Chapter 12
Breaking the formation was no easy task, and just when everyone saw hope, the barrier suddenly strengthened. The rapidly changing scenery around them had settled, and a few people recognized the place—it was the Li family's backyard.
The evil spirits and zombies vanished in that instant, and there was no trace of human presence around them.
Those who had just broken through the formation and were fighting on the outer perimeter suddenly collapsed, some of them struggling to get up.
Seeing her junior brothers and sisters collapse to the ground without warning, Mingmo hurriedly stepped forward to help up the only woman, Lin Jichen, and looked at the other two, anxiously asking, "What happened to you?"
Before the two men could answer, Lin Jichen, whom she held in her arms, began to breathe heavily. Seeing her junior sister gasping for breath, she felt a surge of panic, but the pulse she felt told her that Lin Jichen was perfectly fine…
“Spiritual power…our spiritual power has been absorbed…absorbed…” Zhou Xuanzhi was panting heavily as he said this.
She looked around and realized that those lying on the ground were the people who had just done the most work.
"Is there any way to help? Why is Junior Sister Lin in such a serious condition?"
“We were careful. We almost fell for something in the brothel. Lin Jichen was already injured, and it seems his injuries haven’t healed yet.” Shi Yunzhou and Zhou Xuanzhi helped each other up and finally stood up.
While Shi Yunzhou was speaking, Zhou Xuanzhi held his elbow the entire time. This was partly to stop him from speaking too harshly, and partly to give him the strength to defend himself when faced with criticism.
"It's best not to move now, otherwise... our spiritual energy will dissipate. The Illusion Demon's trap is extremely treacherous," Zhou Xuanzhi said, panting heavily.
Mingmo has witnessed this illusion today; perhaps everything tonight was orchestrated by the Illusion Demon. She held Lin Jichen and began channeling spiritual energy into her, but it was like throwing stones into the sea.
"Don't waste your energy, save it for yourself!" Shi Yunzhou had regained a little strength, but that was only enough to speak properly.
"If her spiritual energy dissipates, she won't be able to hold out until she gets out." Mingmo finally gave up. She realized that her spiritual energy fluctuations were being detected, and then her spiritual energy was being absorbed. She stopped, and the formation stopped too.
If we can't use spiritual power, then we can't break the formation. Are we destined to be trapped in this illusion forever?
There's another person to worry about: Young Master Li, who was taken away by Fang Xiashen. We don't know if he's alive or dead. We also don't know the current situation of the Li family; Gu Qingci is still there.
“Young Master Li is still alive. I can still sense that he is alive for the time being.” Shi Yunzhou frowned, feeling very uneasy.
"That's good then." She looked around at her fellow disciples, who all seemed to be doing well. "Let's wait a bit, take good care of ourselves, and think of a way to get out."
Shi Yunzhou turned to look at Zhou Xuan, his expression inquiring, "Do you know what Senior Sister Ming is thinking?"
'have no idea. '
After resting for an unknown amount of time, everyone has now regained some of their strength.
Seeing everyone's state, Mingmo drew her sword, made a cut on it with her hand, and began to draw an array. Looking at the complex array diagram that appeared on the ground, Shi Yunzhou felt it looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
Zhou Xuanzhi remembered that he had learned this diagram from Shi Wanqing, but at that time he always felt that he was still young and had his master by his side, so he didn't pay attention to learning anything. Now he was trapped by a phantom demon and didn't even have a way to get out.
The same applies to others. The way this diagram is drawn may differ from school to school, but the effect is the same: to break the formation by relying on other forces.
Mingmo sat in one of the positions and picked up the zither next to Lin Jichen.
Shi Yunzhou and Zhou Xuanzhi took out flutes from their lower backs and each occupied a position, followed by the other disciples of Tianyu Mountain. There were only a few positions, so some of the remaining people went to the very center, while others stood in the middle of their positions, forming a protective formation.
After the first note was played on the zither at the end of the Ming Dynasty, others began to play.
Half of the disciples of Tianyu Mountain practice both sword and music cultivation. In the eyes of young disciples from other sects, they are a bunch of hypocrites. This reputation is as well-known throughout the immortal sects as the Qingxu Sect's group of monks who practice both sword and talisman cultivation and have no female disciples.
