Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 103: At a Glance

“Yu Zikuan is not in any serious danger. However, you two have been severely depleted and need to rest for a few months.”

Shi Jingzhi retracted his hand from checking their pulses and addressed Yan Zheng, who was leaning on the head of the bed.

Yin Ci found Yu Zikuan and Yan Zheng on the mountainside. The Kushan Sect found an empty house at the foot of the mountain to settle them down. Having been exposed to the Invitation to God Formation for too long, Yan Zheng’s hair had turned completely white, dull and without shine. His body was also emaciated, but he still had the strength to speak. Yu Zikuan, being older and lacking the vigor of youth, was still unconscious.

Yin Ci made some simple medicinal meals and slowly fed them, finally managing to restore some vitality.

“Thank you, Sect Master Shi… What’s the situation outside now?” Yan Zheng asked after hearing the whole story. He exhaled deeply, as if trying to vent years of suppression.

“We are reorganizing the team. Most of the smaller sects have left,” Shi Jingzhi replied softly. “Shen Zhu told me that we lost a few lone rangers and one or two small sects that ran too far. Except for the Ling Sect, the major sects basically suffered no loss.”

“…Mm.” Yan Zheng massaged his brow, showing little joy. “Still, innocent people were involved. We didn’t consider it thoroughly.”

“Look at it this way, without this series of coincidences, the casualties would have been greater. With this casualty rate, it won’t cause chaos in the martial world.”

Yin Ci brought another bowl of sweet rice soup and casually handed a bun to Shi Jingzhi. Their fingertips brushed against each other, causing them both to pause. Yin Ci withdrew his hand, but the warmth and numbness still lingered on his fingertips.

He steadied his mind and used the conversation to distract himself. “Yan Zheng, what are your plans for the future? After this incident, those from the righteous path will surely come to investigate. When the time comes, it will probably be difficult for you and Yu Zikuan to stay here peacefully. It might be better to hide your identities and live quietly.”

Yan Zheng sipped the rice soup, glancing quietly at the unconscious Yu Zikuan.

Right now, the Patriarch had white hair, which, combined with his ghost eyes, made him look more ghostly than before. But with just a glance, the worldly aura around him was thicker than ever.

“Before that, I have some things to do… With the main branch destroyed, those lunatics in the side branches will either proclaim themselves as kings or join other demonic sects. There will be chaos, and Taiheng may not be able to suppress it.”

Yan Zheng looked at the peeling mud wall of the empty house. His eyes were still firm, but the heavy sense of death in them had been swept away.

“It’s not time for the position of ‘the Ling Sect’s Patriarch’ to be vacant. I will finish this mission of eliminating evil from the world. But today’s life saving grace, I will definitely remember in my heart. If the Kushan Sect encounters any danger in the future…”

Shi Jingzhi, with a bun in his mouth, spoke very sincerely. “Don’t worry, I will definitely ask for help.”

They waited for a few days before the Invitation to God Formation stopped working. By that time, most of the martial artists that gathered there had left, the Ling Sect was nearly annihilated, no one was maintaining the formation, and the Fog Tomb Formation gradually dissipated. Without the rolling demonic fog and pedestrians, the vast Zongwu Mountain seemed even more desolated than before.

Yan Zheng and Yu Zikuan were genuine masters, and within a few days, despite their physical weakness, they were able to walk. At their strong request, the Kushan Sect temporarily let them stay with them—Su Si was still looking for Lord Bai, and Shen Zhu was scouring for news outside the mountain; it was as if to make up for the lack of manpower.

“I’ve been in Zongwu Mountain for six years. I’m very familiar with the nearby terrain. We can help you find clues and leave after you have found everything,” Yu Zikuan said with a grin. “Maybe by the time you find the ‘Shirou’, we will have cleared out the remnants of the Ling Sect. Sect Master Shi, the next time we meet, we might be colleagues. Hm, it seems like we should prepare a flag in advance…”

As he spoke, he affectionately patted Yan Zheng on the back of the head. Yan Zheng laughed; his smile even seemed a bit shy. Yan Zheng’s white hair was tied high, and his face had regained some color. The hostile aura around him had dissipated, leaving only stability and gentleness.

However, the journey to Zongwu Mountain was still not easy.

Even with the Buddhist records given by the Jianchen Temple and the information from various sects as references, the clues were extremely hard to find. Yu Zikuan saved everyone a lot of detours, but they still spent nearly five days on the mountain. In the end, it was Yin Ci who recognized the general location and found the lonely stone chessboard.

