94. Locking the Spirit (Part Six)

◎ A trap. ◎

"You—!" Lou Guan suddenly turned his head and stared at Lou Tinglan, his eyes filled with pain and anger. But when he looked at Lou Tinglan's face, which was extremely similar to Lou Yunya's but was now full of distrust, he choked up.

A century of estrangement has left father and son strangers, let alone with her, the "culprit," by their side.

Lou Yunya smiled gently, a hint of relief in his smile. "Tinglan, although a naturally born spiritual body can serve as the core of the formation, her cultivation is insufficient to support the formation for long. So, you don't need to worry that I will abandon my friend Qinghe after I leave."

"This move is risky, but it is also the only way out."

"Although I created the Spirit Locking Array, only Qian Zhong possesses the most crucial and complete array. Knowing the array's sequence, I can break it."

Seeing that Lou Tinglan still had a tense face and no expression, Ran Qinghe quietly pulled down his sleeve, and then, under the cover of the sleeve, secretly hooked his finger.

Only when that icy face finally showed expression, staring at her in disbelief, did she curl her lips into a smile, withdraw her hand, and continue in a serious tone:

"The Second Elder's method was excellent. It solidified my status as a 'fugitive,' making the situation as big as possible. Ideally, the Discipline Hall would appear eager to arrest and hold me accountable, but secretly remain inactive."

"In that case, Qianzhong will have no choice but to intervene and try to find me. That will be the opportunity."

"Furthermore, I believe that if even a trace of me were to be released, the other four sects would not only fail to assist Qingxiao, but would secretly help him hide."

After all, the four sect leaders, especially Lin Ge, initially wanted to use her to stir up trouble in Qingxiao.

Lou Tinglan remained silent, gripping the Tranquil Heart Sword tightly in her hand. The scabbard was slightly cool, which eased the burning sensation in her palm.

"Second Elder... Father." He looked up, his gaze intense. "I will be ordered to apprehend the fugitive, but I will also protect those I wish to protect."

Even if it's standing in front of your closest loved ones...

For a moment, Lou Guan seemed to see through him the same stubborn young man from over a hundred years ago: "Alright... I will keep a close eye on Qian Zhong's movements and search for the location of the array diagram."

Lou Yunya nodded slightly: "The Tranquil Heart Sword retains a wisp of my divine consciousness, which may be of assistance to you at critical moments. However, the Spirit Locking Array has been in operation for a hundred years, and its entanglement with my soul has deepened day by day. Although I try my best to maintain my clarity, the array's erosion of me is also intensifying."

“If in the end… there is no solution,” he looked at Ran Qinghe, “young friend, you should leave this place quickly and not force yourself.”

Ran Qinghe seemed not to hear her, and only asked, "How should the array core be taken over, and what preparations do I need to make?"

Lou Yunya: "When you stand where I am now, the chains will sense the new innate spirit body. But the process is extremely painful. You need to use your own spiritual power as a guide to withstand the huge impact of the array and the spiritual veins. If you are not careful, your meridians may be completely shattered."

"I understand." Ran Qinghe nodded, her face showing no fear, but rather a calm eagerness to try.

Three days later.

The Discipline Hall issued an arrest warrant, accusing cultivator Ran Qinghe of destroying the Qingxiao Spirit Vein and escaping from the Tongtian Tower Prison during his trial. Anyone who provides clues or assists in the arrest will be rewarded with 10,000 high-grade spirit stones.

Meanwhile, Lou Tinglan, the chief disciple of the Discipline Hall, personally led a team to block several immortal boat passages within the realm, continuously expanding the search area and causing a great uproar.

Inside the Qingxiao Sect, Qianzhong sat on the throne, listening to his disciples report on the actions of the Discipline Hall.

"Without Lou Yunya, the Discipline Hall is truly useless now. Even a Nascent Soul stage disciple can make people escape."

The disciple Mingyu, who was bowing his head below, replied, "If Ran Qinghe escapes, it's not a big deal. We can just spend some effort to catch her again. It's just that I'm worried..."

Qianzhong said, "Speak."

“Ran Qinghe originally intended to destroy the Qingxiao Spirit Vein. Now that she has escaped from prison, she is very likely to target the spirit vein again. Therefore, I think it would be better to send disciples to be stationed at the spirit vein first.”

After a moment's thought, Qianzhong said, "Yes."

"However, our sect has many spiritual veins, and we may not have enough disciples. Therefore, we would appreciate the sect leader's guidance on whether to send disciples to guard the key spiritual veins first."

Qian Zhong said, "I understand. You may step back for now. I will draw the nodes of the important spiritual veins later. You can then send more disciples according to the map."

Mingyu followed his instructions and retreated to the outside of the palace.

Inside the hall, Qianzhong stood up, walked to the wall behind him, unlocked the complex restrictions, and went straight into a secret room.

The secret chamber was empty, but the walls were covered with the distribution of the spiritual veins of the five sects, densely covered with golden runes, so intricate that they were dazzling. It was the complete diagram of the Spirit Locking Array.

At the core of the formation, the "eye of the formation," the light solidified, vaguely outlining a seated human figure.

Qianzhong's gaze fell on the core of the formation, a hint of fervor flashing in his eyes.

"A naturally born spiritual body, only one Lou Yunya appears once every thousand years, but unexpectedly, another one, Ran Qinghe, has come knocking on our door."

"If the Discipline Hall wants to arrest someone, it depends on who ends up with them."

*

"Reporting to the Second Elder, the map of the spiritual veins is indeed on Sect Leader Qian. I waited outside the hall for a short while before Sect Leader Qian summoned me back into the hall and handed me a map showing my assigned positions."

