Chapter 172: Chapter 169: The Crew’s Pledge of Fealty and a Bonus Ancient Array Map

Zhang Hao stared intently at Han Feng.

Reflected in his pupils was the shimmering, radiant Jade Scroll.

Also reflected was Han Feng’s unnervingly calm face.

Shock.

An indescribable shock that made his heart skip a beat.

Zhang Hao asked himself.

’If it were me, in the same position, and I’d obtained an Ancient Cultivator’s Relic like this—one that could change my destiny—what would I do?’

’I’d take the secret to my grave.’

’Bury it with me in my coffin.’

’There’s no way I would’ve just casually brought it out in front of everyone like this!’

This went far beyond what the word "generous" could describe.

This was the kind of boldness that would move any ambitious leader!

’This kid...’

Zhang Hao’s chest heaved violently as he forcefully suppressed the tempest raging in his heart.

He finally realized that from the very beginning, he had completely and utterly underestimated Han Feng.

This person possessed not only unfathomably mysterious skills and decisive, deadly strength.

He also had an intangible quality, a presence that could rally people and achieve great things.

The moment this Jade Scroll appeared, it was like an invisible royal decree.

Within this newly formed team, Han Feng’s status would now be unshakable.

Moreover, this was an enormous debt of gratitude.

A debt that everyone present had to engrave in their hearts—a debt they might even have to repay with their lives!

A heavy silence spread oppressively through the cave.

Finally, it was Zhang Hao who broke it.

He strode forward, his fan-like hand clapping heavily onto Han Feng’s shoulder.

The force was so great that even the hard rock floor trembled.

His voice, hoarse with a rare hint of emotion, rasped.

"Han Feng, I, Zhang Hao, acknowledge you as my brother!"

"From now on, your business is the business of our entire Sharp Sword Club!"

His words were like a lit fuse.

"That’s right! Brother Feng is a badass! So fucking magnanimous!"

"I knew Brother Feng was no ordinary person! That level of thinking... I’m speechless!"

The other team members snapped out of their stupor, gathering around with frenzied looks in their eyes.

Ancient ruins!

A legacy Jade Scroll!

They now had a chance to get a piece of something that had only ever existed in legends?

This "pie falling from the sky" miracle made everyone’s admiration and reverence for Han Feng surge to an all-time high.

"Since Han Feng has been so loyal, we can’t be wishy-washy either."

Zhang Hao quickly calmed down from his excitement, his mind racing.

As the leader, he thought further ahead.

The Jade Scroll was a monumental opportunity, but it was also a hidden danger that could bring about their deaths.

Those five bodies from the Blazing Fire Mercenary Corps were a time bomb waiting to go off.

Although Han Feng said he’d handled it, as long as they had existed, there was a chance of discovery.

They had to tie up this last loose end, and make it spotless.

This was also the perfect opportunity to make everyone pledge their loyalty!

"Listen up!"

Zhang Hao’s expression turned serious. He scanned the crowd, his voice chilling.

"Han Feng has entrusted his life and fortune to us. We must be worthy of that trust!"

He turned to Han Feng, his gaze burning.

"Is the location of those ruins far from here?"

"Not far. Twenty minutes at full speed."

"Excellent!"

Zhang Hao waved his hand forcefully.

"Everyone, pack your gear immediately! Bring all the spoils of war!"

One of the team members was taken aback.

"Captain, where are we going? Didn’t we just get back?"

"To the ruins!"

Zhang Hao’s voice was firm and absolute, leaving no room for argument.

"First, since there are ruins, everyone must see them with their own eyes to verify Han Feng’s words. This way, no one will have any lingering doubts later!"

"Second..."

A cold, ruthless glint flashed in Zhang Hao’s eyes.

"The bodies of those five people must be made to vanish from the face of the earth! The entrance to the ruins must also be resealed!"

"Every single one of us must take part in this. Everyone’s hands have to get dirty."

"From this day forward, we’re all in the same boat."

"The secret of those ruins either gets buried with all of us, or we all carry it together!"

Watching Zhang Hao give orders, Han Feng couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.

’Such a quick reaction, such ruthless methods.’

’Taking everyone to the site serves two purposes. One, it binds the team together through a "shared crime." Two, it completely eliminates any lingering suspicion that I, Han Feng, might have hidden other treasures.’

