Chapter 34

When Lin Du raised the Red Willow, it wasn’t just the few people present who were shocked—the elders of various sects watching through the Water Mirror were also stunned.

“This… this Lin Du…”

“It’s a formation,” said the elder from Lian Heng Sect, who specialized in formations. “There was nothing wrong with Lin Du’s formation. The first golden light was a counter-formation. Breaking a formation with a counter-formation requires extremely precise predictions and calculations. When the formation is broken, the resentment backfires, the spirits linger, and the gates of the underworld open.”

She paused, her eyes shining with excitement. “This Lin Du is an absolute genius in the art of formations.”

“Just that counter-formation alone—my disciples probably wouldn’t be able to figure it out in seven days, and they’d already be hanging from the Red Willow by then.”

“By the way, who did this Lin Du study under?”

Although Ju Yuan thought his junior sister was indeed remarkable, he felt that Yu Heng was exaggerating a bit. When he heard this question, he quickly found an excuse. “Lin Du? Her master is Immortal Yan Ye.”

“Oh, Immortal Yan Ye… that explains it,” Yu Heng recalled the fear that Yan Ye had instilled in the formation community of Zhong Zhou back in the day.

Lin Du being Yan Ye’s disciple made perfect sense.

Master and disciple—both were such geniuses that it incited envy.

The Red Willow, having suffered the backlash of the spirits’ resentment that had been suppressed for years, was now on the verge of collapse. Lin Du had no intention of letting the Red Willow make a desperate struggle and self-destruct. The spirits released from the gates of the underworld were clearly not to be trifled with.

She looked up and saw her three dumbfounded junior nephews, and shouted, “Come over and help!”

Lin Du released her grip, letting the Red Willow fall with a loud crash, then swiftly moved to the side.

“Yang Soul formation! Yuan Ye, take the eastern position. Yan Qing, the western. Jin Xuan, the southern. Form the formation!”

The young man was slender, and under the blood-red willow, she appeared as faint and delicate as ink diluted with water.

The wailing of ghosts grew sharper, the demonic energy of the Red Willow surged wildly, and its crimson branches whipped through the air. The thick demonic energy shot skyward, almost solidifying, as countless sinister spirits blotted out the sky, crowding together and spiraling upwards, forming a tornado of black and gray. They burst forth continuously from the large hole where the tree trunk once stood, with a deafening roar.

The earth and sky trembled, as if on the verge of collapse.

Before the Water Mirror, many sect elders had already stood up. “This is bad! Lin Du has released so many heavily resentful spirits—I’m afraid the small world will collapse!”

“Should we open the realm gate early? Get the kids out of there immediately!”

Ju Yuan remained seated in the middle, but his hands were tightly clenched beneath his wide sleeves. “No rush, let’s wait and see.”

“Lin Du is not the kind of reckless child who wouldn’t leave herself a way out.”

“But you just said she’s only a child!” Jun Qian was also getting anxious.

If the world collapsed, the small world would be destroyed, and everyone within it could be harmed.

The three previously stunned members of the Supreme Sect leaped into action the moment Lin Du called out.

The four young figures took their positions at four points, and almost simultaneously, their hands began rapidly forming seals in front of them.

The Yang Soul Technique utilizes the Yang soul of a living person, releasing the maximum Yang energy of a cultivator. This energy is used to intimidate evil spirits and ghosts.

The four participants maintained a solemn expression as their auras surged higher, suddenly erupting in a powerful golden light.

The disciples of the Supreme Sect were all extraordinarily gifted. Lin Du, representing water, guarded the north; Jin Xuan, with a full complement of the five elements, took the south with fire; Yuan Ye, protected by dragon energy, with a wood spirit root, guarded the east; and Yan Qing, with a metal spirit root, guarded the west.

This formation was the ideal Four Symbols Formation.

Lin Du raised her hand and scattered the seven materials of the Xiao Qi Guan Formation, arranging them in the shape of the Big Dipper to gather the Yang energy of the four, suppressing it over the sinister spirits and demonic energy of the Red Willow.

The golden light from the Yang Souls exploded upward, wrapping around the black-gray storm of spirits. Almost instantly, the ghostly wails were silenced.

Lin Du lifted her gaze and shouted, “Yan Qing! Break the evil!”

Yan Qing drew the heavy black iron blade from his back, fearless and resolute, and struck at the evil spirits suppressed by the Yang Soul.

The young man, originally scholarly and refined, now wielded the black iron blade with the ferocity of a tiger. His blade aura was upright and unwavering, cutting through everything in its path.

The blade pierced the golden light, slicing through the dense mass of spirits and the dark red demonic energy, shattering the evil in one strike.

