"The eye of the formation--"
Ning Ning leaned against the tree trunk, twisted a strand of scattered black hair around her fingers, and stared at the waterfall below her feet in a daze: "Where would the eye of the formation be?"
She couldn't think of an answer, and with some distress, she spread all the long hair on her fingertips, and pointed at Pei Ji with her toes: "Pei Ji, do you have any ideas?"
Ning Ning didn't like to call him "little junior brother", always felt that the name was easier to pronounce, but Pei Ji himself was very obedient and seemed to have never called her "Ning Ning" once.
This time was no exception.
"Senior sister."
He still had the same cold face that had never changed for thousands of years. If he was born in the 21st century, he might be mistaken for facial muscle stiffness after taking too much Botox.
Pei Ji's tone was similar to his expression, "We know very little about the secret realm. Everything I can think of is nonsense to you."
"How could that be!"
She couldn't bring herself to undermine her junior brother's self-confidence, so she stepped forward and stood up straight from her body leaning against the tree, "Just tell me what you think, we'll discuss it together!"
Pei Ji seemed to sigh quietly, "First, the center of the formation must be very hidden, and it won't be easily thought of by others; second, according to the "General Principles of Formation", the center of the formation is usually closely related to the attributes of the formation, and the water mirror formation... the key lies in the water, or the mirror."
He said expressionlessly, and as he spoke, he watched Ning Ning's expression change from expectation to "Oh, so that's it." Finally, he said, "I know this too." After
finishing his words, Pei Ji actually raised his eyebrows, which was unusual for him, and still maintained his gaze with Ning Ning, with a hint of waiting for a good show.
Translated into plain language, it means "Look, look, I told you a long time ago, but you still don't believe it."
Ningning's fight failed, and he knew her thoughts clearly. She coughed lightly knowing that she was in the wrong: "This is not nonsense at all, this is called telepathy, we thought of the same thing, how great."
Chengying only listened to the key words and giggled when she heard it: "She said you two are in tune with each other!"
She could not hear Chengying's chattering, and continued to analyze patiently: "If it is related to water, there are so many rivers and lakes in the secret realm, we can't rule them out one by one - but if you want to talk about special things, except for this waterfall where no mirror ghosts appear, it seems that all the water bodies everywhere are the same."
Qiao Yan explained to her before that the reason why the waterfall was not disturbed by mirror ghosts was because the fox clan needed water to survive, so when arranging the formation, they deliberately doubled the spiritual power here.
When Qin Niang mentioned the waterfall, the first place that flashed through Ning Ning's mind was this place. So after saying goodbye to the former, she quickly came here with Pei Ji.
However, she came here with great expectations, but she was disappointed. She turned the waterfall up and down, but didn't see any cat stuff.
Ning Ning stood on the top of the mountain in frustration, looking at the torrent rushing down not far away, and couldn't help frowning: "Speaking of mirrors, there doesn't seem to be any particularly eye-catching mirrors in the secret realm... We still have too few clues."
They had just arrived in the secret realm not long ago, and they hadn't even seen the true appearance of the Demon Lord Qi Han. With only a little information at present, it was difficult to infer anything useful.
——The only one who can provide clues about the formation is the missing Demon Lord. However, if the two of them run into him, they may have to say goodbye to this beautiful world before they can break the formation.
"I can't think of it."
Ning Ning was a little frustrated: "How about we go directly into the water and go to the other side of the formation to have a look?"
Pei Ji was about to nod in response, but suddenly he paused, drew his sword, and pointed the tip of the sword directly at the quiet jungle beside him.
The sky was clear and cloudless, and the dim yellow moon was dim and blurry, like a rough frosted glass, which was not clear no matter how you looked at it.
The moonlight sprinkled on the treetops, reflecting the dark and quiet night. The wind blew through the branches of the trees, causing the leaves to rustle. The reflections on the ground looked like ferocious demons, waiting for their prey with their bloody mouths wide open.
