Chapter 163 At the time of enlightenment:
Lu Yingqi and Xiaozhi each stepped into the core of the formation, the formation was activated, and countless silver lights swirled around them.
Rong Xie gripped his sleeve, his eyes fixed on the two people in the formation.
Lu Yingqi walked step by step toward Xiaozhi, and all eyes were on the two of them.
Lu Yingqi opened his palm, and a silver flying sword appeared in the void.
Rong Xie had to exert all his strength to restrain himself from turning away. If it weren't for Shen Bingsi, and if it weren't for himself, he wouldn't want to see such a cruel scene at all.
The moment Lu Yingqi raised his sword forward, Rong Xie's mind raced with thoughts. He even imagined someone suddenly appearing, shouting "Spare him!" just like in those chivalrous tales. Or perhaps Lu Yingqi would ultimately be unable to bring himself to stab him, deciding to abandon his cultivation and leave the sect with Xiaozhi. Or maybe Xiaozhi would suddenly erupt, unable to bear it any longer, unleashing an unimaginable, heaven-defying power that sent everyone present flying.
But none of this happened.
The silver blade pierced through the twig's body like light passing through a thin leaf. The speed was too fast, the movement too swift, and before anyone present could react, Lu Yingqi had already sheathed his sword.
Xiao Zhi swayed back and forth and lunged forward. Lu Yingqi reached out and caught him, and they clung to each other like they were embracing.
Then Xiaozhi fell down, his blood splattering all over Lu Yingqi's upper body. The places that had been covered by his embrace were now covered with large patches of red blood.
Lu Yingqi stood there alone, staring at the small branch on the ground with an inscrutable expression. His face was taut, as if he was forcibly enduring something.
Xiao Zhi stopped moving, and blood seeped out from under him, soaking the soles of Lu Yingqi's shoes.
The magic circle, like a bloodthirsty bat, became radiant with the nourishment of blood. Its silver light gradually intensified, rapidly rotating and converging around the two people until all the spiritual energy was absorbed into the one standing alone.
In an instant, light burst forth, and everyone present seemed to be deprived of their sight. Those with shallow cultivation were even more blinded and quickly turned their heads away, covering their faces with their sleeves.
To see clearly how the formation worked, Rong Xie strained his eyes to look at the source of the burst of light. In a daze, he seemed to see a dark red mist spreading out layer upon layer in the white light, forming the shadow of a giant acacia flower...
The pain was like needles piercing her pupils. Rong Xie couldn't bear it any longer and lowered her eyes, tears streaming down her face.
After a while, the light gradually dimmed, and before we knew it, rolling dark clouds drifted in from the distant sky, and bursts of thunder came from the clouds.
Rong Xie reached out to rub his eyes, but Elder Bai's voice came from behind him: "Don't rub them, gather your spiritual energy in your eyes."
Following Elder Bai's instructions, Rong Xie circulated his spiritual energy and concentrated it in his eyes. He did this several times until the stinging pain in his eyes subsided, and then he opened his eyes.
Elder Bai released Rong Xie's hand and strode forward.
When Rong Xie saw Elder Bai's back, he sensed that his aura had changed.
It's the triumphant feeling that comes after a brief trough, followed by a new peak.
Lu Yingqi successfully attained enlightenment.
He was surrounded by glory and honor.
Those voices that were just questioning him and demanding his trial have all disappeared.
"Senior Brother Lu is indeed a master of the ruthless path. He killed the servant boy who had been with him for so many years without even blinking an eye."
"Yes, I heard that the two of them even practiced dual cultivation. After living under the same roof for so many years, they are no different from Daoist partners. Tsk tsk."
"Otherwise, you could say he killed his wife to prove his Tao; he's really ruthless."
Besides admiration, there was also a slight fear in their voices. After all, ordinary people have emotions and desires. Although Lu Yingqi proved his Dao heart, he also created an insurmountable gap between himself and ordinary people. They looked at him as if he were looking at another kind of creature.
"Yingqi, well done." Elder Bai was the first to approach Lu Yingqi. He patted him on the shoulder and praised him highly, "You certainly haven't let me down!"
