Chapter 165: The Spirit-Bewitching Array on Fengwu Mountain

It is now April, and the trees on the mountain have all sprouted new buds. According to the villagers, this mountain shares the same name as the village: Fengwu Mountain.

Perhaps because the rain has all fallen in the vicinity, the mountain paths are somewhat slippery, and even the stones on the mountain look as if they are seeping water.

The trees on the mountain are lush and towering. It was clearly broad daylight when they first ascended, but not long after entering the mountain, the sky was blotted out.

Long Qi and the other three moved forward, carefully checking the surroundings for any traces left by Banxia, but the bushes were overgrown, and even though the villagers said Banxia had come along this path, it was difficult to find anything.

Moreover, they encountered many long snakes along the way, some of which were venomous. Seeing that the sky was about to darken, if they did not hurry, it would be even more dangerous once night fell and the moonlight could not shine through.

Just as the four were walking and discussing whether to split up, the surroundings suddenly turned dark. They could see nothing in the vicinity; they could not even see their own fingers.

This was strange. Logically, even if the sun set, there should be a process, but now it felt as if it had suddenly turned into the dead of night.

In this situation, Long Qi immediately thought of the Ancient Bamboo Forest; this was exactly the same as the situation when they were in the array of Zhuzhang Laoren.

He became alert at once and hurriedly called out to warn the others, but when he turned his head, he could only see darkness, and he received no response from Xin Yi and the others.

It seemed they had truly fallen into a Dharma Array. What he found strange, however, was who would set up a Dharma Array here?

He remembered Lingxiang once saying that most Dharma Arrays are meant to bewilder the mind. If one accidentally falls into an array, the first thing to do is to maintain one's own heart and never panic, otherwise, one will be captivated by the witchcraft within the array.

Thinking of this, Long Qi hurriedly recited the Heart-Clearing Mantra silently, then formed seals to activate his Spirit Vision and Spirit Hearing, hoping to investigate the situation. But just as he activated them, the surroundings suddenly lit up.

The surroundings were no longer a mountain forest, but a courtyard. This courtyard was full of ancient charm and felt somewhat familiar, though he could not recall it for a moment.

Seeing this, Long Qi was shocked and thought to himself that it was bad; he had fallen for the illusion within the array.

It seems that witchcraft cannot be used within this array...

"But what if one accidentally falls for the witchcraft in the array? Could it be that one will be trapped to death in the array?" Long Qi asked.

Upon hearing this, Lingxiang thought to herself: Although this Long Qi has some small cleverness, he does not understand heterodox paths. If he really falls into an array one day and I do not teach him a way to escape, he might truly be trapped to death.

Thinking this, she drew a circle on the ground: "Generally speaking, every Dharma Array has an array core. Even if you fall into an illusion, the array core still exists. If you can find the array core within the illusion and destroy it, this Dharma Array will naturally be broken."

"But since it is an illusion, how can one know which is the array core?" Rendong, who was on the side, asked immediately upon hearing this.

Lingxiang smiled: "Naturally, it is not easy to know. The reason for setting up a Dharma Array is to conceal it in every possible way, but an illusion array is different. If a Dharma Array gives you hallucinations, then the array core must be the object before your eyes. However, the most formidable aspect of an illusion array is that it often probes the most unsightly side of your heart and uses it to crush you. At this time, what you need to do is not as simple as just finding the array core; you must also guard your original heart."

Thinking of what Lingxiang had taught him before, Long Qi immediately calmed his heart. Since he was already deep in the Array Formation, the only plan now was to find a way out within this illusion.

Thinking this, Long Qi walked along the corridor, but he walked for a long time without reaching the end, and the steps he had come from could no longer be seen.

Just as he was thinking of climbing over the railing, he heard a voice calling from behind him:

"Xiao Qi... Xiao Qi..."

This voice sounded very familiar, but he could not remember whose it was.

"Xiao Qi... Xiao Qi..."

The voice kept calling him, but he never turned his head.

Lingxiang had once said that if one falls into a Spirit-Bewitching Array, one must never look back. Once you look back, you can only sink deeper into it.

Long Qi kept walking forward, and the voice kept calling him.

"Xiao Qi... Xiao Qi..."

"Xiao Qi... it's me... it's Wu!"

Upon hearing this, Long Qi paused, but still did not turn his head.

Just then, a hand rested on his shoulder. He turned his head subconsciously. In that instant, he felt something was wrong, but after turning around, he could not remember what was wrong.

And at this moment, Long Qi had actually turned into the appearance of a child, and standing before him was a boy no more than half a head taller than him.

