Another Tombstone

Lin Xiao tried converting his own vital energy into spiritual power and using it to touch the sphere of light.

Yet he discovered that spiritual power could not enter it at all.

He then tried using vital energy instead, but the result was the same.

Whether spiritual power or vital energy, both were stopped outside as though they had encountered an exceptionally tough pane of glass. Not the slightest bit could seep through.

However, when he brought the formation stone close to the sphere of light, he found that the layer of light not only failed to resist it, but seemed remarkably welcoming toward the stone. It clung to the formation stone and drew it inward, as though eager to invite it in as a guest.

The force was not particularly strong, nor did it seem determined to pull the formation stone inside at all costs.

But its treatment of Lin Xiao’s hand, which held the stone, was an entirely different matter. The light stopped right at his fingertips, and consequently only one corner of the formation stone was drawn inside before it could advance no farther.

Lin Xiao did not let go.

He withdrew the formation stone and stood to one side, staring at the space and the sphere of light as he pondered. From time to time, he glanced down at the formation stone in his hand.

This formation stone had been obtained from Wei Hai.

Wei Hai was from the Pusi Kingdom. Furthermore, Lin Xiao had heard that Wei Hai frequently traveled between the mortal world and the cultivation world, and that he had done most of his cultivation in the latter. If not for the spirit-stone mine he had discovered in the mortal world, he probably would not have returned at all.

Could he reasonably infer from this that Wei Hai had most likely obtained the formation stone in the Pusi Kingdom?

Of course, that depended on whether such formation stones existed only in the mortal world.

It was also possible that Wei Hai had occasionally visited other countries while in the mortal world. After all, Lin Xiao knew little about the man; all this information had come from the imperial family.

But no matter how he looked at it, he himself had encountered two identical formation stones within a single year. Judging by that probability, there was no way only two of these things existed.

If he could run into two of them in one year, then their numbers were probably considerable—very considerable.

Hmm…

But none of that had much to do with the situation before him.

What he most urgently needed to resolve now was the problem in Hu Yang Village, as well as how to get out of here.

Perhaps the solution lay within this very space.

Lin Xiao looked around, his gaze once again settling on the formation stone within the sphere of light.

Actually, from the moment he entered, he had felt that this space was somehow familiar. Yet he had been unable to put his finger on why.

But just now, when he thought of Hu Yang Village and the aura there that was so similar to that of the Jishi, he suddenly remembered why this space felt familiar.

Because the sensation of being inside this space was remarkably similar to the feeling he experienced whenever he entered a Jishi mine tunnel—the feeling he had at the very instant he crossed the entrance.

At the time, he had felt that some invisible force seemed to be isolating the aura of the Jishi inside the mine tunnel.

But he had not thought much of it then. Now, however…

Who would have thought that the Taiyin Sealing Formation was actually the formation used to seal the Jishi?

And this place was one of the nodes of that Taiyin Sealing Formation.

With that, everything made sense.

The Taiyin Sealing Formation had presumably sealed the Jishi beneath this land for many years. The formation must have been enormous, and the Jishi mines beneath this region were certainly not limited to a single location. They were likely spread across a vast area.

Perhaps the Taiyin Sealing Formation had weakened after being in place for so long, creating an opportunity for those who gathered around the Jishi.

As for the formation stone in Wei Hai’s possession, it was very likely taken from a formation node that had weakened—or perhaps had even been breached by the Jishi—and then picked up by him.

Of course, it was also possible that Wei Hai had simply taken it away out of sheer greed.

But none of that mattered.

If this deduction was correct, then all of this must have happened recently.

Otherwise, given how dangerous the Jishi were, once they appeared and were given enough time to scheme, the world would inevitably descend into chaos!

“Recently” could mean within the past year, or perhaps the past few years. In any case, it should not have been more than ten years…

Lin Xiao’s thoughts became increasingly jumbled as he pondered, wandering farther and farther afield.

Fortunately, he still remembered that he had come here to find a way to resolve the problem in Hu Yang Village.

His thoughts returned to the matter at hand.

How could he eliminate the Jishi aura seeping out from this node of the Taiyin Sealing Formation?

Judging from the progression of the villagers’ illnesses in Hu Yang Village, the seepage had probably begun only within the past half month.

And the aura was likely leaking because this formation node had weakened.

Taking recent events into account, it was highly possible that the frequent activities of the Jishi faction had caused the sealing formation node nearest the Jishi mine within the Huanyou Kingdom to weaken.

The formation had deteriorated over the years, while the sealed Jishi had gained allies outside. With forces on both the inside and outside working together, the situation in Hu Yang Village had arisen.

Perhaps everything those Jishi factions were doing was aimed at completely breaking through the Taiyin Sealing Formation.

However, Lin Xiao had previously tried using the several sealing formations he knew, and none of them could seal the Jishi.

When he used formations that relied on spiritual power to seal them, without exception, either the formations failed to take shape at all, or they were absorbed by the Jishi the moment they were completed.

The great sealing formation he had set up outside the Jishi mine tunnel before had been able to hold only because the mine tunnel was already sealed by the Taiyin Sealing Formation.

So for now, the only thing he could do was find a way to repair this Taiyin Sealing Formation, which was capable of completely sealing the Jishi.

But he had no idea how to repair this formation node…

As he pondered, Lin Xiao suddenly recalled the way the sphere of light had reacted when it touched the formation stone in his hand.

Could it be that the sphere’s reaction had not merely been because they shared the same origin, but because it genuinely needed this formation stone?

Perhaps these formation stones could communicate with and replenish one another?

Thinking of the way the sphere of light had clung to his formation stone, Lin Xiao felt that it was not impossible.

So he extended the formation stone toward it once more.

The instant the formation stone touched the sphere of light, the layer of light once again clung to it with the same gentle familiarity as before. It continued to reject Lin Xiao’s fingers as well, stopping after drawing the stone up to his fingertips.

This time, Lin Xiao did not exert any force. Instead, he simply released the formation stone and let matters take their course.

With nothing obstructing it, the formation stone was quickly drawn completely into the sphere of light.

Lin Xiao stood outside and quietly observed what was happening inside.

Once the formation stone had fully entered, the two formation stones began circling one another within the sphere of light.

Gradually, energy resembling fine electric currents began to form between them. As their circling grew faster, this energy became increasingly thick and powerful.

As the energy intensified, the exteriors of the two formation stones began to change as well.

Slowly, the rough surfaces that had looked like ordinary rock became finer and smoother.

After a long while—roughly half a day—the two formation stones finally began to slow and come to a stop.