Chapter Thirty-Four: The Mingli Formation
If I remember correctly, the cave where the Great Immortal took me to hide from Xinghuo Hall's pursuit was in the eastern suburbs. It seems Yi'er had planned this for a long time. Last time, she came to select the site for opening the Mingli Formation, though she probably didn't expect to encounter me.
The people from the Moon Shadow Sect were looking for the Great Immortal, and Xinghuo Hall was looking for the elders of the Moon Shadow Sect. The Great Immortal and I, in turn, were looking for the people from Xinghuo Hall.
It was all quite intricate.
Despite my weariness of this cat-and-mouse game, I didn't dare relax my guard. I scoured various parts of the Maple Leaf Forest, finally focusing on a hill emitting a faint red glow. I leapt down to it.
The glow vanished the moment I landed on the hill. The ground beneath my feet felt unusually soft. Looking down, I saw the entire hill was covered with a layer of dried grass. I couldn't believe they would use such a crude trick, insulting my intelligence.
As I prepared to use a spell to move the hill, the ground shook violently. The center of the hill bulged upwards, something about to break out. Realizing the danger, I quickly retreated several feet. The hill exploded, sending a rain of soil everywhere. A massive figure crashed to the ground, blocking out much of the sunlight.
The flying dust made me cough. I waved the dust away from my face, squinting. Finally, I saw clearly—a gigantic, crimson lion-headed beast stood over a small figure, about to devour it.
How did the Mingli Formation summon such a beast? Did Yi'er fail?
I slashed at the beast's paw with an icy blade from my lotus. The blue light made it recoil in pain. I seized the opportunity to get to Yi'er, conjuring an ice barrier to fend off the beast.
"Yi'er, Yi'er, are you okay?!" I called softly. Seeing no response, I transferred my spiritual power to her. Her eyes fluttered open, and I helped her sit up.
She winced, holding her injured arm, and turned to me, asking, "Qingyue...? What are you doing here? No, wait, the Mingli Formation I activated summoned the Chi Ming Beast. Am I not dead?"
"Stop talking about death. If you don't snap out of it, you really will die." As the ice barrier dissolved, I pushed her and we rolled away together.
"Run! The Chi Ming Beast was refined from human lives. Its resentment is immense, beyond my control," Yi'er pushed me away and stood up, pointing her sword at the beast, a determined look on her face.
She knew I wouldn't leave.
The beast charged, its massive form making everything else seem insignificant, capable of obliterating anything with a swipe. Yi'er stood in front of me, repeatedly blocking the beast's meteor-like strikes. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She shouted at me, "Go!" But wounded, she couldn't withstand the final assault and was flung back by the shattering force of her spell.
Danger!
Before the Chi Ming Beast could strike again, I flew towards it, transforming the ice lotus into a sword and embedding it in the beast's paw. It roared in fury, spewing wind and sand. I shielded Yi'er with a spell, but it was easily broken. Sharp stones and debris cut into my skin, and the powerful currents seemed to suck the air out of the surroundings.
This was definitely not the strength of an ordinary beast. Though I knew Xinghuo Hall practiced dark arts, I hadn't expected they would go as far as refining living people into monsters. They often spliced and refined various beasts, aiming to combine their strengths for easier control. However, refining with a living person as the core creates immense resentment, causing the resulting creature to attack everything in sight uncontrollably.
If I'm not mistaken, they refined Lianmu focusing only on the power from Chi Ming within him, without considering that Chi Ming itself is a combination of resentment and malevolence. Lianmu himself couldn't control this power, yet Xinghuo Hall recklessly tried to use it. It seems they acted too hastily this time, resorting to such an absurd act. But the Mingli Formation is not merely about summoning a Chi Ming Beast. What could be so crucial that Yi'er would risk her life to activate it?
"Retrieve," I commanded, using a spell to pull the ice lotus back from the beast's claw. Infusing it with my power, I barely managed to fend off the wind and sand. The beast roared in pain, kicked up the dust, and charged at me, jaws wide open. If the barrier broke, we would be its next meal.
"Lianmu! Wake up! You've been controlled by Chi Ming for so many years, and now you're letting it control you again? Are you really willing to be manipulated forever, losing yourself completely?!" In this critical moment, I tried to pull Lianmu back from Chi Ming's resentment.
The beast's movements indeed paused, its blood-red eyes flickering. It seemed scared and retreated a few steps. Seeing this, I pressed on, "Sister Lüyin wanted you to return to normal. Before she died, she made me promise to save you. But if you don't save yourself, no one else can help you. Do you understand? Lianmu, those who don't abandon themselves will not be abandoned by heaven. How can you give up so easily?"
A thunderous crack split the sky, and white light flashed down urgently.
The beast roared again, but this time without the intention to attack. It seemed to be expending its last bit of life force. The massive creature collapsed, blood streaming from its eyes. Its mouth gaped open, and finally, the blood congealed and stopped flowing.
In shock, I realized the Chi Ming Beast was completely lifeless.
Yi'er woke up at this moment, looking around warily. "Where's the Chi Ming Beast?"
"It's dead. Lianmu killed it." Seeing her confusion, I felt a pang of sorrow. Avoiding her gaze, I lowered my head and said, "Lianmu chose to end his own life. Perhaps it was his strongest, most costly act of resistance against the Chi Ming that controlled him for so many years."
"To fight to the end, even at the cost of his life, is something I admire. He did what most people could never do, paying the highest price."
"The highest price?" I shook my head in denial. "He already paid the highest price. Sister Lüyin is dead, the only person in this world who could be with him is gone. As for his life, he was mostly lost and didn't dare to trust or rely on anyone." My efforts to smile failed, and I grimly said, "People live for a single obsession. As long as that obsession remains, they persist. In a way, Lianmu and Sister Lüyin will always be together."
"I don't have time to discuss the cost with you. The Mingli Formation has failed. I need to go back and plan again." She struggled to stand, hesitated for a moment, then left with a warning, "Be careful of the people from Lingyun Temple," and used her magic to leave.