All around them was the roar of the waterfall. Although it was already a summer night, Ningning felt a bone-chilling chill. The invisible pressure was like broken ice chips, quietly spreading and growing in the air. When it touched her body, it was like ice cubes pressing down hard.
She heard a low laugh from the trees.
Then a figure slowly moved forward, passing through the shadows of the trees that were surging like a dark tide, and walked leisurely to them.
That was a young man Ning Ning had never seen before. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and was tall and sturdy. At first glance, he looked like an unshakable hill.
Even if he didn't speak, the strong spiritual pressure emanating from his body was enough to make her alert and she reflexively took a defensive posture.
"The weather is nice tonight, the sky and the moon are beautiful, right?"
The man smiled in a good mood, looked up at the night sky with interest, and then took a quick look at the two swordsmen in front of him, raised his eyebrows provocatively: "I heard...you are looking for the eye of the formation? How is the progress?"
He smiled strangely, and his whole body was full of hostility from the inside out, not to mention that the double triangles were slightly raised, and he looked fierce and cruel at first glance.
This must be the Demon Lord Qi Han.
Pei Ji still maintained the action of drawing his sword to confront, and without explanation, he gently pulled Ning Ning behind him with his left hand.
"At this time, you still want to protect this little girl?"
Qi Han was still laughing at this time, but the next moment his face changed unexpectedly, and his face was full of murderous aura like a dark cloud pressing down on his head: "Unfortunately, none of you will survive today!"
He was very angry.
The fool surnamed He actually tricked him, and before the two sides started fighting, he took another sword cultivator and ran away without stopping. The two ran very fast. Although Qi Han wanted to chase them, he soon lost sight of them. The
surviving demon cultivators in the settlement sent news, claiming that "Qin Niang" had rebelled and Qiao Yan had escaped, and the secret of the Array Eye might have been leaked.
The reason why the water mirror formation can survive now is that his spiritual power is almost the only source of power. If the eye of the formation is broken, it will be a fatal blow to Qi Han.
But he can't dissolve the formation by himself, otherwise the magic energy on the other side of the water mirror will backfire and all his people except him will die.
Although they are magic cultivators, they also have some feelings in their hearts.
Qi Han is not stupid. When he learned that the eye of the formation was leaked, he immediately expected that someone would come to the waterfall.
It is not attacked by the mirror ghost. It is too special and obviously different from other water bodies.
However, the truth is, as Qiao Yan knew, this is the water source that he used twice as much spiritual power to protect.
As soon as he finished speaking, the demonic energy rushed over with anger, causing Lin Qian outside the Xuanjing to exclaim in surprise: "Not good! The Demon Lord has a high level of cultivation, and the two of them will definitely be defeated!"
"If they escape from under the waterfall, they will probably be caught up soon."
An elder of Haoran Sect frowned: "Strange... Where is the core of the formation?"
Tianxianzi rarely smiled, lowered his eyes and said nothing.
The black gas enveloped the entire mountaintop in an instant, and condensed into a giant dragon with a ferocious face beside Qi Han, vaguely ready to attack.
In the past, Ning Ning might have panicked and lost her balance.
But since she had seen the blood trees riot in the ancient forest and had a confrontation with Xuanye, who was also a demon king in Galan City, her character and courage had been tempered a lot. She was no longer as innocent as when she first came to this world.
She also secretly gathered her sword energy and whispered to Pei Ji, "Be careful."
As soon as the words fell, black mist surged in an instant, as powerful as a dragon and a tiger. Ordinary people can only see that the black energy is getting thicker and thicker, and it is rushing forward at an incredible speed.
Ningning has achieved a small success in her cultivation. When she looked closely, she actually saw countless thin fragments with sharp edges hanging in the air. Each piece is as sharp as a knife, flashing a chilling cold light under the moonlight.
With Qi Han's low shout, the monstrous demonic energy rushed up, like a thousand arrows, and attacked Ningning and Pei Ji's vital points!
