Monster Alliance 2

"All things gather spirit! Earth, fire, water, wind! By my command, assemble!" Under Liao Xiaojin's astonished gaze, Zhou Qing's Second Primordial Spirit split off, opened its mouth, and spat out a mouthful of lifebound True Essence. The faint golden mist rapidly merged into the Bagua formation, and then the eight trigrams spun at breakneck speed. A vast amount of heaven and earth spiritual energy was sucked into the formation. Bang! The door was even knocked open by the surging tide of spiritual energy, showing just how much suction the Bagua formation generated after being driven by Zhou Qing's lifebound True Essence.

Zhou Qing said with considerable self-satisfaction, "How about that? I used my Second Primordial Spirit's lifebound essence to drive this Acquired Bagua Formation. Even though my Second Primordial Spirit hasn't evolved into a Four-Winged Golden Silkworm yet, it's still at the Nascent Soul Initial Stage, isn't it? It sucked in spiritual energy from nearly a hundred li around. After filtering through this Bagua formation, only the purest essence remains! The benefits for her are beyond words. Damn, I took a loss today—that Inner Core was originally meant to feed my Primordial Spirit Golden Silkworm."

"What's the big deal? She's your disciple now, which makes her my junior sister too. It's not like the benefits are going to outsiders, right?" Liao Xiaojin said.

"That's true," Zhou Qing nodded.

Inside the formation, Zhou Chen was forced by the red mist transformed from the Inner Core. Her whole body felt like it was being roasted by fire. Strands of pill energy drilled into her meridians, causing excruciating pain like ten thousand needles stabbing her. Zhou Chen knew this power was catalyzing and transforming her, so she gritted her silver teeth and channeled the pill energy into her Dantian, converting it into her own True Essence and demonic power. Just as she was struggling to endure, a sudden, incomparably vast cool aura poured down from the crown of her head. Zhou Chen felt as if she were lying on a cloud. A clear breeze blew, and she felt like she might dissolve into the wind. The fiery energy of the Inner Core and this immense cool aura merged perfectly, forming a lazy, extremely comfortable current that coursed through her meridians. Every meridian this warm current passed through seemed to widen and become nourished. Zhou Chen's suffering had turned to joy, and she was just sinking into this incredibly pleasant sensation when suddenly Zhou Qing's thunderous voice rang in her ears: "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and absorb the essence formed by this heaven and earth spiritual energy and the Inner Core into your Dantian!"

Zhou Chen shot Zhou Qing a grateful glance and silently began her cultivation without another word. On the side, Liao Xiaojin said enviously, "Master! When are you going to do this for me? Let me boost my power too!" Zhou Qing was left speechless: "You think it's that easy? It requires my lifebound True Essence to drive it. Do you think my lifebound True Essence is tap water from a faucet, that I can just spray as much as I want?"

After a long while, Zhou Qing withdrew his hand seals. That mouthful of lifebound True Essence had been completely consumed. The Bagua formation stopped spinning. Zhou Chen stood up from within the formation. Her big, watery eyes sparkled with sharp light, and a faint, pure fragrance emanated from her entire body. Liao Xiaojin felt a refreshing scent wash over him, so comfortable he almost moaned. Zhou Qing clapped his hands and sighed, "Excellent! Your power has greatly increased. Your Enchanting Fox Clan's cultivation techniques truly have their unique merits. That said, that monster's magical power is truly unfathomable. Maybe even I..." Zhou Qing's expression turned a bit grim.

"Master, didn't Junior Sister say that monster was wounded by their Elder? Besides, we're going to rescue someone, not to kill or take revenge. The enemy is in the open, we're in the dark. What's there to fear?" Liao Xiaojin felt uncomfortable seeing Zhou Qing like that. "That's right, Master! We can't delay this. If we're late, my sister might..." Zhou Chen anxiously grabbed Zhou Qing's hand, not daring to think further. Suddenly realizing the position was a bit ambiguous, she quickly let go. But Zhou Qing didn't notice; he was just thinking: "It's a pity this Twelve Divine Demon Annihilation Formation is so profoundly mysterious. I haven't even comprehended three-tenths of it yet, and I still can't control the Blood-Devouring Divine Saber. Otherwise, what ghostly monster would I fear?"

