If Ye Chuqi hadn't been certain the Stone Demon was still inside the Formation, she would have thought the huge creature had vanished from this space entirely.
Even traces of the Formation were hard to find. Only because her additions to the Formation Patterns didn't quite match the originals had flaws appeared in patterns that could otherwise have hidden perfectly. That was why she could spot them at a glance.
An outsider might need a few more looks to notice. Knowing that, Ye Chuqi felt somewhat reassured. It did make the Isolation Formation and Mirage Formation she'd set up seem rather pointless, though. Had she done nothing but add an unnecessary flourish?
"Qi Qi, don't sell yourself short!" San San comforted her. "You're getting more skilled, precise, and faster at setting up Formations!"
Ye Chuqi sighed. "That doesn't change the fact that I did something completely unnecessary." Even without the Formations she'd set up, the existing Formation could conceal both the Stone Demon and the Spiritual Energy completely.
"Better something than nothing! Maybe your Formation will keep the Stone Demon trapped for another couple of years."
Even so, both Ye Chuqi and San San knew they didn't have much time. San San's conservative estimate was eight to ten years, which meant they might have only five years or so once they accounted for everything that could go wrong.
"Too bad there's no way to send word out from the Land of Exile."
Just as the Lost Forest's unusual Magnetic Field interfered with all Communication, the Magnetic Field over the Misty Sea grew more chaotic the deeper one went. The Thirteen Misty Islands could communicate freely thanks to the Magic Barrier, but beyond its range, every means of Communication failed. Magic Crystals and other products of Alchemy alike became useless. The