Chapter 301 Strategic Maneuvering (Part 3) Natural beauty is all that's needed...
Lin Feiran and her companion did not enter Luoyu City. Instead, following the map she provided, they set off to set up formations around the city.
Wei Changzai was already very familiar with it. While drawing the array patterns, he would occasionally glance at the sound transmission jade. It was square, about two fingers wide, and tied to his wrist with a red rope, close to his skin.
A faint, almost imperceptible light occasionally shone across the jade, its frequency synchronized with the sound of breathing, sometimes bright, sometimes dim.
He could have tied it around his waist, but he pressed it onto his wrist instead. As he drew, he suddenly realized that his breathing was in sync with hers.
"How are things going on your end?" Her voice came from the jade pendant.
Wei Changzai finished writing, and the cinnabar mixed with spiritual energy disappeared into the grass and fields. He looked up and said, "Everything is fine. The array patterns are finished. Should I come find you?"
"No need. You should be in the southeast position now. Two more strokes will connect to your location. Wait a moment."
From the jade tablet came the faint sound of wind. Although her words were calm, the sound was enough to show how fast she was setting up the formation.
"Okay. I'll wait for you here."
He stood quietly in place, but his gaze was fixed on the figure on Luoyu City wearing a bamboo hat and a long sword at her waist. She looked very much like Lin Feiran, but it was not her. After a moment's thought, he realized that this was the "empty city strategy" she had left here.
It seems this is a city blessed by her; no wonder the trip went so smoothly.
He appeared to be watching intently, but his mind was already elsewhere. He couldn't help but think: Why not sculpt a statue of such a figure and place it in the Daohe Palace? Putting aside whether the elders would be willing, if a statue were to be sculpted, would it be a jade statue or a stone statue?
He looked at it intently, and couldn't help but nod, but then frowned slightly. If the statue were placed in the center of the dojo, where the sword energy was fierce, the black jade would easily be damaged...
"What are you looking at here?" The leaves rustled behind him as Lin Feiran emerged from the rustling leaves and jumped down to stand beside him.
Wei Changzai looked up and shook his head: "It's nothing."
Lin Feiran glanced at him strangely, but she was already used to his absent-mindedness, so she didn't pay much attention. She searched among the grass for a while before adding the last stroke, connecting the array patterns that she and he had drawn separately.
After doing all this, she put the cinnabar in her hand back into her mustard seed bag in an instant. She looked around for a moment, then channeled a bit of spiritual power into the connection point to investigate. A very fast glimmer of light flashed from the array pattern.
Almost in the blink of an eye, the released spiritual energy returned to his palm, which meant that the magic array was connected and the flowing patterns were correct.
“This is fine.” She stood up, drew her Golden Wave Sword again, and turned to look at Wei Changzai. “Next, follow me from south to west, first to Jihai, then to Qingqiu. Do the same as before.”
Setting up such a large magic array is extremely taxing on spiritual energy and physical strength, and Lin Feiran traveled between the Demon Capital and Luoyu City almost non-stop.
But she had already made up her mind to explore every inch of the demon realm that she could tonight.
If it were an ordinary person, not only would their spiritual energy be depleted and they would be unable to cope, but they would also be exhausted and lying down, complaining bitterly.
But Wei Changzai did not. He was just like Lin Feiran's shadow. When she drew her sword, he also drew his sword and then rode up with her on their swords, heading south.
There was no full moon along the way, so the clouds in the sky were all pale gray, and the thin, cold moisture brushed against their cheeks, condensing into a little dampness.
"Would you like some pills to replenish your spirit?" Lin Feiran took out a pill and handed it to him.
Wei Changzai did not take it: "I don't need it for now. Do you want to eat? I have some more here."
Lin Feiran didn't force her. She withdrew her hand, turned to look ahead, and shook her head to explain, "My spiritual veins are different from ordinary people's. They are deeper, and the spiritual energy I absorb and exhale on a daily basis is several times that of ordinary people. These two formations are not a waste for me."
Wei Changzai watched quietly, a slight smile playing on his lips. He had almost forgotten that Lin Feiran was no longer the same person she once was; she had reached the peak she was meant to climb. But in his eyes, she had never changed.
