Xu Ziqing had just thought of this when he took a step forward. The ground beneath his feet was a dead branch that, when scanned with his divine sense, had shown no anomalies. Even with his sharp sensitivity to wood energy as a wood-element cultivator, he had not detected anything unusual. But at that moment, someone grabbed his arm, pulling him back a step and causing him to bump into someone.
Xu Ziqing was startled. “Shixiong?” He knew that if there was no issue, his senior brother would not have acted this way.
Yun Lie’s voice came coldly, “Be careful.”
Xu Ziqing looked down and was shocked to find that the dead branch he had seen earlier had suddenly vanished.
This anomaly made his pupils contract, and he felt a surge of fear.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Ziqing calmed down. “What did Shixiong discover?” He asked, looking at Yun Lie with anticipation.
However, Yun Lie shook his head slightly. “Nothing.”
Xu Ziqing was taken aback. If nothing was discovered, then why… Indeed, although his senior brother had not noticed anything, his combat experience and premonition far surpassed his own. The slight sense of unease had led to this timely action, which had saved him.
At this moment, Yun Lie came closer and said, “Release Rongjin and bind us together.”
Xu Ziqing, feeling more cautious, complied and released a blood vine, first wrapping it around his own arm before extending it toward Yun Lie.
Yun Lie caught the vine with one hand and wrapped it around his left arm.
Now, bound together with Rongjin as a link, even if Xu Ziqing or Yun Lie encountered any trouble, Rongjin, being the source of Xu Ziqing’s innate divine power, would prevent them from separating easily, thus reducing many potential problems.
Xu Ziqing released the wood energy within him, testing it on the surrounding trees, but found that the feedback from the trees was exactly the same as ordinary trees—nothing strange or unusual, no apparent flaws.
However, the earlier dead branch had clearly indicated that this place was not simple… This made him uneasy.
If this place could deceive even their sixth senses, then it was likely that a formation was set up inside.
And this formation was bound to be extraordinary.
Xu Ziqing’s mind was troubled. Should he test things first or wait for the formation to act and then respond?
The former carried the risk of immediately facing an overwhelming attack, while the latter left everything to chance… Both options left him unsettled.
As Xu Ziqing was pondering, he suddenly felt a grip on his right arm.
“Shixiong?” Xu Ziqing turned his head.
Yun Lie said, “Fly low and walk the winds.”
Xu Ziqing nodded. Given their current situation, it was indeed best to avoid touching the ground.
However…
He glanced at his senior brother’s hand holding his own. The fingers were well-defined, long, and strong—hands of a sword cultivator, and the hands of someone he admired.
With a quick glance, Xu Ziqing resolved himself, gently sliding his arm to clasp Yun Lie’s hand, and said with a smile, “Shixiong, this makes things more convenient.”
Yun Lie, a man of integrity and purity, noticed Xu Ziqing’s warm smile, which seemed different from usual, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. However, he did not find anything amiss and simply nodded in agreement.
Seeing his senior brother respond in this way, Xu Ziqing felt a sense of joy. Though their hearts were not yet fully connected, the affection he felt and the dangerous situation they were in made him sense a bond of life and death between them.
Even if there were great perils ahead, he could face them with a smile.
As they continued their journey, Yun Lie kept his gaze straight, and Xu Ziqing, influenced by his calm demeanor, became more perceptive while observing their surroundings.
The dense forest was not completely silent. They saw wild birds nesting in the branches and heard the cries of insects and the roars of wild beasts. However, these were insignificant to cultivators and did not affect their mental state.
The deeper they went, the more real the scene felt. If this were truly an illusion created by a formation, why had it not shown any signs of change?
Could it be that this was merely a whim of an ancient cultivator, not a deadly trap or a barrier?
Xu Ziqing also had many thoughts about this. He recalled that this forest was not present on the fragmented map.
So what did the map show?
This thought made him try hard to remember.
Soon, a flash of insight struck Xu Ziqing.
Xu Ziqing thought to himself: On the fragmented map, there was a vast plain depicted, with a few places marked in vermilion ink, simply stating “Ancient Ruins.” Perhaps this forest was one of those locations?
He shared his thoughts with his senior brother.
Yun Lie considered it for a moment and said, “What you say makes sense.”
Xu Ziqing felt a bit relieved. If he could help his senior brother, it would not have been in vain for him to have followed.
However, Yun Lie did not immediately take action to test the area. Instead, he continued to lead Xu Ziqing forward on the wind.
Both of them hovered just half a foot above the ground—neither touching the earth nor flying too high, in case there were any changes above.
Xu Ziqing was puzzled. “Shixiong, are you thinking…”
Yun Lie replied, “The three demons came out of here unscathed.”
