Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 95: Invitation To God

The scene at present was absurd, and Shen Zhu wished she had a small booklet to record this unforgettable moment.

Taiheng’s Yu Zikuan mixing with the Ling Sect’s Patriarch? If news of this got out, it would surely make people in the martial world laugh out loud.

The Taiheng Sect and the Ling Sect were incompatible, especially those who harbored deep hatred like Yu Zikuan. It wasn’t that Yu Zikuan was particularly righteous; most of his hatred stemmed from a pure blood feud. Yu Zikuan had a young son who was brutally killed by the Ling Sect’s Lu Fengxi, who used his skull as material for a cudgel. His wife was also killed while trying to desperately protect their son.

The deaths of his wife and son were tragic, and Yu Zikuan swore to eradicate the Ling Sect from that day on.

However, his desire for revenge led to extremely cruel methods, breaking the rules of Taiheng. Eventually, Taiheng had no choice but to remove him from his position as an elder and assign him to less visible tasks.

Yu Zikuan accepted this arrangement willingly.

His final mission was to go to Zongwu Mountain and assassinate the newly appointed Ling Sect Patriarch, Yan Zheng. However, several months had passed, and Yan Zheng was unharmed, while Lu Fengxi was left unscathed. There was no news from Yu Zikuan. Taiheng had asked the Yueshui Pavilion for help in finding him and they searched for years for any signs of him, to no avail.

Taiheng had no choice but to conclude that this formidable master was dead and remove him from the sect.

Little did they know that Yu Zikuan was not only alive but also living in an unimaginable way. Nonetheless, since he set up a large-scale battle formation against the Ling Sect, Yu Zikuan’s head was at least still functioning.

Shen Zhu habitually thought about it, barely resisting the urge to take out her notebook to jot it down. When she calmed down, a strong sense of incongruity rushed into her mind—Yu Zikuan was alive and well. His plan to use the battle formation to exterminate the Ling Sect was feasible. But why was Yan Zheng here?!

Patriarch Yan, the Patriarch of the Ling Sect, stood alone in front of Yu Zikuan, and he looked as if he had been beaten.

Stiffly turning her head, Shen Zhu saw Sect Master Shi wearing a perfectly appropriate smile, looking genuinely innocent.

…Getting the Mist-Evading Pill, she could understand. The Kushan Sect master and disciple were indeed powerful enough to cause some trouble for Yan Zheng. But to also kidnap Yan Zheng was beyond her imagination.

This kind of behavior would even warrant an official report in a respectable orthodox sect.

The air seemed to freeze, and the scene fell silent for a moment.

“The plans you two had discussed, Patriarch Yan told me on the way.” Shi Jingzhi broke the silence. He casually folded his hands behind his back, his tone nonchalant.

Shen Zhu glanced at the breathless Yan Zheng, suspecting Patriarch Yan was worried the battle formation hadn’t been activated on time. He collided with the Kushan Sect’s group of people who could punch the Jianchen Temple and kick the Mishan Sect. Unable to fight or escape, Yan Zheng could only reveal the truth.

She almost started to sympathize with him.

“Patriarch Yan gathered the important figures of the Ling Sect in one place while you launched a large-scale battle formation attack on the Grand Pavilion. If my people hadn’t just bumped into you, the formation should have been activated, right?” Shi Jingzhi continued.

“Major sects can use magic tools to disperse the fog, while smaller sects have to rely on the Mist-Evading Pill. You were worried that innocent people might be mixed into the Grand Pavilion, so you used arrows to drive them away.”

Yu Zikuan had the Hanging Shadow Sword stuck to his neck but remained calm and composed. “Yes, I remember you, kid… Since you are not a member of the Ling Sect, how about letting us go and allowing me to continue with my business? Without interference from the Ling Sect, it should be easier for you to find what you are looking for, right?”

Compared to exposing himself and Yan Zheng, it seemed that Yu Zikuan was more concerned about the battle formation not activating.

“Just now, that girl talked so convincingly, and I almost believed her. Now that I think about it, the battle formation isn’t something that can be conjured out of thin air. Dealing with a mere hundred-jin demon corpse, how could the activation of the spell cover half of Zongwu Mountain… Hey, what’s the extent of the range of this battle formation? Now you can give me a definite answer.”

Hearing the words “cover half of Zongwu Mountain”, the three newcomers were stunned, and all looked at Shen Zhu.

The battle formation covers half of Zongwu Mountain?

