Shen Luohe had sent everyone out of the monastery, so only a few places were lit.
“So that’s how it is... No wonder the grand formation in this Demon Suppression Monastery looked a bit strange. The formation eye is highly unusual. The entire Demon Suppression Monastery serves as the formation foundation, while the magical treasure underground channels the spiritual pulse to draw the formation lines.”
Nan Zhi squinted. The barren hills and jagged rocks surrounding the Demon Suppression Monastery now seemed to connect in faint, invisible lines. Tracing them in the air, she realized that the layout of the pavilions within the monastery was also intrinsically linked to the formation.
——When stripped of its complex techniques and intricate blueprints, any formation boiled down to just three essential elements:
The formation foundation, the formation lines, and the formation eye.
All three were indispensable.
Over the past three days, Nan Zhi had been wondering why a high-stage cultivator like Daoist Qinglong hadn’t simply captured her and brought her back to the Demon Suppression Monastery on that rainy night she sought shelter.
His external incarnation had a low cultivation level and was naturally no match for Miaoyun, but there had been plenty of opportunities to capture her afterward.
In Bianjing.
On the Yin Yang Road.
And in Xingyuan.
Now that Nan Zhi had gathered clues and peered down from a high vantage point, the answer to this puzzle naturally presented itself.
——Qinglong’s true body could not leave this Demon Suppression Monastery at all.
A cultivator’s natal magic treasure was different from ordinary magic treasures. The former required the consumption of essence blood to refine, and could practically be considered half of the cultivator’s own body.
Qinglong had anchored the Three-Fire Candle Turtle Ruler beneath this Demon Suppression Monastery and drawn a formation over it to conceal the secrets of heaven, masking his actions from the heavens.
This was the real reason why, despite his countless atrocities, he had not faced a trial of heavenly lightning for so long.
If the formation was a signal transmitter, then the Three-Fire Candle Turtle Ruler was a signal amplifier. With its enhancement, Qinglong could carry out his schemes right under the nose of the Qingjing Sect without anyone being the wiser.
The higher a cultivator’s realm, the easier it was for them to attract negative karma and retribution.
Thus, the higher their stage, the less likely they were to act recklessly.
Qinglong had been hiding in the turtle shell of the Demon Suppression Monastery, dragging out his miserable existence. But if she could break this formation...
The first thing that would eagerly descend would undoubtedly be rolling heavenly thunder, aimed directly at Qinglong!
Everything suddenly became clear to Nan Zhi. She unconsciously squeezed the wisteria at her waist.
“Looking at it this way, the advantage is still mine. We will know the outcome after tomorrow.”
The wisteria did not speak. Only half of its roots danced in the wind, and a withered purple flower swayed twice as if in response.
...
By the time Shen Luohe led Nan Zhi to the bamboo pavilion, Daoist Qinglong was already waiting with his hands clasped behind his back.
Today, his face was completely clean-shaven and adorned with cosmetics. He wore a moon-white, wide-sleeved robe and a lotus crown held in place by a single jade hairpin. His phoenix eyes were filled with a gentle warmth.
With his long-held wish finally within reach, Daoist Qinglong was in a state of extreme excitement. The corners of his eyes were faintly red, with several broken capillaries spreading outward.
Shen Luohe kept his eyes lowered, holding a tray in his hands as he stood submissively behind Daoist Qinglong.
Nan Zhi’s nose twitched.
In the air, a familiar, bizarre fragrance seemed to be spreading.
Seeing that she had been brought over, Daoist Qinglong did not seem to want to waste another word. With a sweep of his sleeve, the ground suddenly shook, and the mountains trembled. In the distance, rocks crumbled, buildings collapsed, and the entire Demon Suppression Monastery rose directly into the air—
“Rumble...”
“Boom, boom, boom!”
“Rumble!”
The surrounding horizon quickly vanished, replaced by a line of clear blue sky. Outside the bamboo pavilion, every single stalk of bamboo trembled as massive banks of clouds from high above rapidly descended, hovering just within the bamboo forest.
The sun seemed to have drawn closer to them.
Countless pieces of rubble floated around Nan Zhi. Even without looking down, she could guess that a hideous and massive heavenly pit must have been left behind where the Demon Suppression Monastery had once stood.
Though Qinglong was arrogant, he was not entirely brainless.
Concerned that someone might interfere with the planting of the Mayfly Wood, he had actually driven his natal magic treasure to lift the entire Demon Suppression Monastery a thousand zhang into the sky!
“Screeech!”