Mingyu explained everything in detail.

Lou Guan took the drawing from Ming Yu and affirmed, "It is indeed almost finished. Looking at it now, we should be able to determine the location. Thank you."

Mingyu waved his hand repeatedly, looked at Lou Tinglan beside him, and said, "Second Elder, there's no need for thanks. I only asked because Junior Brother Tinglan asked me for help. But, I wonder what Second Elder's purpose is in wanting this spiritual vein distribution map?"

"Sect Leader Qian...my master..."

Lou Tinglan said, "Grandpa made some mistakes, and someone has to correct them for him."

Although Mingyu was completely confused, she nodded reluctantly based on her trust in Lou Tinglan.

Lou Yunya only appeared after Mingyu left.

Lou Tinglan said solemnly, "Father, Second Elder, since we know the location of the spiritual vein, it would be better to lure the tiger away from the mountain directly, which would be the best strategy."

“By planting a mountain-exploding talisman in advance at the spiritual vein, and then detonating the talisman, Qian Zhong will definitely detect the fluctuations in the spiritual vein immediately. Then, in order to capture Ran Qinghe, he will definitely go there in person.”

"Father can then venture deep into the Azure Sky Palace to search for the array diagram of the Spirit Locking Array. If there is no trace of spiritual power associated with the array diagram in the palace, I will also set a trap at the spiritual vein to lure you into it."

Lou Guan and Lou Yunya exchanged a glance and both felt that the plan was feasible.

Lou Guan pondered for a moment and said, "Qian Zhong attaches great importance to the spiritual veins. He will personally come if there is any unusual activity. However, the arrangement and timing of the mountain-blasting talisman need to be extremely precise."

Lou Tinglan said, "I will place the talisman at the key point to create a sufficiently intense fluctuation of spiritual energy, but not to the point of truly damaging the spiritual veins."

Lou Yunya, who had been silent all along, added: "Tinglan is thoughtful, but Qianzhong is suspicious. Ordinary fluctuations may not be enough to make him go all out. He needs to believe that it is Qinghe who is willing to risk everything to blow up the mountain."

Lou Guan added, "With your strength alone, you can't defeat a thousand men. I'll stand with you."

It was late at night, on the 81st peak outside the Qingxiao Sect.

Their shadows merged into the valley.

Lou Tinglan moved with lightning speed, holding several mountain-blasting talismans between her fingertips, and precisely affixed them to the weak points in the flow of spiritual veins according to the blueprints provided by Qian Zhong.

The talisman glowed briefly the moment it touched the rock face, then disappeared, blending into the rock.

Then he said, "About Father..."

Lou Guan said, "Although your father's soul is unstable, his innate spiritual body makes him unmatched in his ability to sense spiritual energy. As long as Qianzhong leaves the main hall, he will definitely be able to find the location of the array diagram."

"Furthermore, I have already set up a binding array around the Discipline Hall. If your father cannot detect it, he will trap Qianzhong."

The two retreated to a distant ridge, just as dawn was breaking.

Lou Tinglan's eyes sharpened. She summoned the Tranquil Mind Sword, pointed it from afar, and unleashed a rain of sword energy, accurately targeting the location of the Mountain-Exploding Talisman.

"Boom—"

A series of muffled explosions came from inside the mountain, the earth trembled, and bursts of white light suddenly erupted in the valley. The originally steady flow of the earth's spiritual energy was stirred into a violent upheaval by the impact.

Inside the Qingxiao Sect, Qianzhong opened his eyes almost the instant he sensed the fluctuations in the spiritual veins. He quickly flashed to the high sky outside the hall and looked towards the direction of the chaotic spiritual energy in the distance.

There was no panic on his face, but rather a confident smile: "Ran Qinghe, you really couldn't hold back and are courting death!"

Without hesitation, he headed straight for the spot where the spiritual vein had exploded.

In the valley, the smoke and dust had not yet dissipated, and the spiritual energy was in complete disarray.

The thousand bells hung in mid-air, the wide sleeves of the sect leader's robe billowing in the morning breeze. His divine sense spread out like a net, instantly capturing a figure rapidly fleeing below.

"Still trying to leave?" Qian Zhong sneered, raising his hand to strike the figure in the back.

However, just as the palm strike was about to reach its target, a cold sword light suddenly attacked him.

Dressed in white with a cold expression, it was Lou Tinglan.

The original figure of "Ran Qinghe" had slowly dissipated, leaving only a lifelike puppet substitute.

"It's you." Qianzhong looked at his grandson, whom he had watched grow up, but who now held a sword against him, and said angrily, "Tinglan, are you now going to become my enemy for Ran Qinghe's sake?"

Having missed his first strike, Lou Tinglan raised his hand and swung his sword again: "I am not an enemy, but to set things right. Grandfather, please stop."

"Set things right? Tinglan, it seems your grandfather has been too lenient with you all these years. A mere Nascent Soul cultivator dares to bring up right and wrong in front of me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying pressure from the late stage of the Integration Realm crashed down on Lou Tinglan like a mountain.

At that moment, even the pebbles turned into dust.

Lou Tinglan grunted, not retreating a step. The Tranquil Sword in her hand emitted a clear hum, and the spiritual power overflowing from the sword even seemed to be resisting the oppressive force.

At the critical moment, a figure attacked Qianzhong from behind with even greater speed.

However, Qianzhong noticed the sword strike and it ended up piercing his arm.

"Lou Guan?!" Qian Zhong was furious.

Now that things have come to this, how could he not understand that everything before him was a trap set specifically for him?