Chapter 122: What Class Are You? The Art of Impish Relocation, the Formation Is Broken

"No, let’s go to Water Curtain Ravine first," Zhao Yufeng said, shaking his head. "That old beast has set up a dual-layered grand formation here, and one of the array eyes is located within Water Curtain Ravine. We must break that array eye first; otherwise, he will have no leverage within Qiuhe Mountain. Furthermore, if we don't eliminate that eye, I fear those people won't be able to hold out."

He glanced toward the people on the boats. There were quite a few of them—at least a hundred, and when combined with the people already gathered around the ravine, the total reached two or three hundred. Most were martial artists at the Flesh Refining stage, with several leaders at the Internal Energy stage. Beyond that, there were officials from the Yin Suppression Department, various experts from the underworld, and spirit walkers—a formidable force indeed.

However, he knew well that in battle, numbers did not always equate to an advantage. He understood his master perfectly; since the old man had chosen this location, he must have laid out many contingencies. Anyone who dared to intrude would pay a heavy price. Just once before, countless vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts had been stirred, causing quite a commotion. And that was merely the tip of the iceberg, not even touching the depths of the tomb. These people, despite their numbers, would only grow more panicked when faced with invisible ghostly entities, which would ultimately prove counterproductive.

"Do we need to follow them?" Chen Yushu asked.

"No, we only need to stay on the perimeter. The array eye for this formation is, without a doubt, the corpse of the Great Martial Master buried deep within. Using a corpse as an array eye is standard practice in our line of work. It is the same for Qiuhe Mountain, where the old beast resides; his own corpse is the array eye. The yin energy gathered from the surroundings acts as nourishment, constantly strengthening the eye and increasing its power. We will start from the periphery and destroy the array bases he established. Once the bases are gone, the array eye will lose its efficacy."

As he spoke, Zhao Yufeng headed toward Water Curtain Ravine. Chen Yushu and Qi Jichuan followed closely behind.

An hour later, they arrived at another hilltop not far from the ravine. From their vantage point, they could clearly see countless people gathering at the foot of the mountain.

"Now, we wait," Zhao Yufeng said. "After nightfall, the yin energy rises. That is when the formation manifests and exerts its power. Only then can we use techniques like qi-gazing and positioning to locate the various array bases hidden around us." He sat down on a rock, closing his eyes to rest.

"Can't we see them now?" Chen Yushu asked, puzzled. A flash of spiritual light crossed his eyes, and faintly, he could see that the area around Water Curtain Ravine was shrouded like a dome. That dome was the range of the entire grand formation. Even though it was still daytime and the dome wasn't obvious, he could vaguely discern countless wisps of yin-nether energy slowly drifting toward it. This was a classic yin-gathering formation. Of course, the specific mysteries within were beyond the reach of his basic Qi-Gazing Technique. Nevertheless, he could see blurred nodes scattered around the outer edge of the formation—the array bases.

"The operation of a formation usually requires the assistance of array bases," Qi Jichuan explained. "Compared to the array eye, these bases are hidden throughout the mountains and buried deep underground. While the formation operates slowly during the day, they are very difficult to judge. Even if we managed to find one or two, it wouldn't do much damage to the overall formation. It is more convenient to wait until nightfall, when the yin energy surges and the formation is fully operational."

Chen Yushu nodded and set his concerns aside. Although his Qi-Gazing Technique seemed capable of spotting the bases, there was no need to show off.

Meanwhile, the people below were unwilling to wait. They began to file into the mountain, starting their exploration of the century-old tomb. Seeing this, Chen Yushu, though curious, did not approach. Instead, he found a spot to sit and began his cultivation.

Time passed—one hour, two hours. The sky gradually darkened, and the surrounding atmosphere grew increasingly eerie and cold.

