by Fang Xiang
On the rooftop, Silly Bird looked in sympathy at the Five Colored Pagoda that was rolling around. Then she lowered her head to go back to preening her feathers.
What Zuo Mo felt disappointed about was that Lil’ Pagoda didn’t spit out any remnants this time. His plan of buying low and selling high failed. However, with large amounts of five element power, the Five Colored Pagoda seemed to have recovered to a large extent, even though the sheen was not as bright as before. These materials were just low-grade materials. They were enough in terms of quantity but in quality, it was still not enough.
Zuo Mo was helpless.
From the results of these two experiences, he concluded only high level materials would yield remnants.
Now, whenever Zuo Mo looked at the Five Colored Pagoda, the Five Colored Pagoda would timidly shrink back. Zuo Mo said in a regretful tone, “Lil’ Pagoda, if you could poop after eating all this, how great would it be!”
The Five Colored Pagoda shook, continuously making sounds of throwing up.
———
Back of Wu Kong Mountain.
Five people floated in midair. Under their feet, the valley was completely transformed.
“Finally done!” Yan Le couldn’t help but sigh. The other people were also tired.
Wu Ling Sanren couldn’t help but say, “Your sect has really spared no expense! Such an expanse, it is rare to see even in the restricted grounds of those large sects.” His expression was extremely exhausted, but different from the others was that the exhaustion could barely disguise his excitement.
The jinzhi in front of him was created by five jindan experts working together to destroy five mountain peaks, clearing out five mountain valleys, and chiseling out nine deep springs. They had covered more than half of Wu Kong Mountains. If this wasn’t considered a great work, then Sky Moon Jie had no great works.
“We’ve really bled blood for this boy!” Even a person as composed as Pei Yuan Ran felt his heart was bleeding.
Wu Ling Sanren’s payment, countless materials … …
Almost half of Wu Kong Sword Sect’s assets had been used up. Yan Le who was in charge of the monies had a terrible expression, gritting his teeth as he said, “The boy can slowly enjoy this.” He turned and then said to Wu Ling Sanren with a slightly suspicious tone. “Are you sure he cannot solve it? The boy is very talented in formations.”
Wu Ling Sanren was so furious he almost left. Pei Yuan Ran hurriedly lectured Yan Le. “Do not be so impolite to Sanren!”
Yan Le twisted his mouth. Everyone was in jindan, he wasn’t afraid of Wu Ling Sanren. However, lectured by Shixiong, he didn’t dare to speak again.
Wu Ling Sanren’s anger slightly calmed, a flush crossing his old face as he snorted. “It’s not this one praising myself, this great formation was formed with the aid of you four. This one had also applied all of the knowledge this one ever learned. The future is uncertain, but up until today, it is truly the greatest masterpiece this one has created. If us five jindan cannot imprison a zhuji, then we should just kill ourselves.”
Yan Le blushed as the other talked. He defended himself, “We don’t want to imprison him inside, we just want him to practice the sword … …”
“Don’t worry!” Wu Ling Sanren’s eyes rolled. He snorted coldly, “This formation has layers of jinzhi. To break though, there is only one way. That is, to practice the sword essence to the level of Heart Turn Sword Essence, that is the only way to comprehend the intricacies involved and find the way out of the formation.”
“That’s good, that’s good.” Seeing the two descend into fighting, Pei Yuan Ran hurriedly smoothed over. Xin Yan and Shi Feng Rong looked on coldly from the side.
Wu Ling Sanren had not finished. “Friend Xin’s sword essence is pure and sharp. This one has not seen one like it before! However, everyone has to be careful. If one enters the formation and has not comprehended to Heart Turn Sword Essence, they cannot come out. To stop the boy from using his knowledge of formations to escape, this one has set up eighteen levels of jinzhi surrounding the formation. It is as solid as gold! If the four of you try to break the formation together, the formation would not stop you, but the person inside the formation would not escape death.”
The four of them started to hesitate. If the boy really could not solve the formation, if he encountered some danger inside, then they could do nothing about it.
