Chapter 441: With Great Power Comes...
“Virtuous nephew, why not stay a while longer? This old man can submit a memorial to the court to request commendation for your merits. It’s best to wait until the imperial rewards arrive before departing.”
Prefect Jiang’s words were well-intentioned. Even if Xu Sanyan had no interest in officialdom, he could still acquire some treasures—free gifts were never to be refused.
Xu Sanyan shook his head solemnly. “Thank you, Master, but there’s no need. My time away from the mountain is limited. Lingering here would be a waste. It’s better to focus on practical matters.”
“This old man’s thinking was too narrow,” Prefect Jiang admitted.
After chatting for a while, Prefect Jiang turned to leave, offering a parting warning: “Virtuous nephew, if you plan to travel the world, avoid the Chaotic Cloud Mountains. They’re currently plagued by natural disasters and are extremely dangerous.”
“Thank you for the warning, Master.”
Xu Sanyan watched Prefect Jiang depart, then declined Qin Shutong and Jiang Yun’er’s invitations to stay. He returned home alone to rest and took out the Formation Dao books Shan Zhoushan had given him to study.
He hadn’t had much time to read these books before, but now that he finally had some leisure, he decided to take a look.
Shan Zhoushan had gifted him seven volumes: five Formation Manuals and two Formation Diagrams.
The Formation Manuals were primarily used for breaking and dismantling formations, but they also contained Shan Zhoushan’s insights into formations and the critical points of specific formations. The books covered a wide range of topics, making them perfect for Xu Sanyan, whose foundational knowledge was somewhat lacking.
The other two books were formation diagrams. One was a thick volume detailing dozens of common formations, both large and small, though most were relatively simple, such as the Spirit Gathering Formation they had seen earlier, as well as the Earthfire Formation and Stone Covering Formation.
The other book was far more valuable. It contained only one formation, the Stone Mountain Flame Spirit Array, a defensive Great Formation that integrated both offensive and defensive capabilities. Its complex layout made it ideal for use as a city-protecting formation.
Despite its rarity, this Great Formation was the least useful to Xu Sanyan. Even the Formation Manuals would be more helpful. He set it aside for the time being and chose one of the manuals to study in detail.
Time slipped by. As dawn approached, Xu Sanyan put away the Formation Manual, rose, and prepared to leave for his next destination.
Meanwhile, in the Chaotic Cloud Mountains,
Two months had passed since the fall of White Jade Prefecture. Through the combined efforts of the Three Great Sects, the Qian Kingdom, and various noble clans, the mist had been temporarily contained, its outward expansion slowed.
The Three Great Sects participated because Shangyin Mountain and the Harmonious Heart Demonic Sect had refused to join. The former was a sect with both righteous and sinister aspects, while the latter was a purely demonic sect. Neither would engage in such a thankless task.
Though the mist in the Chaotic Cloud Mountains had been temporarily contained, no one dared to relax, for the demonic entity lurking deep within the mist remained.
Worse news had arrived: the Mist Sea surrounding the Hundred Saints Secret Realm was also undergoing changes. The Mist Tide had provided an excessive amount of mist, causing the Mist Sea to expand.
“Alas, blessings never come in pairs, and misfortunes never come alone…”
Monk Minghui sighed deeply. He had led the Heaven’s Will Demon Subduing Temple during the last opening of the Hundred Saints Secret Realm and never imagined he would return so soon.
Before he could finish his musings, a dense, all-encompassing fog surged forward like a ravenous demon, its claws bared and jaws agape, ready to devour all in its path. Yet its advance was halted by a golden barrier, unable to penetrate even an inch.
This golden light emanated from the Heaven’s Will Demon Subduing Temple’s most treasured artifact, the Splitting Light Treasure Mirror, the very instrument that held the fog at bay.
Ming Hui felt a growing anxiety, praying for the fog to recede quickly.
The Chaotic Cloud Mountains were vast, and even with the Splitting Light Treasure Mirror, they could only defend one direction. The remaining fronts were guarded by other factions, and he feared their defenses wouldn’t hold for long.
