The Maiden

Standing atop the mountain peak, Qin Sang was surprised to find a sheer cliff dropping thousands of feet before him. The path ended here! A precipice was no obstacle to an immortal cultivator; Qin Sang could easily fly across on his sword, but reason told him it was best not to act on impulse. Deep within the dense fog, mountain silhouettes loomed indistinctly, seemingly real yet illusory. They appeared to be mountain ranges, but might not be real at all. Acting rashly would very likely plunge him straight into a trap of the Thousand Mountains Formation, landing him in genuine danger. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly fluttered around Qin Sang, using its divine ability to survey everything around them, yet found nothing out of the ordinary. After a brief deliberation, Qin Sang decided to turn back. He retraced his steps down the mountain. After slaying several vicious beasts, he returned to the foot of the mountain, turned his head toward the other real peak, and unhesitatingly strode toward it. Along the way, vicious beasts appeared frequently, just like his experience on the previous mountain. Reaching the summit, the same scene played out once more. The road came to an abrupt end. After exiting the valley, the path had split into three—two real and one illusory—and all led to dead ends. Qin Sang furrowed his brows and looked around, reflecting on his journey so far, an expression of contemplation on his face. It seemed that to break through, one had to find the genuine way out among the three mountains. Those proficient in illusion formations would have it easier. A ruined formation could not be flawless; by expending some effort to analyze it carefully, one ought to be able to find the path forward or a flaw in the spirit formation, drastically reducing the danger. As for cultivators ignorant of illusion formations and lacking proper countermeasures, they would probably have no choice but to force their way through with brute strength. In that case, even if their strength was formidable and they did not fear the formation's traps, their efficiency in breaking it would be painfully low, wasting far too much time and energy on this trial. "Vicious beasts appear and vanish unpredictably, and what is real and illusory within the formation can shift. Is that third peak truly just an illusion?" Qin Sang muttered to himself. He returned once more to the base of the mountain. This time, Qin Sang noticed another change in the illusion array: the beasts manifested by the formation were slightly stronger than before. Evidently, the longer one lingered inside the formation, the more powerful the adversaries would become. Quickening his pace, he arrived at the foot of the third mountain. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly had perceived that this mountain was illusory, but only upon drawing near did Qin Sang realize that there was indeed reality concealed within the illusion. Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, walked up to a cliff wall, and took a step forward. Wind stirred past his ears. The heavy fog remained, but his surroundings changed. Amidst a rustling sound, Qin Sang glanced around and found himself standing in a dense forest, surrounded by towering ancient trees. The jungle was dark and damp, and bizarre roars of vicious beasts echoed in the distance, rising and falling in waves. This time, Qin Sang noticed there was no path beneath his feet to guide him. To find a way out, he had to rely entirely on himself. With the help of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine ability, Qin Sang observed for a while, chose a direction, and set off. He changed directions multiple times along the way and ultimately succeeded in finding an exit hidden between the illusory layers. "With the Heavenly Eye divine ability, I can move unimpeded through the Thousand Mountains Formation." Qin Sang felt a surge of joy, not expecting it to be so smooth. Without hesitation, he immediately picked up his pace. The illusion formation was not static. While some areas had no attacks from vicious beasts, they concealed all manner of strange traps and mechanisms. Yet with the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's aid and Qin Sang's formidable personal strength, none of the formation's contrivances caused him much trouble. His journey went surprisingly smoothly. As time passed, Qin Sang gradually grasped some of the illusion array's patterns. After all, for the sake of the Eighteen Demon Banners, he had once devoted considerable time to studying the Yuanshen Sect's Incomplete Records of Taixuan Formations, giving him a solid foundation in the art of spirit formations. Even without the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, Qin Sang could have deduced the path forward, though it would have taken far longer than it did now. Passing through countless ridges and ravines, Qin Sang emerged atop an isolated crag. Furrowing his brows, he stared ahead and murmured, "I wonder how much longer it will take to pass the Thousand Mountains Formation. The deeper I go, the more potent the illusion array becomes. Even the Heavenly Eye Butterfly is beginning to strain, sometimes needing to observe for quite a while before discerning reality from illusion. It seems I cannot just sit idle either; I should try deducing the formation myself to lend it a hand..." In the distance, beast roars rose and fell one after another. Such an occurrence was completely normal within the Thousand Mountains Formation, yet Qin Sang seemed to notice something amiss. His gaze focused, fixing intently on the direction of the roars, an expression of surprise surfacing on his face. "There seems to be someone over there?" Qin Sang was surprised that someone had moved even faster than him. This was the first person he had encountered since entering the Thousand Illusions Formation. "The disciples of the Eastern Pole Alliance could locate Yagu, so other factions likely have similar methods. These people are all experts, and working together is certainly far easier than fighting alone. It seems I still cannot afford to let down my guard." Qin Sang muttered to himself, drew back his gaze, and swept down the mountain. Deep within the mountain woods, a young girl was locked in combat with a fox-like beast. However, this fox was as large as a calf, boasting razor-sharp fangs and a ferocious demeanor. Light on her feet, the girl fluttered up and down like a colorful butterfly. With waves of her cloud-like sleeves, she trailed wisps of airy cloud qi through the air. The cloud qi seemed weightless and harmless as it drifted around the person and beast. Sensing no danger, the beast continued its savage assault on her. Two more streams of cloud qi drifted from her sleeves. Their surroundings were soon entirely shrouded in misty vapor. At that moment, the girl sprang backward, darting away to put distance between herself and the beast. At the same time, parting her vermilion lips, she called out crisply, "Bind!" Swoosh! Swoosh! Before the sound of her voice had even faded, the cloud qi underwent an abrupt transformation. Shedding its weightless appearance, it suddenly condensed into white threads that surged inward, binding the beast trapped in the center. In an instant, the beast was wrapped as tightly as a zongzi dumpling. The girl's hand seals shifted rapidly. Amidst the clouds, bones crunched and snapped violently as blood splattered outward. When the girl dispersed the cloud qi, the beast was already dead. Having slain the beast, the girl caught her breath, without the slightest trace of joy on her face. "My deductions are failing more and more often. Instead of finding the way out, I keep blundering into traps. Now I've even run into such a powerful beast. Who knows what lies ahead? If this continues, I'll miss my chance..." The girl let out a soft sigh, gently caressing the life talisman her grandfather had given her, an anxious look in her eyes. Right then, the girl's ears twitched slightly. She abruptly jerked her head up toward the depths of the forest, tightly clutching the life talisman. In a flash, she glided quietly onto a nearby tree canopy, holding her breath. "Someone's there?" Her expression turned grave. Though thick fog blocked her vision, she could tell that the beast roars were abnormal. She immediately realized that the commotion from killing the beast just now was considerable, which might have exposed her position. Thinking of this, she promptly moved away, deliberately putting distance between herself and the newcomer. Yet soon, she discovered that the stranger was not coming for her at all. Instead, the person headed straight in another direction at blistering speed, barely pausing along the way. The girl was secretly amazed. The person's behavior was peculiar; he seemed to make no deductions whatsoever. Unless he was a reckless fool, he had to possess an extraordinary understanding of the Thousand Mountains Formation, able to see through the illusion array's truth and falsehood at a single glance. How could anyone who reached this place be a reckless fool? "Could he really be that formidable?" Uncertain and astonished, she then noticed that the commotion in that direction had abruptly vanished.