As the hook-nosed old man waved the blood-red flag in his hand, a strange power emanated from it.
This completely subdued the Silver Moon Sect Master and others, rendering them unable to move an inch.
"Senior, what do you want to do?"
The Silver Moon Sect Master looked at the small blood-red flag and felt a chill run down his spine. His intuition told him that it was something incredibly terrifying.
"You will soon find out what I intend to do."
The old man with the hooked nose revealed an increasingly eerie expression as he smiled and said...
The small blood-red flag in his hand emitted a faint black aura.
At the same time, in certain peculiar locations throughout Liuyun Town, the stone pillars that had been standing there began to sway slightly, as if connected by an invisible force.
Wisps of black mist appeared on the stone pillars and quickly spread throughout the town.
"What's this?"
On the street, some townspeople watched as the black mist floated up to them, and out of curiosity, they reached out and touched it.
Then, the next moment, he regretted his actions.
As soon as his fingertips touched the black mist, his fingers began to melt away like a burning candle, followed by his palms, wrists, and then rapidly extending up his arms.
"ah!!!"
Such immense pain is naturally something an ordinary person could not endure.
The townspeople let out a bloodcurdling scream, fell to the ground, and rolled around frantically, trying to shake off the black mist.
However, this was of no use. The black mist was like a living thing; once it came into contact with human blood, it could never get rid of it.
It not only tightly entangled the townsman's arms, but also gradually devoured his entire body.
boom!
Such a horrifying scene naturally terrified other pedestrians on the street.
Everyone scattered in panic, staring at the townsman in horror, not understanding why he had suddenly become like this.
Some people tried to use brooms and cloths to help dispel the black mist, but to no avail.
The black mist seemed to have chosen that town resident, clinging tightly to him.
The unbearable pain quickly caused the town resident to faint.
Then, everyone watched helplessly as he was gradually swallowed up and melted by the black mist.
Not long after, the person disappeared completely, leaving only a set of clothes and a pool of blood on the spot.
After swallowing one person, the black mist floated up again, its color becoming slightly darker, and began to drift towards the people nearby.
"Ah, run!"
Having witnessed the miserable state of the man just now, everyone knew how terrifying this eerie black mist was. When it floated again, everyone was terrified and scattered in all directions, screaming.
A few people who were a little slower to escape were touched by the black mist, and their screams rang out again.
This time, however, no one dared to stop and help; they were only concerned with escaping for their own lives.
Similar scenes unfolded on the streets of Liuyun Town, and for a time, screams echoed throughout the town, making it feel like a living hell.
"What's going on?"
On a hillside a few miles from Liuyun Town, Lu Qing was tidying up a tent with Ma Gu in the woods when suddenly his expression changed.
Before he could explain anything, his figure had already disappeared from the spot. With a few leaps, he climbed to the top of a giant tree next to him and looked down at Liuyun Town.
Upon seeing this, his expression changed once again.
At this moment, Liuyun Town was shrouded in a thin, yellowish light curtain. Black mist swirled within the town, and one could vaguely see people rolling and struggling, roaring in the middle of it.
But strangely, not a single sound came out.
"Aqing, what happened? I seem to sense a surge of resentment coming from the other side of town."
The old doctor's figure also appeared next to Lu Qing at this moment.
"Master, look."
Lu Qingyao pointed ahead, and the old doctor followed his gaze. His innate, powerful eyesight allowed him to immediately see the tragic state of the town and the gray light curtain that enveloped it.
With a look of surprise, he asked, "What is that?"
“It’s a formation, and a very vicious demonic formation at that!” Lu Qing said in a deep voice.
Having inherited the legacy of the Divine Talisman Sect, he immediately recognized that the gray light curtain currently shrouding Liuyun Town was created by some kind of evil formation.
However, what he didn't understand was why someone could set up such a formation when spiritual energy had only just begun to recover.
"An array, a celestial technique?" The old doctor's expression changed. "Aqing, do you have any way to break it?"
Although the old doctor was already a powerful martial artist who had achieved the minor completion of the Innate Realm, he did not understand such mysterious methods as formations and could only place his hopes on Lu Qing.
"There are generally only two ways to deal with a formation: to break it by force or to break it by skill."
To break it with force means to use absolute power to break through the defenses of the formation in one fell swoop and destroy the formation.