The stone chess board was made of local rocks and wasn’t conspicuous to begin with. Now it was covered with thin soil and moss and looked no different from ordinary rocks. Compared to that dull chessboard, there was an even more noticeable mark—

Near the chessboard, a few apricot trees were blooming splendidly. The tiny, snow-white blossoms scattered a faint fragrance in the damp air. The gentle spring sunshine bathed this tranquil and secluded area. Although it was a burial place, Yin Ci didn’t feel the least bit gloomy.

There was nothing more peaceful than a destination like this.

On the way, Shi Jingzhi roughly explained the matters about Yan Budu and Kongshi. No one made a sound at the moment; they were just quietly looking at the apricot trees adorned with flowers.

Just as Yin Ci was about to move forward, Shi Jingzhi grabbed his wrist. Shi Jingzhi’s expression was serious, and he gently shook his head. “Although there seem to be no traps here, this is Yan Budu’s setup… Yan Qing, take the Sword of Compassion over and have a look, and remember to move slowly.”

Under the Ghost Tomb, Yan Budu had left instructions for his descendants. Yan Qing, with the Sword of Compassion, was double insured, which arguably was the safest of them all.

Yan Qing solemnly nodded, moving slowly toward the chessboard with his sword. He was extra careful not to step on any relics or remains. After slowly moving for half an hour like a snail, Yan Qing finally reached the stone chessboard with visible sweat on his forehead.

Nothing happened.

“I see it. The ‘key’ is still there!” Yan Qing sighed in relief and raised his voice. “It looks like a jade bead… Should I take it out now?”

Shi Jingzhi silently felt the atmosphere around him for a while, noticing nothing unusual. “Give it a try. Remember, never let go of the Sword of Compassion. Pull back if anything feels wrong, understand?”

“Yes.” Yan Qing took a deep breath, took out a prepared hook, and began to pry the “jade bead” embedded in the chessboard.

The moment the hook touched the jade bead, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, around the Sword of Compassion, a protective spell left by Yan Budu was immediately activated. The stone sword vibrated slightly, emitting a very soft light. The light gradually took shape, forming a solid light shield and tightly wrapping Yan Qing inside. The next moment, the pale light of the protective shield flickered like a dying candle in the wind, seemingly on the verge of shattering.

In the past, everyone wouldn’t have been able to react immediately. But not long ago, they encountered a similar situation—

Something was absorbing vital qi in large amounts.

The Sword of Compassion was made from Muyan stone. Muyan stone was the sturdiest material in the world, transformed from the corpses of ancient monsters, and was also a magic material. The power of the Kongshi’s inscriptions was as effective as it was a hundred years ago, which showed their strength.

Yin Ci remained silent. His method to rescue Yu Zikuan and Yan Zheng was used by Yan Budu a hundred years ago. Without the Sword of Compassion, if one touched the jade bead rashly, it was hard to say whether they could leave intact.

But what absorbed vital qi before was the Invitation to God Formation, so what was absorbing vital qi now? The Ling Sect was good at repairing tombs. If they only wanted to kill visitors, there were countless trap spells they could use. Why would Yan Budu resort to such complicated means?

Yan Qing held the Sword of Compassion tightly in his left hand and continued to pry the jade bead with his right hand. After nearly half an hour of effort, the jade bead finally showed a little from the stone hole, touching the sunlight for the first time in a hundred years.

The moment Yan Qing saw the jade bead clearly, his hand shook, and he almost let go of the Sword of Compassion. At the same time, the protective shield around the Sword of Compassion finally stopped flickering, but compared to when it was first activated, it was almost dim to nothing.

The absorption of vital qi seemed to stop, and a warm glow appeared on the surface of the jade bead. Yan Qing stood still in front of the jade bead, not knowing whether to pick it up or not.

Yin Ci stepped forward. “What’s the matter?”

“…It’s an eyeball.” Yan Qing swallowed. “This thing is an eyeball.”

He slightly turned aside to let everyone see it.

The eyeball was semi-transparent with a jade-like luster. The jade eyeball was incredibly intricate, not something carved by human hands. Upon closer inspection, the surface of the eyeball was filled with complex patterns that seemed to have nothing to do with the word “key”.

Was this the key to the Shirou?

“There’s nothing like this in the Ling Sect.” Yan Zheng furrowed his brows and took the initiative to speak. “I haven’t seen such a spell, nor have I heard of anyone using it.”

Not to mention Yan Zheng, Yin Ci himself had never seen such a thing. Anyway, the absorption of vital qi had stopped. He walked straight to the chessboard and took the jade eye into his hand.

The jade eyeball lay quietly in his palm, with no anomalies occurring around it, and Yin Ci didn’t feel any discomfort either. He looked at the patterns on the jade eye for a while and recognized two formations.

