Chapter 33 Breaking the Formation
"I am not your mother."
The woman, whose figure and appearance were exactly the same as Lin Daiqiao's, raised her eyes. She smiled kindly, and the fine lines hidden under her skin at the corners of her eyes trembled as her mouth opened and closed.
"You should know that."
Although the voices were exactly the same, the tones were completely different.
Unlike her decisive mother, it sounded more like her own tone.
Lin Chengye felt a chill run down his spine, his pupils contracted sharply, and he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Everything in this illusion was so real, yet this person, the only person he wanted to see, felt so out of place.
Lin Daiqiao raised her hand and wiped away the still-wet tears on Lin Chengye's face, then spoke gently.
“You know, and you’re absolutely certain, that this isn’t real, because everyone you want to see has died before your eyes. You are the last one to die, and the only one to survive.”
Lin Chengye had already recovered from that moment of grief, though his voice was still trembling slightly.
"Yes, I don't believe it. Why is it that you are the one who looks like this in that formation?"
"Because you want to see a living 'me,' that's all. You won't ask for anything more; you'll force yourself to pull yourself out of that swamp first."
"Lin Daiqiao" turned around and walked side by side with Lin Chengye on the endless bluestone path. "Lin Daiqiao" curled her lips in a mocking smile and said.
"You are such a... boring and restrained person, even your desires in the illusion are so clear."
Even grief must give way to reason.
"...You talk too much nonsense."
Lin Chengye clenched her fists tightly beneath her wide sleeves. After realizing that what she was seeing was merely an empty shell of her mother possessing her soul, she wished she could pick up the two tears that had just fallen.
"...So in fact I'm talking to 'myself'."
"Yes, that's one way to understand it."
Lin Daiqiao shrugged and then said...
"You like this too, don't you? It helps you better figure out what to do next."
"I don't like it. Who said I like talking to myself? Don't I know what I'm like?"
Lin Chengye pinched the bridge of his nose helplessly.
She knew she had personality flaws, but she never expected them to be so blatantly exposed in this situation. Without the embellishment and restraint of her words, the "Lin Daiqiao" personality in the illusion was incredibly annoying.
What will Bian Yi see?
Lin Chengye changed the subject.
"Everyone she wants to see will appear, every scene will appear, perhaps more than one."
"Lin Daiqiao" replied.
"Why can I only see you, and in no other way?"
"Because your love is also distinct. Your mother is more like a symbol in your heart, representing your origins, so you cannot forget her."
Your longing is more like a fleeting illusion, not an obsession; it cannot trap you, and the illusion array will not exert any effort.
Lin Chengye was speechless.
"Why keep walking? You know perfectly well that this cobblestone path will never end."
Suddenly, Lin Daiqiao stopped in her tracks. But Lin Chengye ignored her and didn't turn around to look at the face he had been longing for.
She knew that the illusion of "Lin Daiqiao" was probably starting to dissipate, but even so, she couldn't bear to look at it again. The illusion array knew it was pointless and wouldn't see her desperate attempt to kill herself.
"Ugh, it's so annoying. You know perfectly well what I'm thinking."
Lin Chengye couldn't help but roll his eyes. As he walked, he reached out and caught a butterfly that flew by silently. Gazing at the equally endless lake beside the bluestone path, he murmured softly.
I'm waiting...
"A gust of wind."
...
No one dared to take this sword head-on.
Guan Yuenan only had time to grab Fang Yanzhou's wrist and hide it behind his back; he couldn't even muster the slightest thought of taking that sword strike.
There must have been two swords, their sword energy forming a cross. They severed the railing and iron lock of the viewing platform, carving a crack in the snow wave stone. Even such a hard object was as fragile as glass.
"Thousand-Machine Bodhi Shield!"
Guan Xiaoxian used his internal energy to rise up, flew to the inner door, drew his double blades from his waist, inserted them into the two circular locks behind the door, turned them half a turn to the left and right, and shouted loudly.
Several iron chains, each as thick as a man's thigh, were instantly pulled up from the deep underground, carrying loess. Each foot of these chains had a small ball protruding from them, which unfolded into a circle the instant they were pulled up, forming a huge shield wall.
