Mulian's Primordial Desolate Corpse, Day and Night in a Single Thought [Mid-Tier Two-in-One!]

Lord Chen nodded at his words. "Thank you for bringing me all this way, Daoist. Once I see my elder brother, I'll be sure to explain it to him."

The Daoist shook his head. "My sect and the Prince's Residence go back generations. It's nothing." He took two steps forward to the edge of the Grand Formation, produced several Talismans, and flicked them inside.

"Zhou Youzi of the Mind-Calming Gate requests entry to the formation..."

His voice carried far into it, but no answer came.

He did not hurry. He simply waited.

Lord Chen, however, grew restless. He waited and waited without seeing any movement, but dared not press the matter. Instead, he pretended to admire the scenery, letting his gaze roam.

As he looked around, he noticed that the ground was Desolation and the vegetation withered. "Is this place so impoverished because of the immortals' formation?"

"No." Zhou Youzi turned toward him and sighed. "My Dao Attainment is modest, but even I can see that this Natural Grand Formation forms a system unto itself. It has severed the land within from its surroundings without disturbing anything outside. It has no connection to the area around Yunqiu Mountain. Even if the changes out here are related to it, they should not be so direct, much less the result of life and nourishment being drained away."

After a pause, he said hesitantly, "In my opinion, this Desolation looks somewhat like the work of baleful energy."

"Baleful energy?" Lord Chen froze, then quickly recovered. "Not long ago, the Lord of Zhou executed the powerful minister Yuwen Hu and took control of the kingdom. Within half a year, he raised three armies and went to war with Great Qi... with the Qi Kingdom again. The fighting has been fierce, especially here in Hedong.