Chapter Twenty-Seven

The Suspended Light Array is a superior array among the seventy-two secret arrays of the Strange Man Temple. It can break all illusions within the array and destroy the demonic magic of monsters.

It is generally used to infiltrate a demon's lair and tear through its defenses from the inside.

This formation is not only offensive, but when fully deployed, it can also seal off the entrances and exits in one direction, creating a situation where only the Celestial Masters of the Strange People's Temple can attack inwards, while the demons in the lair cannot escape.

Even though the power of the Suspended Light Array was reduced because the user was the scholar Li Zhi, it was still not something that an ordinary monster could easily break through from within on its own.

As the suspended light array flickered, a single monster leaped out from it, startling everyone at the Strange People's Temple.

There really is a great demon in Gejiabao!

Ji Ren was overjoyed and waved his hand, saying, "Form the Ghost Blade Formation!"

More than ten celestial masters moved about with their bodies low to the ground, holding ritual implements and chanting incantations.

As the dark figure descended from the sky, the Taoist priests shouted, "Blade!"

They raised their magical implements and swung them at the dark figure.

A surge of magical power erupted within the formation, and the chilling blade energy solidified, slicing through the air as it hurtled towards the dark figure.

Without the shadowy figure making any move, he merely raised his hand to block, and the ghost blade formation only tore the cloak he was wearing.

An unremarkable man with extremely small eyes appeared in everyone's sight.

Having missed their first attack, the Celestial Masters changed direction again, shouting, "Sword!"

Countless blades of energy shot towards the man.

The man's figure flashed, and the sword energy suddenly missed its target.

Seeing this, Ji Ren said impatiently, "This demon is extremely fast. The Ghost Blade Formation can't do anything to him. I'll go and fight him. You all proceed according to plan!"

Before he finished speaking, Ji Ren shook his hands forcefully, and in the blink of an eye, his eyes shone with golden light, and his temples bulged.

Then he suddenly pushed off the ground and collided with the ghostly man in mid-air. In an instant, the two exchanged dozens of blows.

Humans are mortal beings, and demons also have flesh and blood, yet in the midst of their battle, both were unarmed, and the sound of metal clashing was incessant.

Pei Xuanji lay prone in the grass, almost mesmerized.

Ji Ren was the kind of person who looked like a seasoned official. If you saw him on the street, you would probably just mistake him for some country bumpkin.

But this country bumpkin is actually the deputy commander of the province of Yiren Temple. Now, he has shown his skills to his juniors, which has already opened people's eyes.

Unlike Pei Xuanji, who was so ignorant, the Taoist masters in Jiangbei Prefecture had already witnessed Ji Ren's skills. None of them gave him a second glance and followed their superiors' orders to leap into the Suspended Light Formation.

Pei Xuanji struggled to her feet, wanting to join her colleagues.

But before he knew it, Zhang He grabbed his sleeve.

“You wait up there,” he said.

“I can go on missions…” Pei Xuanji struggled to say.

"Pei Xuanji!" Zhang He called her by her full name in a low voice.

"I'll wait upstairs and won't cause you any trouble." Pei Xuanji immediately gave in.

Zhang He breathed a sigh of relief and, carrying his peach wood sword, prepared to enter Gejiabao.

"Senior," Pei Xuanji called out to him again.

She took out the sword hanging at her waist, handed it to Zhang He with the hilt facing outwards, and said, "You use this."

Zhang He blocked her way, his eyes deep, and said in a low voice, "Take care of yourself."

Pei Xuanji gripped her sword, watching Zhang He's figure disappear.

The moment the Celestial Masters stepped into Gejiabao, they were astonished by this amazing work buried deep underground.

"What kind of ant demon could build such a large nest right under the nose of the Strange People's Temple at the border of two provinces?"

The leading celestial master warily surveyed the neatly arranged ant chambers in the ant nest.

This vast Gejiabao has so many ant chambers, but since they entered, it has been eerily quiet, and they haven't seen a single living creature.

"Don't scatter, be careful, and be alert for them emerging from the ant chambers."

The Celestial Masters exchanged instructions, formed a formation, and advanced step by step.

"We need to find the queen ant."

The ant chambers were very close together, and even though the celestial masters were so careful, the worker ants that suddenly attacked them from the middle still managed to injure several of them instantly.

But once the Taoist priests realized what was happening, the worker ants were quickly wiped out.

Then came the next wave.

