Chapter 290: Sea of Flowers

Jiang Changkong accepted the light sphere, smiling without a word.

This small tree had absorbed the essence of these people and stored it away.

He had originally thought he would be working for Huo Qinglan, but he never expected such a gain.

A single bead contained ten thousand units of essence!

If he could get a few thousand of these, he could perfect a martial art.

Looking at the stars below, Jiang Changkong recorded them and asked, “Do you recognize this Star Array?”

“I don’t. I’ve only heard of two methods that directly absorb people into dried corpses, but neither is particularly refined.”

Jiang Jiuqiao thought carefully for a moment and shook his head. “This method is too bizarre.”

Not bizarre at all—Huo Qinglan knows it.

Jiang Changkong thought silently to himself. Human martial arts still had many shortcomings.

Compared to the cultivation civilizations of the distant starry skies, Earth’s martial arts were, at best, incomplete.

In terms of Star Power utilization, they still couldn’t match what had fallen from the stars.

“Let’s go.”

Jiang Changkong soared into the air. Ahead was a patch of green light—perhaps there were more small trees.

“This place is a bit eerie. Let’s be careful.”

Jiang Jiuqiao’s expression grew serious as he followed closely beside Jiang Changkong.

The two stood in the air, gazing into the distance. Ahead was a vast sea of flowers, with no sign of the eerie small trees.

The flower sea stretched far and wide, spanning ten thousand meters, filled entirely with blossoms as far as the eye could see.

The flowers were vibrant and emitted an intoxicating fragrance. Moreover, they were not Earthly varieties, and neither of them could identify them.

“You’ll be disappointed. There are no more beads like that.”

Jiang Jiuqiao flew forward. “But these flowers probably aren’t easy to deal with either.”

Jiang Changkong’s Divine Control Art swept out, and his expression shifted slightly. “The flower sea ahead is a massive Star Array.”

Under the perception of the Divine Control Art, beneath the flowers lay countless Star Arrays.

Small Star Arrays connected to form a colossal one.

He had only seen such a massive Star Array once before—in the Ancient Ruins, a top-tier killing array!

“What do we do now? I was able to enter without relying on materials, so this place should be an Ancient Ruins of the Early to Mid Star Constellation Stage.”

Jiang Jiuqiao’s expression darkened. Even a fool could tell that such a large-scale Star Array was no ordinary high-tier one.

“Will you give up?” Jiang Changkong asked calmly.

Jiang Jiuqiao chuckled. “This old man isn’t as cowardly as you think. I survived a year of research and was saved by you—that kind of luck isn’t meant for someone with a short life.”

“Then let’s go. Don’t rush in just yet. Let’s see if the fragrance is problematic.”

Jiang Changkong approached the edge of the flower sea, held his breath, and transmitted his thoughts.

Jiang Jiuqiao also held his breath and focused. After a long while, neither of them showed any reaction. “It should be fine, but let’s not breathe anyway. With our strength, we don’t need to.”

Jiang Changkong nodded and was about to step in when Jiang Jiuqiao stopped him. “I’ll go first. You’re stronger—if something goes wrong, you can pull me out.”

If Jiang Changkong entered first and encountered trouble, Jiang Jiuqiao might not be able to rescue him.

Jiang Changkong nodded and attached his Divine Control Art to Jiang Jiuqiao.

Facing a place suspected of housing a top-tier killing array, Jiang Changkong dared not let his guard down. Caution was the better approach.

Jiang Jiuqiao stepped into the flower sea, walking over a hundred meters without incident.

Jiang Changkong followed, finding no issues.

“It seems fine. Let’s go together and search the flower sea for any gains.”

Jiang Changkong transmitted his thoughts.

Jiang Jiuqiao nodded. After all, with the Star Array present, sticking together was safer.

The two of them moved through the sea of flowers, Star Power flowing around them, protecting their entire bodies.

They advanced for several minutes without encountering any danger, but also without any gains. All around them were flowers of various colors.

“Could it be that someone, with nothing better to do, planted so many flowers here, just as the starlight happened to fall?”

A trace of confusion appeared on Jiang Jiuqiao’s aged face.

Jiang Changkong touched the petal of a flower with his finger: “No, these flowers are part of a killing array. They appear harmless because the array hasn’t been activated yet.”

Zheng! Zheng!

Suddenly, the sound of a zither echoed through the sea of flowers.