“Friends, do not worry too much. Inside the formation, this one had especially emptied out some [Life] areas to allow him to rest. With his knowledge of formations, it should not be difficult to find these [Life] areas. Even though you cannot enter the formation, but you can observe the inside the formation. This one has also left behind some small transportation doors so you can transfer in supplies.”
Xin Yan suddenly opened, “I’ll find him.”
Finishing, he disappeared.
———
Zuo Mo rested lazily on the swing chair, idly soaking in the sun. The time to open the secret realm had been pushed back again and again. He didn’t have much to do. The change in opening the secret realm had supposedly been at the request of many sect leaders. The help that the Sword Test Conference had given the young xiuzhe was very large. The first thing many people had done when they had gone back to their sect was go into seclusion.
Right now, many people still had not come out of seclusion. Asking for the secret realm opening time to be delayed was natural.
Eldest Shixiong was still in seclusion. Luo Li Shixiong had been hurried into the sword cave.
Thinking bout this, Zuo Mo found it quite strange. Luo Li Shixiong was allowed to go to the sword cave, but why didn’t the sect leaders and the others allow him to enter the sword cave? He didn’t really care if he could go. What he cared about was that these recent days had been very peaceful, Xin Yan Shibo and the others hadn’t bothered him.
Thinking about the ”good” that Xin Yan Shibo had said when he was recovering, Zuo Mo felt coldness come into his heart. Even if he was under the sun, he could not get rid of the cold. He had a strong feeling that this matter wouldn’t easily conclude.
There definitely was something waiting for him.
Just at this time, he saw Xin Yan descending from the skies.
In an instant, Zuo Mo felt like he dropped into ice, his limbs went cold.
Xin Yan coldly snorted, his hand holding Zuo Mo up. Without another word, he flew into the sky.
Second Shibo flew extremely quickly, the harsh wind making Zuo Mo unable to open his eyes.
“Shibo, where are we going?” Zuo Mo tried to bear the strong wind and carefully asked.
“Cultivate the sword.” Xin Yan was expressionless.
“Cultivate the sword?” Zuo Mo’s heart rested slightly. Good, good, it wasn’t anything strange.
Hm, wasn’t this going to the back of the mountain? Was Shibo going to teach him about the sword in the back regions?
Suddenly, Zuo Mo’s body froze.
Below him, a gigantic formation appeared in his vision. The formation that he had made in the Sword Test Conference could only be called a small formation when compared to the formation in front of him.
Did the sect have such a large formation?
They didn’t, he had come to this area many times before!
Zuo Mo saw the sect leader, Yan Le Shibo, Master, and an old Taoist that he did not know.
But why did their eyes seem slightly strangeas they looked at him … … …
Just as Zuo Mo was puzzled, Xin Yan Shibo’s hands suddenly relaxed.
“Ah!”
Zuo Mo shrieked. The wind howling in his ears, he was unable to control his body. Panicked, he hurriedly started the [Vajra Profound Sutra]!
A golden figure fell from the sky and slammed into the ground.
Boom!
The earth shook as dirt was sent flying everywhere. A golden figure hit the dirt directly, leaving an indent in the shape of a person.
Zuo Mo felt his organs had sh
ifted from the impact. He dazedly opened his eyes and struggled to get up as he spit up mud.
Lucky that ge had practiced … …
He hissed in pain. His body felt like it was going to break. Even though his [Vajra Profound Sutra] had reached the level of Red Lotus Flowing Gold, it still hurt when he dropped from such a height.
But he was slightly reassured. Since he had eaten dirt, then this matter should pretty much be concluded, he thought inside.
Hm, where was this? This wasn’t right!
In front of him, sword essences roiled about, flowing in layers as dense as a forest, unable to be avoided!
Zuo Mo wanted to cry.
People don’t do this … …
* * *
Translator Ramblings: Don’t ever leave your children with Zuo Mo, he will stuff them so full they will puke. For those that had been waiting for the elders to get their own back, it has started. An alternate title for the chapter should be “You can’t do this!”.