Day and night were sharply divided. Daytime belonged to human activity, but once night fell, all manner of demons and ghosts emerged from the earth. Their hilltop was no exception. Chen Yushu opened his eyes to see a lingering spirit rising from beneath Qi Jichuan's feet. The spirit grinned at Qi Jichuan and lunged toward him. But as it approached, it felt a scorching heat erupt, and in an instant, the spirit was incinerated into ashes.

"What level do you think you're at, trying to ambush me?" Qi Jichuan scoffed as he opened his eyes. A mere minor spirit dared to attack him; his blood-energy alone was enough to burn it to death.

"Alright, let’s go," Zhao Yufeng said. The group quickly rose and descended the mountain toward Water Curtain Ravine.

Soon, they stopped at a spot between the hills. "This is one of the array bases," Zhao Yufeng said, his eyes glinting as he pointed at the ground. He shook a small bell. *Ding!* The zombie 'Xiao Hei' beside him lunged forward, digging into the earth with both hands.

Suddenly, a fiery red figure burst from the ground and lunged at Xiao Hei, its ghostly claws slashing viciously. It was a malevolent ghost hidden within the array base. These bases were part of the yin-gathering formation, and the location itself was naturally suited for such creatures. The ghost, disturbed in its lair, was infuriated. *Screech...* The sound of fingernails grating against stone made one’s skin crawl. Such an attack was powerful enough to tear open the flesh of an ordinary person and infect them with malevolent yin energy. But for Xiao Hei, who was comparable to an evil zombie, it was useless. Its skin was as hard as rock, impervious to blades and indifferent to pain. Xiao Hei let out a low roar and spewed a cloud of corpse-gas.

*Sssss...* The blood-malevolence on the ghost was extinguished by half instantly. It shrieked, sensing that the zombie was not to be trifled with, and panicked, rushing toward Chen Yushu.

Chen Yushu simply pressed his hand down. *Subdue Yin Mantra!* The ghost was slammed into the ground. *Thud!* The next moment, Xiao Hei turned into a black shadow, pounced, and tore the ghost apart. Although it quickly reformed, under Xiao Hei’s constant battering, it grew incredibly weak.

"Spare me... spare me..." the ghost roared, but apart from Chen Yushu, who was in a state of 'Constant Calm', neither Zhao Yufeng nor Qi Jichuan could hear its pleas. To them, it sounded only like a death wail. Xiao Hei, having received no further orders, did not stop. Soon, the ghost turned into fly ash—its soul scattered.

"A poor wretch," Qi Jichuan muttered. Chen Yushu nodded in agreement. Even if it didn't drop a soul bead, it should have at least left a piece of yin-bone jade.

*Ding!* Zhao Yufeng rang the bell again, and the zombie dug out a small jade disc from the pit.

"A true array disc," Qi Jichuan remarked. "The material and the inscriptions... that old beast really spent a fortune. This single disc costs at least eighty taels of silver. Two grand formations would need at least a hundred or two hundred such discs, not to mention the other preparations."

Chen Yushu examined it; it was similar to what the Earth Master Lü Yizhi had used, though Lü had carried more array flags and fewer of these discs. Yet, those few had been enough to summon earth-energy formations and suppress a wicked Ghost Lady.

"Brother Chen," Zhao Yufeng said, "you know the Spirit Eye Technique, right? Use it to look for the array bases. Let's find and destroy them one by one, and meet back here in half an hour. It's too slow if we stick together."

"I don't know the Spirit Eye Technique," Chen Yushu explained. "I learned the Qi-Gazing Technique, which can also see through to the array bases."

"Qi-Gazing Technique? Is that an Earth Master's method? Regardless, it's even better for scouting. Let's split up. Once half the bases are destroyed, the formation will be unable to function. It will make things easier for those people inside and ruin the geomantic layout, preventing the old beast's tomb from being nourished by this yin-gathering spot."

Chen Yushu nodded and moved off in his chosen direction. In the dark of night, this was perilous for ordinary people, but for a "Two-Incense Spirit Walker" like him, it was nothing. As long as there were no Spirit-level entities, he felt no fear. Besides, he wasn't alone.