Disciples from other sects still sighed, saying that these hypocrites from Tianyu Mountain did have some skills; for one thing, they would definitely not starve if they joined the opera troupe in the future.
Here, too, were disciples of the Qingxu Sect, known as the Monk's Temple, who began drawing talismans. Talismans drawn with blood are indeed powerful; the Monk's Temple certainly possessed some skill.
There are also two or three disciples from Medicine God Valley; it's safe to entrust the injured to them.
After considering the strengths and weaknesses of other sects, the various cultivation sects began to develop their own unique skills, ensuring they wouldn't be criticized as useless when they went out into the world.
In short, everyone was careful this time, not only refraining from using spiritual power or magic, but even using their swords as fire pokers.
The music from Tianyu Mountain, amplified by the spiritual talisman from the Qingxu Sect, did indeed have an effect; the surrounding scenery fluctuated as before, proving its effectiveness.
Seeing hope, everyone exerted every ounce of their strength.
Slowly, a crack seemed to appear above the barrier. Seeing this crack, everyone exerted even more force. Some even threw magical artifacts in all directions as if they were free, and the immense spiritual power within them began to rush towards the crack along with the music.
The disciples of the Qingxu Sect were also throwing talismans at the crack. The talismans enhanced the magic weapon, and the effect of the bombardment began to increase exponentially. The crack was also torn open.
The disciples of Cold Maple Valley also began to act, standing behind the disciples of Heavenly Dew Mountain, no longer caring about the restrictions that prevented them from using spiritual power. They were a sect renowned for its magical techniques; the formations of any other sect held no secrets for them. This meant they could utilize the Heavenly Dew Mountain formation more effectively, maximizing its power.
Finally, the barrier was broken.
But their joy didn't last long. They were now standing on the street they had just been on. Was it still the illusion of the demon?
There's a reason why people fear the Illusion Demon. If it were a demon like Fang Xiashen, one person might not be able to defeat him, but a group of people could. However, the Illusion Demon is a truly difficult opponent. He never faces people directly, and he can drive people mad by creating layer upon layer of illusions.
Just like the current situation, they tried to break the formation time and time again, only to find that it was all in vain. How could the Illusionary Demon still be able to set up formations while they were breaking them? What kind of mindset does it take to remain steadfast in such a situation?
"Shall we continue breaking through the formation?" someone asked.
Looking at everyone's current state, Mingmo believed they could hold out for another round. She looked firmly at a faint light in the distance and said, "Break."
"Broken." This "broken" was said by people from other sects.
Mingmo looked at them, and they looked at the person who said the word "broken". Although they were not from the same sect, they shared the same principles on some matters, such as never bowing down to the demon realm.
So the group set up their formation again and began a new round of breaking through the enemy's defenses.
Just like before, cracks appeared in this illusion.
Zhou Xuanzhi stared at the same crack as before, his heart sinking. He was still trapped, unable to escape. How had his master escaped when he encountered the Illusion Demon? Faced with such a scene on his deathbed, no one, regardless of their background, could hold firm.
His distraction caused the crack to slowly close again.
...
As expected of the Illusion Demon, he can grasp everyone's weaknesses. Zhou Xuanzhi played the flute while reciting the "Qingjing Jing" (Classic of Purity and Tranquility) to calm his mind.
Those who were guarding the area were no longer just protecting the Dharma; they seemed to have discovered something. When the first person loudly recited the "Purity and Tranquility Sutra," the crack widened further and further.
This time, no one was distracted, and with the blessing of the "Qingjing Jing" (Scripture of Purity and Tranquility), they broke through the formation once again.
This time, they arrived at the interior of a brothel. They were no longer a group of monks, but had become customers visiting the brothel.
Zhou Xuanzhi looked at the two scantily clad women beside him, somewhat bewildered. Disciples from other sects had roughly the same reaction: at most, they stood up and moved away from the scene.
But the disciples of the Qingxu Sect were in a much worse situation. Their sect rules were strict, and almost every disciple was considered a role model by elders from other sects. Yet, even these role models were caught in this predicament, unable to escape or hide. Each of them huddled together, trembling in fear amidst the crowd of women.
By this time, the figures on the stage had transformed into dancing women, or even people seated among men. She looked around the stage but couldn't find Lin Jichen.