Lu Yingqi raised his lowered gaze. If he was merely expressionless before, he was now cold and indifferent. His gaze was as if it had been tempered with ice, and a deathly aura enveloped his eyes and brows, causing even Elder Bai to shiver.
"Ying Qi, are you alright?" Elder Bai asked in a low voice.
Lu Yingqi did not answer him, and his gaze fell down again. Elder Bai followed his gaze and found himself standing on a pool of blood.
A complex mix of emotions welled up inside Elder Bai. He had been too overjoyed. Lu Yingqi had successfully attained enlightenment and could continue to stay in the Ruthless Dao Palace. Moreover, his cultivation had also improved significantly, and he might have already broken through to the Nascent Soul stage. In Elder Bai's experience, after attaining enlightenment, one could at least leap one or two realms... In his overwhelming joy, Elder Bai did not notice that he had stepped on the blood of the sacrificed servant boy.
"Yingqi, stop looking and go back to rest." Elder Bai intentionally or unintentionally blocked Lu Yingqi's view, while making a gesture to the people around him.
The disciples of the Dao Palace then gathered around, cleaned up the scene, carried away Xiao Zhi's body, and washed the ground... Soon, the open space inside the Dao Palace was as clean as ever, as if nothing had ever happened.
As Rong Xie watched Xiao Zhi's body being carried away by the guide and several disciples, an urge to vomit surged up. He covered his mouth and looked away.
"It's alright, Xiaozhi isn't dead," Rong Xie told himself. "The Soul-Locking Array is still there, his soul is still here, and he might be watching us right now."
After consoling himself in this way, Rong Xie seemed to truly feel that a pair of eyes were fixed on him.
He looked at Lu Yingqi, who was surrounded by people, as if he were looking at a withered tree in a vast wilderness.
"Nephew Lu is indeed of good character." The sect leader's voice, praising Lu Yingqi, drifted on the wind.
The Xuantian Sect's high-ranking members, who had just been threatening to kill Lu Yingqi, now regarded him as the pride of their sect. The stench of blood in the air had not yet dissipated, but it was almost overshadowed by their praise.
Rong Xie couldn't bear to watch the scene of everyone surrounding him. He wanted to ask Elder Bai when he would activate the Soul-Locking Array to retrieve Xiao Zhi's soul, but seeing Elder Bai beaming as he accepted his colleagues' congratulations, he knew that this matter couldn't be accomplished anytime soon.
I wonder if Xiaozhi's soul is still lingering in the sky, and if she can see this scene. If she can see this scene, she shouldn't return here after she is resurrected.
Rong Xie took a deep breath and exhaled heavily.
"Senior brother, I'll go back first. Whenever Elder Bai looks for me, just say I'm in Lu Yingqi's guest room," Rong Xie said to the guide.
The guide was also squeezed into the crowd, but fortunately, he wasn't too far forward, so Rong Xie could still talk to him.
"Junior Brother Rong, aren't you staying?" the guide asked.
"No, thank you," Rong Xie said.
The guide seemed somewhat surprised, but didn't ask any further questions.
Rong Xie returned to Lu Yingqi's courtyard.
The courtyard was quiet.
The disciples had all run off to watch the excitement, so naturally no one was there.
Rong Xie couldn't help but think of the last time he came, when Xiao Zhi was still there, standing in that spot under the corridor, looking at him with concern.
Rong Xie felt a pang of pain in his heart, shook his head, and shook off the thought.
He knocked on the door, but there was no response. Rong Xie then remembered that Shen Bingsi was still wearing the protective talisman and staying obediently in the room.
After contacting Shen Bingsi using the communication jade pendant, the door opened from the inside.
Shen Bingsi rushed out and grabbed Rong Xie's hand, saying urgently, "You're back!"
After saying that, he examined Rong Xie from head to toe to make sure there were no external or internal injuries.
Rong Xie was in a bad mood, but Shen Bingsi's outburst eased his mood considerably.
"How did it go?" Shen Bingsi peeked out of the courtyard gate. "Was Lu Yingqi executed on the spot?"
"Pfft." Rong Xie couldn't help but chuckle. "No, not at all..."
"Oh." Shen Bingsi looked regretful. "It seems he escaped unscathed? Wait, don't tell me he succeeded in attaining enlightenment?!"
