Chapter 27

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Chapter 27

Yun Chuyou gently set down her younger martial brothers and sisters and looked at the stone tablet lying on the ground at the village entrance.

The stone tablet was so close, yet they could not step outside the area where the stone tablet was located. This situation was similar to a Ghost Wall, but even more powerful. After all, Yun Chuyou was a golden core cultivator, and a typical Ghost Wall could not trap her or make the Transmission Symbol fail.

Meng He finally came back to his senses, drew out his usual long knife, and struck directly at the invisible barrier.

The blow mixed with spiritual power looked quite powerful, but when it hit the barrier, it created ripples on the transparent surface. However, after a short time, the barrier returned to normal without even a single crack.

Yun Chuyou’s expression grew more serious; it seemed this realm was more troublesome than she had thought.

Meng He did not feel discouraged. If one strike did not work, he would try a few more. He swung the knife forcefully over ten times. Unable to use Spirit Qi to recover, Meng He usually felt refreshed after hundreds of strikes, but after just a dozen, he quickly began to feel tired.

Yun Chuyou quickly stopped him, saying, "Younger martial brother, please stop! Your Spirit Qi is being absorbed by the realm, and it’s just wasting your energy."

"Let me give it a try and see if I can break this barrier another way."

They were clearly trapped in a place that absorbs Spirit Qi. This place not only takes in Spirit Qi but also drains the strength of cultivators, confusing their minds.

Zhong Wei was so easily angered before because of this place.

Three hundred-year-old Hu Xiao Bai, having seen much of the world, crouched on Yun Chuyou’s shoulder. The fluffy creature opened its mouth and exclaimed, "Fox Fire!" A bright red flame shot towards the barrier, but unfortunately, the barrier was not flammable. The basketball-sized flame quickly shrank and turned into a tiny spark, which then vanished completely. The fire went out, but the barrier remained, unaffected.

Hu Xiao Bai drooped his head, his tail and ears hanging low, "My fox fire doesn’t work either."

Breaking through this barrier looks difficult, but it may actually be easy; the key is to find the door’s key.

As they approached the edge of the place, the Spirit Qi in their bodies became harder to move, and inside Huaishi Village, the place was almost spiritless. While they could still channel their spiritual power, Yun Chuyou quickly opened her storage bag and poured out a pile of spirit stones, weapons, defensive talismans, and charms.

Without Spirit Qi, there is a huge difference between cultivators and ordinary people. Meng He was a bit better off; he had the body of a demon and was as strong as a body cultivator of the same level, with defenses much stronger than this Golden Core Stage magic user.

If they could get out this time, Yun Chuyou planned to add body refinement to her training. In this spiritless state, a fragile magic user definitely had some disadvantages.

Upon seeing a pile of spirit stones stacked like a small mountain, Hu Xiao Bai’s peach blossom eyes instantly turned into starry eyes. Even cultivators from the spiritual world often have empty pockets, but with so many here, these are all middle-grade spirit stones! Not to mention the other valuable weapons, pills, and charms.

His eyes are really good; the golden leg he spotted at first glance is not gold-plated; it’s pure gold!

Yun Chuyou held a spirit stone in her hand. She absorbed the spirit stone, and the familiar Spirit Qi flowed into her body. The tight feeling became a little smoother, and she couldn’t help but sigh with relief: Thankfully, even though she couldn’t recover normally, she could still use the spirit stone to replenish her Spirit Qi.

This area is considered a pure spirit environment, and it can absorb the Spirit Qi they actively release, but it does not drain their internal Spirit Qi without contact. The Spirit Qi stored in the spirit stone is not consumed quickly either.

She grabbed a big handful of spirit stones for Meng He, and a similar amount for Zhong Wei, "Hold onto these as supplies. If your spiritual power runs low, you won’t be able to open your storage bags later."

Besides the spirit stones, she also asked her younger martial sister and junior brother to wear the defensive magical tools she took out, and even gave Hu Xiao Bai a piece of armor that could withstand multiple attacks from Golden Core Stage cultivators.

The latter looked surprised, "Is there one for me too?"

Yun Chuyou nodded, but Hu Xiao Bai certainly couldn’t compare to her younger martial brothers and sisters. So, she gave him a piece but didn’t give him a weapon, taking two middle-grade spirit stones for herself.

This secret realm easily brings out negative emotions in people. Unlike before, when Yun Chuyou always thought positively, she became very sensitive and observant now and felt that something was off with everyone.

After running into Hu Xiao Bai, it seemed like nothing good would come of it. Although it seemed on the surface that this fox had nothing to do with it, he was still an untested stranger, and Yun Chuyou remained slightly alert in her heart.