The worker ants charged forward relentlessly and fearlessly towards the Celestial Master. Even though they were quickly killed by the Celestial Master's magical weapons, not a single worker ant was afraid to escape.

Zhang He raised his sword and severed the head of a worker ant. Looking at the head that belonged to a young mortal, he felt a surge of irritation.

“This won’t work. They’re being manipulated. Killing them is useless. We need to separate them and find the person controlling the threads to break the spell!” Zhang He said to the leading Taoist master of Jiangbei Prefecture.

The Taoist master did not answer him directly, but instead asked, "When did you enter the Temple of Strange People, and who was your master?"

Zhang He wiped his face and said impatiently, "I, Zhang He, have been in the Temple of Strange People for almost twenty years. My sect is Qingyun Mountain."

Upon hearing this, the Celestial Masters of Jiangbei Prefecture visibly showed less disdain. The leading Celestial Master said, "What you said earlier makes sense, but we are outnumbered. If we split up, we will be defeated one by one. We must find the Queen Ant in one fell swoop."

Zhao Jia's words made sense. Zhang He bit his lip, pondered for a moment, and suddenly asked, "Did you leave Li Zhi any means of communication?"

Zhao Jia was taken aback, but then realized: "He's just a scholar."

"Don't forget who set up the formation. If we can find him, things will be much easier."

After a moment's thought, Zhao Jia realized that apart from Li Zhi, none of them knew about this place. He then gave his colleague a wink, signaling him to take out a paper crane.

Zhao Jia held the paper crane in his palm, and soon it flapped its wings and flew off in a certain direction.

The celestial masters immediately followed, and along the way, they killed many more worker ants that had lost their souls. They chased the paper crane to a secluded ant chamber.

The paper crane finally stopped here.

Zhang He looked left and right but couldn't find Li Zhi. He wanted to call out to him, but then hesitated and said, "That scholar, it's me, Old Zhang. Are you nearby?"

Before he finished speaking, Li Zhi appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Wow, you scholar, you're quite adept at using talismans."

Zhao Jia was quite surprised to recognize that Li Zhi had used a concealment spell.

"Thank you for the gift, Celestial Master. It will certainly be needed in this critical moment." Li Zhi smiled. "Are you all looking for the Queen Ant?"

"Yes, do you have any leads?"

“Go straight down this street, turn left at the end, and you will see a single ant chamber.”

"Where does the queen ant usually live?" Zhao Jia asked.

“No.” Li Zhi shook his head. “The person in charge usually stays there, and the queen ant is probably there too.”

"Who is in charge?"

“An old woman who called herself Mrs. Ge.”

"Madam Ge... this Madam Ge isn't the Queen Ant?"

This is Gejiabao. When Li Zhi uttered the words "Madam Ge," everyone would think twice.

"She is a mortal."

"What? A mortal?"

"How could mortals collude with demons and do such a thing?"

These words caused a great stir, like a stone thrown into still water, and the assembled celestial masters were in an uproar.

Zhang He interrupted, saying, "Perhaps Young Master Li is unable to discern the demon's true form. Now that we have news of the Queen Ant, let's hurry."

Zhao Jia nodded, then glanced at Li Zhi discreetly.

Li Zhi remained unmoved and said in a low voice, "I wish you all the best."

Seeing that the scholar did not comply with his wishes, Zhao Jia pursed his lips, waved his hand, and led his colleagues in the direction Li Zhi pointed out.

Watching the Celestial Masters hurriedly leave, Li Zhi waited until they were out of sight before turning his head and whispering, "They're gone."

Baozhu, carrying Saixue, tiptoed out of the shadows.

She sighed with lingering fear, "If these celestial masters find out, we're doomed. They won't care whether Sai Xue and I have done anything wrong; they'll definitely take us away."

Li Zhi did not answer her.

Baozhu glanced at him quickly, and seeing that he was staring at her intently, she quickly looked away and stammered, "What's wrong?"

Li Zhi shook his head and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "It's good that you're alright."

He's spouting all this nonsense again. He's serious when things are still unresolved, not even giving me a second glance. But when the Taoist priests arrive, he starts talking glibly again. I wonder what he's really thinking. Doesn't he know how powerful the monsters are?

And after such a bad fight last time, he's acting like nothing happened.

Baozhu didn't say anything, but a thousand thoughts were already racing through her mind.

My hands unconsciously used a little more force.

"Ouch—" Sai Xue winced in pain as the hand was pulled, and jumped onto Bao Zhu's shoulder, shouting, "Don't pretend I don't exist just because I'm not saying anything! What are you doing, flirting with me like that!"