The method of breaking it cleverly involves finding and disrupting the key points in the formation's operation. Once these key points are disrupted to a certain extent, the formation will cease to function and will naturally break down.
Lu Qing quickly explained to his master.
"Then what method can we use to crack it?"
The old doctor saw that some people in the town had begun to flee, but were blocked by the light curtain at the edge.
In despair, he tried to force his way out, but as soon as he touched the light barrier, he was dissolved and melted by the black mist floating above, leaving him looking extremely pale.
"This disciple is not certain."
Lu Qing answered aloud, but his eyes remained fixed on the light screen.
Finally, as a faint purple light of supernatural power appeared, several notes floated into his field of vision.
【Blood-Melting Ash Light: A light barrier created by the heretical Blood and Flesh Refining Soul Array. It possesses powerful defensive capabilities and can dissolve flesh and blood.】
【Blood and Flesh Refining Soul Array: A rudimentary evil array passed down from the ancient era of cultivation, extremely vicious.】
【When a living being is placed within the Blood and Flesh Refining Soul Array, all its vital energy, blood, bones, and flesh will be melted and refined by the power of the array, transforming into resentment that nourishes the array's core and flags.】
【The Blood and Flesh Refining Soul Array has a total of eighteen array nodes. Once more than nine nodes are destroyed, the array will cease to function and collapse on its own.】
【The Blood and Flesh Refining Soul Array before us seems to be a simplified version; its power can only dissolve and refine beings below the Innate Realm, far less powerful than the complete version.】
...
Looking at the note in his field of vision, Lu Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although it is still unknown why the ancient evil formation appeared in Liuyun Town.
But since this is just a simplified version of the Blood and Flesh Soul Refining Array, it's much easier.
"Aqing, have you come up with a solution?"
The old doctor had been paying close attention to Lu Qing's expression, and when he noticed that Lu Qing's face had suddenly relaxed a lot, he immediately asked.
"I've got some clues, Master. We need to break this formation quickly, otherwise, if we delay any longer, I'm afraid everyone inside will die."
"Then tell me quickly, what should we do?"
Seeing the devastation in the town, the old doctor quickly said...
“Breaking the formation is not difficult, but the person who can set up such a formation must be extraordinary. I'm afraid you, Master, will have to deal with it.”
"Of course." The old doctor nodded, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
The situation in Liuyun Town below was so tragic that even he, who usually disliked fighting, couldn't help but feel murderous intent.
“Master, let’s talk as we go. I’m going downstairs to get something. You go ahead first.”
Lu Qing nodded, his figure darting down from the tree and into the carriage.
When he came out again, he was holding a longbow and a longsword.
"Young Master Lu, what happened? Where is Doctor Chen?"
A plump middle-aged man came forward and asked.
He saw Lu Qing jump to the top of the tree with a drastic change in expression, and even the old doctor went up there, so something unusual must have happened.
But now that Lu Qing has come down, the old doctor is nowhere to be found, which makes him feel strange.
Everyone else looked over too.
"Something has happened in Liuyun Town. My master and I have to go there. Senior Xu, you can stay here for now."
Lu Qing offered an explanation, then turned to Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an and said seriously, "Master Ma, Zi'an, you two stay here and watch over our luggage."
"I know, young master!"
Seeing the seriousness on Lu Qing's face, Ma Gu felt a chill run down his spine.
Knowing what happened in Liuyun Town, it must be something extraordinary.
Otherwise, Lu Qing and the old doctor wouldn't be so serious.
"Alright, then Master and I will be leaving now!" Lu Qing lightly touched the ground with his foot and quickly headed down the mountain. "Xiao Li, protect Xiao Yan well. If anyone dares to hurt her, kill them without mercy!"
"Young Master Lu..."
Seeing Lu Qing leave without warning, the chubby middle-aged man, still completely unaware of the situation, was about to call him back when Ma Gu gently stopped him.
“Senior Xu, since my young master has important matters to attend to, please do not disturb him. We will simply wait here.”
Magu knew that for Lu Qing and the old doctor to take this so seriously, something very serious must have happened in Liuyun Town.
If these people go with us, they'll probably not only be of no help, but they'll also get in the way.
"this......"
The chubby middle-aged man was slightly taken aback when he saw that Magu, who had always been very polite to him, suddenly became tough.
However, he was not angry; instead, he realized the seriousness of the matter.
He remembered that Lu Qing's expression only turned serious after he reached the top of the tree. After thinking for a moment, his blood surged and he also jumped up into the tree.