Even the cloak given to Hu Xiao Bai had a spell on it; if the opponent had evil intentions, this cloak could not resist its own attack.

Hu Xiao Bai did not have mind-reading abilities, so he quickly put on a defensive artifact, which was a light red cloak. To save his magical energy, he did not change into his human form and stayed in his fox shape. The cloak shrank to fit his small frame.

The white fox twitched its pointy ears and wagged its three fluffy tails. Its short tail, covered in just a thin layer of fur, peeked out excitedly from among the big white tails.

The red and white colors matched perfectly, and Hu Xiao Bai couldn’t help but show off: this was his very first magical artifact as a fox, and it was so beautiful. He felt happy!

Zhong Wei felt annoyed seeing him like this; she had received more magical artifacts than he had. In that moment, she still wanted to snatch away the only red cloak from the fox.

Elder Martial Sister was still present, so she could not steal it in a straight manner. She pressed her fingers to her forehead and interrupted Hu Xiao Bai’s bragging, "Alright, stop showing off your tail. Let’s think of another way to see how we can get out."

"Watch out!" Yun Chuyou pulled Zhong Wei back, gathering her spiritual power in her sword and swinging it toward the spot behind Zhong Wei.

The barrier absorbed the Spirit Qi from their bodies and transformed it into energy for the stone statues. All the statues with missing arms and legs began to awaken, wielding stone knives, axes, and chisels. They gradually moved closer to them.

These stone figures raised their weapons high. Thankfully, although their bodies were very hard, they were not very agile, and their walking speed was quite slow.

Unable to break the barrier, can we not handle these stone statues? Meng He gripped his long knife tightly and swung it directly at the statue’s head. This time, the head of the Stone Monster fell off.

With this strike, he chopped off a row of Stone Monster heads.

But shortly after, these Stone Monsters picked up their heads from the ground with both hands and placed them back on their necks. One Stone Monster wasn’t very good at this, and its head was put on backwards.

However, since Stone Monsters are lifeless, even with their heads on backwards, it didn’t stop them from continuing to attack Yun Chuyou and the others.

"Junior Brother, try breaking some of the individual statues," Yun Chuyou said. She didn’t know much about the formation, but according to the law of conservation of energy, the energy within the area should be conserved. To change this situation, they needed to disrupt the balance.

If the statue can put its head back on after it falls off, it can break into ten pieces, twenty pieces, or even hundreds of pieces.

She thought about the strange method the barrier used to absorb spiritual power and reminded Meng He, "Junior Brother, don’t use spiritual power, and you don’t need to use too much strength. Just use your skill to chop."

Meng He immediately followed her advice and tried it out. Indeed, after the Stone Monster shattered into pieces, it struggled to come back together, but it was much slower than before. If the same Stone Monster was broken two or three more times, the closely connected fragments would lose their special ability to restore.

"Elder Martial Sister, it really works!"

Meng He’s eyes sparkled. He disliked being slow, so he quickly put away his long knife, clenched his fists, and charged forward. With one punch for each Stone Monster, he smashed the stones to pieces.

He only needed to use a thin layer of spiritual power to protect his fists. The more he fought, the more excited he became, and the Stone Monsters that surrounded him began to retreat.

Yun Chuyou observed for a moment and commanded, "Younger martial sister, use your whip to tie these Stone Monsters together!"

Fighting the Stone Monsters one by one was too slow. It looked like there were hundreds or thousands of them in Huaishi Village, so they needed to use a group attack strategy.

"Yes, senior martial sister." Zhong Wei took out her long whip, which is a spirit tool that can change length. She swung it out, wrapping it around one Stone Monster, then quickly pulled several others over, gathering seven or eight Stone Monsters together.

Yun Chuyou adjusted her stance and direction, deliberately holding back her spiritual power, and used her sword skills to strike at the stone statues. With a clear shout, the sword light fell like bright fireworks, "The swords return to their origin!"

The dazzling sword light fell on the Stone Monsters, instantly cutting them into countless pieces. While this sword move didn’t carry spiritual power, it contained sharp sword intent. Since the Stone Monsters were merely ordinary stones, their defense was not strong, and they were easily sliced into fragments.

Because no new spiritual power came in and they were smashed so badly, these seven or eight Stone Monsters couldn’t even struggle and instantly turned into a pile of irreparable stone dust.

Although the sword didn’t have spiritual power, it contained extremely sharp sword intent. Nearby, Hu Xiao Bai watched the graceful girl sending out thousands of sword lights at the Stone Monsters, his fox-like eyes sparkling with excitement, and his heart racing: The benefactor is truly so handsome!