’After all, seeing is believing.’

"Let’s go!"

At Zhang Hao’s command, the nine members of the Sharp Sword Club moved out swiftly.

Not a single complaint, not a hint of hesitation.

A team truly forged together by belief and mutual interest was quietly taking shape.

...

「Twenty minutes later.」

Han Feng stopped in front of a massive Lying Bull Stone.

"Everyone, step back."

Han Feng waved his hand, signaling for the group to spread out.

"Although I destroyed the nodes of the Enchanting Array below, the residual Energy Field is still active. I’m not sure if it will have a reactive response."

The group retreated as instructed.

Han Feng walked up and placed his palm on the rough surface of the Lying Bull Stone.

The Sword Essence within his body flowed at a specific frequency, like a key, precisely injecting itself into the mechanism’s hub inside the stone.

CLICK.

An extremely faint, crisp sound came from underground.

Immediately after, the low-frequency hum that caused dizziness completely vanished.

Han Feng pushed with one hand, and with a dull grinding sound, the multi-ton boulder was slowly moved aside.

Revealing a dark, gaping hole.

A gust of air, mixed with the stench of decay and smoke, rushed out to meet them.

"Let’s go. Down we go."

Han Feng was the first to jump in, his high-powered flashlight tearing through the underground darkness.

Zhang Hao followed close behind, with Wang Meng bringing up the rear with his axe. The others filed in one by one.

Passing through the corridor that had claimed five lives not long ago, the group felt no discomfort.

They entered the stone chamber at the end, beams from several flashlights crisscrossing as they scanned the area.

The first thing everyone saw was the crooked stone table and the square imprint left on its surface where the item had been taken.

But what convinced Zhang Hao and the others even more was the dust on the floor.

The thick layer of accumulated dust exposed every trace under the bright light.

There were only two sets of footprints.

One set went toward the stone table, and the other returned.

Aside from that, the dust in all other corners of the stone chamber was perfectly smooth, as if it had never been disturbed.

"He really only took the Jade Scroll?"

Old Liu adjusted his glasses, crouched down, and gently wiped a shelf in the corner with a gloved finger.

The weapons on it had long since corroded into iron slag, crumbling at the slightest touch.

"I told you, my eyes can only see things that have an energy signature."

Han Feng stood at the entrance and spread his hands.

"In this room, besides that Jade Scroll, everything else is just a pile of dead objects to my Perception."

"Since there was no Energy, I couldn’t be bothered to rummage around and risk triggering some damn trap."

His words sounded like a humblebrag, but combined with the evidence at the scene, they were extremely convincing.

Zhang Hao scanned the room and nodded.

’Han Feng wasn’t lying.’

"Since we’re here, don’t just stand around."

Zhang Hao waved his hand.

"Everyone split up and search again. See if there’s anything that slipped through the cracks, hidden under the dust. Be careful not to damage the structure."

"Alright!"

Everyone’s spirits lifted. To be able to treasure hunt in ancient ruins with their own hands was a rare experience in itself.

Wang Meng tapped the walls with his axe handle, Fan Jian sifted through rotten clothes, and Gu Yun used a small shovel to scrape the dust on the floor.

Ten minutes later, the group gathered again, their faces covered in dirt, expressions awkward.

"Well, I’ll be damned."

Wang Meng looked dejected.

"Forget secret compartments, there isn’t even a mouse hole. The owner of this place was too damn cheap. They cleared out cleaner than a dog’s bowl!"

"There’s really nothing."

Fan Jian also shook his head.

The facts spoke for themselves.

After this round of carpet searching, everyone no longer had the slightest doubt about Han Feng’s "human radar" ability.

When he said there was nothing, there was *really* nothing.

"Alright, time for business."

Zhang Hao pointed to the five corpses in the corner, stripped down to their underwear.

"Fan Jian, Liu Cheng, clean them up. Leave no bones behind."

"Understood."

Fan Jian took a bottle of special accelerant from his backpack, and he and Liu Cheng dragged the bodies to the ventilation opening in the corridor.

Soon, a pungent, thick smoke mixed with the smell of burning flesh wafted over.

Han Feng watched the scene with a calm expression.

