The stability of the Five Elements Formation lies in the mutual generation among the five elements, creating an endless cycle of life. Mei Qing’s Reverse Five Elements Formation was hastily set up, and he was even facing three opponents at once, so initially, it didn’t seem capable of producing any significant effect. However, when he fully activated his Earth遁术 (earth-style technique), drawing all the earth element energy from the formation, the Reverse Five Elements Formation suddenly surged with power, and the situation quickly became intense.
Without the counteracting restraint of the Reverse Five Elements, the Triple Five Elements Formation would have merely paused momentarily due to the absence of the earth element. Once the formation’s controller noticed and replenished it, the formation would have resumed functioning. However, precisely at the moment when the Triple Five Elements Formation was unable to complete its restoration, the Reverse Five Elements Formation was activated. Devoid of the earth element’s support, the remaining four elements—metal, wood, water, and fire—became wildly unstable. Pressure from all four directions violently converged toward the center, instantly crushing the three generals stationed at the core of the Triple Formation.
The Triple Five Elements Formation was still based on the five elements. Mei Qing’s attack this time was actually quite similar to the previous one, still targeting the formation’s core. However, last time he had directly and forcefully attacked the central position, while this time, he manipulated the five elements to drain all the earth element energy, causing the formation to collapse under the pressure of the Reverse Five Elements.
Once the chain of the five elements was broken, the formation became chaotic under the disturbance of the Reverse Five Elements. The earth element generals at the core of the three formations were reduced to dust, and the surrounding warriors instantly went berserk. Dozens of different weapons were raised simultaneously, accompanied by surging energies of metal, wood, water, and fire. Without distinguishing friend from foe, they all launched their attacks at once.
In the cycle of the five elements, metal overcomes wood, wood overcomes earth, earth overcomes water, water overcomes fire, and fire overcomes metal. However, with the earth element missing from the formation, the balance of the elements was lost. As the warriors attacked simultaneously, blades and sword lights crisscrossed, sending waves of killing intent into the sky. A pair of metal warriors clashed, and a wood warrior was cut in half at the waist. A fire warrior spat flames from his mouth, and a metal warrior melted into liquid. If the formation had been intact, the warriors would have regenerated naturally. But now, with one link broken and no regeneration possible, severed limbs and armor flew through the air, and the formation’s very essence became a chaotic mess. After only a brief moment, the energy currents began to scatter wildly, and the remaining warriors, along with the formation’s foundation, exploded in a terrifying burst of energy.
The entire battlefield was filled with flying shards of broken weapons and streams of elemental energy, pulling and twisting the space around them until the whole area seemed unstable and shaking. Sound was silenced, and light and shadow disappeared, as if a great dark mouth had suddenly appeared, swallowing everything within the formation and its surroundings in one breath.
“What a cunning little rogue!” The two Xi maidens had been heavily tricked by Mei Qing and were now filled with rage, their teeth clenched in fury. However, Mei Qing had used the earth element energy from the Triple Five Elements Formation to escape, and now no one could tell where he had gone. Though the two Xi maidens were furious, they had no way to vent their anger.
With the destruction of the Triple Five Elements Formation, the two Xi maidens barely escaped the collapse of the magic array. Their forms had now become somewhat blurred, clearly showing that their summoner’s true energy had been severely drained from the earlier massive expenditure and could barely hold on any longer.
Hearing the distant chanting of incantations, the two Xi maidens exchanged glances and then sighed deeply. Rings of light surrounded their bodies, and their figures gradually faded, becoming lighter and lighter, until they finally disappeared completely. Above the Shi residence, the night was quiet, as if everything that had happened had merely been a fleeting dream.
“Hmm?” Not long after the two Xi maidens vanished, two dark figures suddenly appeared not far away.
“Old Yuan? Weren’t we supposed to have Nightmare Spirits and the Xi maidens lead the attack? Hmm… the Nightmare Spirits should be here, but they’ve been suppressed. I wonder who could have done that?” One of the plump monks spoke with a bitter smile—it was Xiao Mile, a guardian of the Incense Sect.
The one addressed as Old Yuan was naturally the other guardian, Yuan. He was thin and wiry, his eyes darting around as he finally said, “This place seems to have the aura of the Xi maidens and paper warriors. Could it be…?”
As for Bi Zhen, though she had said to split the forces, she had secretly been keeping a close eye on Mei Qing the entire time. When she finally saw Mei Qing unleash a thunderous strike that destroyed one of the enemy’s Five Elements Formations, she felt relieved. Although she was somewhat alarmed to see that the enemy’s Tianxi maidens had brought troops with them, seeing Mei Qing’s successful strike and the enemy forces reduced to dust and ashes greatly boosted her confidence. She decided to leave Mei Qing to deal with the paper warriors and the Tianxi Jade Maidens while she hurried toward the back courtyard of the Shi residence, where the Shi family was in chaos under the protection of their servants.
The Tianxi Jade Maidens had not immediately launched a direct attack. Instead, they had flown through the sky, weaving back and forth and stirring up wind and thunder. Having much experience in battle, the Tianxi Jade Maidens skillfully manipulated the battlefield, using the fear of ordinary people to their advantage. They did not rush to attack but instead drove the people into confusion, waiting for the right moment to strike. The ordinary people had never seen such a spectacle—some knelt and kowtowed, others cried out for their parents, and many, too terrified to think straight, simply fled to wherever they could find shelter.
