Chapter 260: The Thousand Mechanisms Box (Please Subscribe)
Chapter 260: The Thousand Mechanisms Box (Please Subscribe)
You Chong was locked in a bitter struggle with three late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, all the while suffering intermittent harassment from Zhong Hong Yu and her two Foundation Establishment allies circling the periphery. He had long since fallen into a desperate plight.
Whoosh!
A sound wave streaked toward him, only to be shattered by his protective sword qi.
But the next instant, You Chong's nostrils seemed to detect a fresh, verdant fragrance, one that left him unconsciously intoxicated, compelling him to inhale deeply.
His expression shifted, then shifted again. Swiftly, he retrieved an antidote spiritual pill from his storage pouch and, without a glance, popped it into his mouth.
Yet, it wasn't long before a ghastly green pallor spread across his face. "Poison? No. . . why is my antidote spiritual pill completely useless?"
He glared at Liu San Qi, his voice laced with wary apprehension.
"Heh heh. . . In truth, the herbal scent I released earlier merely possesses potent penetrative qualities; it's quite harmless, even beneficial to the body. . ."
As he spoke, Liu San Qi fiercely urged his Jade Hoe, completely disregarding the wear and tear on the spiritual artifact, clashing head-on with the Purple Cloud Sword numerous times.
Yuan Fei Hong let out a long, piercing howl, and a swirling mass of dark mist abruptly materialized upon his obsidian flying dagger.
From within the mist, a green-faced, fanged ghoul emerged, opening its cavernous, blood-red maw and actually clamping down fiercely onto a sword shadow.
Seeing this, Ruan Xing Ling sharply blew a single note on her spiritual flute.
An unseen sound wave swept past You Chong's protective sword aura, barely managing to leave a streak of blood across his chest.
While You Chong was indeed a core disciple of a Core Formation sect, his three assailants were by no means weak.
Liu San Qi possessed a Spiritual Body, having clawed his way up from the lowest rungs, his combat experience was immensely rich.
Yuan Fei Hong hailed from White Peace Immortal City, a direct lineage successor of a Core Formation power.
The 'Profound Sound Art' cultivated by Ruan Xing Ling was also a top-tier cultivation method.
Not to mention, Zhong Hong Yu and several other Foundation Establishment cultivators were also containing him.
If the three of them had unleashed their full power, You Chong would likely have been defeated long ago.
At present, seeing their opponent cornered within the formation, they feared the desperate struggle of a trapped beast, and thus decided to proceed cautiously and methodically.
Even so, You Chong was gradually revealing signs of impending defeat.
"Ah! You've forced my hand!"
A violet aura flashed in You Chong's hand as he clutched his wound, swiftly stemming the flow of blood. Even the flesh on either side was rapidly healing.
He let out a furious roar, then plunged a hand into his robes, sending over a dozen obsidian thunder beads scattering in every direction.
"It's the Mother-Child Conjoined Yin Thunder!"
Liu San Qi's expression shifted. "Is this man intending to drag us down with him?"
The Foundation Establishment cultivators promptly channeled their magical power into their defensive shields, bracing themselves for the impending storm.
The result. . . was nothing at all!
The explosions of the Mother-Child Conjoined Yin Thunder inexplicably vanished into thin air, as if they had been shunted into another dimension entirely.
"This is. . . the power of a formation?"
"The Island Master has finally made his move."
Yan Dong Qing wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow.
With his cultivation level, falling into the Mother-Child Conjoined Yin Thunder would surely have meant his immediate demise.
"Where is the Island Master?"
Zhong Hong Yu swept her divine consciousness, but only saw the Green Horned Fish Dragon, Zhan Tu, and Situ Qing Qing staring blankly at each other. Fang Xi, who had been standing atop the Green Horned Fish Dragon's head, was already nowhere to be found.
...
"This is. . . where?"
You Chong had an incredibly potent talisman plastered to his body, forming a layer of golden light protection around him. Yet, the anticipated thunderous explosion never came, leaving him momentarily bewildered.
It seemed in but a flash, he had been transported to another location.
"This power to shift void itself. . ."
