32: Breaking the Formation

At midnight, below Jade Moon Peak.

Five figures appeared silently, without attracting anyone's attention.

The five avoided the path up the mountain and, led by one person, entered a dense forest area.

Mana surged around each of the five, clearing all obstacles along the way as they pressed forward.

Soon, the five arrived halfway up the mountain; ahead in the night, dense fog permeated, like a dividing gate separating the inside from the outside.

Seeing the dense fog Grand Array, the five stopped, their mana dissipating, and the night returned to silence.

After observing for a while, the leader quietly gave instructions to the side.

As soon as the words finished, one of the five figures stepped forward, flipping a hand to reveal a circular plate; with a hand seal, the plate glowed faintly.

Subsequently, five small cyan-green Formation Flags were summoned from a Storage Pouch.

The small flags were covered in cyan light, floating above the circular plate and rotating around it.

The person muttered incantations, their hand movements unwavering, and the five flags merged into one.

"Go!"

The person gave a soft shout, and the flag transformed into a streak of light, rapidly approaching the mountain protecting grand array.

With a slight tremor, ripples appeared on the Grand Array, and the dense fog within the array began to churn.

The flag floated up and down, emitting waves of Qi fluctuations, resonating with the Grand Array.

The person's mana continuously poured out, and the circular plate in their hand vibrated incessantly, their face somewhat pale, much mana having been consumed.

Seeing the flag and the Grand Array in a stalemate, the person steeled their heart, spat out a mouthful of vital blood from the tip of their tongue, which plunged directly into the circular plate.

Bathed in the vital blood, the circular plate vibrated even more intensely, and even the flag shone brightly in the night.

If not for the trees and forests of Jade Moon Peak concealing it, this light would likely have already spread.

Finally, the flag's frequency fluctuations gradually became identical to those of the Grand Array.

"Whoosh~"

The flag entered the Formation.

A portal, about half a person's height, suddenly appeared.

"Hurry in!"

The person holding the circular plate spoke anxiously, clearly, this portal could not last long.

The other four did not immediately act upon seeing this opening appear.

Only after the person spoke did they file in.

Seeing everyone enter, the person then pushed the circular plate forward, suspending it within the opening, then, exerting mana, leaped in.

As this person entered, the circular plate transformed into a stream of light, once again controlled by this person, and the gradually shrinking opening, without support, vanished.

Inside the Formation, five small flags reappeared and returned to that person's Storage Pouch.

However, one person did not follow them in, but instead watched the four enter, the Grand Array returning to silence, found a place, and hid their figure.

Inside the Formation, amidst a dense fog.

Four figures stood silently.

"Fourth Brother, well done."

The eldest of the Five Immortals of Flowing Wind spoke, praising him.

Fourth Brother merely nodded slightly at the words, striving to calm his Qi.

Just now, to successfully trick this Formation and allow the four to enter, though it seemed simple, the personal consumption was considerable.

If this mountain protecting grand array were to be agitated by external mana, it would certainly be activated by the mana; only by temporarily assimilating with it could a portal be opened for everyone to enter.

At this moment, although they had successfully entered, they were completely enveloped by thick fog, making it impossible to discern direction.

The three dared not act rashly, quietly waiting for Fourth Brother to recover his Qi.

After a long while, Fourth Brother exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi, calming his Qi.

Seeing the expressions of the three, he knew they were waiting for him to employ his methods.

So he did not hesitate.

"This is a Tracking Array, it distorts the five senses, disorients, and traps intruders within the Formation to their demise; however, for me, it is nothing to worry about."

Fourth Brother spoke, explaining the effect of the dense fog to the three.

His hands were not slow either, throwing out a Formation Plate, which floated above the heads of the four.

"Wait for me to set up a Xuan Qing Bright Wind Array to disperse this fog."

With a wave of his hand, Fourth Brother took out three more Formation Flags; the Formation Flags dispersed, falling into the hands of the three.

The three had cooperated with Fourth Brother many times before, so they were not surprised, and all poured mana into them.

The patterns on the three Formation Flags lit up, connecting with the Formation Plate floating above their heads.

Fourth Brother's right-hand seal changed, and the Formation Plate spun rapidly.

He waved his left hand forward, then suddenly shouted:

"Wind, come!"

Centered on the four, a cyan whirlwind appeared, sweeping away the surrounding dense fog.

The surrounding thick fog dispersed; although it was in the middle of the night, practitioners have astonishing eyesight.

After breaking through the dense fog that distorted the five senses, mere night naturally could not hinder the four from moving forward.

Fourth Brother took the lead, the Formation Plate floating before him, with the three following closely, also throwing out the Formation Flags in their hands, continuously pouring in mana.

The four advanced, protected by the Xuan Qing Bright Wind Array, with whirlwinds surrounding them, dispersing the dense fog along the way.

"Nothing more than this!"

Fourth Brother controlled the Formation Plate with ease and grace; apart from the mental effort expended to enter the interior of this Formation, this Tracking Array fog was merely a trivial matter, not worth mentioning.

Fourth Brother secretly felt smug.

"Hmm?"

Fourth Brother, who was secretly feeling smug, looked at the slightly disordered Formation Plate in his hand with a moment of astonishment.

Turning back, he saw that Third Brother, whose temperament was reckless and crude, had somehow stopped injecting mana, and the Formation Flag, losing mana support, had fallen.

"Third Brother, what's wrong with you?"

Fourth Brother asked in a low voice.

First Brother, who looked to be fifty or sixty years old, also noticed the abnormality just now, looking at Third Brother with displeasure.

Only Second Brother, dressed as a strategist, was slow to realize, hearing Fourth Brother's voice, he then looked at Third Brother.

Fourth Brother's questioning, and the gazes of First and Second Brother seemed to have no effect on Third Brother.

The entire person just stood there quietly, his eyes vacant, unresponsive.

The three's expressions changed, realizing something was wrong, mana surged around them, and they all prepared for defense.

Fourth Brother came before Third Brother, seeing no injuries on him, his face filled with confusion.

Just as he was about to shake Third Brother.

The scene before him changed; his three brothers disappeared, and he found himself in an ethereal palace.

Treasure light permeated everywhere, Spiritual Qi filled the sky, with Fairies dancing and Spirit Cranes presenting auspicious signs.

"Not good, it's an illusion."

Fourth Brother bit the tip of his tongue, a sharp pain in his mind, and he recovered.

The scene before him returned to the Formation within Jade Moon Peak.

Fourth Brother was, after all, a Formation Master, with a relatively strong mind, and he awoke as soon as he entered the illusion.

And Second Brother, whose cultivation was not high to begin with, had already lost himself before Fourth Brother fell into the illusion, only a moment slower than Third Brother.

As for First Brother, with the highest cultivation, Qi Refining Level Seven cultivation, it did not affect him; at this moment, he was checking on the dazed Second Brother.

"This is an Illusory Heart Array; it can be broken with a Heart-Clearing Talisman."

Fourth Brother pondered for a moment, then said to First Brother.

He took out a Talisman from his hand; this Talisman had the effect of breaking illusions.

He placed the Heart-Clearing Talisman on Third Brother's chest and injected mana.

Third Brother's eyes gradually focused, he saw Fourth Brother close at hand, and said with dissatisfaction:

"Fourth Brother, where did you take my Fairy? Give her back to me quickly."