Gou Zai Xi You Dao Chang Sheng

[Formation: Displaced Flag Formation]

[Moonlight and Star Power activate the Earth's fiery veins, harmonizing Yin and Yang; Formation Mastery +8]

[Aura of Fate +15 (Spirit Beast's Profound Understanding, Assistance in Formation)]

Li Yan held the third command flag.

Turn around and face the center of Sanlipo, under that century-old locust tree.

This is precisely the eye where the earth's veins converge in the Kun position.

Kun represents the earth, which embodies the virtue of bearing all things.

His star-earth Dao seed is most compatible with the Kun position.

He held the flag.

Inside the Niwan Palace, the Mustard Seed Cave Heaven slowly rotates.

The starlight and the earth element merged, descending from the Niwan point, passing through the twelve-story tower, through the Crimson Palace, and entering the Dantian.

It sank into the earth beneath its feet.

The flagpole is buried in the ground, and the Kun position is complete.

With the three flags erected, the positions of the three powers—Kan, Li, and Kun—were initially determined.

However, the formation is not limited to three flags.

Li Yan sat cross-legged under the old locust tree.

The grey sable leaped back onto my shoulder, its amber eyes gazing at the sky beyond the city.

The jade mouse poked its head out from my bosom, its little eyes blinking, and surprisingly, it didn't squeak.

Sun Wukong also returned, squatting to the side, waiting quietly.

Li Yan closed his eyes.

His mind sank into the Niwan Palace (the area around the temple of the head).

In the Mustard Seed Cave, three tortoise shells hang in the void.

He raised his finger and used his divine sense as ink to outline the scene in the cave.

First, draw the Kan trigram.

A yang line sandwiched between two yin lines indicates a soft exterior but a strong interior, signifying the hidden virtue of water.

As the Kan trigram was formed, a dark blue pillar of light shot into the sky from the north of the cave, echoing the command flag in the Kan position directly north of Sanlipo.

Next, draw the Li trigram.

A yin line sandwiched between two yang lines indicates an outward brightness and an inward emptiness, signifying the manifestation of the fire element.

As the Li trigram was formed, a crimson pillar of light shot into the sky from the south of the cave, echoing the command flag of the Li position due south of Sanlipo.

Draw the Kun hexagram again.

The three yin lines represent pure yin and perfect compliance, signifying great virtue and the ability to bear all things.

As the Kun trigram was formed, a beam of dark yellow light shot into the sky from the center of the cave, echoing the old locust tree in the Kun position of Sanlipo.

With the three hexagrams completed, Li Yan continued to sketch them out.

When Kan and Li interact, water and fire are in harmony.

Kun resides in the central palace, supported by thick earth.

With the three powers (heaven, earth, and man) established, the eight trigrams should be complete.

Qian, Dui, Zhen, Xun, Gen.

The five illusory images of the trigrams appeared one by one in the grotto.

Although there is no physical command flag to correspond to it, the hexagram and its associated principles have already created a subtle resonance with the earth's veins within a hundred miles.

Just as a musician tunes only three strings, the other five strings resonate as well.

【Earth Vein Small Heavenly Circuit Formation】

Using the three flags of Kan, Li, and Kun as the pivot, the illusory images of the five trigrams Qian, Dui, Zhen, Xun, and Gen resonate.

[Effect: Detects earth vein fluctuations within a radius of 100 miles, marks abnormal spiritual energy surges, and can sense the escape techniques of cultivators below the Five Qi Realm]

[Current range: A radius of 100 li around Qing Shi Prefecture]

Li Yan opened his eyes.

The illusory image of the Eight Trigrams in his eyes slowly dissipated.

He raised his hand and took something out of his sleeve.

It was a crystal the size of a pigeon's egg.

The crystal was crystal clear, and a drop of blood was sealed inside.

The blood was pale gold, with a faint glint of sword light flowing within it.

This is the last drop of blood Zhao Yuanqing left on Fangcun Mountain.

When Zhou Ming went down the mountain, he entrusted this item to Hai Qiong for safekeeping.

Before leaving, Haiqiong solemnly entrusted this item to the gray sable who remained in the hospital, and left a secret message:

"Junior Brother Zhou said that if one day the Dao of the True Yang Sword God can shine again in the world, he will infuse this blood into the sword."

Li Yan remembered and focused his mind again.

