Chapter 378: Spiritual Bones

It was only two or three seconds before Liu Junyan's hand moved away.

I slumped completely into his arms, and in that moment I felt as though I had just died a little.

Liu Junyan then infused me with a bit of true qi, giving me a little strength.

I lay in Liu Junyan's embrace, recalling everything that had just happened, and a vague suspicion formed in my mind.

The formation formed in the deep gorge of the Pearl Plate River is exactly the same as the bird totem on the back of the Buddha amulet left behind by the Blood Corpse.

That totem is a variant of the character 'Luan'.

And the Luan is the juvenile of a male phoenix; I'm not sure whether it must undergo Nirvana to become a true adult male phoenix.

But it is obvious that there is some kind of resonance between me and the opposing Luan Formation.

This resonance causes intense pain in my shoulder blades.

I know it's not shoulder-blade pain, but the ache where my two missing ribs should be—the spots where my two spiritual bones once were.

Liu Junyan's final probe was also testing this.

So, regardless of what formation the Luan Formation is, or what secrets the Luan totem hides, there is one thing Liu Junyan and I are almost certain about: the opposing Taotie Evil Formation is likely connected to my lost spiritual bones.

From this we can infer that the Taotie Evil Formation opposite intends to devour not only the pawnshop, but Wufu Town—and its first target is me!

It has been approaching step by step, and I only noticed when its influence on me became strong enough—I almost fell into its clutches.

"Āyàn, we can't wait any longer—I must take back what rightfully belongs to me!"

Fortunately, it was at this moment that the opponent, driven to desperation, revealed its flaw.

Otherwise I cannot imagine that, when I undergo Nirvana, lacking those two vital spiritual bones, my chances of success would be slim.

It would likely be a one-way loss.

Although I don't yet know how to retrieve them, or how to integrate them into my body once I have them, or even whether my mortal frame can contain them… those are matters for later.

But tonight, I must get them back!

Liu Junyan told me to stay calm and not be impatient.

He immediately summoned Wang Pan and Sergeant Yun to explain the situation.

Wang Pan shook his head, saying, "If the enemy really is after Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, why did they hold back at first? What stopped their advance until they were driven to desperation and went all-in?"

"Yes, Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, I know you're anxious and in pain, but the more this happens, the more we need to stay calm," Sergeant Yun said.

I endured and asked, "Then just how long must we wait?"

Wang Pan replied, "Wait until the enemy is at the city gates, then reveal our trump card."

I looked at Liu Junyan.

Liu Junyan asked, "If it really comes to that, can our current deployment hold the line?"

"It can hold!"

Wang Pan and Sergeant Yun answered without hesitation.

Sergeant Yun explained, "If the townsfolk of Wufu Town were still here, we wouldn't dare boast like this, but they have already evacuated; the worst case is merely a broken net and dead fish—if it dares to come, if it dares to swallow our formation, we dare to kill it!"

Their confident demeanor made Liu Junyan and me decide to trust them once more.

Fortunately, the opponent is even less patient than we are.

Less than half an hour later, the pain in my shoulder blades flared up again to the point of making me frequently dazed.

At that moment I felt countless infants crying around me; the next instant they turned into black birds calling out—infants, black birds—I sprang to my feet and staggered outward.

Li Qingying came forward to support me; I pointed to the six‑angled palace lamp under the west corridor and, voice trembling, said, "Sister Qingying, please take it down for me."

Li Qingying did so at once.

The moment I firmly grasped the Soul‑guiding Lamp, my dazed mind instantly cleared.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but I felt the pain in my body lessen considerably.

I bit hard into my finger, squeezed out fresh blood, and pressed my sword‑finger against the lamp's chamber.

The blood soaked into the chamber, and the ghostly face on it sprang to life, twisting with a ferocious expression.

I thrust my sword‑finger westward, then turned my wrist to point east, south, north…

The four ghostly faces shot out simultaneously; under the control of my sword‑finger they separated and flew off to the southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast.

Soon afterward, the four faces reconverged in the northwest direction.

The wailing of infants and the cries of birds mingled together in a chaotic squeal.

Everyone instinctively wanted to go see what was happening, but Liu Junyan suddenly called out to Wang Pan and Sergeant Yun, "No more waiting—activate the formation!"

The two stared for a moment, then hesitated no longer.

It was obvious that the critical point they had been waiting for had already been broken through by me ahead of time!

Wang Pan stuck his finger in his mouth and blew a sharp whistle.

Afterward, the two ran separately toward the center of Wufu Town.

During this process, the four ghostly faces had already returned to the lamp chamber, and several black birds were tossed beneath the steps of the pawnshop.

These black birds were obviously fledglings, no larger than a palm, and were completely dead.

What surprised us was that these black birds shared a trait—they had no eyes.

They weren't blind; even the sockets where eyes should grow were absent, lacking any outline.

Li Qingying wondered aloud, "What kind of bird is this that doesn't even grow eyes?"

Liu Junyan walked over and lifted one of the black birds by its wing.

Everyone present sucked in a breath of cold air.

Beneath the black bird's wing, in the furry armpit, glared a pair of scarlet eyes.

Those eyes were tiny, still attached to bits of flesh—clearly they had been peeled from an infant's face!

Exactly so!

These black birds are not real chicks; they are infants refined by some kind of witchcraft, and they are controlled by witchcraft and resentful Qi.

And there are many more of such eyes.

They gather on the hilltop……that must be the Gluttonous Ferocious Beast Formation Array!

Gluttonous beasts like to eat infants, their eyes grow under the armpits……the infants' eyes are the key to forming the Gluttonous Ferocious Beast Formation Array.

In other words, those eyes are where the Zhènyǎn is located.

The more eyes there are, the stronger the Gluttonous Ferocious Formation becomes.

The foundation of the Gluttonous Ferocious Formation is the 'phoenix-like bird'!

So at first we couldn't move the Deep Ravine Formation Array, nor could we stop the hill from continually devouring; even Wang Pan and Sergeant Yun showed some hesitation in this matter.

Although they didn't know exactly what this formation array was, based on their experience they had already sensed the myriad dangers within!

So, the final question: what lies beneath the Phoenix-like Bird Formation?

Could it be my spirit bone?!

Thinking of this, my head suddenly buzzed, as if some dust‑sealed memory burst forth.

Pain……a heart‑rending pain……

Giant black wings, countless scarlet eyes beneath the wings, a sharp beak piercing deep into the flesh, pulling out the spirit bone……