Conspiracy

As Shen Luo studied the dragon head, it suddenly opened its eyes. They were bloodred, filled with seemingly endless resentment that surged out as though it had taken solid form.

But the surrounding flames instantly converged into the image of a fire lotus. Its nine flaming petals closed around the strange corpse, and every vision vanished.

Shen Luo sucked in a sharp breath and snapped back to himself. Everything around him looked normal again, except that the three long incense sticks in Hu Yong's hand had already burned halfway down.

Shen Luo could no longer pretend nothing had happened. He withdrew his hand seal and, without hesitation, severed the flow of Magic Power between himself and the peachwood talisman.

The light on the Ghost-Subduing Talisman before him dimmed, though it remained suspended in midair. The Magic Formation had not stopped completely, but the runes on the ground grew fainter.

Almost at the same moment, Hu Yong noticed something was wrong. A shadow crossed his face, so faint it was barely perceptible, before his expression returned to normal. "What happened? Why did you stop supplying Magic Power?"

Everyone turned to look at Shen Luo, surprise plain on their faces.

"Senior, forgive my inability. The longer I sustain the formation, the worse I feel. I'm afraid I can't keep it up and may hinder your plan." Shen Luo cupped his fists and forced the words out.

The lie was hardly convincing. Anyone could tell it was an excuse.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, what are you doing?" Lü He asked, baffled.

"Keep the formation running! If you delay the Ghost General's destruction, you won't be able to bear the consequences," Lin Qing snapped.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, this is no time to make trouble. We must follow Elder Hu's instructions," Yun Niang urged.

Jin Dun