"Xiao Qi, I've been calling you for a long time, why didn't you answer me?"

Huh?

Long Qi was stunned and could not remember what he had been thinking just now. Wrong? What was wrong?

Seeing Long Qi like this, the boy tapped his head lightly: "What's wrong? Are you stupid?"

Long Qi covered the spot that was tapped and said gloomily: "Just now I felt something was wrong, but I suddenly forgot what was wrong..."

"Wrong? It's broad daylight, what could be wrong?" The boy smiled and took Long Qi's hand. "Let's go, Father is back. I heard he brought back something good this time."

Long Qi was still thinking about what was wrong, but he was dragged away by the boy.

The two wound around the corridor for a long time before finding an exit.

"Hurry, hurry," the boy urged, "I heard it's a rare treasure!"

Hearing this, Long Qi quickened his pace, his short legs running in a way that was delightful to see.

"Wu! Wait for me..." he called out to the boy in front while running.

Wu? Who is Wu? Why is it so familiar?

"Hurry up, hurry up!" The Wu in front waited for him for a while, but seemingly annoyed that he was running slowly, he actually picked him up and started running. While running, he complained: "Xiao Qi, have you been eating too much these days? Why are you so heavy? I can't even carry you anymore."

Long Qi was jostled and felt uncomfortable, saying in a trembling voice: "I just ate a few more pieces of sticky rice cake, how am I fat?"

The sentence was said in a childish tone, which actually made Wu laugh.

Before long, the two ran to a courtyard, where there was laughter and joy.

Wu hurriedly put Long Qi down, straightened his clothes, and then pulled him into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, a burly man was surrounded by a group of youths, and standing beside him was a woman who looked dignified and gentle.

"Your father just got back and is tired, you bunch of little monkeys," the woman said while taking down the boy who was hanging on the man.

At this time, everyone seemed to have discovered Long Qi at the door and greeted him with a smile: "Xiao Wu, Xiao Qi, come and see! Father brought a treasure back from outside, it smells so good!"

Only then did Long Qi understand why he could smell a fragrance from far away; it turned out to be the treasure his father brought back.

It's just...

Why is this fragrance so familiar? It seems he has smelled it somewhere before.

Little Long Qi frowned and followed Wu forward, just in time to see the brocade box in his father's hand.

At this moment, the brocade box was wide open, and inside lay a pill shimmering with golden light.

Long Qi's brows furrowed even tighter; in his heart, he felt this pill was familiar.

Just then, his mother saw Long Qi's expression and hurriedly stepped forward to pick him up, teasingly asking, "What is wrong with little Qi? Why is your face so unhappy? Are you hungry?"

Wu laughed upon hearing this: "Mother, don't give little Qi anything more to eat. He is already so heavy; I carried him the whole way just now, and it exhausted me."

Mother smiled and cast a playful glare at Wu: "Look at what you're saying. I can't just stop your seventh brother from growing up, can I?"

"So what if he doesn't grow up? With us brothers here, would anyone dare to wrong him?" A youth said with a smile after hearing Mother's words.

"Exactly, exactly! We brothers will surely be able to protect him well. He is even cuter if he stays like this and never grows up!" Wu chimed in, agreeing.

Several youths smiled and gathered around Mother, who was holding Long Qi, reaching out to tease the little Long Qi, whose brows were tightly knit.

Yet Long Qi's eyes remained fixed on the Pill in the brocade box in his father's hand; no matter how the youths teased him, his brows could not relax.

Father naturally saw Long Qi like this and hurriedly brought the brocade box closer: "Little Qi, have you taken a fancy to the treasure in Father's hand? Do you want to have a taste?" As he spoke, he extended the brocade box, "Who would have thought our little Qi is such a connoisseur, able to tell at a glance that this is a good thing."

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Long Qi stared intently at the Pill right before his eyes, feeling in his heart that he must have seen this thing somewhere, but no matter what, he could not remember.

"Father, what is this thing?"

Father smiled upon hearing this, closed the brocade box, and said with an air of great pride: "This is a good thing that Father had a hard time obtaining on this trip!"

But Long Qi seemed not to give his father any face; he only frowned, feeling in his heart that this thing was extremely important and that he must figure it out.

"Father, what is this thing?" Long Qi asked again.

Seeing little Long Qi like this, Father smiled: "Little Qi is still small now; as for this thing, I cannot tell you yet. When you grow up in the future, you will know what it is. In any case, just remember, this is a treasure of our Long Family."

