Chapter 257

Chapter 257: The Fuming God of Death

The Three Immortals of Eastern Ling were also beaming with broad smiles, pleasantly surprised, exchanging repeated meaningful glances in true delight. This made Lou Yun feel a pang of discomfort, after all, he was deceiving and exploiting them.

Lou Yun hastily changed the subject, stopping himself from dwelling on these thoughts. The guilt was overwhelming, and he feared it might make him reconsider his plans.

“By the way, I came to Carefree Island to find my elder brother. Have you seen him?”

Lu Da tilted his head thoughtfully. “Island Master, is your elder brother a man with white hair, dressed in white?”

“Yes, that’s him! Where is he now?”

As he asked this, Lou Yun felt a strange unease. Since he had already broken the formations on Carefree Island, logically, his elder brother should have been freed from them by now. Why hadn’t he shown himself? Could something bad have happened?

Lu Er chuckled darkly. “Island Master, we really think your elder brother resembles Leng Cangqiong, the White-haired God of Death! His temper is truly fearsome. So we felt compelled to add a small formation outside his main one, completely sealing him inside!”

It seemed the three Lu brothers weren’t ignorant country bumpkins, and their thinking was quite straightforward; they judged Leng Cangqiong’s true identity just from his appearance.

Lou Yun also realized his earlier guess was correct. With his elder brother’s temperament, trapped within a formation, he would definitely resort to extreme actions. The Lu brothers hadn’t indulged him; instead, they layered on another small formation. No wonder, even after the main formation broke, his brother remained unseen – he was still confined within that secondary trap.

“Hah, my elder brother is Leng Cangqiong. Is he… okay now? Could you possibly release him, as a favor to me?” Lou Yun asked with a slightly awkward laugh.

“Danger? Rest assured, there’s absolutely no danger! He truly lives up to the name ‘White-haired God of Death’. His cultivation likely has reached its apex; if he hadn’t been confined by formations, I reckon he could have destroyed our whole Carefree Island! He’s full of pent-up vigor right now. Please wait a moment, Island Master, I’ll release him immediately!”

Lu Da turned to leave after speaking, but after only a few steps, he abruptly turned back, scratching the back of his head. He offered Lou Yun an uneasy grin. “Island Master, perhaps it’s better if you come with me. Once released, he’s bound to be seething with rage. Seeing me, he’d likely attack… haha, and I fear I’m no match for him…”

Lou Yun was taken aback, then burst out laughing. “Quite right! Knowing my brother’s temper, he would indeed act just as you say. We better go together!”

Thus, the three Lu brothers led the way upfront, with Lou Yun following behind. The four of them proceeded towards the island’s center.

As they walked, Lou Yun casually inquired about the island from the three brothers. He learned they had indeed used the natural distribution and arrangement of various plants to create formations that were nearly organic. His own unconscious manipulation of these plants’ energies—causing them to return to their original positions—had effectively dismantled the entire elaborate setup.

After walking for nearly half an hour, a cluster of stone pillars came into view ahead, varying strikingly in height. The tallest rose four or five meters high, while the shortest barely reached half a meter. Peering through the gaps between these stalagmite-like pillars, Lou Yun spotted the figure of his elder brother, Leng Cangqiong. He was currently seated on the ground in a meditative posture, knees tucked and crossed. His eyes were tightly shut. What was he doing?

Lu Da turned around then. “Island Master, see? Is that your elder brother?”

“Mm!” Lou Yun nodded but felt a surge of confusion. The distance between them and his brother was barely three or four meters. Given his elder brother’s acute innate senses, he should have detected their presence long ago. Why was he still seated motionless with his eyes closed?

In the next instant, Lou Yun made another discovery. Though his spiritual sense could perceive the energy fluctuations in the surrounding air, it could not penetrate the space within the ring of rock pillars. Understanding dawned immediately: these pillars formed yet another formation!

While he had broken the main formations earlier, this cluster of pillars must have been added later by the Lu brothers. Moreover, being stone, not plants, the pillars contained an entirely different kind of energy—one his Chaos Seal couldn’t manipulate—meaning this smaller formation remained fully active.

Inside the formation was a distinct, separated space. Standing outside it, Lou Yun could physically see Leng Cangqiong trapped within. But Leng Cangqiong, confined inside the enchanted space, was effectively isolated in another dimension, utterly oblivious to their arrival.

This was the first time Lou Yun had ever observed a formation so closely. He couldn’t help but silently marvel at their profound and inscrutable nature. Here his brother sat plainly visible, yet worlds apart! It was the very essence of separation, though near in sight.

However, observing Leng Cangqiong’s state, he didn’t seem harmed; just significantly diminished in vitality, likely drained of spiritual energy.

At this moment, Lu San suddenly approached, grinning. “Island Master, tell us, how do you like this little formation of ours? If you were to break it, how would you go about it?”

The question immediately threw Lou Yun. He desperately wanted to reiterate that he was genuinely ignorant about formations, just as he’d stated repeatedly. But that explanation wouldn’t work now. He had already decided to bring the Lu brothers back to Divine Weapon Island, absorbing them into his own forces. Revealing his true lack of knowledge would ruin everything!

