Chapter 5: Life-Bound Magical Treasure

[Temporary mission completed: Showcasing Strength. Liu Xiu has been rescued. Reward: one piece of purple-grade equipment, one hundred years of Han Dynasty national destiny merit, and three liters of dragon vein earth essence.]

This notification startled Wang Liang. He didn't hesitate for a second; he poured all the hundred years of Han Dynasty national destiny merit and the three liters of dragon vein earth essence into the sixteen statues.

Stimulated by the energy, the statues all lifted their heads and began to move slowly. Eventually, they divided into two groups—one black, one silver—and took their positions. Simultaneously, the purple aura surrounding Wang Liang expanded and merged with the statues, forming a massive purple maze around him.

Only after completing this did Wang Liang feel a sense of relief. At the same time, the information regarding the statues appeared before him.

[Ancient Wengzhong (Magic Treasure)]
[Quality: Red (Full Set)]
[Equipment Requirement: Self-refined life-bound artifact; no specific requirements.]
[Effect 1: Destiny Reversal. Possesses the ability to kill "Children of Destiny" and suppress national fortune. Having absorbed vast amounts of national destiny, it is immune to all destiny-based effects. (Against Children of Destiny, attack effectiveness is increased by 100%).]
[Effect 2: Array Core. Serves as the foundation for magic arrays. Can integrate nine different arrays (0/9) and deploy two simultaneously for combat (0/2).]
[Effect 3: Spirit Array. After killing sentient enemies, there is a chance to absorb their consciousness, turning their souls into Array Spirits to strengthen the artifact (0/16).]
[Effect 4: Battle Formation. The sixteen statues possess combat capabilities. Once the array is deployed, they can move freely within it to attack enemies (weapons and equipment can be swapped).]
[Effect 5: Enemy Entrapment. Originally a powerful array used to trap Liu Xiu, it has retained its essence even after being refined. Enemies entering the array will be affected by the entrapment effect every 5 minutes, immobilized for 5 to 30 seconds.]
[Description: A comprehensive manifestation of Wang Liang's insights into array techniques, the I Ching, and the Pre-celestial Eight Trigrams. It is a growing magic treasure and also Wang Liang’s life-bound artifact.]

After absorbing the information, Wang Liang retracted the purple aura, and the sixteen statues followed the aura back into his body. It was then that Wang Liang noticed Liu Xiu had appeared before him.

Liu Xiu now looked no different from a normal person; his skin was ruddy, his eyes were bright, and even his small mustache had a healthy luster. He looked entirely like a living man. However, Wang Liang could still catch a faint scent of decay emanating from him.

Standing before Wang Liang, Liu Xiu smiled and said, "I am deeply grateful, sir. If not for your assistance, I do not know how much longer I would have been trapped."

"No need for thanks. I was merely saving myself, and I don't believe we are out of danger yet," Wang Liang replied, glancing around. Because Liu Xiu had been freed, the magic array that had concealed the location had lost its effect, revealing the abandoned small city to the world.

The nearby troops garrisoned around the ruins had already discovered the emergence of the city, and a large force was currently rushing toward them. Although Wang Liang couldn't see them yet, the flocks of startled birds now flying over the city were a sight that had been impossible to witness until now.

Looking up at the dense, chaotic swarms of birds in the sky, Liu Xiu laughed. "Sir, do not worry. I did not fear his 'Five Wei' Tiger Tooth troops back then, and I do not fear them now."

As Liu Xiu spoke, Wang Liang noticed the sky darkening. Batch after batch of skeletons crawled out from the ground. Armed with weapons and farming tools and clad in crude armor, they stood beside Liu Xiu with the imposing aura of battle-hardened veterans. Seeing Liu Xiu's confidence, Wang Liang said nothing; this was none of his concern, and he wished to avoid trouble.

"Very well, you handle it yourself. I shall take my leave." Wang Liang didn't bother checking the purple equipment in his inventory. He summoned his bronze warhorse and prepared to mount and depart.

Liu Xiu called out to stop him: "Sir, since you freed me, I must show my gratitude. I previously promised to teach you the method of refining these meteorite nails and the techniques for laying out arrays. Since you have already handled them yourself, I cannot take advantage of you. How about this? I have three volumes of scrolls here; please choose one."

Liu Xiu produced three bamboo scrolls and placed them before Wang Liang. They were the color of withered bamboo, tightly bound with cowhide, concealing the text within. As Wang Liang scanned them, he realized these scrolls possessed an unusual energy; whenever his gaze rested on one, moving images would appear upon the surface. The three scrolls corresponded to scenes of armies at war, pavilions and towers, and a bountiful harvest in the fields.

Though he didn't know what they specifically contained, Wang Liang instinctively felt drawn to the one depicting the pavilions and towers.

Seeing Wang Liang’s gaze linger, Liu Xiu understood his choice. He put away the other two and handed the chosen scroll to Wang Liang. The moment he took it, a system notification sounded:

[Learned Architecture, acquired sub-profession: Architect.]
[Level: Novice, Grade: 1]
[Quality: Purple. Effects: Sturdy (Building HP +30%), High Platform (Building effect +30%).]
[Known Blueprints: Yuntai, Stone Chamber, Lantai, Renshou Pavilion, Dongguan.]

Reading the notification, Wang Liang realized he had guessed correctly. He had only hoped for an architectural skill to build his own Dragon Transformation Pool, but Liu Xiu had been generous, gifting him many famous blueprints as well. He had heard of the fame of the "Twenty-eight Generals of Yuntai," and the Stone Chamber and Lantai were renowned libraries of the early Eastern Han Dynasty.

He surmised that Liu Xiu gave him these blueprints partly because of his background as a warrior, and partly because Wang Liang had demonstrated familiarity with pre-Qin libraries. Otherwise, one would usually only learn the technique from such a scroll, and would have to seek out the blueprints themselves.

Understanding Liu Xiu's intent, Wang Liang said, "Thank you. The army outside will be here soon. Do you need me to help you get out?"

Liu Xiu shook his head firmly. "No need. I do not hold Wang Mang's subordinates in any regard. Last time, it was simply that the mandate of heaven was not with me. Now, things are different. With the blessing of three hundred years of Han national destiny, if I cannot break out of this small city, then I have no business dreaming of restoring the Han Dynasty."

With that, Liu Xiu drew a long sword and addressed the skeletons that had just crawled up: "Victory to the Great Han!"