Chapter 45: “Master Having Me Is Enough!” p2
After their meal, Li Yu and Mu Tao found a deserted corner, concealed themselves with a spell, summoned the crane, and flew towards the City of the Undying.
Before they even reached the city, the scenery changed dramatically.
A boundless sea of resentment, as red as blood, hung in the sky, blocking out the sunlight. Although it was still midday, the darkness resembled dusk.
Yet, snow still fell.
Tainted by the resentment, the snow was a pale red, silently blanketing the desolate land.
As the resentment intensified, they finally saw the ruined city.
As expected, an invisible force within the city was drawing in the resentment.
—It wasn’t just spreading outwards; it was also swirling inwards.
The city was no longer just a place of concentrated resentment.
It had become a blood-red vortex, expelling some resentment while drawing in more from the surroundings.
The vortex hovered above the city, like a giant, watchful eye.
Li Yu felt the spiritual crane being affected by the resentment; they were too close to the vortex.
For safety, she and Mu Tao landed and continued on foot, using the speed-enhancing technique.
The snow on the ground was red. Li Yu had been reluctant to step on it, imagining blood staining her feet.
Fortunately, it was just the color that had changed; the texture was the same as ordinary snow. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Mu Tao clutched Li Yu’s wrist tightly, her head lowered, carefully watching her steps.
Perhaps because of the previous incident where she lost her master despite holding onto her sleeve, Mu Tao now called out “Master” softly every few steps, making sure she wasn’t alone.
Li Yu patiently responded each time.
Actually, it wasn’t just patience; she was also afraid of being separated again. These constant confirmations reassured her.
Mu Tao had a good memory; although she had only been here once, she still remembered the location of the altar.
She guided Li Yu, and soon they reached the dilapidated gray stone altar.
Li Yu froze.
She saw the “night” and the “stars” again.
As the cultivator had said, they weren’t in the sky but on the altar.
The altar seemed hollowed out, only a thin outer layer of stone remaining, filled with darkness and stars.
Like a still pool, they rested silently within the altar.
The surrounding resentment, though kept at a distance, still swirled around them.
The stone formation they had created earlier to amplify spiritual energy was now beneath the altar, its position changed.
The pool of darkness and stars was its core.
And it was amplifying the red vortex above the altar, expanding it to cover the entire city.
“How could this be?!” Mu Tao gripped Li Yu’s wrist tightly, shock in her eyes. “Master, we destroyed this formation before we left!”
“…”
“Senior Brother said that if this formation remained and was used by evil forces, it would cause trouble!” Mu Tao’s voice was anxious, as if afraid of being blamed. “I remember clearly, we destroyed it before leaving. Even the little black bird knows!”
“This isn’t a complex formation, just a modified version of a common amplification formation. If someone saw it and memorized the general layout, they could easily reconstruct it with a few tries.” Li Yu gently stroked Mu Tao’s hair. “You did what you could; there’s no need to blame yourselves if someone is using it for evil.”
Mu Tao looked up at the sky worriedly and bit her lip, falling silent.
“Although this formation isn’t difficult to construct, activating it requires considerable effort,” Li Yu said, falling into thought.
Even with her spiritual energy, the formation had only lasted for a short time a few months ago.
Now, with no one guarding it and no continuous infusion of spiritual energy, this small pool of unknown power was enough to keep it running; it must have been modified.
If the black-robed figure possessed such abilities, why hide in the shadows, manipulating others?
Wouldn’t it be faster to act himself?
Like with this formation, if he had been willing to expend more energy, she shuddered to imagine the extent of the resentment’s spread.
Was there a reason for his indirect approach? Did reviving the Heavenly Demon require specific steps?
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became.
She decided to stop overthinking it and focus on action.
“Let’s break the formation first,” Li Yu said, walking to the edge of the formation and cautiously conjuring a faint light at her fingertip.
The soft blue light floated towards a nearby stone.
The moment it touched the formation, it vanished without a trace, like a drop of water in a river.
So, it absorbed external spiritual energy.
Mu Tao, also understanding the result of the test, looked at her worriedly. “Master, will breaking this formation harm you?”
Li Yu: “…”
Good question, but she didn’t know the answer.
Since she didn’t, she could only summon the system.
【The system is here.】
Then analyze this formation.
How could she break it, and what would be the price?
【This formation is a modified version of a modified version of a common spiritual energy amplification formation! Although the stellar energy on the altar is its core, it’s not its power source—it has been running on the resentment of the city, drawn in by that stellar energy!】
【After two modifications, this formation can now absorb external power. To break it, the host needs to use a surge of powerful spiritual energy that it cannot instantly absorb, directly targeting the core in a single strike!】
【Friendly reminder: A spell of this magnitude will definitely trigger Heavenly Tribulation. The host must first erect the barrier the system recommended yesterday!】
That didn’t sound easy…
She had thought this was just some residual power left behind by the black-robed figure, easily dealt with, but it turned out to be a rather complex formation.
To break it, she needed to erect a barrier, which would consume a lot of her energy, and then use a powerful spell.
After all that, would she still have the strength to retrieve the Upper Spirit Lamp?
As Li Yu hesitated, a strange voice came from behind her.
“Activating this formation isn’t easy, and neither is destroying it.”
Li Yu frowned and turned around, looking towards the source of the voice.
A woman in thin clothes sat on the crumbling wall.
She held a handful of pale red snow, a faint smile on her face, her bare feet swaying gently along with her skirt.
Her long, black hair was tied back with a simple bamboo twig.
“Who are you?!” Mu Tao asked, her voice filled with suspicion.
Li Yu hadn’t learned how to sense auras, but anyone who could appear here, in this place, and look so calm, couldn’t be ordinary.
Could she be the black-robed figure?
“Don’t look at me like that; I’m not a bad person. I’m here to help you.”
The woman jumped down from the wall.
Her movements were as light as a bird, her feet barely leaving a mark on the snow.
“Exalted Immortal Li Yu, with the laws of heaven in place, using divine power in the human realm will surely harm you, won’t it?” She smiled. “I’m a demon, not bound by the laws of heaven. If you don’t mind, I’m happy to help you break this formation.”
“You?” Li Yu frowned.
What was going on?
A random demon appearing, not only knowing her identity but also offering to help break the formation…
This formation could absorb external power. Did this woman truly have the ability to break it?
“If you doubt my abilities, why not let me try?” The woman took two steps closer, a playful smile on her face. “I’m right here before you; even if I have ulterior motives, what harm can I truly cause?”
Li Yu asked in a low voice, “We are strangers, why are you so kind?”
“Because I have…a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
The woman hesitated, then lowered her gaze. “I want you to…save someone for me.”
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