115: Chapter 115 I thought he was a master, but he turned out to be a huge pile of shit.

Xiao Ye looked down at the gold card, tucked it into his robes, and patted Zi Youqian on the shoulder with a face full of gratification. "Little Fatty, I knew the moment I saw you that you were a man who truly values money and millions—I'll take you as a friend. Come, get on the eagle!"

"Yes! Thank you, Senior!" Zi Youqian beamed with joy as he scrambled onto A-Diao's back using both his hands and feet.

"Why are you still calling me Senior? Call me Big Brother!" Xiao Ye declared with a wave of his hand.

"Yes! Big Brother!" Zi Youqian called out smoothly, sounding even more affectionate than if he were calling his own blood brother.

Xiao Yan, Tong Yizhen, and Dianshao stood to the side, their expressions as complicated as if they had just swallowed half a fly.

These two shameless bastards are really putting on a show, aren't they? What, are you two going to become sworn brothers next?

Dianshao finally couldn't help himself and stepped forward with a fawning smile. "Big Brother~ take me with you! I haven't gotten on the eagle yet!"

"Hey, don't just call him that!" Before Xiao Ye could speak, Zi Youqian got anxious. "Is 'Big Brother' a name you can just throw around? I only got to call him that after giving him a gold card with five hundred thousand Spirit Stones! You want to wiggle your way in without giving anything? In your dreams!"

Dianshao was choked for words, his face flushing red. He fumbled in his sleeves for a long time, but aside from a bunch of Spirit Medicine, he couldn't find anything valuable.

Xiao Ye watched this scene with a smile, thinking to himself: This Dianshao is a talent; bringing him along might be useful. So he waved his hand. "Fine, come on up. Seeing as you're quite good at tossing the ladle, I'll leave the cooking to you from now on."

"Ah? Oh! No problem!" Dianshao quickly agreed, feeling delighted—cooking? That was as easy as Alchemy! Wasn't it just tossing a ladle? That was his specialty!

Xiao Ye didn't know yet that he would eventually pay the price for today's decision.

Soon, A-Diao carried the five of them, wobbling as it flew to the place where Xiao Yan had discovered the treasure.

It was a mountain bathed in glowing clouds, with a light screen enveloping the entire peak. This was clearly the Formation Xiao Yan had mentioned.

However, at this moment, the foot of the mountain was already surrounded by people. There were at least a hundred Cultivators gathered in small groups before the Formation, discussing ways to break it. The scene was as noisy as a wet market.

The five of them had no choice but to dismount from the eagle at a distance and let A-Diao rest—carrying five people for so long had really been hard on it. After all, the Little Fatty weighed as much as two people, and he alone had made A-Diao expend thirty percent more effort.

As the five of them squeezed to the front, they happened to see someone attempting to break the Formation.

"Everyone, scatter! I'm about to begin! When the Formation shatters later, don't blame me if you're accidentally injured!" That person's voice was loud and forceful. He acted as if he truly could break the barrier, his chin tilted so high it almost reached the sky.

The Cultivators present nodded inwardly. Although this Wu Qizi's words were arrogant, as a Disciple of the Bagua Sect, it seemed reasonable—the Bagua Sect specialized in Formations, just as the Dan Ding Sect specialized in Alchemy. In their professional Domain, experts still carried weight.

Xiao Ye crossed his arms, watching with great interest.

Wu Qizi flicked his sleeves and strode toward the light screen with a graceful posture, possessing a bit of an ethereal, sage-like air.

As he formed hand seals, he muttered under his breath, "This Formation aligns with the Five Elements and Bagua, the Three Talents and Six Harmonies... It looks difficult, but in truth, it's not simple at all! Fortunately, I am a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Bagua Sect. Once I randomly poke my fingers around like a headless chicken, this Formation will collapse on its own!"

He spoke extremely fast, rattling off words like a machine gun. It was so fast and dense that the crowd couldn't hear what he was saying at all; their ears just buzzed as if they were listening to a rapper's freestyle performance.

But he exuded a confidence as steady as an old dog. That aura, that gaze, and those composed gestures made everyone believe—this must be a Great Master!

As he finished speaking, Wu Qizi took a deep breath and pointed toward a direction with full confidence.

Everyone widened their eyes, holding their breath in anticipation.

However—

Nothing happened. Everything remained calm; not even a blade of grass moved.

Wu Qizi froze, a flash of embarrassment crossing his face, but he quickly regained his composure. He formed seals again and pointed in another direction.

It was still perfectly calm.

"Tch—"

"Thought he was a Great Master, but he’s just a big pile of crap!"

"Exactly! A once-in-a-millennium genius? More like a once-in-a-millennium oddity!"

Boos erupted, and mockery rose from all sides like a poked hornet's nest.

Wu Qizi's face turned the color of pig liver, and the veins on his forehead throbbed—damn, he had overplayed it. It seemed he had no choice but to use his ultimate move.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Wu Qizi, who was still pretending to break the Formation, suddenly turned pale. He spat out a mouthful of blood, staggered back three steps, and stared at the Formation in front of him with a look of horror.

"Not good! This Formation is likely the work of an Immortal!" His voice trembled, and his aura was weak. "I... I have already broken ninety percent of it, only a tiny bit remains. Alas, my cultivation is insufficient..."

As soon as he finished, he slumped onto the ground, looking up at the sky with a face full of sorrow, appearing like a tragic hero lamenting, 'O boundless heavens, why have you forsaken me so?'

That sense of desolation and helplessness was inspiring—at least a few simple young girls had already begun to feel sorry for him.

In the crowd, Xiao Ye shook his head.

This guy's acting was just too over-the-top. He couldn't stand to watch any longer and spoke up indifferently, "Alright, if you can't do it, just step down. The work of an Immortal? Immortals are busy ascending to the heavens; who has the time to set up a Formation for you?"

As soon as he spoke, the nearby Cultivators fell silent, dozens of pairs of eyes snapping toward him.

"This Fellow Daoist, come on then, if you're so capable, you do it! If not, stop your yapping!" Wu Qizi, who had been mocked into the dirt just moments ago, finally found an opportunity to strike back, and his back straightened instantly.

Xiao Ye glanced at him, said nothing, and walked straight to the Formation.

He reached out, his fingertips lightly touching the light screen, and closed his eyes, pretending to investigate—breaking Formations? He didn't know the first thing about it.

But he had a secret weapon!

Two and a half minutes later, he opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling slightly as he began to talk serious nonsense.

"This is indeed a Five Elements Bagua Formation, but the person who set it up tampered with it. On the surface, it's a Sealing Formation, but in reality, it's a Killing Formation."

Xiao Ye withdrew his hand, his tone as flat as if he were broadcasting a weather report. "If anyone had tried to force their way in just now, or randomly poked around like a certain 'Great Master,' they would have triggered the Killing Formation—at least half of the people here would have died."

As soon as these words were uttered, the crowd went into an uproar. Everyone reflexively took two steps back. Even Wu Qizi's face turned white, his lips trembling as he tried to say something, but not a single word came out.

Xiao Ye didn't waste any more words. He drew his longsword from his waist, and a cluster of crimson-gold flames suddenly erupted from the tip—A-Diao's Crimson Flame Breath.