Having made up his mind, Zhou Qing pulled out a jade talisman and handed it to Zhou Chen, saying, "Alright, this can't be delayed. We'll set out now. This is an Invisibility Jade Talisman I refined. It can conceal your tracks and aura. Keep it safe, but the invisibility only lasts three hours." After speaking, he taught Zhou Chen the incantation to activate the talisman.

"Tsk! Tsk! Junior Sister! Master really treats you well! He even gave you his own Invisibility Jade Talisman. I've been with Master for almost a year, and he hasn't refined one for me," Liao Xiaojin said with a laugh.

"What nonsense are you talking! A grown man fighting a little girl for something—aren't you ashamed? Besides, didn't I waste a big chunk of Prime Gold of Taiyi to refine a flying sword for you?" Zhou Qing scolded Liao Xiaojin.

Seeing two young men of similar age, with one putting on airs as an elder to scold the other, Zhou Chen found it amusing and couldn't help but let out a giggle.

Liao Xiaojin thought: "Damn! This junior sister of mine really is a fox spirit! When she laughs, she's even prettier than Ling Ruoshui."

"Chenchen, is it here?" Zhou Qing, using his Second Primordial Spirit to control the flying sword, had traveled over a thousand li in an hour with Liao Xiaojin and Zhou Chen. Even though Zhou Qing's Second Primordial Spirit was a Six-Winged Golden Silkworm, a primordial exotic species, it was still extremely taxing. Along the way, Liao Xiaojin and Zhou Qing had racked their brains over how to address Zhou Chen. Calling her "Junior Sister" directly felt a bit awkward and out of place, especially in this day and age. For Zhou Qing, calling her "Disciple" was too conspicuous, and just using her name felt a bit stiff. In the end, at Zhou Chen's request, Liao Xiaojin simply called her "Sister," while Zhou Qing called her "Chenchen." Though it had a slightly ambiguous feel, it also carried a sense of an elder addressing a junior, so they settled on it.

Looking at the massive villa before him, which resembled a Western medieval castle, Zhou Qing asked Zhou Chen. Seeing Zhou Chen nod, Zhou Qing sighed, "Damn, what kind of monster is this? Doesn't he know to keep a low profile? Making such a big spectacle—isn't he afraid of attracting attention? Or does he really think his skills are heaven-defying and he can look down on all cultivators?" Zhou Qing shook his head.

"Master! My sister is inside! I can sense her. Let's go save her quickly!" Zhou Chen said, urgently grabbing Liao Xiaojin and rushing toward the huge villa.

"You're asking for death!" Zhou Qing grabbed Zhou Chen and Liao Xiaojin, saying, "Extremely powerful formations are set up around this villa! This monster is no simple character. How can you be so careless?" Zhou Qing silently activated his Second Primordial Spirit to investigate.

"So that's it! It's the Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Yin Grand Formation. This monster really has audacity beyond measure, daring to do anything." Zhou Qing's eyes flashed with golden light as he saw through the whole situation.

At the same time, on the other side of the villa, several eerie figures were whispering furtively. A gloomy-faced but rather handsome young man asked a man in his mid-twenties beside him, "Xie Xiaohong, is your information reliable? The Monster Alliance is having internal strife, and that Tianxuan Blood Demon is severely wounded?" The man named Xie Xiaohong laughed, "Relax, Captain Xiang. Our Xie family's intelligence is second to none. How could it be false? That Tianxuan Blood Demon, to snatch something from the Enchanting Fox Clan, ignored the objections of most monsters and slaughtered the entire clan. Now many monsters have withdrawn from the Monster Alliance. It's already a hollow shell. This is our perfect opportunity. If we wipe out the Monster Alliance, it'll be a major achievement. Then, by pulling some strings with the higher-ups, can the position of Dragon Group Leader escape Brother Xiang's grasp?"

