Half an hour ago.

Leaving the mountain, Yu Zikuan arrived just as the Deity Summoning Formation was activated. He decisively settled the small sects he had just brought down, and leaped into the besieged Ku Mountain Sect with a carefree attitude.

"I have to go back again." He spoke extremely quickly, "This formation's situation is strange, does anyone have any clues?"

Shi Jingzhi glanced at his dirty mask: "This formation has great power, it's best if you give up. Zongwu Mountain is so big, with small sects running around everywhere, there will inevitably be sacrifices. We do our best and leave the rest to fate, this way..."

Yu Zikuan interrupted him, his voice carrying a hint of bitterness: "Hmm, I understand. Everyone, let's part ways here."

Shi Jingzhi sighed: "This formation clearly absorbs people's essence and seals their movements. Those with strong inner energy can survive a bit longer. But after entering the formation, all strength is lost, there's no escaping."

"I know, but Ah Zheng is still inside, I must go." Yu Zikuan shook his head and turned to leave.

"Wait a moment."

Yin Ci suddenly spoke up.

He untied the white jade hair tie on his head, his long hair instantly cascading down. Yin Ci stroked the hair tie, then looked at Shi Jingzhi: "This hair tie is engraved with a protective technique. The essence of a protective formation is an essence shield. The Deity Summoning Formation first drains the shield, allowing the person inside to retain some strength and move for a moment."

Shi Jingzhi instantly understood: "Ah Ci, you couldn't be—"

"Using a person as the material, the technique's effect is best." Yin Ci smiled, the coldness in his smile mostly dissipating. "But Master doesn't allow me to harm myself, so I still need Master's help with this."

With a slash of the Hanging Shadow Sword, a significant portion of Yin Ci's long hair was cut off. He quickly gathered the hair: "It's just right that Master's wound hasn't healed, adding some more blood will do."

But before he could tie up the hair, Shi Jingzhi also quickly cut off a large section of his long hair. Sect Leader Shi took turns smoothing the hair with his two injured hands, the originally glossy black hair emitting a strong scent of blood.

"The more the better, just in case. Here, Ah Ci, tie them together."

Time was tight, and although Yin Ci felt he was being teased by this little brat, he ultimately didn't dwell on it.

Yin Ci tightly bound the two bundles of long hair together and handed it to Yu Zikuan along with the hair tie: "Take it, activate the technique immediately after entering the mountain. The Deity Summoning Formation is too strong, it won't last long, you must go and return quickly."

Seeing Yu Zikuan open his mouth, Yin Ci frowned and immediately blocked him: "No need to waste words on thanks. This hair tie is something I cherish. If things don't work out, you must die in a conspicuous place so I can find it... Alright, get lost."

Yu Zikuan took a deep breath, swallowing back the words that had reached the tip of his tongue. He tucked the large bundle of blood-soaked hair into his bosom and charged straight towards Zongwu Mountain.

Shi Jingzhi instantly turned his head: "Something you cherish?"

"Just telling the truth." Yin Ci glanced at him with amusement.

"Rare to see Ah Ci so enthusiastic."

Yin Ci looked in the direction Yu Zikuan left, his smile fading slightly: "As the saying goes, things don't happen more than thrice, but experiencing certain things once is enough... It's just empathy."

Cherished ones dying tragically while being powerless to stop it, this is undoubtedly the most suffocating pain in the world. Yin Ci was used to coldly watching all kinds of tragedies in the world. Now, his heart's shell had been peeled away, gradually softening, even giving rise to an almost childish thought—by helping Yu Zikuan, perhaps he had accumulated some virtue, allowing similar misfortunes to not reappear for Shi Jingzhi.

But this idea was truly subtle, he couldn't maintain his old thick-skinned face, and definitely wouldn't say it out loud.

Inside Zongwu Mountain, Vermilion Tower Hall.

As if taking shelter under the eaves during a heavy downpour, the heavy pressure around Yan Zheng was momentarily blocked by something, allowing him to breathe again.

