Reborn as Huo Yuhao, but also in Battle Through the Heavens

Chapter 45 9 Heavenly Fire

Upon reaching the other city gate, Huo Yuhao once again took out the materials for refining the array base. Yao Chen remained silent, intently observing Huo Yuhao's every move.

After preparing the necessary metals and magic cores, Huo Yuhao took out a transparent jade bottle from his storage ring and poured out a few drops of essence blood that shimmered with an icy blue luster.

Upon seeing the jade bottle, Yao Chen's eyes flashed with understanding: "This is... the essence blood of the Ice Phoenix? That Gu demon risked being hunted down by the Ice Phoenix clan, which led to its death in the Demon Beast Mountain Range, ultimately benefiting you, kid."

Huo Yuhao did not respond, his entire focus concentrated on manipulating the few drops of Ice Phoenix essence blood. Under his guidance, the essence blood condensed into a magic circle in mid-air. At the same time, Huo Yuhao's hands formed several hand seals in quick succession, and his mouth rapidly chanted incantations that were difficult to understand.

The ice-attribute energy between heaven and earth rapidly merged into the magic circle. At the same time, Huo Yuhao's battle qi also became extremely cold, continuously surging into the magic circle drawn with his blood essence. Until the accumulation of ice elements reached a critical point.

"Go!" Huo Yuhao shouted in a low voice, maintaining the magic circle while guiding fire elements into it.

In an instant, the chill transformed into heat. At the very moment of this transformation, Huo Yuhao shouted again, "Use blood as the catalyst, Ninefold Heavenly Fire!"

boom!

A heatwave erupted, and a bright red flame appeared in Huo Yuhao's hand. Perhaps due to the use of the Ice Phoenix's essence blood, a touch of icy blue was mixed within the surging flame, making it appear exceptionally strange.

"Is this magic too?" Yao Chen had already been shocked enough that night, so he was now used to it and calmly asked Huo Yuhao for confirmation.

"Yes." Huo Yuhao nodded, "This was also taught to me by the teacher who taught me magic. It's a kind of flame that's very suitable for refining weapons."

After Huo Yuhao successfully summoned the Nine Heavenly Flames, he immediately threw in the rare metal. The metal, which hadn't changed at all in ordinary flames, instantly turned red and softened.

At this moment, Huo Yuhao did not take out the forging hammer and carving knife, the refining tools that Xiao Yan had criticized so much. Instead, he directly manipulated the Nine Heavenly Flames, and blades of fire swept across the metal surface. At the same time, the flames surged and directly hammered into the metal. The flames, which were originally intangible, were now as solid as metal. Before long, a hexagonal array base with mysterious array patterns was successfully refined.

Huo Yuhao embedded the prepared magic core in the center of the array base. He then lowered the temperature of the flames.

Once the array base was completed, Huo Yuhao took it out of the flames and, together with Yao Chen, leaned forward to examine it closely.

"These array patterns... I've seen them in fragments of array manuals before; they seem to be used for early warning?"

"Yes, I plan to refine six array bases so that they can cover the entire Stone Desert City. After recording the information of the snake people, the array will be complete."

"Record information about the snake people?" Yao Chen's eyes showed a hint of confusion.

"Teacher, the early warning array in your scroll of array fragments is not like this. A normal early warning array will only sound an alarm when it senses someone whose aura has not been recorded entering. However, there are too many people in Stone Desert City, and it is impossible to record them one by one. Therefore, I reversed the working principle of the array and changed it to sound an alarm only when it senses information that has already been recorded."

Huo Yuhao explained, "This way, if any snake people attack or infiltrate, the people in Stone Desert City will discover them in advance."

"Where did you get your snake-man aura from?"

"Huh? Teacher, didn't you see just now? The city lord gave me some snake-man essence blood and snake scales."

"Ah, haha." Yao Chen laughed a little awkwardly.

After refining the first piece, the rest was much simpler. In the time it takes to eat a meal, Huo Yuhao had refined all the necessary array bases and even made some extra as spares.

"Next, we need to place the array base in a suitable location and activate it, so that it can naturally absorb the energy of heaven and earth to operate."