"Younger martial sister, come again!"

One was responsible for cutting with a sword, and the other for binding with a whip; the senior martial sisters worked together very well. After about half an hour, all the moving stone statues in the village turned into harmless pieces of stone.

Yun Chuyou felt a bit exhausted, but luckily she had many energy-restoring potions. After swallowing a round, fragrant potion, her fatigue was washed away by the magical energy, and she immediately felt refreshed again.

With the threat of the stone people gone, the village was no longer dangerous for them. However, the barrier still could not disappear, meaning they could only stay trapped here.

Huaishi Village did not seem very big, but considering that this place could affect people’s emotions, Yun Chuyou gave up on the idea of splitting up the team. It was better to go slowly; if anything felt wrong, the others would quickly notice.

She tried to find the center of the village’s formation, but sadly, after searching the entire village, she did not find any suspicious places; instead, she discovered many villagers’ bones.

So many people in the village suffered from the strange illness; it spread from one to another. Some had lost all their friends and family and chose to hang themselves, having given up on surviving. Years had passed, and Huaishi Village was long empty, with only a few strong desires clinging to the stone statues, endlessly repeating their past actions day after day.

"The old man we saw when we entered the village must be the last few villagers’ lingering spirits."

Besides the suffering old man, they could also see several bones hanging from the beams; the villagers’ flesh and blood had all turned into eerie white skeletons.

Yun Chuyou sighed, "The villagers of Huaishi Village have long since passed away."

This case had been ignored for three years, but Chen Qi brought it to her attention, and now she even began to doubt if Chen Qi might have problems too.

Yun Chuyou looked at the swaying body on the beam, raised her sleeve, and said, "Let’s move all their bodies outside. Hu Xiao Bai, you’re in charge of lifting them, and later you can dig some holes to bury them."

The person was already gone, and there wasn’t much they could do. Digging a hole in the yellow earth was still easy; at least they could bury the villagers so they could rest in peace.

The younger martial brothers and sisters had done a lot to solve the stone man problem, and Hu Xiao Bai had taken something, so he couldn’t just do nothing.

"Understood, benefactor!" Hu Xiao Bai was not just a pretentious fox; he was actually happy to be able to help with the work.

The benefactor’s willingness to use him showed trust in him. Right now, he was no longer allowed to perch on Yun Chuyou’s shoulder and had to revert to his human form to follow the three-person team.

To make it easier to carry the bodies, he transformed back into his fox form, but this time he was not the size of a kitten; he looked as big as a tiger.

The kitten form was for being cute and seeking affection, but now it was his true form. Bigger size, more powerful moves, and easier to work.

The huge white fox used its big tail to wrap the body and tossed it out of the window, quickly finishing what Yun Chuyou asked with great efficiency.

"Kind benefactor, I didn’t use much strength; I just lowered the body close to the ground."

"You did very well." Yun Chuyou was always generous with her praises. After finishing with this household, she moved to the next one, saying, "Let’s see the next house."

Yun Chuyou swung her sword repeatedly, and the ropes and ribbons the villagers used to hang themselves snapped one by one. She noticed that one of the hanging female villagers was wearing a bright red dress, clearly wanting to become a vengeful ghost after death.

To achieve her goal, the red dress was even dyed with blood, and as the blood dried, the dress changed from bright red to an uneven dark brown.

Unfortunately, this villager did not get what she wanted. Yun Chuyou could feel that the bodies of the villagers in the village were empty. It was clear that the souls of the dead villagers had turned into nourishment for this strange place.

Whether it was from hanging, taking poison, or lying in bed, as long as the bodies were not buried, Yun Chuyou had Hu Xiao Bai move them all out to dig holes and bury them.

Fortunately, the villagers died in groups, and the forty-three unburied bodies left were not too many.

There were many stone tablets in the village, but Yun Chuyou did not recognize who was who. Rather than getting it wrong, she chose not to do anything. She placed a wooden sign in front of each small mound, all saying, "Tomb of the Villagers of Huaishi Village."

"Meng He, read the sutra for them to help them pass on." Yun Chuyou sat down cross-legged and looked at Zhong Wei, "Younger martial sister, come over and join us."

Being stuck outside makes people feel restless; reciting some sutras can calm the mind.

The sky darkened, and a fox’s stomach growled loudly. He pitifully held his belly and said, "I’m so hungry."

Monsters and cultivators follow different paths; after living for three hundred years, Hu Xiao Bai still needs to eat normally. Skipping a meal or two isn’t a big deal, but after digging and burying today, with all that hard work, his rumbling stomach felt like his insides were tied in knots, and it was quite uncomfortable.

