“So the Witherdew celestial emperor has come….” Situ Zong went as white as a sheet as helplessness subsumed him.
Two years ago, after the tournament in Dusk, the nine celestial emperors had abdicated their thrones, including the Witherdew celestial emperor. The celestial emperor Situ Zong was referring to was his successor. The new celestial emperor hadn’t yet reached origin dao immortal, but he was still a powerful arcane dao immortal.
The Star Demon Sect was based in Witherdew Major, and had clashed with the major for nearly twenty thousand years. The former celestial emperor had shown some mercy to them, but his successor violently cut them down as soon as he took the throne.
The new administration had delivered many blows to the Star Demon Sect, and the celestial emperor had even personally taken to the field to deal with the senior council of the sect.
The Blithe Entrapment Formation was Witherdew Major’s greatest treasure, akin to the Ingress Path of Nephrite Major. The formation signaled that the Witherdew celestial emperor himself had descended upon the tomb!
“Witherdew Celestial Emperor huh… I wonder if he’s the real deal.” Lu Yun paused. “The formation is a bit troublesome, though.”
The ‘entrapment’ part of the Blithe Entrapment Formation meant trapping and slaughtering. In other words, the formation was also a killing formation!
Corpses littered the ground within the formation. More than a thousand immortals had been executed, and some had even been churned into meat paste. Survivors were taking shelter behind the protection of dao immortals of their sects, but the dao immortals could only hold their ground for so long, even with the aid of powerful treasures; they themselves couldn’t counter the terrible formation.
With a single thought, Lu Yun deployed a magnificent white path to protect himself and his companions before the power of the formation could harm them.
The Ingress Path alleviated the pressure they were under. Upon a second thought, Lu Yun waved a hand, extending the path until it reached the arcane dao immortal among the survivors.
“It’s the Ingress Path!” The sudden emergence of the white path ignited hope in many expressions, while the arcane dao immortal blinked at the sudden development.
“Lu Yun?” He frowned at Lu Yun in incomprehension.
“Senior, are you from the Xiangliu Clan of the East Sea?” Lu Yun shouted. “I’m good friends with your eldest prince, Xiangliu Hongzhen.”
Grasping the situation, the arcane dao immortal relaxed his brows.
“Ah, stay behind me then, young friend.” Lu Yun had surely extended the Ingress Path to him to seek his protection.
He didn’t know about the friendship between Lu Yun and the Deaf Prince, but the alliance of profligates had caused no end of trouble on Levitating Island and ended up destroying Myriad Returns Market as the cherry on top. Rumors had placed Lu Yun by Xiangliu Hongzhen’s side, and the prince had always idolized the youth sovereign. It made sense for them to become friends.
Strange. Didn’t Lu Yun betray the Nephrite court and appoint himself the Dusk Lord? Why would Zhao Changkong give him the Ingress Path? This bit confused the arcane dao immortal. And the man beside him seems to be an aether dao immortal from the Star Demon Sect…
“Please set foot on the Ingress Path, senior. This junior will guide you to safety.” Instead of entering the arcane dao immortal’s sphere of protection, Lu Yun remained on the path and created an opening.
The arcane dao immortal and the other immortals from the East Sea gaped at him.
Guide them to safety?
The Ingress Path was the most valued treasure of Nephrite Major and could be used to break formations. However, the arcane dao immortal could tell this particular path was merely an imitation.
Nephrite Celestial Emperor Zhao Changkong might be able to escape from the Blithe Entrapment Formation with the real Ingress Path, but wouldn’t Lu Yun only be courting death by forcing his way out with an imitation?
“Don’t worry, senior.” Lu Yun read the arcane dao immortal’s expression. He soothed with a smile, “Trust me. It’s not in my nature to court death.”
The arcane dao immortal then recalled that Lu Yun was said to be a formation grandmaster. After a brief hesitation, he led the surviving dozen immortals onto the Ingress Path with some lingering doubts.
The Blithe Entrapment Formation contained a vicious strength that not only trapped, but killed. As soon as victims entered, they would barely be able move a muscle. It would be all they could do to counter the formation’s power and keep themselves alive.
If Lu Yun didn’t give them a hand, they’d soon buckle under the pressure.
Once the Witherdew Celestial Emperor collected the Fire Parasol Tree, he would certainly push the formation to its maximum and kill them all. The new celestial emperor was no merciful monarch, and had killed countless people since his succession.
As soon as the immortals walked onto the Ingress Path, they felt a great pressure lift from their shoulders.
“This old man is Xiangliu Ting. You have my deepest gratitude, young friend!” Xiangliu Ting cupped his hands at Lu Yun and swallowed a pill before sitting down cross-legged to recover his almost exhausted energy.
“There’s no need for pleasantries, senior.” Lu Yun smiled. He could sense the traces of goodwill coming from the East Sea immortals.
“Lu Yun, young friend Lu Yun. Please help!”
“Take us with you, Dusk Lord!”
“I will never forget your kindness if you save me, Dusk Lord!” a clamor of desperate cries ensued.
There were still hundreds of struggling immortals, protected by roughly a dozen dao immortals, in the formation. However, these dao immortals were far less powerful than Xiangliu Ting. The pallor of death loomed over their faces; they wouldn’t be able to last for much longer.
After some deliberation, Lu Yun waved a hand and bifurcated the Ingress Path multiple times to collect the immortals. Feinie and Huangqing had remade the imitation with the Formation Orb, and although it couldn’t yet match the original, it was still tremendously powerful.
More importantly, Lu Yun had spotted the weaknesses of the formation and now stood in one of them. He couldn’t break the formation itself, but he could poke a hole in the feng shui layout the formation had created.
“Good thing there aren’t any ungrateful sorts here,” he sighed with relief when he felt the goodwill streaming from those he’d rescued. Their gratitude meant they didn’t hold any malicious thoughts toward him, and it wouldn’t do him any harm to save them.
Thousands of immortals had died here. The formation had even claimed some arcane dao immortals in their moments of carelessness. It was at this time that Lu Yun had descended upon them and saved them from impending doom like a savior from the heavens. Of course they weren’t going to do anything untoward or start any trouble.
“Sit tight, everyone. We’re getting out of here.” Black light flared in Lu Yun’s eyes. The structure of the formation deteriorated and turned into a feng shui layout in his view.
