This unique occurrence at the Evil Sky Pavilion caught everyone’s attention.
Hua Wudao, Duanmu Sheng, Zhou Jifeng, Zhao Yue, Little Yuan’er, and the Derived Moon Palace’s female cultivators rushed toward the pavilion.
Even the recuperating Fan Xiuwen walked out of his room with great difficulty and gazed at the Evil Sky Pavilion. Although he was experienced and knowledgeable, he was still shocked and puzzled when he saw the huge vortex above the Evil Sky Pavilion. He frowned and muttered to himself, “Is it possible that the old villain intends to forcibly absorb the barrier’s power to maintain his cultivation base?” From his vantage point, he could see the Primal Qi from the Golden Court Mountain’s barrier converging above the Evil Sky Pavilion.
“Eye of the Formation?” Fan Xiuwen finally seemed to recognize the vortex above the Golden Court Mountain barrier’s Formation.
The eye of the Formation could control the entire barrier. Some cultivators would hide the eye of the Formation in a hidden place so enemies would not be able to find it. Apart from that, the eye of the Formation was also the point where energy was transferred to mend a Formation.
The Golden Court Mountain was a wonderful terrain to defend. The layout of such a massive and powerful barrier had kept the ten great sects of the Noble Path at bay. Fan Xiuwen did not expect the eye of the Formation to be located above the Evil Sky Pavilion. However, why was the energy of the barrier being absorbed at this moment? What was happening?
After a while, a thought appeared in Fan Xiuwen’s mind, ‘Someone’s chipping away at the Golden Court Mountain’s barrier and weakening its defenses!’
Formations were especially important for cultivation grounds. For example, the Righteous Sect was clearly weak, and yet, they were able to survive throughout the years due to the presence of the Green Jade Altar.
The eight altars of the Yun Sect also had defensive Formations that protected their cultivation centers.
Fan Xiuwen could not understand what he was seeing. ‘What is the Evil Sky Pavilion trying to do?’ If this goes on and the barrier vanishes, how would the Evil Sky Pavilion stop the cultivators from the Noble Path if they joined forces and launched another attack?
Bzzt –
The vibrations from the vortex intensified with every passing minute.
Fan Xiuwen decided to head over and take a look. Currently, the Evil Sky Pavilion was his only refuge. If something were to happen to it, he would have nowhere else to go. He endured the pain from his injuries as he struggled to make his way to the Evil Sky Pavilion.
After a short while, Fan Xiuwen was finally approaching the Evil Sky Pavilion. ‘Hm? What’s this old beggar doing here?’
Being the kind of person he was, when Fan Xiuwen saw this old beggar, he studied the beggar for a moment before he asked, “Who are you?”
The old beggar was lying on the ground with his back facing the Evil Sky Pavilion and Fan Xiuwen. When he heard Fan Xiuwen’s voice, he turned around in a lazy manner and glanced at Fan Xiuwen.
Pan Litian was shocked when he saw Fan Xiuwen’s appearance. Fan Xiuwen’s face was disfigured. Without his mask, his appearance was slightly terrifying.
Finally, Pan Litian raised his wine jar and said, “I’m here for some good wine… good wine… Want a sip?” He did not seem to have any intention of going to the Evil Sky Pavilion.
Fan Xiuwen who had a clear look at Pan Litian asked in a deep voice, “You haven’t answered my question.” He was not as gullible as Little Yuan’er. Anyone who was here could not possibly be an ordinary person.
Pan Litian chuckled and said, “Who I am is not important… It seems like you’ve suffered from grievous injuries.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“I’ve traveled from the south to the north and have seen many kinds of people… Young man, it’s better if you’re less hostile and confrontational,” the old beggar said in the manner of a senior.
Fan Xiuwen frowned and said in his deep voice, “Did you just refer to me as a young man?”
“Hm?” Pan Litian narrowed his eyes at Fan Xiuwen.
Fan Xiuwen laughed before he said, “A little junior who’s blissfully ignorant. I won’t hold this against you.”
“Nor will I.”
The two of them looked at each other for a moment. They decided to stay out of each other’s business and looked at the Evil Sky Pavilion in the end.
Time and tide waited for no man. It had changed their appearances, and none of them could recognize the other. Although the old beggar looked ordinary and useless, Fan Xiuwen did not underestimate him.
Meanwhile, the vortex was still absorbing energy from above the Evil Sky Pavilion.
The disciples who were looking at this were baffled.
“Elder Hua, you’re knowledgeable. What’s happening?” Duanmu Sheng pointed at the vortex.
Hua Wudao’s brows were tightly knitted together as he said, “Something’s happening to the eye of the Formation!”
“Ever since the Righteous Sect and Heavenly Sword Sect came looking for trouble, master had personally restored the eye of the Formation… There shouldn’t be anything wrong with it,” Duanmu Sheng said.
When the Heavenly Sword Sect was mentioned, Zhou Jifeng blushed in embarrassment. He was present when it happened. He even witnessed Lu Zhou restoring the Formation.
Little Yuan’er was not too worried. She said, “It’s alright, even if the Formation is gone… The Noble Path won’t dare to come at us!”
The others were not as carefree as Little Yuan’er, they could not help but feel worried.
Zhao Yue said, “Master is still cultivating in seclusion… However, this can’t go on.”
Duanmu Sheng sighed and said, “It’s a shame that Old Fourth isn’t here. Otherwise, we could’ve asked him to think of something.”
Although Mingshi Yin relied more on little mind tricks, he was good at thinking on his feet.
While they discussed this matter, the vortex in the sky grew larger, and the barrier shook! This was an indication that the vortex had absorbed much of the barrier’s power. “What’s happening?”