He was startled, finding that Dragon Fish Island's quasi-third-order formation bore a striking resemblance to the grand restraining formation deployed within his own Yi Ling Gu, a formation originating from the great Nascent Soul sect, the Hunyuan Sect.
Simultaneously, You Chong sensed something amiss with the surrounding void. He felt as though he had been shunted into a crimson space.
The chilling aura, thick with the scent of blood and flesh, made his expression drastically change. "A demonic formation? !"
Rustle!
A breeze swept by, causing You Chong's expression to shift subtly as he gazed toward the center of the space.
Immediately, he saw. . . a monstrous, sky-obscuring demonic tree. Its obsidian trunk bore blood-red markings, and its colossal canopy spread like a vast firmament. From it, countless aerial roots dangled, suspending demon beasts of the second-order and above, and even. . . humans!
Wail!
An ancient demonic cultivator turned around. When You Chong recognized his face, his expression violently contorted. "Old Demon Ling? !"
The last time he had ordered someone to inform this individual to act, he'd received no news for a long time, leading him to believe Old Demon Ling had been lost on Emerald Island.
He never would have imagined that he had been slain by the Dragon Fish Island Master, then desiccated and strung up on this very tree!
"Dragon Fish Island Master. . . Fang Xi!"
"You've hidden yourself well!"
"So much pointless chatter!"
Fang Xi swung the small black banner in his hand. A thick, inky black pillar of light descended vertically, engulfing You Chong. Countless dark rays, like ten thousand minuscule needles, densely converged and shot forth!
Clang, clang!
The golden light barrier around You Chong shimmered, faintly emitting the sounds of Buddhist chants, repelling every single black needle-ray.
"Not bad. . . a third-order defensive talisman, no less! It seems you are indeed quite favored within the Yi Ling Gu!"
Fang Xi witnessed this scene, yet his expression remained largely unreadable. "Is this your trump card, then? To want to live. . . this is far from enough!"
He chuckled softly, continuing to wave the small banner.
Streaks of pitch-black flame materialized from the void, continuously searing the golden barrier.
You Chong gazed at the steadily thinning golden barrier, his brow already slick with cold sweat.
Though a third-order talisman was powerful, how could it possibly contend against the might of a third-order formation?
Once the magical power contained within the talisman was depleted, his demise would be at hand!
"Fellow Daoist Fang, let us discuss this amicably. . . My Yi Ling Gu is also willing to offer Core Formation Spiritual Items. . ."
You Chong immediately capitulated. "As long as you spare me, everything is negotiable. . ."
"How uninteresting!"
Fang Xi's expression remained impassive as he watched the pitch-black flames burn through the golden barrier and fall upon You Chong's Purple Cloud Sword, causing the blade to emit a mournful wail.
"No, you cannot kill me! I am a direct blood descendant of the Grand Elder. . . I know many of this sect's hidden secrets. . ."
You Chong's face twisted into an incomparably ferocious mask upon seeing this.
He was destined to form a Golden Core in the future and become a sword immortal of his generation. How could he possibly perish here?
"No need. I'll see for myself!"
With a final sweep of his banner, Fang Xi unleashed a torrent of pitch-black flame that reduced the Purple Cloud Sword to scrap metal.
With his life-bound spiritual sword damaged, You Chong immediately spewed forth large mouthfuls of blood. His magical power suffered a backlash, and even his protective sword qi became unstable.
Sizzle!
And at that very moment, streaks of dark chains materialized from the void, piercing through You Chong's limbs and Dantian!
Fang Xi leisurely approached You Chong, then forced a tree seed into his mouth.
"Ah!"
You Chong immediately screamed in agony, the bones throughout his body emitting explosive cracks, but it was useless. . .
One of Fang Xi's eyes erupted with a withered, yellow light, while the other shimmered with an aquamarine hue. He seized You Chong's head and activated the soul-searching secret art recorded within the 'Withered Glory Chant'.
...
"This formation. . . is it truly quasi-third-order?"
Zhan Tu exchanged greetings with Zhong Hong Yu and the others, then secretly spoke to Situ Qing Qing.
