Martial Peak
chapter-2909

Chapter 2909, Gong Yue

In just a short wait that lasted about an hour, the six people present suddenly detected a strong, but unfamiliar aura flying towards them. Wu Kuang Yi and Hua Yu Lu were secretly frowning, but Yang Tai was looking over with joy on his face.

A few moments later, an elderly man with white hair arrived before them, standing in the air and nodding gently to the group.

“Brother Gong!” Yang Tai cupped his fists immediately and greeted him with enthusiasm.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Brother Yang,” the elderly man surnamed Gong responded with a smile on his face. He was clearly quite close with Yang Tai.

“It’s no matter at all. We just gathered not long ago.” Yang Tai chuckled, but what he said was true. They had been waiting for Yang Kai here for a few days, and only with his arrival were they considered a full party.

Turning to Wu Kuang Yi and the others, Yang Tai said, “This is the man that this Yang was waiting for. Brother Wu, are you familiar with him?”

Wu Kuang Yi was frowning hard as he thought back to what Yang Tai said previously and had a vague guess, “Since Your Excellency’s surname is Gong, could you possibly be related to the Heaven River Valley’s Gong Family in any way?”

When she heard this, Hua Yu Lu’s eyes lit up as well, and she began studying this elderly man surnamed Gong with interest.

If this old man really came from the Gong Family, then he would really be a great help to them.

Yang Tai smiled, “Brother Wu is truly knowledgeable. Indeed, Brother Gong comes from the Heaven River Valley’s Gong Family.”

Wu Kuang Yi answered coldly, “The Heaven River Valley’s Gong Family is well known, and while this Wu may be ignorant and uninformed, he has still heard of them.” He was still a little annoyed with Yang Tai’s previous actions and felt that the latter had broken their agreement, so he couldn’t help looking somewhat sharply at this old man and asking, “How should we address Your Excellency?”

The old man surnamed Gong smiled, “Gong Yue!”

“Gong Yue…” Wu Kuang Yi pondered for a moment before suddenly a look of shock appeared on his face and he cupped his fists politely, “So it is the Gong Family’s former Patriarch. Please excuse this Wu’s rudeness!”

He had obviously heard of Gong Yue’s name and knew of his status. At once, he no longer dared to be arrogant and gave the other party their due respect.

Gong Yue smiled and waved his hand, “I’m just an old man wandering around with nothing better to do now. No need to be so formal.”

Yang Tai said, “A few days ago, I visited the Gong Family in Heavenly River Valley in order to ask about the sealing Spirit Array, which happened to coincide with Brother Gong exiting secluded retreat. After seeing the Spirit Array, Brother Gong showed much interest in it and wanted to come along to have a first-hand look. This old man really couldn’t refuse Brother Gong’s request, that’s why this old man will apologize to you all for this matter today. Please do not be angry, Brother Wu.”

Wu Kuang Yi responded with a cold face, “Not at all. Brother Yang is overthinking things.”

Gong Yue chimed in here, “It was this Gong who came uninvited, so you can all blame me if you want as Brother Yang was helpless to refuse. Of course, this Gong is only interested in the ancient sealing Spirit Array. I would like to take a look at it up close, and it can’t be any better if this Gong may participate in cracking it. If anyone finds fault with this idea, then this Gong can just return home.”

Even though the Heavenly River Valley’s Gong Family wasn’t considered a peak level force, they were still very impressive. Their fame was related to the Dao of Spirit Arrays, and it was their family’s speciality. There were many Array Masters in the family, and they were hired to assist in arranging arrays for many Sects in the Southern Territory.

Hua Yu Lu also wanted to visit the Gong Family in order to ask about the Ancient Cave Mansion’s sealing Spirit Array, but it was just an idea. She did not actually go.

But now, it seemed Yang Tai had the same idea as her. What’s more, this Yang Tai seemed to be rather close with this Gong Yue, to the point where they could speak informally to one another.

The Gong Family was naturally obsessed with Spirit Arrays, especially when it came to strange and ancient lost arrays. To suddenly learn of such a sealing Spirit Array, it was understandable how Gong Yue was interested to the point of coming without an invitation.

After working out the matter, everyone present immediately knew why Yang Tai said those words before. If it were Gong Yue, then he would really be a great help to them during this treasure hunting trip; after all, this man was the former Patriarch of the Gong Family. His attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays were so great that few could ever hope to match him. With his help, cracking that ancient Spirit Array wouldn’t be a problem at all.

Wu Kuang Yi pondered for a long time and glanced at Hua Yu Lu from the corner of his eye, transmitting a message to her.

He did not hide his actions as everyone could see clearly what he was doing, and could also guess what he was saying to her.

A few moments later, Wu Kuang Yi opened his mouth to ask, “May I ask Old Patriarch Gong if you came only for the ancient Spirit Array? I’m sure you understand what we are here to do. If we were to find anything in the Ancient Cave Mansion…”

Gong Yue answered immediately, “This Old Master pursues the Dao of Spirit Arrays, it is my one and only pursuit and shall be so for as long as I live!”

That answer alone was enough. There were countless Daos in this world, and as Gong Yue chased after the Dao of Spirit Arrays, no matter how valuable other things may be, it would still pale in comparison to the chance to study the ancient array.

Yang Tai laughed, “Brother Gong only wishes to take a look at the Spirit Array and participate in cracking it; he has no other requests. Of course, if everyone is not comfortable with it, then Brother Gong has said it himself earlier. He won’t trouble everyone and will just return home. The key point is that one of us must be able to crack the Spirit Array in his stead, otherwise, we are sure to return empty-handed.”