At that moment, a little monk behind Ming Hui spoke up, “Master, with the situation so dire, why not call upon the Founding Ancestor for help?”
This little monk was Jingyi, who had obtained one of the two secret realm fruits during their previous expedition to the Hundred Saints Secret Realm, while Xu Sanyan had claimed the other.
Ming Hui shook his head, offering no explanation. Clearly, there were unspoken reasons he couldn’t reveal.
Even as the Buddha’s Son of the Buddhist Sect, Jingyi was not privy to all matters. He knew only that the Founding Ancestor still lived, though he had never seen him.
Boom!
Suddenly, a deafening roar like the heavens collapsing shook the air. Ming Hui turned to see thick mist billowing high in the southeastern part of the Chaotic Cloud Mountains, its dense layers vaguely revealing a colossal humanoid silhouette. With each stride, a gale-force wind surged forth, churning the mist into violent eddies.
The giant raised its massive sword high and brought it crashing down. A deep purple barrier materialized in the void, and when the two collided, the earth-shattering boom reverberated once more:
“BOOM!!”
Jingyi stared at the giant in stunned silence, his eyes wide with shock. Though he had been here for two months, this was the first time he had witnessed such a monstrous being. So this is what they meant by “terrifying”!
Worry etched itself across Ming Hui’s aged face. “It’s coming from the Source Worship Sect. Let’s hope they can hold out.”
No sooner had the words left his lips than the deep purple barrier shattered with a thunderous crash. A massive fissure, like a shattered mirror suspended in the sky, gaped open, and countless tendrils of mist surged through the breach, forcing the fissure wider and wider.
“This is bad…”
“BOOM!”
Another sword strike completely shattered the barrier. Ming Hui’s fingers raced faster over his Buddhist prayer beads, a clear sign of his growing anxiety.
“Master, we have to go help them! It looks like they can’t hold out much longer!”
“It’s too late… there’s no time left.”
Ming Hui swiftly retracted the Splitting Light Treasure Mirror, flicked his sleeve, and swept Jingyi away at lightning speed.
Instantly, the rolling gray mist, now unimpeded, surged forward like a flood breaching a dam. The dense, sky-obscuring fog spread in all directions, painting a scene of apocalyptic desolation.
As the mist engulfed the area, the giant’s shadow vanished once more, making everything that had just transpired seem like a hallucination. Yet the situation had irrevocably changed.
The moment the barrier shattered, everyone knew it was futile to resist. They withdrew their efforts and retreated, allowing the mist to disperse freely. Only the disciples of the Source Worship Sect, unable to escape in time, were now trapped deep within the fog, their prospects grim.
“Master, where are we going?”
“Back to the mountain gate!”
Ming Hui glanced back with lingering fear. He understood that this crisis had surpassed his capabilities. Even with the Splitting Light Treasure Mirror, he was powerless to stop it. Only the intervention of a sage might offer a solution.
But sages… they would not act lightly.
The cost of a sage’s intervention was too exorbitant, even for the sage themselves to bear.
“What about the people…?”
“Alas…”
In just two short months, the Central Region had undergone a cataclysmic transformation. Three provinces of the Qian Kingdom were now shrouded in a dense fog, trapping the majority of their inhabitants who had failed to escape in time. Their bones would likely be lost forever.
The Zuoqiu Clan of Huai Lake had retreated again and again, now withdrawing over a thousand miles away. From this day forward, they could no longer be called the Zuoqiu Clan of Huai Lake, for Huai Lake no longer existed.
The last remaining power bordering the Chaotic Cloud Mountains, the Harmonious Mountain Praying Dao Sect, had unexpectedly refused to retreat. They were now deeply mired in the fog, their fate unknown.
When Xu Sanyan learned of this news, he felt a profound sense of frustration.
Look at Immortal Inquiry Mountain, he thought. With a casual flick of their wrist, they unleash a calamity that engulfs the entire Central Region. Meanwhile, I’ve been toiling away for half a year, doing nothing but good deeds. I’m truly disgracing my title as the holy son of the demonic sect.
“Truly impressive…” Xu Sanyan murmured in admiration. Indeed, with great power comes greater capacity for evil.
(End of the Chapter)