"How would I know?"
Situ Qing Qing rolled her eyes. "But to be able to shift the void so effortlessly. . . I'm afraid. . ."
Before she could finish her sentence, a flash of light appeared, and Fang Xi's figure materialized from the void, tossing over a wooden box.
"This is. . ."
She took it and subconsciously opened it, only to be met with the sight of a grotesque head within.
"You Chong. . ."
Zhan Tu, standing nearby, let out a low sigh.
This favored son of the Yi Ling Gu was several times more renowned than even he, one of the Black Heaven Seven Sons.
He was hailed as a Core Formation seed, a future sword immortal. But a dead sword immortal was nothing more than nothing.
Fang Xi had not fully refined You Chong into a wooden puppet. After all, he still needed the man's head to gain the trust of the Black Heaven Sect.
Now that he had slain Yi Ling Gu's true disciple, he had, in essence, irrevocably made his choice.
But in truth, it was all a matter of indifference.
"Take this back. I presume it will suffice for your report?"
Fang Xi said with a warm smile.
To Zhan Tu, his smile was exceptionally terrifying.
The man immediately bowed with profound respect, then handed a strangely constructed box to Fang Xi. "This is our promise. . ."
Fang Xi took it. The box was crafted of neither metal nor jade, and its surface bore an intricately designed golden lock. Upon the lock, several restrictive seals seemed to intertwine, forming a complex, labyrinthine mechanism.
"This. . . appears to be the fabled 'Thousand Mechanisms Box'?"
Ruan Xing Ling examined it with curiosity. "Legend has it that no artifact refiner in the three countries possesses the skill to craft such a box. I truly didn't expect your esteemed sect to produce such a precious item. . . Should this Thousand Mechanisms Box be forcefully opened, or if the sequence for unlocking its seals is incorrect, the box will immediately self-destruct, simultaneously destroying its contents. . . It truly is a rare treasure."
"Our sect also lacks an artifact refiner capable of crafting a 'Thousand Mechanisms Box', but by chance, an empty 'Thousand Mechanisms Box' was already present in our treasury. . ."
Zhan Tu explained, "Now that the Island Master has slain You Chong, Sect Master Xuan Xuan Zi will undoubtedly be overjoyed and will swiftly dispatch the decryption jade slip. . ."
"Since that is the case, you two may depart. . ."
Fang Xi flicked his sleeve, and the two instantly vanished from within the formation.
He cast a glance at Ruan Xing Ling, who seemed on the verge of pursuing them, and calmly stated, "Fairy Ruan, you might as well stay. . . I happen to have a few matters I wish to discuss with you, fellow Daoist. . ."
"Oh?"
Ruan Xing Ling gazed at the sky, observing that at some unknown point, they had already arrived before the Evergreen Pavilion. She couldn't help but hold Fang Xi's mastery of formations in even higher esteem.
Yuan Fei Hong and Liu San Qi, in particular, found cold sweat beading on their foreheads. 'So the formation we nonchalantly entered and exited earlier. . . actually harbored such deadly peril. If the Dragon Fish Island Master held malicious intent, he could have sent us to our deaths at any moment. . . '
'With such a grand formation at his disposal, no wonder the Island Master dared to remain neutral, even scheming for Core Formation Spiritual Items. . . '
'I wonder when the Island Master established this quasi-third-order grand formation. . . and if his spirit stone reserves are still plentiful? '
...
With everyone's thoughts diverging, Ruan Xing Ling accompanied Fang Xi as he strolled outside, eventually stopping beneath a peach blossom grove.
This peach blossom grove was located near the Evergreen Pavilion. Fang Xi had ordered its transplantation, and it even contained a second-order spiritual peach tree—the treasured heirloom of another minor cultivation clan, which had been offered to him after their entire family relocated to Dragon Fish Island.
"Fellow Daoist, what is it you wish to discuss?"
Ruan Xing Ling inquired calmly.
"You. . . you've concealed your cultivation, haven't you? You're now at Foundation Establishment Perfected. . ."
Fang Xi sighed. "When do you intend to make your move?"
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