442: Final Step

“Do you have a solution?” Qian Emperor’s tone was heavy.

Xu Ruhai shook his head. He also had no good solution, so he could only suggest, “The priority now is Luan Yun Mountain. As long as the Mist Time can recede, the Mist Sea will be safe. My humble opinion is to send someone into Luan Yun Mountain to investigate the cause and ascertain the key.”

“Hmm… who do you think is suitable to send?” Several candidates flashed through Qian Emperor’s mind.

First, this person must be strong enough to operate within the current Luan Yun Mountain. Second, he must be meticulous, as the mission is to investigate, not to fight.

As long as the reason for the prolonged Mist Time is clarified, this crisis can be resolved, so the choice of person is of utmost importance and cannot be sloppy.

“Your humble servant… is willing to go!”

Xu Ruhai slowly rose, his face resolute, already harboring a will to die in his heart.

Qian Emperor refused, “No, your cultivation is too low. What use would it be for you to go?”

Xu Ruhai was only at Soul Refinement Completion. Although it was not considered low, what kind of place was Luan Yun Mountain now?

Demons and monsters run rampant, a Forbidden Ground for living beings. Going there at Soul Refinement Completion would be no different from seeking death.

Although Qian Emperor did not favor him, he knew that this person was devoted to public service and was a rare pillar of talent. How could he bear to let him die?

Xu Ruhai, however, was quite stubborn, “Your Majesty can send someone with me. This matter cannot be done without your humble servant!”

Qian Emperor tried to persuade him a few more times, but seeing his determination, he could only agree.

Moreover, Qian Emperor also pondered a bit. In terms of meticulousness, no one could truly surpass this person. If he could really resolve this disaster…

Even if he died, it would be worth it!

An emperor is ruthless; governing the world requires weighing pros and cons.

…

Snowflakes drifted like cotton, scattering across the long street.

Xu Sanyan raised his hand to catch a falling snowflake, watching the white snow melt little by little in his palm, a hint of nostalgia in his heart.

“How many years has it been…”

It was like a self-question and self-answer. He could no longer remember how many years it had been since he had seen snow. Since coming to this world, this seemed to be the first time.

He used to see it often in his previous life, but unfortunately, he wondered if he would ever have a chance to go back…

He was feeling sentimental, while at the city gate, it was bustling, with refugees everywhere.

To prevent disturbance, Xu Sanyan had some constables surround him for protection.

“Mom, I’m hungry…”

The little girl tugged at her mother’s clothes, her emaciated body stumbling as she kept up with her mother’s pace. Her dirty little face looked as if it was covered in a layer of mud, and even the color of her clothes was indistinguishable.

She didn’t know how much hardship she had endured on the way to get here, finally reaching the end of her journey.

And the little girl’s mother was no better off, barely moving her feet by sheer willpower, carrying her only belongings on her back, a crumpled cotton quilt.

The plight of the mother and daughter was just a reflection of a corner of this world.

In recent days, an unknown number of refugees had flooded into “Shuiba City.” The County Magistrate initially wanted to close the city gates and turn them away, but because of Xu Sanyan’s kindness, they were allowed in and provided with porridge to keep them alive.

Shuiba City was the last of the five cities. The previous Xinan City had already been arranged, and this city was almost done.

“Alas… why did such a disaster happen for no reason?”

The constable felt pity for the refugees and was somewhat unbearable. Everyone has a heart, so how could he coldly watch his compatriots suffer?

So he turned his head and looked away.

“Who knows? I heard that this disaster was caused by those Immortals. If you ask me, none of those Immortals are good peo…”

“Shh, watch your words.”

A constable was quick-witted and immediately covered that person’s mouth, glancing at Xu Sanyan.

“Oh, oh, look at my mouth. Of course, Young Master Liang is an exception. Young Master has tirelessly helped us arrange the Formation. He is definitely not like those Evil Path evildoers. There are not many people I admire in my life, but Young Master Liang ranks first.”

“Hehe, you flatter me.”

Xu Sanyan waved his hand with a chuckle. Of course, he was not an Evil Path evildoer; he was a Demonic Path magnate!

His finger descended, and the last Formation pattern was imprinted on the city wall. Dark red patterns intertwined and flickered, as if streams of light were shuttling, truly extraordinarily beautiful.

“It’s done!”

Xu Sanyan’s heart was stirred. He saw a vast net covering the small city, instantly blocking out the drifting snowflakes. Countless people looked up at the sky, wondering what had happened.

“It’s blooming…?”

Someone shouted in disbelief.

“Grass has grown too!”

Snowflakes in the twelfth lunar month, withered trees sprouting branches, green grass breaking through the thin snow to emerge—a sight rarely seen in ten thousand years appeared before their eyes, causing the common people to exclaim in wonder.

Xu Sanyan flung out a handful of Soul Crystals. Soul Power merged into the Formation, changing the color of the dark red net, which then disappeared.

At this point, all five cities were completed.

Human blood as the foundation, carving Formation patterns.

Divine Soul as the frame, integrating Soul Crystals.

These two steps were completed. The next step was to use the earth veins as lines, place the earth core stones, and connect the five cities to make them a whole.

Finally, Qi as a cage, requiring Spirit Stones to enclose the area to help him activate the great Formation.

Because activating the great Formation required a massive amount of Qi, relying solely on himself and the Qi drifting between heaven and earth was far from enough, so he needed external objects.

“The Formation is complete. Please inform the County Magistrate, I shall depart now.”

The constables were stunned, “So soon?”

Xu Sanyan smiled and nodded, “Of course, I’m in a hurry… in a hurry to help you escape suffering.”

He was a kind person, most unable to bear the suffering of the common people. Unfortunately, the city was full of refugees. Every time he saw them, his heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. It was better to send them to reincarnation sooner. He hoped they would all be born into good families in their next lives.

Xu Sanyan left by flying, leaving behind only the admiration of the crowd.

He truly finished his task and departed, hiding his identity and fame. Doing good deeds without leaving a name, truly a great benevolent person.

“Young Master Liang is truly a chivalrous person…”

“If there were more Immortals like him in the world, our lives would be much better…”

“Indeed…”

…

Xu Sanyan did not go too far, stopping about ten li away. He calculated the direction with his fingers, took out an earth core stone, drew a Formation pattern on it, and then embedded it into the ground.

Following this pattern, he repeated the above steps approximately every ten li, slowly approaching the central Qian Province City.

The five cities were arranged in an east, south, west, north, and central Formation. They needed to be connected by earth core stones to form a wheel-like shape.

Moreover, the directions had to be calculated precisely. If placed in the wrong position, the great Formation would have a gap, and the Formation’s effectiveness would be greatly reduced.

Half a month later,

During this time, Xu Sanyan had been traveling between the five cities, consuming earth core stones one by one. When only the last ten remained, this step was completely finished.

Each earth core stone had a Formation pattern on it, and these patterns were subtly connected. On the day they were activated, all the earth core stones would break through the ground, forming a chain of the abyss that would tightly bind the five cities.

“Still lacking Spirit Stones…”

Xu Sanyan looked up at the distant Qian Province City, furrowing his brows in thought. He believed that Qin Shutong and Jiang Yun’er would surely be very willing to help him.