Chapter 207

Chapter 207: Oath-Bound Brothers Qian Duohai?

“Did the leader of the Jade Symbol Sect just die like that?”

“Who knows if it’s another act of faking death? If he could prepare a divided soul, wouldn’t he also prepare a second one?”

A slew of thoughts flashed through Li Hui’s mind. He felt his body freeze as the light and shadow rapidly condensed in front of him. When the humming noise dissipated, he saw a familiar face.

“Hey, Jin Mingyang!”

“Li Hui!”

Both quickly reached for their bags of treasures, ready to activate their spirit talismans when someone nearby bellowed, “Hey, Jin! I’ve already said I’m in the middle of my cultivation; what are you shouting for?”

“This voice?”

Li Hui’s eyes lit up, and he chuckled, “Nothing comes from searching high and low; I just stumble upon it without effort. Old Qian, hurry out to welcome your good brother! We’re Oath-Bound Brothers! It’s been months since we last saw each other; I didn’t know you were hiding here, living the good life. I need to discuss a few things with you.”

“Get lost, get lost… I don’t know you.” Qian Duohai’s irritation surged; how was he running into this kid again? He thought hiding underground would give him peace.

“I didn’t intend to bother you, but if some jerk turns against me, then don’t blame me!” Li Hui’s gaze landed on the charred wooden sign under Jin Mingyang’s feet and realized, “So it turns out you’re Dugu Yi’s prepared escape route. Unfortunately, even if he showed up, he wouldn’t be able to help you kill Qian Duohai.”

“Li, is that true?” Qian Duohai jumped out from behind a rock, glaring at Jin Mingyang fiercely, raising his golden bowl treasure and preparing to strike.

“Qian Duohai, ignore his ramblings! The protectors granted by our elders suddenly acted out; I merely took it out to look. Unexpectedly, it started burning on its own, and then this guy showed up.”

The three of them were on guard against each other; none trusted the others and, knowing that they were difficult to deal with, were reluctant to make a move that would benefit someone else.

Li Hui surveyed their surroundings and discovered a space of only about a hundred zhang. It seemed to be deep underground; he could see the ceiling above, with various rocks scattered around the waterhole in front of him. There was nothing else of note.

The water in the pond was murky, making it impossible to see the bottom. Surrounding the pond were stone blocks marked with red stripes, with no silt present. According to the Fuyi Hall’s guidance, Qian Duohai was supposed to be within the formation’s hole, influenced by the principles of the astronomical cycle, making it difficult to pinpoint his exact location. Who would have thought Jin Mingyang had congregated with him, bringing along the escape route that Dugu Yi left? They hadn’t encountered any interference during their teleportation.

This place was entirely different from the Underground Cavern of the Purple Fortress—there seemed to be no formations protecting it, instead openly welcoming visitors. It looked like a hidden acupoint within a formation hole; Qian Duohai probably didn’t realize he was in the formation’s core of Wan Nest Island, thinking of it merely as a regular refuge.

Suddenly, Jin Mingyang spoke up, “Li Hui, I remember your cultivation is low; did you break through using the spiritual energy of Wan Nest Island? Qian Duohai and I have both achieved Great Perfection in the Concentrating Spirit stage and could step into the Condense Essence stage at any moment; you’re simply not in the same league.”

“Is that so?” Li Hui patted the gourd at his waist, saying, “See this? Inside is a spirit from the Grand Method Realm. Even if he’s particularly weak, releasing him would be enough to wipe us all out. And you probably already know that the sect leader has never intended for any of us six to survive, which is why he buried the Myriad Form Purple Absolute God Symbol. If you dare, just try me and see if I can draw out the symbol’s true power.”

“You…” Jin Mingyang gnashed his teeth. Li Hui had guessed his thoughts; if it weren’t for his deep-seated caution, he would have attacked by now.

