Outside Jinzhou Town, on the Lingzhou boat of the Su family, many cultivators had gathered at this moment.
Facing them were the Black and White Envoys of the Loose Cultivators' Alliance, who had been stationed at the city wall of Jinzhou Town earlier.
The Loose Cultivators' Alliance didn't belong to any major faction. They were not part of the Four Major Sects or Eight Families in the cultivation world. In fact, the Alliance was itself a force to be reckoned with because its current leader was one of the Top Ten strongest cultivators in the world.
As for the Black and White Envoys, these two had reached the pinnacle of the Transformation stage and were among the most powerful cultivators.
The cultivators aboard the Lingzhou boat didn't expect the Black and White Envoys of the Loose Cultivators' Alliance to be here, and it seemed they were well-prepared. Before they could make a move, someone from the Loose Cultivators' Alliance spoke first.
"Your people may not make it out."
Elder Qi remained calm and asked, "Why do you say that, Envoy Bai?"
Upon seeing the two Lingzhou boats and their formidable setup, the people from the Loose Cultivators' Alliance, who were well-informed, had already heard about the recent disturbance at Nangu Mountain. In fact, someone from their Alliance had even visited Nangu Mountain not long ago. It wasn't hard for them to guess the purpose of the Qi and Su families' presence here.
The one speaking was Bai Shi, the White Envoy of the Loose Cultivators' Alliance. He was tall, towering over the other cultivators, and he bowed to Elder Qi, saying, "Before we came here, three sects outside Jinzhou Town were completely wiped out. The assailants are unknown."
Hearing this, the cultivators on the Lingzhou boat were shocked. Just a few days ago, they had seen many cultivators coming and going in Jinzhou Town. The cultivation world had many small sects, and no one paid much attention to them. But now, hearing from the Loose Cultivators' Alliance, they realized that all the nearby sects had been annihilated?
"Not a single one left?" Elder Qi frowned.
Bai Shi answered, "Not a single one."
The Black and White Envoys of the Loose Cultivators' Alliance were here because of a distress letter received by their Alliance a few months ago. This letter had been sealed with the Alliance's most intricate secret techniques, and only after much effort had it finally reached their hands. The missing person was a guest elder of their Alliance.
This elder was an expert in formations and had been studying the art of spiritual earth under the Alliance leader's commission for many years. In recent times, when spiritual energy was running low in the cultivation world, the Loose Cultivators' Alliance had used the art of spiritual earth to overcome a crisis hundreds of years ago. This technique was now indispensable for cultivating spiritual plants, making the elder a key figure in the Alliance. When the leader of the Loose Cultivators' Alliance learned about the elder's disappearance, they immediately sent the Black and White Envoys to find him, with orders to bring him back at all costs.
As they investigated, the matter grew increasingly strange. It seemed that any trace of the elder had been erased. The Black and White Envoys worked tirelessly, following the faintest clues from the letter, and discovered that the erasure of the letter's traces was connected to the nearby sects in Jinzhou Town.
They had no choice but to focus on these sects. Just as they were getting close to uncovering the truth, they arrived only to find the sects had been quietly wiped out. The only clue left behind was a trail leading to Jinzhou Town.
But to their surprise, Jinzhou Town had also fallen into a web of formations.
"The Loose Cultivators' Alliance traced the origins of the letter," the Black Envoy continued. "Before this, we passed by some sects near Jinzhou Town and found that many cultivators had gone missing over the years. This wasn't an isolated case. Over the past four to five years, the number of missing cultivators has only increased... Eventually, we found books on dark magic rituals in a secret room of one of the sects."
"And Jinzhou Town is part of it," Bai Shi said. "We suspect that the missing cultivators, as well as the destroyed sects, have all been used as sacrifices... right here in Jinzhou Town."
At this point, everyone shuddered. Sacrificing cultivators in a formation? Three sects, cultivators passing through Jinzhou Town—how many people had been sacrificed in this town?
Elder Qi's expression turned serious. "You mean this place is a sacrificial formation?"
"Not just that. Based on our analysis of the remnants in the letter..." The Black Envoy's gaze shifted toward the eerie city walls and the ever-present moon in the sky. "The heart of this formation is definitely no ordinary one."
Entering the formation means death.
No one will survive.
Inside Jinzhou Town.
The appearance of the money exchange store had undoubtedly solved many of the problems for the people here. The lack of spirit stones was no longer an issue. Without needing to say much, Qi Yan easily pushed open the door of his family's money exchange store... heading straight for the spirit stones.
