275: Chapter 273 Night Raid

By the time Yun Ming returned to Huai Tree Alley from Tianbao Market, it was almost dark.

He now possessed an additional Storage Ring, which contained one hundred and eighty thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones and a jade contract. He had purchased two portable Teleportation Arrays at the Heaven-Craft Formation Pavilion, costing him sixty thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones. The Formation Plates were the size of a palm, entirely silver-gray, and their surfaces were covered with intricate formation patterns. Each set could be used thirty times, with a maximum teleportation distance of five million li.

Back in the small courtyard, Ah Yuan was Cultivating. The array-breaking sword hovered before her, the formation patterns on its blade already eighty percent lit. Xue Ji sat by the stone table, a ledger in hand, looking down as she flipped through it. Hearing footsteps, both of them looked up simultaneously.

“Master is back!” Ah Yuan put away the array-breaking sword and ran over to greet him.

Yun Ming nodded and sat down on a stone stool. He took out the two Formation Plates from the map of mountains and rivers and placed them on the table. Ah Yuan leaned in, curiously picking one up and turning it over to examine it.

“Master, what is this?”

“A Teleportation Array. A portable one.” Yun Ming picked up one of the Formation Plates and injected Spiritual Qi. The Formation Plate lit up, and the formation patterns rose from the surface, expanding in the air to form a halo about three feet in diameter. The space inside the halo distorted, and the scene from the other end was faintly visible—it was a corner of his room.

“With this, I’ll be able to teleport back at any time after I leave Tianyuan City.” Yun Ming withdrew his Spiritual Qi; the halo vanished, and the Formation Plate returned to its original state.

Ah Yuan nodded, though she only half-understood. “Is Master going on a long journey?”

Yun Ming didn't answer directly. “It's to be prepared for any contingency.” He packed away the two sets of Formation Plates, stood up, and walked to a corner of the courtyard to begin setting up one of them. He chose a concealed spot, embedded the Formation Plate into the ground, and covered it with Spiritual Soil, leaving only the Spiritual Qi interface for activation. He then laid a simple concealing Formation around it, leaving no visible trace from the outside.

Xue Ji stood behind him, watching him work. “What did the Princess Royal say to you? You’ve been acting off ever since you came back from Paradise.”

Yun Ming brushed the dirt off his hands and turned around. “She said that as soon as the Longevity Festival is over, Xuanming Hall and the Shanhai Society will make their move. She told me to be careful.”

Xue Ji’s brow furrowed slightly. “The Shanhai Society? Then what do you plan to do?”

“Wait,” Yun Ming said, walking back to the stone table to sit down. “What must come cannot be avoided. Better to wait for them at home than to be cornered outside. We have the Floating Life Dream Illusion Array here; no matter how many come, they'll all be trapped.”

Xue Ji looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded. “Fine. I’ll stay with you.”

The night grew deeper.

The Longevity Festival finally ended amidst the clamor. The lanterns on Heavenly Street went out one by one, the floating stages slowly descended, and the petals of spiritual flowers were scattered by the wind, drifting onto the empty streets. The Tianyuan City that had been in a frenzy for several days gradually quieted down.

In the small courtyard of Huai Tree Alley, the lights remained lit.

Yun Ming did not sleep, and neither did Xue Ji. Ah Yuan leaned against Xue Ji, her eyelids already starting to droop. The formation patterns of the Floating Life Dream Illusion Array operated slowly underground, an invisible barrier enveloping the entire courtyard. From the outside, it appeared to be just an ordinary residence, with nothing unusual. But once someone stepped inside, they would fall into an endless illusion.

Yun Ming sat on a bamboo chair under the old locust tree, holding a cup of tea with his eyes closed, as if dozing. Xue Ji held the short sword condensed from her natal Spiritual Qi, her white hair flowing loose, her Divine Sense covering the entirety of Huai Tree Alley.

Just after the hour of the Rat, Xue Ji opened her eyes.

“They’re here.”

Yun Ming opened his eyes and set down his teacup. His Divine Sense also reached out—over a dozen presences were approaching from both ends of the alley simultaneously, their steps orderly, their Spiritual Pressure restrained, without a single unnecessary sound. Their cultivations were all at Golden Core Perfection, thick and steady. There were no Nascent Soul Cultivators, as Nascent Soul Cultivators were too conspicuous; any move they made would alert the City Patrol Division and the various factions within Tianyuan City. Golden Core Perfection was just right, ensuring combat power without causing too much of a stir.

The dozen or so people paused for a moment outside the courtyard wall, then simultaneously vaulted over it.

The moment they landed, the Floating Life Dream Illusion Array activated. Mist surged from the ground, instantly filling the entire small courtyard. The dozen or so people felt their vision blur and each fell into a different illusion—one saw himself standing on the edge of a bottomless abyss with churning lava below; another was trapped in a boundless sea of fire with flames on all sides; one saw deceased relatives coming for his life with hideous faces; another saw his cultivation completely lost, being trampled underfoot by an enemy. They were divided into independent spaces, unable to see or perceive one another.

