Patterns of the Spirit Formation

*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* …… Inside the crevice of the Thousand Buddha Wall, a figure fled at top speed. Behind him surged a blazing sea of crimson-gold light and flame formed of Buddhist radiance and crimson fire, hot on his heels. Qin Sang commanded the Jinchen Sword to carve a path, daring not pause for a single breath. He had unleashed his demonic fire to counter Old Man Hunmo with a blow before wheeling around to flee, unsure of what effect the strike had produced or whether it had bought Valley Master Mu and the others enough time to escape. *Bang! Bang!* The thunderous crash of sword-light resounded without cease. Qin Sang pressed deeper and deeper. Within his field of vision, the colors remained that same invariable crimson and gold. It was hard to imagine how much crimson fire aura had accumulated here over countless years; even after venting violently for so long, an astonishing amount still remained. Qin Sang suspected that the original spirit formation was never this formidable. Influenced by the crimson fire aura, it had mutated, swelling in power to such a terrifying degree. Just then, the light before Qin Sang dimmed, instantly putting him on alert. He swung his sword forward with all his might. *Boom!* The sword-light cleaved through the Buddhist radiance and crimson fire, and Qin Sang burst through. The next moment, the crushing pressure on him plummeted, and the surrounding light ceased to be so piercing. No longer was it a monotonous crimson and gold—in its place stretched a multicolored, iridescent glow. Strangely enough, the raging turbulence behind him vanished into thin air at that very instant. Taken aback, Qin Sang turned to survey his surroundings. Just as before, he hung suspended between heaven and earth with no solid footing beneath him. Multicolored rays of light stretched in all directions—some blanketing the space in vast sheets, others condensing into clouds. Gleams of varied hues filled the void, a captivating sight. Yet no matter the color of the glow, that familiar crimson flame aura drifted within it, omnipresent. Illusory, ethereal. Not a single tangible object was in sight. Evidently, his prior suspicion had been right: passing through the Thousand Buddha Wall had merely transitioned him from one variation of the spirit formation into another. He was still trapped within the formation. Surprisingly, the Thousand Buddha Wall behind him was nowhere to be found! He had clearly just broken out of it, yet the wall had vanished into thin air, leaving behind only an endless expanse of multicolored glow without a single familiar feature. *Could it be... I have fallen into another variation of the spirit formation?* Qin Sang hesitated. He held his ground, refraining from moving rashly, and focused his senses alongside the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to observe. No matter how powerful a spirit formation was, there were bound to be traces and rules to follow—all the more so since this formation was masterless, meaning its variations were inherently limited. *Whoosh!* Right at that moment, a shrill whistling sound tore through the radiant haze. Qin Sang's brow furrowed tightly as a sharp, prickling sting washed over his skin, locked onto by a keen edge of intent. Sensing impending danger, he immediately wheeled the Jinchen Sword hovering above his head, bracing as if facing a mortal foe. *Buzz...* The spirit sword emitted a long drone. The whistling sound rapidly drew near at astonishing speed. Then, the radiant glow in that direction flickered and dissolved, yielding a black vortex from which an incomparably brilliant golden light surged, hurtling straight toward Qin Sang with devastating momentum! This golden light was extraordinarily pure. Ever since entering the spirit formation, every sight Qin Sang had witnessed carried the crimson fire aura, with this golden beam being the sole exception. From the looks of it, this was likely one of the spirit formation's original attack methods. Seeing this, Qin Sang narrowed his eyes. Daring not be careless, he channeled his full power into the Jinchen Sword, preparing to deliver a head-on strike to contest the golden light. Suddenly, his eyes flashed. Seeming to realize something, he hesitated, then made a bizarre maneuver: he recalled the Jinchen Sword and shifted horizontally several dozen yards away! *Swish!* The golden light struck. Vaguely visible within it was the form of a Buddhist staff conjured by the formation. Qin Sang's evasive maneuver caused the staff to shift. The shaft veered sideways, but it drifted only a few yards off-course, failing to catch up to Qin Sang in time. It skimmed right past him and vanished into the depths of the iridescent glow. Qin Sang's protective divine gang rippled slightly under the impact of the staff's shockwave, and nothing more. He himself was entirely unscathed. Watching the spot where the staff had vanished, Qin Sang exhaled and thought, *Just as I suspected! In the original spirit formation, evading that staff would never have been this easy, and had someone been controlling it from outside, dealing with it would have been even harder. Now that the formation has been affected by the crimson fire aura, it has plenty of raw power but lacks adaptability. It looks terrifying, but it is actually manageable...* His preliminary test corroborated his hypothesis. Of course, that did not mean he could let down his guard. There would always be places like the Thousand Buddha Wall where evasion was impossible, making it even deadlier than before. *It seems I have progressed from the formation's first variation into its second, like clearing stages in a trial. The question is, how many stages are there in total?* *Old Man Hunmo definitely didn't tail us from the very beginning, or the Heavenly Eye Butterfly would have noticed him long ago. By that logic, every intruder's experience should be similar.* *If Valley Master Mu survives and crosses the Thousand Buddha Wall, he will certainly arrive in this "space" as well, though not necessarily anywhere near me. Besides, where did the Thousand Buddha Wall go?* *The Thousand Buddha Wall was likely the manifestation of the barrier between two phases of the formation. Since I emerged from it, I should be able to find it if I backtrack, though what it looks like from the inside out might not be the Thousand Buddha Wall anymore.* Qin Sang settled his mind, analyzing everything he had seen and felt, deciphering the patterns of the spirit formation. While he was lost in thought, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly transmitted a thought—it seemed to have discovered something. Qin Sang looked up toward the depths of the multicolored glow, his figure darting forward in rapid bursts. Crimson fire drifted within the iridescent light; disturbing even a wisp of it could trigger widespread turbulence. Were it not for the fact that the formation's attacks could be dodged, navigating this place would be a nightmare. Here, the multicolored glow stretched boundlessly, the crimson flames masking the sky like a fiery evening sunset. Qin Sang advanced and paused by turns, occasionally drawing near the glowing mist to inspect it closely, or furrowing his brows in contemplation. Gradually, a look of helplessness surfaced on his face. "The rules here are completely different from those of the Thousand Buddha Wall. The crimson fire aura and the iridescent glow are intertwined. By the time I figure out the patterns and carve a path back, the ship will have long sailed..." Returning to rescue them was out of the question. If he rushed back just as Valley Master Mu was slain by Old Man Hunmo, he would only be delivering himself into mortal danger. "Waiting here to help them offers little hope either. With an array this intricate, the person who laid it down clearly intended to scatter intruders across different locations and pick them off one by one. Besides, there's no telling whether Valley Master Mu can even manage to escape into this place..." Thoughts raced through Qin Sang's mind, and he decided to wait a little longer. The result was as expected. "I wish the three of you luck." Qin Sang shook his head slightly, turned, and departed. He could think of no better alternative. Under the circumstances, his only choice was to forge ahead alone and explore the Pure Sea Sect. If Valley Master Mu could break free from Old Man Hunmo's clutches, they would meet again inside the Pure Sea Sect. Fortunately, the Fire Jade Centipede was Qin Sang's spirit insect, and it was guiding his way. As long as he obtained the Myriad Spirit Fruit, this trip would not be in vain. As for other treasures, he would have to play it by ear.