Heavenly Net Ghostfire Formation
"Extreme Yin, why should you belittle yourself? You are Alchemist, and it's only natural that you're not good at combat."
Zhu Yin suddenly spoke up, and then she said to Yuan Qing.
"What should we do next?"
Although Yuan Qing was dissatisfied with Zhu Yin, he did not dwell on it.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Si Xi is seriously injured and needs someone to protect him. However, the Rebirth Valley is only open for a limited time, and the four of us cannot all stay here. How about I stay here alone, and the two of you go to find the Cold Marrow Wood? Purple Cloud may not have gone far, so it would be best if you two went together."
Zhu Yin said, "Alright, we'll do as you say."
She turned to Song Wen, "Let's go, Extreme Yin."
Song Wen followed Zhu Yin and left the place.
After they were far enough apart, Zhu Yin asked.
"Extreme Yin, when you followed Si Xi, did you find anything suspicious?"
Song Wen shook his head. "Si Xi's cultivation is higher than mine, so I didn't dare to get too close. But as far as I can see, he's genuinely searching for the Cold Marrow Wood and has no other purpose."
Zhu Yin looked thoughtful and said in a low voice, "Could it be that Yuan Qing came to this Sea Silk Forest really just to help Si Xi find the Cold Marrow Wood, and has no other purpose?"
Song Wen guessed uncertainly, "Could it be that what Yuan Qing is looking for is the Cold Marrow Wood? He seems quite anxious about it."
Zhu Yin said, "Absolutely impossible. Although Cold Marrow Wood is an excellent material for refining weapons, it is of little use to Yuan Qing. What he is looking for is definitely not this."
Song Wen asked with a curious look, "Zhu Yin, why do you want me to follow Si Xi? Could you please be clear?"
Zhu Yin gave Song Wen a cold look. "Knowing too much isn't a good thing for you."
Song Wen said, "I have no intention of delving into your secrets, fellow Daoist. However, I know nothing about the inside story, so I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to detect Si Xi's abnormality."
Zhu Yin's expression suddenly turned somewhat melancholy. After pondering for a moment, she finally spoke.
"Actually, I don't know either. But I guess there should be an Elder Ruins in the Rebirth Valley, Yuan Qing came here this time to obtain something from it."
Song Wen frowned. "Elder Ruins?"
Zhu Yin said, "I have told you the truth. I hope you will abide by our agreement and keep an eye on Si Xi for me. Once he enters a place that seems to be Elder Ruins, you must contact me as soon as possible."
Song Wen naturally wouldn't believe everything Zhu Yin said.
She must know something about the ruins, otherwise she wouldn't have gone to such lengths to monitor Yuan Qing and Si Xi's every move.
"Could this so-called Elder Ruins be related to the Infant Spirit Pill?" Song Wen wondered to himself.
Zhu Yin led Song Wen around and searched for a while, but found nothing, so they returned to the place where Si Xi was healing.
"Has anyone found Cold Marrow Wood?"
Upon seeing the two return, Yuan Qing asked.
Zhu Yin shook her head. "I didn't find it. This area where the Sea Silk grows is only three or four hundred miles in size; it's probably too small to nurture a second Cold Marrow Wood."
"Back then, you and I promised Si Xi that we would retrieve a Cold Marrow Wood for him. Now that the Cold Marrow Wood has been taken by someone else, how can we explain this to Si Xi?" Yuan Qing said with dissatisfaction.
Zhu Yin said, "But Purple Cloud escaped from your grasp..."
"Gentlemen, please stop arguing. Don't let my matter ruin your harmony," Si Xi said after finishing her cultivation.
Yuan Qing turned to look at Si Xi, "How is your injury healing?"
Si Xi said, "My injuries are mostly healed. Let's discuss our next steps."
Zhu Yin said, "Since there is no more Cold Marrow Wood here, there is no need to stay any longer. We should head towards the heart of the valley as soon as possible to retrieve the Earth Dragon Ganoderma."