Yu Zikuan lowered his head, looking at the formation on the ground. From this angle, he could only see a corner of the formation. This formation was unusual and much more complex than an ordinary battle formation. It wasn’t easy for him to understand its structure in such a short time. But just from the size of the formation, it was absurd to think that it covered half of Zongwu Mountain.

The size of the pot must match the size of the lid. As Yu Zikuan said, a formation couldn’t come out of nowhere. Shi Jingzhi could quickly set up a formation to deal with the Arcane Arts because there were numerous demon corpses nearby and the Arcane Arts itself wasn’t large. In the end, it depended on favorable conditions.

Shen Zhu wasn’t one to hold back her feelings and probably exaggerated to create an intimidating atmosphere.

However, Shen Zhu didn’t smile as easily as she usually did, stepping forward to mediate. She put away the relaxed expression on her face and approached Yu Zikuan, crouching down slowly.

“Warrior Yu, there really exists an unusual formation that can be conjured out of thin air.”

Her eyes locked onto Yu Zikuan’s, and her tone became somewhat uncomfortably stiff. The slight relaxation she had shown before had vanished like morning dew under the night breeze. When she spoke, she deliberately raised her voice, clearly not just speaking for Yu Zikuan to hear.

The formation quietly twinkled with faint light beneath their feet, as if breathing. The night was extremely dark, shrouded by the surrounding demonic mist, making them feel as though they were trapped in a giant cocoon with no way out.

“It needs to be drawn on the ground, precise and without mistakes, and must not be damaged during activation. Even if you’re not from the Mishan Sect, you should know this,” she said, moving her injured shoulder. Her gaze swept over the Kushan Sect’s members. “Watch closely. If my judgment is correct…”

She extended her hand and stabbed at the lines of the formation on the ground. Those lines were formed from a sticky substance mixed with blood, partially solidified, and lying on the soil. Shen Zhu acted decisively, breaking the stiff soil into pieces, scattering it all around. The mud and sticky substance mixed together, and the lines of the formation were completely destroyed. If it were an ordinary formation, this part of the formation would surely be affected, and more severely, the entire formation would collapse.

…It should be like that in normal circumstances.

However, the sticky substance seemed to have a life of its own. It drilled out of the broken soil, gradually reforming the original lines, then gently adhered to the uneven pits. In just a breath, the formation restored itself and started to flicker slightly.

Like an imprint engraved into the earth.

Yu Zikuan’s solid confidence finally wavered, and he frowned, looking at the formation with displeasure.

On the side, Yin Ci moved his sword slightly and shifted his gaze away.

In hundreds of years, he had never seen such a bizarre formation. Yin Ci suddenly felt that he had sought death all the way, and he might have gone completely in the wrong direction. If he had approached Shi Jingzhi for help instead, he might have found something that could have killed him.

“This formation is not an ordinary battle formation; it is the ‘Invitation to God* Formation’ of the Immortal Assembly. To this day, I am still unclear about its power source, but as for its range, half of Zongwu Mountain is a conservative estimate.”

*(请神) A ceremony that basically summons gods, buddhas, immortals (ect.) for blessings and/or misfortunes.

Shen Zhu’s face darkened as she wiped the wet mud from her fingertips.

“The Invitation to God Formation wasn’t created by the Mishan Sect and is only circulated among the upper echelons of the Immortal Assembly. It shouldn’t have fallen into the hands of unrelated individuals. Once this thing is formed, destroying the formation is more troublesome than setting it up. Yu Zikuan, where did you get this from?”

Shi Jingzhi also stepped forward two steps. “Senior Yu, the situation is now in our favor, and my friend wouldn’t lie about this. This matter has far-reaching implications; please clarify it for us.”

Looking at Shi Jingzhi’s gradually serious expression, Yin Ci sighed inwardly.

What caused the internal strife in the Ling Sect and whether the Grand Pavilion would be blown away by the battle formation had nothing to do with the Kushan Sect’s objectives. They could find Kongshi’s grave with the Mist-Evading Pill obtained from Yan Zheng and leave this dangerous place as soon as possible. Shi Jingzhi abducted Yan Zheng to inquire about information, but whether it added fuel to the chaos in the Ling Sect or not, Yin Ci didn’t care much.

If Yan Zheng behaved honestly, he could stay; if not, he would be killed. Either way, the Ling Sect wouldn’t have a peaceful time ahead. Yu Zikuan’s formation didn’t matter much; they were supposed to stay out of this mess.