He, Wu Kuang Yi, and Hua Yu Lu, had already been preparing for half a year, not only to find a reliable helper, but also to crack the Spirit Array which blocked their path.

Hua Yu Lu had thought of visiting the Heavenly River Valley to ask the Gong Family for advice, but she gave up on the idea when Yang Kai took it upon himself to handle this matter several months ago.

On Wu Kuang Yi’s side, the cold-faced man he invited was clearly also someone who was versed in Spirit Arrays, the reason for it being the fact that Wu Kuang Yi was currently looking at him and seemed to be seeking his opinion.

That man named Fang Zhuo was silent for a long time before gently nodding.

Wu Kuang Yi understood, “Since nobody has any objections, then let us invite Old Patriarch Gong to come with us. We will be counting on Old Patriarch Gong during this trip.”

“Much obliged. This Old Master will surely do his best.” Gong Yue stroked his beard with a smile.

Yang Kai took a step forward at that moment and asked, “Is Your Excellency truly the former Patriarch of the Gong Family? Can you prove your identity?”

At those words, the faces of the crowd stiffened slightly. Wu Kuang Yi seemed to be shaken awake as well in that instant.

The reason why he trusted the man’s claim of being Gong Yue was that he had heard of Gong Yue before, and knew that he was the former Patriarch of the Gong Family. Secondly, it was because Yang Tai’s words from before had planted a preconceived idea into his mind which convinced him that it must be true.

Only when Yang Kai mentioned this did he suddenly come to his senses and raise his guard.

He had never met Gong Yue before, and naturally had no idea what Gong Yue looked like. This man before him may really be Gong Yue, but he also… may not be. If this man truly was the Gong Family’s former patriarch, then they could put their trust in him, but if he was an impostor, then they had to be careful.

Considering all this, Wu Kuang Yi suddenly shot a glance at Yang Tai.

Yang Tai still had a cheerful expression on his face as he turned to Yang Kai, “This Little Brother Yang Jiu surely jests. Could someone possibly impersonate Brother Gong? That’s not a very proper question, is it?”

“If there’s anything I’m unsure about, then I should inquire about it. Am I wrong?” Yang Kai also turned to look at him, lips curving into a smile.

Yang Tai frowned, “This Yang swears on his name that Brother Gong is truly Brother Gong, the former Patriarch of Heavenly River Valley’s Gong Family.”

Yang Kai smiled without responding and Yang Tai also seemed to understand that his own guarantee held no weight at all. He’d never even met Yang Kai before this, so how could he guarantee anything? Moreover, Wu Kuang Yi seemed to be a little suspicious as well, so his face instantly turned bitter, “What should we do now, then? Should we head over to Heavenly River Valley first to ask for proof?”

This was obviously impossible as Heavenly River Valley was very far away from here and would take at least two months to make a round trip. Who had the time to delay things constantly? So he may as well not have proposed it.

But the more Yang Tai insisted, the more Wu Kuang Yi felt something was suspicious. His eyes were constantly shifting between Yang Tai and Gong Yue, seemingly trying to catch some sort of clue, but to his disappointment, he didn’t find anything suspicious about Yang Tai’s behaviour at all, and even though Gong Yue’s legitimacy was questioned, he remained calm and composed.

This made him wonder whether Yang Jiu was just being too suspicious.

Gong Yue spoke at that moment, “Though I have the Gong Family’s token on me, I don’t think it will be of much use even if I take it out. Since this little brother is suspicious of me and asking this Gong to prove himself, may I ask how I should do so? Does little brother have any suitable method?”

Yang Kai smiled, “Since this concerns Spirit Arrays, then let us prove it using a Spirit Array. May I ask if anyone here is learned in the Dao of Spirit Arrays?”

When he said that, everyone vaguely understood the meaning behind his words.

Wu Kuang Yi immediately turned to Fang Zhuo.

Even though Fang Zhuo had been silent the whole time, that didn’t mean his mind wasn’t nimble and he instantly caught onto Yang Kai’s thoughts. Stepping forward, he took out several array flags without saying a word and formed seals with his hands. One by one, the array flags were tossed out and disappeared.

His movements flowed as swiftly and freely as water, making it obvious he was quite proficient in this craft, even having extraordinary attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays.

Gong Yue remained smiling, seemingly having understood Fang Zhuo’s plan, so he simply let him continue as he pleased.

And, following Fang Zhuo’s actions, a large area of space suddenly became distorted. Once the last array flag landed into its corresponding position, the area around Gong Yue transformed, and he disappeared without a trace.

Everyone released their Divine Sense to probe, but they were blocked by a strong barrier while not a single thing could be discerned using the naked eye.

“Oh? So Brother Fang Zhuo is also proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays?” Yang Tai looked surprised.

Fang Zhuo cherished his words like gold and simply replied, “A little.”

Then, standing with his hands behind his back, he narrowed his eyes and observed the area where he arranged his Spirit Array.

This was clearly a Trapping Array, and even though it had no killing ability, it was still able to confine someone in one position and keep them from moving.

If the Gong Yue that was trapped inside the Spirit Array was truly the former Patriarch of the Gong Family, then it shouldn’t be too hard for him to crack this array and escape, but if he were an impostor, he may not necessarily have the appropriate level of skill to deal with it.

This was a straightforward test, and even though they may not be able to completely ascertain Gong Yue’s identity this way, it would at least be able to dispel most of the doubts they had about him.

For a while, everyone was holding their breaths and focusing on the Spirit Array, eager to know the final result.