53: Chapter 53: The Formation is Initially Complete

The sound of horse hooves stopped at the courtyard gate.

Yang Yuan pressed his hand against the hilt of his blade, staring at the courtyard gate.

The door was not pushed open.

A series of footsteps came from outside—someone paused at the gate, then turned and left.

Yang Yuan stood in the courtyard, listening for a while. Only after confirming that the footsteps had truly faded away did he release his grip on the hilt.

He returned to the middle of the courtyard, crouched down, and looked at the piece of soul-suppressing iron on the ground.

Tonight's events served as a reminder—Xiangyang was not Peach Blossom Island.

The city was teeming with all sorts, and Li Mochou's people could sneak up to the door at any time.

The matter of the Mountain Protection Array could no longer be delayed.

Early the next morning, Yang Yuan began setting up the Formation.

He spent half a day drawing a complex Formation diagram on the training ground.

The diagram was drawn according to the blueprint provided by the System—it was circular, three zhang in diameter, with patterns extending in all directions like tree roots, and eight runes carved along the outermost ring, corresponding to the eight cardinal directions.

The soul-suppressing iron was placed in the center of the Formation eye.

He sat cross-legged, pressed his hands on both sides of the Formation eye, and poured his Internal Energy into the soul-suppressing iron.

"Hum—"

A low hum sounded.

The soul-suppressing iron vibrated slightly, and a pale blue light lit up from the Formation eye, spreading in all directions along the patterns of the Formation diagram.

The light moved very slowly, like water seeping into parched earth.

Yang Yuan gritted his teeth, continuously channeling his Internal Energy.

The blue light traveled further and further, climbing along the patterns to the outer ring of the Formation, lighting up the first rune.

Then the second.

The third.

By the time all eight runes were lit, Yang Yuan was drenched in sweat. He withdrew his palm power, watching the blue light on the Formation diagram slowly fade and disappear beneath the ground.

It was done.

A line of text appeared in his mind.

[Mountain Protection Array (Small) activated. Current Rank: 1. Priority protection range: 50 zhang.]

Yang Yuan stood up and brushed the dirt off his hands.

He walked to the edge of the Formation diagram and stepped on it—the ground was hard, no different from ordinary earth. But he could feel a force slowly flowing beneath the ground, like an invisible river.

He felt a bit more at ease.

Evening.

Cheng Ying was cooking in the kitchen, Lu Wushuang was chopping wood in the courtyard, and little Xue Jian sat on the threshold playing with a twig.

Yang Yuan sat under the locust tree, flipping through the Notes on Reverse Meridian Circulation that Guo Jing had given him once more.

The notes stated that the core of the Reverse Nine Yin was "reversing the Meridians"—running the Internal Energy within the normal Meridians in reverse, taking a divergent path.

It was powerful, but harmful to the body.

The longer one Cultivates, the more severe the backlash.

Having Cultivated for so many years, Sikong Xuan's body must have been hollowed out. Yet he was still alive, which meant he had found some way to suppress the backlash.

Yang Yuan closed the notes and rubbed his temples.

Just then.

"Boom—"

A loud crash.

The courtyard gate shattered. Wood splinters flew in, crashing into the courtyard.

Yang Yuan stood up, his hand on the hilt of his blade.

Li Mochou stood at the courtyard gate.

Behind her followed six men in black. All six had blades hanging at their waists, standing in orderly Formation; one look was enough to tell they were experts.

Li Mochou wore a sneer on her face: "Yang Yuan, I am not leaving today."

Yang Yuan did not draw his blade.

He took a step back, retreating onto the training ground.

Li Mochou stepped into the courtyard: "Do you think that by hiding in Xiangyang, I can do nothing about you? Do you think Guo Jing can protect you for a lifetime?"

Yang Yuan said nothing.

He stood in the center of the Formation diagram, crouched down, and pressed his hand to the ground.

He poured Internal Energy into the soul-suppressing iron.

"Hum—"

The blue light lit up.

A transparent barrier rose from the ground like an arched wall, blocking the courtyard gate. Faint blue patterns flowed across the barrier, like ripples on the surface of water.

Li Mochou's expression changed.

She stopped and stared at the transparent barrier: "When did you set up something like this?"

Yang Yuan stood up.

He offered no explanation and activated the Formation. Three pale blue light blades shot out from the barrier, firing toward Li Mochou.

Li Mochou dodged the first blade sideways and swung her horsetail whisk to scatter the second.

The third blade grazed her shoulder—she heard a "rip" sound, and looking down, she saw her left sleeve had been slashed, leaving a shallow bloody scratch on her arm.

She took two steps back.

The six men in black behind her also retreated a few steps; no one dared to step forward.

Li Mochou looked down at the wound on her arm.

She was silent for a few seconds.

She looked up at Yang Yuan: "What kind of Formation is this?"

"The Mountain Protection Array," Yang Yuan said. "If you want to come in, break the Formation first."

Li Mochou stared at the transparent barrier for quite a while.

She gripped the horsetail whisk in her hand, then relaxed her grip.

"Yang Yuan," she said, "you cannot hide in this Formation for a lifetime."

"It is enough for now."

Li Mochou said nothing more. She turned and left with the six men in black.

After walking ten steps away, she paused and looked back.

That look made Yang Yuan's heart tighten slightly.

But he did not show it. He withdrew his palm power, the blue light on the Formation slowly dissipated, and the transparent barrier vanished into thin air.

Cheng Ying poked her head out from the kitchen: "Is she gone?"

"She is gone."

Cheng Ying breathed a sigh of relief, extinguished the fire on the stove, and went into the room to check on Yang Po.

Lu Wushuang stood in the courtyard, gripping her blade. Her hand was trembling.

Yang Yuan walked over: "Don't be impulsive."

"I am not being impulsive."

"You cannot defeat her right now."

Lu Wushuang bit her lip: "I know." She was silent for a few seconds, "But I cannot hide in this courtyard for a lifetime."

Yang Yuan said nothing.

He looked at the shattered wooden gate in the courtyard, thinking of the same question.

The Mountain Protection Array could protect him for a while, but it could not protect him for a lifetime.

Sikong Xuan was still waiting for him on Zhongnan Mountain.

He had to go.

Night fell.

Yang Yuan sat in the study, the look Li Mochou had given him during the day still replaying in his mind.

What was she planning?

A thought popped into his mind—she might have gone to find help.

Or, she had already found help.

He stood up, walked to the window, and glanced at the northwestern sky.

He spread the map on the table and traced the small path drawn with a dotted line on the back of Zhongnan Mountain with his hand.

Soon.

Once he was ready, he would go.

(End of Chapter 53)