“I—I’m sorry…”
Shi Shuchen’s cheeks flushed. His handsome, dark eyes trembled, and he lowered his long lashes, afraid to meet Yuan Shu’s beautiful gaze.
He had just seen Yuan Shu suddenly pounce toward him and thought—thought she was… So, acting on instinct, he had opened his arms and caught her.
He had never expected that she had only leaped over to shield him from danger.
Yuan Shu said nothing. She simply reached out and began touching him, starting from his striking brows and eyes, then slowly tracing her fingers down along his cheek.
Shi Shuchen froze for a moment, yet surprisingly did not pull away. He merely breathed in the scent of pear blossoms that belonged to her and allowed her fingers to caress him bit by bit.
Then a deafening boom suddenly rang out from deep within the formation.
“Boom!”
The tremendous noise caused the entire formation to tremble. Surging vitality rapidly rushed toward its depths, mixed with faint, whistling sounds.
Yuan Shu’s expression changed slightly. Shi Shuchen spoke at that moment. “It’s coming from deep within the Essence-Locking Formation. It must be Peak Master Yao, who entered the formation earlier!”
Yuan Shu patted Shi Shuchen on the shoulder. Understanding her intention, he released his arms from around her.
The moment her embrace was gone, an inexplicable trace of regret rose in his heart.
“Let’s go take a look!” Yuan Shu said.
Shi Shuchen nodded as well, suppressing the unusual thoughts in his heart and following Yuan Shu swiftly toward the depths of the formation.
Before they even reached the area, a dazzling green light appeared ahead!
Yuan Shu looked up and saw a tall, elegant figure being struck hard in the chest by a surging mass of luminescent green energy before being sent flying backward!
Yao Qianci?
It really was him!
Yuan Shu’s eyes trembled. Acting on instinct, she shot forward. But before she could get close, she was pushed back by an even more powerful force!
Strands of surging green energy coiled and spiraled around Yao Qianci. In only a few moments, they formed a massive sphere of energy that firmly enveloped him.
Yuan Shu’s expression shifted. Gripping Zhuohua, she darted forward and lashed out fiercely with her whip.
Crack!
Zhuohua was knocked back, and Yuan Shu was also sent flying by the impact.
Unwilling to accept this, Yuan Shu charged forward again and brought the whip down.
The violent green energy surged outward once more. Even though she had been prepared this time, she was still forcefully pushed dozens of meters away!
A figure appeared beside Yuan Shu in time, reaching out to catch her arm and help her steady herself.
“Don’t go any closer. The energy in this sphere is at least above the Deity Transformation realm. Your attacks are completely ineffective against it. You may even trigger a backlash of spiritual power.”
Shi Shuchen explained, “The formation’s energy must have been drawn to the powerful wood-element spiritual energy within Peak Master Yao’s body. That’s why it created this space to trap him.”
“Most likely… it has taken him as a source from which to drain energy.”
Yuan Shu had already heard Shen Jingyuan say that when the formation expanded outward, only Yao Qianci could stop it from spreading.
He had entered the formation because there had been no other choice.
So he had actually been selected by the formation as a source of energy?
Just as she was thinking this, a black lotus slowly condensed above Yao Qianci’s head inside the sphere of light.
“That is…” Yuan Shu’s pupils contracted.
Beside her, Shi Shuchen’s expression changed drastically as well.
“It’s Earth Demon Fiend energy!”
The black lotus formed from Earth Demon Fiend energy slowly descended onto Yao Qianci’s head. A faint black radiance spread from it, enveloping him.
Strands of green energy continuously seeped out of Yao Qianci’s body and were wholly absorbed by the black lotus.
“This black lotus should have only just formed. It’s not too late to save him!”
“It seems the Sect Master was right. An Earth Demon Fiend really has appeared within the Falling Immortal Sect, and the one we captured last time was a fake.”
Shi Shuchen murmured to himself. No wonder Qu Qing had been so tense this time and insisted that he personally leave seclusion to help.
Every appearance of an Earth Demon Fiend in the cultivation world was an earth-shaking event.
