87: The Blue Ibis in the Gale

Lin Feng's gaze swept across the three hostile factions. "The gap will only appear for a very short time, and once we make a move, we will surely become the target of everyone. They will never let us enter easily."

Fang Lingyao's expression tightened, understanding the crux of the problem. Breaking the Formation would only invite trouble upon themselves.

Just then, Li Feiyu turned his head, locked his gaze onto the boulder where the two were hiding, and shouted, "Hmph, sneaking around. Get out here."

Flower Without Shadow also looked over with a smile, "Oh? I wonder who it could be? What, do you want a share of the spoils too?"

The woman from the Illusory Moon Sect only raised her eyes slightly for a glance, then continued to focus on the light screen, seemingly unconcerned by the newcomers.

Lin Feng and Fang Lingyao exchanged a look, knowing they could no longer hide, so they walked out from behind the boulder openly.

Lin Feng's gaze swept across the three parties before settling on the massive light screen. He spoke calmly, "Everyone is deadlocked here simply because this Restriction is hard to break. I am somewhat proficient in Formations, perhaps I can give it a try."

Upon hearing this, Li Feiyu scoffed, "Just you? A brat in the Early Foundation Establishment Stage? Even I can't break it, what method could you possibly have? Stop spouting nonsense here."

Flower Without Shadow giggled, as if hearing something amusing, and stared at Lin Feng with burning eyes. "Oh my, Little Foe, not only has your cultivation increased, but your tone has grown quite bold as well? You can even break Formations now? Very good, very good, big sister likes this confident look of yours. Tell me, what method do you have? If you can truly break it, big sister... might consider being a little gentle with you later, okay?"

The fingertips of the Illusory Moon Sect woman, which were calculating, paused slightly. Her cold eyes looked at Lin Feng again, seemingly piqued with a hint of interest.

This brief verbal agreement and their contempt were exactly what Lin Feng wanted. He said no more and nodded slightly at Fang Lingyao.

Fang Lingyao understood, stepped forward, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him. Her cold gaze swept across the three factions, her long sword humming slightly in her hand.

Lin Feng took out a dozen seemingly ordinary Formation Flags from his black jade bracelet. He did not walk directly to the southwest Kun position, but instead circled the perimeter, placing the Formation Flags in seemingly unimportant locations.

His movements looked cautious and clumsy, as if he were carefully probing, and from time to time, he would deliberately let a Formation Flag be repelled by the chaotic Qi, appearing quite "strained."

Li Feiyu grew impatient watching and coldly snorted, "Playing tricks. Hurry up."

Flower Without Shadow also watched with a smile, seemingly finding Lin Feng's "clumsy" appearance quite interesting.

However, the eyes of the Illusory Moon Sect woman, who had been standing still and calculating, flickered slightly. She keenly captured that beneath Lin Feng's "clumsy" movements, there was a certain pattern to the placement of the Formation Flags.

These Formation Flags were not placed randomly; while they appeared scattered, they were actually subtly forming a new Formation. Her slender fingers curled slightly, but she remained silent, only observing more carefully.

"Done." Lin Feng let out a low shout, inserting the final main Formation Flag into a secluded corner.

He formed hand seals with both hands, and the Qi within his body surged out, pouring into the Formation that had just been set up on the ground.

The Formation instantly lit up with complex patterns, generating a suction force that began to absorb the chaotic Qi in the surrounding space.

The entire golden light screen, pulled by this external force, began to tremble violently, its light flickering unsteadily.

In the stunned gazes of everyone, the light screen, its internal energy flow disrupted and unbalanced, was forcibly torn open to reveal a narrow gap.

"Go." Lin Feng grabbed Fang Lingyao and prepared to rush toward the gap.

"Attack." Li Feiyu reacted the fastest, his eyes gleaming with fierce light. He didn't care about any promises, and a blood-evil ghost shadow had already blasted toward Lin Feng's back.

Almost simultaneously, Flower Without Shadow chuckled, a flash of pink light at her fingertips, aiming straight for Fang Lingyao.

However, the very moment they made their move, the Illusory Moon Sect woman, who had been standing still, moved.

She flicked her sleeve gently, and a ray of moonlight arrived first despite starting later, blocking the space between Lin Feng and the attacks.

"Bang!" "Swish!" The attacks were blocked completely, emitting two muffled sounds.

This sudden obstruction stunned both Li Feiyu and Flower Without Shadow. When they looked up again, Lin Feng had already pulled Fang Lingyao through the gap.

The next moment, the gap twisted violently, and the light screen began to close rapidly.

"Illusory Moon Sect! What is the meaning of this?" Li Feiyu was furious and roared at the woman from the Illusory Moon Sect.

The smile on Flower Without Shadow's face vanished completely, cold light flickering in her beautiful eyes as she stared at the veiled woman. "I really didn't notice, when did you people of the Illusory Moon Sect... start doing good deeds?"

The Illusory Moon Sect woman withdrew her hand, and the moonlight dissipated. Facing their questioning, her expression remained cold and calm, and she only glanced at them indifferently.

"The actions of my Illusory Moon Sect are not for you people of the Demonic Path to criticize. Besides, who told you that my goal for this trip was that bodhi seed?"

Her words were like a bucket of cold water, causing both Li Feiyu and Flower Without Shadow to be stunned.

"As for you two..." Her gaze swept over them, "Taking advantage of a situation to launch a sneak attack—such despicable conduct is something we Cultivators disdain to do. Do I need a reason to stop you?"

After speaking, she ignored the furious Li Feiyu and the face-changing Flower Without Shadow, casting her gaze once again toward the rapidly closing gap, a trace of inquiry and thought flashing deep in her eyes.

Behind the light screen, Lin Feng and Fang Lingyao did not stop, pushing their speed to the limit.

Lin Feng's face was slightly pale; the instant calculations and manipulation from just moments ago had nearly exhausted his mental energy.

Fang Lingyao followed closely behind and couldn't help but look back, "The Illusory Moon Sect... why would she help us?"

Lin Feng's gaze tightened slightly, and he shook his head, "I don't know. But that obstruction was incredibly precise; it was definitely not a spur-of-the-moment decision."

Passing through several Restrictions, a sense of serene and peaceful Zen rushed toward them, refreshing Lin Feng and his companion, and the Qi they had just consumed began to recover rapidly.

The scene before them suddenly opened up. They seemed to be under the dome of a massive underground karst cave, the ceiling inlaid with countless strange crystals emitting a soft white light, like stars in the night sky.

In the center of the cave was a crystal-clear lake shimmering with a faint golden light. In the middle of the lake was a small island, and on the island stood a single, massive bodhi tree, its entire body radiating a cyan-gold halo.

The bodhi tree's trunk was thick, requiring ten people to encircle it; its branches and leaves were lush like a canopy, and every leaf was crystal clear.

A breeze blew by, causing the leaves to sway gently and rustle, faintly accompanied by the sound of Buddhist chants. Among the branches and leaves, two cyan fruits emitting an alluring luster hung quietly—they were the bodhi seeds.

However, before the two could even feel joy, a piercing cry rang out from deep within the crown of the bodhi tree.

A giant bird figure, moving at an incredible speed and wreathed in cyan wind vortices, swooped down. Its wingspan was startling, and its feathers were as hard as bronze.

"It's a Third-Rank Demonic Beast, the Fierce Wind Green Ibis." Fang Lingyao immediately recognized this fierce bird known for its speed and wind blade attacks. "It actually built its nest on the bodhi tree."

The Fierce Wind Green Ibis locked onto the two, flapped its wings, and dozens of wind blades poured down like a rainstorm, covering all space for the two to dodge.