"Hmph! If it weren't for Ling Fei always being one step ahead of me, I, Xiang Hui, would have been the Dragon Group Leader long ago. Instead, I'm still just a deputy." "That's right! That's right! Ling Fei only got the leader position by relying on his master, the Kunlun Sect Leader, and his Ling family's influence!" the two young men beside him chimed in.

Xiang Hui's face darkened as he barked, "What do you know? You're just new recruits to the Dragon Group. Ling Fei's cultivation is exceptionally deep—he's already at Qi Induction Late Stage, close to Nascent Soul. Hmph! When it comes to family influence, our Xiang family is no worse than the Ling family. Though Kunlun is nominally the leader of the righteous sects, our Shu Mountain doesn't kowtow to them. But his skill is indeed formidable. Among the third-generation disciples, only our Senior Brother can match him. But Senior Brother only cares about cultivation, and lately, he's been investigating the attack on Junior Brother Zhao Liang. We're not here to fight that Tianxuan Blood Demon head-on. The Monster Alliance has many enemies. If news of their internal conflict gets out, someone will surely come seeking revenge. We'll fish in troubled waters, snatch a few treasures, and maybe even get our hands on some monster Inner Cores—those are great for boosting power. You! Xie Xiaohong, you! Liu Zhihua, you! Lu Hongchen, when you see an isolated monster or person, we'll form the Four Aspects Sword Formation and strike together. Make sure no one gets away alive!"

"Kill people too?" Xie Xiaohong asked in confusion.

Xiang Hui laughed darkly, "Anyone coming to seek revenge on the Monster Alliance won't be simple. They'll definitely be experts with plenty of good stuff on them. Even if we kill them, it won't be traced back to us. What's there to fear? We'll stay here. When someone breaks through this Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Yin Grand Formation, we'll sneak in quietly. Be careful not to be discovered!" The three quickly nodded, "Brother Xiang is brilliant!"

"Chenchen! Xiaojin! This Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Yin Grand Formation is an extremely vicious demonic formation. It uses underground yin veins as a guide, trapping sixty-four living souls within to form an eight-yin convergence. This can draw in the resentful spirits from hundreds of li around to serve it. It's utterly vile. Strange that no cultivator has come to deal with it," Zhou Qing said, very puzzled.

"Master, the Monster Alliance and humans had an agreement in the past. As long as the monsters don't cause chaos in the world, neither side interferes with the other. That's why no one has stepped in," Zhou Chen explained.

"So that's it! Well then, since this Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Yin Grand Formation is gathered from pure yin veins, my Samadhi True Fire is its natural nemesis. I'll burn an opening with my true fire. Chenchen, go in invisible. Xiaojin, you stay behind as backup. Got it?" Zhou Qing instructed.

"Why do I have to stay behind? Let's all go together. If there's a fight, more people make it easier to handle," Liao Xiaojin asked.

"Chenchen said there are only four monsters inside. The big one is badly wounded. If we run into him, Master can handle it. But I'm worried about unexpected variables. You stay behind in your transformed state and keep a sharp eye. With your Vampire Earl speed, no one should be able to catch you in a chase. Even if you run into an expert, you can escape. But try not to get into conflict. Wait for us to come back. If something happens, burn this talisman, and we'll know. We'll get out as fast as we can."

Seeing Zhou Qing's grave expression, Liao Xiaojin knew he was serious. He took the talisman Zhou Qing handed him and nodded in agreement.

Xiang Hui suddenly jolted, "Someone's gone in! Let's follow them quickly!" Four figures suddenly flashed out from the darkness, heading straight for the opening Zhou Qing had burned through the Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Yin Grand Formation.

Since I have to go out again tomorrow, I'm posting another chapter today. But I might make it up tomorrow night.