Daoyuan

"I'm not going. My injury hasn't fully healed yet. I want to sleep." Ji Wang walked along the corridor, gazing at the darkening night outside, muttering to himself with an air of self-righteousness.

But she was walking so fast and quick that her clothes were billowing in the wind, and Bu Jiu beside her had to quicken his pace just to keep up.

"Finish it early so you can go to bed early." He quickly added, as if trying to justify himself.

He wasn't like this just now.

Before the incense stick had burned, Ji Wang, with his hair still wet, sidled up to Bu Jiu, who was reading a book, and tried every trick in the book to get the other to dry it for him.

Unable to bear his antics any longer, Bu Jiu had just picked up a cloth when Xun Jing's urgent telepathic message arrived—

Disciples at Yinchen Temple, while dealing with the ruins, discovered new traces of an array deep within the crumbling walls. After extensive comparison, they found an extremely high degree of similarity to the core array used by Yue Yuan three hundred years ago. Preliminary investigations of ancient texts pointed to a shared origin, indicating an urgent situation.

Ji's laziness and petty thoughts vanished instantly. He quickly dried his hair and headed straight for the council hall.

The council chamber was brightly lit, and just as we reached the door, a muffled thud came from inside.

That's the sound of a hand slamming hard onto a hardwood tabletop; the force is so strong it hurts to hear.

Ji Wang's eyebrows furrowed instantly: "My desk..." He said, and was about to push the door open.

As soon as he pushed the door open a crack, Bu Jiu grabbed his wrist and whispered, "Listen first."

Inside the hall, Gui Tiao practically propped one long leg up on the table in front of him, leaning forward with undisguised anxiety on his face, raising his voice at the person opposite him:

"What do you mean by that? Do you think the records in our sect's ancient library, passed down for a thousand years, could be false?!"

Across from him, You Hang sat upright with his arms crossed. Although his voice was not as loud as Gui Tiao's, it was clear and distinct: "When did I say that the ancient books were fake? Fellow Daoist Gui Tiao, please do not misunderstand me. I mean that the records in the ancient books are only for reference. Which of the teachers here personally experienced that great battle three hundred years ago?"

She looked around and, seeing no one respond, continued, "Since no one has personally witnessed the complete formation from back then, how can we easily conclude that the two are 'of the same origin' based solely on the descriptions on the tattered pages? This matter is of great importance, and naturally we must wait for Sect Leader Ji and Lord Bujiu to personally examine it before discussing it further!"

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait! All you do is wait!" Gui Tiao's temper flared even more, and he was about to slam his fist on the table again.

"Alright, you two, calm down first," Xun Jing's voice came in at the right time.

He stood slightly off-center between the two, raising his hand in a downward gesture: "Arguing now is pointless. No one questions the authenticity and value of the ancient text. Since we've already sent people to invite Sect Leader Ji and Lord Bujiu, perhaps we should..."

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of the door being pushed open drew everyone's attention.

The room fell silent instantly. Gui Tiao pulled his legs back from the table, and You Hang loosened his arms.

Ji Wang stood at the intersection of light and shadow, the "reluctance" on his face long gone, leaving only the composure of someone in charge.

His gaze swept over everyone in the room, finally settling on the ancient scrolls spread out on the central table: "It seems we've arrived at the perfect time. Who can explain the situation to me and Bu Jiu from the beginning?"

After listening to Gui Tiao's still angry description, Ji Wang took the array structure diagrams handed to him by Xun Jing, his gaze sweeping over the intricate lines and nodes inch by inch. The air in the council hall seemed to gradually freeze as he scrutinized the diagrams.

After a long pause, he raised his head, his face showing no panic, but rather as if he had confirmed something troublesome. His tone was excessively calm: "Hmm, I understand. Not bad."

He paused, and under the focused gaze of everyone, gave his conclusion: "It's that formation."

Bu Jiu's brow furrowed suddenly: "?"

Ji Wang spread the blueprints out on the table, picked up a pen, and circled several patterns: "This one that Yinchen Temple recently discovered can be basically confirmed to be the foundation of the formation that Yueyuan used three hundred years ago. But it has been 'completed'."

He raised his eyes, looked at Bu Jiu, and then swept his gaze over Xun Jing and the others: "Back then, I was able to find the slightest stagnation and flaw in the operation of the formation, which prevented him from succeeding, but this one—"

His fingers traced the interlocking, near-perfect circuits on the blueprint: "Each node is seamlessly connected, designed as multiple closed loops. Attacking one point will redirect the force to other parts, and may even be reflected back."

He gently put down his pen: "What we see now is merely a remnant of the formation. Once it is fully deployed and operational, I cannot say for sure what changes it will undergo."

Ji Wang rubbed his temples: "Simply put, the previous version was a powerful cage with gaps to squeeze into. This one is a solid, impenetrable wall. Once I step into it and am captured and locked in, I'm afraid I won't even have another chance to end my own life."

The hall was deathly silent.

