“Good, then.”
Shen Yi put away the sword-formation and looked ahead. “And this bamboo grove?”
At the mention of the bamboo grove, a measure of excitement surged onto Aqing’s face once more. “This is absolutely not a formation an artifact-smith could have built — it’s on a wholly different level from the whole cave estate’s construction. They must have invited a true master to lay it.”
With that, he took out the route map he’d picked up off the ground earlier. “Xuanguang Cave guessed at seventy-odd routes, and it looks as though a path of survival hides among them — but in truth, once they’d tested them all, they’d find the seventy-odd had become hundreds, even thousands of routes. It’s a flaw this master deliberately exposed, to make sport of those who force their way in. Believe in that road, and even a Spirit-Transformation-realm powerhouse might well fall to it.”
“I see.”
Shen Yi felt his head itching a little and could only nod idly.
“Grandmaster, give me a little more time to take a rubbing of this formation, and I should be able to unravel it.” Aqing waved a palm, the very picture of confidence — then lowered his head in shame. “Unraveling it is no use now, though. The transport formation’s about to close, and there’s no telling when it’ll open next.”
If it were only to broaden his experience, the gain was of course rich. But Grandmaster Shen, in all likelihood, only wanted the treasures inside.
“No matter. Go on with your work first.”
Shen Yi betrayed no disappointment, still wearing that same calm look.
He had only one question. Xuanguang Cave had someone guarding the entrance; take a step forward and there was the formation. Even Great Qian had silver bells that let people contact one another — how could Xuanguang Cave possibly lack something similar? Add to that the formation being damaged, everyone randomly transported to different places. In other words, so long as that Xuanguang Cave door-guarding Grandmaster stepped into the formation, there was a chance to send word out. Under such circumstances, they’d actually let the White-Feather Demon Emperor stroll right up before a wholly unprepared Zhang Mingyang. A deep-rooted extreme-peak Mixed Origin Grandmaster all the same, cut down before he could take a single step — it was too absurd.
If he’d guessed right, in all likelihood there was another entrance. Once Aqing had puzzled this formation out, he could summon the White-Feather Demon Emperor and ask to find out.
“…”
Shen Yi’s expression fell into Aqing’s eyes, and its meaning was something else entirely.
Knowing full well he couldn’t get in, the man was still willing to waste precious time and stay to help take a rubbing of the formation. Since leaving home, when had Aqing ever met so good-tempered a powerhouse? Even back home, only Father had ever shown such patience with her, his daughter.
She said softly, “Thank you, Grandmaster Shen.”
“Just call me Shen Yi.”
Shen Yi nodded, turned, and left, no longer disturbing the other.
Skilled in formations, widely experienced, and knowing the whereabouts of a peerless-grade spiritual root besides. This time he’d truly struck a treasure. He’d have to find some pretext to coax her into staying at his side.
“Shen Yi.”
Aqing murmured the name softly, staring at the receding figure, and helplessly clenched her hand. Given the man’s earlier air of decisive slaughter, calling him by name outright — lend her a few more measures of nerve and she still wouldn’t dare.
“Better get to work first!”
She took out paper and brush again. This was a chance Big Brother Shen had given her; she mustn’t waste any more of his time.
For Mixed Origin cultivators, whose lifespans ran to thousands of years at a stretch, three days was but a snap of the fingers.
Chen Zhong swept back from the distance. “Senior Shen, I’ve made a round. Now and then I’ll see a few Core-Nurturing juniors pass by — there shouldn’t be any danger now.”
Aqing finished the last stroke with great care, then rushed over to the two in a fluster. “Quick, let’s go! Let’s go! We’ll be too late!”
Seeing her guileless, worldly-innocent manner, Chen Zhong sighed helplessly. Within Great Qian, who among those with Core-Nurturing cultivation hadn’t fought their way up through bloody gales of slaughter? Only a family this aloof from worldly strife could raise a junior like this. It was merely that the Nine Provinces were so vast — otherwise, invite the Xu family to build a similar concealment formation and simply shroud the whole of Great Qian in it, everyone minding their own, and it would be neat and carefree.
