440: The greater the ability...

“Nephew, why don't you stay for a few more days? I can also report to the imperial court to ask for commendation for you. It's not too late to leave after the imperial court's rewards come down.”

Prefect Jiang's words were well-intentioned. Even if Xu Sanyan had no interest in officialdom, he could still get some treasures. Why refuse something given for free?

Xu Sanyan shook his head and said solemnly, “Thank you, sir, but there's no need. My time down the mountain is limited. It would be truly wasteful to linger here. It's better to do more practical things.”

“It was my narrow-mindedness.”

The two chatted for a while, then Prefect Jiang turned and left. Before leaving, he instructed, “Nephew, if you wish to travel the world, do not go towards Luan Yun Mountain. That area is currently suffering from a natural disaster and is most dangerous.”

“Thank you for informing me, sir.”

After seeing Prefect Jiang off and declining the invitations from Qin Shutong and Jiang Yun'er, Xu Sanyan returned home alone to rest, and incidentally took out the Formation books given by Danzhou Mountain to read.

He hadn't really read these books much, mainly because he hadn't had the time. Now that he finally had some free time, he took them out to look at.

The books given by Danzhou Mountain totaled seven: five Formation Explanations and two Formation Diagrams.

The so-called Formation Explanations were mostly used for breaking and deciphering Formations, and also included Danzhou Mountain's insights into Formations, as well as the key points of certain specific Formations. The content in the books was extremely broad, perfect for someone like Xu Sanyan, whose foundation was not very solid.

As for the other two Formation Diagrams, one was very thick, recording dozens of common Formations, large and small, though most were relatively simple, such as the Spirit-Nourishing Formation seen earlier, as well as the Earth Fire Formation, Stone-Covering Formation, and so on.

The other one was much more valuable. It only recorded one Formation, named the “Stone Mountain Blazing Spirit Formation,” which was a defensive grand Formation combining offense and defense. Its deployment was quite complex, suitable for use as a city-protecting grand Formation.

Although this grand Formation was precious, it was the most useless to Xu Sanyan. It was not as helpful to him as those Formation Explanations, so he temporarily set it aside and chose one of the Formation Explanations to study carefully.

Time flew by, and as dawn faintly broke, Xu Sanyan put away the Formation Explanation and got up to leave. He was going to his next destination.

… …

Meanwhile, at Luan Yun Mountain,

Two months had passed since the destruction of Baiyu Prefecture. Through the combined efforts of the three major Sects, the Gan Country, and various aristocratic families, the mist was temporarily contained, and its outward spread slowed down.

The reason it was referred to as three major Sects was because Shangyin Mountain and Tongxin Demon Sect did not come. One was both righteous and evil, and the other was a complete Demon Sect. They certainly wouldn't participate in such a thankless task.

Although the mist at Luan Yun Mountain was temporarily contained, everyone dared not relax, because the demon in the depths of the mist was still there.

And there was even worse news: the Mist Sea on the outskirts of the Hundred Saints Secret Realm had also changed. It seemed that because of the excessive mist provided by this “Mist Time,” the Mist Sea was also expanding.

“Alas, misfortunes never come singly…”

Monk Ming Hui sighed. The last time the Hundred Saints Secret Realm opened, he led Tianyi Fumo Temple to participate. He didn't expect to be back so soon.

Before he could finish sighing, he saw the thick, sky-obscuring mist in the distance rolling and surging, like a monstrous evil spirit baring its fangs and claws, about to devour someone, rushing forward, but it was blocked by a layer of golden light, unable to advance an inch.

This golden light was the supreme treasure of Tianyi Fumo Temple, the “Splitting Light Mirror.” It was only with this treasure that they could stop the advance of the thick mist.

Ming Hui felt secretly anxious, only hoping the mist would recede quickly.

Luan Yun Mountain was too vast. Even with the Splitting Light Mirror, they could only block one direction. Other forces were blocking the other directions, and he feared they wouldn't last much longer.

At this moment, a young monk behind Ming Hui spoke, “Master, the situation is so critical, why don't we ask Grandmaster to act?”

This young monk was Net Intent. When the Hundred Saints Secret Realm opened, there were two secret realm fruits in total. Xu Sanyan obtained one, and the other was taken by him.

Ming Hui shook his head but did not explain, clearly having unspeakable difficulties.

Even though Net Intent was a Buddhist Saint, there were some things he could not know. He only knew that Grandmaster was alive but had never seen him.

“Boom~!”

Suddenly, a tremendous sound like the sky collapsing came. Ming Hui turned his head to look, only to see the thick mist in the southeast of Luan Yun Mountain swirling high, vaguely revealing a gigantic human-shaped silhouette. As it strode, fierce winds followed, and clouds of mist rolled.

A giant sword was raised high and slashed down again. A layer of deep purple barrier appeared in the Void Realm. The two clashed, and that deafening sound rang out again,

“Boom!!”

Net Intent stared at the giant, his eyes filled with shock. Although he had been there for two months, this was his first time seeing the demon. This thing was actually so terrifying!

Ming Hui's old face was full of worry, “It's the Siyuan Sect's direction. I hope they can hold on.”

No sooner had he spoken than the deep purple barrier shattered with a bang. A massive gap, like a broken mirror, hung in the sky. Countless thick mists vied to pour out, squeezing the gap wider and wider.

“Something bad happened…”

“Boom!”

Another sword strike, and the barrier completely shattered. Ming Hui's speed of twirling his prayer beads became faster and faster, showing his inner anxiety.

“Master, let's go help them quickly! It looks like they can't hold on!”

“No need, it's too late…”

Ming Hui flipped his hand, put away the Splitting Light Mirror, and with a flick of his sleeve, swept Net Intent away, retreating at high speed.

Instantly, the rolling gray mist, no longer obstructed, surged down like a river breaking its dam. The sky-obscuring thick mist spread in all directions, a truly apocalyptic scene.

As the thick mist swept through, the giant's shadow disappeared again. Everything that had just happened seemed like an illusion, only the situation had changed once more.

The moment the barrier shattered, everyone knew they couldn't hold it back and quickly retreated, letting the thick mist spread out. Only the Siyuan Sect Disciples failed to escape in time and were already deeply trapped in the mist, likely to meet a tragic end.

“Master, where are we going?”

“Back to the Sect!”

Ming Hui looked back with lingering fear. He knew that this situation had exceeded his capabilities. Even with the Splitting Light Mirror, he was powerless, unless a Saint acted, which might be feasible.

But a Saint… how could he act so easily?

The cost of a Saint acting was too high, even a Saint himself would find it difficult to bear.

“What about the common people…”

“Alas…”

… …

… …

In just two months, Central Province underwent a massive change. Three prefectures of the Gan Country were enveloped in mist, and most of the common people there could not escape in time, likely leaving no bones behind.

The Huai Lake Zuoqiu Clan also retreated again and again, having already withdrawn a thousand li away. From now on, they could no longer be called the Huai Lake Zuoqiu Clan, because Huai Lake was gone.

And the last force bordering Luan Yun Mountain, the Qidao Sect of Yong Mountain, surprisingly did not retreat. They were now deeply engulfed in the mist, and their situation was unknown.

When Xu Sanyan learned this news, he felt a deep sense of frustration.

Look at Wenxian Mountain; with a casual move, they caused a great catastrophe covering Central Province. And he had been busy for more than half a year, only doing good deeds. He truly disgraced the Demon Sect Saint.

“Truly impressive…”

Xu Sanyan admired them. As expected, the greater the ability, the greater the evil.