A bone-chilling coldness instantly shot up from the Gray-robed man's feet, straight to the top of his head, even more terrifying than the chilling aura of the Corpse Vines. It wasn't just fear, but a primal shiver from the depths of his soul, a natural reaction to a sworn enemy. He never imagined that a seemingly ordinary mission would bring him face-to-face with such a legendary being.
He slammed against the Green Bamboo Light Barrier like a madman, the thudding echoing with a mixture of despair and terror. Each impact felt like his bones were about to shatter, but the instinct to survive drove him on.
The Runes on the light barrier flowed, each impact causing ripples, yet the barrier remained as solid as a mountain.
The Corpse Vines flailed wildly, the black mist churned furiously, and the Tortoise Shell Formation teetered, as if it would collapse at any moment.
Chen Changqing occasionally flicked a wisp of Spiritual Energy from his fingertips, injecting it into the Formation Core. His movements were unhurried, as if he were watering a nearly withered orchid.
As if adding ballast to a storm-tossed boat, the formation, though precarious, remained unbroken.
Chen Changqing calmly ended the Spiritual Communication. This encrypted channel was a special line Lord Xu had opened for him, allowing for quick and easy communication. Lord Xu's reputation was sometimes more useful than any magical treasure.
He turned and walked to Old Man Wang, who was in a daze. Looking at the old man's pale face and the slight twitch of his lips from excessive fright, Chen Changqing felt a bit helpless. For an ordinary person to witness such a thing and not faint on the spot already showed a strong mental fortitude.
Chen Changqing quickly pinched out a Talisman and stuffed it into Old Man Wang's hand. The Talisman felt slightly heavy, clearly not an ordinary item.
Qi Force flowed on the Talisman, and a faint light flickered.
"Old Man, see? I told you your Third Eye Point was dark today, you're bound to have a blood-related disaster," Chen Changqing said, talking nonsense with a straight face, trying to ease the atmosphere.
"Fortunately, I did some calculations and arrived in time." He paused, his tone brooking no argument. "Don't go anywhere today, listen to me. Go home and drink a bowl of warm Ginger and Brown Sugar Water to ward off bad luck and calm your nerves. It's best to take a nap. When you wake up, everything will be fine."
Old Man Wang tremblingly took the paper, which felt warm to the touch.
A surge of warmth instantly spread throughout his body, dispelling the feeling of cold discomfort, and even his wildly beating heart calmed down.
He looked up at Chen Changqing with eyes full of gratitude and awe, as if he had survived a disaster. This young man, could he be a living immortal descended to the mortal world? Although what he had just said sounded a bit like a con man, he now found it incredibly credible.
About five minutes later, a clear and melodious Bell Chime suddenly came from above the river.
The bell chime pierced the clouds and shattered the stone, reverberating in all directions.
Wherever the bell's sound passed, the thick morning fog was instantly torn apart and dissipated, as if by an invisible hand.
The Gray-robed man, trapped within the Tortoise Shell Formation, was frozen in place the moment he heard the bell chime, his entire body stiff and unable to move. All his struggles and madness ceased, as if time had frozen.
The final vestiges of madness in his eyes were completely frozen, leaving only pure, solidified fear. He knew that true despair had arrived.
The Hundred Bone Bell at his waist emitted a sickening "crack" sound, shattering directly into countless fragments! Each fragment had once been the vessel of a wronged soul, but now they were utterly fragile.
Following that, a vast aura, as if condensed from mountains and rivers, descended from the heavens, carrying with it overwhelming celestial might.
That aura wasn't deliberately targeted; it simply swept over the Tortoise Shell Formation.
The black fog within the formation, like snow under the scorching sun, instantly melted away, vanishing without a trace.
The half-rotted Gray-robed man let out a shrill, piercing scream. His body visibly shriveled, his moisture and life force instantly drained.
Finally, with a "plop," he turned into a puddle of foul-smelling black water.
Along with the shattered Hundred Bone Bell, he was completely erased by that invisible force, as if he had never existed.