Xu Ziqing suddenly understood.
Indeed, the fact that the three demons emerged from the forest and encountered them meant that this ruin was not intended to be a death trap. However, the demons had only used a familiar set of tactics during the battle, and no special items were involved, indicating that they hadn’t found any treasures within the ruins.
This suggested that the formation displayed to the demons was likely just the forest. Since the forest was not on the fragmented map, the actual situation should be different…
In that case, it was best to adapt to any changes.
Just as Xu Ziqing was making this decision, he suddenly heard some faint noises ahead.
Could this be a sign of change?
Yun Lie quickened his pace, pulling Xu Ziqing along as they swiftly moved forward.
Xu Ziqing asked, “Shixiong, did you hear that clearly?”
Yun Lie responded, “Someone is calling for help.”
…Someone is calling for help within the formation?
Xu Ziqing was skeptical but saw the chance to encounter living beings as an opportunity. He nodded immediately, “Then let’s go and see.”
The two of them moved even faster. After advancing for a while, they indeed saw several figures ahead.
There were a few men and women dressed in simple robes, looking extremely distressed. They were wielding flying swords and fighting a very fierce demon beast. The beast exuded a terrifying aura; it was a sixth-order demon beast, with a demonic energy comparable to a cultivator in the early stage of the Golden Core realm.
Among the group, the highest cultivation level was only late-stage Transformation Realm, so they were naturally no match for the sixth-order beast.
However, Xu Ziqing noticed that these men and women had determined expressions. The leader, who was at the late stage of the Core Formation Realm, had an exceptionally strong true essence and showed rich battle experience with every move of his sword.
The person calling for help was a tall, graceful young woman. She seemed to practice a vocal technique that allowed her voice to travel far, but her actions were swift. Her urgent call for help contrasted with her calm demeanor, making it seem somewhat out of place.
Upon seeing them, Xu Ziqing felt a good impression of these individuals.
The men and women seemed to have sharp senses. Even though the two brothers had not concealed their presence, the fighters, deeply immersed in battle, immediately sensed the arrival of Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie. They quickly assessed the situation during a brief pause.
Among them, a youthful-looking cultivator with a doll-like face was the weakest in power but had very agile movements. While he evaded and distracted the demon beast, he also directed his gaze towards the two newcomers. When he saw Xu Ziqing, he seemed somewhat disappointed, but upon seeing Yun Lie, he was first shocked and then immediately overjoyed.
“It’s Da Shixiong!”
The others quickly recognized him as well and were equally delighted.
The female cultivator spoke up first, “Da Shixiong, we are disciples of the Wuling Immortal Sect. Please help us!”
The other two also hurriedly added, “Please, Da Shixiong, lend us your aid!”
Xu Ziqing glanced at them and did not recognize these people. He remained cautious and asked, “Shixiong, do you know them?”
Yun Lie nodded slightly. “They are indeed fellow disciples.”
In that brief moment, Xu Ziqing’s thoughts raced.
He knew that no formation could create people they already recognized without having seen them before. Therefore, these individuals were either real cultivators who had also entered this formation or had previously entered and had their memories observed by the formation. In either case, since his senior brother had a recollection of them, they were certainly fellow disciples.
Since they were fellow disciples, he could not just stand by.
Even if it were a deception, only after rescuing them would they know the outcome.
Yun Lie’s expression remained unchanged, but his actions were swift.
The sixth-order demon beast was nothing to him. He immediately pointed with his fingers.
In an instant, a powerful sword qi shot forth, piercing through the demon beast’s head. The force of the attack was so great that even after the beast was dead, its corpse continued to be propelled backward until it crashed into a tree, where it finally fell. The tremendous impact also caused the tree to bend and topple.
Despite the demon beast’s death, the collision with the tree, and the tree’s fall, there were no other changes in the surroundings.
Xu Ziqing mused: Could this all be real? Or perhaps… the formation is so powerful that it doesn’t even react to such changes?
In past experiences with formations, even the most realistic ones would show some changes if things within them were destroyed, such as revealing a killing array, mechanisms, new paths, or even changes in the environment.
However, in this situation, Xu Ziqing felt at a loss.
The four cultivators, who had been frantically defending themselves against the sixth-tier demon beast and were awaiting death, were deeply shocked to see such a powerful beast killed with a single move by Yun Lie.
But they quickly composed themselves and approached, bowing as they introduced themselves: “Inner sect disciple Shen Yinglan—”
“Bu Luo—”
“Mu Yuanjun—”
“Geng Zheng—”
“Greetings, Da Shixiong!”
Translator: Lynn
Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.
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