"Who was flirting with him!" Baozhu immediately protested, solemnly gazing in the direction the Celestial Masters had left. "I wonder if Ying Ji has been caught yet."

As if in response to Baozhu's question, a deafening explosion suddenly came from Madam Ge's courtyard, causing the entire Ge Family Fortress to shake.

Baozhu steadied herself and exclaimed in surprise, "How could there be such a loud commotion?"

Before Li Zhi could answer, another loud bang rang out, and they watched helplessly as the ant chamber in the direction of Madam Ge exploded, sending worker ant slime, resembling pieces of flesh, flying in all directions.

Baozhu realized what was happening and, at the last second, pulled Li Zhi into a corner.

Not only were the ant chambers blown to pieces, but they even saw several Taoist priests with their eyes closed, flying away into the distance along with the blast wave.

They were covered in blood, and it was unclear whether they were alive or dead.

Even if a mortal becomes a celestial master, is he still so fragile?

Many memories flooded Baozhu's mind, and she subconsciously reached out to protect Li Zhi, holding him firmly behind her.

"I'm fine."

Li Zhi took her hand and gently pulled it to his chest: "Don't be afraid."

It wasn't until Li Zhi said that, and until she felt his heartbeat beneath his chest, that Baozhu realized she was afraid.

She didn't dare to delve into what she was afraid of.

Baozhu and Li Zhi were making sarcastic remarks, which gave Sai Xue goosebumps. She decided to stick her head out to check what was going on.

The ant chambers surrounding Madam Ge's courtyard in the distance had been completely destroyed. Standing here, she could clearly see the fierce battle taking place in front of the courtyard.

Sai Xue squinted and stared for a long time before saying, "This is not good."

"What's wrong?" Baozhu quickly let go of Li Zhi, walked behind her, and looked over there together.

The round piece of flesh was covered with worker ants, layer upon layer, as if all the worker ants in the entire Gejiabao had gathered here.

The worker ants looked different from usual, as if they had mutated.

They opened their mouths and sprayed a sticky substance at the Taoist priests. This substance was different from usual; it was greenish and looked extremely poisonous.

Baozhu watched helplessly as a celestial master, in a moment of carelessness, got covered in the sticky substance, which corroded away most of the flesh on his arm.

He screamed as he retreated from the formation formed by the celestial masters, rolling and wailing on the ground.

One of the Taoist priests, unable to bear seeing his colleague in such pain, tried to help him, but was stopped by Zhao Jia.

"You are not allowed to leave the magic array, nor are you allowed to use talismans to launch a forceful attack. Kill those worker ants one by one!"

Baozhu heard this from afar and turned to Saixue, saying, "They must have been tricked when they launched their attack just now."

Sai Xue didn't answer her, still staring intently at that spot. After a moment, she whispered, "Look at that worker ant, isn't it an old praying mantis?"

Baozhu squinted and stared intently for a while, recognizing not only the old mantis but also the two clam spirits they had seen before.

The once-powerful monster had lost its mind and was now crawling aimlessly on the anthill like a real ant, a sight that evoked a deep sense of pity.

“We almost ended up like that,” Sai Xue murmured.

"What if the Celestial Masters can't win?" Baozhu asked anxiously.

Li Zhi walked out of the shadows to Baozhu's side. He stared at the battlefield for a moment and said with certainty, "The Celestial Master will surely win."

How did you know?

"Why?"

The two little demons turned their heads to look at him at the same time.

"There are marks left by worker ants exploding on the ground. It seems that the Celestial Masters were unaware of this and attacked with talismans. As a result, the worker ants exploded one after another, causing losses."

"Wouldn't killing them one by one cause an explosion?" Baozhu asked curiously.

Just as Li Zhi was about to reply, Zhang He leaped up from the formation, seized the opportunity, and with a single sword stroke, severed the head of the old mantis that was breathing.

The old mantis's head rolled a long way away, but its body remained on the ant chamber. Its headless neck gushed out a lot of green juice, which splashed onto the surrounding worker ants, scalding them and causing them to scream incessantly.

There was indeed no explosion.

Baozhu's gaze followed the old mantis's head, watching it roll to the Celestial Master's feet, only to be kicked far away.

The old monster who had mocked Sai Xue and lived for many years died just like that.

She dared not look anymore.

“Worker ants are not strong. If this continues, Mrs. Ge will not be able to hold on.”