Qian Duohai contemplated for a moment before his head tilted back in laughter: “Hahaha, brother, you’ve come at the right time! Let me treat you to a warm welcome. It’s all those Demon Sect disciples’ fault for being so strange. I saw my brother and didn’t dare to recognize you, thinking you were some demon brat testing us. Now that my brother is here, we naturally have to team up. If it weren’t for Jin Mingyang having the sealing talisman to stop the Slave Seal from acting up, I wouldn’t even want to be around him. It’s you, my brother, who’s more to my taste, after all, we are Oath-Bound Brothers!”

“Shameless!” Jin Mingyang believed himself quite shameless, but relative to Qian Duohai, he felt utterly pure like freshly fallen snow.

Li Hui chuckled and affirmed, having experienced Qian Duohai’s nature before; he nodded: “It’s good that Brother Hai recognizes me. I have missed you greatly. You’ve chosen a nice spot! The outside is in chaos, but this place is safe and sound. I heard that soon, a large number of Corpse Islands will fall and impact the formation of Wan Nest Island; hiding here shouldn’t be an issue.”

“What? The Hongmo Sect has gone mad?” Qian Duohai was clearly unaware of this.

“It’s more than just abandoning Corpse Island; in another ten days, all of the Corpse Islands of the Hongmo Sect will rise to the Azure Sky layer and set up the Infinite Demons’ Blood Oath formation, summoning demonic creatures from beyond the domain.” Li Hui spilled the beans, clenching his fist, “Thus, we have only ten days to escape.”

“They plan to destroy Wan Nest Island?” Jin Mingyang also lost his calm. Although Dugu Yi had left him an escape route, he hadn’t shared too much information.

“I’m afraid the Hongmo Sect won’t be able to destroy Wan Nest Island; instead, they might trigger a powerful backlash from the island’s formations. By then, when the disciples of the Hongmo Sect pat themselves on the back and receive their rewards, we’ll be left without a way to escape, just waiting for death,” Li Hui stated frankly, feeling no need to conceal the truth.

Qian Duohai was stunned for a long time, feeling his hands and feet turn cold. He had hoped to advance to the Condense Essence stage to flaunt himself, only to find the Hongmo Sect attacking like this.

“If you don’t believe me, wait until tomorrow and hear the commotion. After that, come find me,” Li Hui didn’t want to waste breath, choosing a rock to sit on. Though he appeared to be meditating, he was actually sensing the energy in this place through the Heavenly and Earthly Arrays.

Previously, he learned through the Fuyi Hall’s divination that to find the axis of the earth, he must seek his Oath-Bound Brother.

Now that he had found Qian Duohai, he needed to clarify one point first—whether this place was related to the earth’s axis or if the items on him were. Once confirmed, he could further plan his moves.

Not long after sitting down, Li Hui made a significant discovery.

“Wutu spiritual energy? Heavy and deep. Yes, it definitely is Wutu spiritual energy, surging from the ground. Wait, there’s also Gui Water spiritual energy! It’s subtle and yin-like, no wonder it can cover up the energy of the formation hole.”

“The Underground Cavern of the Purple Fortress is primarily composed of golden fire spiritual energy, while this place is about water and earth. It indicates that the Inner Ring is primarily based on a dual five-element formation. If one were skilled in formations, they might be able to locate other formation holes from this and trace back to determine the central location of Wan Nest Island.” Li Hui shook his head inwardly; formations to him were merely a connection to other classes, as he was worlds away from mastery!

“For now, I can only pin my hopes on the Fortune Ascending Talisman; perhaps it can catch a glimmer of a clue as a guide. However, not today; I must wait for the Hongmo Sect to attack the island, making the island’s formations falter, which will be the best time to spy.”

Qian Duohai and Jin Mingyang observed Li Hui closely, noticing that he remained still, their minds gradually becoming active. With thoughts of what the Hongmo Sect intended to do, they felt a chill run down their spines.

Li Hui had no idea if Hongmo Zheng and Qian Qiu Yue had escaped the Purple Fortress or if they found a place to avoid the calamity of Wan Nest Island. Even if he worried, with his cultivation, he was powerless to do anything about it.

As he calmed and rested, time seemed to fly by. The next day, ripples suddenly appeared in the pond, growing larger and larger. The three of them simultaneously felt their hearts rise to their throats, thinking, “It’s here.”