95. Locking the Spirit (Part Seven)

The so-called Great Way is nothingness.

A fierce glint appeared in Qian Zhong's eyes. He shook off Lou Guan's longsword, then unleashed a palm strike with his other hand, asking, "Second Elder, what is the meaning of this?"

"Could it be that the Discipline Hall is preparing to become an enemy of Qingxiao?"

Lou Guan said coldly, enunciating each word clearly: "When Sect Leader Qian trapped my senior brother in the Spirit Locking Array for a hundred years, he should have expected this day to come."

Upon hearing this, Qianzhong's expression changed drastically. "You found out?"

However, in an instant, his expression returned to normal. So what if they discovered it? Without him, they still couldn't break the formation.

He readily admitted, "I remember Elder Lou Er once said that it wouldn't matter if one or two people were sacrificed for the sake of the Great Dao. Why can't that sacrifice be made by Lou Yunya?"

“And you,” Qianzhong turned to Lou Tinglan, “Since you came to Qingxiao when you were young, I have taught you with great care, but what about you?”

"Is this how my dear grandson treats his grandfather?"

Lou Tinglan unleashed dozens of sword strikes at Qian Zhong, demanding in a stern voice, "You killed my mother and imprisoned my father. Have you ever shown even the slightest bit of kinship to anyone like this!"

The sword energy surged, instantly forcing Qian Zhong to retreat half a step.

"Overestimating yourself!" Qian Zhong rolled up his sleeves, and his powerful spiritual energy transformed into a gale, shattering Lou Tinglan's sword momentum. The remaining force of the spiritual energy slammed into Lou Tinglan's chest.

"Wasn't your mother's death orchestrated by the Second Elder, who was right beside you?"

He replied with a cold laugh.

Lou Tinglan's pupils trembled slightly, and Qian Zhong continued, "The one who started this should be her! She cast a true mantra on Qian Jibu, controlling him, which is why there are these so-called divination results."

Lou Tinglan looked at Lou Guan in disbelief, but Lou Guan seemed to have been told right away, and simply lowered his head slightly, remaining silent and offering no rebuttal.

"After your father disappeared, all the elders in the Discipline Hall who wanted to vie for the position of Hall Master were all cursed by her and thrown into the Tower of Babel!"

"Even your mother, who has become a vengeful spirit..."

"Second Elder, is there even the slightest mistake in what I said?"

Lou Guan opened his mouth, about to explain something, when Qian Zhong's palm struck unexpectedly.

Lou Guan's cultivation was already half a realm lower than Qian Zhong's, so he couldn't dodge in time and could only block the attack head-on with his sword.

"puff--"

Blood mist spewed out from the gate, and she was struck by the palm, like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the mountain wall, even shattering the rocks.

Lou Tinglan reacted immediately, raising her sword to firmly block Qian Zhong's pressing palm strike.

A strange mix of emotions flashed in Qian Zhong's eyes: "Ting Lan, I watched you grow up. We are connected by blood. I don't want to cripple you with my own hands."

"Do you know that I did all this for the sake of the entire cultivation world?"

"For over a thousand years, why has no one in this realm successfully ascended to immortality? Have you ever thought about this?"

Lou Tinglan made no response, but calmly led Qianzhong towards the binding array that Lou Guan had set up in advance.

Qian Zhong lamented, "The weak are not worthy of enjoying the spiritual energy within the realm, let alone those mortals. They may only be able to glimpse the bottleneck of the Golden Core realm in their entire lives."

“But we are different from them. I am only one step away from ascending to the Great Dao, while you have already reached the Nascent Soul Realm in just over a hundred years and are on the verge of ascension.”

"I don't need it."

Lou Tinglan wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and the Tranquil Heart Sword emitted a deep clang. On the blade, the faint light of the divine consciousness left behind by Lou Yunya appeared.

Qianzhong said with a heavy heart, "Fine! Fine! Fine! Since you are so stubborn, then you shall accompany your father and become nourishment for the great formation!"

The spiritual energy around him condensed into thousands of swords, which rushed straight towards Lou Tinglan's dantian like a storm.

If this attack hits, it will destroy all cultivation, resulting in death and the annihilation of one's spiritual essence.

However, just as the sword was about to touch him, golden light suddenly appeared beneath Qianzhong's feet. The binding net spread out in an overwhelming manner, trapping Qianzhong and the solidified sword force firmly in the center.

"You...!" Qian Zhong was shocked, only then realizing that he had been unknowingly led into Lou Tinglan's trap.

The fight with Qianzhong had exhausted almost all of Lou Tinglan's spiritual power. He was so weak that he knelt on the ground, supporting himself only with the Tranquil Heart Sword.

"Grandpa...stop it." Lou Tinglan still felt a warmth in his heart for his grandfather and master who had taught him swordsmanship and martial arts since he was a child.

Qian Zhong scoffed and retorted, "Stop?"

"Do you know why the five sects have become so powerful? It's all thanks to the Spirit Locking Array I set up. From the elders to the disciples, everyone in the five sects has benefited from this array. You want me to stop?"

"Tinglan...you're being far too naive..."

"Do you dare to go and ask around the Five Sects, and see if they share your righteousness and are willing to share spiritual energy with the mortals of Mortal Valley and even the Mortal Realm?"

Before Lou Tinglan could answer, Qian Zhong, trapped in the center of the golden net, closed his eyes and concentrated, his aura instantly subsiding.

wrong.

Lou Tinglan had a vague premonition of something.

The golden net of the Discipline Hall restricts the flow of spiritual energy. The more the trapped person tries to activate their spiritual energy, the tighter the net will tighten until it completely seals off their spiritual veins.

Instead of resisting, Qianzhong completely suppressed the surging spiritual power around him.