Li Zhi noticed Baozhu's emotional fluctuations and stepped aside to block her view from the battlefield.

“We just need to wait.” He softened his voice and gently pulled the pearl back to a place where the battlefield was out of sight.

Li Zhi's body completely blocked Baozhu's view, and his aura filled the cramped corner, gradually calming Baozhu down.

Even the distant calls of the Celestial Master seemed to have faded considerably.

Seeing that Baozhu's expression had improved somewhat, Li Zhi glanced at Sai Xue, who was squatting on the ground glaring at him, and asked casually, "If we leave this place, what does Baozhu want to do?"

Baozhu was taken aback upon hearing this, her thoughts drifting away from the distance. She tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, "I don't know. Let's talk about tomorrow's matters tomorrow."

"She wants to travel the world with me, and I've made up my mind!" Sai Xue grinned, her eyes fixed on Li Zhi.

Before Baozhu could say anything, Li Zhi smiled and said, "That's not bad either."

He didn't follow the usual pattern, leaving Sai Xue speechless and stunned, unable to think of a provocative remark for a long time.

After pondering for a while, the cat demon angrily flicked its tail and left the small corner where the three of them were hiding without looking back.

"That pretentious scholar is really annoying," Sai Xue muttered.

She was small and quick, and Baozhu didn't realize what was happening until quite some time later.

In the distance, Ying Ji was manipulating worker ants to fight the Celestial Master. It seemed that all the sounds in Gejiabao were gathered there, and it was quiet outside.

Alone, Sai Xue looked around at the mess, stood still for a moment to figure out her direction, and then walked towards the sanctuary.

She struggled through the broken walls and ruins, and finally arrived at the open space that was originally the site of Gejiabao.

There is a huge pillar of light in the open space, through which you can see the real starry sky.

This must be the Celestial Master Formation set up by Li Zhi, a passage to the outside world.

Sai Xue wanted to try to leave the pillar of light.

I tried several times, but all attempts failed.

There seemed to be a dome on the beam of light, completely covering the exit passage.

However, even though it was just an attempt and she couldn't get out, Sai Xue didn't feel discouraged.

She searched high and low around Yingnuo Hall for something.

Finally, beneath the dilapidated ant chamber, she found what she was looking for.

Sai Xue crawled into the small hole that was barely big enough for her to walk through, and gently patted Xiao Man, whose head and face were covered with dark red marks, with her paws.

"Hey, wake up."

Xiaoman stared blankly into the air, offering no response to Saixue.

He was trapped under the collapsed ant chamber, with only a very cramped space for Sai Xue to move around in, which annoyed her.

The cat demon slapped Xiaoman several times, but received no response. In a fit of impatience, it scratched him hard with its claws.

"Wake up, you big idiot!"

Sai Xue struck out in anger, leaving three bloody marks on Xiao Man's face. The pain made him hiss.

"Do you see who I am now?" Sai Xue viciously tried to slap him again.

Just as he reached out, Xiaoman flinched and begged for mercy, "You recognized me, please don't scratch me."

"Then why don't you come out yourself? Do I have to ask you to come out?"

Even if a strong, middle-aged bull demon were completely crushed by the collapsed ant chamber, it would be a minor matter for them. Sai Xue knew that Xiao Man's absent-mindedness was due to a mental illness.

But she doesn't know how to treat it.

Seeing that Xiaoman hadn't moved, Saixue raised her sharp claws high: "I'll count to three!"

"I'll be right out." Xiaoman dodged Saixue's claws and took a deep breath.

In an instant, the bull demon's bulging muscles bulged out, tearing his thin, coarse clothes and making the collapsed ant chamber sway.

"Moo!" With a low growl, Xiaoman mustered all his strength and swung his hands forcefully, sweeping away the huge building that was pressing down on him, and the bull-like monster appeared in Saixue's sight.

"Keep your voice down, what are you yelling about? We're fighting!"

Sai Xue flicked its tail in dissatisfaction and gestured towards Madam Ge's courtyard.

"Oh." Xiaoman scratched her head and shook off the dust from her body.

Then he looked sadly in the direction Sai Xue had pointed.

Seeing through Xiaoman's intention, Saixue said coldly, "If you take a step forward, I'll scratch your face."

Xiaoman shrank back upon hearing this. The big man lowered his head and stared blankly for a while before stammering, "You already knew, didn't you...?"

Despite the seemingly random sentence, Sai Xue understood it perfectly.

