Chapter 184

Chapter 184: The Space Formation

Beside the lake, a flowing brilliance lightly circulated around the formation. All seven individuals were sitting cross-legged in meditation.

Apart from Zhou Luo, the complexions of the other six were not good.

Despite the protection of the tranquility formation, the Illusionary Power drained them unceasingly.

Those with weaker wills had beads of sweat forming on their foreheads and appeared extremely strained.

This was especially true now that the Ethereal Symbol had also lost its effect.

Half an hour later, aided by pills and talismans, they managed to regain some of their spirit temporarily.

Wu Gang spoke to Zhou Luo: "Brother Xu, we’ll need to trouble you again."

Zhou Luo nodded and walked towards the nearest island.

His entire body surged with spiritual energy as he leaped lightly, landing on the water’s surface.

Suddenly, a tremendous force slammed down. He staggered, nearly losing his balance and tumbling into the water.

Zhou Luo frowned.

This water was also strange.

Seeing this, the others’ expressions turned serious.

Bracing against the pressure, Zhou Luo moved slowly towards the small island.

The others followed close behind.

As soon as they touched the water’s surface, they also felt a heavy pressure.

Fortunately, they were prepared, so no one fell in.

The group used their spiritual energy to walk across the water and quickly drew near the small island.

Light interlaced on the island, creating breathtakingly beautiful scenery that seemed both real and fake, muddling everyone’s vision.

A moment later, Zhou Luo stopped at a point fifteen meters away from the island.

"Ahead is the formation’s range," Zhou Luo stated gravely.

Beside him, Wu Gang heard these words and saw Zhou Luo wasn’t moving. Understanding tacitly, he ventured into that area.

The next instant, ripples spread across the water. Spiritual light blazed out, enveloping the entire area in sudden brilliance so intense it blocked the sight of everyone.

The formation had been activated.

Only then did Zhou Luo enter, the others following right behind him.

Passing through the luminous shroud, Zhou Luo remained standing on the water’s surface. However, the scene before him had transformed.

The previously bright space was now pitch black, so dark one could not see their own hand before their face.

He attempted to extend his mental strength, but it felt hindered by some force, unable to probe forward.

Behind him, sounds followed one after another as the others entered.

"Brother Wu," Zhou Luo called out.

But there was no response whatsoever. Even his near vicinity held nothing but the fading noises of entry, then silence.

The surface of the pitch-black water was eerily quiet; it was completely unknown what lay within the darkness.

This was an extremely sophisticated space formation. At the very least, a Second Level Formation Master had laid it out.

Because only high-level formation masters could control space formations.

Those who had entered the formation should have been right before or behind him. But due to the nature of the formation, they couldn’t find each other.

He had to admit, the Qinyuan Sect was truly committed to training its disciples.

He didn’t believe this formation originated from the Hehuan Sect centuries ago; it was definitely the Qinyuan Sect’s doing.

To some extent, the Longfeng Mountain range served as the Qinyuan Sect’s training ground.

Many of the rare spiritual materials, restrictive formations, and such here were probably their handiwork. Even the cultivators surviving in this place were part of how they trained their disciples.

Zhou Luo didn’t know what lurked in the darkness, but he had faith he could escape.

As for the others? They could only fend for themselves.

Immediately after, Zhou Luo took out the formation disk, channeling his mental strength into it.

The Bagua diagram on the white jade formation disk slowly rotated, releasing countless pinpricks of light that scattered in all directions, beginning to define the formation’s boundaries.

A First Level Formation Master’s mental strength was ultimately limited; one could only grasp the formation by utilizing the formation disk.

Upon reaching the Second Level or higher, one’s mental strength underwent a qualitative transformation. Even without the formation disk, it could effortlessly envelop the formation, allowing for calculations and deductions.

As those pinpricks of light representing his mental strength dispersed, the operating trajectories of the formation appeared within Zhou Luo’s mind.