There was no one else in the store. The entire town's residents had turned into bark puppets.
The interior of the empty store was overrun by unusual plants growing inside. After the cloaked person entered, he scattered the few remaining seeds around the area of the money exchange and used the spirit tools with the most accumulated spirit energy as a base, propping them up around the outside.
The lavish money exchange was filled with golden ornaments, in stark contrast to the barren long street outside. Even the items on the counter were made from pure spirit stones, showcasing wealth and luxury.
While everyone else was still uncertain, Young Master Qi snapped his fan open dramatically and said generously, "Clean everything out."
Qi Liu, standing next to him, blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"Not a single one left!"
"This Jinzhou Town may not survive, but my family's money exchange cannot be buried here," Qi Yan said, shaking his fan. He handed over all the heavy work to Qi Liu. "It's up to you. The foundation of the Qi family in Jinzhou Town is in your hands."
The spirit stones that had already been packed could still be used and carried away, but the ones left behind might be cheaply sold to whoever the damned mastermind was.
Qi Liu immediately felt the weight of the responsibility and redoubled his efforts in packing the spirit stones.
The others, who had been unsure what to do, saw the Qi family master and his servant moving without hesitation. In the blink of an eye, several spirit stone treasure chests were pulled out from the vault.
The money exchange without any customers seemed quieter, with only the sounds of Qi Liu moving spirit stones and rummaging through storage bags.
Su Yu glanced at the bright, colorful light emitted by the spirit stones, which far surpassed the amount in his own spirit stone pouch.
Su Yi, standing beside him, cast a sidelong glance at the strange plants outside the window. Seeing that Su Yu seemed focused on the spirit stones, he struck up a conversation: "I heard the Qi family ancestors were miserly, overly fond of wealth, but also very good at making money."
"Oh," Su Yu responded indifferently.
Seeing no further reaction from Su Yu, Su Yi stopped trying to continue the conversation.
While Su Yu was lost in thought, Qi Yan casually handed over two bags full of spirit stones. "Here, take these for emergencies."
Su Yu was caught off guard by the weight of the storage bags. He adjusted them in his hands and, as he tucked them into his sleeve, tossed them into the Wanderer's Abyss. He thought that once they left Jinzhou Town, he could buy more spiritual fruits and stock up for future needs. Indeed, these spirit stones were meant to be used in case of emergencies.
Su Yu smiled politely. "Thank you."
Su Yi had been talking for a while but hadn't seen the other person crack a smile, so his gaze shifted to the piles of money bags on Qi Yan's body and the prominent sign of the money exchange hanging high in the main hall. Could it be that this formation master liked spirit stones…?
"You won't lack provisions in the future," Su Yu said to the Ink Beast.
The Ink Beast noticed the two heavy bags of spirit stones tossed into the Wanderer's Abyss. It then glanced back at the still-unresolved pile of strange fruits behind them. It wasn't sure whether to feel happy or worried. It did envy the little ginseng for always having enough food, but their task wasn't about being well-fed. They were here to gather spirits and strengthen the Wanderer's Abyss!
It vented its frustration for a moment, then saw that Su Yu had gone silent.
This human was ignoring it again!! Could it not show the beast some respect!?
The Ink Beast growled, "Su Yu."
Su Yu replied, "Quiet. I'm thinking."
The Ink Beast grew even more frustrated. "What could possibly be more important than the Wanderer's Abyss!"
It had expected Su Yu to ignore it, but to its surprise, Su Yu quickly responded, "I'm thinking about what the core of such a large formation could be."
The Ink Beast didn't think twice before answering, "That's easy. The core of such a formation must be powerful. You need to understand that the strength of the formation is determined by the cultivator who casts it, but how long the formation lasts depends on the core."
The one controlling the formation is usually just the person who arranges it and provides spiritual energy. However, such a large formation clearly couldn't be sustained by a cultivator alone, which meant the core of the formation had to be extraordinarily powerful. It wasn't just powerful in terms of cultivation—it likely contained spiritual energy or some other type of "energy."
Su Yu asked, "Would the core of the formation be useful to the Wanderer's Abyss?"
The Ink Beast, whose belly was full of strange fruits, was momentarily surprised. After a brief pause, it said, "That depends on what the core is. If it's something evil or sinister, it could be a good thing... You're not thinking... are you?!"