Wu, who was to the side, suddenly asked upon hearing this: "This one Pill is a treasure of the Long Family? Then what about the Seven-Star Dragon Abyss?"

"The Seven-Star Dragon Abyss is naturally our family's treasure as well, it's just that originally our family only had that one treasure, and now it has become two." Father smiled and prepared to put the brocade box away.

Little Long Qi felt in his heart that he must figure this thing out now, so he asked relentlessly: "Father, what exactly is that thing?"

Seeing Long Qi like this, Father seemed to have no choice and said with a smile: "This, this is a spiritual medicine Father begged from the Yuanqing Sect, called the Life-Prolonging Pill. It was refined by Tumi Fairy herself, and there are only three in this world..."

Long Qi did not take in a single word of what Father said next; he only widened his eyes as if he had been frightened, scaring his mother into calling his name repeatedly.

But no matter how his mother called him, he had no reaction at all, only muttering incessantly:

"Life-Prolonging Pill... Yuanqing Sect..."

He seemed to have forgotten something...

"Life-Prolonging Pill... Yuanqing Sect..."

He was so desperate to remember what he had forgotten, yet he could never recall it, and could only keep repeating those few words:

"Life-Prolonging Pill... Yuanqing Sect..."

But what exactly had he forgotten?

His head hurt so much, and his vision went black, yet his mouth never stopped muttering these sentences. He could not even hear the shouts of his father, mother, and brothers, his heart filled only with these two names.

"Life-Prolonging Pill... Yuanqing Sect..."

Suddenly, a fluorescent light flashed, and Long Qi felt as if something had appeared in his arms. He reached out to touch it and actually pulled out a flute.

He stared at the flute in a daze, and sounds of a flute drifted into his ears, now high, now low, now far, now near, as if they were summoning him.

It was at this moment that he suddenly remembered the name of this flute—the Clear Wind Jade Flute.

This was given to him by Lingxiang!

That's right! He had forgotten Lingxiang! He should not have forgotten Lingxiang!

This was a token of love given to him by Lingxiang!

Long Qi looked at the Clear Wind Jade Flute in his hand, and the flute suddenly burst into fluorescent light, flashing until the surrounding scene rippled like water, yet the brocade box in his father's hand remained perfectly clear.

Long Qi closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he had returned to his original appearance. He raised the Clear Wind Jade Flute and lunged at the brocade box.

The Life-Prolonging Pill inside that brocade box must be the eye of the array!

A green light flashed, and his parents and brothers stood together behind him as the illusion slowly dissipated.

He looked back at them as they gradually faded away, his heart aching, tears streaming down his face.

Yes, these were the appearances of his family—Father, Mother, and his brothers. They had always cherished and loved him, and even when they encountered the Demon Race's raid, they had protected him as they left the Long Family.

So many years had passed, and he had long since forgotten their faces; who would have thought he would see them in this Spirit-Bewitching Array? How could his heart not be filled with sorrow?

Tears flowed wantonly down his face, and at this moment, he suddenly heard a voice ring out:

"Little Qi, don't be sad, don't look back, live on!"

This is...

Wu's voice!

Watching the faces dissipate one by one, Long Qi's heart felt as if it were being cut by a knife. Just then, the Clear Wind Jade Flute in his hand began to sound again, and along with the melodious flute music, another voice reached his ears.

"Long Qi, don't look back!"

It was Lingxiang! It was Lingxiang helping him!

He hurriedly composed himself and turned around; a tear slid down, shimmering with clear light, and dripped into the darkness.

With the fall of that clear light, the surrounding darkness slowly receded.

Zhao Wuyang had always found it strange why, as they walked, Long Qi, Xin Yi, and Liu Xia would suddenly stand still. No matter how he called them, or even if he slapped their faces a few times, they had no reaction at all, just as if...

Just as if they were at Diancang Hall!

Could it be that they had encountered an illusion? But why was he fine?

This was also something he had always found strange; it seemed these Witchcraft illusions had no effect on him at all. Just like when he was competing with the Kunwu Sect a few days ago, Lianqiao had gone on stage and performed some finger-twisting, but no Witchcraft appeared. It was only later that he heard she had used the Mirror Flower Water Moon technique on stage.

It was said that it was an extremely powerful illusion, a capability of the magical artifact Lianqiao had chosen at Diancang Hall.

But he had clearly only seen Lianqiao run onto the stage, throw two Talismans, and run around aimlessly...

Could it be that the illusion technique has no effect on him?

Just as Zhao Wuyang was feeling utterly bewildered, he saw Long Qi somersault and collapse onto the ground...