Underneath Dustfallen Precipice
“What’s the plan?” asked Lan Ling,er, on edge.
Cheng Yan had to take the reins since Uncle An was busy. “Mu Yu, you take care of Uncle An. Ling’er, Xiang Nan, we’re going to try and stall him.”
Deep down, they were cognisant of the fact Reverend Jiuhua would likely render their efforts in vain, but they went along with Cheng Yan’s instructions regardless.
Mu Yu inquired, “Elder Xun, why didn’t Uncle An’s purple light lead Reverend Jiuhua here?”
“It’s only visible once one is close to the formation. Nobody can see it from outside Mount Dustfallen. If only I knew how to deploy the large-scale formation.”
“Elder Xun, keep tabs on Jiuhua Sect. Don’t let them escape. They’re our hostages. Also, find Kongkong and Miaomiao. Tell them to hide.”
“Understood,” Elder Xun responded.
Mu Yu escorted Elder Xun away from Dustfallen Precipice. Mu Yu took one last glance at Uncle An before jumped into the banyan tree. He intended to see if he could locate the large-scale formation’s core. Once he entered the rhizome, he was engulfed in darkness. He had to rely on the rhizomes to sense what was going on around. He learnt from the tree that there was a place home to potent spiritual qi at the bottom. The bayan tree did its utmost to extend its roots down toward it.
Mu Yu raced down toward aforementioned location. He zipped passed soil, rocks and more rhizomes larger than the tree itself. He gradually picked up a thrilling and approachable sensation feeding back from the rhizome. He soon spotted light. There was a circular space five metres up ahead. The rhizomes had the sphere enclosed, but something kept them at bay. At the centre of the space was a white mist concealing something.
Mu Yu could sense the potent spiritual qi coming from whatever was floating inside the mist. Like trees, Mu Yu was fonder of spiritual qi than water because the former was better for their growth. He cautiously stretched a hand toward it, but an invisible energy barred him off.
Mu Yu mentally retraced his steps and calculated the mist was approximately twenty metres below Dustfallen Precipice. He used the banyan tree’s feedback to learn what was inside. The mist had been there for over a decade. A powerful life force was raised within it. He eventually figured out the invisible energy was pure spiritual qi in the form of an invisible barrier. The spiritual qi used for the barrier was thousands of folds more potent than the spiritual qi from the purple and gold stones he used prior.
“I wonder if this is the core of the large-scale formation.”
Manipulating a rhizome, Mu Yu touched the barrier. There was nothing particular anywhere that reacted unexpectedly. He was stuck; he didn’t know how to use the formation even if it was what he was looking for. Suddenly, his sword ejected from his sleeve and pierced the barrier. He was stunned to see it stop above the mist. The sword was the one with holes all over it, the one the wood demon elder gave him. The sword began to absorb the spiritual qi and mend the holes.
The mist blasted back when it detected its uninvited guest. It assumed the sword’s shape and slashed at it. The sword answered with its own counter. Though Mu Yu couldn’t control the swords, he was too stunned to, anyway.
While it took a few trades, the mist eventually realised Mu Yu’s sword absorbed its spiritual energy whenever they connected. As Mu Yu’s sword gained a boost, it overwhelmed the mist and forced it to retreat.
“Look, I realise all three of us are abnormal, but I’m human. Explain what’s going on, will you?!” Mu Yu cried.
The holes in Mu Yu’s sword generated a powerful suction force, drawing spiritual qi in the surroundings toward it. The barrier stopping Mu Yu quickly collapsed, allowing him to infiltrate via the tree roots. As soon as he landed, spiritual qi enveloped him. It was impractical to cultivate there as one would have to appease the wild spiritual qi before one could use it. That took far too long for pragmatic purposes.
Although the mist attempted to flee, Mu Yu’s sword drained its spiritual qi, revealing its true form. The mist as a silver egg the size of a plate – at least, Mu Yu judged it to be an egg since it possessed intelligence. Before Mu Yu’s sword could drag it over, it ran to Mu Yu, who reactively caught it.
“Help me…” begged the egg.
“Hey, Sword, stop for a tick… Wait, why do I have to help you?”
“Because you’re handsome!”
“Why do you have to be so bloody honest?!” remarked Mu Yu, pleased. He then told his sword, “Hear that? Don’t hurt the honest fellow.”
Mu Yu didn’t expect his sword to understand him since it had yet to develop sentience. Nevertheless, it did understand him, thereby concluding its endeavour and returning to Mu Yu’s sleeve.
“What are you? Why are you so honest?” questioned Mu Yu.
“I… I’m a handsome… handsome treasure,” replied the egg, levitating up from Mu Yu’s hold.
“Ah, whatever. It might end up being an ugly duck. Either way, it won’t be human,” muttered Mu Yu.
“You can enter trees; you’re not human, either.”
“I am.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Keep it up, and I’ll boil you.”
“… What does boil mean?”
Recalling what he was there for, Mu Yu ended the pointless quarrel. “Why are you here? Are you Mount Dustfallen’s formation’s core?”
“What’s a formation core? An old man with a white beard told me to block the spiritual qi here. I had no problem with absorbing spiritual qi and hibernating. What did you bring that shabby thingy here for?”
“Old man with a white beard? Was his name Feng Haochen?”
“No, his name is Chenfeng. He’s amazing; he did find a spiritual qi source and told me to block the spiritual qi source with my bottom,” answered the egg, spinning in circles.
Chenfeng means dust gale. Sword Shadow Dust Gale!
Saying it used its bottom to block the spiritual qi was odd because Mu Yu couldn’t tell where its head was. He asked, “What’s a spiritual qi core?”
“How do you not know that? Where do you think all the spiritual qi in the world comes from? Spiritual qi cores produce them. Look, my behind is a spiritual qi core,” answered the egg, still spinning around.
Mu Yu saw a bowl-sized white bowl. It wasn’t glowing, just pure white. The space around was distorted as if it was compressed. Invisible spiritual qi violently gushed forth from the white hole, though it remained within the boundary the tree roots created. At the same time, the egg constantly absorbed spiritual qi. The only way to see the spiritual qi core was from the front.
“What else has the old man done,” queried Mu Yu.
“He also set up some formation that contains the spiritual qi here. Else, it would go berserk and escape from this place. He used some method to guide the spiritual qi outside. He said berserk spiritual qi would inhibit cultivation. Well, it was over a decade ago, so I can’t remember properly. He dug up a hole and threw me inside. He hasn’t been back sense. It’s sad.” The egg shook itself out. It shoved its butt back into the white hole, only to end up rebounding off. “Hmm, have I gained weight? I can’t block it with my bottom now. Let’s try with my head.”
The egg rebounded off the white hole again.
“Can you control the formation,” Mu Yu finally asked.
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