Just moments ago, Mei Qing had been trapped inside the formation, so naturally he was unaware of what had happened outside—how Zhang Shisan, Master Ku, and Bi Zhen had dealt with the remaining adversaries, or how Liu Liu and Xiao Miele had managed to sneak into this tiny Fishbone Temple to ambush him. But what he hadn’t expected was that this illusion formation was far more complicated than he had imagined. In fact, even Xiao Miele himself had not detected the presence of Mei Qing or the formation.
This illusion formation seemed to completely separate the inside from the outside. When Mei Qing suddenly appeared inside the Fishbone Temple, Xiao Miele was greatly startled. At first, he even suspected that Mei Qing might have used some special technique to track him here, acting as a scout for Master Ku.
Fortunately, since he had fled here, he had naturally taken precautions beforehand, which was why Mei Qing hadn’t noticed him. Xiao Miele had secretly launched a surprise attack and finally subdued Mei Qing.
However, although Mei Qing had been subdued, it was more accurate to say he had been trapped. At the last moment, Mei Qing had suddenly launched a desperate counterattack, actually sealing off his five senses and six consciousnesses, even seemingly locking away his own true energy. Although such a method had long been heard of, this was the first time Xiao Miele had actually seen someone so resolute—daring to be so ruthless to oneself.
This method, while certainly preventing others from attacking, also created an inescapable prison for oneself. Unless rescued by a cultivator with higher cultivation, one could not break free.
Could it be that this young man was so confident, knowing someone would come to rescue him, that he dared to use this method without hesitation? Thinking of this, Xiao Miele couldn’t help but shiver involuntarily. Not daring to delay, he hastily performed a technique and shouted, “!” A ripple passed through the air, and along with it, Xiao Miele, Liu Liu, and the unconscious Mei Qing on the ground gradually faded from view until they vanished completely.
“Where do you think you’re going!” Just as the three figures began to fade, a woman’s crisp voice suddenly rang out from outside the window, followed by a flash of light inside the temple and the sound of some unknown magical technique or artifact missing its target. However, the three had disappeared just a split second earlier, leaving no trace behind.
“Master!” Bi Zhen leapt into the temple, frantically searching left and right, her voice filled with both anxiety and grievance: “It’s all your fault for dawdling! Look, they’ve taken Mei Qing away—what are we going to do now?”
Following her, Zhang Shisan and Master Ku entered the temple. One wore a calm expression, while the other maintained his usual cheerful smile as he said, “My dear disciple, why are you in such a rush? Don’t worry, with us two old bones around, do you really think they can escape? …Hmm, this place feels a bit strange. I don’t remember it being like this last time.”
A beat earlier than Zhang Shisan’s words, Master Ku furrowed his brows and carefully examined the small temple. His expression grew increasingly serious.
“Master, what exactly is going on? You have to find out! Did they hide somewhere?” Bi Zhen, seeing Zhang Shisan’s cheerful face suddenly change, grew deeply alarmed. Yet after scanning the temple for a while, she found nothing unusual and could only grab Zhang Shisan’s sleeve, bombarding him with questions.
Zhang Shisan sighed bitterly: “Mei Qing and those two didn’t hide. It was more like… they suddenly vanished into thin air. Could it be…?” He looked around for a while before suddenly exclaiming, “Outside?”
Master Ku, who had remained silent until now, suddenly nodded and said firmly: “The stone tablets.”
The Fishbone Temple was extremely small. Upon entering the mountain gate, there were no bell or drum towers on either side. Only a few stone tablets lay scattered before the stone steps, their bases buried in wild grass, giving the whole place a desolate air.
Zhang Shisan, Master Ku, and Bi Zhen arrived before the stone tablets, and after a brief inspection, all three focused their attention on the shortest and smallest tablet in the center.
This stone tablet must have been extremely ancient. Its inscriptions, eroded by sea winds and alkali soil, had long since become blurred and illegible.
Generally speaking, stone tablets in temples were often merit stones, recording the names and contributions of donors who had supported the temple’s construction or restoration. However, this one was different—it was unusually small and notably lacked the usual stone beasts beneath it. It seemed more like a simple stone pillar than a traditional tablet.
Zhang Shisan circled the tablet several times, his frown deepening. He muttered to himself, “How strange. I don’t remember noticing this before. Could there be something special about this place?”
“Master, what’s going on?” Seeing Zhang Shisan’s expression, Bi Zhen couldn’t help feeling uneasy. She tugged at his robe, asking nervously, “Where did Mei Qing go?”
Zhang Shisan mumbled evasively: “I’m looking into it, aren’t I? …Oh well, don’t worry, girl. Mei Qing probably got taken somewhere. But this place feels… like there’s some hidden mystery. It might be the entrance to a formation or an ancient legacy.”
