76: The devil's trace is elusive, Lin Feng's discovery

Liu Qing霜’s voice still carried a chill, but the sense of aloofness that kept people at a distance had visibly thinned, replaced by a solemn curiosity in the face of an unknown Domain.

“I’ve gained a little insight, once guided by a Senior.”

Lin Feng remained humble, avoiding the origins of his Formation Madman Hermit insights. Seeing that Liu Qing霜 seemed intrigued, he casually took out a few spare low-grade Formation Flags from his Storage Pouch, his fingertips accurately flicking spiritual power like silk threads.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Formation Flags, as if alive, accurately shot into a deep hole at the base of the giant skull reef, obliquely inserted into a vortex node in the reef cluster, and into an inconspicuous crack in a certain part of the Spear Forest Reef.

As Lin Feng pointed out several profound incantations in the air, the energy field in the Ghost Weeping Gorge area underwent subtle yet significant changes.

The previously chaotic roar of the waves seemed to be constrained by a certain rhythm, becoming deeper and more suppressed, like the panting of a giant beast.

The pervasive water vapor condensed in specific areas without dispersing, forming several denser, slightly chilling mists.

In the air, there was a faint, sharp sensation that pricked the skin; although the killing Formation had not been truly activated, its dangerousprototype was already clearly revealed.

Liu Qing霜 quietly watched all of this, and in the depths of her clear, cold eyes, a strange brilliance flickered like refracted ice crystals.

She might not be proficient in laying out Formations, but her keen perception as a Sword Cultivator told her that Lin Feng’s seemingly casual moves, his method of drawing upon the power of heaven and earth, were naturally seamless, and the landing points of the Formation Flags were cunningly precise—definitely not ordinary!

The “Loose Cultivator” who called himself Lin Jiu, whose Physical Body was unbelievably strong, and who was taciturn, seemed to be shrouded in an even thicker mist.

“Fellow Daoist Lin, your grasp of Formations truly impresses Qingshuang.”

Liu Qing霜 rarely took the initiative to speak, and although her tone was light, it no longer had the frozen feeling. “If such a series of killing Formations can be laid out in Ghost Weeping Gorge, the northeast defense line of the watchtower can be stabilized by several points.

After returning to the tower, I will elaborate on your suggestion to Junior Martial Uncle Iron Sword.”

“It’s my duty. It’s good if I can provide an extra layer of security for my comrades.”

Lin Feng cupped his hands.

The flying shuttle returned, breaking through the increasingly turbulent waves.

The tower’s silhouette was in sight.

The subtle resonance between the two due to the Dao of Formations made the silence no longer awkward.

Occasional brief exchanges about the characteristics of certain currents or whether a particular reef texture was suitable for inscribing Formation patterns seemed natural and smooth.

When the Black Scale Flying Shuttle landed on the narrow platform of the Duan Ya Reef watchtower, constantly battered by the waves, they happened to meet Zhao Tieshan and Wu Ming, who were returning from their patrol.

Zhao Tieshan was still his hearty self, greeting them with a voice like a booming bell.

Wu Ming nodded silently, his gaze lingering on Lin Feng for a moment longer.

However, in the shadow inside the tower gate, Situ Ying leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his pale, effeminate face devoid of any expression.

When he saw Lin Feng and Liu Qing霜 disembark from the flying shuttle one after another, Liu Qing霜’s perpetually icy profile seemed to soften with an extremely subtle curve due to their conversation—in his eyes, this was an excessive “intimacy.”

Situ Ying’s narrow eyes instantly narrowed, like a venomous snake locking onto its prey, and the cold, viscous killing intent almost solidified, his fingers on the soft sword wrapped around his waist turning slightly white from the force.

The moment Lin Feng stepped into the tower gate, the skin on his back felt as if it had been pricked by cold needle tips, and his hairs stood on end.

He did not pause in his steps, as if completely unaware, calmly bidding farewell to Liu Qing霜 and walking directly towards the stone steps leading to the second floor.