He tapped his waist. "Oh! Finally, we can come out," Xiao Hong and Xiao Yin chirped, leaping from his waist.

"Brother Yushu, where are we?" Xiao Yin asked, grabbing his hand. Xiao Hong, not to be outdone, grabbed his other hand. "Brother Yushu, Xiao Yin's bottom is so big, she squeezed me just now!"

"It is not! I've just been eating well lately..." Xiao Yin blushed, touching her hip. She had been quite thin before, but ever since she started following Brother Yushu, she received two sticks of incense every day and sometimes even extra meals. Her soul-form had grown quite sturdy, appearing a bit 'plump' to the outside world.

"Alright, it's my fault; the space in the jade pendant is indeed too small. I'll find you a bigger place to hide next time," Chen Yushu said with a smile. "Now, I need your help..."

As he spoke, his eyes flickered, and he quickly located another buried array disc. He took seven steps in sequence. *Boom!* The earth energy surged. A green-faced malevolent ghost burst out. Chen Yushu pressed his hand down, pinning the creature to the earth, and then slammed his palm onto it. *Harmonize-Malevolence Mantra!* *Sssss...* The ghost’s malevolence was worn away until it became transparent and vanished into the wind.

On the ground lay a piece of black material like a finger bone—a piece of yin-bone jade. "Xiao Yin, this is for you," he said, giving it to her as compensation for a previous errand.

"Thank you, Brother Yushu!" Xiao Yin beamed.

"Xiao Hong, go, dig out the array disc!" Chen Yushu commanded. Xiao Hong rushed to the site, and with her 'Little Ghost Relocation' ability, the array disc pushed its way out of the earth as if the soil were non-existent.

"Good girl," Chen Yushu said, patting her head.

They continued. Under his Qi-Gazing Technique, the array bases shone like fireflies in the night. One by one, he found them, forced out the ghosts, and destroyed them. By the time an hour had passed, Chen Yushu had collected fifteen array discs and dealt with seven or eight malevolent ghosts. His harvest was significant—sixteen pieces of yin-bone jade and three soul beads.

He handed the soul beads to Xiao Hong and the jade to Xiao Yin, who were delighted. For Chen Yushu, the difference in cultivation speed using soul beads was now negligible compared to his 'Constant Calm' state and the Great Success-level White Tiger Visualization.

"Constant Calm, combined with the Spirit-Drawing Talisman and the Great Success White Tiger Visualization, has boosted my cultivation to an unimaginable level," he mused, checking his status.

*Immortal Cultivation: Two Incense Sticks (31/100)*

He was much stronger than before. He scanned the Water Curtain Ravine once more. "The formation... is broken?" In his eyes, the dome that had hung in the void was gone. Wisps of yin energy and malevolence were dissipating from the ravine.

Soon, Zhao Yufeng and Qi Jichuan returned, looking relieved. "The formation is finally broken."

"Now, we head to Qiuhe Mountain."

"Straight to Qiuhe Mountain? Not going inside to take a look?" Chen Yushu asked, eyeing the ravine. He had hoped to dig up a few more discs. Furthermore, he was curious about the potential treasure and the legendary Great Martial Master's inheritance—the very reasons so many experts had swarmed toward Jianghuan Town.

"Nothing to see," Zhao Yufeng scoffed. "If there were any real treasures, the old beast would have moved them to his own tomb. Even if something was left behind, it wouldn't be precious to those in our line of work. Gold, silver, martial arts manuals? They are all decoys. The old beast went to such lengths just to hide his true tomb. He wanted any experts who broke the geomantic layout to be distracted by the main tomb, passing over his own and sparing him the risk of being dug up. We only know because we are his disciples."

"I see," Chen Yushu nodded. As they turned to leave for Qiuhe Mountain, Qi Jichuan suddenly called out, "Wait..."