“What?” Bi Zhen was shocked. Seeing Master Ku silently sit before the tablet, eyes closed in meditation, she grew even more anxious and tugged at Zhang Shisan again: “Master, you have to think of something! What if Mei Qing is really lost forever?”
“A grown man—how easy could it be to lose him?” Zhang Shisan replied weakly. Perhaps even he himself doubted his own words, so after glancing at the tablet again, he suddenly snapped, “Serves him right! Why didn’t he just stay put instead of running off everywhere? Ouch, girl, stop pinching me! I’ve read Mei Qing’s fortune before—he’s definitely not someone with a short life…”
As for Zhang Shisan’s fortune-telling skills, aside from himself, probably no one else truly believed in them. In fact, judging from his tone today, even he himself seemed to be losing confidence.
As the master and apprentice were caught up in their bickering and excuses, Master Ku suddenly spoke: “This stone tablet… I think I’ve figured something out.”
Upon hearing this, both Zhang Shisan and Bi Zhen immediately fell silent. Zhang Shisan had been about to voice his usual skepticism and criticism, but since he himself had circled the tablet four or five times without finding anything, and now the monk had sat for only a short while and claimed to have found something, he decided it would be too harsh to criticize him further and held his tongue.
Master Ku continued slowly: “This stone tablet… seems… not to be a Buddhist artifact…”
Zhang Shisan and Bi Zhen nearly fainted from frustration. The Sea Goddess had never been considered a Buddhist deity; she was usually classified among Daoist immortals. Since this was a temple dedicated to the Sea Goddess, of course the tablet wouldn’t be Buddhist.
“Old baldy, you don’t have to tell me that,” Zhang Shisan couldn’t resist mocking. “Of course it’s not Buddhist. Monks build temples in scenic mountains, talk about emptiness, yet indulge in luxury, squandering resources and deceiving women and children. Why would they come to this remote seaside corner to do something so pointless?”
Bi Zhen wore an anxious expression, watching the two old men bicker over useless details, and was about to step forward when Master Ku shook his head and said: “I meant the craftsmanship.”
“Craftsmanship? …Heh, of course your Buddhist sect doesn’t have such refined techniques… Ah, wait…” Zhang Shisan blurted out a few words before suddenly pausing, his mocking tone shifting to one of surprise: “Old baldy, this really isn’t right. In fact, heh, it’s not just non-Buddhist—it might even surpass Daoist techniques. Who could have created such a masterpiece?”
After saying a few more words, Zhang Shisan suddenly flared his wide sleeves, formed a magical seal, and soared into the air, scanning the area from above. After a while, he landed back down, his face grave and silent.
“Master, what is it? Say something!” Bi Zhen was burning with anxiety, urging him impatiently.
Zhang Shisan made a gesture but remained silent, lowering his head in deep thought. Bi Zhen, seeing this, stomped her foot in frustration but knew better than to interrupt him further.
After a while, Zhang Shisan finally shook his head: “Something’s definitely off. The layout here is grand, but the craftsmanship still leaves traces. However, if we were to search for clues piece by piece, we’d run out of time. Old baldy, I think we’ll have to work together.”
Seeing Zhang Shisan’s seriousness, Master Ku couldn’t help feeling surprised. When it came to formations and mechanisms, Zhang Shisan was far superior to himself. Few in the world could claim to surpass him. Although Master Ku, with his profound cultivation and spiritual perception, could sense the immense power connected to the stone tablet, judging from Zhang Shisan’s reaction, the truth might be even more profound than he had imagined.
Zhang Shisan’s expression grew solemn: “This place seems to be both a gateway and the pivot of a great formation. Combined, I can’t quite figure out what lies behind it. But judging from the formation itself, it seems not yet fully completed. To be honest, I can’t decipher the entire array right now. My suggestion is that we attack together and destroy the formation, forcing a path through.”
Master Ku and Bi Zhen naturally had no objections. Without further words, Zhang Shisan flared his robe and shouted: “Heaven and earth have no bounds; I invoke the power of yin and yang—swiftly as commanded!”
A faint mist gradually condensed in the air, forming a water mirror before them. The mirror displayed exactly what Zhang Shisan had seen from above.
The image showed clear land and sea, winding rivers, villages, and fields. Overlaid on it were seven glowing points—one large and six smaller.
Zhang Shisan pointed: “The largest glow is where we are now. The six smaller ones are the formation’s six nodes. According to my calculations, there should actually be seven nodes in total, but one is missing, which is why we were able to find a clue. Since we have no other choice, we’ll destroy these six nodes first, then return to smash this stone tablet. Whatever lies beyond, it will have nowhere to hide.”
Master Ku nodded slightly, while Bi Zhen, fearless and impatient, grabbed the two men and, following the directions, rushed toward the first glowing point to unleash their powers.
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