41: Chapter 41 Formation...

The Stone Forest was desolate and filled with Death Qi, but it was much safer than Wanhui Mountain.

At the very least, there were no Cultivators hunting it down here, and no Yao Beasts wanting to eat it.

"As long as I'm alive... as long as I'm alive..."

The Grey Rat Demon whispered to himself, shrinking his neck as he hid his body in the shadow of a stone pillar.

But he did not rest; after his small eyes darted around a few times, he suddenly stood up and, using all four paws, began frantically digging at the base of the stone pillar.

Soil splattered, and gravel tumbled everywhere.

The Grey Rat Demon's speed was incredibly fast; within a few breaths, he had dug out a bottomless hole.

He crawled inside and vanished into the darkness.

About an hour or so later, rustling sounds came from deep within the hole, growing closer and more frequent.

One, two, ten, a hundred—countless grey-brown rats poured out of the hole like a tide of grey-brown water, covering the open ground around the stone pillars.

The Grey Rat Demon crawled out of the hole, shook the dirt off his body, and swept his small eyes across the group of rats, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his gaze.

These were his descendants that he had hidden in various secret holes back at Wanhui Mountain; he had dug his way here, gathering them while fleeing for his life, and had finally brought them all to this place.

A slightly larger rat ran up to the Grey Rat Demon and squeaked twice.

The Grey Rat Demon nodded and said in a shrill voice: "Listen well, this will be our new home from now on. Without my command, no one is allowed to enter the depths of the Stone Forest, and no one is allowed to disturb that Great King. Do you hear me?"

"Squeak, squeak, squeak~"

The group of rats squeaked in unison; although the sound was discordant, it carried a kind of uniformity that made one's scalp tingle.

The Grey Rat Demon nodded with satisfaction and added: "Scatter and find places to settle down. Remember, keep a low profile and don't cause trouble."

The rats scattered and ran off. In a moment, thousands of rats vanished without a trace, and the outskirts of the Stone Forest returned to a deathly silence.

The Grey Rat Demon crouched at the base of the stone pillar, let out a long breath of turbid air, then shrank his neck, crawled into the hole, and disappeared into the darkness.

...

Inside the Limestone Cave.

Wu Li was crouching on a blue stone, his bean-sized black pupils gleaming with sharp light.

The news brought by the Gray Rat Spirit lingered repeatedly in his mind, like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring up ripples.

A Spirit Child has descended into the world, a Born Spirit Body.

The Human Race Cultivators will come to snatch the person, but what about the Yao Race?

Cultivation for the Yao Race is difficult; Bloodline, Opportunity, and resources are all indispensable.

If an infant with a Born Spirit Body were to be devoured by the Yao Race, the Spiritual Qi and Innate essence contained within would be enough to allow a Tier 2 or even a Tier 3 Yao Beast to achieve a Breakthrough.

Such a Heaven-Defying Opportunity is something the Yao Beasts in the mountain would not give up.

When that time comes, Human Race Cultivators and the Yao Beasts from the mountain, all sorts of factions will gather at Qingshi Town; it will surely be a bloodbath.

The corners of Wu Li's mouth lifted slightly.

The bloodier the situation, the greater the Opportunity within it.

Fishing in troubled waters and looting a burning house—these were the things he was best at.

But the problem was, he currently knew nothing about the situation in Qingshi Town.

He needed to cast a divination.

Wu Li's gaze fell upon his bundle, but at this moment, Wu Li was practically a commander with no troops; he had absolutely nothing to offer as a sacrifice.

"This is tricky."

A troubled expression appeared on Wu Li's face again.

He had been in Taiyue Mountain for some time, but he hadn't stepped out, spending his days hiding in the Limestone Cave to consolidate his Cultivation; he knew almost nothing about the situation in the mountain.

Where did Spirit Fruits grow? Where were the Spirit Medicines? He had absolutely no idea, and even his own underlings hadn't stepped out of the Stone Forest and the Mass Grave.

"Hmm..."