The demonic energy came so fast that it was too late to escape or hide. Pei Ji blocked her, quickly bit his fingertips, drew a talisman on the sword, and then held the long sword in front of him.
The black energy drowned the night like a tide, and rushed forward. When approaching Pei Ji, the long sword made a buzzing sound, and the talisman suddenly burst out with a dazzling red light -
and the demonic energy actually dispersed in the air close to him, without touching the two people at all.
Qi Han's eyes flashed.
The young man in black was actually a descendant of the demon clan, and he used his own blood with demonic energy as a guide to try his best to block his attack.
However, the two people's cultivation levels were far apart, and he was destined not to hold on for long.
Qi Han was clear about the situation, and Ning Ning, who was protected by Pei Ji behind him, also knew it well.
Although there was only one level of cultivation between Jindan Yuanying, the difference in strength was huge. Pei Ji had already used up all his strength to temporarily block the invading demonic energy. When his spiritual power was worn out bit by bit, they would still not escape death.
The back of the young man in front of him was thin and tall, casting a thin shadow under the moonlight, shrouding her.
Ning Ning couldn't see Pei Ji's expression, she could only see that his back was shaking uncontrollably.
Without warning, Pei Ji's voice came to her ears.
He has always been strong and would never show his pain at any time, so at this time he tried his best to suppress the trembling in his words, and told her in a very weak but firm tone: "Run."
Ning Ning's heart skipped a beat.
Pei Ji must have been unable to hold on any longer, as the evil spirit would surge in and all of them would be seriously injured. He had no way to retreat and could only let her escape as quickly as possible.
But if she left, with his limited spiritual power left, he would surely die in the evil tide.
The evil spirit showed no signs of fading, but a thin crack had appeared on the long sword in Pei Ji's hand, which became more and more numerous and denser like a spider web.
At the moment when the sword was about to shatter, he smelled a familiar scent of gardenia in the chaotic black mist surrounding him.
Pei Ji originally thought that Ning Ning had already escaped.
But she still stayed behind him. At the critical moment, Pei Ji heard her voice: "How could I leave you... Don't underestimate your sister."
Then there was a flash of sword.
Ning Ning took a step forward and drew her sword, stabbing the Star Mark Sword straight at the wave of demonic energy coming towards her. Although she did not have demonic energy like Pei Ji, the sword will in her body burst out at this moment, forming a brief confrontation with the demonic wave, blocking a fatal blow for Pei Ji.
The sword energy and the demonic energy are like water and fire, incompatible. The moment they collided with each other, they devoured each other and exploded in all directions with a bang.
Ning Ning and Pei Ji were both knocked back a few steps, coughing up blood. Qi Han's face also froze and he retracted the demonic energy.
"You're not willing to accept this, are you?"
Qi Han moved his wrists carelessly, his eyes full of leisurely smiles: "Don't be sad, the fox tribe will soon go down to accompany you. With their half-human and half-ghost appearance, they will probably all return to the west in less than ten days."
He paused and the arc of his mouth deepened: "It's a pity that you will never know where I have arranged the eye of the array until you die... This is also human nature. No one can guess that place."
A place that no one can guess.
Ningning didn't have much strength left. The bones in her body felt uncomfortable as if they were dislocated, as if they would turn into powder and crack at any time.
She seemed to have never been injured so badly. She resisted the urge of physiological tears in her eyes and tried to stay calm and continue thinking.
Where exactly... is the place that is absolutely impossible to think of?
Water? Mirror? Or -
...ah.
A wild idea was like a flame, quietly ignited in the heart. Ning Ning gripped the hilt of the sword tightly and took a deep breath.
The demons are not familiar with the secret realm, and Qi Han, as the Demon Lord, would not search the map for treasures and explore the secrets.
Moreover, the situation was critical at the time, and any delay would mean death. There was no way to leave him too much time to find a hidden place as the eye of the formation.
In other words, that place is related to "water" or "mirror", although it appears in front of them openly, it will not make people think of the formation.
