Chapter 1456: Instant Teleportation
Ma Ling wasn't surprised by Yang Haoran's arrangements. She had already suspected as much and had even received confirmation from him. So, when Yang Haoran arrived with her and Zhong Siyu on this stretch of Gobi Desert, she immediately understood what he intended to do here.
Having prepared in advance and with a clear objective, Ma Ling wasted no time and immediately began setting up the grand array. Yang Haoran, of course, had cast the restrictive barrier to prevent their activities from being noticed by any passersby.
"Big Miss," Yang Haoran said, turning his gaze to Zhong Siyu with a faint smile, "I'll trouble you to scour every inch within this restrictive barrier. Please ensure no one is hiding here by any means."
Indeed, none of the three had sensed any power fluctuations upon their arrival, but that didn't guarantee the absence of others beforehand. It was entirely possible someone had previously set up a restrictive barrier here and hidden within it, or was concealed through other means.
Of course, if anyone truly was concealed here, they certainly weren't targeting Yang Haoran. Aside from himself, no one knew he would be coming here – not even Zhong Siyu or Ma Ling. Such individuals couldn't possess foresight, much less have laid an ambush in advance; they could only be hiding for some personal reason.
Yang Haoran couldn't be certain if anyone was hidden, as sensing alone wasn't enough for the most accurate judgment in such matters. That was precisely why he decided to have Zhong Siyu conduct a meticulous, carpet-style search of every area within the restrictive barrier.
Zhong Siyu had absolutely no interest in such an endeavor. What she truly relished was violent, bloody slaughter, especially the thrill of tearing enemies to shreds and the deep satisfaction of devouring them. To have her search for hidden individuals like she was sweeping for mines? To her, such a task was nothing short of an insult.
"Tsk, how dull. What do you take this Young Lady for? Do you actually think I'd do something like that?"
Yang Haoran took in the disdain on Zhong Siyu's face, yet he didn't get angry. His own expression still held a faint smile.
"Heh heh, I'll add to your payment."
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile. At his words, Zhong Siyu merely rolled her eyes, said nothing, and then vanished from his sight, off to conduct her carpet-style search.
After Zhong Siyu departed, Yang Haoran flickered, appearing before the busy Ma Ling.
"Are all the materials needed for the grand array complete? Is the quantity sufficient? If anything is still missing, just tell me, and I'll find a way to procure everything for you in the shortest possible time."
Yang Haoran spoke. Ma Ling, hearing him, shook her head and replied.
"Ever since the last personnel transfer, I've understood the critical importance of large-scale teleportation arrays – or rather, their importance to you. That's why I gathered a complete set of materials beforehand and stored them in an independent space, ready for any contingency. If you asked me to set up other types of formations now, I might still need some time to prepare the materials, and it would be unavoidable to ask for your help. But for a large-scale, long-distance teleportation array, you, my boss, needn't worry."
Ma Ling smiled as she spoke, her voice brimming with confidence and devoid of any formality, as if she weren't joking at all. Yang Haoran listened, then lightly nodded.
"Heh heh, you're always so far-sighted. Preparing in advance saves us a considerable amount of time. You just focus on setting up the array; I'll step out for a moment. With Big Miss here to keep watch, your safety shouldn't be an issue."
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile. Ma Ling, hearing him, continued busily with the array, replying without even turning her head.
"Don't worry, there'll be no issues with the teleportation array. Go do what you need to do; don't concern yourself with me."
Seeing Zhong Siyu's confidence, Yang Haoran said nothing further. He smiled as he tore through space and departed. As for his destination, Ma Ling didn't know; fully absorbed in setting up the teleportation array, she didn't even notice. At that moment, her eyes were fixed solely on the array.
Thanks to Zhong Siyu's meticulous search, no one was found hidden within the area covered by the restrictive barrier. With the task complete, Zhong Siyu initially wanted to seek out Yang Haoran immediately and forcefully regain some 'face. ' However, she knew Yang Haoran had left the restrictive barrier; she'd sensed it the moment he tore through space. So, having finished her work, she could only temporarily abandon that notion and wait until Yang Haoran returned.
She didn't go to chat with Ma Ling. For one, Ma Ling was currently swamped with work; a single person setting up a large-scale, long-distance teleportation array certainly had no leisure time for conversation. For another, Zhong Siyu simply had no habit or fondness for chatting with people – this was true for acquaintances, and even more so for strangers. So, instead of disturbing Ma Ling, she found a quiet spot for herself, carefully took out the Soul Crystal she had received from Yang Haoran, swallowed it whole, and began refining it.
