The black mist trembled.
Although they originated from the same entity, it was, after all, an inner demon born later. Therefore, it knew very well that if he was pushed too far, there was a possibility he would choose the path of mutual destruction.
The black mist could only say unwillingly, "Fine, you get the best body, and give Cangshu Linfeng's body to me."
It then looked at the motionless Cangshu Bai and said impatiently, "Hurry up and prepare the array, let's begin!"
Yue Qingfeng turned and walked ahead.
The young man whose divine sense was imprisoned was like a wooden puppet at this moment. Only his fingertips hanging by his side curled ever so slightly and imperceptibly.
On a dark and windy night, Chongyang Mountain was completely silent.
Mu Ran had lived on Chongyang Mountain for a period of time and was somewhat familiar with it. She had Han Yu sense Cangshu Bai's location, and they eventually arrived at a cave dwelling sealed by restrictions.
This was the place where Master Yuwei was in seclusion.
As early as when she discovered that the skeleton on the mountain was Yue Qingfeng, whom she knew well, Mu Ran realized something was wrong. She immediately asked Han Yu to connect with Cangshu Bai's divine sense to tell him the news, but some force blocked their connection.
Seeing the restriction at the entrance of the cave now, she realized that the spell here had isolated the inside from the outside world.
Mu Ran didn't have time to ponder why the chivalrous "Yue Qingfeng" who appeared before everyone seemed to have another hidden identity. She only knew that she had to find Cangshu Bai quickly.
Looking at the unpredictable cold barrier in front of her, Mu Ran reached out her right hand and slowly covered the cold surface with her palm.
Strangely, she didn't form hand seals or chant incantations like ordinary cultivators. Instead, her fingertips tapped rapidly on the icy surface, as if calculating on a blackboard.
With her movements, the intricate threads of the restriction instantly revealed their original appearance, showing every trace of golden patterns.
Crimson lines of evil energy intertwined like poisonous pythons, dark black boundary lines were as sturdy as iron chains, and a few faint golden array eye lines lingered like gossamer, forming a network system that seemed chaotic but was actually precise.
"It looks like a restriction based on spatial geometry." Mu Ran touched her chin and whispered to herself, her eyes sweeping over those interwoven nodes. "It looks dangerous, but it's actually a logical closed loop."
Han Yu's eyes were blank.
Having followed Cangshu Bai for so many years, it only knew his style of doing things: if you see a restriction, just break through it with brute force. It had never seen Mu Ran pointing and studying a restriction like this.
Mu Ran was still muttering, "The angle of the nodes is seventy-five degrees, the distance between the array eyes is three point seven feet, the stress intersection point of the spiritual power boundary... is here."
Her eyes focused, and she raised her hand directly to point to the position slightly to the left of the center of the restriction network—that was the breakthrough point where all the lines were under the weakest stress and the logical chain was the most fragile, and it was also the only unfastening point of the entire restriction.
With a buzz, the originally tense restriction network suddenly loosened, like a tangled mess that had its core knot untied, and slowly disappeared without a trace.
There was no earth-shattering commotion like when Cangshu Bai unlocked a restriction, nor was it like his ruthless style of blowing up a mountaintop directly. Mu Ran actually unlocked such a difficult restriction just by using her fingers!
Han Yu's eyes shone brightly, and it spun around her excitedly.
It felt that compared to that brute Cangshu Bai, its mistress's intelligence made it admire her even more!
Mu Ran said, "Little fish, can you contact Jinzhi now?"
Han Yu shook its head.
The bad feeling in Mu Ran's heart grew stronger. She walked quickly into the cave dwelling and said, "Let's go find him and bring him home together."
Han Yu quickly followed.
Deep inside the cave dwelling, a stone wall opened up to reveal another world.
On the dome, thirty-six dark golden star tracks were painted. Each star flowed with a strange blood light, forming a heaven-defying array capable of reversing the soul.
On the ground, densely packed cyan jade runes intertwined to form soul-locking chains. Each rune exuded a cold, bone-eroding aura, firmly nailing the entire space dead.