In this chapter, Zuo Mo calls both Wei Sheng and Luo Li Shixiong. Wei Sheng is unshakable in his position as Eldest Shixiong (good bye, Qin Cheng) but Luo Li has already mentioned that he still thinks that he can compete with Zuo Mo for the position of second. However, despite higher cultivation and longer time spent with the sect, Zuo Mo has “beat” him twice, and in the eyes of the public, Zuo Mo is second ranked among the disciples. Zuo Mo hasn’t really switched around yet, but public perspective differs from his view.
Chapter 164: Sword Essence Formation
Just as Zuo Mo was gaping in befuddlement, outside of the formation Wu Ling Sanren was amazingly smug.
“This formation is composed with our four sword essences positioned at the cardinal points. Friend Xin Yan’s sword essence is the strongest and guards the center. The nine ling springs are the passages through the entire formation, allowing the sword essence to regenerate itself. The five sword essences create destruction between themselves. It is impossible to find the one living change when you have not reached the level of Heart Turn Sword Essence. Even if one is in jindan, if their sword essence is not high enough, it is impossible. Trying to break through the formation with brute force is seeking death!”
Pei Yuan Ran praised, “The formation that Sanren has set up is amazing. To use sword essences in a formation, this one has never heard of it!”
Wu Ling Sanren was very proud inside, but he did not lose his calm, modestly saying, “If it wasn’t for the requirements of your sect, this one wouldn’t have thought of such a method.” He then sighed. “That day when I was a judge, I saw Zuo Mo’s battle. Truthfully, this one was very shocked, but Friend Xin Yan is right we sword xiu must practice the sword! But I haven’t thought that your sect would spend so much for one disciple. To be from such a sect, Zuo Mo is very fortunate!”
Pei Yuan Ran shook his head. “Money and talismans are important, but what is most important are people. The people are present, so the sect is present. The people are strong, then the sect is strong. Since he is a disciple of our sect, then this matter is our duty. We only hope that he would wake and return to the right path as early as possible, as to not waste our efforts.”
The other three had stern expressions.
Wu Ling Sanren felt a deep sense of respect for these elders. “Sect Leader Pei, do not worry. This boy is intelligent and certainly will understand your efforts.”
Pei Yuan Ran laughed. “If Sanren did not help this time, we wouldn’t know what to do. This guy really is a headache!”
“No matter. After being tempered, he would understand. There are ten thousands paths in the work, but only cultivating the sword is the true path. One sword breaks all moves. All his tricks are just like paper in front of sword essences.” Wu Ling Sanren said proudly. He dared to say something like this, not because he had such confidence in his formation, but strong confidence in these four people’s sword essences.
He had heard rumors about the four elders of Wu Kong Sword Sect: Yan Le was skilled in management; Shi Feng Rong specialized in dan-making; and sect leader Pei Yuan Ran did not involve himself in worldly affairs. He had heard the reputation of the Ice Dragon Sword, but never had personally seen it so he hadn’t felt anything. Only during the construction of this formation did he experience how deep the roots of Wu Kong Sword Sect were. They far surpassed anyone’s imagination.
Of the five xiu present , his sword essence was the weakest. This made him feel a sense of embarrassment. He had rarely seen a sword essence as strong and terrifying as Xin Yan’s, which surpassed many of those so-called experts.
Originally, he had been worried the four’s sword essences would not be pure enough and would destabilize the formation. Now, he understood he had underestimated them.
With Xin Yan’s sword essence, which guarded the center, this big formation was as solid as rock and was unable to be destroyed. This formation was stronger than any other formation he had ever made. Even jindan experts would be unable to escape unscathed if they attacked this formation and were attacked in return by the pure sword essences left by these five xiu .
His only regret was that such a strong formation was to imprison a disciple in just zhuji. This did not allow him to feel a sense of accomplishment.