One was used to absorb vital qi. That formation was too complex, and he couldn’t see the mystery at a glance. No matter how he looked at it, it wasn’t something that Yan Budu, a novice in magic, could create.

The complexity of the other formation was even greater, and Yin Ci couldn’t even distinguish its purpose.

Many monsters had innate formations, and these formations were often as exquisite as butterfly wing patterns, difficult for humans to design. In this regard, it seemed more likely that this formation originally existed in the eyeball and was brought out and used directly by someone.

Yin Ci held the eyeball for a while, and when he was sure that it wasn’t dangerous, he threw it to Shi Jingzhi.

“Just now, all of the vital qi was sucked in by this thing. There are two interesting formations on it. You should take a look at it.”

Shi Jingzhi picked up the jade eye and played with it against the sun. “This thing is definitely more than just a ‘key’… It’s deadly, making one dizzy. I’ll put a bit of my vital qi into it for a look.”

Sect Master Shi had a simple idea. Yin Ci had no inner force and couldn’t use magic. He, on the other hand, could divide a small portion of his vital qi, move around according to the lines of the formation, and probe the nature of it. The vital qi-absorbing formation still had some killing intent, but this unknown formation seemed quite peaceful, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

Understanding the function of the key might also shed light on the search for the Shirou. This place was deserted, and there was no need to worry about eavesdroppers, making it perfect for experimentation.

Shi Jingzhi deliberately suppressed a very small strand of vital qi, trying to stimulate the unknown formation. He originally intended to stop as soon as he saw success. However, the moment the formation was activated, the air around him vibrated, and a fine, tingling sensation spread instantaneously along Shi Jingzhi’s arm.

The unknown formation started to operate officially, using the stored qi on its own.

As the formation suddenly started, Shi Jingzhi sucked in a cold breath and shivered violently. The formation didn’t carry any hint of hostility or inflict any pain, but it gave him an extremely strange feeling.

It was as if he had been soaking in warm, comfortable water all his life, and at this moment, he had just stuck his head out for the first time. Overwhelmed by heaviness and cold, he could hardly breathe.

…But that wasn’t the point.

He now knew the true function of this formation.

Shi Jingzhi saw Yan Zheng and Yu Zikuan looking worriedly at him, and Yan Qing leaning on his sword in a daze. Around them, countless “bare branches” reached into the sky, swaying in the wind like a not-so-dense forest.

This scene was like the Buddha Heart Formation, yet unlike it.

If the bare branches in the Buddha Heart Formation were like watching the reflection of a fish in murky water, now he was like holding the fish right in front of his face, able to see even the finest scales on it. The grey red “bare branches” were covered with countless dark red fine roots, floating in the air like algae in the water. The surface of the bare branches had an unsettling shine and wrinkles, and the scars’ growth resembled malignant tumors, causing a sour feeling in one’s stomach.

“What’s wrong?”

It was A’Ci’s voice. He must have sensed something since he had suddenly become frozen.

“I’m not…” Shi Jingzhi turned towards Yin Ci, his words of reassurance getting stuck in his throat, almost cutting it open.

The scene in front of him froze his blood. All plots and plans were thrown to the back of Shi Jingzhi’s mind, while fear and worry surged at the same time. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

The formation was extremely complex, and the vital qi that was sucked from the Sword of Compassion just now was consumed in an instant. From activation to termination, the jade eyeball only took a moment—a few heartbeats.

But Shi Jingzhi had seen enough.

Yin Ci was standing in front of him, but he wasn’t the exiled immortal he was familiar with.

A “bare branch” was stretched extremely thin and long, mixed with those dark red fine roots, together twisting into a human shape. Between those fine roots, one could still see the fresh flesh—that flesh was torn and shattered, clinging to the bare branches and fine roots like mud caught in a vine net. At a glance, the Yin Ci in front of him looked like an unfinished… strange statue.

He had definitely seen a similar scene before, Shi Jingzhi thought.

He had seen it in the forbidden area of Yuanxian village. The “Yin Ci” in front of him was exactly like the giant statue formed by twisted tree roots he saw there.

There was no white skin, no beautiful brows and eyes on the face of the person opposite him; only a mixture of flesh and root-like material. They intricately formed facial features without any trace of deliberate intervention.

The vital qi was exhausted, and the formation stopped. It was only a brief moment, but Shi Jingzhi felt as if he had struggled in it for a year. The bare branches disappeared as if they had dissolved, and the person he had been thinking about seemed to have been magically born out of thin air. His skin was as white as snow, his hair as black as ink, looking as flawless as ever.

“What’s wrong?” Yin Ci asked again, his brows and eyes showing clear concern.

…This time, Shi Jingzhi didn’t know how to answer.

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Kinky Thoughts:

This marks the end of this arc.

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