At this time, Mei Qing had begun to entangle with the two Xi maidens, and the aerial warriors gradually lost interest in this area. Occasionally, a couple of evil spirits would come to harass them. Bi Zhen did not speak much. When she saw the right moment, she quickly summoned her Lümi Hairpin into the air, chanted the incantation, and shouted, “Now!” Instantly, a brilliant light shot forth like a meteor across the sky, leaving a long trail of rainbow-colored energy. In the blink of an eye, it struck two evil spirits that had been shouting loudly in midair, reducing them to nothingness.
“Master Shi, please do not panic. These are merely minor demons and ghosts. There is no need to worry. Please calm your family and follow me,” Bi Zhen stood atop her jade bracelet, glowing with a green light, and spoke clearly.
At this point, the servants and family members finally noticed Bi Zhen. Just moments ago, they had seen her chanting incantations and forming hand seals, and somehow she had unleashed a beam of light that instantly destroyed the terrifying spirits in the sky. They were both shocked and delighted. Now, hearing her speak from the air, they realized she was actually the young girl who had been staying at the estate a few days ago.
When Bi Zhen first arrived at the estate, no one knew her background. However, since Master Shi was well-connected, his household naturally had a broader perspective. Although they did not know Bi Zhen’s name or origins, they could tell from her appearance and demeanor that she must come from a noble and wealthy family, and thus held her in great respect.
Bi Zhen, however, was extremely simple-minded and never thought she was any different from others. Having grown up only in the palace and focused solely on cultivation, she had little understanding of the mundane world. Now that she was at the Shi residence, with little else to do, she spent her days discussing cultivation with Mei Qing, Zhang Shisan, and Master Ku, or wandering all over the estate, finding everything fascinating.
One moment she was in the back garden watching people feed the livestock, and the next she was by the pond watching people catch fish and shrimp. Occasionally, when she couldn’t resist, she would roll up her sleeves and try to help, much to the dismay of the ever-accompanying servant San.
Although Bi Zhen was playful and innocent, she was never willfully disobedient. When she realized that her playful behavior was making others uncomfortable, she would pout and reluctantly put down the fishing net. A moment later, when she saw the fishermen catch a big fish, she would be jumping up and down with joy, completely forgetting her earlier disappointment.
The local people of Gangli were simple and kind-hearted, and at first had no particular reverence for her. However, seeing Bi Zhen’s kind heart and natural behavior, they gradually grew fond of this young lady. Especially the children, who were often given sweet treats by her, would rush to give her anything good they found.
No one expected that tonight, all of a sudden, strange and eerie things would happen—no one knew where these demons and ghosts had come from, appearing in the sky with flashing swords and blades, and howling like ghosts, scaring everyone out of their sleep.
Just when everyone was in chaos, Bi Zhen suddenly appeared like a celestial fairy from the heavens, swiftly defeating the demons. Now, standing on a green light, her robes flowing, her face as clear and beautiful as a celestial being, the people below all thought she was a deity descended from heaven, and immediately, a group of disheveled servants and elderly women knelt down one after another, shouting, “Guanyin has descended!” “May the Bodhisattva protect us!”
Bi Zhen, with wide eyes, was at a loss seeing everyone kneeling before her. She had always considered cultivation to be a natural thing, never imagining that her actions would appear to others as something only legendary immortals could achieve, and thus she was naturally worshipped as a deity.
Yet, deep down, Bi Zhen felt a bit annoyed. Because she had borrowed a magic robe from her grandmother, she had stopped wearing her Daoist robes. As a result, after all her hard work battling demons, she was mistaken for Guanyin, and all her efforts had unintentionally benefited the Buddhist sect. Bi Zhen secretly decided that next time she went out, she would definitely wear her Daoist robes, so that people would shout, “Bi Xia Yuanjun has descended!”
The people below saw Bi Zhen with a calm expression, seemingly deep in thought, and were puzzled. Among them was San, who had often taken her around the estate. Seeing the young lady he used to lead around now flying in the sky, emitting green light, and slaying demons, and hearing everyone calling her Guanyin, he became extremely anxious. Seeing others praying, he hurriedly clasped his hands together and began chanting, “Merciful and compassionate Bodhisattva Guanyin, forgive me for not recognizing you the other day when you were in disguise. I even let the child give you the tiger-head fish to cook and eat it myself. My sins are unforgivable, unforgivable! Please, Bodhisattva, forgive me…”
Bi Zhen, with her high cultivation, clearly heard San’s prayer. Hearing him call her “you venerable one” over and over again, she felt goosebumps all over and nearly fell from the air.
At this moment, Bi Zhen faintly realized that openly appearing in the sky and performing magic so openly might not be very appropriate. However, the current situation was urgent, and there was no time to think further. She quickly retracted her magic bracelet and landed in front of Shi Mengzhu, saying, “Master Shi, my master and Qing are holding off the enemy. For now, we must temporarily retreat. Please gather your family and follow me.”
Although Shi Mengzhu had been shocked by Bi Zhen’s display of magic, his experience told him that he and his family could not help in the battle. It would be better to retreat quickly to avoid getting in the way of Zhang Shisan and the others. He nodded and said, “Thank you, young lady.”
He then quickly gave orders to his servants to gather the family, take care of the elderly and children, and prepare to leave.
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