Chapter 364

Chapter 364: Eight Gates Heavenly Lock

Fang Lie observed the scene and smiled gently. "No need for tension. You should understand – we of the Fang Family never assault fellow sect members without cause!"

"Y-yes," the elderly man stammered, nodding rapidly. "The Fang Family’s honorable reputation is well-known to this humble one!"

Though he spoke these words, his trembling hands withdrew with visible hesitation. This lawless Secret Realm operated under special sect rules – all conflicts here counted as Path Contests for Dao attainment, where any method became permissible.

No tactic was forbidden, not even slaughtering sect brethren. All sins would be absolved upon exiting this realm. While trusting the Fang Family’s integrity to some degree, the old man preferred controlling his own survival. Had he not been outmatched, he’d have fled immediately – or even killed Fang Lie for the treasures.

Knowing mere words wouldn’t secure compliance, Fang Lie commanded firmly: "Release that millennium-old Poria spirit immediately."

"Elder!" The old man’s face flushed with indignation. "Would you steal my rightful prize?"

"This isn’t theft," Fang Lie countered. "All Flower Demons here possess Wisdom and qualify as Mo Sect disciples. Release it, and you’ll receive full rewards later – you’re merely delivering my share early."

"But…" The elder hesitated. "Can you truly authorize this?"

"As Mo Sect’s Honorary Elder and candidate Lord of Benevolence Token, I hold that authority." Fang Lie’s eyes narrowed.

"With respect," the old man ventured, "you lack actual power, and your strained relations with sect Higher-ups…"

"I’ll handle the Higher-ups," Fang Lie interrupted. "You’re here for a Purple Palace Pill, correct? The sect promised one for capturing a minor demon."

"Exactly!" The elder’s eyes lit up. "Previously they demanded three demons per pill! Such generosity…"

"Generosity?" Fang Lie snorted. "They’re only liberal because I flooded the sect with Purple Palace Pills, reducing their value." He tossed a glowing orb. "Here’s your pill. Now release the spirit."

The elder’s hands trembled as he Inspected the spirit pill. Satisfied, he reluctantly surrendered the squirming Poria. Fang Lie caught it, removed the bindings, and set it down carelessly.

"Elder!" the old man gasped. "It’ll escape!"

"Treat them with sincerity," Fang Lie chuckled, "and they respond in kind." True to his words, the freed spirit chirped: "Thank you, Brother Fang Lie!" before conversing happily with Little Cyan.

The bewildered elder stared as Fang Lie inquired: "Your name?"

"Gui Dang, Elder."

"Gui? From the Eight-Hundred-Generation Families?"

"A fallen branch," Gui Dang sighed. "My generation requires Purple Palace Pills for basic advancement. Our ancestor would weep."

"Fate deals different hands," Fang Lie consoled. "Will you wander the Lost Forest alone, or assist me here?"

Gui Dang brightened immediately. Having obtained his pill, surviving the perilous forest alone seemed unlikely – his strength ranked among the weakest entrants.

If he could rely on Fang Lie, he would undoubtedly feel much safer.

Moreover, the reputation of the Fang Family is excellent; they are known for their bravery, honesty, and loyalty. They have never stabbed someone in the back or abandoned a friend, making them the best partners for cooperation.

So he immediately felt inspired and hurriedly said, "I am willing to stay and assist the Elder!"

"Very good!" Fang Lie replied with a satisfied smile. "I have a big plan. If we execute it well, we can capture all the disciples of other sects and recruit hundreds of Flower Demon disciples for our sect. Once we return, we will definitely be rewarded handsomely by the sect! If you assist me wholeheartedly, you will not miss out on the benefits!"

"Gui Dang is here to serve the Elder!" Gui Dang exclaimed excitedly, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Great!" Fang Lie then asked, "What are your strengths? Mechanical puppets? Formations? Or something else?"

"Well…" Gui Dang blushed and said, "I have some knowledge in various areas, but I am not very skilled."

Fang Lie immediately realized that this guy is one of those who knows a little about everything but lacks depth in any one aspect. Fortunately, Fang Lie did not expect too much from him, so he had no regrets.

