Chapter 15 I Want to Enter the City
The Qiwang Mountains lie precisely in the center of the territory of Yu the Great. Yu the Great used the Qiwang Mountains as the boundary to divide the north and south. Minghua County is backed by the Qiwang Mountains and is located in the middle of them, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is a necessary place for the north and south cities and counties to travel between. Therefore, the county has always been rich and prosperous and is the largest county in the world.
However, its current position is somewhat awkward.
For no other reason than that it was once the sixth birthday gift of Yu Tianxing, the former seventh prince who was favored by the late emperor and is now a traitor, and was under his jurisdiction for eight years.
After the Seventh Prince's defeat, Minghua County was heavily guarded and has been garrisoned ever since.
People are subjected to strict questioning and searches when they go out, especially in the last two months.
Outside the city walls and at the entrances and exits, soldiers in armor and weapons stood in dense ranks, each with a solemn expression and a low-key atmosphere, their eyes scanning the people coming and going.
The higher authorities issued an order that, unless for urgent matters, residents of the prefecture were not allowed to enter or leave at will, and people from outside the prefecture were completely prohibited from entering.
The people queuing to leave the city didn't dare to breathe loudly, carefully explaining the reason for their entry and exit, handing over the prefect's approval document, and accepting inspection.
Two kilometers outside the main gate of the county town, there was a bustling crowd.
"Bullshit Dao Sect Ten Cultivators, we know it was you who did this!"
"We know you're inside! You always claim to be the strongest, so why can't you break the formation now!"
"Don't hide behind the formation and keep quiet, we know you can hear us!"
"You're sneaking around trying to gain the upper hand? If you're so capable, then compete openly and fairly!"
"Break the formation!" "Break the formation!" "Break the formation!"
The cultivators who were unable to enter crowded together, yet stood in one place in an orderly fashion, as if an invisible wall was blocking them all out.
The soldiers and civilians beyond the city walls in the distance, the clear sky above the city walls, and the lush mountains behind the city walls are all clearly visible.
However louder they shouted and how harsher their insults were, they couldn't budge an inch forward.
The cultivator was so angry that he was practically fuming. He cursed loudly and then unleashed his magic in front of him with all his might.
All sorts of moves landed in mid-air and were simultaneously shattered.
As the smoke dissipated, the picturesque cityscape under a clear sky in the distance rippled slightly like water, but then returned to normal in an instant.
"It moved!" "It moved!"
The cultivators seemed to see a glimmer of hope.
The attack swarm bombarded forward relentlessly.
Two kilometers outside the northeast city wall of Minghua County.
The mountains and forests are deep and secluded, and the distant noise can be faintly heard, making it seem even more remote and untouched by humans.
The green grass on the soil stretched out leisurely and swayed gently in the wind, and then was suddenly flattened.
"Hey, I heard them over there saying they've found a way to break the formation? They said they saw ripples spreading in the sky." A deliberately low, rough voice suddenly rang out in the quiet forest.
But they could only hear the voices but not see the people.
Another voice echoed from the woods: "It's just a common sign that the formation is negating the attack. The Dao Sect sent out no fewer than ten Foundation Establishment stage cultivators to protect the formation, how could it be broken so easily?"
The goat-bearded man's cold response completely extinguished the bearded man's excitement.
In this small world, the number of cultivators who have reached the peak of Foundation Establishment is already very small, and now nearly half of them are guarding this formation. Do they still have any hope of entering the city?!
Thinking of this, the bearded man became anxious and quickly stepped forward: "Sister Ji, are you sure you have a way? Don't try to fool me."
Ji Mingran kept his eyes closed and said vaguely, "Perhaps."
The bearded man raised his voice: "What do you mean, 'maybe'?!"
Ji Mingran responded simply, "That's what it says in the book, there's no mistake."
What?! The bearded man was dumbfounded. He had thought that Boss Jiang had taught Ji Mingran some unique skills, which was why she had promised to lead everyone into the city. Who knew that it was something she had figured out herself.