Not a trace of evil energy remained in the air—it was excessively clean.
Chen Changqing knew in his heart that this was the projection of the Mountains and Rivers Painting, the Heavenly Dao Pavilion's treasure, descending. This display was indeed the Heavenly Dao Pavilion's style: overbearing and unreasonable.
Lord Xu was true to his word. He finished the job without hesitation, and moreover, neatly, leaving no trace behind. This favor was owed.
It saved him a lot of trouble, at least he didn't have to consider how to deal with that disgusting mess.
He touched the bronze compass in his pocket, which had returned to calm but was still warm, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
It seemed that he had managed to deflect the Yin Corpse Sect's initial probing of the Yangtze River Spiritual Eye without a fight. The price was owing Xu Yang a favor, and his own fragile little heart getting a fright.
\n\n
Back at the Yin Xuan Sect's back mountains, the morning mist had dissipated, and warm sunlight bathed the forests. Birds chirped, flowers bloomed, and all was peaceful.
\n\n
Chen Changqing stood on the Star Gazing Platform, gazing at the brightly lit modern city at the foot of the mountain, but he felt no relief.
\n\n
Instead, it was like a huge stone was pressing down on him, heavy and oppressive.
\n\n
Although the gray-robed man was just a controlled lackey, the appearance of the Hundred Bone Bell, and his reaction when he mentioned "Heavenly Dao Pavilion" before dying, all indicated that the Yin Corpse Sect's actions were far from a simple probe. There must be deeper plots behind them.
\n\n
What concerned him even more was that when he used the [Eye of Karma] to observe the gray-robed man being erased by the Mountains and Rivers Painting, he caught a trace of extremely obscure, yet utterly evil aura. The aura flashed and vanished. If not for the special nature of the [Eye of Karma], it would have been impossible to detect.
\n\n
The source of that aura vaguely pointed to the "Netherworld Blood Sea" shown in the Tortoise Shell Formation!
\n\n
A terrifying existence that was only mentioned as a forbidden legend even in the Yin Xuan Sect's oldest classic, the "Primal Calculation Scripture". It was said to be the source of all filth, the home of ten thousand demons.
This was definitely not a power that a mere Yin Corpse Sect could wield. Unless, the Yin Corpse Sect was just a pawn of some larger entity.
Behind this, there were probably even more profound and terrifying enemies involved. The thought of it made Chen Changqing's scalp tingle.
The shadow of the Curse of the End of Dharma seemed to deepen, making it hard for him to breathe.
The curse within him, which caused decay and restricted all extraordinary powers, seemed to stir as well, bringing with it an indescribable feeling of stagnation. This damn curse always had to make an appearance at crucial moments.
It seemed that wanting to live a peaceful life in this Age of the End of Dharma until the end of time was even harder than he'd imagined. Troubles always came one after another, without giving him a moment's rest.
"Senior Brother! Senior Brother!" Lin Wanqing's clear voice came from the foot of the mountain, with a hint of panic and urgency, interrupting his thoughts.
The girl ran up the mountain, panting heavily. Her hoodie was askew, and the bangs on her forehead were soaked with sweat, sticking to her cheeks, with a few strands of hair clinging to her fair neck.
"Lord Xu just replied with a spiritual message!" She ran to Chen Changqing, hands on her knees, her chest heaving violently, her face flushed from the exertion.
"He said he would personally monitor the situation in Fog City!"
She paused, swallowing hard and trying to steady her breathing. Clearly, what she was about to say also startled her.
"Also, he said…" Her voice dropped involuntarily, "He also told you to quickly upgrade the protective mountain formation on the back mountain, from the Thirty-Six Layer Tortoise Shell Formation to the Seventy-Two Layer Earth Fiend Tortoise Shell Formation!"
"Lord Xu said that this time, the opponent might not be a simple evil cultivator, perhaps… perhaps it involves the shadow of Extraterrestrial Demons!"
Extraterrestrial Demons?!
