Chapter 88 The Killing Formation "Is this the Bone Law?"

The dark figure suddenly disintegrated into ashes, and thick smoke carrying the ashes churned in the air like the rolling black clouds on the horizon during a storm.

In Bai Yuan's view, it was more like a struggle to bear the truth after a lie that had been deceiving itself for hundreds of years collapsed.

Her father, mother, siblings, soldiers of Puzhou, and all the people of the city lost their lives because of her mistake. She cannot bear this burden, not even if she dies a thousand or ten thousand times.

She deserves to die, but should be torn to pieces, reduced to ashes, and never be reincarnated.

The Lu family had been loyal and virtuous for generations, and as the daughter of Prefect Lu Heng, she was blessed with the love and care of her parents. How could she not know her father's unyielding spirit and his loyalty to the emperor and his country? Faced with the enemy at the gates, her father, who refused to surrender or retreat, firmly told his subordinates: "The king dies for the state, the officials die for the people, and the soldiers die for the system."

Having been exposed to this from a young age, how could she not understand her father's beliefs: the monarch and the nation should live and die together, officials should live and die together with the people, and the gentry should live and die with the monarch's commands. As the governor of Puzhou, he was determined not to yield an inch of land in the face of the invading bandits, and vowed never to surrender.

It wasn't that their father wanted to send them away from Puzhou back then; rather, he was prepared for the whole family to die for their cause. However, his confidant wanted to protect Lord Lu's family, so he secretly arranged for Guanlan to escort them away.

All of this was caused by her misjudgment, a grave mistake she could not bear, and the Lu family's century-old reputation could not be tarnished by her error.

Fortunately, someone took the blame for her and became the eternal sinner, deserving of everyone's condemnation.

So it wasn't her, it's not her fault, it was all Guanlan's fault, it was Guanlan who betrayed them.

Who would have thought that after hundreds of years, as dust returned to dust, an uninvited group of grave robbers would suddenly arrive and uncover the long-buried truth.

Bai Yuan said, "You caused a great disaster but dared not admit it, so you shifted the blame to others. Guan Lan, who became the scapegoat, died without being able to testify. Did you even believe it yourself and feel much better?"

yes.

The ashes churned and thrashed in the thick black smoke, refusing to give up, unwilling to face the truth, desperately trying to lessen the sin: "If, if we had opened the city gates and surrendered back then, would the soldiers and people of Puzhou have been spared?"

Didn't Prince Jing'an say time and again that he would not slaughter those who surrendered?

"You think the massacre in Puzhou was caused by Lu Heng's refusal to surrender?" Only someone with nothing better to do would make such a pointless assumption. I don't want to judge the scars of history from any angle. "Give you a hundred reasons, can you change the established facts? I don't have time to play along with your self-deception."

Life and death may have their own laws, but it is impossible to prevent humans from courting death in various ways. Especially in times of war, there are countless people who are willing to die, whether they want to restore the country and end war through war, or pursue fame and fortune and make achievements. Everyone is full of lofty ambitions, holding the ambition of "to live as a hero and die as a ghost", and they are willing to shed their blood and sacrifice their lives.

However, the success of one general is built on the bones of countless others, and we can understand this by looking at the founding emperor, Prince Jing'an.

"I can't bear this burden..."

"If you can't bear the burden, then you deserve to die unjustly in Guanlan."

The moment the Twelve Killing Formations suddenly froze, Li Liuyun finally understood the key to the great formation: "Listen to the wind, this yin evil reduced to ashes is the formation spirit!"

As soon as Li Liuyun finished speaking, the thick smoke covered in ash burst into laughter, the sound spreading to every corner.

It was unable to be reborn, and merged with the Jingguan (a mound of corpses), becoming a malevolent spirit in the evil realm, guarding the withered bones of the tens of thousands of soldiers in Puzhou City.

The billowing ash coalesced into a colossal mass, like a twisted, abstract humanoid monster, flowing and crushing towards everyone.

Zhou Yaren waved her folding fan, and it seemed as if wind and thunder were contained within her sleeves, churning out layers of talismanic light that instantly covered the sky and earth, giving the impression of summoning clouds and rain.

The maniacal laughter abruptly ceased, and twisted smoke, shrouded in ash, crashed towards Zhou Yaren's Soul-Slaying Array, accompanied by a low, sighing call: "Guanlan—"

It said, "You don't need to lift a finger; the only one who can kill me is the fire of the sacrificial offering."

