togophonebook Chapter 492, Part 2! Is this old eunuch's mastery of formations really that strong?
Chapter 492, Part 2! Is this old eunuch's mastery of formations really that strong?
Inside the bowl, Chen Fan closed his eyes and concentrated, repeatedly rehearsing the method of repair in his mind.
These months of dedicated study have not been in vain.
Although the Soul Refining Sect's protective formation is profound, its core principle is the same as the Fixed Word Technique, both being extensions of the rules of fixedness.
The only difference is that the Fixed Word Technique can only fix an instant, while this great formation can fix ten thousand years.
"The second node requires using the Kun position as the base and the Zhen position as the auxiliary, drawing upon the Yin energy of the earth's veins as ink to repair the broken parts of the runes..."
Chen Fan silently recited the mantra, his hands already outlining the shape in the air.
No spiritual power leaked from his fingertips; all his movements were completed within the golden bowl. However, his divine sense, like the finest silk thread, quietly probed the broken array nodes outside the bowl through its walls.
Outside, the wrath of the Soul Refining Sect's patriarch had materialized into a blood-red storm, swirling and howling above the ruins.
"Search! Search every inch of it for me!"
Amidst hoarse roars, the remaining eight Nascent Soul cultivators, including Young Master Wang and Daoist Qinglian, were like puppets, frantically searching under the control of blood-red threads.
Their eyes were bloodshot, their souls were nearly broken by the restrictions, yet they dared not rest for a moment.
Zhou Shan and the Heavenly Fiend Ancestor had been completely reduced to blood slaves. They sat cross-legged outside the main hall, their bodies emaciated, their essence, blood, and soul power being continuously drained away, turning into bloody light that disappeared into the hall.
Their eyes were vacant, and their breaths were as faint as candles flickering in the wind.
Chen Fan ignored all of this.
His entire focus was on the present moment.
The threads of divine sense probed into the broken part of the formation like tentacles, sensing the remaining flow of spiritual energy within.
The feeling was like stroking the wound of a sleeping behemoth, which could be awakened at the slightest carelessness.
"This is it."
With a firm resolve, Chen Fan's divine sense suddenly transformed, turning into countless tiny rune imprints that slowly filled in the broken area.
These runes are not a direct copy of the original array, but a simplified version he deduced using the true essence of the Fixed Word Technique. Although their power is far less than that of the original array, they are just right for repairing these outer nodes.
The repair process is extremely slow.
Chen Fan dared not use too much power, and he was very careful with every bit of divine sense he injected, as if he were dancing on the tip of a knife.
While time passed outside, three days had already passed inside the bowl.
The moment the last rune was imprinted!
"Buzz..."
Deep within the ruins, the broken node trembled slightly, and a faint, almost imperceptible gray-white light suddenly shone through the dim patterns on its surface!
The light flashed and disappeared in an instant, but the array aura around the entire node clearly stabilized by three points!
Almost simultaneously!
"boom!!!"
Inside the crimson hall, the patriarch of the Soul Refining Sect suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes blazing with blood-red light!
"Another one! The second node has been reinforced!"
For the first time, his withered face showed shock and anger.
Just a moment ago, he clearly felt that his control over the blood slaves outside had weakened slightly!
Although it was only a tiny, insignificant amount, the Soul Refining Sect Ancestor knew all too well what it meant!
Not only was that old eunuch hiding, but he was also genuinely weakening his control over the sealed land!
"Damn it! Damn it!!"
The ancestor was furious, and the blood-red threads around his body danced wildly, causing the entire hall to tremble violently!
He tried to pinpoint the source of the fluctuation, but Chen Fan acted too quickly. After completing the repairs, he immediately concealed all his aura, and the dust formed from the golden bowl quietly retreated, merging into the shadows of the ruins.
No matter how hard the ancestor's divine sense swept through, he could no longer detect the slightest trace.
"What a fine old eunuch... what a genius of formations..." The patriarch of the Soul Refining Sect gritted his teeth, his eyes surging with bloodlust. "I underestimated you."
He slowly rose and stepped down from the altar.
The emaciated body cast a distorted shadow in the blood-red hall.
"But do you think you can trap me like this?" The ancestor sneered, his voice hoarse like a broken gong. "I've survived tens of thousands of years; how could I possibly fall into the hands of a mere Nascent Soul junior like you?"
Even so, a sense of apprehension had already arisen in his heart.
The old eunuch's speed of understanding the formations far exceeded his expectations.
If this continues, and this person manages to repair all the outer nodes, while it won't necessarily lead to him being completely sealed again, it will certainly greatly limit his ability to mobilize his power and even delay his escape!
Time is precisely what the Soul Refining Sect Ancestor lacks most at this moment.
The forced awakening had already taken a huge toll on him. Maintaining the malevolent domain, controlling the blood slaves, and fighting against the backlash from the seal... all of this was exacerbating his exhaustion every moment.
If he cannot escape his predicament as soon as possible and absorb enough life force and soul power to restore his cultivation, he will probably fall into a deep sleep again, or even be completely sealed away and obliterated!
"We can't let him continue like this."
A ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of the Soul Refining Sect's patriarch.
With a thought, all the blood-red threads within the ruins suddenly contracted, no longer searching blindly, but converging towards the remaining key nodes!
He will use his own strength to forcibly protect those nodes!
At the same time, through the soul restriction, he sent a cold command to the remaining Nascent Soul cultivators, including Young Master Wang and Daoist Qinglian:
"Everyone, gather at the 'Earthquake' ruins! There's unusual activity there; hold it for me!"
The earthquake-stricken ruins were the location of the third node that Chen Fan had chosen!
Chen Fan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air from the bowl.
Repairing the second node consumed far more energy than expected; his face was pale, and he had already exhausted seventy percent of his spiritual power.
But his eyes shone with a bright light.
"It works as expected... The Fixed Word Technique and this sealing array are originally from the same source."
He sensed the passage of time within the golden bowl, quickly swallowed several ancient pills he had previously plundered, and then grabbed a handful of spirit rice to refine.
The elixir entered the stomach, transforming into a warm and nourishing medicinal power that soothed the parched meridians and spirit.
Chen Fan closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, but his mind kept working out the repair plan for the third node.
That node is located at the Zhen position, which governs thunder and killing, and is the most offensive part of the sealing formation.
If it can be repaired, it will not only further restrict the ancestor from mobilizing the power of thunder, but may even trigger the remaining power of the formation, causing it to backfire on him!
"However... this node must have already been discovered by the Ancestor."
Chen Fan opened his eyes, a hint of seriousness flashing in them.
When the second node was repaired, he clearly felt a terrifying divine sense sweep over him. Although it did not lock onto him, it was obvious that the ancestor had taken precautions.
"It has to be faster and more covert."
Chen Fan's mind raced, and he quickly made a decision.
He no longer waited for a full recovery. When his divine sense had recovered to 50%, he manipulated the golden bowl to float towards the ruins of the earthquake site.
Sure enough, even before getting close, they could feel a strong, malevolent aura enveloping the area.
Above the ruins, dozens of blood-red threads intertwined into a net, slowly wriggling like living things, monitoring every inch of space.
Inside the ruins, eight Nascent Soul cultivators, including Young Master Wang and Daoist Qinglian, stood scattered about, each with a look of fear on their faces, yet none daring to leave without permission.
The crimson restriction mark between their brows glowed slightly, clearly indicating that the ancestor was monitoring their every move in real time through this mark.