Chapter 44: After Breaking the Formation

A drop of water's kindness can become a spring that nourishes the heart; a grudge over a trifle can also blaze into a prairie fire.

The human heart is like a mirror; seeing kindness, it returns warmth; revealing cracks, it breeds cold blades.

All the myriad stories in the world are nothing but the rise and fall of grudges and favors, the ebb and flow of cause and effect.

Min Nan only wanted to repay the kindness, but forgot that the person who had reincarnated for a thousand years was no longer the original benefactor; human hearts change easily, and she gave that person countless riches and honors out of nowhere, yet forgot that behind riches and honors lie piles of white bones.

"Right now, the most important thing is to get out!" No matter what happened in the past, it's irrelevant to them; right now, the most important thing is how to get out of here! Gu Yusheng lifted his head; this secret room is just like a water curtain cave, and if this continues, they'll be drowned in a moment.

"Does this soul‑summoning formation still need lake water as a guide?" Why ask Xiao Muyu so cluelessly? "Otherwise, why wait until after tonight? Why use water to summon souls?"

The anxious Xiao Muyu couldn't answer; after a while he said, "You… you asked a good question…"

Luo Changfeng struggled for a long time, realizing it was utterly useless; he couldn't move an inch, like a lamb awaiting slaughter trapped in a pot, "Um… uh… monster? spirit? senior! May I ask how we should undo your jiao sinew?"

Min Nan looked innocent, spreading her hands: "They have never broken free; they can only stay here, letting their flesh rot, with no place for their souls to rest."

Those villagers whose souls had been swapped walk the world wearing the skins of those people or demons, neither dead nor alive.

Everyone's hearts sank, inevitably feeling the sorrow of a rabbit's death mourning a fox; could today actually be the end of their cultivation path?!

"Then you must know how to guide the spirit!" Xiao Muyu suddenly said; he didn't want to give up, and he knew nobody wanted to give up.

Min Nan stood on her own coffin, her expression blurred: "This place is the formation's eye, the only spot that can help you draw the spirit into your bodies."

"But!" Min Nan lowered her head, her tone faint: "It's utterly useless; my sinew isn't that easy to break free. You won't be able to get through."

"We won't know unless we try!" Gu Yusheng's eyes sank; he ignored the tightening jiao sinew and desperately lunged toward the coffin.

Among them, Lei Zhigao was actually the closest to the coffin, but he only moved a bit and grimaced; since more than one person is trapped here, why bother exerting himself?

Gu Yusheng's face turned crimson from strain, the jiao sinew nearly splitting him in two, each mark bleeding profusely; Mei Ruoxue's eyes blurred with tears: "A-Sheng, maybe we should just give up! Let's just give up!"

"No!" Gu Yusheng paused to catch his breath, glanced at Mei Ruoxue, and said: "I swore to take you wandering the four seas; how can we stop here?"

The lake water kept rising, nearly submerging their calves; some resigned, giving up resistance, but there was always someone who refused to yield, who wouldn't accept defeat! Gu Yusheng roared, placed his fingers on the coffin, and shouted: "Chasing Moon!"

In an instant, radiance rose from his hand like a gentle moon covering him; the Chasing Moon sword flew out, in two strokes severing the jiao sinew on Gu Yusheng's body, then obediently returned to his hand.

Gu Yusheng gripped Chasing Moon; even drenched in blood and disheveled, his eyes were clear, spiritual energy swirling around him, and in an instant, several people on the altar seemed to see the future venerable one.

Like the master… Luo Changfeng blinked, striving to regain his senses: "Junior brother, stop showing off and come save people!"

Gu Yusheng nodded, and Chasing Moon flew past each person in turn; the jiao sinews snapped one after another, falling into the water, and several people scrambled onto the coffin, instantly making it crowded.

Min Nan floated in the air, gradually turning translucent: "Next, you can together smash this coffin, and only then might you escape alive."

Mei Ruoxue gazed at the fading Min Nan: "Why....."

"It's fate!" Min Nan slowly dissipated in the air, leaving only an echo that lingered in everyone's ears: "My life was a mistake in an accident, yet also the path of life carved out from myriad desperations."

She was born a demon yet devoted herself to good; they are humans, yet they erased their humanity through greed.

Because of her, countless beings have suffered; thus this outcome is no surprise to her, but fortunately she finally waited for someone to break this formation, so it will no longer harm the human world.

"May you all have a smooth path ahead and eternal joy on the immortal way!"

Mei Ruoxue wiped her tears, not understanding when she had become so easily moved; clearly before she was someone untouched by worldly affairs!

Gu Yusheng silently patted her shoulder; his senior sister is kind and beautiful, and he is fortunate indeed to be able to walk hand in hand with her through life.

"What are you standing around for!" Lei Zhigao grew anxious: "Everyone, today let us break this formation!" He pointed his sword downward, wind surging back, and drove it straight into the coffin!

"This Lei Zhigao!" Wei Yuzhu, in front of Lingxiao, felt a bit embarrassed: "Senior… senior, don't blame him; that's just how he is!"

Loving to grab the spotlight, loving to grab merit, loving to grab everything—fine within his own sect, but even when he goes out to meet people he's still like this! Wei Yuzhu clenched her palms, wondering how she'll deal with him when he returns.

Wei Yuzhu worried that Lei Zhigao would leave a bad impression on Lingxiao, but little did she know that Lingxiao and Shi Ran didn't take it to heart—Lingxiao hardly cared, and Shi Ran thought, "He's the male lead; without a bit of hardship, can he even be called a male lead?"

But it's just about grabbing the spotlight; it's nothing but a drizzle!

"Then what? Did you just come out of that altar?" Shi Ran still cared about this.

Why scratch his head? "I'm not entirely sure either; as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw you...."

The others were all scattered by the lake water; his swimming isn't great, so being alive to see them is nothing short of heavenly grace!

Although the soul‑summoning formation is broken, fearing those villagers won't give up, Lingxiao and the others, without hesitation, flew on their swords above Jiao Lake Village to search for a few people's silhouettes.

Yun Tingliao and Fantian were tossed by Shi Ran into the sea of consciousness; in that sea, Bai Xiaohong was painting red flowers on her umbrella, and seeing Fantian and Yun Tingliao enter together, she was so frightened her brush dropped!

"He‑he‑he‑he..... how‑how‑how did he get in!" Bai Xiaohong stammered in fright; she knew Shi Ran's sea of consciousness was vast, but she hadn't expected it to be this vast, sucking in everything!

Yun Tingliao narrowed his eyes: "Mushroom demon? Hmm."

Bai Xiaohong shrank a little behind her umbrella: "I said, don't you believe me?"

Yun Tingliao snorted; at this point, whether to believe or not doesn't matter—being inferior in skill, no matter how much reluctance, he can only lower his head and call out 'master'.

Fantian didn't want to stare down these two little demons; soaring to mid‑air, he looked back and said: "From now on, the Shanghai skies are my territory; you two find a place to hide your brushes and don't come out to be an eyesore!"

Yun Tingliao was just about to retort a few sentences when the sea of consciousness suddenly shook violently.

Fantian had no choice but to return between the two demons, saying: "What's this? What's happening outside?"