Su Yu's gaze fell on the Mountain-Taming Monument in the Wanderer's Abyss. The monument was circulating yin energy, and the sinister aura was crucial.
There was no yin energy here, yet everything felt eerie...
As he left the small courtyard, Su Yu noticed the formation extending throughout Jinzhou Town and observed the complex formation controlling the bark puppets. This formation was much more complicated than the others, and although he wasn't sure if it was just his perception, the more he studied it, the more he felt a sense of familiarity. It was as though he had seen something similar long ago.
In his memory, this type of formation was not just for controlling puppets. It had a far more important purpose.
When had he gained such an impression...?
Su Yu delved into his sea of consciousness. His memories were fragmented, and he barely understood that he had some connection with the Su family, though it wasn't a good one. He didn't feel any affection for them. From what he could glean from the Ink Beast's scattered remarks, he knew his cultivation was weak and his age young... With all these signs, it was strange for him to have any memory of this formation at all.
As Su Yu pondered, the patterns on the totem in his dantian seemed to deepen. The Ink Beast in the Wanderer's Abyss sensed something unusual and suddenly looked toward its master's dantian, but it saw no change.
The Ink Beast was perplexed. What just happened? It had felt a surge of power, and yet there was no visible difference.
The money exchange wasn't quiet. After everyone took the spirit stones out, they started discussing what to do next.
Some people were considering whether they should first go to the outskirts of Jinzhou Town and find the cultivators left behind by the Qi and Su families, then return to search for the formation's core and resolve the problem. With an abundance of spirit stones, they had more options.
"We have so many spirit stones, we could cover all of Jinzhou Town with them."
Qi Liu, hands on hips, said, "Don't worry, the next steps will come slowly..."
"What if there's no daylight?" Su Yu muttered, seemingly casually, "Since the plan is to kill you all, now that we've managed to trap you here, do you really think we'll leave you any chance to breathe?"
If it were him, and he wanted to kill someone, he would leave no opportunity for escape.
After these words, there was an eerie silence.
The few people still discussing their options looked at Su Yu in surprise, as if they hadn't expected such words to come from the usually quiet young man.
Su Yu furrowed his brow, suddenly realizing that he had spoken out of turn.
Everyone fell silent.
The cloaked figure was also silent, staring out the window, then at his own palm.
His palm had taken on the appearance of tree bark. The spirit plants from the small courtyard and the strange plants outside had left indelible marks on his body. His mentors had all gone through the same process. Some had died, while others had remained behind, lying in eternal slumber in the courtyard... He also knew that one day, he too would die and his soul would vanish.
He had already become half a dead man.
"Forget it... This might be my last hope."
The cloaked figure seemed to have made a decision and suddenly spoke up. "It's not that there's no way."
"You have a way?" Su Yi frowned.
The cloaked figure didn't waste any more words. "Before, there weren't enough spirit stones, but now that we have enough, everything changes."
The storage bags of spirit stones were placed in front of the cloaked figure, and he poured some out. The sight of the stones was dazzling.
He continued, "I have a way to solve this, as long as we replace the formation of the small courtyard."
The others were taken aback. Could spirit stones really make a formation this powerful?
"But I can't leave. While I set up the formation, I can only stay here." The cloaked figure took out a token from his body. The token was ancient but seemed to carry a special power. "This is the sect master's token. Please take it with you."
"Brother, the way you speak sounds like you're giving a final farewell." Qi Liu looked at the token but didn't dare to take it, feeling uneasy. "Although we've only known each other briefly, we're definitely going to rescue you too."
Qi Yan thought for a moment, realizing that if this man died here in their money exchange, they might not be able to avoid trouble!
He flicked his fan and mused, "We're going to expand our money exchange in the future. If you die here, even though the Qi family has a good relationship with the Wanderer's Sect, we can't afford to be extorted."
The cloaked figure, who had mustered up the courage to speak, sighed, "...Can you let me finish?"
Su Yi, who was still somewhat composed, spoke up, "Go on. How do we set up the formation?"
"With enough spirit stones, I can replace my master and control the formation of the small courtyard," the cloaked figure said, giving up on talking to the somewhat unreliable Qi family members. "To put it simply, as long as the small courtyard's formation has a master, I can make the formation extend in the direction we want."
Qi Yan and the others exchanged looks. It sounded feasible.
