Chapter 91: Natural Formation
Cultivators seek immortality, the Dao of Heaven, defying the natural order to become masters of the world, unrestrained by others.
Mu Xiaoran had coincidentally reached the Foundation Establishment stage, which he considered quite an achievement. However, due to his age and the fact that he had yet to nurture a genius for the Mu family, everything turned to ashes when the Mu family was annihilated.
Mu Lichuan left some elixirs for his great-grandfather—all of which would be useful—along with the money in his bank account. It wasn’t much, just a few million, but it was a precaution in case he didn’t return.
Both Mount Le and Mount Sheng were unusual places. It was unclear how cultivators located the barriers, or perhaps they simply couldn’t sense the areas where evil energy emanated.
Early the next morning, Mu Lichuan set out. As for school, he was only enrolled nominally. If he returned safely, he would continue his studies. If not, his enrollment would naturally be revoked.
"Young friend," Min Yong’s voice was exceptionally gentle.
Mu Lichuan glanced at them. "Are you accompanying me to search for the barrier? Or do you already know its location but simply can’t enter?"
Back in the morgue, they had known where the barrier was but couldn’t enter due to their high cultivation levels. In the end, he had dealt with the copper corpse alone.
"We know the general area, but we can’t locate the formation’s core," the brown-robed elder said with a frown. "Yet the evil energy emanating from there is unmistakable."
"We will accompany you, young friend. If there’s any danger, we will do our utmost to protect you," Min Yong added, his expression solemn.
Mu Lichuan nodded, though he found it odd. The ancient monsters of the capital couldn’t possibly be limited to just these two. Why were only they present? Were the more powerful experts restrained by the Heavenly Dao? He didn’t understand, nor did it concern him.
If the barrier allowed entry, he’d rather not stay in the mortal world and instead head straight to the Two Realms Mountain. But he knew this was a gamble—over there, he might be torn apart by demons within moments, and there was no guarantee he could even cross over.
The three of them first headed to Mount Sheng, as it was closer to the capital, while Mount Le was farther away. The anomaly at Mount Sheng had been discovered by Mu Lichuan while tracking Mi Rong; otherwise, it wouldn’t have drawn attention.
Mu Lichuan possessed the Yin-Yang Eyes, allowing him to traverse the realms of the living and the dead. His pure soul made him exceptionally sensitive to evil and Yin energy—an ability other cultivators lacked.
Even though Min Yong and the brown-robed elder were Golden Core cultivators, their senses paled in comparison to Mu Lichuan’s. This was the favor of the Heavenly Dao.
Mount Le was a tourist destination. Aside from the asphalt paths, the mountain valleys were dense and occasionally home to wild beasts, requiring visitors to be cautious.
"Let’s take this path up," Mu Lichuan said, aware that openly engaging in "superstitious activities" in broad daylight would get them labeled as lunatics.
Min Yong and the brown-robed elder could fly on swords. "Young friend, we can carry you up."
The dense foliage would shield them from satellites if they flew low. This way, they wouldn’t be mistaken for madmen.
Mu Lichuan agreed, expecting them to use swords. Instead, the brown-robed elder pulled out an old-fashioned fan. "Young friend, step on this. It can shrink later."
Mu Lichuan hopped on, nearly losing his balance from the wobbling until Min Yong steadied him. The brown-robed elder, meanwhile, used a chopstick as his flying tool, making Mu Lichuan’s lips twitch. But he said nothing—everyone had their quirks.
"Young friend, the evil and demonic energy we detected before is concentrated in this area, but we couldn’t pinpoint the exact source," Min Yong said apologetically. Despite being Golden Core cultivators, they couldn’t even locate the origin of the energy.
Mu Lichuan also found it strange. The demonic and evil energy here were almost indistinguishable. "This must be a formation set up by a demonic cultivator," he mused. "The energy I sense is uniform."