The shield clashed with the silver sword energy, which was infused with internal force like a physical object, and the sound was like a thunderclap. Guan Yuenan and Fang Yanzhou closed their eyes in pain, and their ears were buzzing as if a thousand mosquitoes were crawling in.
Guan Xiaoxian was too close to the sword energy, and her vision went blank for a moment. She uncontrollably vomited a mouthful of blood.
Fortunately, the Thousand-Mile Bodhi Shield was no ordinary object; it was not destroyed by such an enraged sword, only shattering into a few pieces. Two more sword wounds were added to its already disheveled state.
"Mother!" Guan Yuenan exclaimed and hurriedly helped Guan Xiaoxian up.
Guan Xiaoxian shook her head to indicate that she was fine, and raised her hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth.
"Who is your friend? What's his name?"
"She was... a traveling doctor named Bian Yi."
Guan Yue hesitated for a moment, but still concealed the fact that Bian Yi came from Qingluan Medicine Valley.
"King Yama kowtows? I have heard of this person's name... but how many people in the entire martial arts world can match such martial arts? I have never heard of him before."
Guan Xiaoxian frowned.
That was outrageous! She almost thought she was going to die. If it weren't for the Bodhi Shield, she probably would have been cleaved in two by the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect with a single sword strike.
This person's swordsmanship had no fancy moves, only wide and sweeping strokes, which was enough. Or perhaps no one could make her use any sword techniques. Her inner strength was unfathomable, as vast as a lake or sea.
There's no need to go through the trouble of finding a way to break the formation; a single sword strike is enough to take the head of the person who set it up.
Before anyone knew it, the person had already leaped onto the observation deck at the edge of the cliff. Her moon-white robes fluttered in the wind. Although the killing formation could not kill her, it left bloody marks of a fierce battle on her body.
Bian Yi raised her head, her eyes bloodshot, reflecting the tears that filled her eyes like blood. The white silk that had tied her long hair up was nowhere to be seen, and her hair was flying wildly in the wind, her temples also wet.
Although the sword of dust had fallen, no one felt that the silk threads were soft and yielding; rather, they seemed to be meant to cut someone to pieces.
But when Fang Yanzhou found the eyes beneath those disheveled black hair, she was stunned.
There was no anger of being schemed against, nor the cold indifference of a powerful person looking down on everything.
It was just a pair of frightened eyes, and a frightened ordinary person.
Bian Yi's eyes trembled with fear, almost as if he had lost his mind. His body under his robes looked so fragile that he staggered under the force of his own sword.
“Bian Yi…” Fang Yanzhou called her softly.
“I…I didn’t want this to happen. I…I just didn’t want to see those illusions anymore. I…I didn’t want to see them.”
Bian Yi staggered back several steps, seemingly still tormented by the illusion. Her vacant eyes no longer held their former autumn-like desolation, but rather resembled a dried-up winter well, devoid of any life.
Suddenly, before anyone could stop him, Bian Yi picked up the Dust Sword without hesitation and plunged it into his own shoulder. When he pulled it out, the silver sword was dripping with blood, leaving a dark red line on the ground, and half of his moonlit robe was soaked in red.
Using her sword as a weapon, she propped up her somewhat swaying body and said in a daze.
"Yes, yes. Chengye... how is Chengye..."
...
The wind brought by that earth-shaking sword strike carried sand and gravel.
This is exactly what she's been waiting for.
Lin Chengye calmly observed the scene before him. Nothing in the landscape seemed to react to the unexpected wind; the trees remained still, butterflies danced, fallen leaves continued to fall, and even the sand and gravel seemed to pass directly through the various artificial rockery pillars, leaving not a speck of dust on the bluestone slabs beneath his feet.
Only the lake surface rippled, as sand and stones splashed into it, creating waves.
The core of the formation is in the lake! The only real thing within the illusionary formation.
Lin Chengye sighed. She had considered it, but if she went into the water in her current state, she would probably be courting death.
But... Lin Chengye gritted his teeth and jumped into the shimmering lake.
Her illusion array was affected by Bian Yi's situation, and the mechanisms were weakened considerably.
