...!'
When the intrusion was first detected at the mountain's base, they hadn't thought much of it.
But as the intruder breached the first formation in an instant and entered the second, an emergency summons was immediately issued...
The opponent's advance was far too swift.
'We have to buy as much time as possible here!'
Until the rest of the clan finished preparing for battle, they had to hold out somehow. The Second Division Leader gritted his teeth, clenched the sword in his hand, and spoke with a grave expression.
"...This is your final warning. State your reason for trespassing into our clan's territory without permission."
No matter how much the Great Luo Chain Lock Formation supported them, rash actions against an unidentified master like this were forbidden.
The best course was to drag out time through conversation while gauging the opponent.
Unexpectedly, the intruder readily nodded and responded.
"Ah, my apologies. Nice to meet you. My name is Harris. I stopped by your clan because I have a few questions I'd like to ask."
"...Most people in the world call unpermitted visits 'intrusions.'"
"Oh! Is that so? As you can tell at a glance, I'm not from around here. Haha!"
The Zhuge Clan's warriors wore incredulous expressions at that brazen reply.
His appearance was certainly distinctive enough to immediately mark him as an outsider, but trying to pass off something so basic as a cultural difference was a bit...
'No, wait. He's not just an outsider—he doesn't even seem human. ...Is he a yokai who genuinely doesn't know human customs? What do we do in this case?'
Such reasonable doubts clouded the Second Division Leader's face.
He had assumed the intruder was a definite enemy when he forced his way in, but the man's nonchalant attitude left him confused about how to respond.
"...If that's truly the case, please wait here for a moment. Entertaining guests properly requires preparation, as you know. Surely you can accommodate that much?"
His judgment was to placate the man for now and secure practical gains.
The higher-ups would make the final call anyway, and his mission was to buy time here.
"It seems I've been quite rude. Very well, I'll do that."
His crisp agreement belied the warriors' high tension.
The golden-haired, green-eyed intruder with long ears—Harris—nodded calmly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 'My goal is to build influence, so there's no need to pick fights with every faction. The numerical clans didn't meet my standards, but the Zhuge Clan doesn't seem to be plundering their surroundings either.'
Of course, to facilitate smooth relations, he had demonstrated a bit of his power, causing this commotion—but such self-promotion was commonplace everywhere, wasn't it?
And though he hadn't shown it outwardly, Harris was inwardly impressed by the formation that had forcibly dragged him down to the ground when he tried to charge straight into the clan.
'Indeed, this is a proper formation. Impressive.'
More precisely, he was utterly captivated by the flow of energy connecting this entire area, himself, and even each individual warrior.
The natural energy flowed with clockwork precision, feeling like a work of art.
And he wasn't the only one struck by such admiration from an entirely different dimension—
The Immortal King in Outerica felt the same.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Hmm, this is intriguing. It's strong enough to forcibly suppress a powerhouse on par with Harris... Now I see the previous five formations are linked to this one, amplifying its effects. So formations can reach this level?] Hans, conducting solitary research in his secluded chamber, tilted his head slightly and murmured softly.
The 'formations' he had encountered on Earth and incorporated into the Path of Magical Arts were versatile in many ways, so he often employed them himself.
Merely incorporating them into magic circles or altars dramatically amplified effects, giving every reason to use them.
However, even with his knowledge, fully breaching the Zhuge Clan's ultimate formation—the pinnacle of the strongest in the Strong Realm—was impossible.
The fact that he had pierced through up to this point was only possible because Harris, the capable avatar, had exploited the aerial vulnerability.
[Well, a faction of their caliber would naturally possess such secret arts. Heh heh... This is awfully tempting.]
After all, learning anything always proved useful eventually.
As Hans burned with personal desire for spell arts, Harris remained focused on the very circulation of energy within the formation.
'Looking closer, this formation seems connected to the Eight Trigrams of the Infinite Eight Trigrams Secret Art.'
Harris, already sensitive to energy even before learning martial arts, had become even more attuned to this world's energy flows upon taking up martial arts.
To him, this pinnacle of formations that manipulated the world's energy flows to orchestrate nature's harmonies was nothing short of an excellent teaching aid.
'The nature of energy, its circulation, the laws of this world contained within, and the energy manipulation arts that encompass it all...'
Feeling a ticklish sensation in his mind, Harris recalled the essentials of the Infinite Eight Trigrams Secret Art and began moving his energy bit by bit.
And Hubert, sharing the situation in real-time through his senses, naturally shifted his analytical approach to assist.
'Right, now that I think about it, there's no need to follow the orthodox path when our conditions differ so greatly.'