The poisonous miasma weakened rapidly. After only a few hours in the Sea Silk Forest, the four of them could already feel that the toxicity of the miasma here had been reduced by half compared to when they first arrived.
Yuan Qing asked Si Xi, "What do you think?"
Si Xi said, "Let's do as Fellow Zhu Yin suggests."
Yuan Qing said, "Si Xi Daoist Si Xi is very righteous. You can rest assured. There is more than just this one Sea Silk Forest in the Rebirth Valley. After we obtain the Earth Dragon Ganoderma, we will go to other Sea Silk Forest and find a Cold Marrow Wood for you."
Having devised their plan, the four of them flew towards the heart of the valley.
The closer they got to the heart of the valley, the denser the miasma became. The four of them proceeded cautiously, constantly monitoring the changes in the miasma's toxicity. Sometimes, they had to stop temporarily because the miasma was too dense, waiting for it to weaken before continuing their journey.
Two days later, the four of them finally approached the heart of the valley.
The area near the center of the valley is barren, devoid of any marine plants, with only scattered black rocks of various shapes.
A massive crack was clearly visible, stretching for hundreds of miles and reaching a width of about one mile at its widest point.
As the crack extends deeper into the earth, it gradually narrows until it finally disappears completely.
The miasma in the crack was still thick, and the four of them stopped at the edge of the crack.
Sensing the extremely dense miasma emanating from the crack, Song Wen's face showed some worry.
"The miasma in the cracks is so dense, can we Golden Core cultivators really withstand its poison?"
Yuan Qing said, "Extreme Yin, don't worry. You and fellow Si Xi only need to cooperate with me and Junior Sister Zhu Yin to eliminate the Nethersea Ghost Hound. You don't need to enter the rift."
Song Wen said, "That's good."
Yuan Qing said, "Extreme Yin, and time is of the essence. I must ask you to start Alchemy the pills immediately."
Song Wen nodded, walked to the foot of a giant rock, set up a <Qi-Sealing Spirit-Isolating Formation> to create a waterless area, and began Alchemy.
Zhu Yin glanced at Song Wen, who was hidden by the formation, and said.
"It will take about three days to refine the Demon-Luring Powder using the Extreme Yin technique. Let's set up the Heavenly Net Ghostfire Formation first."
Si Xi said, "Alright! Setting up this formation is extremely complicated, so I would appreciate it if you two could assist me."
Yuan Qing said, "Of course."
Three days later, Song Wen walked out of the <Qi-Sealing Spirit-Isolating Formation> carrying the newly refined Demon -Demon-Luring Powder.
Meanwhile, Zhu Yin and the other two had successfully set up the <Heavenly Net Ghostfire Formation>.
At the edge of the crack, on a relatively flat seabed rock, there were many more intricate patterns.
These array patterns were drawn with some kind of black spiritual liquid. The seabed environment and rocks were also pitch black, making it difficult to detect their existence without careful observation.
"Fellow Daoists, we have successfully completed our mission. The Demon-Luring Powder has been successfully refined," Song Wen said.
Yuan Qing said, "Extreme Yin, you did a good job."
"What should we do next?" Song Wen asked.
Yuan Qing looked at Si Xi, "Fellow Daoist Si Xi, when will you be able to activate the Heavenly Net Ghostfire Formation?"
"Anytime is fine," Si Xi said.
Yuan Qing's expression brightened. "There's no time to lose. Let's begin luring and killing the Nethersea Ghost Hound immediately."
I want to try my best to depict a vivid world for everyone, so many descriptions will be relatively detailed, but also quite time-consuming.
For example, the description of the Sea Silk Forest might only take a few seconds in the book, but I spent half an hour studying the underwater world to develop the idea.
The prototype of the Long-Fanged Fish is the toadfish, which has a real-world counterpart. It has two short legs on its abdomen and likes to bury itself in the sand.
The prototype of Sea Silk) is kelp. The name is meant to evoke the image of kelp that is ten feet long, floating in the sea like a ribbon. It took me quite a while to come up with this name.