"Vmmm…"
A faint tremor reached An Xiyue's ears, causing her expression to shift. She snapped her head up, horrified to see the 'sky' above them shaking, swaying precariously as if on the verge of collapse.
"What's happening?!" Shock flashed across An Xiyue's face, followed by dawning comprehension. "Oh no! The grand formation is destabilizing!"
Panic flickered in her eyes. She glanced towards Lin Feng, still deep in meditation healing his wounds. After a moment's hesitation, she called out to Little Qi opposite her. "L-Little Qi! Watch over Lin Feng! I need to check on the formation!"
"Qiu!!" Little Qi also looked up at the 'sky', its expression puzzled. It seemed to grasp An Xiyue's meaning vaguely, nodding earnestly before turning its full, concerned attention back to Lin Feng.
An Xiyue turned and hurried away, swiftly reaching the ruins of the great hall where they had initially fallen. She scanned the area intently for several moments before her gaze settled on a spot to the left. Channeling a surge of true essence, she swept the scattered rubble aside, revealing a section of bluish-gray stone floor. Crouching down, she pressed her palm flat against the stone, closing her eyes as if concentrating deeply, sensing something intangible.
After a while, An Xiyue's elegant brows lifted as her eyes snapped open, a flicker of hope within them. A soft blue light emanated from her body as she focused her true essence. Instantly, the spot where her right palm met the stone began to glow with a hazy radiance. This light spread rapidly, illuminating the entire slab beneath her. A complex, profoundly intricate array diagram materialized beneath her feet.
However, the formation's light seemed feeble, pulsing erratically like a lamp on unstable power. Upon closer inspection, multiple fractures marred the array diagram, these cracks being the dimmest points.
This was the core node – the control point – of the grand formation currently sustaining this subterranean space. An Xiyue knew of its existence because the ancestor of the An family who had escaped the great calamity millennia ago had been a formation master himself, involved in repairs long ago. Though his specific techniques had been lost over generations, vital information about the Blue Moon Sect's protective grand formation had been preserved as a core family secret.
After another moment, An Xiyue slowly withdrew her true essence, stood up, and retracted her hand. Her expression, however, was grim, etched with deep concern.
"The formation is damaged so severely… it's completely uncontrollable now. What can be done…?" She murmured to herself, lifting her gaze once more to the trembling 'sky'. Anxiety churned within her, amplified by another unsettling discovery. While probing the formation, she had distinctly sensed breaches occurring simultaneously at multiple points along the barrier perimeter. These were clearly deliberate, forced entries. It meant others had invaded… and their numbers were far from small.
Had the formation been less critically damaged, she might have exerted some control, reinforcing the barrier to prevent further intrusions. But the problem was the formation itself was teetering on the brink of total collapse. Even its original creators might struggle to repair it now, let alone her.
With a flood of cultivators breaking in, chaos was inevitable, and soon. That was bad enough. But an even greater danger loomed: the formation barrier could fail at any moment. If the barrier vanished, this space would lose its structural 'protection', facing the very real risk of catastrophic implosion.
"I don't know how long he'll take to recover… For safety's sake, we should probably leave as soon as possible…" The thought formed in her mind. Instinctively, she glanced back towards Lin Feng's location. Then, lowering her gaze slightly, her eyes fell upon another spot nearby to the left, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her features.
There lay a desiccated corpse. It was none other than Gu Lengyue. He had originally been seated upon this very formation node beneath An Xiyue's feet, only shifting slightly during his earlier battle with Feng Liefeng.
The events that transpired while she was unconscious remained a complete mystery. Yet, An Xiyue dimly recalled sensing two powerful auras clashing here. Connecting that memory to the presence of two corpses, she harbored some theories, though she couldn't be certain.
Now, scrutinizing Gu Lengyue's corpse, An Xiyue's gaze finally locked onto a deep blue, crescent-shaped ring adorning the corpse's right index finger. A suspicion solidified into certainty, drawing a gasp from her lips. "Sect Master… Gu Lengyue?!"
She had seen illustrations of this very ring in her family's ancient texts. It was the unmistakable symbol of the Blue Moon Sect Master. This confirmed her guess: this withered body was none other than Gu Lengyue, the last Sect Master.
An almost irresistible urge surged within An Xiyue. She nearly reached out to claim the ring. She knew it likely contained the very treasures she had journeyed here to find – the highest inheritances of the Blue Moon Sect, vast stores of precious resources… But then, she glanced once more towards Lin Feng's distant form. With an effort of will, she clenched her fist and stayed her hand. She didn't wish to provoke his displeasure.