His power of faith had grown stronger, reducing the evil energy’s influence on him. Still, it made him uneasy, likely due to his soul’s nature.
"A formation?" Min Yong and the brown-robed elder hadn’t considered that possibility. They knew little about formations, which was why they couldn’t find the barrier.
"An illusion formation, perhaps," Mu Lichuan closed his eyes. If his eyes couldn’t see it, he’d rely on his soul.
Though he had no expertise in formations, his soul power was formidable. As it extended outward, a transparent force probed ahead, leaving Min Yong and the brown-robed elder in awe. Such pure control was beyond their capabilities.
Despite being three realms higher than Mu Lichuan, they had to admit their inferiority in certain aspects.
Mu Lichuan could feel the demonic and evil energy corroding him, but the effect was minimal. Then, he detected an anomaly and immediately opened his eyes.
They needed to find the formation’s core to seal it. The danger lay in the demons guarding it, but they wouldn’t know until they arrived.
"Found it," Mu Lichuan stood up calmly.
"Let’s go," Min Yong and the brown-robed elder said excitedly. After searching for so long, they’d found nothing. Mu Lichuan’s ability was truly remarkable, wa this the advantage of a pure soul?
They knew a pure soul belonged to one free of worldly desires, unlike them. This was the Heavenly Dao’s blessing.
"Here," Mu Lichuan pointed at a massive tree.
It would take four or five people to encircle its trunk. The entrance was likely inside the tree, but cutting it down risked expanding the barrier, which would be disastrous.
"This…" Min Yong frowned. "How do we seal it? We can’t even see the opening." Though they had a Bagua compass to seal the barrier, they needed a clear target, or the spiritual energy cost would be immense.
"Can’t you find a way in?" Mu Lichuan had read cultivation novels where people used formations to enter other spaces.
This tree likely contained a pocket dimension, but he didn’t know the technique.
"We need the correct method. A mistake could enlarge the barrier," the brown-robed elder trailed off, but the implication was clear.
Mu Lichuan turned to Xiao Mo in his mind. The spirit had been silent but now was the time to act.
"They can’t enter. Only you can," Xiao Mo said flatly.
"What?" Mu Lichuan didn’t understand. Their cultivation was far higher than his—how could he be the only one?
"You can resist the demonic and evil energy. They’d die upon entering," Xiao Mo added bluntly.
Mu Lichuan fell silent. So it wasn’t that simple. "Give me the artifact to seal the barrier," he said coldly. He’d come too far to turn back.
"Young friend?" Min Yong and the brown-robed elder were puzzled.
"You can’t withstand the demonic energy inside. Entering would mean death—don’t get in my way," Mu Lichuan said icily.
He wasn’t a saint. If this weren’t his homeland, he wouldn’t risk his life for something that offered him no benefit.
"Thank you, young friend," the two said awkwardly.
Their spiritual barriers could protect them briefly, but prolonged exposure would corrode them. That was why they’d sought Mu Lichuan’s help.
Mu Lichuan took the compass, formed a series of hand seals, and vanished.
"We’re truly old," Min Yong sighed. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to help—they simply couldn’t.
"Indeed. Even if we die, we can’t let the demonic energy spread," the brown-robed elder said resolutely. The two set up a barrier around the tree to contain the energy.
The Two Realms Mountain was a demon-dominated land, filled with demonic energy. Though evil energy also leaked through, the demonic energy was far more corrosive, capable of consuming flesh and turning people into demonic beings.
Upon entering, Mu Lichuan was immediately assaulted by the demonic energy, his skin prickling with discomfort. The formation’s core had to be nearby—otherwise, the energy wouldn’t be so dense. The tree itself must have been part of the seal.
"This is a naturally formed barrier," Xiao Mo explained. "It’ll be painful, but you can find the core and seal it with the compass and your spiritual energy."
"Can I pass through?" Mu Lichuan asked. If demons could come through, could he go the other way?
"Are you insane?!" Xiao Mo snapped.
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