16: Chapter 16 The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; I'll be watching you break through the formation while I'm munching on sunflower seeds.

Thick, deep green miasma roiled like a boiling swamp in this primitive dense forest behind the Xuantian Sect, completely blocking out the light from above.

The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet, with only the sticky sound of rotting leaves being crushed echoing through the woods.

Lin Tian gripped the notched standard-issue longsword with both hands, like a dying beast in a swamp, struggling to hack through the thorns blocking his path.

"Sss-rip—"

A thick vine covered in pitch-black barbs sprang silently from the pile of dead leaves, striking Lin Tian's calf with precision.

His Outer Sect Disciple robes were easily torn, and the deep, bone-exposing wound instantly turned a strange, bruised blue, accompanied by a piercing numbness that shot straight to his brain.

Lin Tian groaned, dropping to one knee in the muddy fallen leaves.

He gasped for air, cold sweat mixed with dirt streaming freely down his pale face. He didn't bother treating the wound, instead shakingly fishing an inferior antidote pill from his robes and shoving it into his mouth, swallowing it whole without even chewing.

"I can't stop… Even if I have to crawl, I must get in!"

He lifted his head, his bloodshot eyes filled with a near-paranoid fanaticism.

As long as he could pass through this damned maze Formation and obtain the earth heart green lotus fire, he could reshape his Foundation and awaken the Senior inside his ring!

Lin Tian used his sword to support himself, dragging his numb, injured leg, and limped further into the depths of the miasma.

Just twenty zhang away behind him.

Underneath a towering ancient tree that required three people to encircle, the air rippled with the slightest distortion like water waves.

Gu Yi stood with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the rough tree trunk.

That "Portable Stealth Formation Plate" not only perfectly erased his figure and aura, but also projected an invisible barrier with a diameter of two zhang around him, repelling all the foul-smelling miasma and poisonous thorns.

Watching the back of the figure ahead, who was coughing up blood while cheering himself on, a trace of surprise flashed in Gu Yi's eyes.

This kid's vitality was even more tenacious than the Spirit Stone cockroaches in the back mountain's cesspit.

Relying solely on his Qi Refinement Stage cultivation, he had actually managed to carve a path through this natural killing Formation, which was capable of strangling a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, using nothing but his own Physical Body.

"Giggle, giggle…"

A string of charming laughter, like silver bells, rang out inside the stealth barrier surrounding Gu Yi.

Specks of purple light drifted out from the Soul-Nourishing Wood at Gu Yi's chest, rapidly condensing into Ji Meier's graceful and alluring semi-tangible form.

Thanks to the nourishment from the Extreme Cold Ice Flame and the Creation Immortal Body, the phantom form she condensed could now be maintained for a considerable amount of time, and its texture was no different from a normal person's.

She leaned her side against Gu Yi's chest with extreme naturalness, her blindingly white, shapely jade legs swaying gently in the air, her toes brushing just past the hem of Gu Yi's pristine robes.

Gu Yi summoned the villain shop interface in his mind, his intent shifting slightly.

[Ding! Consumed 10 Villain Points to redeem one serving of "Tianshan Pine Nuts and Hundred-Fruit Immortal Wine".]

A small dish of crystal-clear pine nuts and a pot of fruit-scented immortal wine appeared in Gu Yi's hands out of thin air. He unhurriedly peeled a pine nut and brought the kernel to Ji Meier's alluring red lips.

Ji Meier took the pine nut from Gu Yi's hand into her mouth, her fox-like eyes shimmering as she looked through the stealth barrier, watching the Lin Tian rolling in the mud ahead with amusement.

"This Eight Trigrams Maze Formation was something I casually set up years ago to keep wild beasts out. Although the Formation core has long been broken and dilapidated due to changes in the ley lines, with less than one-tenth of its power remaining, this little Trash still can't even find the most basic Gate of Life, stupidly running his Physical Body straight into the poisonous vines of the Gate of Death."

She lifted the immortal wine and took a small sip, her tone full of mockery, "Look at that recklessness of his; if he weren't lucky, that vine just now would have snapped his neck."

Gu Yi took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her soft, slender waist, his fingers gently stroking the silk-smooth waist, feeling the warmth radiating against his palm.

"If he weren't reckless, wouldn't we have to trouble ourselves to clear the traps and mechanisms along the way?"

Gu Yi chuckled, his tone laced with a hint of laziness.

He lowered his head slightly, his nose brushing against the back of Ji Meier's long, fair neck, "But as for you, you must have suffered quite a bit setting up this Formation in this wilderness back then. Now that we're revisiting old ground, with a warm and attentive spectator by your side, how does it feel?"

