My brother is Shi Hao

The hustle and bustle of the border town gradually faded away. Shi Yi and Shi Hao declined the celebration banquet and returned to their own courtyard. In the room, Shi Yi unfolded an ancient parchment scroll. It was covered with intricate drawings of mountains and rivers, as well as some strange symbols. They had found this on the enemy leader and it was said to be a clue to an ancient artifact.

"It seems our journey has just begun." Shi Hao stretched his muscles, his eyes gleaming with excitement. The days of fighting had made his blood boil, and he longed for greater strength.

Shi Yi studied the parchment scroll carefully, his fingers gently stroking the symbols, "These symbols... seem to have been seen somewhere." He tried hard to recall, some vague fragments flashed through his mind, but he could not grasp the key.

"Look here," Shi Hao pointed at a corner of the parchment scroll, "Does the shape of this valley resemble an eagle with its wings spread?"

Shi Yi looked in the direction his finger pointed, and sure enough, the outline of the valley was very similar to the shape of an eagle, and the eagle's head was pointing to a place marked with a strange symbol.

"Maybe, that's where we are going." Shi Yi's heart moved, and a premonition arose spontaneously.

The two packed their bags and followed the instructions on the parchment scroll, trekking through mountains and rivers, and finally arrived at the mysterious valley.

At the entrance to the valley, cliffs towered into the clouds on both sides, with only a narrow passage leading inside. The stone walls were covered with dense runes, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.

"These runes..." Shi Yi frowned slightly, feeling uneasy in his heart.

"It looks a bit weird." Shi Hao also felt something strange and tightened his grip on the weapon in his hand.

The two stepped into the passage cautiously. With every step they took, the runes around them flashed, as if warning the intruders.

"Be careful!" Shi Yi suddenly grabbed Shi Hao, and saw that the originally flat ground under their feet suddenly collapsed, revealing a bottomless black hole.

"That was a close call!" Shi Hao broke out in a cold sweat. "These runes seem to be some kind of formation."

They didn't dare to be careless and began to carefully observe the runes around them, trying to find a way to decipher them. However, these runes were ancient and complex, and they had never seen them before, let alone deciphered them.

"These symbols seem to be telling a story..." Shi Yi muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on one of the groups of runes, which depicted the sun, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers, as if depicting the scene of the creation of the world.

"Story?" Shi Hao came closer. "What story?"

Shi Yi didn't answer. His fingers gently touched the runes. A strange power flowed into his body through his fingertips. The runes seemed to come alive, constantly flashing, arranging, and combining in his mind...

"Not good!" Shi Yi's face suddenly changed and he withdrew his hand abruptly.

A powerful force surged through his body, and Shi Yi groaned, a trace of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. He quickly sat cross-legged, circulating his internal Qi to suppress the surging force.

"Brother, what's wrong with you?" Seeing this, Shi Hao hurried forward to support Shi Yi, his face full of worry.

Shi Yi waved his hand, indicating that he was fine. "These runes are strange and contain powerful power. Don't touch them lightly."

They dared not act rashly and could only observe the runes over and over again, trying to find a way to decipher them. However, the runes seemed to be deliberately working against them, and no matter how hard they tried, they could not find the correct pattern.

"Damn it!" Shi Hao punched the stone wall, triggering a hidden mechanism. Several sharp arrows shot out from the stone wall. He was unable to dodge and his arm was cut with a bloody mark.

"Be careful!" Shi Yi quickly pulled Shi Hao away to avoid the subsequent attack.

Shi Hao covered his wound, grimacing in pain. "This won't work, and that won't work. Are we going to be trapped here and die?"

Shi Yi didn't say anything. He carefully observed the runes again. This time, he was no longer in a hurry to achieve success. Instead, he calmed down and used the power of his double pupils to carefully feel the lines and power of each stroke, as well as the subtle connection between them.

Gradually, he discovered some patterns. The runes seemed chaotic, but in fact, they were arranged in a special order, forming a complete system. This system seemed to be somewhat similar to the ancient formations he had seen in an ancient book.

He tried to decipher the runes using the methods found in ancient texts, and sure enough, some of the previously obscure symbols began to become clearer. Like cracking a code, he gradually unraveled the secrets behind the runes.

However, just as he was about to crack it completely, he discovered a problem. Although these runes could be deciphered, there was a special connection between them. If they were deciphered in the wrong order, it would trigger a hidden trap and even cause the entire formation to backfire.

"It seems that in order to crack this formation, I need to find the correct order..." Shi Yi pondered, his eyes once again falling on the set of runes depicting the beginning of the world. He felt vaguely in his heart that the key to cracking it lay here.