"But I can only hold it for two hours," the cloaked figure changed his tone. "What you need to do is, during the time I maintain the formation, find the core of the formation and destroy it."
Everyone's expressions changed. The person who knew the most about the situation in Jinzhou Town was the cloaked figure. If he was going to hold the formation, then the only cultivator left to break it would be—
The group looked to the side. Su Yu was still standing there, struggling with his overly long sleeves.
Noticing the silence from the others, he finally adjusted his sleeves, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"Me?" Su Yu asked.
"Yeah." The cloaked figure remembered what his master had said: the most important quality for an array master was carefulness. Creating a formation required carefulness, but breaking it required even more. Though Su Yu was blind, he had managed to deduce the formation points of the small courtyard in such a short time. He was the most perceptive of them all.
Although the others' cultivation was higher than his, in this situation…
The others? Forget it.
"You don't have to worry," the cloaked figure took a deep breath and said, "I can't leave, but I'll try to guide you with the formation. Just follow my instructions and go in the direction I point. I'll help as much as I can."
"I don't know much," Su Yu replied, "but I can try."
"Not much!?!" The others felt a sense of unease. Could they really do it? There was no turning back!
Outside the window, the moon appeared unchanged, with not a single cloud in the sky. Unconsciously, Jinzhou Town seemed to be getting brighter, almost as bright as daylight. Su Yi lowered his head and saw that the dark markings on his arm, which had been suppressed earlier, had already crawled up much farther, nearly reaching his shoulder.
If this evil seed reached his brain… they would all be done for. At that point, they wouldn't even be able to break the formation, let alone find anyone capable of action.
Su Yi reminded them, "We don't have much time."
Qi Yan glanced out the window and frowned. "Let's do it."
"Then let the young brother take over!" Qi Liu looked at Su Yu, who was standing not far away. "Forget it! Let's give it a try!"
The cloaked figure didn't have time to argue with this group of fools. He quickly shoved the unclaimed token into Su Yu's hand. Before Su Yu could react, the cloaked figure spread the spirit stones around. By the time the others realized what he was doing, the stones had already been arranged into a formation.
In the next moment, the cloaked figure cut open his wrist. His skin, like dead tree bark, oozed deep black blood. As it dripped into the center of the formation, the surrounding spirit stones seemed to come alive. The spiritual energy boiled up, and the vitality from the small courtyard's formation surged out, slowly gathering around the cloaked figure.
Su Yu staggered back, stunned. This was the first time he had ever seen such pure light.
The vibrant life force surrounding the cloaked figure was in stark contrast to the deathly stillness he had radiated before.
"Huh? This formation master is crazy!"
The Ink Beast blinked in surprise and suddenly became interested. "Have you ever heard of the Soul Summoning Banner? He's acting like that banner now. The core of the small courtyard formation is his master, and by doing this, he's channeling his master's will and taking his place."
And this formation master was quite impressive. His skills in formations were extraordinary. In the Ink Beast's experience, very few formation masters could use this technique, and among human cultivators, only those at the peak level could manage it. Looking at this cloaked figure, who didn't appear very old, made him an even rarer sight.
"This guy's guts are really big. I've never seen a living person willingly act as a banner."
"A living person as a banner? What happens then?" Su Yu asked.
"It will kill you." The Ink Beast glanced at the token in Su Yu's hand. "And this sect master's token... It looks like it has been passed down through several generations. There's also that 'devotion' power that your human race loves to talk about."
Zhang Fugui whispered after hearing this, "Looks like this cloaked man's sect is quite mysterious."
The Ink Beast gave a quick glance at the token.
Mysterious? It was much more than that.
The immense power of devotion—it wasn't just mysterious. This person's sect had likely earned the respect and love of many ordinary people in the past. Otherwise, how could such a powerful force of devotion be contained in a mere sect master's token? It was as if the entire sect's hopes and expectations for its future had been placed into this one token. Such a will could bring blessings and good fortune to the bearer. This wasn't something simple. Yet, the cloaked man had so casually handed this to the boy.
Su Yu looked at the token in his hand. There seemed to be a green aura around it, similar to the one surrounding the cloaked man. It even smelled a little fragrant…
The Ink Beast clicked its tongue. "But with such a legacy, if this person dies... this thing will be…"
Su Yu frowned. "Will be what?"
The Ink Beast replied, "A monument to their sect."
Zhang Fugui was stunned. "Does that mean we have to bury him!?"
Su Yu: "…"