Chapter 11
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Chapter 11
By this point, the atmosphere had grown tense, and both sides were clearly displeased.
The only one who might have come out slightly ahead was Gong Wu, who had enjoyed a generous portion of exquisite snacks and several cups of fragrant Incense Tea, feeling quite content.
Though Tu Xuixin wore a smile, he was thoroughly disgusted with these people and was already considering taking his leave.
He Zhao Li had singled out his disciple to enter the formation, and Tu Xuixin had no intention of cooperating.
Before he could speak, a disciple outside the hall announced loudly,
“The Master has arrived!”
Elder Bicheng’s face showed astonishment. Before the four from Moonfire Valley could speak, she and her fellow disciples knelt in unison to greet the arrival.
Why had the Master Ancestor come?!
Hadn’t they intercepted the invitation and failed to report it?
Usually, important rituals were presided over by the various masters; now, the elder had become less visible.
Today, making a direct visit to the Upper Three Palaces, he seemed to be here to demand an explanation!
Gong Wu and her party did not move, remaining standing silently on the side.
Before long, over ten disciples appeared, holding umbrellas and feather dusters, carrying spittoons and fragrant bottles, as they surrounded the old Master.
Once the double phoenix chair settled, an elder with black hair and blue eyebrows stepped forward, bearing an imposing demeanor.
He held a string of amber beads, wore a bamboo green robe embroidered with golden cranes, and five strands of beard fluttered gently in the wind, embodying an ethereal presence.
Elder Bicheng hurriedly looked up and called out clearly,
“Master Ancestor’s grace is eternal, may you live a long life!”
“You all have quite the nerve,” the elder sneered. “My sworn brother sends word through his disciples, and you treat them so coldly!”
“Master Ancestor!” The old sword cultivator panicked, instinctively glancing around, unsure of who leaked the news. “We… we were afraid of interrupting your cultivation, so we held off on notifying you until later.”
The elder no longer looked at him and quickly walked to Master Hua and Tu Xuixin, saying kindly, “In the blink of an eye, you both have grown so tall!”
Master Hua responded helplessly, “The last time I saw you was over a hundred years ago…”
“I missed many things while in seclusion; I truly regret it.” The elder began to reminisce but then noticed his disciples were still kneeling nearby and turned sharply, commanding, “What are you still doing there? Get up!”
Only then did the disciples rise and hurriedly begin to arrange matters like food, lodging, and festivities.
Before long, the guest room with the best view was cleaned and ready, and a grand feast with fine wines was prepared for the evening.
After being scolded heavily, the four unfortunate ones dared not show their faces again, while the serving disciples at their location nearly doubled.
Master Ancestor of Jin Yan Tuo, known as Zhijian Dao Ren, was the founder of the sect. After his ascension, the lineage he carried was already the fifth generation.
Zhijian was known for his witty and kind nature; he had not only witnessed the childhood of Master Hua and Tu Xuixin but had also provided them with guidance during their youth.
Compared to those arrogant disciples, the elder seemed to embody a sense of humanity.
That evening, he hosted a banquet, inviting the twenty-seventeen masters to join him and warmly attended to everyone with great respect.
In the midst of the festivities, Zhijian sighed, “Among the five of you, only He Zhao Li understands the situation. He received the invitation and knew to inform others.”
Zhang Daogu shot a glare at He Zhao Li, but the latter remained indifferent, drinking calmly.
“He is helping you, not harming you!” Zhijian threw down his cup, scolding Zhang Daogu for her lack of decorum. “If you offend our honored guest, and let that illness sweep over everywhere, do you know how much virtue you will lose?”
The elder’s anger flared, and all the masters and disciples quickly knelt to apologize, frightening Zhang Daogu into submission as she bowed her head in compliance.
The group from Moonfire Valley was one of only four seated around the table in the grand banquet hall; witnessing this scene, they felt their previous tension ease a bit.
After the meal, Zhijian, filled with emotion, reminisced about the past, asked Tu Xuixin and Master Hua about their recent lives, and finally slammed the table, making a firm decision.
“Tomorrow, we will set the formation and lay out the ambush; I will personally oversee it to vanquish the evil spirits!”
Upon hearing this, Master Hua felt greatly relieved.
Jin Yan Tuo was renowned for its formations, and with the master present tomorrow, the effort to eradicate the plague would surely be more secure.
Tu Xuixin had always been a man of few words, occasionally casting a glance at the equally silent He Zhao Li across from him.
It wasn’t until Zhijian spoke that he finally raised his eyes and bowed.
“Master, I have one more request.”
“Speak!”
“These four Palace Lords suspect that we have set a trap and wish to detain my little disciple within the formation.”
The old man laughed heartily and waved his hand. “Chao Sheng, you are mistaken.”
“He Zhao Li does not intend to make things difficult for that young girl; rather, he means to give her a boost.”
“You must understand, we at Jin Yan Tuo treasure our thousands of formation texts; they are considered invaluable for our cultivation.”
