“This formation is no simple matter. To get out, we must first destroy it by finding its core, although locating the core will be difficult.”
“Can we help somehow?”
“Just don’t get in the way. For now, we can only wait until daylight when the evil energy dissipates and the righteous energy prevails before we figure out a solution.”
Following Li Tan’s instructions, the caravan members tried their best to stay close together, sitting quietly and waiting.
Seeing the sun rise from the east would have been the best-case scenario. However, reality often differs from expectations. This simple wish was dashed once again. Whether it was an hour or two later, nobody could tell—just a very long time. By all rights, it should have been daylight by now, yet it remained night, with the moon stubbornly hanging overhead, unmoving since the beginning.
Panic quickly spread among the crowd.
At this rate, even without being killed by the evil cultivator, these people might turn on each other and destroy themselves.
Li Tan sighed helplessly and deliberately raised his voice, saying, “If we want to break the formation, there might be only one way.”
“What way?”
Zhang Xiucai eagerly rushed forward upon hearing this.
Li Tan’s gaze swept around the crowd, meeting the fearful and startled eyes of everyone present. Sighing inwardly, he said to Zhang Xiucai, “There is a way, but it requires someone brave enough to cooperate.”
“Cooperate? How exactly do we cooperate?”
“By pretending to be dead.”
“What? Why pretend to be dead?”
“To find the formation’s core. I can completely suppress the living aura of whoever pretends to be dead. Then, those undead villagers will carry away the fake corpse, and I can follow them to locate the formation’s core.”
“Is there no other way?”
“There is.”
“What is it?”
“We wait and see when the formation will naturally lose its power.”
Zhang Xiucai’s smile froze instantly. He slowly turned around and asked the crowd, “Who is willing to pretend to be dead to help Master Li find the formation’s core?”
A wave of pale faces looked at each other, saying nothing. Many even lowered their heads and quietly stepped aside.
Although this reaction was expected, Li Tan still felt a pang of disappointment. Yet, from another perspective, this wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
At least those who stepped back had already shown they weren’t up to the task, and it was clear they wouldn’t amount to much in life.
“Those who are willing, step forward now. I guarantee your safety!”
Li Tan looked around again, but after waiting for a long time, nobody stepped forward.
“Then we’ll just keep waiting here.”
Li Tan stopped looking at them and sat cross-legged on the ground.
At that moment, a somewhat timid middle-aged woman’s voice broke the silence. Although soft, it was clearly heard by almost everyone due to the prevailing stillness.
“You took our money, so you should protect us. Now you want us to pretend to be dead and play along with these undead creatures? Where in the world does such a thing happen?”
Suddenly, the surroundings seemed to grow even quieter, the air turning icy cold.
Zhang Xiucai stole a glance at Li Tan, then hurriedly shouted, “Whoever said that, come out and apologize immediately!”
But no one stepped forward. Instead, more discordant murmurs arose, and most people began to look at Li Tan with increasing hostility.
Zhang Xiucai was furious and terrified that Li Tan might angrily abandon them and leave. He gritted his teeth, determined to volunteer himself to pretend to be dead.
Just then, a childish voice suddenly rang out, “I’m willing to help!”
Li Tan, somewhat surprised, opened his eyes and turned his head toward the source of the voice. There stood a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old, his face flushed red. Ignoring the elderly woman beside him trying to stop him, he raised his right hand high above his head.
Zhang Xiucai’s expression changed instantly upon seeing this, and he immediately shouted in anger, “What are you meddling in, child? Sit down now!”
The boy defiantly argued, “Father, I’m already fourteen. I’m not a child anymore!”
Father?
This child was actually Zhang Xiucai’s son?
“Don’t argue with me. Old Rong, keep him under control!”
Zhang Xiucai ordered the elderly woman, then turned to Li Tan with a forced smile, saying, “Master Li, let me assist in finding the formation’s core.”
“Dad, you can’t do it!”
Before Li Tan could even respond, his beloved son disrupted the proceedings, “Last time you couldn’t even find your way home when walking alone at night. What if you mess up this time?”