And in the center of the chains were two trapped figures.
"Hey, Cangshu Bai, Cangshu Bai!"
Cangshu Linfeng was covered in injuries, his hands and feet bound by iron chains, unable to move. He looked at Cangshu Bai, who was similarly trapped on the other side, and called out several times, but did not receive a response from Cangshu Bai.
Cangshu Bai remained in an unconscious state, his white hair slightly covering his face, his eyes dull and lightless.
Cangshu Linfeng clicked his tongue. "Didn't you always like to put on an arrogant appearance as if the whole world was useless to you? I thought you were so smart, but in the end, didn't you become a prisoner just like me?"
Cangshu Linfeng then looked at the young Daoist priest in front of him and said angrily, "Don't touch my sword!"
Yue Qingfeng turned a deaf ear. He held Cangshu Linfeng's wooden sword, felt the power within it, and said, "A very pure sword intent. If I had met you ten thousand years ago, before my body collapsed, a battle with you would definitely have been exhilarating."
They were both sword cultivators, so they were more sensitive to sword intent and would naturally appreciate each other more.
Cangshu Linfeng mocked, "A despicable scoundrel like you is not worthy to be my opponent."
Not long ago, Cangshu Linfeng came to Chongyang Mountain to investigate the matter of demonic beasts and wanted to find Master Yuwei of Chongyang Mountain for a spar along the way. The first person he met was Yue Qingfeng.
It was all because Yue Qingfeng pretended so well. He was full of righteous energy and was definitely a rare pillar of the righteous path in the cultivation world. But such a person actually launched a sneak attack when Cangshu Linfeng was fighting Master Yuwei.
He guessed that Cangshu Bai must be like him, having been stabbed in the back.
The black mist was still there. Refusing to give up, it said to Yue Qingfeng, "Look at Cangshu Bai, he is missing a hand. If you take his body, you will be an incomplete person. Why don't you choose Cangshu Linfeng? He is also a sword cultivator and the most suitable for you. Your previous disciples' bodies were not durable and had to be replaced every few hundred years. Cangshu Linfeng's body is excellent and can definitely be used for a very long time."
Yue Qingfeng looked over calmly.
The black mist could only hold back its instigating words.
Cangshu Linfeng wasn't stupid either. He quickly formed an unbelievable conjecture, but still couldn't be sure: "Who exactly are you!"
The young Daoist priest casually tossed the wooden sword in his hand aside. The sword landed silently, but it caused the surrounding array patterns to tremble slightly.
He turned around and sat on a stone chair. He lifted his right leg casually, placing his foot firmly on the edge of the chair, resting one hand on his bent knee while the palm lightly propped up his chin. His posture was lazy and relaxed, yet it oppressively caused the breath of the entire cave dwelling to stagnate.
"The last time I went to Zhenyue Mountain City, your father was just a little baby. His talent in the Sword Dao was not even as good as yours."
Even though he had the appearance of a handsome and righteous young Daoist priest, the aura radiating from him at this moment was seasoned and steady, looking down on everything. It was as if all the living beings in this room were nothing more than a chess game for him to casually manipulate.
Cangshu Linfeng was finally certain. "You are the patriarch of Chongyang Mountain—Xie Guanxin!"
The black mist suddenly sensed something. "Xie Guanxin, someone has broken in."
Xie Guanxin's fingertips, resting upon his knee, paused slightly as he lifted his gaze.
The cold, damp mist drifting through the air shifted in response. The wispy tendrils intertwined and gathered together, instantly condensing into a crystal-clear water mirror suspended in mid-air.
Within the mirror, a young woman in a light green dress was walking briskly. The hem of her skirt fluttered lightly, like tender willow branches swaying in the breeze. Beside her trailed a glowing blue little fish, shimmering with flowing spiritual energy.
These two bright splashes of color were exceptionally striking within the depths of this dark and deathly still cavern.
Xie Guanxin let out a soft chuckle. "To think she could silently break my restrictive seal. It seems I underestimated her."