There was no food in the abandoned village, but luckily Yun Chuyou’s storage bag had everything she needed. She asked for some dry wood and dead leaves to help light a fire for warmth.

A few people formed a circle, and Yun Chuyou magically took out some food. Inside her storage bag were snacks that could be stored for a long time. There were sweet treats like peach pastries, mung bean cakes, and snowy mooncakes, along with savory meat pies made with pickled vegetables, baked into small, tall, and crispy bites that crumbled when bitten.

Besides the snacks, there were jerky made from demon beasts and various flavored candies. Yun Chuyou shared a little of everything with everyone, and also prepared calming tea, "Everyone, have some; being hungry isn’t good for thinking."

Meng He and Hu Xiao Bai didn’t seem very clever to begin with, and being hungry might make them even duller.

This jerky was made from demon beasts containing Spirit Qi; although it lost a lot of flavor compared to fresh meat, once dried, it had higher calories and was more filling, offering a different texture from fresh meat.

Hu Xiao Bai, as a meat-loving fox, loves fresh meat the most and does not enjoy tough and old jerky. He took a tentative bite, and it was completely different from the dry meat he had eaten on earth! This jerky was tender, flavorful, and easy to chew, and the Spirit Qi inside made it super delicious.

Yun Chuyou sent him honey-flavored jerky, which was sweetened with honey from crystal bees, making it taste delightful and causing Hu Xiao Bai’s fox eyes to squint with happiness like crescent moons.

He had never eaten such good food before; the most delicious food in his memory was from his brief time at Blue Mountain, which included sweet milk and Spirit Qi-infused meat soup. The bland soup from his memories could not compare to the rich flavors of the jerky before him.

Hu Xiao Bai quickly finished eating not just the jerky, but also the snacks, which were very tasty. Although they had little Spirit Qi, their texture was top-notch.

"Benefactor, let’s hurry and sign the Master-servant Contract!" Hu Xiao Bai’s tail wagged so high behind him, his eyes sparkled brighter than stars in the morning sky.

Once he signed the contract, he would be a spirit beast cared for by a master, no longer needing to sleep outside for food. He could use spirit stones, magical tools, eat pills, and enjoy jerky; just thinking about it made him feel very happy!

Meng He shot him a glance, "Look at you, so eager."

A little fox spirit who would willingly sell himself for a bit of food doesn’t seem to have any bad intentions at all.

At this point, Yun Chuyou had mostly dismissed her doubts about Hu Xiao Bai; the situation in this village was too sinister, and it definitely had nothing to do with this little fox spirit whose tail wagged like a propeller.

But she didn’t agree right away. In her past life, raising a cat or dog was a careful matter. For her, a contract spirit pet was a big deal that couldn’t be decided hastily at night, "Don’t rush. When the time comes, I will take you back to the spiritual world. You will repay the debt of the teleportation circle and see if you want to stay and work in our sect or return to Blue Mountain."

Hu Xiao Bai is the fox of Blue Mountain. If he truly wanted to return to his family, she wouldn’t force him to stay. However, the little fox demon could send him back, and he must repay the spirit stones. Our Qingxu Sect is a small sect, and it’s not easy to earn spirit stones. To prevent bad debts, we firmly do not accept installments.

"Oh." The fox demon reluctantly licked her paw, her fingers still smelling of the dried meat.

Seeing his downcast look, Yun Chuyou added, "There will be dried meat during the repayment period. Our Qingxu Sect provides food and shelter, but you will need to spend your own spirit stones to buy the dried meat."

She wasn’t a capitalist hanging lanterns, so she would only deduct according to a fair ratio. She wouldn’t exploit someone who worked hard but ended up with nothing.

As night deepened, the fog at the village entrance thickened. At that moment, Yun Chuyou felt a faint tremor from the Spirit Connecting Jade.

Back at the big house, she couldn’t see Yun Chuyou, but Yu Jiu sent her an inquiry through the Spirit Connecting Jade, "Elder Martial Sister, are you planning to stay in Huaishi Village today?"

The Spirit Connecting Jade, which had previously been unable to send messages, surprisingly had a signal at night! Although very weak and flickering, she could indeed ask for help from the outside using the Spirit Connecting Jade.

She hurriedly sought help from Yu Jiu, "We are in Huaishi Village, trapped in a strange realm. This is a highly effective spirit formation. Please do not rashly enter; see if you can break the formation from the outside!"

While they were searching, they found many cellars in the village. Inside one cellar, there were several skeletal remains, and some clearly belonged to Qi Refining cultivators.