Frowning briefly, a quick-witted solution surfaced. Maintaining composure, Lou Yun smiled faintly, deliberately infusing a hint of displeasure into his tone. “I’ve said I don’t understand formations, but you refuse to believe. Now you ask me to break it? Is this a test? Some sort of intentional examination?”

Lou Yun was deliberately using their misunderstanding against them. Deeply sincere in their reverence, the Lu brothers instantly panicked. An offhand remark by Lu San had seemingly angered their chosen ‘Master’. Who dared to press further? Lu Da shot his brother a vicious glare, then swiftly stepped forward in a fluster. “Island Master, please don’t be upset! Third Brother spoke carelessly; he absolutely did not intend any examination! This trivial little formation is not worthy of you deigning to handle personally! Allow me! I shall dismantle it!”

Lou Yun deliberately stayed silent. Yet his eyes fixed intently on Lu Da, observing carefully how he would dismantle the formation.

Lu Da then lifted both hands simultaneously, giving a soft, sweeping motion. A gentle, undulating wave of force flowed smoothly towards one inconspicuous, small stone pillar directly in front of him.

A sharp clicking sound echoed softly as Lu Da’s gentle force pushed against it. Slowly, the pillar slid sideways less than half a meter.

Instantly, nearly as swiftly as the pillar moved, Leng Cangqiong snapped his eyes open. Twin beams of pure, chilling killing intent shot unerringly towards Lu Da, the impact forcing an involuntary, bone-deep shiver through him. Simultaneously, Lou Yun felt the surge of Leng Cangqiong’s power. He knew the formation had dissolved! Lou Yun immediately shouted, “Elder Brother!”

The timing of that shout was impeccable. Lou Yun could clearly see a harsh glint erupt and vanish within a fraction of a second from Leng Cangqiong’s poised hands. Leng Cangqiong’s head snapped towards the voice. The lethal intensity in his fierce stare instantly softened into sheer bewilderment. “Third Brother? What are you doing here?”

Lou Yun moved like a flash, stepping already within the dissolved formation zone. He smiled readily. “Elder Brother, Mei Yuanmu told me you’d come seeking the Three Immortals of Eastern Ling. I followed immediately! Hah! Come, Elder Brother, let me introduce you. These three are the masters of this Carefree Isle, the Three Immortals of Eastern Ling! And they’ve decided to return with me to Divine Weapon Island!”

Lou Yun’s words served an explicit purpose: informing Leng Cangqiong that while these three had entrapped him for quite some time, they were now pledging allegiance. Consider it settled, the past forgotten; best to let the simmering anger go.

Leng Cangqiong wasn’t oblivious to the implicit message. Yet a deep perplexity lingered – how had Lou Yun managed to subdue these three?

He turned to the Lu brothers. “Three Immortals of Eastern Ling, this is my senior disciple brother, Leng Cangqiong. Your formations proved formidable indeed, managing to confine my brother for so long!”

The Lu brothers were no fools; this was Lou Yun smoothing things over. They hurriedly approached Leng Cangqiong, forming a line and bowing deeply together. “Great Island Master! We deeply apologize for failing to recognize your esteemed identity earlier! Our offense was grave, entirely unwitting! We beg your boundless generosity, please do not hold it against such insignificant fools as us!”

Little surprised Leng Cangqiong, save for one specific detail: the form of address. Being called ‘Great Island Master’ left him utterly dumbfounded. When had he become an island master?

Lou Yun swiftly transmitted a silent, urgent mental message. “Elder brother, I’ll explain everything in detail—later!”

Faced with such earnest apologies, and with Lou Yun playing the mediator, Leng Cangqiong, despite the seething fury bottled within him, found no grounds to vent it now. He could only manage a cold, brusque grunt, then turned his back on them completely.

Lou Yun looked towards Lu Da. “Are there any others confined by formations elsewhere on the island?”

“None!” Lu Da shook his head emphatically. “Every day in the past, many would stumble onto this place. Confined for a few days, we always released them afterward. But in recent years… the visitors have steadily declined.”

Lou Yun thought wryly, Well, naturally! Who’d be foolish enough to stumble back into captivity twice?

He posed the crucial question again. “Once more, I ask: Are you absolutely certain you wish to follow me and leave?”

“Yes! Absolutely!” All three Lu brothers nodded vigorously and simultaneously.

“Very well, then. Hurry, gather your belongings. We depart immediately!”

“Right away! Of course!” Lu Da spoke for the trio, relief palpable. “Our possessions are few, we can pack swiftly! Please, Island Master, Great Island Master, grant us a moment!”

With that, the three scampered away in a flash.

Finally, Lou Yun had the chance to recount everything that had transpired since his arrival on the island to Leng Cangqiong. The moment Leng Cangqiong heard about the three peculiar little men earnestly kowtowing and demanding to become apprentices, an involuntary chuckle escaped him. The pent-up, fuming frustration inside him finally… dissolved.