And it hasn't even been tested yet!
He grew impatient: "Are you sure you can do it? My invisibility technique can only last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."
"Of course she can do it," one person said indifferently.
The bearded man paused for a moment before realizing that the one who had spoken was the handsome young man who had been silently supporting the young woman the whole way.
A cold, icy gaze followed, passing over the young woman in the middle and landing directly on him.
The bearded man suddenly felt a chill and took a few steps back to the side of the goatee, muttering, "The young man is good-looking and has a nice voice, but he's gloomy and strange, and he's cold to everyone."
“I think he treats Miss Ji very well.” The man with the goatee glanced at him and said irritably, “You’d better shut up.”
Ji Mingran rubbed his eyes, opened them, and looked at the sun.
Today is the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month.
The group traveled from twenty miles away to this place, and spent some time collecting materials along the way.
If we don't get into Minghua County soon, it might be too late.
We must enter the city today.
Ji Mingran closed her eyes again, focusing all her attention on sensing the fluctuations of spiritual energy, and finally confirmed, "This is it." She stopped and squatted down to take out various items from her bundle one by one, while Yu Tianxing silently began to clear the grass from the ground.
The others dispersed, standing in a circle about half a zhang away from Ji Mingran, keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Once everyone had stopped, Goat Beard immediately cast a sound-mute spell, preventing any sound from spreading outwards within a certain radius.
The bearded man wailed repeatedly, "Ouch, I'm so suffocated by not being allowed to speak!"
The bearded young man craned his neck and asked, "Miss Ji, besides the leftover fire-fed rabbit bones, what else did you take?"
“Que Luo bamboo strips, Xuan wood paper, and Jinwu charcoal,” Ji Mingran listed them one by one.
The funerary objects in Boss Jiang's shop are more effective at warding off evil spirits than those in ordinary funerary object shops, which is undoubtedly related to the materials she uses to make them, which are imbued with spiritual energy. These items were leftover materials from making paper figures at home, and since they would be wasted at home, she simply packed them up and took them with her.
Ji Mingran buried himself in his work for a while before standing up, patting his palms blackened by the charcoal sticks, and said with satisfaction, "Almost done."
The bearded man turned around at the sound and saw that the ground within a ten-foot radius of Ji Mingran's standing point was covered with intricate black patterns. The bamboo strips and papers scattered around the patterns were not arranged in a regular way and seemed to have been randomly thrown there. He clicked his tongue and said, "What...what is this?"
Watching Ji Mingran continue to throw bones in different places, the goatee seemed to be thinking: "The young lady is a formation master."
“Not bad.” Ji Mingran pointed to the ground and said cheerfully, “This is a teleportation array.”
The man with the goat beard gathered his beard and focused on observing the array patterns: "Does the young lady intend to enter the city using the teleportation array? Many cultivators have tried this before, but most have failed."
Ji Mingran put his hands on his hips, straightened his back, and said, "I will succeed." Then he got back to work.
"Oh?" Goat Beard clearly didn't believe it.
The bearded man quickly pulled him to his side and whispered, "Hey, don't doubt it, are you deliberately trying to be annoying?"
Yu Tianxing's cold gaze swept over the two of them.
Ji Mingran was placing materials around the array with her back to them and did not notice the two's actions. She explained seriously, "My elder brother once said that he had seen cultivators spin and tumble to the ground as if they were in a turbulent current. I think it was probably because they encountered a gap in the array."
Goat Beard wanted to get to the bottom of this, ignoring his honest companion's reminder and someone's unfriendly look, and pressed on, "A gap in the formation?"
"Only cultivators at the Golden Core stage or above can activate a large array that can cover the entire Minghua County. The ten cultivators of the Dao Sect must have set up multiple arrays at the same time, splicing them together to cover the entire county. In this way, there will be gaps between the arrays. The spiritual energy flowing in the gaps will be chaotic and disturb the array power. If a cultivator happens to collide with them, he will tumble to the ground."