Yan Zheng straightened his trembling knees, struggling to lift his eyelids: "Yu Zikuan?"

"Mm." Yu Zikuan pushed up his mask, "Time is limited, leaving first is best."

The Deity Summoning Formation operated without mercy. Young and powerful as Yan Zheng was, at this moment he was also at death's door. The older ones like Elder Kong had already turned into twisted flesh on the floor, their breaths extinguished.

Yan Zheng moved his cracked lips, unable to make a sound for a long time. He was angry that Yu Zikuan was so stubborn, daring to turn back and enter this deadly array. Yet for the matter of "someone actually being willing to return for him", Yan Zheng couldn't control the bittersweet joy in his heart.

"I clearly arranged everything for you." He grabbed Yu Zikuan's sleeve again, somewhat delirious. "You have to escort the innocent small sects down the mountain..."

In the past six years, it wasn't that Yan Zheng couldn't understand Yu Zikuan's thoughts. He was around the same age as Yu Zikuan's deceased beloved son, and with no one to accompany him on the mountain, Hero Yu had inevitably transferred some of his feelings onto him. Even if raising a dog, six years was enough to accumulate some affection.

So he had even arranged the excuse of "being unable to save himself" for Yu Zikuan in advance.

Why did Yu Zikuan come back? And how was he maintaining movement within this vicious formation? Yan Zheng was extremely weak, his mind a mess.

"They have already gone down the mountain." Yu Zikuan said patiently, "This time I've come to take you away."

"This one... I..."

"I know what you want to say, I don't intend to forgive your blood debts on anyone's behalf. As a person of Taiheng Sect, I naturally must punish evil and promote good."

Yu Zikuan placed a hand on Yan Zheng's shoulder.

"Those who don't know to repent shall be killed, those who can distinguish good and evil shall be punished. Yu Zheng, you still have the Yu family's medical skills, useful to the world. As one of the enemies of the Ling Sect, I sentence you to save as many people as you've harmed. Are you willing?"

Yan Zheng swayed on the spot. Looking at the corpses of Ling Sect disciples all over the floor, he stepped away from the sect leader's position and struggled to squeeze out a response.

"Mm."

Yu Zikuan smiled wearily: "It's a deal then."

With that, he took out the white jade hair tie from his bosom and gave it a quick glance. Most of the hair had turned to dust and was still crumbling incessantly. Yu Zikuan gripped the hair tie in his left hand, his right hand hauling up the barely breathing Yan Zheng as he sprinted towards the mountain exit with all his might.

As if discovering these two that slipped through the net, the oppressive might of the Deity Summoning Formation grew heavier. The blood-soaked hair seemed to be burning in an invisible flame, disappearing faster and faster. The protective shield outside their bodies emitted the tiniest cracking sounds, on the verge of shattering. And Yu Zikuan, having run the entire way under the influence of the formation's "sealing of movement", had exhausted his meridians, his true qi scant.

Each step forward required several times more effort. The hair was about to burn out, he was nearly exposed under the formation, his entire being as if drowned in a cold mud bog. Yu Zikuan's vision went black in waves, his years of instinct charging frantically in his mind—

He couldn't hold on any longer.

Ku Mountain and his disciples' origins were unknown, but the blood and hair were able to protect them for over half an hour, which was already quite remarkable. As they approached the edge of the mountain, Yu Zikuan gritted his teeth and stuffed the hair tie into Yan Zheng's bosom.

Yan Zheng was still young, and after resting for a while, he could still muster some strength to save himself. Yu Zikuan himself had already reached his limit and could probably only stop here.

"Remember to... return the hair tie to Yin Ci of the Ku Mountain Sect," Yu Zikuan said with difficulty. He put Yan Zheng down on the ground and pushed him towards the edge of the mountain. "Go quickly, don't look back..."

It should have been a moment of life and death separation, but Yan Zheng laughed instead.

He managed to steady himself, and the next moment, he propped up Yu Zikuan from the ground. Both of them were extremely weak and nearly fell together.