Guided by divine thought, the drop of pale golden blood was sent into the Kun position command flag under the old locust tree.

The flag's dark yellow color trembled slightly.

Immediately, the drop of true blood dissolved.

Like ink dissolving in clear water, it seeps into the patterns on the flag surface in fine, delicate strands.

Originally, only star patterns flowed on the flag.

At this moment, a faint golden sword mark appeared beside the star pattern.

The sword marks were as fine as hair, yet their sharpness was concealed.

【Kun Position Command Flag - Alienation】

[Infused with a drop of Zhao Yuanqing's true blood, carrying his lingering sword intent even in his final moments]

[When the Black Wind Demon steps into the formation, this sword intent will manifest on its own, slashing towards the Demon's Dao Heart Tribulation Gate.]

The power of this single sword strike is equivalent to the Golden Light Rifting the Sky - Remnant Resonance unleashed by Zhao Yuanqing when he burned away his Dao Seed.

[Note: This sword can only be used once; if used, the flag will shatter and the sword's intent will dissipate.]

Li Yan stared at the golden sword mark and remained silent for a long time.

Sun Wukong saw it too.

The playful glint in his golden eyes vanished, replaced by a rare solemnity.

"Senior brother...is this Senior Brother Zhao's sword?"

Li Yan nodded:

"His last sword strike that he left in this world."

Sun Wukong scratched his ear, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

After a long pause, the monkey said in a muffled voice:

"That old monster, I'm going to smash his head in with my own hands."

Li Yan did not answer.

He recalled the words Zhao Yuanqing had left in the jade slip.

A righteous heart makes a righteous sword; an evil heart makes an evil sword.

This is not just for those who come after.

It was also meant for that old demon to hear.

But that old demon covered his ears and hated it for eight years, never daring to listen.

Tonight, it's time to let him hear it.

Then, he put away all the items and looked at the sky.

The last rays of dawn in the west are being gradually swallowed by the darkness.

At the end of a branch of the Cangwu Mountains, in the direction of Black Wind Ridge, dark clouds were faintly churning.

The clouds were grayish-black with dark red edges.

The clouds churned, as if countless tiny figures were moving within them.

Li Yan's eyes were fully open, and his mind was reflected in the mirror.

Eight hundred miles away, the gate to the Black Wind Ridge cave is slowly opening.

[Detection: The Black Wind Demon has emerged from its lair]

[Accompanying demons: approximately three hundred, including seven Dao Seed-level leaders and one Nascent Soul-level Ghost-Faced Owl King]

[Route: Head east along the mountain path, and you are expected to arrive at Wolf Valley in about an hour]

[Deduction: The Black Wind Demon's escape technique is on cooldown (three hours), and he cannot directly teleport to the Green Stone Mansion. He must travel eight hundred miles of mountain road.]

[The cooldown time for this escape technique is approximately three hours.]

Three hours.

Li Yan's mind raced.

Three hours.

Li Yan's mind raced.

The demon army marched for eight hundred li from Black Wind Ridge to Green Stone Mansion.

It takes one hour to reach Wolf Valley, two hours to reach the mass grave, and two and a half hours to reach the Deadwood Forest.

Three hours later, the army arrived at Sanlipo, just outside the city.

The old demon's escape technique was restored after three hours.

If he fails to conquer the city or encounters a powerful enemy, he can tear through the void and escape at any time.

"Junior brother."

Li Yan spoke, his voice as usual:

"The Black Wind Demon has emerged from his cave, accompanied by over three hundred demon followers."

"His escape technique will still have three hours to cool down."

"This three-hundred-mile mountain path was the last stretch of road he took to reach the Jiemen."

Sun Wukong stood up abruptly, releasing and then immediately withdrawing his aura.

In that instant, the grass and trees on Sanlipo bowed low, and the void trembled faintly.

He was already half a Golden Immortal; with his full power, he could shatter mountains and rivers for eight hundred miles.

But he didn't.

He suppressed his fighting spirit and scratched his ear, saying:

"Senior brother, tell me, how should we fight?"

Li Yan stood up.

He looked toward Wolf Valley.

The valley's outline resembled the jaws of a giant beast, silently awaiting the prey that was about to pour in.

"We'll wait for him at Sanlipo."

"When he reached the outskirts of town and saw the statue of the Sword God, he recalled the sword light from eight years ago,"

"The moment his mind went blank, I activated the formation, trapping him from all escape routes."