Zhou Yaren suddenly froze, and saw sparks appear in the thick smoke. Once ignited, they spread rapidly and fiercely, causing the teenagers in the middle to scatter in all directions.

No one expected this situation to be so unprecedented, that the spirit of the formation would actually self-immolate!

The smoke-smoked boys looked at each other, their bewildered expressions revealing utter disbelief.

In other words, don't be ridiculous, it's a spirit of an array, how could it eliminate itself through its own will?

The sacrificial fire not only burned away the evil spirits, but also reduced the malevolent corpses to ashes.

At the same time, a wisp of black energy flashed between Bai Yuan's brows and disappeared from her forehead like a thread being pulled away. Lin Mu, who happened to turn his head, saw it and stared wide-eyed: "What was that?"

Everyone turned their heads in unison, and Bai Yuan said calmly, "Let's settle some accounts."

Guanlan's injustice was redressed, and the "forced sale" pact between her and the wronged man was dissolved. The lingering grievances against her will naturally dissipate with the underworld proceedings.

As he spoke, Bai Yuan's gaze swept across Zhou Yaren's face.

Lin Mu pressed further, "What accounts were settled?"

"Old grievances."

Well, answering was as good as not answering at all. Lin Mu didn't press the matter. What he cared about most was: "Just now, how did you know so much about that Yin Xie and King Jing'an, so much so that after exposing it, the array spirit burned itself with the fire of the sacrificial ritual?"

To everyone's surprise, the innocent man said, "I don't know."

Lin Mu was surprised, and it took him a while to react: "Are you bluffing it?"

Bai Yuan remained noncommittal, though he had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. Based on this idea, he began his questioning: "If you keep throwing dirty water at her, there will eventually be one that suits her. If none of them suit her, then you can just pin the most wicked insult on her. When she is slandered like this, she will most likely speak without thinking and be eager to refute and prove herself."

Just like the daughter of the prefect, Lu Qianjin, who confessed without being asked.

Lin Mu was amazed and, without realizing it, had already approached Bai Yuan.

Lian Zhao, who was standing to the side, said, "Now that the array spirit has been destroyed, the array should be broken, right?"

Lian Zhao asked this question without much confidence, because they were still in the Jingguan, with countless white bones embedded in the rammed earth walls.

As the lingering stench dissipated, those dark, hollow eye sockets seemed to be silently watching them.

Zhou Yaren said, "Judging from the current situation, the Twelve Killing Formations, which were fraught with danger, have been broken."

"But how come we're still inside the mound of corpses?" They had been swallowed whole by the mound of corpses, with no passageway or entrance to the tomb. As far as the eye could see, it was a mountain of piled-up corpses, with no way in or out. Lin Mu asked, "How do we get out?"

Zhou Yaren remained silent for a moment, sensing the airflow inside and out, in order to find a place to pass through. He stepped directly to one side: "This place is relatively weak. I would like to trouble you young friends to help dig it open."

"Ah, that's right!" If there's no way out, we can dig one. Lin Mu slapped his forehead, realizing he hadn't thought of that, and immediately squatted down with his fellow students to start digging.

Zhou Yaren took the opportunity to retreat a few steps, avoiding everyone's attention, his body swaying unsteadily. He forced down a mouthful of metallic taste rising in his throat, wiped away a little blood from the corner of his mouth, reached into his robes, pulled out a porcelain bottle, and poured out two pills. But just as he opened his mouth, the mouthful of blood he had forced down returned to him.

"You'll know if you listen to the wind!"

"Are you injured?"

Where are you hurt?

Is it serious?

The boys gathered around.

Zhou Yaren waved her hand: "It's nothing serious, just some stagnant blood. You'll feel much better once you spit it out."

Bai Yuan bypassed the group of teenagers, grabbed their swaying wrists, and precisely cut their pulses.

The boys couldn't help but ask, "How is he?"

"I'm really fine." Zhou Yaren tried to pull her hand away, but Bai Yuan's strength increased, and she couldn't break free for a moment.

After a brief standoff, Bai Yuan finally released him and said, "It's alright."

The innocent boys breathed a sigh of relief, told Tingfeng to rest, and squatted back in the corner to dig a path.

Zhou Yaren swallowed the two pills and the blood: "Thank you."

"I think you don't want to die so young, yet you don't value your life at all."

Exhausted, Zhou Yaren laughed upon hearing this: "I was..."