“Chao Sheng, if your disciple can enter the formation to observe, even if it’s just to emit a bit of spiritual energy, it’s like releasing a mouse into a granary—there will be an endless supply of grain as a reward!”
At this point, to refuse would be to show ingratitude.
Gong Wu looked at her master, hesitated, and said, “I have never entered a formation before, and I fear making mistakes that could hinder important matters.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine!”
As it turned out, they only intended for her to sit inside and act as a human ornament to absorb spiritual energy.
The next day was clear and calm.
After fasting and bathing, the people of Jin Yan Tuo set up formations and arrangements in the spacious area of the thirty-six Mirroring Platforms, positioning over a hundred people in a circular seating formation.
Gong Wu, being young and of low cultivation, was placed among the lower-ranking disciples in the sixth ring of the star map.
After being reprimanded by her master, Luo Zhusheng realized that she and her senior sisters and brothers had acted without permission and nearly caused trouble; thus, she came specifically to apologize and assist.
As she approached Gong Wu, she offered a hawthorn fruit and explained its significance in detail.
The Magical Formation can be understood as a versatile tool that can transmit, transform, change, and seek.
The disciples sat in their corresponding positions, focusing their spiritual energy, allowing various streams to flow into the master’s dantian, enabling them to achieve their goals with the power of rivers and seas.
In addition to the basic Magical Formation, there were derived sword formations, music formations, medicinal formations, and many others.
Jin Yan Tuo was located in the southwest, but it frequently engaged in exchanges with various Immortal Sects, refining their formation techniques year after year.
This was Gong Wu’s first time sitting in a Magical Formation, participating in such a grand event with hundreds of people.
In that moment, her presence felt very small; she had to straighten up and crane her neck to see the distant figures standing High Up.
Tu Xuixin waved at her from afar, but the distance was too great for her to see clearly, even when squinting.
At this moment, the formation was running smoothly. Once the lower-ranking disciples were seated, the middle-ranking disciples held red brushes to draw the array patterns while the higher-ranking disciples placed the five elements into the formation.
Zhijian had already drafted an appeal and called for various gods and buddhas to come and lend their support.
Once the disciples in the two-colored Dao robes retreated like a tide, He Zhao Li presented the bronze box and placed it at the center of the formation.
Inside was the neck artifact brought by Hua Tingxiao, a sensing tool to extinguish evil from a distance.
Ultimately, as a renowned sect, once all the intricate arrangements were completed and confirmed, the bells, drums, and string instruments were also perfectly prepared.
As the sound of grand music filled the air, Zhijian held a feather duster, his eyes sharp and keen like a hawk.
“Activate the formation!”
The eight rings of spiritual energy flowed and shifted in varying yin-yang patterns, encircling Zhijian, who sensed the changes like a compass pointing east.
The old formation cultivator stepped with the grace of the nine stars, his voice resonating like a mighty bell.
As the seven sections of the Seven Heroes Suppression Formation’s scriptures were chanted, the spiritual energy within the formation surged like tumultuous waves.
Only then did Gong Wu feel the peculiar bond that connected the lives of hundreds.
Hundreds of people, along with her own spiritual energy, were drawn into the formation, akin to a school of fish following Zhijian’s guiding hand.
She felt like an insect ensnared in a spider’s web, momentarily sharing the vast expanse of consciousness with the disciples of Jin Yan Tuo.
Her body began to feel light and at ease, her senses heightened to an extraordinary degree.
She soared like a bird through the long winds of spiritual energy; though she continuously released a trickle of spiritual power, her cultivation surged within her.
Previously, Gong Wu had always appeared pale, her lips devoid of color due to her past death.
Now, seated at the formation’s corner, she felt a powerful and reassuring presence enveloping her, her complexion steadily improving, radiating vitality.
As the lengthy scriptures were recited, the spiritual energies of the hundred disciples intertwined into a sword, ascending under Zhijian’s command.
Upon piercing the bronze box at the formation’s core, the sharp spiritual energy would be transmitted through the formation to eradicate the malevolent entity that drained the essence and blood of the living!
“Seven Heroes, heed my command—”
Master Ancestor turned and pointed, bellowing, “Sword, come forth, vanquish evil!”
The spiritual sword descended from above, striking with force and piercing through the sturdy brass box!
In the next instant, the old man spewed a cascade of blood, as if a sharp sword had pierced his chest, and he collapsed to the ground!
Upon closer inspection, the shattered brass box did not contain the neck artifact, but rather a honey-colored bracelet that Master Ancestor always kept close!
Luo Zhusheng, disregarding the ongoing formation, cried out in anguish: “Master!!!”
Amidst the chaos, He Zhao Li rose slowly, taking the blood-stained talisman from the fallen old man’s hand, and spoke with calm authority.
“Seal the gates, eliminate the traitors.”
All the mountain gates responded by closing and locking, a barrage of hidden arrows raining down into the formation!
“From this day forward, I am the Master of Jin Yan Tuo.”