The monkey chimed in, "My iron rod struck him from the top of his head to his Yongquan acupoint."

Li Yan nodded:

"Yes."

"However, there is one matter that requires my junior brother's assistance."

Sun Wukong patted his chest:

"Go ahead and say it, senior brother!"

Li Yan looked towards the statue of the Sword God:

"Junior brother, you are a half-step Golden Immortal, your transformations are profound."

"If the Black Wind Demon arrives outside the town, he will see more than just the Sword God statue."

"And Zhao Yuanqing."

Sun Wukong was taken aback.

Then, the monkey grinned.

His golden eyes curved into crescent moons as he smiled, and his teeth gleamed white in his smile.

"Senior brother, your scheme..."

That's incredibly immoral.

"I like it."

As he spoke, a fleeting seriousness appeared in his golden eyes:

"But I understand."

"That old demon owes Senior Brother Zhao more than just a life."

"He owes that sword, he owes those words, he owes those eyes that were blinded by hatred every night for the past eight years when he called out Senior Brother Zhao's name."

"To kill him outright is too lenient."

"He needs to see it with his own eyes."

"Seeing Senior Brother Zhao's sword intent, even though he has been dead for eight years, it still lasts longer than his hatred."

After saying that, he swayed.

Three zhang away, stood a tall figure.

His features were handsome and refined, with a hint of his former arrogance.

With his left hand lightly pressing down on the scabbard and his right hand gripping the hilt, he drew the sword three-tenths of an inch out.

It was exactly the appearance of that sword god statue.

Lifelike.

Not only does it resemble the figure in appearance, but it also captures the spirit of the subject.

Sun Wukong mastered the 72 Earthly Transformations, which allowed him to mimic the forms of all things, a skill he possessed to an extreme degree.

At this moment, he suppressed the aura of a Golden Immortal and put down the trace of arrogance in his primordial spirit that yearned to fight against heaven and earth.

Only the calm and resolute expression in the eyes of that sword god statue, and the compassion that protects all living beings, remain.

He spoke.

Her voice has changed too.

It was the inherent arrogance Zhao Yuanqing spoke in the past, and the gentle warmth that settled after that arrogance faded:

"Those who come after me, if they read this letter, may take it as a warning from my experience."

"The path to enlightenment is long and arduous; a righteous heart makes for a righteous sword, while an evil heart makes for an evil sword."

This was his last message left in the jade slip.

Li Yan stood still, gazing at his old friend who looked exactly like him.

a long time.

He said softly:

"Junior brother."

"I'm here," Sun Wukong replied.

"If you had stayed by that wild peach tree back then, and picked the fruit before it was ripe, would you have been able to taste its sweetness?"

Sun Wukong was taken aback, then grinned:

"Senior brother, you're messing with me again."

"They're different. The ones that fall down are sweeter."

I squatted there all night, and the peach fell into my palm, still wet with dew; it had fallen willingly.

Li Yan nodded slightly:

"Tonight, that old demon is one too."

He paused for a moment:

"Senior Brother Zhao, if he were here... he would thank you."

Sun Wukong did not answer.

He gazed toward the west, where dusk was falling.

Eight hundred miles away, a black wind surged.

The third quarter of the hour of Xu (7:45 PM).

Black Wind Demon King and his demon army have already passed Wolf Valley.

There were several animal traps set by hunters in the valley, but the Ghost-Faced Owl scouts discovered them in advance and avoided them all.

None of the three hundred demons were injured or killed.

The Black Wind Demon sat atop a dark black sedan chair.

The sedan chair was carried by four Dao-level bear demons, each three zhang tall with bulging muscles.

With each step, a three-inch-deep footprint was left on the mountain path.

The sedan chair had no roof and was drafty on all sides.

He was dressed in a dark Taoist robe, his long hair was loose and tied up only with a white bone hairpin.

His face was thin, his cheekbones were high, and his skin was pale and bluish, like that of someone who had been buried underground for a long time.

Only his eyes were eerily bright.

There was no white in his eyes; his pupils were as black as ink, with wisps of dark red blood light seeping from them.

He gazed at the mountain path ahead.

eight years.

For eight years, he traveled through the eight-hundred-mile mountain path countless times in his cave using his divine sense.

He remembers every rock, every blade of grass, and every corner where he once left his footprints.