Hua Wudao said, “We can’t let this go on! We must inform the Pavilion Master!”
The others nodded.
Hua Wudao was the oldest among them so he led the others to the great hall. The others followed closely behind him. They passed through the dim and long corridor into the pagoda before they arrived at the hidden chamber.
The hidden chamber was sealed and was mostly soundproof. At this place, the buzzing noise from the barrier could not be heard.
All of them bowed in unison.
“Pavilion Master.”
“Master.”
Even after they said their greetings, the hidden chamber remained silent.
Everyone exchanged glances. “Master?” Duanmu Sheng tried again.
Unfortunately, there was no answer.
Hua Wudao walked up to the hidden chamber’s door and projected his voice into the room. “Hua Wudao would like to meet you in regard to an important matter.” If he projected his voice with Primal Qi, even if there was a rock door between them, anyone in the room would certainly hear him.
However, there was still no reply from Lu Zhou.
“Is master not in there?”
“If he isn’t here, then, where is he? There are people cleaning and patrolling the east, south, west, and north pavilions. Moreover, master has no need to sneak around,” Duanmu Sheng said.
Hua Wudao said calmly, “Let’s stay calm. Allow me to probe.”
At a certain realm, cultivators could sense the presence of any living beings in their vicinity with their heightened senses. The only exception was if the target’s cultivation base was far greater than that of the cultivator who was doing the probing and could conceal their auras.
Since Hua Wudao was a Seven-leaf expert, he was the most suitable person for this job. Moreover, there was no need for Lu Zhou to conceal his aura.
Hua Wudao placed a hand on the stone door, and Primal Qi surged out of his palm. At such close range, he would be able to accurately determine if there was anyone in the room.
Hua Wudao closed his eyes. His ears twitched slightly.
The Primal Qi entered the hidden chamber.
It was quiet and warm inside. There seemed to be no one in the room.
Hua Wudao continued to probe the room. At this moment, he sensed a powerful energy rapidly shrinking and forming a funnel above the hidden chamber before they converged below.
Hua Wudao opened his eyes and quickly removed his palm!
“Elder Hua, what’s the situation?” Duanmu Sheng asked anxiously. “The Pavilion Master… might be descending into depravity!” ‘Descending into depravity?!’
The others were shocked.
A cultivator usually cultivated in seclusion to achieve a breakthrough in their cultivation base to reach greater heights on the path of cultivation. There were plenty of those who descended into depravity in the cultivation world.
This did not mean the cultivator would turn into a literal devil. It was more of a condition where there was something amiss with their cultivation methods, and in turn, it affected their cultivation bases. The cultivator’s meridians, dantian, and sea of Qi would be damaged. Best case scenario, the cultivator would be paralyzed for life. Worst case scenario, the cultivator would lose his cultivation base and die!
“That’s impossible! Elder Hua, you better not be making this up!” Little Yuan’er said indignantly.
Hua Wudao said earnestly, “The fluctuations of aura and Primal Qi are extremely chaotic inside the chamber… I can feel the barrier’s energy converging in the hidden chamber through the eye of the Formation! If you don’t believe me, you can personally probe the room!”
Duanmu Sheng was the first one to walk up to the door. He probed the chamber and found that it was indeed as Hua Wudao had described. The Primal Qi inside the room was extremely chaotic… This was a sign of a cultivator descending into depravity!
“Third Senior Brother, do something! We can’t let this go on!” Zhao Yue was flustered at this moment.
Duanmu Sheng scratched his head. He brought his eye close to the stone door but could not see anything through the slit. He only shook his head.
Hua Wudao sighed as he said, “We have two
options.”
“What are they?”
“First, we can break into the hidden chamber and work together to stabilize the chaotic Primal Qi. However, the chaotic Primal Qi will cause some backlash so we’ll have to endure it. The second option is to wait. There’s a possibility that a cultivator who is descending into depravity could achieve a great breakthrough in his cultivation base if he manages to survive the ordeal. However, the chances of that are very low.”
Little Yuan’er was the first to speak, “What are we waiting for? Let’s break down the door! Third Senior Brother… Hurry!”
Hua Wudao nodded and said, “In that case, let’s go with the first option. Those with cultivation bases below the Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm should leave!” He was also in favor of the first option.
Duanmu Sheng said, “I agree.” The female cultivators with a weaker cultivation base turned around and left. They could not help in this situation and would only be a burden.
However, Zhao Yue did not leave. Instead, she said, “I’m staying.” They knew if something were to happen to their master, the Evil Sky Pavilion would truly be doomed.
Whether it was from a personal perspective or from the perspective of the pagoda, they had to make this choice.
Just when the female cultivators left, the buzzing from the vibration finally reached this place. This meant that the barrier was now shaking more fiercely than ever.
Fan Xiuwen and Pan Litian observed this silently. It was as if this had nothing to do with them.
Fan Xiuwen looked at the converging Primal Qi and seemed to have made a new discovery. He said with disapproval, “Looks like you didn’t give up on your quest for eternal life after all these years…”
Pan Litian glanced at him and said, “Birth, growth, sickness, and death are the unchanging truths since the beginning of time… There have always been those who wish to defy these truths, but to what end…”
“Old geezer, if you’re so open-minded about all this, why don’t you leap off that cliff and end your life?” Fan Xiuwen pointed toward a nearby cliff.
“Young man, please don’t take me seriously. I don’t have much longer to live. You, on the other hand, are young, and you have a long way ahead of you. When you’re at my age, you’d understand what needs to be understood,” Pan Litian said confidently in a manner that spoke of his age and experience.
Fan Xiuwen spoke contemptuously in his hoarse voice, “When I dominated the lands, I don’t think you were even born yet.”