Now that one had appeared in the Falling Immortal Sect, how could the sect possibly remain peaceful?
This formation had most likely been created by that Earth Demon Fiend as well.
What no one had expected was that this Earth Demon Fiend could actually wield the power of the spiritual ley line beneath the Falling Immortal Sect!
“Stay calm. I’ll go take a look.”
Seeing the frown between Yuan Shu’s brows deepen, Shi Shuchen spoke reassuringly before stepping forward alone and attempting to send his spiritual power into the sphere of light.
However, after only a moment, he was sent rebounding backward.
“How is it? Is there any way?” Yuan Shu asked.
Shi Shuchen frowned. “I can only tear open a small opening in the sphere. But Peak Master Yao’s divine consciousness and body are both trapped inside. He can’t break free from this power, which surpasses the Deity Transformation realm. In the end, it would still be futile.”
“Power that surpasses the Deity Transformation realm?” Yuan Shu stared at the sphere in astonishment.
The formation formed by the power of the underground spiritual ley line actually possessed strength beyond the Deity Transformation realm?
Wouldn’t that mean it had reached the Void Refining realm?
“Yes. Peak Master Yao and I are both at the perfected Deity Transformation realm, but we’re still somewhat short of the true Void Refining realm.”
“When facing a high-level formation empowered by someone borrowing the strength of a heavenly spiritual treasure, it’s only natural that we’re somewhat powerless. Perhaps we’ll have to find another way.”
Yuan Shu frowned, her gaze settling on the black lotus above Yao Qianci’s head.
The spiritual ley line beneath the earth had originally taken the form of a green lotus. Had Helan Ying deliberately left behind a black lotus here to prevent the people of the Falling Immortal Sect from breaking the formation?
The black lotus formed from Earth Demon Fiend energy was suppressing Yao Qianci from above, continuously draining the spiritual power from his body.
In just this short while, the black lotus had already grown several times stronger. If they delayed any longer, the consequences would be disastrous!
Over on the other side, Shi Shuchen thought for a moment before taking a green bead from his Cosmos Bag.
“The Muxu Wind-Settling Eye?” Yuan Shu glanced at it and immediately named the bead.
Shi Shuchen froze slightly and looked at Yuan Shu in surprise.
The Muxu Wind-Settling Eye was a high-grade magic treasure that he had painstakingly obtained the last time he entered a secret realm on behalf of the sect.
Most ordinary people had probably never even heard of its name, yet Yuan Shu recognized it?
“That’s right, the Muxu Wind-Settling Eye. It can protect the spiritual power within Peak Master Yao’s body. At a critical moment, it can also help us save him.”
Yuan Shu pressed her lips together, noncommittal.
Others might not know what the Muxu Wind-Settling Eye was, but she did.
It could indeed help Yao Qianci stabilize his current condition, but only at the cost of allowing the Wind-Settling Eye to invade his divine consciousness.
Once it invaded his divine consciousness, even if Yao Qianci were rescued, the object would merge with him and use him as nourishment. Removing it afterward would be extremely difficult.
“Don’t worry. When the time comes, I’ll use my own spiritual power to protect his divine consciousness. I won’t let the Wind-Settling Eye affect him.”
Shi Shuchen seemed to know what Yuan Shu was worried about and hurriedly explained.
“And if the Wind-Settling Eye targets your divine consciousness and attacks you?” Yuan Shu turned her head and asked in return.
Shi Shuchen froze slightly. “What?”
Yuan Shu’s expression was cold as she explained, “The Muxu Wind-Settling Eye isn’t a good thing. It’s an eyeball carved out of a vicious beast, and it carries fiendish energy of its own.”
“It’s extremely sensitive to the power of divine consciousness. Once it realizes that you’re protecting Yao Qianci’s divine consciousness and that it can’t attack him, it will turn around and attack you instead.”
“When that happens, there won’t be anyone else capable of protecting your divine consciousness!”
“Peak Master Shi, you’re not planning to use your own life to save Peak Master Yao’s, are you?”