Only at the moment of turning, the corner of his eye, like the sharpest blade, briefly swept across Situ Ying’s sinister face.

Inside the small, quiet room, the roar of the sea waves was muffled by the thick stone walls, yet it still pounded in his heart like a dull war drum. Lin Feng sat cross-legged, the Star-Fixing Ring on his wrist still cold.

Outside the window were the eternal raging waves and deep twilight of the Qianshan Island Chain.

Lin Feng closed his eyes, the exploratory look in Liu Qing霜’s eyes and Situ Ying’s undisguised chill alternating in his mind.

In this isolated reef fortress, suspended overseas, surrounded by powerful enemies, and with internal undercurrents, every step needed to be taken as if walking on thin ice. He slowly exhaled a turbid breath, his mind sinking into his Dantian, and began to circulate the Overturning Sea Sword Art, his liquid true essence surging ceaselessly through his tough Meridians like a deep-sea undercurrent.

Time flowed silently amidst the raging waves and solitude of the Qianshan Island Chain.

Life at the watchtower was rigid and oppressive: patrols, Cultivation, vigilance, reinforcing defenses... a never-ending cycle. Lin Feng was as silent as a reef; apart from necessary interactions, he devoted almost all his time to Cultivating the Overturning Sea Sword Art and honing his Physical Body with the Ming Wang Purgatory Skill.

Liquid true essence surged through his tough Meridians, and beneath his dark golden skin, his Qi and blood were like mercury, each breath carrying a faint, scorching scent of sulfur and hot iron. The Star-Fixing Ring on his wrist remained cold, like an invisible shackle.

Returning from a routine patrol of the northeast line, Lin Feng and Liu Qing霜 had just disembarked from the flying shuttle when they encountered Situ Ying and Chen Yao’s group exchanging duties. Situ Ying still had that sinister look, but when his gaze swept over Lin Feng, that chill seemed to thicken by a few points.

Chen Yao, on the other hand, seemed somewhat distracted, her beautiful face showing a hint of undisguised fatigue.

Just as they brushed past each other, in Lin Feng’s Sea of Consciousness, the dormant Demon Slayer Divine Ability, without any warning, transmitted an extremely subtle yet exceptionally clear tremor!

It was like dropping an ice pellet into calm water, instantly spreading a cold warning!

Devilish Qi!

Extremely subtle, almost perfectly concealed Devilish Qi! Its source was—Chen Yao!

Lin Feng’s heart trembled, but his face remained calm, as if he hadn’t noticed, he calmly nodded to Liu Qing霜 and walked towards his quiet room.

Closing the door, he shut out the external noise, and his eyes instantly became sharp as knives.

“Chen Yao? That lively female Cultivator who specializes in water-based healing? How could she have Devilish Qi? The Demon Slayer Divine Ability can’t be wrong!”

Lin Feng’s thoughts raced. “Is she a lurking Devil Cultivator? Or has she been corroded and controlled by Devilish Qi?”

Clouds of doubt hung heavy.

He decided to hold his ground for now; alarming her would only make things worse.

Over the next few days, Lin Feng secretly paid attention to Chen Yao’s every move.

She still performed her duties as a healer, treating injured Qi Refining Cultivators, and tried her best to maintain her liveliness when interacting with others, but Lin Feng keenly noticed that in the depths of her eyes, there was an unspeakable anxiety and… fear?

Especially when facing Situ Ying, that fear almost materialized into a tangible tremor, though she tried her best to hide it.

An opportunity arose when Chen Yao was performing routine maintenance on the tower’s Formation by herself.

She did not go directly to the tower top where the Formation core was located, as usual, but instead, using the excuse of checking the tower base runes, she quietly detoured to an extremely hidden natural crack on the leeward side of the watchtower, half-concealed by a huge reef.

She vigilantly looked around, and after confirming no one was present, she quickly slipped inside.

Lin Feng had already used the Turtle Breath Qi Concealment Art to conceal his aura to the extreme, like a part of the reef’s shadow, trailing far behind her.

He didn’t follow too closely, merely keeping up using his movement technique advantage.