With his embarrassing past exposed in public, Zhang Xiucai’s face turned red with anger. Before he could erupt, Li Tan interjected, “The person pretending to be dead mustn’t reveal the slightest flaw, or it will ruin everything and even risk their life. Uncle Zhang, are you sure you can handle this?”
Zhang Xiucai stammered, unable to respond.
Li Tan turned to the boy, “Are you really willing to help?”
The boy shook off the elderly woman’s grip and ran out, nodding firmly, “I can do it!”
“Keke…” Zhang Xiucai was extremely anxious.
The boy said to him, “Father, I can handle it. If we keep delaying, our situation will only get worse and more dangerous.”
Zhang Xiucai was still hesitating.
Li Tan assured him again that there would absolutely be no danger, and finally, he reluctantly nodded.
“Child, what’s your name?”
Li Tan asked.
The boy replied, “Zhang Cong, ‘Cong’ as in ‘clever.'”
As everyone watched, Zhang Cong walked to Li Tan’s side. At that moment, an unknown voice from somewhere in the crowd spoke out again.
“Letting a child take such a risk—saying he needs help, but in reality, he’s just a coward who’s afraid to die himself.”
The atmosphere froze once more. The speaker was hidden among the caravan members, making it hard for ordinary people to identify him. However, Li Tan, knowing who it was, chose not to confront them. Instead, he asked Zhang Cong in front of everyone, “Everyone else was afraid to step forward. Why were you willing to help?”
Zhang Cong answered confidently, “Because if we keep going like this, everyone will face danger. I figured since it’s a matter of life and death anyway, I might as well follow Master Li’s plan, which at least gives us a chance.”
His own son bravely stepped forward to help everyone, yet someone still dared to make indifferent, hurtful remarks from the shadows. Already annoyed, Zhang Xiucai couldn’t help but shout, “You big, strong men didn’t dare to step forward, which is fine. But now you’re backstabbing and gossiping behind people’s backs. Do you even have any shame left?
If you have any complaints, step forward and say them directly to Master Li’s face. Otherwise, just shut up!”
Li Tan was an Innate Realm cultivator. Although the Innate Realm might not be particularly remarkable in the cultivation world, to ordinary people, he was akin to a deity.
At most, they only dared to mutter sarcastic remarks in secret. As for stepping forward themselves—even with ten thousand times the courage, they wouldn’t dare. After all, Li Tan could kill the speaker outright without facing any consequences.
Moreover, these people hadn’t yet reached the point of provoking universal condemnation. At least, their shamelessness hadn’t surpassed the thickness of Fan City’s walls.
Li Tan didn’t even bother to lower his dignity to deal with these people. He squatted down and softly chuckled as he asked, “Is that really the only reason?
Are you sure there’s no other?”
Zhang Cong’s face slightly reddened, and he said somewhat shyly, “Actually, I’m afraid I won’t be able to see my mother again.”
“Don’t worry, little guy. I won’t let you lose even a single strand of hair.”
As Li Tan spoke, he placed his hand on Zhang Cong’s shoulder and smoothly injected his true qi into the boy’s body. Zhang Cong felt a warm sensation all over his body, which soon faded. Li Tan removed his hand and said he was ready.
“What just happened?”
Zhang Cong was completely confused.
Li Tan smiled lightly, “Just a small trick.”
“Now, do I look really dead?”
Zhang Cong curiously looked down at his body, puzzled, “It doesn’t seem any different to me?”
Li Tan explained, “I’ve merely suppressed your living aura. On the surface, there naturally won’t be any noticeable changes.”
“But won’t the villagers find it strange?”
“They’re already dead, devoid of emotions and unable to discern. They can only identify the living and the dead by sensing their auras.”
As Li Tan spoke, his gaze shifted around.
Given the scale of this formation and the villagers’ condition, there must be more than one caravan trapped inside. Where were the corpses of the others?
The evil cultivator certainly wouldn’t bother to deal with them one by one. It must be the undead villagers who collected the bodies. If nothing went wrong, those corpses would be taken to the evil cultivator for his use.
As long as the evil cultivator could be found, even without locating the formation’s core, it wouldn’t matter. Killing him would cause the formation to collapse naturally due to the loss of energy supply.
As for whether he could defeat the evil cultivator—that was not a question to be considered at this moment.
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