"To survive in the cracks, we will place a teleportation array in the largest gap, which will minimize the impact of the protective array and allow us to pass through into the city."
"I see." The goatee stroked his beard, his eyes full of approval: "Miss Ji's perception talent is rare; she is a born array master."
Following the flow of spiritual energy to find gaps in the formation, Ji Mingran explained it simply in a few words, but how many cultivators could actually do it, let alone someone who wasn't even at the Qi Refining stage?
The bearded young man quickly followed up with praise: "Miss Ji is indeed amazing."
Ji Mingran wholeheartedly agreed: "I think so too."
Goat Beard: "..." He couldn't help but glance at the burly man beside him, who was as big as a bear, at that familiar tone.
Are all talented people in the world this arrogant?
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, the goatee continued, "This teleportation array seems much more complex than those I've seen before. It must be a secret technique unique to you, young lady, which we shouldn't inquire about. But how do you activate the array since you have no spiritual power?"
The methods used by array masters to activate arrays vary, but those who need to first draw diagrams with a pen and then use spiritual objects for assistance are mostly low-level array masters. High-level array masters can create arrays with their thoughts and instantly manipulate spiritual power to complete a series of actions such as setting up, activating, and driving the array. They only draw array diagrams and use spiritual objects when they need to activate or maintain a large array for a long time.
However, Ji Mingran was clearly just a low-level array master. She had no cultivation herself, and even if she was lucky enough to activate the teleportation array in the gap of the array, the array power she generated could not match the array technique used by a Foundation Establishment peak cultivator.
"It's alright." Ji Mingran glanced at the array to make sure there were no omissions, then turned to the bearded man with a smile: "The higher the cultivation level, the stronger the array. Among us, I imagine that you, eldest brother, have the highest cultivation level, so I'll trouble you to inject your spiritual energy into the place where I'm standing."
"Girl, you have a good eye! No wonder you asked me to conserve my spiritual power and only allowed me to use the Concealment Technique. So that's why." The bearded man patted his chest, pointed to himself with a thumbs up, and proudly declared, "I'm at the peak of Foundation Establishment." He then pointed to the goatee: "He's only at the late stage. He's still quite a distance from me."
"..." The goat-bearded man, used to being dragged down by the bearded man, was expressionless with a hint of helplessness: "A person as single-minded as him, well, with a pure heart, is indeed good for cultivation." Getting back to the main point, he solemnly said: "But if you ask him to activate this formation, I'm afraid it will be difficult, and he is very likely to suffer a backlash from the formation."
The bearded man, who had been feeling proud, hesitated upon hearing this: "Miss Ji, are you going to teach me formations? But I really have no talent in this area and can't get started right away."
Activating a formation requires not only sufficient spiritual power from the cultivator, but also the ability to manipulate that power across multiple locations within a short period, constantly adjusting the amount of power according to the direction, in order to shape the spiritual power into a formation and activate its power. This demands not only a thorough understanding of the formation's structure but also an extremely strong sensitivity to spiritual power.
If the connection is not smooth, it is very likely to suffer a backlash from the formation. At best, the spiritual energy will flow backward; at worst, one will either die or be seriously injured.
He is a sword cultivator, whose talent lies in the explosive power of spiritual energy, but his perception is really just average.
The bearded disciples behind the bearded man made a commotion and, amidst the heated discussion, the stubble-faced youth, being the only one with any connection to Ji Mingran, was chosen to represent him and ask, "Miss Ji, what will happen if Senior Brother fails to activate the formation?"
Ji Mingran stroked his chin, his expression serious: "It's alright."
The bearded young man and his disciples were relieved: "That's good, that's good."