“Let’s go.”
Shen Yi called up Red Cloud, making no effort to conceal his aura, and followed Aqing’s guidance toward the estate’s main gate. Chen Zhong caught on to his intent and summoned his upper-tier Mixed Origin path infant, likewise letting his presence spread out. Two Mixed Origin were both withdrawing. Anyone with the least bit of sense ought to leave along with them. As for those still unwilling to go — let them trust to fate.
At this moment, somewhere in the cave estate, a man with a black mole dotted on his face spat furiously. “Pah!”
He’d searched this place warily for days on end, and had come away with not the slightest gain.
“Damn it, damn it!”
The black-mole man finished cursing and felt an unbearable headache. By rights, for a Mixed Origin cultivator, there should be very little left in the world to give him trouble. But he’d borrowed others’ things to trade for a worthless trash-treasure of no use at all. Meaning to earn a margin off his connections. And then, however glib his tongue, he couldn’t get it off his hands — and had earned himself a round of mockery for nothing inside the Eight-Direction Dining Hall besides. The mockery was one thing; now he owed several friends their treasures, and truly had no way to account for it. He could only try his luck in the cave estate.
“One last time. Give me one more chance, and I swear I’ll never do such a foolish thing again!”
The black-mole man pressed deeper inside — and just then, two heaven-toppling presences drew his attention.
“What’s going on?”
He looked up, and saw two Mixed Origin Grandmasters exerting their full power, sweeping toward the outside.
Something’s wrong!
His heart tightened, and he hurriedly halted his steps. After only an instant’s hesitation, the black-mole man summoned his path infant without a backward glance and leapt skyward in that direction. Whatever had happened, it was no good thing anyway. He hadn’t the slightest confidence in his own luck right now — flee first, out of respect.
Two elegant, graceful high mountains mirrored one another. Between them, dense weeds swayed in the wind, a dim radiance spilling from their midst. The formation seemed to have gone long without repair, its former splendor already gone. As time passed, that already-dim glow was, of all things, still receding…
Shen Yi descended from the air with Chen Zhong and Aqing, only to find a dozen-odd figures had, of all things, gathered around. Among them were a few familiar faces. The Yu brothers from before, along with the other three Mixed Origin Grandmasters, were all here.
Yu Yuehu held his brother’s ruined remnant, thick fury on his face, yet in his eyes flickered grievance and worry.
“How is it you still haven’t left?”
Chen Zhong knit his brow. The man’s brother was gravely wounded — treat it any later and there’d be serious trouble.
“Senior.”
At this Yu Yuehu’s face filled with bitterness. He didn’t answer at once, but turned to show Chen Zhong the palm-print on his back. Only then did he say, “We already went out — and were driven back by someone… Xuanguang Cave wants to search us two brothers. It isn’t that I care about the few treasures on me, but they mean to search my brother too!”
“With their reputation, how could I dare hand my brother over to them?”
At these words, the crowd’s fury rose as one, and they broke out cursing.
“An extreme-peak Mixed Origin expert, and so utterly shameless — right before the Eight-Direction Dining Hall, meaning to rob us by force! Truly unafraid of ruining the Dining Hall’s reputation, of the Mysterious Sword Perfected Master coming to make trouble for them!”
“An extreme-peak Mixed Origin Grandmaster indeed, and out of Xuanguang Cave besides — likely only a Spirit-Transformation Perfected Master could deal with him.”
Yu Yuehu sighed. He’d taken that palm-strike, and so knew best of all. He’d thought Chen Zhong too would be beside himself with worry — after all, the man had lingered in the estate these several days and was sure to have some gains.
What he hadn’t expected was—
“Oh.”
Chen Zhong nodded, expression not stirring in the slightest, and withdrew back behind Shen Yi.
(End of Chapter 273)