He started speaking and then paused, perhaps feeling that he had no right to blame the other party.

Bai Yuan immediately knew that he meant the incident where she grabbed him to shield him from the knife earlier.

Zhou Yaren thought for a moment, then felt that saying only half of what she meant could easily lead to misunderstanding, so she added, "It's been a lot of trouble."

And it was a long and complicated process, going back and forth for quite a while.

Bai Yuan didn't respond, staring at him as he wiped the blood from his lips: "You..."

Zhou Yaren looked up at her, but waited a long time for what she would say next: "What's wrong with me?"

"It's truly remarkable that I've survived to this day."

Zhou Yaren: "..."

Indeed, it is truly remarkable that he has survived to this day after such a tumultuous life.

Bai Yuan intended to return the law tube to the other party, but he withdrew his outstretched hand midway, and upon closer inspection, he realized: "This is the Bone Law?"

"Um."

"What bone?"

"Crane bones".

Lin Mu was very curious, especially after witnessing the "establishing an image" technique of listening to the wind and using bone law. After his senior brother Liu Yun's explanation, he became very interested in this technique and couldn't help but ask, "Why use crane bones to make pitch pipes? Is there any special significance to it?"

“There is indeed a reason for this,” Zhou Yaren said with a gentle tone when speaking to the young men. “Young friend, have you ever heard of the crane’s cry reaching the heavens?”

"Ah, I've heard that before. What's that line from the Book of Songs in the pre-Qin period?" Lin Mu had a vague impression, but couldn't recall it for a moment. Bai Yuan glanced at the not-so-bright child and helped him out, "The crane cries in the marsh, its voice heard in the heavens."

“Yes, that’s the sentence. I’ve heard it before, but I didn’t remember it.” He has always been someone who has difficulty memorizing texts. He often can’t even remember the Taoist scriptures, but he has to memorize the formulas by rote. Therefore, he is always punished by copying scriptures. His master would say “kindly” that it’s okay, he will remember it after copying it a few more times.

“Cranes have always been revered as celestial birds, dwelling on the ground yet soaring high in the heavens,” Zhou Yaren, who rarely had time to work, watched as several hardworking teenagers dug a path. She explained to them in simple terms, “These are pitch pipes made from the wings of red-crowned cranes. When the wings spread, they generate wind, soaring through the heavens and earth, just like the wind moving between heaven and earth. Therefore, they are also called wind wings. There is a saying, ‘The rooster knows the dawn, the crane knows the midnight.’ It means that the rooster crows at dawn and the crane crows at midnight. The crane’s cry at midnight is exactly at the hour of Zi (11 PM to 1 AM), which is a time when Yin reaches its extreme and Yang begins to emerge. The Yin and Yang energies of heaven and earth exchange and transform at the hour of Zi. Therefore, the ancient sages took the wings from the remains of red-crowned cranes to make pitch pipes. The bone pitch pipes can connect Yin and Yang and connect heaven and earth, ‘creating scenery and establishing images’ in the wind.”

Lin Mu's eyes widened in amazement: "It sounds amazing, it's made from human remains."

He initially thought it was about shooting cranes, plucking their feathers and removing their bones to make bone laws, which was truly a sin.

Lian Zhao asked, "Is this bone scripture something from the ancient sages?"

"Yes. Sages created music to correspond with Heaven and rites to match Earth. Music can follow the two energies of Yin and Yang, follow the nature of the Five Elements, and imitate all things to form a rhythm."

As Zhou Yaren spoke, the bone melody in Bai Yuan's hand suddenly rang out. It was as if she had sent a wisp of yin wind into it on a whim, the sound as thin as silk.

Bai Yuan asked, "What kind of music did I make?"

Zhou Yaren: "..."

Seeing him standing there in a daze, Bai Yuan let in another gust of cold wind and blew on the flute. The sound was really not pleasant to hear. If you had to describe it, it was like a funeral dirge, which was very ominous: "I'm asking you."

Zhou Yaren paused for a moment, then said truthfully, "Dead sound."

Every time she encounters a wronged person, the music she evokes is a death knell.

Upon hearing this, the Taihang Dao youths froze for a moment, their expressions complex, seemingly both surprised and understandable, given the heavy death aura emanating from her.

Bai Yuanhun smiled nonchalantly, casually tossing the law tube to Zhou Yaren. When she turned her head, the still Taihang Road youths all lowered their heads, performing the "do not look at what is improper" act while pretending to be deaf and dumb, earnestly digging in the soil. Their silence spoke volumes, conveying the message that "we didn't hear anything, we didn't hear anything at all." They then changed the subject, showing great tact.