Chen Changqing's pupils contracted sharply, becoming as small as needles. Those four words were like a force of ten thousand pounds, slamming into his heart. The Netherworld Blood Sea was already troublesome enough, and now Extraterrestrial Demons had appeared? Could this world get any worse?
The pressure brought by these four words far exceeded that of the Netherworld Blood Sea. The Netherworld Blood Sea was still within the realm of understanding, but Extraterrestrial Demons were truly terrifying entities from beyond the world.
He looked at his junior sister's hair, damp with sweat, and saw the worry and a hint of barely concealed fear in her eyes. Clearly, Xu Yang's words had also frightened this girl quite a bit.
He suddenly remembered the scene from ten years ago, when he first met her on Qingcheng Mountain.
Back then, she had accidentally cut her finger on the tassel of her master's Azure Frost Sword, and blood was flowing. But she stubbornly bit her lip, her eyes red-rimmed, and with tears in her eyes, she said it didn't hurt, like a wounded little beast that refused to show weakness.
Now, she was already a Qingcheng sword cultivator, capable of standing on her own and wielding a sharp sword. Yet, she still insisted on bringing him warm fermented rice wine every morning, and would secretly slip a few of her favorite osmanthus candies into his lunchbox. He had always remembered this kindness.
Something stirred in his heart, a complex emotion mixed with both relief and pity.
"Understood," he said, his voice regaining its calm, even carrying a hint of reassurance, as if what was about to fall wasn't a cataclysm, but rather a trivial matter like what to eat for dinner. The more it was like this, the more he couldn't afford to panic.
He turned and walked towards the depths of the bamboo forest.
There, not only was the "Spiritual Spring Eye" that the Yin Xuan Sect relied upon for its inheritance, but it was also the best location to set up the Formation Core for the Seventy-Two Layer Earth Fiend Tortoise Shell Formation.
Upgrading the formation was a matter of utmost urgency. Money was an external thing, but his life was the most important.
"Wanqing, go guard the mountain entrance."
He paused, and his tone suddenly turned cold and murderous, "If you see anyone wearing gray cloth shoes and with a cold aura approaching, no matter who they are, use the Azure Frost Sword's Qi to strike first, and show no mercy!"
This order was given without the slightest hesitation, decisive and ruthless. In special times, special measures must be taken; any potential threat must be nipped in the bud.
The girl nodded solemnly, her eyes firm, and didn't ask any more questions. She understood the seriousness of the situation; every decision of her senior brother was related to the survival of the Yin Xuan Sect.
"Okay, Senior Brother."
With a flip of her small hand, a shining Azure Frost soft sword was already in her palm. The sword hummed softly, as if responding to its owner's battle intent. The sword emitted a low buzz, its blade pointing directly towards the mountain gate direction, burning with intense fighting spirit in her eyes.
Worrying was one thing, but when it came to action, she never hesitated. The swords of Qingcheng Mountain had always been sharp.
Deep in the bamboo forest behind the mountain, beside the Spiritual Spring Eye. Chen Changqing sat cross-legged, his expression focused, like an old monk in meditation. Seventy-two pieces of tortoise shell, with a deeper color and more complex Runes, slowly rotated in front of him according to an abstruse arrangement.
These tortoiseshells were no longer the color of green bamboo, but rather a deep, ancient black. The Runes carved upon them seemed to come alive, constantly absorbing and releasing the pure Spiritual Energy that emanated from the Spiritual Spring. They seemed to contain the ultimate truths of heaven and earth, forming a complex and incredibly powerful defensive system.
Each piece of tortoiseshell reflected the surging waters of the Yangtze River, as well as the vast and turbulent Spiritual Vein energy beneath the surface. The tortoiseshells resonated subtly with the Spiritual Vein, emitting a heart-stopping energy fluctuation.
He traced his fingertips across the final tortoiseshell, murmuring an obscure, ancient incantation. As the last syllable faded, the seventy-two pieces of tortoiseshell blazed with light before vanishing into the void, merging seamlessly with the entire back mountain.
Seventy-Two Layer Earth Fiend Tortoise Shell Formation, complete!