The few cultivators who accepted the mission did not go missing; they just fell into a trap and all died here.

Mortal World cultivators usually reach only the Golden Core Stage, but Formation Masters are a very special kind. By using some advanced formations, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator can trap or even kill a Nascent Soul cultivator.

However, the formations used by these cultivators were not so powerful. This formation could trap them and also absorb spiritual power for its own use. Normally, breaking through from the outside is the best way to solve the problem.

After a while, the Spirit Connecting Jade lit up again, "Received. Senior martial sister, please wait patiently and stay safe."

"Let’s go, we’ll wait by the stone tablet," Yun Chuyou said with a smile. "Luckily, Yu Jiu didn’t come today. Once he arrives to help us, we should be able to get out."

Yu Jiu arrived very quickly, just as Yun Chuyou expected. He could naturally use spiritual power from the outside. With just one sword strike, the mist was dispelled.

But the barrier hadn’t broken yet, and a few people couldn’t get out. Yun Chuyou signaled him not to rush in. She mouthed words while using the Spirit Connecting Jade to send a message, "Yu Jiu, try cutting the stone tablet and the stone man beside it!"

Yu Jiu raised his long sword, and with a swing of the sword light, the stone tablet and stone man shattered into several pieces, revealing the traces of the formation hidden inside. This time, the seemingly unbreakable barrier instantly turned into fragments.

Yun Chuyou carefully stepped outside, going into a place she couldn’t enter before.

Meng He rushed out eagerly, and this time he faced no obstacles, "It’s true! We are free!"

"Wait a moment," Yun Chuyou said, not in a hurry to leave. She quickly sent a message to Chen Qi, asking him to bring the people from the Imperial Spirit Bureau to finish things up.

Upon receiving the message, Chen Qi rushed away from his wife and concubines in the Mortal World and hurried over. He flusteredly defended himself, "I asked them to bring the documents. I really didn’t know there was an evil cultivator’s trap here! And three years ago, a Foundation Establishment cultivator came here, and they left without any problems."

Yun Chuyou looked at him coldly, and Yu Jiu asked, "Do you know if all the Foundation Establishment cultivators who entered this village three years ago are still alive? If they’re not in the Mortal World, please give us their information."

"My senior martial sister nearly fell here, the Imperial Spirit Bureau must provide an explanation!"

If he had not been outside today, Yun Chuyou and a few others might have been trapped in the village for an unknown time. A golden core cultivator is not something a small Imperial Spirit Bureau can easily deal with.

"A few are still in the Mortal World, serving some noble families."

The Imperial Spirit Bureau people quickly gathered the relevant information, their eyes wide in shock, "The previous Foundation Establishment cultivators… have all fallen or disappeared over these years."

Meng He got angry when he heard this, "What do you mean missing? I think they are all dead."

They thought the Mortal World had no risks, but they almost got into trouble. Thanks to Elder Martial Sister’s cleverness and good luck, they didn’t suffer much.

Yu Jiu is the strongest in the sect when it comes to practicing formations, and he has checked the residue in the stone tablet.

He carefully examined the broken red string and a piece of blackened finger bone, "This formation has been buried in this stone tablet for ten years."

From gradual change to a big change, the people in the village slowly all died under the influence of the formation. Plus, the old lady, turned into a red-dressed ghost, contributed her soul to this formation, creating the strange area we see now.

This piece of finger bone was a ghostly tool nurtured by an evil cultivator, but now it was broken by Yu Jiu with one swing of his sword.

Originally, they didn’t have permission to access the confidential information of the Imperial Spirit Bureau. However, when this happened, the Bureau quickly cooperated with the investigation to make amends.

After many searches and exclusions, Yun Chuyou focused on one name. She and Yu Jiu exchanged a glance and both circled a name on the document with their fingertips; it was not Tianchenzi but Danchenzi.

"Danchenzi comes from a prestigious family and is a full Foundation Establishment cultivator. At the same time, he is a ninth-level Pill Master and an eighth-level Formation Master."

The Formation Master, like the Pill Master, is divided into nine levels. However, due to many ancient traditions being lost, the strongest today is only a third-level Formation Master. There are many entry-level Pill Masters, but Formation Masters are much rarer.

Danchenzi, now one hundred fifty years old, has reached an eighth-level understanding of formations, making his future very bright.

Ten years ago, Danchenzi appeared again at the Zhong family in the Imperial Capital with the Elder’s token, to take on disciples. He took away the eldest daughter of the Zhong family, who has the Water Spiritual Root, Zhong Wei’s half-sister!