399: Chapter 399 Master and Disciple Bicker: If you are afraid, just hide behind me.

After passing through the Killing Formation, the passage narrowed.

It became so narrow that only two people could walk side by side.

The concentration of Evil Qi in the air had reached a critical point; Cultivators below the Soul Transformation Stage couldn't even stand steadily here. Zhao Tian's face had turned pale, his protective spiritual energy being eroded bit by bit by the Evil Qi, and the beads of sweat on his forehead had turned into a stream.

Su Changge noticed his state and slowed his pace.

"Zhao Tian."

"Junior... Junior Martial Uncle."

"Retreat to the back."

Zhao Tian hesitated for a breath, glanced at the darkness ahead, and grit his teeth.

"This Disciple can still hold on."

Su Changge said no more.

Ye Qingyao walked up, and as she passed Zhao Tian, she lightly raised her right hand, silently transferring a wisp of spiritual energy into Zhao Tian's body.

Zhao Tian's body jolted, the paleness on his face receded at a visible speed, and the sweat on his forehead stopped.

He froze for a moment, looking at Ye Qingyao.

Ye Qingyao had already walked past without looking at him, arriving at Su Changge's side.

Zhao Tian swallowed his words of gratitude and silently followed.

The passage took a turn, and after the bend, an open space appeared ahead.

The space wasn't large, about fifty zhang in radius, with a domed ceiling like an inverted bowl. The density of the Formation patterns on the ground had reached the extreme.

Su Changge stood at the entrance of the space, scanning the entire area.

Information from the Great Dao Scripture Pavilion told him—this was the antechamber to the core area of the Nine-Lock Dragon Suppressing Array. Passing through this antechamber and descending another three hundred zhang would lead to the location of the Seal itself.

There were two sets of Formations in the antechamber.

One was a Defensive Formation, and the other was a Suppression Formation.

The Defensive Formation had decayed by more than half; its remaining power would not pose a threat to Cultivators above the Tribulation Transcendence Stage.

The Suppression Formation was still running. Its function was to limit the spiritual energy output of Cultivators entering the antechamber. In this space, a Cultivator's actual combat strength would be compressed to about sixty percent of its original level.

Su Changge went over this information in his mind.

[The Suppression Formation compresses combat strength by sixty percent. Ye Qingyao is at the Mahayana Stage; even compressed to sixty percent, she's still at the Mahayana Stage, so it's not a big problem.]

[But me at the Qi Refining First Layer compressed to sixty percent... then I'm still at the Qi Refining First Layer.]

[How wonderful.]

He didn't walk forward but turned around to face the group following behind.

"There is a Suppression Formation here. After entering, your spiritual energy output will be restricted."

Tu Lie's expression tightened.

"Restricted by how much?"

"About sixty percent."

"Sixty percent?" Tu Lie's brow furrowed. "Then in this space, our combat strength—"

"It is enough."

Su Changge cut him off with three words.

[Even if it's not enough, it has to be. Anyway, I have zero combat strength, so it's all the same whether I'm compressed or not.]

Tu Lie shut his mouth.

Su Changge turned around and stepped into the antechamber.

The moment he stepped in, the Suppression Formation activated.

An invisible pressure surged from all directions, acting upon him—but his passive effect blocked it.

The effect of the Suppression Formation was like the Evil Qi, isolated outside his body by Myriad Laws Immunity (Pseudo).

He walked through the antechamber without any change in his gait, as if he didn't feel the existence of the Suppression Formation at all.

Ye Qingyao followed.

The moment she entered the antechamber, the pressure of the Suppression Formation fell upon her, and her spiritual energy was indeed compressed.

From the Peak of the Mahayana Stage, it was pressed down to about sixty percent.

She felt it.

Then she looked at Su Changge walking in front.

He wasn't being compressed.

It wasn't a case of "being compressed but not showing it on the surface."

He truly was not being compressed.

Her Divine Sense perceived it clearly—when the power of the Suppression Formation touched the surface of Su Changge's body, it dispersed on its own.

Like a stream of water hitting a reef.

No.

Not a reef.

A reef would still cause a splash.

When the Suppression Formation touched him, it dissipated silently, as if it had never existed.

Ye Qingyao's pace faltered for half a beat.

After a few steps, Su Changge noticed she wasn't keeping up, stopped, and looked back at her.

"What is it?"

Ye Qingyao stood in place, looking at him, and spoke via Sound Transmission, her voice carrying a tremor she hadn't even noticed herself.

"Revered Master, this Formation... has it not affected Revered Master in the slightest?"

Su Changge's heart skipped a beat.

[Did she find out?]

[She noticed the Suppression Formation has no effect on me?]

[Nonsense, it's normal for her to notice. Her Mahayana Stage perception is right there; the Suppression Formation pressed her down to sixty percent combat strength, yet I'm perfectly fine. She would definitely notice.]

He maintained his expression and replied via Sound Transmission.

"This Formation is of no hindrance to me."

Ye Qingyao's gaze fixed.

["This Formation is of no hindrance to me."]

[He said this Formation is no hindrance to him.]

[It wasn't "I can resist it" or "I can break it," but "no hindrance."]

[This phrase means—the level of this Formation is simply not within the scope of what he needs to care about.]

She swallowed this information, steadied her breathing, and caught up with his steps.

After a few more steps, Ye Qingyao suddenly spoke via Sound Transmission, her voice a layer softer.

"Revered Master, this Disciple's... spiritual energy is currently compressed by the Formation. Should an accident occur, I may be found wanting."

Su Changge heard this and translated it in his mind.

[She's telling me her combat strength is compressed and she might not be able to give her all if something happens?]

[Wait, is she acting spoiled with me in a roundabout way?]

[The Taixuan Sect Revered Master acting spoiled with me? That's impossible.]

He glanced at her sideways.

Ye Qingyao walked with her head down, her neck slightly bowed, the exposed section of her skin long and fair, appearing with a jade-like texture in the dim light. The stray lock of hair behind her ear swayed gently with her steps.

Su Changge withdrew his gaze.

He thought for a breath and replied via Sound Transmission.

His wording was in a formal, archaic style because he noticed Ye Qingyao habitually used such a style when transmitting sound, and he had unconsciously begun to adapt to it.

"If you fear it, just hide behind me."

After this sentence was transmitted, Ye Qingyao's steps paused.

She paused for about a breath.

Then her voice came back. Also via Sound Transmission.

"When has this Disciple ever been afraid?"

There was a very faint trace of indignation in her tone.

Su Changge did not reply.

Ye Qingyao sent another message.

"This Disciple simply... does not wish for Revered Master to be distracted by protecting me."

The corner of Su Changge's mouth twitched.

[You're at the Mahayana Stage, protect you? Me protect you? It should be you protecting me.]

He didn't voice this thought, replying via Sound Transmission instead.

"When would I ever need to be distracted?"

Ye Qingyao fell silent.

The air was quiet for a few breaths.

Then she sent two words via Sound Transmission. Her voice was even softer, so soft that if it weren't a direct transmission, it wouldn't have been heard at all.

"...Understood."

Su Changge walked ahead, and after hearing those two words, he sighed in his heart.

[Did I say something wrong?]

[Forget it, anyway, whatever a 'Master' says is right no matter how it's interpreted.]

Ye Qingyao walked by his side, her gaze fixed on the darkness ahead.

The tips of her ears had turned red again.