Shi Hao, watching Shi Yi's frown grow, was also filled with anxiety. Though not as meticulous as Shi Yi, he understood the gravity of the situation. He clenched his fists, staring at the runes shimmering with strange light, and resolved within himself: I can't just be a spectator! He took a deep breath, summoning the power of the Supreme Bone, and slowly extended his hand, attempting to sense the energy flowing behind the runes... As soon as Shi Hao's fingertips touched the runes, a surge of overwhelming energy surged through his arm, surging through his body like a wild horse, tearing through his meridians. He groaned, his face turning pale, and his body involuntarily retreated.

"Xiao Hao!" Shi Yi quickly supported him and asked with concern, "How are you?"

Shi Hao gritted his teeth, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. "I'm fine, it's just that the power of this rune is too overbearing, I can't control it..."

Shi Yi nodded, signaling him not to try again rashly. "This rune is related to an ancient formation. We can't be reckless. Let's think of other ways."

However, no matter how hard they racked their brains, they could not find a solution. Time ticked by, draining both of their strength and energy. Shi Hao was fine, protected by the Supreme Bone, and was only slightly weakened. But Shi Yi, after repeatedly using his double pupils and zhenqi, was already exhausted, his face frighteningly pale.

To make matters worse, the surrounding environment began to deteriorate. A chill wind began to blow through the previously peaceful cave, causing the temperature to plummet, and a thin layer of ice formed on the ground and stone walls. Shi Hao rubbed his hands and exhaled a puff of white air. "This damn place is really weird. Why did it suddenly get so cold?"

Shi Yi sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing. He said in a serious tone: "This should be a sign that the formation has been activated. We must find a way to break it as soon as possible, otherwise..."

Before he could finish his words, there was a sudden violent tremor at the top of the cave, and gravel fell down, and the whole cave seemed to be collapsing.

Shi Hao quickly pulled Shi Yi up, and the two of them quickly hid behind a huge rock.

"What should we do? Are we really going to be trapped here to die?" Shi Hao looked at the crumbling cave and couldn't help feeling despair in his heart.

Shi Yi didn't say anything. He looked up at the runes that were flashing with strange light. In his mind, he kept recalling the records about ancient formations in ancient books, trying to find a glimmer of hope to crack it.

At this moment, he suddenly noticed that the light of the runes seemed to have some subtle connection with the terrain of the valley...

"Xiao Hao, look..." Shi Yi pointed to the terrain outside the cave, with a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

Shi Hao followed his finger and saw that the valley's terrain was undulating, with peaks and rivers winding across it. It was surprisingly similar to the arrangement of the runes in the cave... "Could it be..." Shi Hao looked at the valley, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, and then he suddenly realized, "I understand! These runes don't exist independently, but are connected to the valley's topography, forming a huge formation!"

Shi Yi glanced at him admiringly. As expected of a genius possessing Supreme Bone, he understood everything instantly. "That's right. Look at that tallest mountain. Doesn't it resemble the stroke representing 'sky' in the rune? And that winding river at the foot of the mountain? Doesn't it correspond to the stroke representing 'water' in the rune?"

The more Shi Hao looked at it, the more incredible it seemed. He had always thought these runes were just simple symbols, but he hadn't expected them to blend seamlessly with the natural landscape, forming a mysterious connection. He couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "This ancient formation is truly awe-inspiring! It can harness the power of heaven and earth to such an extent!"

Shi Yi nodded, "This is just the tip of the iceberg. In ancient times, great men emerged in large numbers. They comprehended the ultimate principles of heaven and earth and created countless magical powers and secret techniques. This formation is just a trivial one among them."

"Then what should we do now? How can we break this formation?" Shi Hao asked impatiently.

Shi Yi pondered for a moment, "Since this formation is connected to the valley's terrain, the key to breaking it should be to find the 'center' of the formation. As long as we find the 'center', we can break the entire formation."

"The eye of the formation? What is that thing?" Shi Hao was confused.

Shi Yi explained, "The so-called 'array eye' is the core hub of an array. It connects all parts of the array and controls the operation of the entire array. Finding the 'array eye' is equivalent to finding the key to cracking the array."

"Then how can we find the 'center of the formation'?"

Shi Yi didn't answer directly. Instead, he closed his eyes and pushed the power of his double pupils to the limit. His pupils shone with golden light, and two golden beams shot towards the valley, enveloping the entire valley in a golden light.

"The double pupils have the ability to see through illusions. In addition, this ancient formation is connected to the terrain. Maybe I can find some clues from it." Shi Yi said as he carefully observed every detail in the valley, hoping to find the "eye of the formation".

Time passed minute by minute, Shi Hao waited anxiously, but did not dare to make any sound, for fear of disturbing Shi Yi.

Suddenly, Shi Yi opened his eyes, a gleam of light flashed in them. He pointed to a cave deep in the valley and said in a deep voice: "If I'm not mistaken, the 'Eye of the Formation' is right there..."