The cat demon sighed, recalling Xiaoman's silly expression of both fear and longing, and jumped onto his shoulder.

“We’re afraid you’ll get too deeply involved.” Sai Xue gazed intently at the distant sounds of explosions and screams. “Although you bull demons are generally thick-skinned and your souls are not easily controlled, your piety is so strong, who knows if…”

Xiaoman's expression darkened, and he said with a wry smile, "That's true."

As they were talking, Sai Xue's fluffy fur suddenly began to sway gently.

It seemed as if a gust of wind blew past the two little demons who were far from the battlefield.

"Where did the wind come from..." Sai Xue asked, puzzled.

The Array of Suspended Light shattered all illusions within Ge Family Fortress. Now, the little demon, possessing real senses, should not be feeling a breeze in the stifling underground.

Xiaoman carefully carried Saixue a few steps downwind.

The ground was littered with the ruins of collapsed ant chambers. The two little demons easily passed through the many obstacles and saw the only remaining ant chamber in Gejiabao.

Above the sphere of a few worker ants sparsely crawling in the air above Madam Ge's courtyard, a dozen or so celestial masters were forming an array.

Their bodies floated in mid-air, their eyes filled with white light, and they kept muttering something.

A vortex seemed to form around them, tearing everything apart.

A crimson net was formed amidst the obscure chanting.

"What's this……"

"If they're so capable, why didn't they show it earlier..."

Xiaoman and Saixue looked into the distance, a vague sense of foreboding creeping into their hearts.

Baozhu and Li Zhi, who were closer, were directly confronted with the power of this powerful magic array.

They saw things more clearly than the snow, knowing that the Celestial Masters weren't unwilling to demonstrate the magic array, but rather that the array required meticulous preparation.

Ying Ji and Lady Ge huddled in the ant chamber, where the worker ants acted like puppets. The ants covered for each other, and the queen ant was unaware of their subtle movements.

Until this point.

Baozhu's eyes reflected the red of the magic array, and she said softly, "What is the purpose of this array?"

"On the way here, I heard that the Celestial Masters wanted to wipe out all the bandit leaders in Gejiabao in one fell swoop," Li Zhi explained to Baozhu in detail. "Perhaps they wanted to imprison the Queen Ant and Madam Ge together in the magic array."

"But will the queen ant just give up like that?"

As Baozhu spoke, she turned back to look at Li Zhi with a puzzled expression. Her hair was blown about by the strong wind and flew wildly.

Li Zhi stared intently ahead.

Would the queen ant give up so easily?

Since entering Gejiabao, the Celestial Masters have suffered no casualties or stubborn resistance, except for a few unlucky ones who were injured.

Ying Ji seemed to have given up resisting and huddled in the ant chamber to await her death.

Such a large nest, are they really going to just hand it over to someone else? Why doesn't Madam Ge step forward?

Baozhu and Li Zhi watched silently.

The magic arrays in the hands of the celestial masters became increasingly concrete, and the few remaining worker ants seemed to be affected by the arrays, their movements becoming stiff.

Victory seemed to be just around the corner, and the expressions on the faces of the celestial masters were no longer tense. A gale swept through the entire lair, and everything that belonged to evil was to be destroyed.

At that very moment.

The human or demon still conscious in the lair heard a clear sigh.

"Ying Ji, I'm sorry, everyone. I hope we'll meet again someday."

The voice initially sounded like Madam Ge's, but then gradually transformed into a strange, boyish voice.

Before everyone's eyes, after a flash of light, the ant chamber that the Celestial Masters had been besieging for so long and which was under the protection of the magic array was broken from the inside.

The mysterious ant chamber was exposed to everyone, and Baozhu saw that the entire ant chamber was covered with evil curses painted with dark red paint.

She even recognized the purpose of the curse.

Not long ago, a woman who had lost her daughter painted evil curses all over her enemy's body and offered them as a sacrifice to a spirit tree.

No longer proud, Ying Ji clutched her nearly bursting abdomen, screaming as she slumped into the eerie curse.

Her face was contorted with malice, and she looked up as if gazing at the night sky.

Or perhaps it is something that exists under the night sky.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

The crowd only had time to catch a glimpse of this information.

Before anyone could see it, a talisman as light as a feather passed through the crimson magic circle and landed steadily on Ying Ji's forehead.

The queen ant, whose abdomen was nearly bursting from the demonic power after a day of feasting, suddenly exploded.

Baozhu felt a blur before her eyes.

The world fell silent, as if she had become deaf.