Chapter 162 Entering the Formation:

Elder Bai sneered: "Sect Master, do you want my Ruthless Dao Palace's Dao Proving Array to be exposed to so many outsiders?"

When Elder Bai said that, the sect leader remembered that if he wanted to kill his wife to prove his Dao, he had to first set up a Dao-proving formation. This formation hadn't been set up for many years, and he had almost forgotten about it.

"So... where do you intend to set up the formation?" the sect leader asked.

"Of course it's the Ruthless Dao Palace!" Elder Bai said loudly.

The sect leader hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Fine, we'll do as you say."

Rong Xie returned to the Ruthless Dao Palace.

He didn't expect to be back so soon, but a large group of people came back with him.

Not to mention Elder Bai, Lu Yingqi, and Xiaozhi, the Xuan Tian Sect Master, all the elders, Shang Gan, and a whole bunch of other cultivators followed behind, instantly filling the open space in front of the Dao Palace.

Elder Bai told them to wait outside, and only called Rong Xie, the guide, and a few other trusted disciples in to set up the magic array together.

Only Rong Xie knew that they were going to set up two magic arrays: one was the Dao Proving Array, and the other was the Spirit Locking Array.

The Soul-Locking Array can lock away the soul, preventing the newly deceased ghost from escaping elsewhere, thus allowing the person who has attained enlightenment to return.

Rong Xie followed Elder Bai in setting up the spirit-locking formation, secretly memorizing the method, just in case he could use it in the future.

An hour later, the magic array was set up. Everyone was a little short of spiritual energy, and their complexions were not very good.

Elder Bai stood up and let out a long breath: "It's done!"

With a solemn expression, he looked at Rong Xie and said approvingly, "Rong Xie, thank you for your help this time. Although your cultivation is weak, your memory is good, and your technique of drawing arrays is also quite skillful. It's a pity that if you had joined the Wuqing Dao Palace of our Xuantian Sect, you wouldn't have achieved so little."

Rong Xie smiled and said, "Elder Bai, you flatter me."

He paused for a moment, then added, "If Elder Bai really wants to thank me, please introduce me to Elder Hong."

"You," Elder Bai choked, "why are you still not giving up?"

Rong Xie gazed intently at Elder Bai.

"Fine, if this matter succeeds, I can tell you where Junior Brother Hong is. However, an introduction is impossible unless you want to make an enemy of him the moment you meet him," Elder Bai sneered.

Rong Xie nodded: "Whether it's news or the path to see Elder Hong, as long as you can help me meet him in person, I will remember it."

Once the magic array was set up, the main gate of the Dao Palace opened. The sect leader and the elders entered first, followed by Lu Yingqi and Xiaozhi, with Shang Gan leading a large group of cultivators close behind.

"Elder Bai, may we begin now?" the elder in charge of criminal law asked.

Elder Bai snorted and raised his hand. Spots of light appeared on the previously empty ground, swirling and spreading out, revealing a complex array of magic power flowing with abundant spiritual energy.

Rong Xie felt as if something was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe. He looked at Lu Yingqi and Xiao Zhi, who were standing by the magic array with a huge horde of Xuan Tian Sect cultivators behind them. There was no turning back; they could only move forward.

Lu Yingqi turned his head to look at Xiaozhi, and Xiaozhi looked at him as well. Xiaozhi gently shook her head, while Lu Yingqi looked at him with a reassuring gaze.

At this moment, Shang Gan, who was behind Lu Yingqi, approached him and whispered something to him before laughing gleefully.

Lu Yingqi remained calm and composed, but Xiaozhi seemed to be provoked. She turned around, and a red light burst forth from her palm, striking Shang Gan's face directly.

Caught off guard, Shang Gan was hit squarely, but he didn't panic.

After all, Xiaozhi was just a mere pageboy; how powerful could his attack be? Shanggan was an adjudicator recognized by the Mirror Palace, and his protective spiritual energy's spontaneous rebound was enough to give Xiaozhi a hard time.

As the red light rushed towards him, Shang Gan even slightly raised his eyebrows, revealing a smile of anticipation for a good show.

"Bang!"

The red light struck Shang Gan's face hard. Shang Gan screamed and flew backward, falling to his back and remaining motionless for a long time.

A deathly silence.

The incident happened so suddenly that none of the cultivators had time to react.

The sect leader was the first to react. He was filled with shock and anger, and unleashed an extremely domineering magical force at Xiaozhi.

The sect leader also possesses the strength of the Nascent Soul stage. If this blow lands, Xiaozhi will inevitably be annihilated.

As the golden light hurtled towards them, a silver light suddenly rose up, a slender and long streak that steadily caught the sect leader's magical power, and the two remained locked in a stalemate in the air.

Everyone looked on in astonishment; it was Lu Yingqi.

Lu Yingqi caught the sect leader's magical power!

Despite only possessing the strength of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, Lu Yingqi was able to withstand the sect leader's magical power with a single move. The higher one's cultivation level, the greater the gap between different realms. Lu Yingqi's ability to withstand the sect leader's magical power can only mean one thing: his strength is greater than that of an ordinary late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

The ruthless cultivators are inherently stronger than other cultivators, and with the added advantage of sword cultivation, it's not surprising that Lu Yingqi is stronger than other cultivators of the same level.

But no one expected him to be this strong!

He was evenly matched with the sect leader, and it was hard to imagine whether those present could have stopped him if he had really gone all out.

As for Shang Gan, no one paid him any attention at this point.

"Sect Master, what are you doing?" Elder Bai asked angrily.

The sect leader's face darkened, and his gaze shifted from Lu Yingqi to Xiaozhi: "What kind of magic did he use just now that was able to break through the protective spiritual power of a Golden Core cultivator?"