...Not only will it not make people think of the formation.
Ning Ning smiled with relief. Normally, people wouldn't even dare to think about such a place.
What was her first thought when she came out of the jungle and saw the lake?
- It wasn't "the water in the lake is so clear", but "the sky is as clear as a mirror".
What was Qi Han's first sentence after seeing her and Pei Ji?
- The weather is nice tonight, the sky and the moon are beautiful, right?
This was not a greeting, but a straightforward provocation to their inability to find a good match.
The passage between them and the real secret realm is a pool of water. In other words, the entire mirror is actually located underwater in the real world.
Since "water" covers the entire secret realm, what is now hanging above their heads, covering everyone and everything -
isn't it the "sky"?
A place that no one would ever think of, a place that shackles the entire secret realm.
It is not the pool of water under their feet.
It is the sky above their heads.
In other words, the "sky" they see in front of them does not really exist, but a clear pool in the real secret realm, silently reflecting the world and everything, and then presenting it exactly under the mirror.
The whole world is in the formation.
This is the meaning of "water" and "mirror".
If they want to destroy the array, they
will be defeated. "I'm in a hurry, so I can only say goodbye to you two first."
Qi Han smiled faintly and looked behind the two of them. Because they were pushed back a long way, Ning Ning and Pei Ji were already at the edge of the cliff. If they took a step back, they would be in the snow-white waterfall.
They had nowhere to escape, and he had already made up his mind to kill them: "I think the two young Taoist priests have a deep friendship, and it would be nice if you died together."
"Pei Ji."
Ning Ning mobilized her spiritual power with great effort and transmitted her voice in secret. The situation was critical now, and there was no time to explain further. She could only give a brief summary: "I've thought of a way to break the impasse. Staying on the top of the cliff is a dead end... You will catch me, right?"
This time the core of the formation was truly "far away in the sky". Now both she and Pei Ji were under the threat of Qi Han. Not to mention breaking the formation, even unnecessary small movements were difficult to perform.
The only feasible way was to jump off the top of the cliff when he was not prepared, and then -
Ning Ning took a deep breath and looked at Pei Ji. After he jumped down without hesitation, he also smiled at Qi Han and took a step back.
The huge feeling of weightlessness instantly enveloped the whole body, and even breathing became a luxury. Amid the howling wind and the splashing silver-white water, Ningning opened her eyes.
The moment she fell off the cliff was a blind spot that Qi Han could not interfere with, and it was also her only chance to take advantage of.
"Are all the spirit foxes good at using bows?"
When she first met Qiao Yan, she had asked this question curiously.
"That's right."
Qiao Yan said to her at that time: "I still have many bows and arrows at home. If you don't mind, I can give you one."
Later, Qiao Yan really gave her a longbow.
All the fragmented memories were quietly connected, and countless seemingly unrelated people and things were intertwined with each other, converging into a chain that was destined by fate.
The waterfall was like a galaxy hanging upside down, and the moonlight reflected a light golden light. The snow-white dress and scattered black hair fluttered in the night wind. Ning Ning silently recited the incantation, and a dark light flashed in the storage bag.
In her hand appeared an exquisite bow.
The bow that Qiao Yan gave her.
All the movements were in a flash. Ning Ning gathered all the remaining spiritual power at her fingertips, and held the Star Mark Sword tightly in her right hand, placing it on the bowstring.
Since this secret realm was originally a lie -
even if there was no Burning Sun Bow, she could still break this illusory illusion with the illusory bow and arrow.
The Star Mark Sword made a buzzing sound, and a starlight suddenly flashed in the scattered waterfall.
Immediately, the sword energy soared, as powerful as clouds and snow, stirring up waves and floating flowers. The girl's dark pupils were illuminated by the white light, and through the swaying black hair, she looked straight at the lonely moon in the sky.
The longbow was raised, and the sword's power rose.
