256: Chapter 256 is actually a suppressing evil formation?

Su Changge leaned against the cold courtyard gate.

Cold sweat on his back had already soaked his undershirt.

Damn it, they really want to use me as a sacrifice?

He suppressed the panic surging in his heart.

On the surface, he remained as calm as a light breeze.

He looked up and scanned the entire Qingwei Courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large, with only three stone houses and a stone pavilion.

An old locust tree was planted in the center, with lush branches and leaves.

In the corner of the courtyard was a spiritual spring, bubbling with water.

A seemingly ordinary courtyard.

It was actually a Formation specifically designed to lock people in?

Su Changge took a deep breath.

He suddenly remembered something.

In the xuantian dao canon, there seemed to be records related to Formations?

With a thought...

The doors of the Great Dao Scripture Pavilion slowly opened in his mind.

Countless knowledge about Formations surged out like a tide.

From the most basic Spirit Gathering Formation and Courtyard Protection Formation.

To ancient Killing Formations, Trapping Formations, and Sacrificial Formations.

The structure, Formation patterns, and methods to break each type of Formation.

All were clearly reflected in his mind.

As if he had studied Formations for a hundred thousand years.

Su Changge's eyes lit up.

Right!

He had the Formation knowledge from the xuantian dao canon!

Although his cultivation was only at the Qi Refining First Layer and he couldn't break the Formation...

But he could analyze it!

As long as he knew the structure and weaknesses of the Formation, he would eventually find a way to escape!

Su Changge composed himself.

He walked to the center of the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

He looked up, sensing the flow of Spiritual Qi around him.

In a normal Courtyard Protection Formation, Spiritual Qi radiates outward.

It's used to block outsiders from entering.

But the Spiritual Qi in this courtyard...

Was being compressed inward.

Like an airtight cage.

Locking all the Spiritual Qi and his aura firmly within the courtyard.

Su Changge raised his foot and walked along the courtyard wall step by step.

His fingertips lightly brushed against the cold stone wall.

Spiritual power followed his fingertips, probing into the stone wall.

As expected.

The interior of the stone wall was covered with dense Formation patterns.

Every Formation pattern carried a cold Evil Qi.

This was not the aura a Courtyard Protection Formation should have at all.

How are these Formation patterns so sinister?

Su Changge frowned.

The xuantian dao canon in his mind automatically searched.

Lines of writing emerged.

"Yin patterns lock the soul, primarily for suppression, sealing the Divine Soul, and obstructing the flow of spiritual power."

"Commonly used in Trapping Formations, Killing Formations, and Sacrificial Formations."

Su Changge's heart skipped a beat.

Locking the soul?

Suppression?

He walked another half-circle along the courtyard wall.

He walked to the spiritual spring in the corner of the courtyard.

He crouched down and touched the water of the spiritual spring with his fingertips.

The water of the spiritual spring was bone-chillingly cold.

On the surface of the water floated an almost invisible layer of black mist.

As soon as Su Changge's fingertips touched it...

The layer of black mist instantly coiled around his fingertips.

With a piercing coldness, it drilled into his bones.

Su Changge abruptly withdrew his hand.

Holy crap! This water is freezing?

Normal spiritual spring water is warm and carries Spiritual Qi.

This water is actually ice-cold?

Su Changge looked up, peering toward the bottom of the spiritual spring.

At the bottom of the spiritual spring, a black wooden stake was actually buried.

The wooden stake was carved with the same Yin patterns as the courtyard wall.

Faintly emitting black gas.

What is that thing?

Su Changge's heart sank.

He stood up and walked under the old locust tree in the center of the courtyard.

He raised his hand and patted the trunk of the old locust tree.

The trunk was as hard as stone.

The inside was also covered with Formation patterns.

Even denser than those on the courtyard wall.

In Su Changge's mind, knowledge from the xuantian dao canon kept popping up.

"Formations are divided into eight gates: Rest, Life, Injury, Obstruction, Scenery, Death, Surprise, and Open."

"Each gate corresponds to a Formation eye; objects of suppression are placed at the eyes to lock the Formation's Qi."

"For suppression-type grand Formations, the Formation eyes are mostly Yin Wood, Cold Springs, and Black Iron."

Su Changge followed the flow of the Formation's Spiritual Qi, walking step by step.

He walked for a full half-hour.

He located all eight Formation eyes in the entire courtyard.

The old locust tree was the Life Gate Formation eye.

The spiritual spring was the Death Gate Formation eye.

The courtyard wall in the northwest corner was the Surprise Gate Formation eye.

...

All eight Formation eyes had been found.

At each Formation eye, a sinister object of suppression was placed.

The Spiritual Qi of the entire Formation was being compressed inward.

Turning the entire courtyard into an airtight cage.

Let alone a Cultivator like him at the Qi Refining First Layer.

Even an Old Ancestor at the Soul Transformation Stage, if trapped inside...

Their spiritual power would be ground away bit by bit.

Eventually becoming a lamb to be slaughtered.

This is not a Courtyard Protection Formation at all!

Another layer of cold sweat broke out on Su Changge's back.

The xuantian dao canon in his mind continued to pop up information.

"This Formation has no Life Gate and is specifically designed to suppress prisoners."

"Once the Formation is complete, all vitality is locked away."

"Only the sacrificial gate remains, to be opened during the sacrifice."

Su Changge's heart instantly skipped a beat.

Specifically for suppressing prisoners?

No Life Gate?

Only the sacrificial gate?

Li Changfeng, that dog!

He actually used such a malevolent Formation to lock me up!