’This is the law of survival in the wasteland.’

’The dead have no voice. To survive, the living must erase all potential threats.’

Just as everyone was preparing to leave, Su Yue, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly let out a cry.

"Wait!"

Everyone turned around.

They saw Su Yue pressed against the wall at the corridor entrance, her tactical flashlight practically shoved into the wall itself.

The glasses on her nose glinted with a fanatical light.

"What’s wrong, Miss Su? Find a gold bar?"

Wang Meng sidled up to ask.

"Crude!"

Su Yue didn’t even turn her head, her finger gently tracing along a faint pattern.

"Look at these patterns!"

The group gathered around. Carved on the wall were some lines that looked like Ghost Talismans, many of which were broken.

"Aren’t these just ordinary Runes?"

Wang Meng scratched his head.

"Don’t talk nonsense if you don’t understand!"

Su Yue shot him a look, her tone filled with the kind of fervor a tech geek would have upon finding a rare, out-of-production graphics card.

"This isn’t the ’Gaia Universal Rune System’! This is an older, more streamlined Rune logic, but its efficiency could be several times higher!"

Su Yue grew more and more excited as she spoke.

"If I can get a complete tracing of this, it would be a priceless research project for those old professors at the Rune Academy!"

"The academic value of this thing might even be higher than that Jade Scroll!"

Hearing this, everyone’s eyes instantly lit up.

Knowledge is power, and it can be directly converted into cash!

"Then what are we waiting for? Trace it!"

Gu Yun urged.

But Su Yue shook her head, her face filled with regret.

"It’s no use. A simple tracing is useless."

She pointed to several broken points.

"The physical engravings are worn down. The Array can still function because the underground Energy Flow is still moving out of inertia."

"I can’t see the energy’s path. If I just copy the lines on the wall, what I’ll bring back will be a useless diagram."

After saying this, she subconsciously turned her gaze to Han Feng.

It wasn’t just her. Everyone’s gaze simultaneously converged on Han Feng.

In the entire group, only this man with the "X-ray Hack" could solve this problem.

"You mean, you want me to point out the path of the Energy Flow?"

Han Feng asked.

"Yes!"

Su Yue nodded like a bobblehead.

"As long as you can clearly see the flow of energy inside the walls, I can reverse-engineer the missing Rune structure and completely replicate the entire Array!"

Han Feng rubbed his chin.

’This isn’t hard. And since we’re all in the same boat now, it’s good to make an extra score.’

"Alright, let’s give it a try."

Han Feng walked to the center of the Array.

"But, to see the Energy Flow clearly, I’ll have to reactivate the Array."

"Understood. We’ll get out."

Zhang Hao immediately led the others out.

Han Feng said no more. He crouched down and pressed his finger on a slightly raised stone tile on the floor.

The Sword Essence in his body slowly flowed in.

HUMMM—

With a soft hum, the dormant Enchanting Array began to operate again.

That thick, thought-dulling sensation instantly flooded the air.

Han Feng’s eyes were once again veiled in a faint, soft glow.

Spiritual Vision, fully activated!

The dusty gray walls instantly became transparent in his vision.

Countless faint blue lines of light shuttled and interwove within the stone walls, forming a complex and precise neural network.

At the broken points, the Energy Flow actually leaped across the gaps as if traversing a void, jumping at extremely clever angles to form a perfect closed loop.

"Beautiful."

Han Feng couldn’t help but admire it.

’This design philosophy is indeed far more fluid than the rigid industrial Runes from the Celestial Craft Department.’

"Su Yue, are you ready?"

Han Feng called out.

"Ready anytime!"

Su Yue held a blank Memory Crystal Plate and a Sensing Pen, her expression focused.

"Starting from the left, at the position of the third brick."

Han Feng’s fingers traced patterns in the air, his speaking pace extremely fast.

"The Energy Flow doesn’t follow the engravings. Instead, it forms a spiral inside and refracts downward at thirty degrees."

"Here... there’s a hidden pressure-boosting node. The Energy pauses here for 0.3 seconds."

"At the break on the right, the energy leaps directly across. In the middle, there’s a Rune structure similar to a ’bridge,’ shaped like an inverted triangle."

As Han Feng spoke, he used his hands to sketch the invisible energy paths in the air.