Truthfully, another option whispered in her mind: seize the storage rings from Gu Lengyue, Feng Liefeng, and Qin Huangtian now, and flee alone. But the thought was ruthlessly extinguished the instant it arose. Doing so would be a complete betrayal of Lin Feng, inviting his relentless, merciless pursuit. The memory of his terrifying power sent a chill down her spine. More importantly, such a breach of faith was simply not in her nature; she couldn't bring herself to do it.
"Hmm?!" Lost in her troubled thoughts, An Xiyue suddenly sensed a powerful aura emanating from Lin Feng's direction. Surprise and hope lit up her face. "He's recovered? So quickly?!"
Just as she prepared to rush back, she saw Lin Feng himself approaching. She waited. Within a few breaths, Lin Feng, with Little Qi trotting beside him, stood before her.
"You… have you fully recovered?" An Xiyue asked, disbelief still coloring her voice as she took in Lin Feng's seemingly normal demeanor.
Lin Feng gave a slight nod. "I'm fine now. Thank you for your concern, Miss An."
He made it sound simple. Only he knew the cost: recklessly consuming a large quantity of precious healing pills, even using up half of his dwindling supply of Spirit Spring Water. Of course, beyond these external aids, the miraculous efficacy of the Starlight Mantra had been indispensable.
Setting aside her astonishment, An Xiyue quickly returned to the pressing matter. "Right! I just examined the protective grand formation. It's critically damaged and could collapse at any moment. Also… a significant number of people have already breached the barrier. I think… I think we should leave this place as soon as possible…"
"So, it's come to that…" Lin Feng frowned, his expression grave. He looked down at the glowing array diagram beside them, then up at the intermittently shaking and groaning 'sky'. After a moment's contemplation, he nodded decisively. "Alright. We'll make our departure early then."
He turned his gaze towards Gu Lengyue's corpse nearby, adding, "After all, we've largely achieved our purpose in coming here…"
With a casual wave of his right hand, a fireball shot forth, instantly reducing Gu Lengyue's remains to ash. A deft motion followed; a small object flew from the dying embers into his grasp. It was the crescent-shaped blue ring.
Lin Feng probed the ring's interior with his spiritual sense briefly. Then, with his other hand, he swept it over the ring's surface, transferring a portion of its contents directly into his own storage ring. He extended the now-lighter blue ring towards An Xiyue. "I've taken my agreed share. The remainder is yours."
Lin Feng's direct action caught An Xiyue off guard. She blinked, then accepted the ring. A quick scan with her spiritual sense revealed its contents, and her eyes instantly widened with unconcealed joy and excitement. She carefully secured the ring, turning to Lin Feng. "Thank you."
"No need for thanks. I'm merely fulfilling our agreement." Lin Feng shook his head slightly. He paused, then decided to clarify. "The man I just incinerated… he was Gu Lengyue, the Sect Master of the Blue Moon Sect."
A sardonic smile touched his lips as he pointed towards Feng Liefeng's corpse not far away. "And that one… he was one of the leaders of the invasion force that destroyed the Blue Moon Sect three millennia ago – Feng Liefeng, the old traitor 'Illusory Wind'. Neither of them died back then. They've been trapped here, alive, for three thousand years. When we fell down here, both of them attempted body snatching against me…" His voice grew colder, laced with undisguised contempt and a flicker of icy killing intent. "…They failed."
"What?!" An Xiyue recoiled, staring at Lin Feng with horrified disbelief. "Such a thing actually happened?!"
"I know it might be hard to accept, but it's the truth." Lin Feng shrugged, his tone matter-of-fact. Seeing her distress, he added, "Rest assured. While Gu Lengyue acted treacherously towards me, this matter has nothing to do with you. I won't hold you accountable."
An Xiyue stood frozen for a long moment, then quietly let out a shaky breath. Her expression was complex as she murmured, "Thank you…"
Lin Feng waved a dismissive hand, indicating the topic was closed. He walked over to Feng Liefeng's corpse and repeated the process: incinerating the body and retrieving the storage ring. Holding it up, he turned back to An Xiyue. "As for this man's possessions…"
Before he could finish, An Xiyue interjected firmly, "You defeated him. His belongings are rightfully yours. There's no need to share them with me… The same applies to Qin Huangtian's things."
"Hm." Her understanding pleased Lin Feng. Sharing Gu Lengyue's spoils had been honoring their pact. But the treasures obtained from Feng Liefeng and Qin Huangtian? Those were spoils of battles fought with his life on the line, outside the scope of their agreement. He naturally had no intention of giving them away.
They quickly located Qin Huangtian's corpse nearby. The procedure was repeated: the body was destroyed, the storage ring claimed, and Lin Feng retrieved the Blood Fiend Dagger. With their immediate tasks complete, Lin Feng surveyed the shuddering ruins surrounding them. He turned to An Xiyue, his voice decisive amidst the groaning space. "Alright. Let's get out of here…"