He moved a little closer, his raised sleeve occasionally tangling with the hem of her robe. He glanced at her sideways, his expression impassive, but a hint of excitement stirred within him that he himself was unaware of.
"I'll let you know when I need to replenish my spiritual energy."
Lin Feiran nodded without looking to the side and said, "Okay."
She was on edge and had no time to pay attention to anything else.
She had been keeping track of the time the whole way, and she had to admit that she was somewhat relieved that she had put aside past grievances and agreed to include Wei Changzai in the plan. If others had followed her, she wouldn't have been able to get this fast.
The two flew at similar speeds on their swords and didn't talk much along the way, arriving at the Sea of Bounds with their own thoughts on the matter.
The houses in Jihai were almost empty, and the merfolk had disappeared. Only the demons who came to collect spiritual energy remained. The atmosphere among them was not friendly and was equally tense.
Lin Feiran immediately led Wei Changzai away in hiding, as this was often the best time to search.
As expected, the people behind relaxed and began to talk.
"They've all gone to the deep sea to take refuge and enjoy themselves, while we're here fighting tooth and nail over the escaping spiritual energy. How many times has this happened? In the end, it's always the same old story of you taking a share and me taking a share..."
“Who says otherwise? The more we divide it, the less we have. Why not just send the whole clan to Tantric Buddhism?”
"Speaking of the esoteric sect, I heard that Ru Xian has returned to the demon realm and is preparing to completely seal off the city. He has also sent out notices to all races, inviting them to the demon capital for discussions within three days... The elders are studying this matter. Does he have a way to resolve the issue of spiritual energy?"
"It's hard to say. What if they're trying to trap us like turtles in a jar?"
As soon as the words "like hail" were mentioned, their voices grew softer and softer, and they couldn't help but look around nervously.
Having obtained the information she wanted, Lin Feiran did not linger any longer. She looked at the deep blue sea under the night sky, then looked away after a moment and continued to set up the magic array with Wei Changzai.
The mountains and waters of Jihai are pristine and rich in spiritual energy, making it ideal for setting up formations by taking advantage of the terrain. This was actually the fastest formation they had ever completed.
The two of them took off on their swords again and headed west towards Qingqiu. Lin Feiran calculated the time and realized that two hours had already passed. She glanced at Wei Changzai and spoke up.
"It's too slow for two people to fly on swords, how about I take you with me?"
She is now in the Divine Travel Realm. Although she is only one major realm higher than Wei Changzai, the Divine Travel Realm is already another realm. Whether it is spiritual power or magic, she is much more advanced than the Carefree Realm, and her control of artifacts is naturally faster.
Wei Changzai was taken aback upon hearing this, and looked over blankly. His pair of dark phoenix eyes widened for a moment. His expression was not one of surprise, but rather one of joy and bewilderment as if he had been hit by a pie falling from the sky.
Lin Feiran continued to explain, "It's not that you're slow. We're not just going to Qingqiu; we'll be passing through several small tribes along the way, and I need to raid and set up formations for them. The faster we go, the better."
"……good."
After saying that, he truly felt as if he were walking on clouds, and lightly stepped over. It was all like a dream. Although he was only standing at the end of the sword, the distance was already within reach for him.
He even forgot about the Kunwu sword and focused only on the strands of hair that were blown by the wind and almost brushed against his cheeks.
He thought that when the time came, the veil should be removed from the statue and carved into long, flowing hair.
The moment he stood at the end of the sword, Lin Feiran immediately accelerated forward. The north wind howled, and the clouds and mist were all stretched into long, blurry lines. The sound of the wind whistled in his ears.
As she approached a certain demon territory, she gradually slowed her descent. The Kunwu Sword finally caught up with her speed and flew angrily to Wei Changzai's side, but received no attention. So, flashing a rapid blue light, it slammed back into its scabbard on his back.
Wei Changzai was completely oblivious. He didn't even think to observe where he was. He was focused on setting up the array patterns. The faster he did it, the shorter the distance between him and her flying away on her sword.