Martial arts in this world had originated from humans seeking power by imitating innately superior beings—from the fierce beasts threatening their survival to the movements of herbivores excelling in resilience despite their weakness.
This evolved beyond animals to encompass natural phenomena like waterfalls and lightning, and ultimately even abstract concepts such as the moon and sun, death and abundance.
'And what the Infinite Eight Trigrams Secret Art pursues is harmony with all heaven and earth... with nature itself. Something I already possess in abundance.'
Then that part was unnecessary—discard it boldly.
He re-operated the imperfect Infinite Eight Trigrams Secret Art, replacing the principles of harmony with nature with overwhelming affinity derived from skills like 「Nature Assimilation」 and 「Call of Nature」.
Whooooosh—
Vast natural energy surged from all directions, shaking the formation's flow.
He vaguely heard the lead warrior shouting something, but it wasn't important right now.
He skipped unnecessary steps and took only what he lacked.
With Hubert having already completed the overall analysis, proceeding directly posed no issues.
'Harmony. Fill lacks with surpluses and grow together.'
The influx of energy poured into Harris's body, beginning to form a small inner core at his dantian.
His body creaked under the sudden overload, but having already ascended to transcendence and perfected essence, energy, and body, Harris swiftly accommodated and adapted.
And finally.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The entity has fulfilled the conditions, awakening its potential. Acquired Special Skill 「Nature Spirit Body」. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The entity has gained enlightenment through repeated training. Acquired Skill 「Infinite Eight Trigrams Secret Art (Modified)」. He had thought gaining something would take considerable time after the fact, but this unexpected opportunity yielded results far sooner than anticipated.
And Harris could instinctively sense it.
Upon acquiring 「Nature Spirit Body」, the potential to form bonds with even more diverse spirits had opened to him.
'...This is going to make my return to Outerica all the more exciting.'
A faint smile graced Harris's face as he reined in the surging energy.
Perhaps, before long, he might even summon a Spirit King, practically a lesser deity.
"Ah!"
Only then did Harris, his attention returning to his surroundings, hurriedly look around. He made an awkward expression upon seeing the warriors glaring at him fiercely, their faces pale with cold sweat.
"Urk, what in the world... This is absurd..."
"Haa— Haa—."
It was only natural.
While he had immersed himself in his own world, the barrier—no, the formation—unable to withstand the energy flux, had finally collapsed.
'This is troublesome. It wasn't intentional.'
He had pretended to wait patiently, only to suddenly rampage and shatter the formation, turning into a blatant villain.
At this point, it was practically a declaration of war.
'No, since it's come to this, maybe just seize it by force and make them obey...'
As Harris's thoughts veered toward extremism,
"...Infinite Eight Trigrams Secret Art. Could you be a descendant of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect?"
A heavy, aged voice reverberated.
Harris, sensing the crowd already beginning to encircle him, naturally turned to face the speaker.
An elderly man slowly approaching, eyes closed, leaning on a staff, accompanied by several warriors.
"What! Supreme Patriarch?"
The lead warrior who had been dealing with Harris turned in shock, but the elder continued in a solemn tone without responding.
"The secret art that manipulates natural energies to control phenomena... A martial art antithetical to formation arts. It arbitrarily disrupts the energy flows that form the foundation of formations."
Harris paused at those words.
As expected of the renowned Zhuge Clan.
They even knew the name and effects precisely—not to be trifled with.
"Heh heh heh, what trick of fate is this? I thought the lineage ended with Immeasurable Sage and his disciple losing their lives. And at this level... one could rightly call it the Profound Realm."
The surrounding air tensed instantly at his words.
They had suspected as much from the immense energy flux, but the weight felt different when publicly affirmed by the clan's elder.
No matter that it was the Profound Realm, they had confidence in holding out using the clan's final ultimate formation if not winning—but their opponent countered their specialty, formations, perfectly.
In other words, clashing now meant certain defeat.
Harris, grasping the surrounding reactions in an instant, gently stroked his chin and regarded the elder.
The Supreme Patriarch referred to the former family head, wielding immense authority—yet here he was, calling him a 'distinguished guest' and extending a hand first.
This positioned him even more advantageously than initially hoped.
A very good start.
"Ahaha— I have a few questions... and some requests as well. Oh, and speaking of which..."
In this situation, his 'requests' were practically demands.
Of course, to ensure smooth future relations, he shouldn't push too far beyond the line.
"Mind if we talk inside? It feels like I'm being kept waiting out here too long. The hospitality is rather..."
Seizing the opportunity, Harris's temperament shifted to arrogant petulance.