Fang Lie then instructed, "I have a large Formation here, with a hundred and eight formation flags of the third rank. We can set up the Eight Gates Heavenly Lock Formation! It is the strongest formation available here; can you set it up?"

"The Eight Gates Heavenly Lock Formation?" Gui Dang frowned and said, "This is a very obscure and specialized formation, and I haven’t studied it. I’m afraid it will be difficult to set up!"

"Sigh…" Fang Lie sighed and said, "What if I give you the formation diagram? You should be able to set it up with the diagram, right?"

"If I have the formation diagram, I can certainly set it up, but why do we have to use the Eight Gates Heavenly Lock Formation out of all the countless formations?" Gui Dang asked, puzzled. "The only highlight of this formation is that it can seal more powerful forces, but its own combat strength is not strong. If the Elder needs, I have a Fourth-Rank Green Wood Formation that is much stronger; even the Purple Palace Master could be easily annihilated in it!"

"Did you not hear what I said?" Fang Lie explained helplessly. "The third rank Formation is the strongest that can be deployed here. If you use one above that rank, it will trigger Heavenly Tribulations! To be honest, the Heavenly Tribulations here are very terrifying; even a Fire Tribulation Immortal has died due to them. Do you think you can escape from it?"

"What?" Gui Dang exclaimed in shock. "Is that true? How could this be?"

"Do you think I would lie to you?" Fang Lie said with a wry smile. "In fact, just a few days ago, I met Jie Yan Chan Master from the Great Thunder Sound Temple. He died because he used too much power and attracted the Heavenly Tribulation!"

"Ah, could it be that the huge fluctuations I felt that day came from him?" Gui Dang gasped. "The high monk of the Jie Yan lineage? Isn’t that Fire Tribulation Immortal?"

"Indeed, that guy is a Fire Tribulation Immortal!" Fang Lie nodded.

"But what did the Fire Tribulation Immortal come here for?" Gui Dang asked in shock. "Is there some treasure here that attracts them?"

"Well…" Fang Lie scratched his nose, looking somewhat embarrassed. "That guy came in to chase me!"

"What? The Great Thunder Sound Temple is so desperate? They dispatched a Fire Tribulation Immortal to hunt you down in the Lost Forest?" Gui Dang’s face was filled with disbelief.

If these words did not come from the reputable Fang Lie, he would swear he wouldn’t believe it.

Fang Lie was too lazy to explain further and directly said, "That’s the fact. There are some causes and effects involved that are not suitable to spread around. In short, the best choice here is the Eight Gates Heavenly Lock Formation; its characteristic is to seal away overwhelming powers to avoid triggering Heavenly Tribulations! I can tell you clearly that the hundreds of sect disciples entering the Lost Forest together cannot match my strength. What I fear most is their reckless use of those disposable treasures given by their elders."

"As long as the Eight Gates Heavenly Lock Formation can seal the release of these disposable treasures, they are doomed!" Fang Lie squinted his eyes and said, "Now do you understand?"

"I understand!" Gui Dang quickly nodded. "I will follow the Elder’s instructions!"

"Excellent!" Fang Lie then handed him a Sumeru Bag and said, "I am still young and haven’t had time to learn the secrets of formations, so I will rely on you for everything!"

"Please rest assured, Elder. I will complete this formation within an hour!" Gui Dang cupped his hands politely.

He then took out a Jade Slip from the Sumeru Bag, which contained the diagram for the Eight Gates Heavenly Lock Formation. While studying, he began calculating and working.

Seeing this, Fang Lie finally breathed a sigh of relief.

His plan was finally coming together. Although he had thought it through perfectly before, there was a fatal flaw: it could not stop the enemy from being desperate and using powerful disposable treasures recklessly.

Even though Fang Lie was not afraid of death, his little demons were extremely fragile, and they did not have undying natures. If a Divine Lightning struck the crowd during the chaos, losing one could mean losing many!

To solve this problem, Fang Lie could only seek advice from the old bird. The old bird provided him with this Eight Gates Heavenly Lock Formation.

This left Fang Lie both surprised and delighted, but filled with deep doubts as well.