Ah Yuan was startled awake by the sudden commotion and instinctively shrunk into Xue Ji’s embrace. Xue Ji held her close without speaking, her gaze fixed on Yun Ming.

Yun Ming stood up, and the cauldron of all things mother qi flew out from the map of mountains and rivers, hovering by his side. The Golden Crow Flame in the mouth of the cauldron burned fiercely, its golden light illuminating the entire courtyard. He stepped into the mist, and the vapors seemed sentient, automatically parting to make a path for him.

The first person was hacking wildly at the air, drenched in sweat, his eyes vacant. Yun Ming raised a finger, and a streak of golden flame flew from the cauldron, landing on the man.

The man didn't even have time to scream before he was instantly turned into a pile of ash. His Golden Core exploded within the flames, its Spiritual Qi swallowed up, leaving nothing behind.

The second person, the third, the fourth.

Yun Ming moved through the mist, the Golden Crow Flame silently consuming every person trapped in the illusion. There were no screams, no bloodstains, only handfuls of ash falling onto the bluestone floor.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the dozen or so people had all turned to ash. The night wind blew, swirling the ashes and scattering them into the corners of the courtyard.

Ah Yuan peeked out from Xue Ji’s arms and stole a glance outside. Moonlight bathed the courtyard, and the bluestone floor was clean, showing no traces of what had happened.

“Is it over?” she whispered.

“For now,” Xue Ji said.

Yun Ming set down his teacup and leaned back in his chair. The moonlight shone on his face; his expression was not relaxed, but rather more solemn than before.

“Yes, things aren't that simple,” he said.

“A dozen Golden Core Perfections, while not weak in combat power, don't even make a splash in a deep pool like Tianyuan City.” Yun Ming’s fingers tapped lightly on the armrest. “The real esteemed guests are likely still to come.”

Xue Ji was about to speak when her expression suddenly changed. Her Divine Sense had captured new presences—not coming from the ends of the alley, but from all directions. Those people didn't approach the courtyard but stopped on rooftops, at alley entrances, and in treetops dozens of yards away from the courtyard walls. They didn't attempt to enter the range of the Floating Life Dream Illusion Array, but instead spread out along the perimeter, each taking out Formation Flags, Formation Plates, and Spirit Stones to begin setting up a Formation.

“They’re setting up a Formation,” Xue Ji’s voice sank. “They're blockading the entire Huai Tree Alley.”

Yun Ming’s Divine Sense also reached out. Over a dozen presences, with cultivations ranging from Golden Core Middle Stage to Golden Core Perfection. The grade of the Formation Flags in their hands was not low, at least Third-grade High Grade. The formation patterns on the Formation Plates were dense, with spiritual light flowing through them. Spirit Stones were being embedded one after another into the ground, walls, and tree trunks.

“They want to trap us,” Yun Ming said.

Xue Ji stood up, the short sword in her hand flashing with a cold light. “I’ll go out and kill them.”

“No.” Yun Ming pressed down on her hand. “If you go out, the Floating Life Dream Illusion Array will lose the reinforcement you provide from within. Moreover, those outside are setting up a Sealing Formation, not a killing Formation; their goal is to force us out. If you go, you'll be playing right into their hands.”

“Then what should we do?” Xue Ji’s brow was tightly knit. “If we don't go out, we’ll be trapped once they finish the Formation. If we do go out, the Formation outside can stall me for a moment, which is enough for them to mobilize more people. When they attack from both inside and out, it will be even more troublesome.”

Yun Ming was silent for a moment. He looked down at the teacup in his hand, then at the mist filling the courtyard. The Floating Life Dream Illusion Array was his strongest reliance, but its coverage was limited to this small courtyard. Once he left this range, he would lose his greatest advantage.

“I’ll go out,” Yun Ming stood up.

Xue Ji stopped him. “By yourself?”

“You stay here and guard the Formation. Ah Yuan is in the house and needs your protection.” Yun Ming placed his teacup on the table and straightened his robes. “Those people outside are after me. Whether I am inside the Formation or not won't weaken its power too much. It's enough that you're here.”

Xue Ji looked at him, her lips moving as if to say something, but she swallowed it back. She knew Yun Ming was telling the truth. She was at the Early Nascent Soul Stage; her presiding over the Floating Life Dream Illusion Array would make it far more powerful than if Yun Ming were to guard it himself. And if she were to leave, the Formation’s power would plummet, leaving Ah Yuan exposed to danger.

“Be careful,” Xue Ji said, offering only those two words.

Yun Ming nodded and turned toward the courtyard gate. Ah Yuan looked up from Xue Ji’s arms, watching Yun Ming’s back. She wanted to call out “Master,” but feared disturbing him, so she could only bite her lip, her eyes turning red.

Yun Ming reached the courtyard gate and came to a halt, without looking back.