The tingling sensation at her waist made Ji Meier's breathing hitch for a moment. Not only did she not dodge, but she nestled even more submissively into Gu Yi's arms, a seductive, amorous look rising in the corners of her eyes.

"You little scoundrel, you still have the mind to take advantage of me at a time like this."

Ji Meier breathed like an orchid, lowering her voice as she leaned into Gu Yi's ear, "When I saw that little Trash get tripped by the poisonous vines just now, an interesting thought crossed my mind. If there's a chance, why don't we try it suspended in this deep forest, using those thick vines? Your Immortal Body is overbearing, and this body I've reshaped is flexible enough; I imagine it would be quite an experience."

Gu Yi's movements paused for half a beat, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

In such a gloomy and eerie killing Formation, this enchantress could actually discuss high-difficulty positions for outdoor Dual Cultivation with a straight face.

He lowered his head and bit down on Ji Meier's rounded earlobe, causing the beauty in his arms to let out a suppressed, delicate cry.

"Since you have such refined interests, once we obtain the spirit fire later, I will certainly do my utmost to satisfy your curiosity."

Accompanied by a dull rumbling sound from the ground, a disturbance occurred in the depths of the dense forest ahead, interrupting the flirtatious interaction within the stealth barrier.

Gu Yi let go and looked up.

He saw Lin Tian dragging his injured leg, stepping into a clearing where not a blade of grass grew. The ground ahead instantly exploded, and three bluestone Puppets, each two zhang tall, burst from the earth, surrounding Lin Tian tightly in a triangular Formation.

Scarlet light lit up in the Puppets' hollow eye sockets as they brandished door-sized giant axes, bringing with them gusts of foul wind as they hacked down towards Lin Tian's head.

"Three Talents Tomb-Guarding Puppets?" Ji Meier leaned on Gu Yi's shoulder, her delicate eyebrows slightly raised, "These things are still functioning. This little Trash is going to suffer greatly, I'm afraid."

Gu Yi narrowed his eyes, his Divine Sense locked firmly onto Lin Tian.

If Lin Tian really couldn't hold on, he wouldn't mind helping out secretly with his Divine Sense. After all, if the treasure-seeking rat died halfway, there would be no one to help retrieve the earth heart green lotus fire.

Facing the strangulation of the three stone Puppets, Lin Tian's eyes turned completely bloodshot.

There was nowhere left to retreat.

"Break for me!"

Lin Tian let out a beast-like roar, charging forward instead of retreating, rushing straight towards the giant axe. He completely abandoned all defense, frantically pouring all the spiritual power in his body into the notched longsword in his hand.

The moment the longsword collided with the giant axe, it let out a brittle sound of being unable to bear the load, shattering into pieces.

The edge of the giant axe fell, brushing past Lin Tian's shoulder and tearing away a large chunk of flesh.

Using the gap he had exchanged his life for, Lin Tian forced his way into the Puppet's defensive blind spot.

He bit his tongue hard, spraying a mouthful of essence blood into his palm, then slapped it onto a tattered Explosive Flame Talisman he had pulled from somewhere, pressing it firmly onto the Formation pattern core on the Puppet's chest.

Dazzling firelight shot into the sky.

The shockwave of the explosion sent Lin Tian flying like a ragdoll, smashing him heavily against the tree trunk behind him. The three bluestone Puppets, their Formation core destroyed, shuddered violently before collapsing into a pile of rubble.

"Cough, cough…"

Lin Tian vomited a large mouthful of blood mixed with bits of internal organs, struggling to crawl up from the ground. One of his arms hung limp at his side, and there wasn't a single patch of intact skin on his body, making him look like a bloody man fished out of a pool of blood.

But he smiled.

A smile both miserable and fanatical.

Because the poisonous mist behind the Puppets was dissipating at a speed visible to the naked eye as the Formation was broken.

An underground passage paved with dark red rocks slowly revealed itself before him. At the end of the passage, a scorching red light flickered faintly, and even the surrounding air was distorted by the terrifying heat.

"The spirit fire… is down there!"

Lin Tian gripped the cold ring tightly, dragging his broken body, walking step by step, stumbling towards that passage.

One hundred steps away.

Gu Yi tossed the last kernel of the snow jade pine nut into his mouth, slowly brushing the residue from his hands.

"This will to survive is something even I cannot help but admire."

Gu Yi chuckled to himself, turned his head, and looked at Ji Meier, whose eyes were shining with the same excitement in his arms, the corners of his mouth curling into an arc. He raised his hand and pinched her pert curves, drawing another delicate pout from her.

"The show is over."

Gu Yi strode forward, stepping unhurriedly onto the safe passage Lin Tian had just carved out with his own blood.