They were innumerable crisscrossing lines of light, looking like one huge, tangled mass, utterly chaotic and seemingly without any pattern or rules.

Yet, this was precisely the essence of the formation.

Only by painstakingly disentangling, untangling, and completely smoothing out this chaotic mess could the formation be broken.

However, this was a space formation of at least the Second Level; Zhou Luo completely lacked the ability to dismantle it.

In fact, dismantling it was unnecessary.

He only needed to carefully sort out and deactivate the formations among the tangled mass that represented the attack type.

Because space formations themselves were not aggressive.

The real danger lay in the various offensive capabilities hidden within the space.

Generally speaking, a formation laid out by a First Level Formation Master possessed only a single function.

A Second Level Formation Master could imbue it with two functions, a Third Level Formation Master with even more.

Currently, this formation seemed to possess both spatial ability and function as an offensive formation.

Only once he’d neutralized the formation’s attacks would he have plenty of time to study the pitch-black space and find a route to escape.

This difficulty was considerably lower than dismantling the entire formation.

This was probably the sliver of survival the Qinyuan Sect intentionally left for their disciples.

Zhou Luo stood rooted in place, releasing his mental strength to begin deductions and calculations, methodically organizing and untangling those complex lines of light.

Meanwhile.

Shangguan Qianxue, upon stepping into this formation, encountered exactly the same situation as Zhou Luo had.

Her expression was calm, holding a three-foot long sword in her hand, she was alert to her surroundings.

Although she was not a formation master, she clearly understood that this formation should be related to space.

Because she had once learned about such knowledge on the Qinyuan Sect’s jade slips.

Indeed, Shangguan Qianxue was truly an outer disciple of the Qinyuan Sect.

On this trip out to gain experience, she mainly wanted to find an opportunity to break through to the eighth level of Qi Refinement.

Unlike Zhou Luo, the formation master, she did not choose to stay in place, but instead walked directly forward.

She did not need to dismantle the formation; she chose the domineering path of breaking all techniques by force.

Coincidentally, no one would see her; she wanted to seize the chance to exert her full strength to see if it could complete her transformation.

However, the influence of the Illusionary Power was still continuing.

Even though she clenched her spirit and even operated her sect’s heart method, she still could not resist the all-pervading erosion of the Illusionary Power.

The darkness before her eyes also became distorted, as if it had transformed into a gigantic beast, open with a huge, gaping mouth, ready to devour her.

Her spirit jolted, a sense of crisis floated into her heart; without hesitation, she raised her long sword and swung it out with a boom.

A dazzling golden ray slashed through the air, attacking towards the front.

Puchi—

In the darkness, all that could be heard was the sound of flesh being cut; a strong smell of blood flooded her nostrils.

Shangguan Qianxue stepped forward to look; on the blackened water surface, suddenly appeared dots of green light, and half the corpse of a magical beast floated quietly on it.

As expected.

There were other things in this darkness.

She slightly frowned; a protective spiritual light emerged; holding her sword with both hands, she guarded it in front of her chest.

Xiu xiu xiu—

At this time, several whooshing sounds broke through the air amidst the darkness.

Countless sharp blades thrust out; utilizing the properties of the darkness, it made their trajectories absolutely impossible to capture.

The formation’s attack also arrived at that moment.

Shangguan Qianxue released her mental strength but was obstructed; she could only probe the distance within one foot before her.

Only when the attack arrived could she see clearly that they were innumerable black water blades.

She chanted a technique and hurriedly swung her sword.

The snow-white sword body emitted a bright golden light; mighty sword energy radiated out in all directions, fierce and boundless.

Hong hong hong—

The water blades shattered from the sword energy, but still some of the attacks collided onto Shangguan Qianxue’s body.

Fortunately, with the protective spiritual light present, it caused her figure to shudder, yet she wasn’t injured.

It wasn’t just her; anyone else who had stepped into the formation also suffered attacks.