Perhaps it was unintentional, but Lin Feiran found that Wei Changzai was almost 35 minutes faster than she had expected. He was like an ox that had been idle for a long time, and as soon as he got down to work, he mooed and started working.
They went to three more demon territories in succession. Each time, Wei Changzai was completely absorbed in his work, no longer lost in thought or daydreaming. He would bury his head in setting up formations and then stand by the Golden Wave Sword early in the morning, waiting for her to finish up before setting off on his sword.
"..."
Lin Feiran remained silent for a moment, then said, "Let's go."
He lifted his leg and straddled the sword's tail, neither approaching nor retreating, standing in that familiar spot, waiting for her to take flight on her sword, and the two of them strolled together in the night.
The journey was incredibly fast; by the time they approached Qingqiu, it was an hour earlier than Lin Feiran had anticipated.
"you……"
Lin Feiran turned her head to look, but before she could speak, she saw Wei Changzai standing at the end of the sword, his body swaying slightly, his eyes slightly closed, but his fingertips were still secretly twirling the two ribbons she was raising.
The spirit sword suddenly stopped, but his body couldn't help but lean forward. Lin Feiran immediately used the Golden Wave Umbrella to support his shoulder: "What's wrong with you?"
Wei Changzai finally came to his senses and said, "It's nothing."
Lin Feiran carefully examined his expression, withdrew the umbrella she was holding, and was speechless for a moment: "Your spiritual power is almost completely drained, why don't you take some pills to replenish your spiritual power?"
There's no danger here in Qingqiu, so you should rest. I'll take care of the magic array here.
Wei Changzai wanted to speak, but his energy was no longer sufficient. Lin Feiran helped him sit in a corner, and only after watching her leave did he take the spirit-replenishing pill and meditate on his own.
Lin Feiran, carrying Zhu Sha, wandered alone near Qingqiu, and even entered the city at one point. Two figures stood silently above the city gate, one of them holding a token that gleamed coldly in the dead of night.
This is the city opening decree of Qingqiu.
Qiu Tong received Lin Feiran's message an hour ago. She was both surprised and delighted. Following Lin Feiran's advice, she told Qing Yao about it, and then the two of them waited there.
Lin Feiran said nothing, only that she wanted to set up an array here. If people trusted her, they could open the city gates and let her in. If they didn't want to, she would lock the city gates and leave immediately.
Having others set up formations within one's own city didn't sound like a safe option, and Qingyao initially disagreed. However, after receiving Ruxian's invitation to discuss the matter, she began to consider it.
Although it's unclear what Lin Feiran's true intentions are, it seems that she didn't act on a whim, but rather had a plan that could potentially implicate the entire demon realm.
After careful consideration, she chose to come here tonight, silently stopping the city's protective formation, and letting that figure fly through the city.
The magic array she set up was extremely complex, shining brightly only for a fleeting moment when she put pen to paper, before disappearing into the vegetation and never being seen again.
Qingyao suddenly spoke up: "Will she come to see you after she sets up the formation?"
Qiu Tong smiled easily, her lips curving upwards: "She won't. She already said beforehand that she can't stay here for long."
Qingyao glanced sideways and said, "You saw it, that human cultivator was with her."
Qiu Tong looked at the city under the night sky: "I see it, but right now, what's between him and me isn't important... How the fox clan can survive in such a chaotic world is what's more important."
"Sister, what exactly does the Demon Lord mean by this invitation?"
The last time the Demon Capital sent out messenger birds to summon various lords to the Demon Capital was for the purpose of a marriage alliance with the human race.
Qingyao shook her head: "It's really hard to guess what the Demon Lord is thinking. Moreover, I suspect that the motive behind this comes from Lin Feiran. If it is her thinking, it will be even harder to figure out."
Qiu Tong paused for a moment, then said, "Someone might set off for the Demon Capital tomorrow, and we..."
“Go too.” Qingyao looked at the figure setting up the formation. “Since we’ve chosen to let her into the city, we’ve chosen her. Tomorrow, you should take a few elders with you to the Demon Capital to discuss this.”
Qiu Tong's eyes widened: "Me?"