…Now it seemed that the conspiracy vortex on Zongwu Mountain was even more troublesome than they had expected.

This night, it wasn’t just the Kushan Sect that couldn’t sleep in peace.

Although spring had arrived, the nights were still chilly. In the quiet of the night, only the Celestial Shrine in the Imperial Preceptor’s Residence was still lit. The spy from the Chigou Sect stealthily approached the Celestial Shrine and swallowed a Breath-Halting Pill.

Having received Matron Wuxue’s orders, the spy had been undercover in the Imperial Preceptor’s Residence for some time. Judging from his daily activities, Jiang Youyue could be considered a truly virtuous man—despite the Emperor’s dislike for the Imperial Preceptor’s lineage, Jiang Youyue still earnestly advised him. He spent his time studying water management and agriculture, never attending banquets or indulging in any suspicious activities. Jiang Youyue treated his subordinates fairly well, not particularly approachable but never causing any trouble for anyone.

If not for the serious wording in the orders from above, the spy would have thought this was a retirement place arranged by the Chigou Sect.

Unfortunately, Matron Wuxue hadn’t made a mistake in judging Jiang Youyue’s character.

Lord Jiang was good in every aspect, except for the fact that he frequently visited the Celestial Shrine in the middle of the night. While it wasn’t unusual for the Imperial Preceptor to meditate in the Celestial Shrine from time to time, over time the spy found some clues—

Behind the small Celestial Shrine, there was a hidden passage. The entrance to the passage was extremely discreet, right next to the shrine. If not for the Chigou Sect’s expertise in underground mechanisms, the spy might have missed it.

Now that he had the information, he should withdraw. However, the spy felt a bit reluctant to leave the Imperial Preceptor’s Residence.

As he sighed silently, he used a magical tool to conceal his presence and followed Jiang Youyue quietly. The Imperial Preceptor seemed completely unaware, carefully turning a mechanism and stepping down the long stone steps, heading deeper underground.

The air carried a strange smell of grass and plant juices, causing the spy to wrinkle his nose, barely suppressing a sneeze.

At the end of the stone steps was a spacious hall, intricately carved with a complex formation on the floor. In the center of the formation lay a gory demon’s corpse, surrounded by twelve black-clad individuals wearing skyward-facing masks, all kneeling neatly. The formation emitted a dim light, and the black-clad individuals kept their foreheads to the ground, remaining silent.

“What’s going on?” Jiang Youyue said calmly.

“My Lord, something strange has happened to the Invitation to God Formation on Zongwu Mountain.” The leader of the black-clad people raised their head. “After Yu Zikuan completed the formation, we were supposed to recite the incantations and formally summon the gods. However, we were not fully prepared here, and someone on the other side recited the incantations ahead of time.”

Jiang Youyue glanced at the formation in the center of the hall, and his tone remained calm. “So what?”

The black-clad person was taken aback. “There might be a traitor within the Immortal Assembly. My Lord, you…”

“Even if the other side wants to sabotage the formation, can’t the twelve of you handle a potential ‘traitor’?”

Jiang Youyue sighed, speaking as if he was teaching a young child.

“Now that the Invitation to God Formation has been successfully completed, it will inevitably activate. No matter what tricks they may attempt, it’s like an insect trying to stop a carriage… As for the suspicious person, once the summoning is over, investigate the survivors on Zongwu Mountain, and you’ll find out.”

“This Servant understands.”

Jiang Youyue glanced again at the formation on the ground. “Given that you’re controlling it remotely and suffering significant losses, I’ll give you another six hours. Before tomorrow’s sunset, not a single person on Zongwu Mountain should be left alive.”

The spy almost lost his breath. The Chigou Sect still had a large number of people stationed on Zongwu Mountain. He needed to get out quickly to report…

Before he could finish his thoughts, something gripped the spy’s neck. In the next instant, he found himself thrown into the formation, mixed with the foul-smelling demon’s corpse.

“In the end, variables can be found everywhere; there’s no need for you to be so nervous. Master often says that there are no absolutely perfect plans in this world.”

Jiang Youyue looked down at the terrified spy, revealing a gentle smile. The formation roared, and the demon’s corpse slowly dissolved, causing the surrounding air to turn icy cold.

“…After all, mortals cannot touch the divine realm. It’s best to correct the errors and eliminate the evil in a timely manner.” Jiang Youyue shook his head, retracting his gaze, and his tone became somewhat gentler.

Those were the last words the spy heard in the mortal world.

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