Chapter 168: Just as Luck Would Have It

Jiang Yu moved at top speed, driving the bamboo fan beneath her feet and swinging her spirit sword in hand, hoping to split open an exit during the weak moment when the formation light just closed.

The others also had this idea, each taking up their magic implements and striking together at the golden light cover above their heads.

However, contrary to their wishes, the sword and blade light they unleashed was mercilessly reflected back at them by the formation.

If not for their defensive treasures holding up, they might truly have wounded their own hands.

Jiang Tu shook his head in disbelief: "As it turns out, this spirit sword isn't invincible even in the cave heaven."

"Being able to open a vortex from the village's big lake earlier was probably just a coincidence."

Thus: Xuantang Xingjun also said at this moment: "A small medicinal plot actually has a double seal!"

"Not good, the formation has changed." Jiang Yu rolled on the spot here, looked up and saw the formation light above her shift from gold to cyan.

"What formation?" the female demon cultivator had just asked when countless cyan spheres shot toward everyone.

Jiang Yu leapt up, spun the bamboo fan, and at the instant it fanned them down, the formation light's color changed again; she threw a shield to Lu Ruochan not far away: "Senior Lu, keep close to Senior Xia."

The dark blue, nearly black spiritual light was clearly water-type spiritual energy, condensing countless water droplets that smashed down.

Striking a person, they instantly turned into sharp ice cones.

The female demon cultivator was hit the most, her face covered in blood, she angrily said: "Do the Five Elements have to come all at once? Quickly find the formation eye."

"Let me try." Ice-spirit-root Xia Bing, at the instant water turned to ice, sensed a different fluctuation of spiritual power.

She turned and fiercely slashed her sword at a ridge of longevity child nearby; the sword light instantly flung up several stalks of spirit grass.

The formation light above not only stopped changing with that sword, but also swayed a few times as if intending to open and close.

"Effective." Seeing this, a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Wanjian Sect and another cultivator immediately thrust their swords at the unturned ridge of longevity child.

Meanwhile the female demon cultivator indiscriminately chopped the spiritual plants, saying: "It might be the formation eye; better to uproot them all."

"No!" Jiang Yu and Xia Bing simultaneously drew their swords to block, but it was already too late.

The female demon cultivator's sword light had already sliced through several longevity child at the roots, but the earth pit below the cleared spot burst open a huge crack, and its tremendous suction sucked everyone present into it.

In that instant, Jiang Yu's vision and divine sense were completely swallowed by endless darkness; she and her teammates instantly lost consciousness, drifting in an unknown space.

Even Jiang Tu inside the Dragon Pearl was knocked unconscious by the impact.

After it woke up half an hour later, it discovered the little companions in a narrow cave, with stalactites above its head dripping drop by drop.

What a coincidence, each drop fell on Jiang Yu's forehead, which terrified Jiang Tu, who had heard of water torture: "Jiang Yu, Jiang Yu..."

After several successive shouts went unanswered, it tried to control the Dragon Pearl to fly and strike, but fortunately the Dragon Pearl obeyed, whooshing twice to bump the person half a step away from the stalactite.

Unfortunately, Jiang Yu flipped over again, her head knocking against the stone, yet she still didn't wake up. And now there was no one else around.

Jiang Tu had no choice but to shout at the spirit sword in her hand: "Old Master Xuan, come out quickly."

Unfortunately, Thus: Xuantang Xingjun couldn't hear its shout, and during the transmission process, the earth mound sealing his soul split open on its own.

Then his soul was flung out of the spirit sword's space, inexplicably appearing in a place so dark not a glimmer of light could be seen.

Fortunately, cultivators aren't afraid of darkness; at this moment he could still see clearly within several feet using his soul's power.

He flew and jumped around looking for an exit, and ended up colliding with Jiang Yu, whose soul had likewise projected out.

"Senior Xuantang? Do you know where this is?" Jiang Yu's soul was a faint phantom, obviously much weaker than Xuantang's, so she spoke this time politely and respectfully.

Xuantang: "I don't know; the cave heaven is vast, and many places I don't know either."

"But shouldn't you figure out how to return to your body from this ghoulish place? A Foundation Establishment cultivator whose soul has projected out too long may be unable to return to itself."

"I'm looking for an exit." Jiang Yu asked him to go ahead while she followed behind, re‑exploring this enclosed space.

But as they walked, her vision suddenly blurred, something flew into her forehead, and she quickly bent over to clutch her head.

"What's attacking your soul?" Thus: Xuantang Xingjun turned with a swipe, his fingertips flowing soul power, ready to strike at any moment, though he hadn't noticed it just now.

"Nothing, maybe my physical body just suffered some impact." Jiang Yu couldn't tell him that the Chaos Elemental Talisman had flown back from Jiang Tu into her sea of consciousness.

It seemed Jiang Tu couldn't wake her, so he thought of using this method.

And the entity of the talisman book actually rushed in like this; she and Thus: Xuantang Xingjun repeatedly assured there was no problem, still walking behind him.

But she no longer looked left and right; instead she focused her intent to communicate with the talisman book, hoping it would help point out the way they had come in.

The Chaos Elemental Talisman also cooperated, rustling the pages into a roll, then tilting the cylindrical book shape to point her the way.

"Senior, there was a spiritual power fluctuation over there just now." Jiang Yu raised a hand to point there and called out to Thus: Xuantang Xingjun ahead.

He gave her a deep look, didn't expose her, and walked that way; indeed he walked two li before seeing it was a black stone wall.

Thus: Xuantang Xingjun said nothing, unleashed soul power in a fierce strike, and the stone wall swung open like a revolving door with a whoosh.

If he weren't currently in a god‑like state, he might have been spun around with the stone wall by the excessive force and ended back where he started.

However, Jiang Yu behind him had no such problem; as the exit opened she heard Jiang Tu's startled cry.

She then flew back to her body at a speed she had never known, only after a long while covering her head and sitting up: "Jiang Tu, thank you; you've saved me again."

The water drops carrying spiritual energy kept falling on her forehead; even though she had reached Foundation Establishment, she couldn't endure a couple of hours of continuous dripping.

Then she took out a moonlight stone for illumination and saw Thus: Xuantang Xingjun standing where the stone wall had been erected: "You, why aren't you moving?"

"I've now sealed the spirit sword so it won't forcibly drag you into the space."

Saying that, she really took out several seal talismans and stuck them onto the sword blade.

"No need, I've already come out, so I won't be sucked in again."

"Come over and see; this is very likely an underground prison somewhere in the innermost layer." Thus: Xuantang Xingjun was very pleased with her actions.

But Jiang Yu didn't stop, still applying the seal talismans according to the original plan: "Please wait a moment; I need to ease the discomfort on my soul."

Calming Spirit Pill and Nourishing Spirit Pill, she swallowed and refined them all; with eyes closed she communicated divine sense with Jiang Tu: "I don't know where the senior sisters are; I'm afraid we can't regroup as promised."

Jiang Tu didn't care whether she teamed up or not: "Let's first get out of here, then think about them."

"If we don't go back, we don't go back; anyway, we had agreed beforehand that if we weren't back by the mao hour next day, the people in the cave wouldn't need to wait any longer."

Jiang Yu agreed; after resting a moment she again stood at the opened stone‑wall gate, and as light entered the just‑closed space she immediately hit a wall.

How marvelous—before she had felt around everywhere and found no wall; probably the wall only appeared when the stone door opened.

Only then did they see the wall painted with winding, twisting lines; at its end stood a rather tall hall.

She wanted to use her divine sense to check whether there was a passage behind the wall, but unfortunately it was completely solid.