"Since it's a formation set up by humans, there's no reason it shouldn't be broken." Bu Jiu's voice rang out in the silence, breaking the oppressive atmosphere. "Even the most impenetrable walls have cracks left during casting. If you really can't find them—"

He paused briefly, his gaze meeting Ji Wang's.

"At worst, we'll just melt the whole thing down."

Ji Wang met his gaze, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. He saw the unwavering resolve in Bu Jiu's eyes and understood the price behind it.

He wanted to say, "Don't risk your life for me," or "Easier said than done," but when he met Shang Bujiong's unwavering gaze, he swallowed those words.

In the end, he simply echoed Na Bujiu's words, saying, "You're right. If we can't find it, then we'll break its bones and drain its blood. The array is set up by people, and the spiritual energy is supplied by people; it will eventually run out. How can that not be considered a flaw?"

Upon hearing this, Gui Tiao was clearly unsure of his own abilities: "We can do it—"

Before the final syllable of "到" had even finished, a cough came from in front of him.

You Hang was looking at him, his eyes full of reproach. He choked, swallowing back the hesitant and uncertain "ma" that had already slipped to the tip of his tongue.

He straightened his back and spoke again, "We can do it!"

The atmosphere in the hall eased slightly as a result. Ji Wang smiled and continued, "Indeed, the three of you are our trump cards."

He paused briefly to make sure every word was heard clearly: "Last night, you did not truly reveal your strength in front of Ling Gu and Yue Yuan. They could not fathom your true strength, nor did they know the extent of your sect's determination to intervene in this matter. This uncertainty made them hesitant to act rashly and dare not launch a full-scale attack immediately."

He leaned forward slightly, meeting the gazes of the three in turn, and said earnestly, "Therefore, I need you to return to your respective sects as soon as possible and report everything you have seen here. If your sects possess ancient secret techniques or methods to break the closed loop of spiritual energy flow... please do your utmost to obtain them."

All three nodded solemnly, knowing full well the heavy responsibility entrusted to them.

After a moment of contemplation, You Hang asked the question that had been lingering in everyone's minds for a long time: "Sect Leader Ji, there is still one thing I don't understand. What exactly does the person behind the scenes want? Even if they obtain your innate Dao Source, can they really ascend to the heavens in one step and stand above all living beings?"

Ji Wang leaned back: "The innate Dao source is the purest and most righteous origin of heaven and earth, and it has the function of resonance and control. If he were to completely merge with and control it using evil methods, then all the demons and monsters in the world might be attracted by this power and even be forced to obey his commands."

Upon hearing this, Xun Jing's eyes flashed with thought: "You mean... if you were willing, you could actually control the demons right now using the Dao Source?"

Ji Wang did not immediately deny it: "The Dao Source of this life has not been completely tamed yet, but perhaps it is worth a try."

As he spoke, he naturally extended his palm upwards towards Bu Jiu.

Bu Jiu was clearly taken aback, not expecting that this sudden demonstration would be directed at him, and was stunned for a moment.

Under everyone's gaze, he merely pursed his lips, with a hint of "what's going on now?" in his eyes, and placed half of his hand on top.

The next moment, an extremely gentle and pure aura flowed out from Ji Wang, not by force, but more like a resonant pull.

Bu Jiu's hand paused slightly, feeling his entire arm, and even half of his body, locked in by that aura. Even the drooping fox ears on his head stood up uncontrollably.

He was about to speak in condemnation when Ji Wang withdrew his power and seized Bu Jiu's hand before he could pull it back.

He turned to the three of them, shook the hand he was holding with Bu Jiu, and said in a relaxed tone, "You see, I could even control the Ghost King for a moment. With a little effort, the others should be able to as well."

The three of them blurted out almost simultaneously, their voices unusually unified: "Nobody wants to see you demonstrate like this!"

Xun Jing raised his hand and pressed his throbbing temples, his usually composed face filled with "this is inappropriate" and "I can't bear to look."

Ji Wang was taken aback by the chorus of accusations, then chuckled, a smile tinged with self-righteousness: "What? Isn't this the most direct and effective way to explain?"

Upon hearing this, Bu Jiu turned his face away and glared fiercely at Ji Wang.

Xun Jing took a deep breath and forcefully steered the conversation back on track: "We... understand Sect Leader Ji's abilities. This matter is of great importance, so please use it with extreme caution, and... be mindful of the occasion." He spoke the last four words with particular emphasis.

Only after the three bowed and left did Ji Wang breathe a sigh of relief: "The matter is settled then. The sect's communication and requests for assistance will rely on the three of them. As for that ancient formation, Huaiqing and you and I will need to study it together. As for the rest... we don't need them to worry about it too much for now."

Bu Jiu nodded, seemingly already deducing the structure of the array. He was just about to turn and leave this brightly lit place to find a quiet place to ponder alone when Ji Wang suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Ji Wang's fingers tightened slightly. He looked up at Bu Jiu, who had stopped moving, and the composure he had shown in front of everyone vanished instantly, revealing the deep-seated worry beneath: "When you said you wanted to 'melt' that formation, I knew what you were thinking."

He stood up and took a step closer: "That kind of foolish thing... I've done it once, that's enough. It must never happen again, especially not with you."