Everything underwater felt incredibly realistic, chilling to the bone and sending shivers down my spine. Lin Chengye's teeth ached, and he almost fainted when he closed his eyes.
When she opened her eyes, the large, operating mechanism at the bottom of the water was actually the shape of a butterfly that had just brushed past her fingertips. The butterfly's wings rose and fell, and the patterns on them changed endlessly, like human eyes opening and closing, eerily captivating.
Suddenly, the butterfly's wings fluttered again, and the surrounding icy lake water trembled, inexplicably turning a deep, vibrant red. Living flesh and blood rushed into her nostrils, restraining her limbs. In a daze, she suddenly saw Mi Fan, clad in armor, thrusting a spear towards her chest.
Oh no, it's not that easy after all. This time, you can see not only longing, but also fear. Lin Chengye choked on blood, unable to even hold the blade in his hand.
"Chengye! Lin Chengye!"
Someone called her.
"Destroy...the core of the formation..."
With her last ounce of strength, Lin Chengye pointed at the butterfly, unsure if she had spoken, or if the other person had even understood. Thick blood filled her mouth and nose, robbing her of all sensation.
Suddenly, a loud splash came from underwater, and the bright red before his eyes abruptly faded. Lin Chengye awoke from his dream, but his nasal cavity and mouth still felt as if blood remained, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.
Someone gripped her wrist tightly and pulled her body up from behind. Lin Chengye saw himself getting closer and closer to a ray of sunlight shining through the lake and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
...
Bian Yi let Lin Chengye lean half of his body against her, pulling her arm from behind her neck and around her shoulder. Using the protruding rocks on the cliff as a ladder, she climbed up to the viewing platform in a few steps, only then remembering to press a few acupoints on her shoulder to stop the gushing blood.
The two were in such a sorry state, yet they were truly standing in front of the inner gate.
"...Do you know the true name of this celestial illusion array?"
Guan Xiaoxian stood in front of Lin Chengye, her face pale, and asked.
"The Hundred Aspects of the Mortal World Array. Even outside the Ninefold Array, few can break this illusion array. One of you is trapped here and cannot extricate yourself, while you..."
"Completely untouched by worldly affairs? How is that possible? How old are you?"
"Ahem... Your ancestor from the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect is quite good at naming things."
Lin Chengye raised her hand to cover her face, and with Bian Yi's careful help, she exhaled several mouthfuls of water that had entered her lungs. She looked up to meet Guan Xiaoxian's gaze and spoke haltingly.
"Yes...yes...of course there are some thoughts."
They simply didn't believe it, and dared not stop.
"Why did you jump?" Guan Xiaoxian pressed.
"The core of the formation is... at the bottom of the lake. Sect Master Guan, I need to go find it." Lin Chengye rubbed his forehead, his vision blurring. If he hadn't had so much to say, he would have simply passed out.
"You're waiting, you're waiting for that gust of wind. Only in that instant will you have a chance to find a way out."
Guan Xiaoxian said confidently, then glared fiercely at Guan Yuenan.
The coincidences are one after another, how can they be called coincidences? She clearly factored everything in, and her own foolish son is too.
"Sect Master, what I seek is the Bone-Breaking Two-Headed Serpent. Since we both managed to pass through this formation by trickery, is there... any room for negotiation?"
Given her personality, she should have rambled on for a few more minutes, but Lin Chengye really couldn't hold back any longer and went straight to the point.
“This matter was handled improperly by me. Doctor Bian, please stay at the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect to recuperate for the time being. Guan Yue, take them and find them a place to stay.”
Guan Xiaoxian turned her head, her complicated gaze falling on Lin Chengye. She suddenly understood the girl's intention; this was clearly a blatant and obvious conspiracy.
But this very fact held her captive, preventing her from uttering the word "no." Her own scheme backfired, causing her to underestimate Bian Yi, and even more so, Lin Chengye.
Now that the one who had the upper hand has suddenly reversed, this two-headed serpent of bones is probably...
Guan Xiaoxian sighed and tossed out a sentence before turning away.
"Young Master Lin, at Chenshi (7-9 AM) two days from now, at the Hundred Faces Pavilion of the Heavenly Mystery Sect, we will meet alone."
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