Formation Fragment
Inside the main hall of Demon Flame Valley.
The Earth Demon Old Ghost sat in the main seat, his face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.
The cold, sinister gaze emanating from those deep-set eyes sent shivers down the spines of everyone present.
They've been standing here for almost 15 minutes.
"So many days have passed, and we still haven't found anything?"
The Earth Demon Old Ghost finally spoke, but the crowd below fell silent, and no one dared to respond.
This time, the Third Elder stepped forward with a heavy heart, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
"Fang Yan to the Valley Master... We have roughly determined the location where Elder Fang Yan and Fourth Elder Xie Zhen fell, but the area has definitely been cleared of any traces."
The Second Elder has gone to the Black-Corner Region to gather information, so now only he can withstand the pressure from the Earth Demon Old Ghost.
"Furthermore... the bodies of the two elders have not been found; they have most likely been destroyed."
The air inside the hall seemed to freeze for a moment.
The Earth Demon Old Ghost slowly raised his eyes and looked at the Third Elder.
"So you mean you can't even say how the person died, who killed them, or exactly where they died?"
The Third Elder dared not raise his head, only feeling that the robes on his back were already soaked with cold sweat.
"Waste!"
The Earth Demon Old Ghost roared, and his pressure, approaching that of Seven-Star Dou Zong, poured out like a torrent, forcing everyone below to bend over.
Several deacons immediately collapsed to their knees, and although the Third Elder managed to stand, his legs were trembling uncontrollably.
The oppressive aura lasted for several breaths before the Earth Demon Old Ghost slowly withdrew.
He closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart. After calming down, he spoke again:
"What about the Jia Nan Academy? Have you checked?"
The Third Elder took a breath and quickly replied:
"We checked. The Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower was closed a few days ago. The specific reason is still unclear, but it's most likely related to the Fallen Heart Flame sealed at the bottom of the tower."
The Earth Demon Old Ghost's brows furrowed slightly.
This incident does not appear to be directly related to the deaths of Fang Yan and Xie Zhen.
The Fallen Heart Flame incident has been a headache for the Jia Nan Academy for more than a year or two.
Moreover, with Fang Yan and Xie Zhen working together, unless Su Qian personally intervened, they absolutely wouldn't have been unable to escape.
The Earth Demon Old Ghost couldn't connect the two things no matter how hard he thought about it, and his frustration began to rise again.
"Continue the investigation. Besides Jia Nan Academy, have there been any other recent developments in the Black-Corner Region?"
The Third Elder lowered his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up:
"The biggest commotion in the past two years has been over the Blood Sect. One after another, the Dou Wang elders have been killed, leaving only Fan Lao and the Grand Elder as Dou Emperor."
Upon hearing this, the Earth Demon Old Ghost's expression flashed with disdain:
"Blood Sect? That piece of trash Fan Lao isn't dead yet?"
"He's still here, but I heard he's so angry he's bedridden."
The Earth Demon Old Ghost chuckled and didn't ask any more questions.
In his eyes, the Blood Sect, a force without Dou Zong expert, was not even worth mentioning.
Right now, all he can think about is Fang Yan and Xie Zhen.
Two Dou Emperor, one of whom was Nine-Star Dou Emperor, disappeared without a trace, leaving not even a decent clue.
"Go down and continue the investigation. Investigate the newcomers who have emerged in the Black-Corner Region recently."
The Third Elder felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly led several stewards out of the main hall.
On the other side, Jia Nan Academy.
Three days after the seal was reinforced, Qin Yu was summoned by Su Qian.
"What you wanted has been found."
Su Qian pushed a wooden box, about two feet long, in front of Qin Yu and opened the lid.
Inside lay a yellowed scroll, clearly quite old.
"This is the fragment of the Formation that was seized from the Gan Mountain Sect back then. We searched the entire academy several times before finding it."
"Gan Mountain Sect?"
Qin Yu took the scroll and asked about the Gan Mountain Sect with some curiosity.
Jia Nan Academy has always mostly stayed within its own territory, rarely taking the initiative to eliminate a force.
"It was a force in the Black-Corner Region, probably more than forty years ago. The sect leader's strength was only slightly inferior to the current Earth Demon Old Ghost."
As Su Qian spoke, her gaze became distant:
"At that time, I was still at the Peak Dou Emperor, not yet the Grand Elder of the academy. The Gan Mountain Sect and the academy had a long-standing feud, which eventually escalated into a battle."
"That battle left the Grand Elder severely injured, forcing me to enter seclusion. Only after breaking through to the Dou Zong did I take over the position of Grand Elder."
He's a bit weaker than the current Earth Demon Old Ghost, so he's probably around Five-Star Dou Zong?
If such a force could be wiped out, it seems that the Grand Elder back then was quite powerful.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore."
Su Qian withdrew her gaze and waved her hand.
"Formation are different from alchemy. Whether you can make a name for yourself in researching them depends entirely on you."
"I've already had people collect those materials; they should be gathered in a few days."
Qin Yu nodded his thanks, then turned and left.
"Sigh, if only the academy could produce more students like Qin Yu."
Su Qian sat in her chair, remaining silent for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh.
After returning to his residence, Qin Yu immediately went into his room, unfolded the incomplete scroll of Formation, and began to read it carefully.
The Formation burned on the scroll is called the Taiyi Yin-Yang Formation.
However, the scroll's description of the specific function of this Formation is so brief as to be puzzling:
"Heaven and earth, yin and yang, unite to return to the Great One."
These are the only eight characters; there is no further explanation.
Qin Yu looked at it several times to confirm that there were no signs of peeling or damage at the back; these eight characters were the complete description.
Feel...
It feels like I've struck gold!
These eight characters look anything but simple!
As a fragmentary scroll, it still retains some information about the composition and arrangement of Formation.
Qin Yu patiently read on, his brows furrowing and relaxing intermittently.
According to the records on the fragment, the activation of the Taiyi Yin-Yang Formation requires two Dou Emperor- level cultivators, one belonging to Yin and the other to act as the array's core.
If the two cultivators cannot communicate telepathically, they will need two spiritual treasures of heaven and earth with extremely yin and extremely yang attributes as a medium to assist in the connection.
As for how the Formation is officially activated, how it operates, and what specific effects it can achieve, the fragmentary scroll contains none of this.
"Tsk, this thing's not easy to handle..."
Qin Yu closed the scroll, shut his eyes, and mentally rehearsed the scenario for a moment, his brows still furrowed.
That's not enough.
His understanding of Formation is still insufficient.
However, the candidates for these two key positions are undoubtedly Xiao Yi Xian and him.
Xiao Yi Xian's Woeful Poison Body, and the two Heavenly Flames within her body, correspond precisely to the Yin and Yang attributes.
And when it comes to understanding each other perfectly, who can compare to her?
"I don't know exactly where the complete version of this fragment is."
Looking at the Formation scroll in his hand, Qin Yu took a deep breath and calmed his complicated emotions.
Take it slow. Things should get much better once you break through to the Dou Zong and head to the Central Plains.