The white crane flew a couple of laps above the bamboo forest. Sensing the changes around it, it could not help but grow anxious and let out a loud cry:
“Screeech!”
“Too noisy. What if you wake up Xia Niang?”
Without even raising his head, Qinglong casually waved his hand and released a beam of spiritual light. The white crane took a direct hit to its head and plummeted straight from the clouds. Blood seeped from its beak, and a single bamboo leaf had pierced completely through one of its wings, causing it to crash heavily into a large pit.
The white crane’s pointed face was filled with utter confusion. Its body twitched as bright red blood pooled from its beak and nostrils.
This highly intelligent white crane could not understand why its once gentle master had suddenly turned so cruel.
It was likely that Immortal Danxia’s unyielding spirit and her resolute choice of death over submission had pushed Qinglong over the edge.
At this point, he had probably fallen into demonic madness.
The slightest displeasure would result in immediate death.
Even for a spirit beast that had accompanied him for years.
Nan Zhi saw it clearly.
Resurrecting Danxia had undoubtedly become his heart demon, haunting him day and night until he succumbed to the demonic path and committed countless atrocities.
Once a cultivator developed a heart demon, their cultivation would stagnate. Even when facing a tribulation, the chances of failure would skyrocket. A single misstep could lead to qi deviation and a drastic drop in realm.
Perhaps Daoist Qinglong’s obsession with resurrecting Danxia was not entirely due to that illusory, self-righteous “love” of his.
“Xia Niang, don’t be afraid. It will be over soon.”
Daoist Qinglong sighed softly. He retrieved two wooden boxes from his robes and tossed them into the air. Instantly, the wind rustled the bamboo, and thousands of bamboo leaves gathered like flowing clouds, gently lifting the half-human, half-insect form of Danxia.
Danxia still bore the appearance of Nan Yi. The wound on her neck was completely healed, leaving no trace behind, but her eyes remained tightly shut as if she were in a deep coma.
The other wooden box contained the fungus Nan Zhi had seen before, vibrantly colored like a cordyceps. It was a tiny thing that looked utterly harmless.
“It is your turn.”
Daoist Qinglong spoke coldly to Nan Zhi. He was like a long-suppressed volcano, his murderous intent ready to erupt at any moment.
Nan Zhi had bathed and changed into her stat-boosting Azure Sea Sky set long ago. Her long hair was tied high in a ponytail with a hair cord, secured with a jade hairpin.
“Temple Master, why are you in such a hurry?”
She suddenly asked a seemingly completely unrelated question:
“The Master Mo Chenghuai who laid down this formation was truly a genius in the field of formations.
I wonder, is he still alive today?”
“That is not for you to know.”
Qinglong’s eyes rolled toward her. Even from several zhang away, one could smell the strange fragrance emanating from his body.
“Come here.”
The muscles in his cheeks twitched involuntarily from his intense excitement, giving him a bizarre appearance.
“This Venerable’s grand plan is about to succeed. Once I ascend to immortality in the future and live a free, unrestrained life, I will not forget your contribution.
“For thousands of autumns and tens of thousands of years, living as long as heaven and earth—what of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man? What of the great calamities of the world? As long as I have Xia Niang, the two of us can forever be a pair of free-spirited lovers, a devoted cultivation couple.
“When that time comes, you will be the Temple Master of this Demon Suppression Monastery and a disciple of the Qingjing Sect! The great path of cultivation lies right before you. What are you waiting for, little girl, when such a supreme opportunity is at hand?!”
Nan Zhi’s eyes grew dazed. She seemed to be captivated by the beautiful future Daoist Qinglong described. Unconsciously, she took two steps forward and reached out to receive the Mayfly Wood.
The fungus seemed to possess a consciousness of its own. The moment it touched her flesh, it began to root rapidly. Countless tiny rootlets pierced through Nan Zhi’s fingertips and into her skin.
“Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...”
“Sizzle, sizzle...”
The sound of the bizarre roots digging into her flesh was incredibly grating, yet Nan Zhi merely kept her palm open, her thoughts unreadable.
A look of delight washed over Qinglong’s face, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.
Shen Luohe clenched his teeth, his hand hidden beneath the tray clearly clutching something tightly.
In the next instant, a sudden change occurred.
“Boom!”
“Boom!!”
A bolt of lightning flared from Nan Zhi’s palm, accompanied by a surge of rolling thunder. The vibrantly colored mycelium had already rooted into her flesh, making it impossible to escape—
“Rumble!!”
“Boom!”
Nan Zhi clenched her fist with force. The piece of Mayfly Wood in her hand let out a soft “pop” and instantly shattered.
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