"The evil disciples of the Ling Sect are still roaming the world, so the great hero still needs to monitor them," Yan Zheng said breathlessly, as Yu Zikuan was tall and large. "Don't look back? Now I... This one is not so useless, of course I have to look back."

As the hair burned out and the protective barrier completely shattered, the loss of vital energy and the restraints of the formation took effect simultaneously. Yan Zheng decisively cut open his wrist and poured his own blood onto the white jade hair tie, forcibly moving step by step out of the mountain.

The effect of the blood was limited, and Yan Zheng could see his flesh and blood withering and his hair scorching, but he still maintained his standing posture and struggled forward in an almost falling stance.

After a cup of tea, or a hundred years, they finally moved out of the edge of the Deity Summoning Formation.

The heavy pressure on their bodies disappeared, and the two of them almost fell to the ground at the same time. Yan Zheng's long hair was spread out on the ground, originally as black as ebony, but now as white as fallen snow.

The two of them fell into a deep coma, and the clear wind from the mountain swept over the mist, the withered grass rising and falling with their chests - that rise and fall was slight and gentle, but it definitely existed.

In comparison, the situation of the Ku Mountain Sect members was more complicated.

Yan Qing watched the slowly disappearing corpses, feeling a chill down his spine. The bit of relief he felt from defeating Chai Xin had all evaporated from his head. If Shen Zhu hadn't encountered Yu Zikuan that night, they would all be on the mountain now.

This formation was extremely dangerous, and once activated, even self-rescue was impossible. The Taiheng Sect, the Red Hook Sect, the small sects that came to join in the excitement, and the entire Ling Sect would all be caught in one net by the Deity Summoning Formation. With the destruction of the Ling Sect's main altar, the branch altars in various places were bound to fall into madness, and with the Jianchen Temple sealed and the Taiheng Sect having just changed hands, it was hard to say how long the turmoil would last.

On the other hand, with the chaotic situation caused by the Shi Rou beforehand and the inexplicable casualties of various sects afterwards, no one wanted to suffer losses and swallow blood. After this change, the great chaos in the martial arts world was imminent.

This deadly formation was clearly a fuse.

But who would benefit from the chaos in the martial arts world? Yan Qing thought until his head was dizzy, but he couldn't figure out the reason. And having witnessed the Deity Summoning Formation devouring living people with their own eyes, the various sects at the foot of the mountain also came to their senses and turned their attention back to the Ku Mountain Sect.

No one was stupid. Seeing the scene before them and the actions of the Ku Mountain Sect, anyone with discerning eyes could guess a few things. This time, whether the Ku Mountain Sect had obtained clues about the Shi Rou or not was uncertain, but it was definitely a done deal that they had lured them down the mountain.

Jin Lan was the first to speak up: "Sect Leader Shi, that formation...?"

"That was a killing formation set up by villains, which my sect happened to stumble upon," Shi Jingzhi answered energetically. "The formation was truly terrifying, and my sect had no other choice but to falsely claim to have obtained clues and resort to this underhanded tactic."

As Sect Leader Shi spoke, he waved the flag in his hand, letting the wounds on his hand bleed a little more. His gaze was so sincere that it made people uncomfortable, as if he was pitifully expressing, "This was all to save you, hurry up and thank the Ku Mountain Sect."

It just so happened that he had a good nose and eyes, and this shrewdness was just right, making it hard for people to get angry.

Jin Lan: "..." He was more accustomed to the humble style of the martial arts world and found it a bit difficult to adapt to Sect Leader Shi's unabashed and lively manner.

Seeing that Jin Lan didn't respond, Shi Jingzhi deliberately added true qi to his voice: "Everyone has been stuck here for most of the day, and you can see the strength of my sect. If we really had clues, we would have escaped long ago. Why would we still be lingering here?"

"Who knows?" came a shout from one of the small sects, "Just now, you gave that person hair, and that person went back into the mountain. You clearly knew how to deal with this formation, and maybe the deadly formation was set up by you!"