"Search the rooms on the second floor." Shi Yunzhou noticed that many people, both men and women, had disappeared. He was quite familiar with the layout of this brothel.
Then everyone realized that this was not role-playing, and there was no need to act out the words and actions of the people in this scene.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Ming led several female disciples to the second floor, searching each room. Sure enough, the missing disciples were all there. Lin Jichen was now lying in bed, asleep.
The remaining people stayed where they were.
"The effect of breaking the formation doesn't seem to be very significant." Everyone has been trapped in the illusion and hasn't been able to escape.
“It really was useless.” Zhou Xuanzhi recalled each time they broke the formation just now. They were like puppets, being manipulated by someone with strings.
"My master once said that all the Illusion Demons are sealed in the Boundless Realm and have never come out. The Qingxu Sect has also never taught the Illusion Demons their weaknesses." The speaker was Shen Junning, a disciple of the Qingxu Sect. His status in the Qingxu Sect was similar to that in Tianyu Mountain at the end of the Ming Dynasty.
Upon hearing this, everyone wore the same expression.
"Tianyu Mountain never mentioned it. But..." But an elder of Tianyu Mountain died at the hands of the Illusion Demon more than two hundred years ago.
Zhou Xuanzhi continued, "That Illusion Demon was eventually killed by the sect leader with a single sword strike."
"We saw the Phantom Demon back then, but we can't see it now."
For a moment, the entire building fell silent.
Someone opened the window, and outside was still an empty street, dark and devoid of any human presence, with only the moon shining in the sky.
"What's that?" someone asked, pointing to a faint light at the end of the street.
"It happened in the previous few illusions," someone recalled.
"Could it be the core of the formation?" some people speculated.
Every formation has a key point, which is the key to breaking the formation.
"We'll find out soon enough by trying," Shi Yunzhou said, summoning his elegant blue sword and forming a hand seal. The sword then flew towards the beam of light.
In the blink of an eye, Yunzhou City seemed to have experienced an earthquake. The entire city shook, making it impossible for people to stand.
"It seems to be the core of the formation," someone said.
Then countless swords flew towards the faint light as if they were free. This caused the world to shake even more violently, and people, unable to stand, fell to the ground.
Just then, the blue sword flew back, seemingly searching for something in mid-air. Zhou Xuanzhi felt his own sword resonating with him, so he summoned his own sword. He could no longer control this sword; the red and blue swords resonated in the air.
Everyone recognizes this sword; it belongs to Shi Wanqing. The red sword, Sunset Glow, and the blue sword, Moon Worship—that legendary figure wielded two swords. But unlike ordinary dual swords, she wielded two swords of equal length.
That faint light could no longer be called a faint light. The light grew brighter and brighter, and the two swords flew towards the light. The instant the swords flew into the light, the whole world was illuminated. Everyone was blinded by the bright light and quickly closed their eyes and raised their hands to shield their eyes.
Before long, the light dimmed, becoming more palatable. Some people opened their eyes and saw the bustling streets of Yunzhou City, blue skies and white clouds, and the blinding sun…
"The formation has been broken."
People on the street were surprised to see twenty or thirty cultivators suddenly appear before them. They were either sitting on the ground or lying down, and they were not the way people remembered them.
The sound of breaking the formation made everyone forget the awkward situation, and their eyes were fixed on Shi Yunzhou and Zhou Xuanzhi. They knew that the formation could be broken thanks to Canyang and Baiyue.
It was at this moment that the swords began to fall around the cultivators. This terrified the surrounding crowd, who quickly moved away, fearing that the swords might pierce their skulls.
Looking at the two people still sitting on the ground, Mingmo said to the person next to him, "Take them back to the Li family, I'll go after Young Master Li."
In the Li family, Gu Qingci looked at the silver bracelet on her wrist, at a loss.
The cultivators who remained at the Li family's residence saw that Gu Qingci had become speechless. Earlier, when evil spirits and undead attacked them, they were doing their best to protect the Li family members when someone suddenly attacked Gu Qingci. They couldn't get to her side in time, and everyone could only watch helplessly as she was attacked.
But in that instant, two swords, one red and one blue, pierced the ambushing zombie, reducing it to ashes. At the same time, the silver bracelet on Gu Qingci's wrist emitted a dazzling light…
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