Lian Zhao: "Needless to say, the Jingguan was definitely built by the Prince of Jing'an to ward off the spirits of the soldiers who died."

Another boy was named Yu Heqi. Many of his unreliable fellow disciples on Mount Taihang would call him Shengcai, which together formed the auspicious meaning of "harmony brings wealth".

Yu Heqi said, "Moreover, there must be a highly skilled sorcerer by his side to set up such a grand formation."

Wen Yi: "The pile of corpses forms a Jingguan (a mound of corpses), which is used to determine the evil spirits. The twelve killing formations imprison the murderous aura, and the Yin evil is used as the core of the formation. It can be said that the schemes are extremely elaborate."

Lin Mu: "To be able to set up such a treacherous formation, I think the sorcerer who set it up is also a wicked person, right, Senior Brother Liuyun?"

As Lin Mu spoke, he turned his head to seek agreement.

Li Liuyun, who was observing the mound of corpses with his astrolabe, suddenly turned around when he heard his fellow disciples talking. He caught a key point in their words: "A mound of corpses, a pile of corpses, a pile of corpses..."

Lian Zhao noticed Li Liuyun's serious expression and couldn't help but worry: "Liuyun, what's wrong? Is something the problem?"

Bai Yuan said knowingly, "Accumulated Corpses, you mean the Starry Sky and the Ghostly Spirits, right?"

The Yu Gui is also known as the Gui Su (鬼宿). The "Book of Celestial Offices" records: "The Yu Gui is called the Heavenly Temple, the Heavenly Eye. It is the head and eye of the Vermilion Bird. Those that are white like powder are called the Accumulated Corpses. They are like clouds but not clouds, like stars but not stars, and they are associated with funerals."

Lian Zhao said, "Isn't that a corpse star?"

Human life and death are reflected in the stars, and the way of heaven regards death as ghosts, and the Ghost Constellation is closely related to the spirits of the dead.

It is said that the Ghost Constellation is the abode of the dead and a gathering place for ghosts. In celestial phenomena, the Ghost Constellation does not resemble a star, but rather appears as a hazy, white mist, which is an accumulation of corpses and yin energy, hence its other name, "accumulated corpse energy".

In years of great calamity and disaster, the white mist surrounding the Ghost Constellation will be filled with Yin energy; this is a sign of a change in the stars.

The so-called celestial phenomena reveal good or bad fortune, thus "showing" people that one should observe the heavens to discern the changes of the times.

Therefore, Li Liuyun was accustomed to observing the changes in the stars to see the Heavenly Ring and omens: "Before I entered the gate, I discovered that this place was a fighting burial site, but I was unable to find the key to breaking the formation. This was because I overlooked the fact that the pile of corpses was a Jingguan, which was actually a ghost constellation made up of the death energy of tens of thousands of corpses, called the Corpse Star Fiend Xue, which was suppressed under the fighting formation."

It's like nesting another array within a fighting formation, but he always treated the grand array as a fighting formation, so he never understood its true meaning until Yin Xie self-immolated.

In celestial phenomena, the Ghost Constellation is suppressed beneath the Big Dipper. The character "魁" in "斗魁" (Dou Kui) is derived from celestial phenomena. The character "斗" (Dou) is above the character "鬼" (Gui), thus it can be used to fight and ward off fierce corpses and evil spirits.

Facing the "stares" of thousands of skull eyes, Li Liuyun said, "But this Corpse Star Fiend Cave is clearly a killing formation."

"What?!" Several teenagers exclaimed in unison.

"A master-killing formation?" This also surprised Zhou Yaren. "Are you sure?"

The Killing Master Formation, as the name suggests, is for killing the master who sets up the formation.

Li Liuyun was very certain: "The caster has arranged the Corpse Star and Ghost Star, exhausting the killing intent of the battlefield and gathering it into the blades of swords and spears. The fierce evil is hard to resist and will turn against him. The caster who sets up this formation will surely be killed."

Lian Zhao said, "How is that possible? You mean that sorcerer risked his own life to set up this formation?"

"So the sorcerer died by suicide?" Bai Yuan drew inferences from one instance to another. "No wonder the spirit array he set up would self-immolate; it's all part of the same lineage."

"Ah," Lin Mu exclaimed in disbelief, "it's like this!"