However, when his gaze fell upon the compass, the rapidly spinning needle made him doubt his own eyes.
"Huh? What's going on? Wasn't the spirit gathering array destroyed? Why is there still such a strong energy reaction..."
At this moment, Long Yaozu suddenly looked up, and was so terrified that his soul almost flew out of his body. He saw that above their heads, countless dark clouds had gathered. These dark clouds had formed a massive vortex, which brought immense psychological pressure!
Moreover, this black vortex formed by the dark clouds was continuously descending, and the rolling thunder and lightning within the clouds had formed a dense lightning net!
All the members of the Long family present witnessed this astonishing scene. Many of them were cultivators, and they could all feel the power contained within the massive thunderclouds.
Long Yaotian grabbed Long Yaozu by the collar: "Explain this to me! Didn't you say the spirit gathering array had stopped?"
"Yes, that's right. The spirit gathering array has been destroyed and has stopped, but... but..."
Long Yaozu stared intently at the compass in his hand, his mind racing to analyze what was happening before him.
Suddenly, his expression changed!
"No, no! Although our spirit gathering array has been destroyed, there are still other formations around!"
Long Yaozu broke free from Long Yaotian's grasp and began to move in all directions, observing the compass in his hand as he moved.
After more than 10 minutes, Long Yaozu's face turned green. He had come to a terrifying conclusion!
"No, something's not right, Patriarch. There's another formation near our Hidden Dragon Valley!"
"Nonsense! I am the Patriarch of the Long family. I am very familiar with every blade of grass and every tree around Hidden Dragon Valley. Don't I know if there are other formations?"
Long Yaotian no longer fully trusted Long Yaozu's words. He had originally trusted Long Yaozu implicitly, almost always following his advice.
However, once trust is broken, it is unlikely to be regained!
"But, Patriarch, the compass shows an anomaly in the surrounding spiritual energy. I can be sure that it is this abnormal spiritual energy that is causing problems with our formation!
This is not a normal natural phenomenon, but caused by another formation!"
"You say there's another formation influencing us, so where is that formation now? And what kind of formation is it?"
Long Yaozu did not answer immediately. Instead, he squatted on the ground, using a branch to draw and sketch on the ground.
Soon, under the light of the flashlight, Long Yaozu's face showed a look of horror.
"Pat... Patriarch, according to my initial guess, this formation seems to be... a lightning summoning array!"
"Lightning summoning array? What is that?"
"A formation said to be lost to legend, said to be able to draw down heavenly lightning. I've seen such formations in relevant ancient texts, but this formation is extremely complex and requires very harsh conditions to create. It's lost now..."
"You bastard! You're trying to fool me with something that's lost!" Long Yaotian wished he could find something to smash Long Yaozu to death right then and there.
"Patriarch, I haven't seen this formation either, but it just seems very similar to the descriptions. The key is, look overhead, this situation now is exactly as described in the book..."
"Crack!"
Before Long Yaozu could finish speaking, a thick bolt of heavenly lightning descended from the sky, pulverizing several tall trees on a hillside at the edge of the valley.
Since the clouds were only a thousand meters above their heads, the massive thunderclap and lightning arrived almost simultaneously.
Immediately after, another bolt of lightning struck, and this time, it was closer to them.
"Boss, this is the lightning summoning array. I'm powerless!" Long Yaozu fell into despair.
"Damn it, quickly, sound the alarm, take shelter!"
Long Yaotian said, turning and running towards a nearby building. Those around him also followed suit, fearing they would be left behind.
Soon, a loudspeaker, discreetly installed high up in the valley, emitted a piercing alarm.
"Quickly take shelter... quickly take shelter..."
At this moment, everyone in Hidden Dragon Valley had been awakened. They were all diligently practicing, and not many were asleep. The massive explosion and the several bolts of heavenly lightning would have instantly awakened even the deepest sleepers!
For thousands of years, to deal with foreign invasions, the Long family had conducted evacuation drills several times a year. Therefore, people did not panic and orderly proceeded towards the nearest underground shelters.
However, at this very moment, a bolt of heavenly lightning as thick as a water bucket fiercely struck the location of the former family ancestral hall.
More than a dozen Long family disciples were in the ruins, rescuing the damaged ancestral tablets. As the rolling heavenly lightning descended, followed by screams, these people turned into charcoal.
Immediately after, hundreds of bolts of heavenly lightning as thick as water buckets, and even thinner ones, descended from the sky, covering the entire Hidden Dragon Valley and its surrounding areas.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth accumulated in Hidden Dragon Valley over the years, as well as the spiritual energy gathered by the super spirit gathering array in the past few days, had all been transformed into the power of heavenly lightning in the sky and struck the ground.
All the trees and buildings in Hidden Dragon Valley were reduced to dust. Although some people had taken shelter in underground shelters, it had just rained, and rainwater was conductive. Many people were directly struck dead in the shelters, their deaths even more tragic than those on the ground.
At least the people on the ground instantly turned into charcoal, while those in the shelters, after enduring immense pain, died with great reluctance!
At this moment, on a small hill more than 70 kilometers away, Ling Tian's three masters, Dao Yuan Immortal Master, Monk Jie Nu, and Master Gong Heming, looked in astonishment at the rolling heavenly lightning striking dozens of kilometers away.
"Amitabha! Ling Tian's commotion is too great!" The second master, Monk Jie Nu, could not hide his surprise.
"See how formidable it is now, you stubborn donkey of a monk, for mistaking Ling Tian's good intentions for donkey liver and lungs," teased the third master, Gong Heming.
Monk Jie Nu then looked at the eldest master, Dao Yuan Immortal Master: "Boss, is this something you taught Ling Tian?"
Dao Yuan Immortal Master shook his head with a wry smile: "The student surpasses the teacher. The knowledge of formations I taught Ling Tian was only superficial.
This is all due to some fortunate encounter he had, combined with his personal talent and hard work.
This child Ling Tian is far more outstanding than we imagined. Having such a disciple is our blessing!"
Monk Jie Nu and Divine Doctor Gong Heming nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing with Dao Yuan Immortal Master's words!