Qingyao nodded, looking directly at her: "There is still a spirit mine in the east. I must stay here. No matter what happens in the demon capital, everything will be based on your plan."
Qiu Tong, you are now qualified to represent the fox clan.
Qiu Tong pursed her lips, turned to look at Lin Feiran. She had already set up the magic array and was waving to the two of them. After saying goodbye, she flew away on her sword like a streak of light.
She nodded: "Okay, I will go. No matter what happens, the fox clan will be the priority."
...
At the end of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM) and the beginning of the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), Lin Feiran, as planned, crossed the endless sea with Wei Changzai on their swords and arrived in the human realm.
There are five states in the human realm. Each state has a prefecture with excellent feng shui and geography, which is the best natural barrier that can be utilized. Many sects will also establish their sects in the prefectures in order to obtain spiritual resources.
Therefore, there are actually major sects stationed in the prefecture. It is not easy to set up a magic array without anyone noticing, after all, the human realm and the demon realm are different.
Fortunately, at that time, in the secret realm of her master, the ten seniors had already agreed to her request and allowed her to set up an array in the prefecture, which enabled her to infiltrate so smoothly.
The plan was that these sects would send disciples to meet them, but Lin Feiran did not intend to abide by this rule.
She turned to look into the room: "The contact disciple from the Imperial Academy should be that one. You should go up and negotiate with him, set up a fake formation, and then leave when I'm done."
Inside the room was Consort Wei, dressed in the same dark-colored dress as her. He was sitting in front of the mirror, pinching his face. Hearing this, he turned his head, pursed his lips, and nodded.
"good."
His face had been mostly sculpted; apart from his lips, the rest was indistinguishable from Lin Feiran's.
A few moments later, another extremely familiar face appeared in the mirror. Apart from having softer eyebrows and eyes, it was almost identical to Lin Feiran.
As he walked up to Lin Feiran and took the Golden Orchid Umbrella from her shoulder, a subtle change occurred in his eyes. His brows furrowed slightly, his lips pursed, and his starry eyes stared straight at the person opposite him, his thumb unconsciously rubbing the hilt of his sword.
It was Lin Feiran's expression and movements.
Lin Feiran clicked her tongue, "It's a bit too much like me."
“…Then I’ll go first.” He withdrew his gaze, pursed his lips, and his eyes returned to their usual calm and indifference. He then left the room and went downstairs, heading straight for the Imperial Academy disciple waiting at the city gate.
Having someone to guide her was certainly helpful, but Lin Feiran didn't want any unnecessary complications. The simpler and more direct the approach, the less likely she was to make a mistake. She didn't want to waste time verifying her identity, so she simply had Wei Changzai impersonate her to deal with the situation.
Every moment is precious, and she has no time to waste.
Seeing that Wei Changzai had transformed into her likeness and met with the sect disciples who had come to guide her, she felt slightly relieved. She quickly arrived outside the prefecture and skillfully and swiftly set up an array.
Just as they were about to finish, Wei Changzai arrived in a hurry. She filled in the remaining parts according to the map she provided, and after verifying the magic array, the two returned to the city.
Even in the prefecture, this place is still much more desolate and lonely. Among the people coming and going, most of those who look healthy are cultivators, while those leaning against the street are either refugees who have wandered here or suffering people waiting to die from cold.
Lin Feiran looked around silently, then turned onto a street and went to investigate the stronghold that the esoteric sect had set up there.
The entrance to the esoteric Buddhist temple was still bustling with people, creating an absurd sense of desolation giving rise to a vibrant atmosphere.
Little by little, vital energy was extracted and offered up, all of which flowed into the merit furnace beside it, becoming a chaotic mess. The person who offered up the vital energy was also recorded in the merit book.
Once the names and surnames appeared in the book, the person who offered their life force would beam with joy and hurriedly lead their family to the stronghold in the rear. They would then kowtow to the small statue, about an arm's length tall, inside the hall, cast lots, and solemnly write down their wishes.
Lin Feiran's gaze swept across the crowd, pondering something, when suddenly, a vibrant color caught his eye.