What is that?
The chubby middle-aged man looked towards Liuyun Town and saw the gray light curtain, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
He had never seen such a bizarre and mysterious scene before.
"And then, that's... Doctor Chen and Young Master Lu?"
After his initial exclamation, the chubby middle-aged man's attention was drawn to something else.
Two figures could be seen heading towards Liuyun Town.
One of them was rushing through the mountains and forests; judging by the color of his clothes, it was Lu Qing.
The other figure moved gracefully across the treetops, its feet barely touching the canopy, covering a distance of more than ten feet with a single touch, like a celestial being.
Who else could it be but Dr. Chen?
"It's as if he's riding the wind; such incredible movement technique, could it be that Doctor Chen is...?"
The chubby middle-aged man stared wide-eyed at the scene and muttered to himself.
...
“Master, this evil formation covers too wide an area. We two are afraid that we are not strong enough to break it by force, so we can only break it by skill.”
Lu Qing ran and shouted as he went through the mountains and forests.
"When we get to the front of the formation, you should first attack the gray light barrier with your sword energy. Let me observe the flow of its formation power and find the key nodes. Once the key nodes are broken, the formation will break on its own."
"Okay!" the old doctor nodded in agreement.
He held the longsword that Lu Qing had just given him in his hand, his gaze sharp.
The master and apprentice quickly approached Liuyun Town, and when they were less than a mile away from the town...
Suddenly, they felt a powerful aura rising into the sky ahead, rushing towards Liuyun Town at high speed.
"A master of the Innate Realm?"
Lu Qing and the old doctor were both startled and stared intently ahead.
Now that they had left the mountains and forests, there were no longer many obstacles between them and Liuyun Town.
Just then, a figure appeared in front of Liuyun Town, exuding a powerful aura. He swung his long sword forward, and a red sword aura suddenly slashed out, flying towards the gray light curtain.
Just as the sword was about to strike the light barrier, unexpectedly, a white burst of energy suddenly flew out from within the light barrier and met the sword energy head-on.
boom!
The white energy and the red sword energy collided, creating a powerful energy explosion, but in the end, it only caused the gray light screen to shake a few times without being damaged in the slightest.
"Yan Tianhua, you were indeed hiding in the shadows, following the disciples of your Silver Moon Sect."
As the energy dissipated, a figure dressed in a black robe and holding a long staff emerged from the gray light barrier, looking at the man with the sword and coldly laughing.
"Ink Fox, it really is you!"
The man with the sword frowned when he saw the figure in the black robe.
"Another one at the Innate Realm!" Lu Qing and the old doctor were slightly surprised again.
"Indeed, it is I." The figure in the black robe said proudly.
"Mohu, how dare your Liuyun Sect set up such a vicious demonic formation here to harm your fellow cultivators? Aren't you afraid that the Holy Mountain will punish you and completely annihilate your Liuyun Sect?" the sword-wielding man shouted sternly.
"Holy Mountain?"
However, upon hearing this, the figure in the black robe burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke.
"Now that the world has undergone a great change, all the major sects are waiting for an opportunity to act and seek their own interests. The demonic path is also stirring, wanting to take over the Nine Provinces again."
The situation in Zhongzhou alone is already enough to keep the Holy Mountain busy, so it has no energy left to deal with the affairs of Yunzhou.
Moreover, after today, my senior brother and I will both undergo a complete transformation, our strength greatly increased. At that time, even the Holy Mountain will be unable to harm us!
"You fellow disciples are all madmen! In order to increase your strength, you actually used evil magic to harm living beings, and you didn't even spare your own disciples. You are utterly depraved!" The man with the sword had an extremely ugly expression.
"Enough with the nonsense. It's all about winning and losing. Everything else in this world is fake. Only strength matters."
Yan Tianhua, you've come at the right time. I thought that this time I could only get a batch of wronged souls at the Acquired Realm.
Unexpectedly, there was still a chance to obtain a wronged soul at the Innate Realm.
"If we can refine you, our magical treasures will surely become much more powerful!"
The figure in the black robe brandished a long staff and charged directly at the man with the sword.
"What!"
Seeing the long staff coming at him, the man with the sword swung his sword to block it, but the next moment, his expression changed drastically.
I could only feel the force on the long stick, like a tidal wave.
With his strength, he was completely unable to withstand it and was blasted away.