"He's trying to activate the spirit-locking array beneath the spiritual vein!"

Lou Guan, who had collapsed among the rubble on the mountainside, struggled to his feet and shouted hoarsely:

"Tinglan, step back!"

boom!

With a deafening roar, the entire valley shook violently as the golden light binding the golden net clashed fiercely with the spiritual energy drawn from the spirit-locking array.

As the two forces clashed, the golden light began to crack at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Qian Zhong stood in the center of the golden net, his white hair dancing wildly, his sleeves fluttering in the wind, his eyes filled with a desperate madness.

"See that? Tinglan, this is the power of the Spirit Locking Array! Do you really think those old fogies from various sects are completely ignorant? They're just enjoying the abundant spiritual energy brought by the Spirit Locking Array, pretending not to see the desolation of the mortal realm!"

As the golden net crumbled inch by inch, Qianzhong slowly raised his hand. "Since you are unwilling to ascend the Great Road with me, then go and accompany your mother."

The spiritual power that surged instantly in his palm attacked Lou Tinglan, who was kneeling on the ground, without hesitation.

Suddenly, a green shadow appeared between the two.

Without a devastating collision, the earth-shattering power vanished silently, like a mud ox sinking into the sea, before a slender, slightly pale palm.

The mountain breeze seemed to have stopped.

The dust and mist slowly dissipated, revealing a face that bore a five or six-point resemblance to Lou Tinglan, yet appeared more weathered and serene.

Louyun Cliff.

He stood there, his figure appearing somewhat frail due to a century of confinement, yet he exuded an indescribable aura, as if subtly connected to the spiritual veins beneath his feet.

The spiritual power controlled by Qianzhong seemed to have found its master, and it all turned into his palm.

“A thousand zhong,” Lou Yunya said, his voice carrying a weight that seemed to have pierced through a century, “is enough.”

All the expressions on Qian Zhong's face froze the moment he saw Lou Yunya, turning into extreme shock.

"You...how could you possibly escape the core of the Soul-Locking Array?!"

In a flash, he suddenly began cursing, "You're gone, what about my great formation? What about it!"

Lou Yunya didn't answer his question, but turned around and helped Lou Tinglan up from behind him. "Can you hold on?"

Lou Tinglan asked first, "Is there a way to break the Spirit-Locking Array?"

Lou Yunya nodded.

Qian Zhong's eyes shifted rapidly, and he suddenly sneered, "Lou Yunya, I now control the Spirit Locking Array. Even if you come out, what can you do?"

"Moreover, the spiritual energy of the five sects now depends on this formation. If you want to destroy this formation, aren't you afraid of becoming an enemy of the five sects?"

Lou Yunya's gaze calmly passed over him, landing on the trembling earth beneath his feet, and on the magnificent Qingxiao Sect in the distance, its halls shrouded in the spiritual energy of the Spirit Locking Array.

Behind him, Lou Tinglan struggled to her feet and stood shoulder to shoulder with Lou Yunya:

"Is that so? If they knew that you wanted to use Ran Qinghe's innate spiritual body to modify the Spirit Locking Array and plunder the spiritual energy of the other four sects, I wonder what their reaction would be?"

"The so-called Great Way is nothing more than your own selfish desires."

Lou Yunya gave Lou Tinglan a deep look, his eyes filled with undisguised amazement.

Even he only learned of Lou Tinglan's ability to deduce the truth on his own after seeing the array diagram in the secret room.

Then, Lou Yunya stared intently at Qian Zhong, "This formation was originally created for balance and protection. Now you have twisted it into a tool for plunder. It's time... to return to its original form."

The moment he finished speaking, a deep and powerful surge of spiritual energy quietly spread out from him.

Qianzhong tried to regain control of the formation, only to find that it was slowly dissipating!

"No... Impossible! I am the master of the formation, I have devoted a hundred years of my life to it..." Qianzhong lost his dignity and roared.

His hands began frantically forming hand seals, attempting to re-establish his connection with the great formation.

However, the spirit-locking array seemed to have recognized its true home, and its strands, like rivers flowing into the sea, disappeared from the spot as Lou Yunya's spiritual energy flowed.

Lou Yunya looked at Qian Zhong, who was struggling in vain, and said with pity, "You imprisoned me at the core of the formation for a hundred years, using me as an anchor to stabilize the formation, but you also allowed me to glimpse the deepest principles of its operation."

"Since you believe that spiritual energy should be collected by the Five Sects, then go and experience for yourself how a mortal can forge a path to heaven."

Beneath Qianzhong's feet, a remnant of the spirit-locking array gradually emerged.

"Lou Yunya!" Qian Zhong already sensed something was amiss.

Those born with a spiritual body can be trapped in a spirit-locking array by replenishing their spiritual energy with the spiritual energy of the mortal world. This is why Qian Zhong trapped Lou Yunya at the core of the array.

However, if one is not born with a spiritual body, being trapped in a spirit-locking array means one can only wait in despair for all the spiritual power in one's body to be drained and exhausted by the spirit-locking array.

At this moment, every drop of spiritual power flowing from his body was accompanied by the shattering of his Dao foundation and the drop in his cultivation level.

The oppressive aura emanating from him began to rapidly diminish, his skin lost its luster at a visible speed, becoming covered with wrinkles, his figure became hunched, and even his eyes, which always shone with ambition, quickly became cloudy and dim.

Qianzhong desperately tried to activate his remaining spiritual power, but it only accelerated the loss of spiritual power.

The once high and mighty Qingxiao Sect Leader now collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at the sky. His dantian was empty, his meridians were stagnant and depleted, all his centuries of arduous cultivation and his ambition for immortality were gone.

...Everything came to nothing.