The Soul Crystal not only brought a significant boost to Zhong Siyu's strength but also had an excellent effect on her yet-to-be-fully-recovered injuries. Having completed the task Yang Haoran assigned, and with no other immediate duties, she simply proceeded to refine the Soul Crystal.
Yang Haoran didn't depart for long. Not long after Zhong Siyu swallowed the Soul Crystal, Yang Haoran tore through space and returned inside the restrictive barrier. This barrier was merely for appearances, possessing no offensive capability nor strong defensive power. With his strength, tearing through space to enter and exit the restrictive barrier was a trivial matter. However, within this restrictive barrier, low-grade Communication Talismans would still be affected.
Yang Haoran had left the restrictive barrier to contact Tang Shi and the siblings Jing Qi and Jing Miao. Currently, he had few remaining Communication Talismans that could reach them, as they hadn't met for a long time and the talismans he'd left with them previously were almost depleted. Furthermore, these remaining talismans, being of insufficient grade, couldn't be used inside the restrictive barrier. Therefore, if he wished to contact Tang Shi and the Jing Qi and Jing Miao siblings, he had no choice but to exit the barrier he had established.
Now that he had returned to the restrictive barrier, it was naturally because everything that needed to be conveyed had been clearly communicated. Rather than staying outside, it was safer to remain within the barrier. At least this way, he wouldn't be easily discovered by passersby, even if this godforsaken place wasn't likely to have any.
"I still need to find a way to draw a batch of high-grade Communication Talismans that can be used within restrictive barriers. Otherwise, this situation is far too passive."
Yang Haoran thought to himself. Ordinary Communication Talismans couldn't achieve this, but high-grade ones, along with certain special talismans, could transmit messages within a restrictive barrier. Although slightly different from standard Communication Talismans, the ultimate effect wasn't significantly different.
In the past, his strength and vision were insufficient, limiting his exposure and thus his understanding. However, with his growing power, expanding horizons, and increasing collections, many things that once seemed impossible were now, in his eyes, entirely within reach and achievable.
His gaze shifted to Ma Ling; seeing her still busy setting up the teleportation array, Yang Haoran had no intention of disturbing her. He then turned his attention to Big Miss Zhong Siyu, observing her sitting cross-legged, eyes tightly closed, with a faint aura of power subtly emanating from her body and wisps of Yin Qi visibly rising from her. He didn't know if Zhong Siyu was cultivating or doing something else, but he also had no intention of disturbing her.
One thing he could confirm was that both of them must have sensed his return. Neither had acknowledged him, which indicated they both had their own tasks to attend to. He naturally saw no need to disturb them.
How much longer until the teleportation array was successfully set up, Yang Haoran didn't know, as he wasn't an Array Master and hadn't inquired with Ma Ling. Nevertheless, he had both the patience and the time to wait.
Like Zhong Siyu, Yang Haoran sat down cross-legged on the spot. He then retrieved an item from his independent space. The object, surprisingly, was a skull, and from its shape and size, it appeared to be human.
If a human skull were to appear in the hands of an ordinary person, it would undoubtedly cause discomfort, perhaps even leading one to believe the individual was a pervert. But in the hands of someone like Yang Haoran, it seemed perfectly reasonable, hardly worth a fuss.
From its appearance, the skull seemed unremarkable, just an ordinary adult human skull. Yet, sometimes, judging things solely by what the naked eye perceives can lead one to be completely misled, obscuring the true essence of an object—much like the skull Yang Haoran had just retrieved.
This skull appeared to be nothing special, yet in reality, it contained a profound mystery. As Yang Haoran infused his internal power into it, the skull emitted a burst of Yin Qi. One by one, soybean-sized characters materialized before him, floating in the air and gently swaying, as if endowed with life.
These characters were not mere words; combined, they formed a Spiritual Art. This Spiritual Art was named Instant Teleportation. Unlike ordinary 'Flicker' abilities, which had a limited range and could only be performed over short distances, with each use draining a certain amount of physical stamina and power, this Spiritual Art of Instant Teleportation, though it also consumed stamina and power, allowed for far greater distances than 'Flicker'.
Of course, this Spiritual Art could also be employed at close range, as long as it didn't exceed its maximum range. However, there was no need to use it for short distances, as an ordinary 'Flicker' would suffice. Therefore, this Spiritual Art was primarily used for escaping or in emergencies.
Yang Haoran hadn't taken out this Spiritual Art at this moment to admire the skull or to recite; rather, it was to cultivate this technique.
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