Countless spirits emitted a final shriek before shattering, their resentment devoured by the golden light. Like a cage closing in, the golden light resembled a dragon swallowing a snake, grinding the malicious energy into nothing.

The ground trembled, but the four youths stood firm, their robes billowing in the wind, their forms like unsheathed swords—sharp and unwavering. Their eyes reflected the golden light, highlighting the fearlessness of youth.

Before the Water Mirror, there was silence for a long time. Finally, Ju Yuan spoke first, “It’s because they are still children.”

The malicious energy of these spirits, suppressed for at least thousands of years, was enough to destroy a collapsing small world.

The children faced immense danger without retreating, pressing forward with all their might. Even though the earth shook and the heavens trembled, and greater dangers might await them after eliminating the immediate threat, they still chose to unleash their Yang Souls, despite the weakened state it would leave them in afterward.

Their youthful spirit would not allow them to be cowardly soldiers waiting for the right moment to act.

“Incredible… Four of them together broke through the resentment of tens of thousands of spirits. Truly, the younger generation is to be feared.”

“No wonder they are disciples of the Supreme Sect.”

Outsiders saw only the brilliance of these children, but their guardians were more concerned about the price they paid.

Ju Yuan’s gaze swept over the four children, finally resting on his junior sister, who had shaken the heavens and earth with her actions.

Lin Du wasn’t in good shape. Born with a frail constitution, if she were to release Yang energy equivalent to the other three, it would undoubtedly cost her more. But she didn’t want to hold them back.

In formation, if the energy isn’t matched, it can lead to more than just an incomplete formation—it can cause distortion and backlash.

Lin Du took a deep breath, feeling for the first time what it meant to be utterly exhausted.

She took out a Yuan-replenishing pill from the essential supplies the sect had provided for the secret realm and swallowed it. A chilling sensation flowed through her bones, clinging to her uncomfortably like maggots in her flesh.

Lin Du frowned. Being an ice spirit root, she wasn’t afraid of the cold, so this discomfort was due to the depletion from releasing Yang energy.

One pill wasn’t enough, so she took another and used her spiritual power to dissolve its effects.

Her face was deathly pale. Ni Jin Xuan quickly ran over. “Uncle Junior Master?”

“I’m fine,” Lin Du waved her off. “The problem lies underground.”

The demonic power of the Red Willow had been dispersed by their Yang energy, the malicious energy was gone, and without its roots, it could be taken back directly.

She pointed at the tree. “Anyone want it? It’s a rare Yin object, so why not take some?”

Yuan Ye glanced at the still-bleeding trunk and shuddered. “I think I’ll pass?”

The way his Uncle Junior Master spoke was like offering them raw meat to eat. Who would dare?

They all declined with thanks, so Lin Du calmly pulled out a gold-embroidered ribbon, extracted some gold thread—gold being a Yang element used to seal Yin objects—and bound the willow tree before storing it in her storage ring.

The commotion in the desert had already drawn other cultivators to investigate.

As the wind gradually died down, Lin Du, exhausted in body and mind, slowly bent over, resting her hands on her knees, and breathed heavily.

She suddenly noticed something, staring at the pit left by the uprooted tree.

Through the tangled roots and bones, she caught a glimpse of something reflecting silver light.

Lin Du squinted. It was the glint of silver blocks used in formations, but beyond that, she saw a skeleton kneeling deep within.

The skeleton had turned to jade, indicating an extremely high level of cultivation.

Facing this jade-like skeleton were rows of neatly arranged bones. At a glance, considering the depth, there were at least a hundred individuals, all of whom were also high-level cultivators. Their bones shimmered with a jade-like luster, distinct from the mortal bones devoured by the willow demon.

Lin Du suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She straightened up, her throat tightening. “Something’s wrong.”

“How many skeletons are in these roots?”

Ni Jin Xuan was stunned. Yan Qing started counting first. The roots spread over a diameter of three meters, tangled with white bones and blood-red roots. The severed root ends still oozed black liquid, glinting with a sinister red hue.

“One hundred and ninety-seven skulls.”

Lin Du added, “One hundred and ninety-seven skulls of low-level cultivators. They were all in the Qin Heart Realm and Phoenix Initial Realm. The oldest skull dates back over six hundred years.”

This means that after the willow tree turned demonic, it had been consuming cultivators from Zhong Zhou.

“But… we’ve only entered this place seven times. Did that many people die? Were so many lost in the desert?”

Lin Du’s voice was calm, neither too high nor too low.

Yet, all three felt a chill rise from their spines and seep down to their feet.