Su Changge grit his teeth.

He suppressed the panic in his heart.

Just as he was about to continue analyzing the Formation's weaknesses...

Willow's voice came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Senior? This Servant Girl has come to deliver lunch."

Su Changge immediately gathered his thoughts.

His face returned to its calm expression.

He spoke indifferently.

"Come in."

The Formation outside the courtyard gate fluctuated.

Willow walked in, carrying a food box and keeping her head down.

Today, Willow seemed even more afraid than usual.

She was trembling all over.

Her head was buried low, without even the courage to look up at Su Changge.

She placed the food box on the stone table.

She took out the dishes from inside.

It was still light Spiritual Vegetables and Spiritual Rice Porridge.

When Willow's fingertips touched the bowls and chopsticks...

She accidentally trembled.

A bowl of Spiritual Rice Porridge almost spilled onto the stone table.

Terrified, Willow fell to her knees with a thud.

"This Servant Girl deserves to die! This Servant Girl didn't do it on purpose!"

Su Changge glanced at Willow kneeling on the ground.

He frowned.

Why was Willow so abnormal today?

Although she was afraid before, she hadn't been this terrified.

Su Changge spoke calmly.

"Get up, I don't blame you."

Willow hurriedly scrambled up from the ground.

She remained standing to the side with her head bowed.

Her fingertips twisted the corner of her clothes, trembling even more violently.

Su Changge spoke as if casually.

"Why are you so flustered today? Did something happen in the Pavilion?"

Willow's body suddenly stiffened.

She shook her head like a rattle.

"N-no! Everything is fine in the Pavilion!"

"It's just that this Servant Girl was careless and disturbed Senior's peace."

As she spoke, tears were almost falling.

Su Changge observed Willow's reaction.

His suspicion grew stronger.

Something definitely happened.

And it was something big.

Even Willow was scared to this extent.

Su Changge didn't ask further.

He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat slowly and methodically.

Willow stood to the side with her hands hanging down.

Several times she looked up, stealing glances at Su Changge.

Her eyes were full of struggle and pity.

Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something.

In the end, she said nothing.

Su Changge finished his meal.

He put down his chopsticks.

He looked up at Willow.

He spoke indifferently.

"Clean this up and leave."

Willow hurriedly stepped forward.

She packed the bowls and chopsticks into the food box.

She gave Su Changge a bow.

"Then this Servant Girl will take her leave."

Carrying the food box, she kept her head down.

She trotted to the courtyard gate.

She unlocked it and ran out as if escaping.

The courtyard gate closed with a bang.

The sound of the lock clicking into place followed.

Su Changge walked to the courtyard gate.

He listened until Willow's footsteps faded away.

Only then did he turn around.

He walked to the stone table and sat down.

He lowered his eyes and continued to analyze the structure of the Formation.

The eight Formation eyes he had just found...

All had sinister objects of suppression.

To break the Formation, one either had to destroy all the Formation eyes...

Or find the Formation Core.

Destroy the core, and the Formation would naturally break.

Su Changge followed the flow of Spiritual Qi.

Searching for the location of the Formation Core bit by bit.

The Spiritual Qi of a Formation always converges toward its core.

As long as he followed the direction of the Spiritual Qi flow...

He could find the core.

Su Changge took step after step.

From one end of the courtyard to the other.

And from that end back to this one.

He walked for a full hour.

Finally, he stopped in the center of the stone pavilion.

Exactly where he usually sat to drink tea.

All the Spiritual Qi ultimately converged beneath his feet.

Su Changge looked down at the bluestone slab under his feet.

The Formation Core is actually under my feet?

He crouched down.

His fingertips lightly tapped the bluestone slab.

A dull echo came from beneath the bluestone slab.

It's empty inside?

Su Changge's heart skipped a beat.

He raised his hand and lifted the bluestone slab.

Underneath the bluestone slab, there was indeed a hollow pit.

In the pit was buried a black wooden stake half a person's height.

The wooden stake was covered with blood-red Formation patterns.

A red bead was embedded at the top.

The bead was continuously absorbing the Spiritual Qi of the entire Formation.

It emitted a nauseating smell of blood.

In Su Changge's mind, information from the xuantian dao canon instantly popped up.

"Core suppression object: soul nurturing stake. Fed with fresh blood, it absorbs a person's Origin."

"Specifically used for sacrificial grand Formations."

Su Changge's face instantly turned pale.

A soul nurturing stake?

The core of a sacrificial grand Formation?

So, the place where he sat every day...

Was actually the core of the entire malevolent Formation?

Li Changfeng, that dog.

He actually kept me right at the Formation Core?

Just waiting to kill me with one stroke during the sacrifice?

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Su Changge's back.

He hurriedly covered it back with the bluestone slab.

He patted off the dust on top.

Pretending as if nothing had been moved.

He stood up.

He suppressed the panic surging in his heart.

I can't panic. The more it's like this, the less I can afford to panic.

As long as I find a way to break the Formation, I can escape.

Su Changge composed himself.

Just as he was about to continue flipping through the xuantian dao canon to find a way to break the Formation...

The voices of Mountain Guard Disciples suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Get everything ready. We open the sacrificial gate tomorrow at dawn."

"When the time comes, bring the person out directly. Don't let anything go wrong."

Su Changge's heart instantly skipped a beat.

Tomorrow at dawn?

So soon?

He originally thought he had two or three days.

They're actually sacrificing tomorrow?

Damn it, they're going for my life!

Su Changge clenched his fists.

His nails dug deep into his palms.

There's less than a day left?