"I also heard about the Mi Mountain Sect's matter a few days ago. Their Ku Mountain Sect originally knew battle formations and even damaged the Mi Mountain Sect's secret scripture-"

"I think that Sect Master is just putting on a show, trying to sell favors to everyone."

Jin Lan's heart skipped a beat.

Indeed, he could think of this matter in a positive light because he had a fairly good impression of the Ku Mountain Sect. But for others, the Ku Mountain Sect no longer had any reputation or credibility to speak of. He didn't know how Shi Jingzhi was going to get rid of this...

"Oh? Oh, it's not impossible for you to think that way."

Shi Jingzhi smiled and turned his back.

"If my sect can come up with such a deadly formation, then killing all of you would be a piece of cake. Are you all trying to refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit?"

Jin Lan looked at Yan Qing with a numb expression, while Yan Qing hurriedly avoided his questioning gaze. Yes, he had underestimated Sect Leader Shi's thick skin after all. He had indeed never heard of the Ku Mountain Sect being considered an orthodox sect.

Even his disciple cooperated in dealing a blow, emitting a heavy murderous aura without any scruples, making people not dare to act rashly.

"Those who think they were rescued by my sect and want to repay the favor, please tell me the clues you have gathered these days. If you don't have any clues, loudly expressing your gratitude is also acceptable."

"As for the fools who think my sect went to great lengths to create such a deadly formation just to swindle you for favors... According to your logic, the deadly formation was set up by my Ku Mountain Sect, so the destruction of the Ling Sect's main altar should be attributed to my sect, right? The martial arts world has gained peace, so shouldn't you also pay some compensation?"

Sect Leader Shi narrowed his fox-like eyes, almost calculating on an abacus right under everyone's noses. Jin Lan had been in the martial arts world for a long time, but he had never seen such... such a blunt person.

But "just expressing gratitude" also counted, and it was much better than forcibly taking or harming lives. Jin Lan sighed inwardly.

Even if they were wanted criminals, a favor was still a favor. Instead of continuing to dwell on this clue, it was better to withdraw early and report the big news of the "destruction of the Ling Sect's main altar" - with the Ling Sect's branch altars causing trouble, the Taiheng Sect would be even more short-handed.

Jin Lan stepped forward with a hint of disdain and faced the smiling Shi Jingzhi: "The Taiheng Sect has never liked owing favors. My sect has compiled our findings from the past few days and will present them to the Sect Master. Let's leave it at that for now. The next time we meet, the Taiheng Sect will still have to apprehend the Ku Mountain Sect."

With Taiheng taking the lead, the other small sects had to swallow their pride. They lined up one by one, either expressing gratitude or offering information. Not only did the Deity Summoning Formation show no signs of stopping, but even if it disappeared immediately, the small sects wouldn't dare approach Zongwu Mountain.

It didn't hurt to talk, and they could settle the favors. It was best to cut ties with the Ku Mountain Sect as soon as possible.

The four members of the Ku Mountain Sect transformed into autumn harvest farmers and immediately began reaping the readily available information. The fragmented clues piled up like a mountain, and amidst the laughter and chatter, a rough outline of a map slowly emerged.

Yin Ci watched Shi Jingzhi, whose smile grew more and more delighted, and sighed inwardly.

Yan Budu wanted to see the sects fight. They either had to conduct a carpet search or ambush halfway to seize the results from others. For the Ku Mountain Sect with few members, neither path was easy. Who knew this fox would actually find a way to break through.

As if Shi Jingzhi had eyes on the back of his head, he sensed Yin Ci's gaze and slowly turned his head. "Ah Ci, what do you think? Don't easily let yourself be wronged in the future."

Sect Leader Shi even pretentiously cleared his throat and said teasingly, "What about your 'it won't happen next time'?"

Yin Ci replied, "I'll go around and look for Yu Zikuan in a bit."

"Alright, I'll go with you... wait, don't change the subject!"

Yin Ci's gaze softened. He leaned forward, his warm breath scattering by Shi Jingzhi's ear. "It won't happen next time."

...As long as you are safe and sound.

Author's Note:

Here it is——!!!