Chapter 10: Breaking the Formation (2)

There was no wind in the forest, no ripples on the lake; the world within the formation was terrifyingly silent.

This swordsman was Qi An, the direct disciple of the peak master of the Spiritual Sword Peak.

Ji Ning had heard of him—indeed, he was a prodigy in swordsmanship, renowned throughout the sect, admired by many.

What she never expected was that he was completely ignorant of alchemy, talisman crafting, or formations—his sole passion was swordsmanship.

The jade token for communication had lost its signal under the influence of the formation.

The message talisman had already been sent out before he fell unconscious. According to him, he rushed back during the moonlit night, coinciding with Ji Ning’s return—it had already been ten days.

It seemed he had perished before achieving success.

Once Qi An’s injuries stabilized, the two of them began wandering nearby with their swords, searching for a way to break the formation.

The Windwalking Sword led the way, Qi An covered the rear, and the weakest, Ji Ning, naturally walked in the middle.

“Junior Sister Ji, don’t stray too far from me. This killing formation is full of unpredictable changes and extreme danger.”

“I understand, Senior Brother Qi. Please rest assured.”

She had heard this at least a dozen times, her ears almost developing calluses.

According to Senior Brother Qi, he had faced various attacks ever since entering the formation.

Yet after wandering for half a day, the entire forest remained eerily silent—not even a large insect was visible.

If it weren’t for the sword marks carved deeply into the tree trunks, the occasional corpses of phantom vines and dried blood stains on the ground, and Qi An’s battered appearance, Ji Ning might have questioned his sanity.

After a while, both of them stared at the clear lake not far away, their brows furrowed and expressions grave.

No matter which direction they took, they always ended up back here.

It was like being caught in a ghostly maze.

Ji Ning felt as if she had missed some crucial piece of information.

She fixed her gaze on the giant stone serpent statue that stood awkwardly above the lake’s surface, lingering at the shore for a long moment before speaking softly.

“Senior Brother Qi, perhaps the serpent’s eyes are the formation’s core.”

Qi An, sitting cross-legged and meditating, paused in surprise.

Seeing his confusion, Ji Ning continued, “Although I haven’t formally studied formations, I understand a bit.”

“A killing formation lives up to its name—unless the formation is broken, those inside will continually suffer attacks caused by its shifting patterns. You should understand this, Senior Brother.”

Qi An asked doubtfully, “If I accidentally stabbed one eye, which is the core, why hasn’t the formation collapsed?”

“Senior Brother, if you had read more books on formations, you wouldn’t ask such a foolish question.”

This remark left Qi An speechless; he scratched his head, his pale cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.

“This is a composite formation—I believe it combines killing, illusion, and confinement formations.”

“These phantom vines are used to conceal the illusion formation.”

“Junior Sister Ji, you just said you don’t understand formations at all, so how...”

Ji Ning blinked and replied matter-of-factly, “I don’t know how to set up formations, so naturally, I don’t understand them.”

“...”

The Windwalking Sword seemed to urge, Master, don’t stop me—I want to strike her!

“Ancient texts say that formations follow the laws of heaven and earth; everything with a cause has a solution. There is no dead end. When a formation master sets a formation, they always leave a way out. The stronger the master, the more concealed the escape route, which may even shift locations.”

“The formation’s core is its foundation. Destroying it will naturally dissolve the formation—and that is one escape route.”

“Ancient texts also say that for high-level formation masters, plants and trees can form part of the formation, unrestricted by magical instruments, even merging the core with the escape route.”

Qi An nodded repeatedly, realizing that the art of formations was truly profound—far more difficult than swordsmanship.

“Junior Sister Ji, according to you, do you know where the remaining formation core is?”

“I still need to think about it.” She shifted her tone and added, “Senior Brother Qi, you’re at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator; surely you know more than a mere Qi Refining girl like me...”

Alas! If only Ye Xingyan’s mind were as sharp as Senior Brother Qi’s.

Ji Ning sat on the ground, clutching a vine from the phantom vines, starting to brainstorm.

“The killing formation aims to take Senior Brother’s life; the confinement formation binds him to circle in place; the phantom vines confuse him to conceal the illusion formation. Then this illusion formation...”

The scattered threads in her mind gradually connected.

Her eyes brightened as she whispered, “It’s covering the escape route.”

Upon hearing this, Qi An’s face lit up, “Junior Sister Ji, do you now know where the escape route is?”

“Of course I do. The escape route lies within the lake, and the serpent’s other eye is also a formation core.”

“Are you sure, Junior Sister Ji? At such a moment, we cannot afford mistakes.”

Ji Ning raised the corners of her eyes, her shining gaze fixed on the lake, confident, “I’m about eighty percent certain.”

“I vaguely recall that when formations are laid out along mountain and forest ley lines, unless by a high-level formation master, the original terrain cannot be altered. This suddenly appearing lake is illogical, and its stillness is truly eerie.”

Ji Ning casually tossed a stone into the lake. The stone was instantly swallowed without a ripple.

“The lake is strange. Anyone entering the formation would avoid it after one test. To prevent someone from accidentally discovering the exit by falling into the lake, this spot is considered the safest place—this is a contradiction.”

“Those who can reach here through strength and are cornered on the stone platform would notice this contradiction. Anyone who understands even slightly more than Senior Brother Qi would guess that the formation core is hidden here.”

“Destroying the two eyes of the statue might reveal the third formation core.”

This was almost laying their cards on the table...

After some contemplation, Ji Ning’s mind became even more tangled.

The more she thought, the more concerns surfaced.

Qi An pondered for a long moment before asking, “Actually, according to Junior Sister Ji, destroying the formation core is the safest approach.”

“Indeed.”

“I’ll first use the Windwalking Sword to destroy the serpent’s other eye. Junior Sister Ji, please observe carefully.”

With that, Qi An summoned his spiritual energy, controlling the Windwalking Sword as it pierced straight toward the serpent’s other eye. Ji Ning extended her divine sense to its limit.

The sharp sword sang through the air, stones scattering.

With a cracking sound, as if triggering a mechanism, the serpent statue began to sink into the lake.

“Windwalking Sword, return!”

As the statue sank, the lake’s surface shrank inward, revealing the original land beneath.

“Not good!” Ji Ning exclaimed, “The confinement formation’s core is at the statue’s base—it’s trying to block the escape route!”

Upon hearing this, Qi An grabbed Ji Ning and activated the Windwalking Sword, plunging swiftly into the lake. In the dimness, he glimpsed a faint light at the bottom—that was the escape route.

But the statue was descending faster and faster...

The biting cold nearly froze Ji Ning in place, her limbs heavy as if filled with lead, her spiritual energy depleting rapidly. She felt she might die on this path.

Ancient texts state that escape routes from high-level killing formations often carry an extraordinarily high risk of death—Ji Ning had yet to read this passage.

Seeing the situation, Qi An’s eyes darkened. He split his spiritual energy in two—one part carrying Ji Ning’s body rapidly toward the lake bottom, the other weaving a net around the statue, attempting to slow its descent.

He might not escape, but Ji Ning still had hope.

Had he trusted Junior Sister Ji earlier, they might have escaped already...

Ji Ning thought: Sword cultivators are stubborn to a fault.