"The Mass Grave..."

"I'll go take a look tonight."

Wu Li thought of that female ghost in red; she must have been in this Mass Grave for some time and should have some understanding of the situation in Taiyue Mountain.

...

Soon.

Night arrived.

Wu Li leaped from the blue stone, spread his wings, and flew out of the Limestone Cave.

The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the grey-white stone pillars of the Stone Forest, casting a ghastly white glow.

He passed through the dense gaps between the stone pillars and flew toward the Mass Grave.

That pit filled with Death Qi was Su Wanyue's lair.

The Stone Forest and the Mass Grave were not far apart; within a few breaths, Wu Li had already flown above the pit.

He folded his wings and landed on a withered tree. His bean-sized black pupils scanned the surroundings. Grave mounds were densely packed, withered yellow weeds swayed in the night wind, tombstones stood crookedly, and Death Qi flowed slowly above the pit.

"Hmm?"

Wu Li's gaze suddenly locked onto something below.

"Something's wrong."

Although Wu Li wasn't using his Blood Pupil, the perception of a Tier 2 Demonic Beast was far superior to before.

He could feel that around this Mass Grave, there was a faint Spiritual Qi flowing. That power was not Death Qi, nor was it Yin Qi, but...

A Formation!

Wu Li's pupils shrank violently.

He spread his wings, flew higher, and looked down at the entire Mass Grave from the air.

His Blood Pupil slowly opened on his forehead, and a scarlet light swept across the ground.

Sure enough, on the perimeter of the Mass Grave, there was an obscure Spiritual Qi node in each of the eight directions, connecting into an invisible net that shrouded the entire Mass Grave.

"It's targeting that female ghost."

Wu Li quickly understood the situation, and then, without a second thought, he turned to fly away.

Goodbye!

No matter who it was, he didn't want to get involved.

Wu Li wanted to leave quickly, channeling his Demon Power into his wings.

However, it was precisely this action.

"Jingle!"

A crisp sound of a bell came from outside the Mass Grave, exceptionally jarring in the deathly silent night sky.

The sound wasn't loud, but it pierced into Wu Li's ears like a needle, making all the feathers on his body bristle instantly.

Outside the Mass Grave.

Under a withered old tree, a gaunt old man suddenly opened his eyes.

He sat cross-legged on the tree roots, draped in a tattered grey-black Dharma robe. His face was gaunt as firewood, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, but his pair of eyes were frighteningly bright.

"Finally came out!"

The old man's voice was hoarse and low, like sandpaper rubbing against rock.

He stood up, his figure floating up like a ghost, his feet stepping on the Void Realm, as he flew toward the Mass Grave at an extremely high speed.

"Disgusting!"

Wu Li shook his head and cursed angrily.

"Hmm?"

The old man's speed was astonishingly fast; at this moment, he had already arrived here. Upon seeing Wu Li, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"It's not that female ghost!"

"It's actually a wretched beast!"

Wu Li also saw the old man hovering in mid-air. The opponent's aura was revealed; he was also a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and the Spiritual Qi within his body was thick—not just an ordinary Foundation Establishment, but at least a Late Stage Foundation Establishment existence.

The old man didn't attack immediately, and his target wasn't him.

This made Wu Li feel relieved. He flapped his wings hard, intending to continue leaving.

He had no interest in the affairs of this Mass Grave; whether this old man was here to capture Su Wanyue or to kill Su Wanyue, it had nothing to do with him.

However.

Heaven did not grant his wish.

Just at this moment...

"Hum!"

The entire Mass Grave suddenly began to shake violently.

The grave mounds on the ground began to tremble, tombstones swayed, and the withered yellow weeds were pressed flat to the ground by an invisible force.

The Spiritual Qi nodes arranged in the eight directions on the perimeter of the Mass Grave lit up simultaneously. Eight beams of light shot into the sky, converging in mid-air to form a semi-transparent screen of light, like a giant inverted bowl, shrouding the entire Mass Grave within.