Rong Xie was surprised by Shen Bingsi's keen insight.
Seeing Rong Xie's reaction, Shen Bingsi nodded: "It seems I wasn't wrong. You said Lu Yingqi was in trouble and Elder Bai was anxious to ask you for help, so I guessed it. Elder Bai's secret technique must be the Dao Proving Formation, right? How is it? What happened? Is his servant still alive?"
"..." Rong Xie fell silent for a moment. Shen Bing Si had guessed everything. How could he still hide it? He was just short of telling Shen Bing Si about the Spirit Locking Formation as well.
"It seems the chances of survival are slim," Shen Bingsi observed Rong Xie's expression.
"Don't make wild guesses. Now that Lu Yingqi's matter has been resolved, we can focus on dealing with yours." Rong Xie said solemnly, "Elder Bai has promised me that after it's done, he will tell me where Elder Hong is and guarantee that we can see him."
“Well, Elder Bai’s method didn’t work, so we can only rely on Elder Hong,” Shen Bingsi said.
“Not necessarily…” Rong Xie said hesitantly.
But when he thought about what he had just seen, he couldn't continue.
He originally thought that the only difficulty in solving the problem of a shattered Dao heart was persuading Shen Bingsi. Without the impending crisis of the Heavenly Demon destroying the world, how could Shen Bingsi possibly agree to this method of proving the Dao? He thought it would be very difficult.
However, after witnessing Lu Yingqi's enlightenment, he realized that he couldn't accept it either. Some things he felt he could do rationally were actually very difficult to do in reality.
"Stop thinking about it. Let's go find Elder Hong and ask for a solution. If it works, we'll do it; if not, so be it," Shen Bingsi said. "At worst, we can start over—don't you trust... cough cough... me?"
Shen Bingsi coughed again.
Rong Xie's mind was in complete turmoil.
We must act quickly.
"I'll go ask Elder Bai right now."
When Rong Xie returned to the open space inside the Wuqing Dao Palace, Lu Yingqi was nowhere to be found, while Elder Bai was still there socializing with the sect leaders who congratulated him.
Not knowing when they were going to talk, Rong Xie could only push through the crowd and walk up to Elder Bai: "Elder Bai, may I speak with you in private?"
Elder Bai gave him a warning glance: "Can't you see I'm busy? Go back and wait."
"I don't have time to wait. Where is Elder Hong?" Rong Xie asked directly.
Elder Bai's expression changed, and his smile towards those around him stiffened. He apologized as he pulled Rong Xie aside, saying, "Are you crazy? What nonsense are you spouting? Do you think I would go back on my word?"
"I can't wait any longer!" Rong Xie said. "You can handle the aftermath here by yourself, right? I want to take Shen Bing Si away now."
"What's the rush!" Elder Bai cast a soundproof spell, stared at Rong Xie, and said urgently, "I only kept you here to thank you for your help! After I deal with these people, I'll show you how powerful this formation is, leaving no room for future trouble! The servant boy's soul is still here. After I disperse these people, you'll come with me to carry his body here, and I'll show you my skills!"
Hearing Elder Bai's confidence, Rong Xie felt a little better. He shook his head: "But I really can't wait. Shen Bingsi's condition is critical and could change at any moment..."
Elder Bai took a deep breath: "That's enough!"
He waved his sleeve to dispel the soundproofing spell, strode towards the crowd, and loudly told them that this matter was over. He and his disciples needed to put away the magic array and deal with the remaining matters, and asked them to leave now.
The crowd was somewhat taken aback, probably not expecting that Elder Bai, who was so fond of showing off, would so quickly put aside his desire to boast. However, since Elder Bai had spoken, they could not stay any longer and left one by one, and the Wuqing Palace became quiet again.
Elder Bai sent his disciples to beckon to Rong Xie. The two walked to the place where the bodies were kept, took out the corpses that had been placed in sacks, and brought them back to the spirit-locking formation.
"Watch closely." Elder Bai raised his sleeves, revealing his hands, and quickly formed a complex incantation. White light burst forth from his fingertips, scattering like fireworks throughout the magic circle. He opened his eyes and shouted, "Reveal!"
A cold wind blew by, but the magic circle remained empty and unchanged.
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Good card [poor face]
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