Chapter 117: The Perverse Formation Spirit [Second Update]

Zhao Wushuang held a sphere of blue light that illuminated the path, while Daokong’s body shimmered with a faint golden glow.

"Are we entering the place where the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon is sealed?" Daokong looked at Lu Fei, pursing his lips as he asked curiously.

"Is that even a question? Of course we are. I just never expected that the Sarira was being used to seal the Nine-Tailed Fox. I wonder how powerful that demon truly is." Zhao Wushuang could hardly imagine it as he followed Lu Fei forward. From time to time, water dripped from the ceiling of the cave.

*Drip…*

The journey was safe, with no traps to be found. The path sloped deeper and deeper underground, eventually leading them to a massive stone gate. Three fox demons had already entered, but they were currently locked in a standoff with several men in black robes.

Lu Fei immediately signaled for his companions to extinguish their lights. They hid behind the gate, watching the scene, and whispered, "Stay quiet!"

"Heh... Understood. But what faction do those men in black belong to?" Zhao Wushuang struggled to identify them.

"As far as I know, there is a hidden evil sect in this vicinity called the Ghost Nether Sect. Their master is extremely powerful, at least at the eighth rank. These men must be high-ranking elders of that sect," Daokong said, his eyes narrowing as he observed them.

"Oh, so they’re here to snatch the Sarira, while the fox demons are here to break the seal. But shouldn't they be cooperating to retrieve it? Why are they at each other's throats?" Lu Fei was puzzled, as their goals seemed perfectly aligned for a partnership.

"I’m not sure. Perhaps the fox demons want the Sarira for themselves as well," Daokong replied, shaking his head. Zhao Wushuang was equally unsure.

"Apologies, but we want the Sarira too," the lead fox demon said coldly.

"We also want the Sarira, and we are determined to have it. You would do best to yield it to us," the leader of the Ghost Nether Sect retorted with a sinister chill.

Suddenly, a fox demon whispered to his leader, "We can pretend to give them the Sarira. Once our ancestor is freed, won't the Sarira be ours anyway?"

"That makes sense." The lead fox demon sneered. He looked up at the leader of the Ghost Nether Sect and said, "It’s not impossible to give you the Sarira. We can work together to retrieve it. This formation is very bizarre; we’ve studied it for years to understand how to break it. In a moment, we will drip this girl’s blood onto it, which will summon four powerful guardians. We must join forces to defeat them, and only then will the Sarira appear. At that point, it’s yours."

The lead fox demon spoke with great sincerity.

"Very well, we have a deal," the leader of the Ghost Nether Sect agreed.

"Good. Let’s begin." The lead fox demon turned to the two subordinates holding the girl and gave an order.

"Ah! No, please, don't!" the girl screamed, trembling in terror.

"Isn't that the girl we stopped from being sacrificed earlier? How did she get captured again? She really has a miserable fate," Daokong said, his mouth twitching in speechlessness.

"It truly is quite pathetic," Zhao Wushuang added with a shake of his head.

"Should we save her?" Daokong asked Lu Fei.

"Not yet. They shouldn't kill her; they only need her blood. She might still be of use to them. We’ll wait until they try to kill her before we intervene," Lu Fei whispered.

Zhao Wushuang and Daokong nodded. They watched silently as the events unfolded. Just as Lu Fei predicted, the captors merely cut the girl’s hand, letting seven drops of blood fall onto the stone Bagua altar nearby before tossing her aside.

The formation pulsed with an eerie red light, as if it had a heartbeat. The blood flowed toward the center of the Yin-Yang symbols and vanished. The altar began to spin rapidly, transforming into a "Gate of Death" formation. Four guardians emerged:

The first, a tall, rugged man in ancient general’s armor carrying a giant axe, resembled Cheng Yaojin. His eyes burned with murderous intent.

The second, dressed in black with a headband and wielding a sword, looked like a silent, emotionless assassin.

The third, clad in silver-white armor and brandishing a long spear, possessed the heroic aura of the legendary warrior Zhao Yun.

The fourth, holding a shark-toothed blade, had white hair and an elegant, aloof bearing, much like Wei Zhuang.

The fox demons and the men of the Ghost Nether Sect all gasped. How were they supposed to fight these legendary figures? Cheng Yaojin, who had defeated countless foes in his time; Zhao Yun, who could weave through thousands of soldiers with ease—not to mention the others.

"How are we supposed to fight this? Dammit, how?" the leader of the Ghost Nether Sect retreated, his face pale.

"I don't know, but we have to. If we don't, we’ll die here. Once the formation is activated, they will step out to attack us. However, they are only spiritual constructs; they cannot be as powerful as they were in life. We can fight them with everything we’ve got," the lead fox demon said firmly. He charged toward the nameless black-clad assassin, his body wreathed in demonic energy. The other great demons rushed toward the Zhao Yun construct.

The remaining members of the Ghost Nether Sect lunged at Cheng Yaojin and Wei Zhuang, fighting with desperate ferocity.

"Damn it! Die!" the Ghost Nether elder roared as he charged.

"Whoa, they’re actually going for it. They really have no regard for their lives," Daokong said, his eyes wide with disbelief. This formation was terrifying; summoning such formidable spirits was practically defying the heavens.

"They really are throwing their lives away. If it were me, I would have been long gone," Zhao Wushuang remarked.

*Swish!* As the battle raged, Lu Fei suddenly raised his hand, using a burst of suction to pull the collapsed girl toward them. It was too good an opportunity to waste.

The girl was pale from blood loss. Daokong immediately produced a pill and pressed it into her mouth. "Eat this, you'll be fine."

"You... you guys..." The girl was stunned. She hadn't expected to run into them again. She felt incredibly lucky to have been saved by them three times, and she felt a pang of guilt as she looked at Daokong.