She looked up and saw a plaque hanging on the beam of the esoteric Buddhist temple, which read "The Way is Boundless." This had always been their doctrine, so it was not unusual. However, in the lower right corner of the character "boundless," a single eye shrouded in mist had been added out of nowhere.
Just like the eye painted on their Taoist robes.
The single eye was carved on the wooden plaque, and then the center was dotted with extremely bright cinnabar, so that the pupil of this single eye was revealed, and it had a pupil in the eye.
After thinking it over, she decided not to show herself rashly. Instead, she went to a place where refugees gathered nearby and blended in with them. Only then did she finally find out the reason.
"That red-eyed one? I know, the esoteric sects were talking about this not long ago, they were practically making a big fuss about it."
One of the refugees spoke up.
"It is said that the Lord of the Dao's birthday is coming soon, and the Holy Maiden is preparing for the birthday celebration. So, all the places in the Secret Sect have painted this eye."
birthday?
Without giving it much thought, Lin Feiran, having received the news, put down a lot of food and, while keeping track of the time, hurriedly went with Wei Changzai to the next prefecture.
The human realm and the demon realm are different, so setting up the formation was not as smooth as in the demon realm. Each formation was very time-consuming. After five rounds of this, Lin Feiran finally completed the first step of the plan at midnight on the third day.
This trip happened to take two days.
She took out the jade tablet, drew a magic seal on it, and then Zhang Siwo's voice came from the other side.
"How is it?" he asked.
Lin Feiran sat in the Daze Mansion, looking at the quiet desert night, eating a spirit-replenishing pill. After a while, he spoke.
"No problem, all the formations have been set up. What about you?"
"So fast!" Zhang Siwo exclaimed in surprise. "It's even a day faster than you originally predicted. We need to meet the deadline on our side, and we won't be able to finish everything until tomorrow afternoon."
Lin Feiran tilted the porcelain bottle, and no more pills fell out. She then regretfully put the bottle back and licked her lips, saying, "It's alright. As for Ru Xian, we'll have to wait until tomorrow. We'll catch them all then."
She can also take this time to rest and recuperate, and restore her spiritual power.
"Okay." Zhang Si didn't linger any longer and left in a hurry.
Lin Feiran, utterly exhausted, lowered her hand from the jade pendant and fell backward into the cold yellow sand. In just two days, she had painstakingly set up so many magic arrays, and her spiritual energy was already overdrawn. At this moment, she was so tired that she could not even hold a piece of jade steadily.
A rustling sound came from beside him, and Wei Changzai was walking over. He sat down next to Lin Feiran, first handing her a water bag, then pouring all the spirit-replenishing pills he had saved into his palm and handing them over.
Lin Feiran sat up, took the pill, but not the water bag, and swallowed the pill as if it were a bean.
Wei Changzai only needed to draw a quarter of the formation, and she would fill in the rest. His energy consumption was far less than hers, but his spiritual power was also not as profound as hers. After sitting down, his face was also a little pale.
After leaving him a few pills, Lin Feiran sat down to meditate and restore her health.
Wei Changzai suddenly said, "It's been so long since we've worked together. I've almost forgotten what it feels like to be so busy that I don't have time to think."
Lin Feiran only replied with one sentence: "Thinking?"
Wei Changzai smiled faintly and said, "Yes, I do think about it. Now that I have some free time, I've figured out the answer."
He paused, then continued, "For that statue, I still don't plan to use black jade. The most ancient and purest stone will suffice. This is the most suitable..."
Lin Feiran doesn't need any extra embellishments; her natural beauty is enough to showcase her brilliance.
...
At noon the following day, on the city gate of the Demon Capital, Ru Xian and Ping An stood on a high place, while below them were the demons who had come to participate in the discussion.
Not all of those who came were lords; many were elders or members of the younger generation.
Qiu Tong stood first in the left row; this was not only her position, but also the position of the fox clan.
Someone spoke up: "If this is a discussion, what does it mean that Your Majesty will not open the city gates?"
Under everyone's gaze, Ru Xian raised his hand, a point of fluorescent light floating in his palm. He looked at it for a moment, then looked up.
"However, those who surrender are an exception."
Author's Note: [Heart emoji]
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