Everyone was focused on Lu Yingqi's sword strike that caught the sect leader's spell. Only after the sect leader mentioned it did they turn their attention back to Xiaozhi's attack on Shang Gan earlier.

Indeed, this shouldn't be the case. Shang Gan is at the late stage of the Golden Core realm and is an official appointed by the Mirror Palace to judge others. How could he be so easily defeated by a mere pageboy?

Everyone's attention was once again focused on Xiaozhi.

Just then, Shang Gan was also helped up. His nose was broken, his teeth were chipped, and one of his eyes was bloodshot. He looked terrifying. Xiao Zhi's attacks all hit his vital points.

Two healers continuously cast spells on Shang Gan's face to preserve his eyesight.

Shang Gan was furious. Pointing at the twig, he shouted through a lisp, "Sorcery! It's sorcery!"

Xiao Zhi also seemed stunned, as if he hadn't expected that his casual strike could actually injure Shang Gan. He took a step back, trying to hide behind Lu Yingqi.

Unlike before, Lu Yingqi did not offer Xiaozhi any protection; instead, he gazed at her with a deep look in his eyes.

Xiaozhi silently put her hands behind her back and looked away.

At this moment, the cultivators from Shanggan's side surrounded Xiaozhi, pulling out various magical artifacts and launching an attack.

Rong Xie couldn't stand it any longer: "Elder Bai, are you still not planning to let your beloved disciple attain enlightenment?"

Elder Bai hesitated and said, "But what about that page..."

"Never mind where his magic came from. If he gets caught by someone else, it will only give you more leverage!" Rong Xie warned.

Elder Bai realized what he meant: "That's right! The most important thing now is to get Ying Qi to prove his Dao!"

Having said that, he rose into the air, flicked his sleeve to disperse the attack of Shang Gan's subordinate cultivators, and landed in front of Xiao Zhi and Lu Yingqi.

Elder Bai quickly stabilized the situation. Although Shang Gan was yelling for an explanation, Elder Bai brushed him off with the excuse of "putting the overall situation first."

"Sect Master, the Dao Proving Formation is ready. Shall we begin now?" Elder Bai said aggressively, as if the passive party was someone else, not the Ruthless Dao Palace.

The sect leader remained bewildered, his gaze fixed on Xiaozhi: "He clearly—"

"It's a spell my disciple taught him for self-defense." A figure blocked Xiaozhi's path, completely shielding him.

"Lu Yingqi?" the sect leader asked in confusion, "You were just..."

"This disciple forgot," Lu Yingqi said expressionlessly. "Now I remember."

"..." The sect leader was speechless. Anyone with eyes could see that Lu Yingqi was fooling people.

"Sect Master, are you still going to seek the Dao or not? You can't just abandon the sect's order for the sake of Shang Gan, can you?" Elder Bai sneered, stroking his beard.

Elder Bai retorted the same words to the sect leader and the monk. The sect leader was speechless for a moment, then waved his hand, indicating that Elder Bai could begin.

Under Elder Bai's guidance, the magic array shone brightly and began to rotate.

The light from the magic array shone on Lu Yingqi and Xiaozhi's faces.

Lu Yingqi took the lead and walked steadily into the formation.

Even now, his expression remains calm, as if what he is about to do is as ordinary as eating and drinking.

Rong Xie was facing Lu Yingqi, taking in his expression. For a moment, he didn't know whether to admire Lu Yingqi's high level of understanding or feel sorry for Xiaozhi.

Xiaozhi stood there, staring blankly at Lu Yingqi's retreating figure.

"A monster! He's clearly a monster!"

Behind him, Shang Gan was suffering through treatment while struggling and screaming.

"I can sense that he is a monster; he exudes demonic energy!"

"Do not activate the formation!"

"They're going to let him escape!"

Shang Gan's roar grew louder and louder, and the people around him began to show suspicion as he shouted. Their gazes toward Xiao Zhi were like sharp arrows, as if they wanted to see through his true form and see whether he was a human or a demon.

"Enter the formation quickly!" Elder Bai urged hastily when he saw the sect leader's hesitant expression.

A cacophony of sounds filled her ears, and Xiaozhi closed her eyes.

There is no way back, and moving forward is also an abyss.

The scene of his first meeting with Young Master Qi flashed through his mind.

That might have been even before Young Master Qi knew; he had secretly seen him before he became his page.

"How wonderful it would be if I could become Young Master Qi's page?" he thought at that time.

Then his dream came true, and from then on, every day felt like a dream.

The dream was so beautiful that he didn't want to wake up. He was willing to try any method that could keep it going.

Even if this method, once discovered, would lead to utter ruin.

Dreams always end.

Xiaozhi opened her eyes, and it seemed that all the tears in her eyes had been shed.

He gazed at the familiar figure ahead, and finally, the time for him to wake up from his dream arrived.

A voice, which only he could hear, laughed wildly in his ear.

"You don't think he can protect you forever, do you?"

"You're too naive, Xiaozhi. No one can protect anyone forever. He's protecting you only because it hasn't affected his own interests yet."

"Stop talking," Xiaozhi murmured.

"Ha, even on the verge of death, you're still protecting him?" The voice carried a hint of resentment. "What's so good about a hypocrite like him?"

“He’s not a hypocrite, he just has his own principles.” Xiaozhi looked at Lu Yingqi.

The voice seemed to want to say something more, but Lu Yingqi, standing still in the array in front, turned around and looked at Xiaozhi with a rare hint of worry in his eyes.

The surrounding air became quiet. Xiaozhi stepped into the formation, walking step by step toward his young master, Qilin.

If this is the end, at least it ended with Young Master Qi. Perhaps one day Young Master Qi will ascend to immortality and in that distant heaven, he will occasionally think of him, of the page who accompanied him on his journey and then vanished without a trace.