After tidying up briefly, Huo Yuhao and Yao Chen began setting up array bases around Stone Desert City.

The moment the early warning array was completed, a sharp, piercing sound echoed throughout the entire Stone Desert City.

The instant the sound rang out, Huo Yuhao swiftly took the last array base, forcibly severing the energy connection between the array bases.

"What's going on? Yuhao, did you get it backwards? Or did you draw it according to the original early warning array?"

After checking it carefully again, Huo Yuhao said with certainty, "The formation is correct. There must be snake people infiltrating Stone Desert City right now."

"We'll go look for it later. For now, let's set up the defensive formation according to plan. This needs to be installed on the city wall."

Fortunately, nothing went wrong this time. After Huo Yuhao embedded the last array base into the city wall, a flash of inspiration appeared, and under the dark night, the entire city wall of Stone Desert City emitted a pale yellow hazy glow.

"It's a success!"

"Yuhao, let me say this: although you've strengthened the city walls to the point where they can withstand attacks from a Dou Wang, Dou Wangs can fly. What's the use of that?"

Huo Yuhao nodded: "Teacher, you are right. That's why I used eight array bases and one core hub. When the array is activated, the sky and the ground will also be sealed off to resist attacks and prevent the enemy from entering."

"So you're saying that if you encounter an enemy you can defeat, there's no need to activate the formation, but if you encounter an enemy you can't defeat, you're trapped inside and waiting to die?"

"Uh, that's true, but surely no Dou Wang level expert would attack a city for no reason?"

Yao Chen was speechless: "So if no one above the Dou Wang level attacks, what's the point of setting up this formation?"

Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao stood still and remained silent for a while.

"Let's give this array's core to the city lord and let him figure out how to use it. Consider it a reward for leaving him with the spiritual message of 'helping the Desert Iron Mercenary Group develop'."

……

Back in Stone Desert City, Huo Yuhao began to traverse the city's streets and alleys at high speed, maintaining his mental detection throughout to search for the snake people hidden within the city.

Finally, Huo Yuhao stopped in front of the Mo Tie Mercenary Group. In his mental detection, Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and Xiao Yan were sitting in a room, and a little girl with green hair was lying on the bed inside.

"Snake-man? No, snake-men don't look like that; they should be hybrids."

"Big brother, second brother, I still think we shouldn't reject her just because of her background! It's not her fault!" Xiao Yan pointed at the little girl who was still unconscious on the bed, his voice agitated.

"Xiao Yanzi, calm down." Xiao Ding and Xiao Li exchanged a glance and said with a wry smile, "Even if Big Brother is willing to accept her, you know that people in Shimo City and even the entire Jia Ma Empire don't like snake people. What's more, many brothers in our mercenary group have a deep hatred for snake people."

"Didn't you hear what she said when she woke up? She's a victim too, her mother was..."

"But she does have snake-people blood after all, so it's inevitable that people will take their anger out on her." Xiao Ding's voice was somewhat helpless.

"Just because he has snake-man blood..." Xiao Yan was filled with righteous indignation, and punched the wall with all his might. Shards of stone flew up, cutting Xiao Yan's knuckles and drawing out specks of blood.

"Don't get excited, don't get excited! We'll adopt her!"

"Yes, tomorrow I'll talk to the mercenary group and ask them to take a look at my hands!"

Unbeknownst to them, as Xiao Yan spoke, a tear slid down the corner of the little girl's tightly closed eye on the bed, leaving a wet trail.

Bang! The door was suddenly pushed open, and Hai Bodong, yawning and with messy long hair, rushed in, his whole body full of morning grumpiness.

"What's all the noise about? I'm protecting this man! I want to see who dares to disagree tomorrow!"

Just then, the air inside the room subtly distorted, and Huo Yuhao's figure quietly appeared.

"Yuhao, you're back. What were you doing before?" Xiao Yan asked.

Huo Yuhao didn't answer immediately, but looked at Hai Bodong: "Senior Hai Bodong, when this girl entered the camp, you should have received a reminder from the mental imprint I left behind, so why... are you only coming now?"

"Ah, haha, the old man doesn't sleep well!"