Ji Mingran added in detail: "If a huge explosion occurs, and if we are unlucky enough to be attacked by the city's protective formation at the same time, this place may be razed to the ground, and the person who set up the formation will be the first to be hit and probably be crushed to pieces."
"What?!"
The disciples immediately started arguing.
"Then we need to cast a protective spell first."
"I'm not very good at this spell, can you give me one?"
"Yes, yes."
"What about Senior Brother? He can't concentrate on activating the formation!"
"Don't worry, he's tough."
"Are you sure it will work? There's a limit to how thick it can be."
The bearded man, who was initially not entirely confident, grew dissatisfied as he listened and shouted at his fellow disciples, "What? You all think I'm bound to fail? You have no faith in me, so I'm going to get upset!"
Seeing his own people in complete disarray, Goat Beard sighed deeply, grabbing Big Beard with one hand: "Why are you arguing with them?" He raised his other hand to stop his noisy junior brothers: "They're not afraid, so why are you all panicking?"
He turned to look at Ji Mingran, who appeared relaxed, and the calm young man beside her: "If anything unexpected happens, I will do everything I can to protect everyone. Thank you both."
“It can be done.” Ji Mingran said with a smile: “After the others enter the formation, let the spiritual energy flow into the center, and then guide the spiritual energy to form the formation according to the pattern. There is no need to force it. Just do what you can.”
"Don't worry, sister, I'll definitely succeed." The bearded man patted his chest and continued to shout to his junior brothers, "I'll show you little brats what true talent looks like."
He raised his palm, focused his mind and gathered his energy, and poured spiritual power into the center of the formation.
Goat Beard and the others waited solemnly, silently watching the changes in the patterns.
Ji Mingran stood in the center of the formation, seemingly observing the changes in the formation patterns with wide eyes. Apart from Yu Tianxing standing opposite her, no one knew that she had entered a deep meditation, sensing the spiritual energy.
Gradually, a surge of heat rose from the air and rushed toward her.
Ji Mingran gathered the heat and, like peeling silk from a cocoon, transformed the spiritual energy into strands. While silently reciting the incantation, he guided each strand of spiritual energy to the pattern.
"Ah!" someone exclaimed softly.
The black patterns on the ground seemed to fade and slowly change, replaced by faint glimmers of light emanating from the ground.
Everyone held their breath.
However, the light dimmed and went out in the blink of an eye.
After waiting for a long time, nothing happened.
The bearded junior brothers only knew that their senior brother was exerting force to activate the formation, but they didn't know what Ji Mingran was doing. Seeing that the formation still didn't move, they looked at each other in confusion. Finally, they couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Did senior brother fail?"
No one responded.
Ji Mingran and Big Beard remained motionless, their attention completely focused.
Yu Tianxing and Yang Huzi stared intently at the two men, without uttering a word.
In an instant, a fierce wind arose, howling loudly, with such great force that it could easily blow a person away.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!" The junior brothers were in a flurry of activity.
"Hold on tight!" Goat Beard shouted, grabbing Big Beard and hurriedly directing his junior brother to hold each other.
A tremendous pressure suddenly came from all directions at the same time, as the city's protective formation suppressed those who tried to break through it.
Goat Beard quickly used his magic to gather his fellow disciples. Just as he was about to turn around to help the two with the lowest cultivation levels, a gust of air howled and struck wildly, fiercely hitting his protective magic. Goat Beard was too busy to even open his eyes.
Yu Tianxing seemed to be firmly rooted to the ground, remaining unmoved despite the turbulent currents. He bent down and tightly embraced Ji Mingran, using his body as a shield to block all the attacks.
Ji Mingran felt her body being pressed down so tightly that she couldn't breathe. Her consciousness returned instantly, and she reached out to hug Yu Tianxing back: "Hold me tight."
The force on her body increased, and at the same time, a barely perceptible golden light emanated from her body, slowly flowing into the other person as the two leaned close together.
The pressure on the two gradually eased.
In the blink of an eye, a bustling street appeared before them.
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