However, to be able to use this chance to form a relationship with Wu Kong Sword Sect, he was naturally very willing. He was full of confidence about Wu Kong Sword Sect’s future after seeing these four people’s terrifying power. The elders were strong and cared about nurturing their disciples, these disciples were also geniuses. Such a sect, he really couldn’t think of a reason it would not prosper.
Pei Yuan Ran saw that everyone’s faces were extremely tired and smiled, “This boy really has caused great trouble for us usually. Now, let him go enjoy it himself. Let’s go, we can rest. Sanren can get a taste of my ling tea.”
Wu Ling Sanren hurriedly agreed.
———
Zuo Mo was completely ignorant that the elders had left. He didn’t dare to move.
He was too familiar with the enormous dragon moving in front of him. He had been sliced by this thing countless times. Second Shibo’s sword essence!
Gritting his teeth, Zuo Mo suddenly raised his voice to wail, “Master! Disciple was wrong! This disciple will definitely change, let this disciple out … …”
Master might look cold but she was very concerned about him. If he begged, maybe Master’s heart would soften and let him out.
After shouting until his throat had gone raw, there was no movement from outside the formation. Bitter water rose in Zuo Mo’s heart like a flood. His little heart floated in bitterness. Up until now, he still did not understand what he had done wrong to make the sect leader and the others so furious.
As he shouted, his feet didn’t dare to move. The dragon in front of him freely moved around, never too far from him. The cold and indifferent eyes would occasionally sweep across his body. He felt that he was cold from head to toe.
He did not doubt that if he moved the slightest, the dragon claw of this dragon would gently swipe and he would be torn to pieces, flesh flying and lose his life.
This thing was the true essence!
He wanted to cry as he shuddered.
Only when he truly faced Second Shibo’s ice dragon did he experience how great the difference was between Pu Yao’s fake sword essence and the real one. Terror, instinctive terror rose from his heart. No matter how he suppressed it, terror was like a yao weed grass that could not be stopped, furiously growing through his heart.
After warily standing for an hour, the dragon moved away. But Zuo Mo instantly understood the look that it gave right before leaving.
“—— I’ll come back.”
When the dragon disappeared completely, the terrifying pressure also disappeared. The land was empty as though nothing had happened.
At this time, Zuo Mo lost his nervousness and started to scan the surroundings. He quickly understood he was in the middle of a formation. Thinking about the
astoundingly large formation he had seen from the air, he shuddered.
F***, did the sect leader and the others want to kill him?
He had just been sighing in amazement at how big the formation was. He hadn’t thought that he would be thrown into the formation by Second Shibo.
He had to admit he underestimated the rage Second Shibo had towards him!
His mind recovering, Zuo Mo thought about how his wailing had not received a response and instantly understood that the sect leaders and the others truly wanted him to suffer. It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought before what punishment Second Shibo and the others would give him. Getting beaten, house arrest, or special training, he had prepared himself mentally.
But after all though calculations, who would have thought that Second Shibo did something even more severe!
Even if Zuo Mo didn’t understand formations, he would be able to see the extraordinary nature of the formation, and he did have some knowledge of formations. Just one look and he could detect the strength of the person who set up the formation was much higher than his.
This kind of difference was not just in one area, but in all areas, including cultivation, understanding of formations, sword essences, etc etc.
Zuo Mo looked into the surroundings. He was clear that the sect leader and the others definitely wouldn’t take his life, they just wanted him to suffer a bit.
But this formation … …
Very dangerous! Very very dangerous!
Zuo Mo swallowed. In a few short steps, the shock in his heart increased.
Each step was full of killing intent!
Damn it! Zuo Mo want to swear!
Even the ground was permeated with fine and dense sword essences that disregarded the shoes on his feet and needled into the soles. It was like he was walking on a board covered with needles, each step left his feet full of pain. It was not just that. The air in front of him looked harmless, but if he moved, the disturbance of the air would naturally formed layers of sword essence around him. These sword essences were like fine icicles, slicing Zuo Mo who was in the middle!