The cold light was like a swimming dragon, cutting through layers of water and evening wind with great force, and rolling up thousands of piles of snow in the surging air flow. Even the moonlight in the sky was not as dazzling as this, dimming the figure for a while, making the dome even more eerie and empty.
Because it was a false sky in the illusion, the dome was actually not far from the land. The moment Ning Ning fell into Pei Ji's arms, the Star Mark Sword pierced into the sky with unstoppable force and hit the lonely and silent moon.
Just like a mirror shattering, breaking through the layers of overlapping cracks, the sky exploded with a loud bang, and then burst into a bright light that enveloped the entire secret realm.
Ning Ning had no strength left, and had no time to see what was happening in the sky. She only felt that her whole body was caught forcefully, and what enveloped her was no longer the cold water, but a familiar warm heat.
- Pei Ji held her horizontally in his arms, and used his back to block the waves of water surging beside the waterfall, so that the water would not splash on her.
He had taken Ning Ning without hesitation, but now he unexpectedly showed a look of being at a loss, and even his strength was much weaker.
Pei Ji had never done this to anyone before, and now he always felt that the two of them were too close.
Moreover, their bodies were soaked with the water when they fell, and his palms just happened to touch the shoulders and knees of the little girl in his arms. The places he touched were cold and wet, but also soft and warm.
Standing in the pool of water should be freezing cold, but for no reason he felt a little dry in his heart and chest, causing his ears to quietly heat up.
"I'm fine."
It was the first time that Ning Ning was hugged like this. When she was quiet and silent, she could even hear Pei Ji's violent heartbeat, hitting her eardrums again and again.
She was inexplicably shy and whispered, "Put me down."
So Pei Ji leaned over unskillfully and put her down carefully. He waited until Ning Ning's feet touched the bottom of the pool before he completely let go of his hands.
——Unexpectedly, as soon as he let go, he saw Ning Ning's body sway and fell directly forward on his chest.
Ning Ning's cheeks flushed:...
Help!!! She really wanted to stand up properly... Why didn't she have any strength at all!!!
Pei Ji knew that she had used up all her spiritual power, and was hit so suddenly that she held her breath subconsciously. After a while, he asked her in a deep voice: "...are you out of strength?"
Ning Ning buried her head in his chest, and her nose was filled with the fresh woody scent of a young man. She didn't know how to answer, so she could only resist the urge to dodge with a blushing face and uttered a small "hmm".
"Do you need me to continue..."
Pei Ji focused his eyes on the water not far away, his voice very stiff. He seemed embarrassed to say the word "hug", and after a pause, he added in a muffled voice: "Help you?"
Ning Ning's face became even hotter, and she quickly replied: "No, no! I'll be there in a minute--"
Before she finished speaking, she felt a heat attack on her back.
Pei Ji picked her up horizontally again without saying anything, and deliberately did not look down at Ning Ning's expression. His palms were hot, which was completely different from his body which was usually as cold as ice.
When she raised her eyes blankly, she could only see the young man's fair neck and smooth jaw. A few drops of water flowed slowly down his neck. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but Pei Ji's throat rolled up and down, quietly dyed with a layer of pink.
... His ears were also covered with a faint blush.
Ning Ning didn't say anything either. She pursed her lips and her eyes wandered around, passing through Pei Ji's chest, Adam's apple and chin, and finally falling on the dark water surface.
There was only the sound of splashing water. The two were silent when they suddenly heard a loud bang from behind, as if something suddenly fell into the pool.
——It turned out that the talkative Demon Lord took advantage of the victory and followed them down from the waterfall in accordance with the good tradition of finishing off the opponent.
The result was unexpected. When he was halfway down, his formation was broken. Before he could finish the evil and charming laugh on his lips, his spiritual power backfired and hit his meridians heavily, causing him to spit out blood in the air.
Then, in the swaying blood flowers, the demon king Qi Han spun and jumped like a flower or a dream, like a wild duck struggling desperately, and finally, when the mirror shattered, he fell into the water in a posture of ten thousand Buddhas paying homage.