It clearly reached their ears, stirring up a rich floral fragrance.

The blooming flowers around them shed their petals, which danced in the air along with the zither’s melody.

“What is this…”

The two were slightly startled. A woman in a white ancient-style gown was moving through the sea of flowers, walking quickly toward them.

“Is it real or fake?” Jiang Jiuqiao transmitted his voice to ask.

Jiang Changkong focused his gaze, enveloping the area with the Divine Control Art. It was still the sea of flowers and the woman in white ancient attire.

Her skin was like jade, her white gown trailing on the ground, with petals dancing around her, resembling a fairy among the flowers.

“I can’t see through it, and there’s no fluctuation of Star Power. Either her strength is above mine, or she’s a real person, or something like a treasure is concealing her,” Jiang Changkong transmitted back.

As the woman approached, the zither’s melody sounded again, becoming softer, like a gentle, flowing stream.

“Esteemed elder, young master, my elder sister invites you.”

The woman in white ancient attire gave a slight curtsy, her voice melodious like the song of an oriole.

Ancient Star Script!

Jiang Changkong cupped his hands and replied in Star Script: “Miss, we two have unintentionally trespassed here. Please forgive us.”

Jiang Jiuqiao was also very polite: “May we ask how we should address you, miss?”

“This humble one is Hua Tianluo. My elder sister is Hua Tianrui. She has already prepared hot tea. Please, both of you.”

The woman in white smiled slightly and turned to lead the way.

The two exchanged a glance and had no choice but to follow.

If they started a fight now, and the woman’s strength truly surpassed his, they wouldn’t be able to escape anyway.

It was better to follow and see what trickery was at play.

To be able to stay in the Ancient Ruins for who knows how many years—if it wasn’t Earthlings who had entered and settled here, then it could only be those who had descended from the starry sky back then.

The two followed the woman in white into the midst of the sea of flowers.

Within the sea of flowers, there were palaces built from flowers, connected together, with pavilions and towers.

A woman in a goose-yellow dress was in a pavilion, gently plucking an ancient zither, producing a soft melody.

Beside her, tea steamed with heat, carrying a floral fragrance, with a few petals steeped within.

“Sister, I’ve brought them,” Hua Tianluo curtsied and stepped to the side.

“This humble one is Hua Tianrui, and my younger sister is Hua Tianluo. We greet you both,” Hua Tianrui also curtsied.

The two cupped their hands: “Jiang Changkong (Jiang Jiuqiao), we greet you both, misses.”

Gazing at Hua Tianrui, both men felt a slight tremor in their hearts. Hua Tianluo was already beautiful enough, but this one still managed to astonish them.

Hua Tianrui invited them to sit and served them tea: “May I ask how you two came to this humble one’s dwelling? The method of entry and exit has not been passed on.”

Jiang Changkong explained: “We entered unintentionally. Coincidentally, as we were passing by outside, a weed suddenly emitted a green light and produced a suction force that pulled us in.”

“That suction force probably couldn’t have troubled Mr. Jiang, could it?” Hua Tianluo said.

“I couldn’t resist it. Uncle Jiuqiao was worried about my safety and chased in after me,” Jiang Changkong said, then added apologetically: “We’ve caused trouble for you both. We’re sorry.”

“It’s no trouble at all. We’ve lived here for over ten years and haven’t seen outsiders in a long time. Your arrival adds a bit of liveliness to this place.”

Hua Tianrui said with a smile.

“Over ten years?” Jiang Jiuqiao’s expression shifted slightly. “You two ladies have lived here for so long? I wonder if you’ve ever changed your names—I haven’t heard of either of you before.”

Hua Tianrui remained calm. “As women, we prefer not to draw attention to ourselves and have always lived a secluded life. After our parents passed away, my sister and I came here to live in seclusion.”

“I see,” Jiang Jiuqiao said with a smile, standing up. “We’ve disturbed you for quite some time. Our family must be growing anxious. Changkong, let’s head back.”

“Alright. Ladies, I’ll visit again next time.”

Jiang Changkong stood up, bowed slightly, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture before preparing to leave.

Just as the two turned to go, Hua Tianrui’s voice rang out, carrying a hint of coldness. “Gentlemen, stay a little longer. Since you’ve come to my sister’s home, it would be remiss of us not to offer you tea. Otherwise, outsiders might say we sisters are poor hosts.”