Chapter 70: Trapped in the Formation (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 70: Trapped in the Formation (2)
Pung-hyeon approached me.
"Young Hero Eo, we must find a way to escape this formation. Otherwise, everyone’s vitality will be depleted, and we will all perish."
Anxiety was etched across Pung-hyeon’s face.
"Have you tried breaking the formation?" I asked.
The Taoist standing beside Pung-hyeon replied, "Infinite Life Buddha... Of course. We have been pouring all our internal energy into attempting to shatter it, but to no avail. If only we knew the Life Path of the formation, but it remains completely hidden."
Pung-hyeon introduced the clean-cut young Taoist to me.
"It is truly a pity to introduce you under such circumstances. Young Hero Eo, this is Priest Man-gong of the Qingcheng Sect."
"Infinite Life Buddha. I have heard much of Young Hero Eo’s reputation and have long wished to meet you."
As expected of someone from a prestigious sect, his upbringing showed. Seeing him remain composed and dignified even in this dire situation made me feel the strength of the Great Orthodox Sects.
Even if it were a facade, being able to remain detached and calm in such a crisis was the result of rigorous cultivation.
In that regard, I liked the disciples of the Great Orthodox Sects.
In fact, those who looked down on and bullied the weak were rarely the disciples of these prestigious sects; more often, it was the warriors of prominent clans or rising sects who acted out, emboldened by their family’s influence.
I bowed my head deeper at the name Man-gong.
Man-gong was another of the Sichuan Four Dragons.
Known as the "Sword Dragon of Qingcheng," he was a priest regarded as the future pillar who would lead the Qingcheng Sect.
Come to think of it, three of the Sichuan Four Dragons were gathered here.
Pung-hyeon, the Fire Dragon of the Emei Sect; Tang Ja-seong, the Poison Dragon of the Tang Clan; and Man-gong, the Sword Dragon of the Qingcheng Sect.
Indeed, where else would I ever meet them all at once if not for a time like this?
However, I couldn't help but feel a slight disappointment regarding the title of the Sichuan Four Dragons. They were supposed to be the most prominent masters among the rising generation.
The fact that three of them were gathered here and couldn't break a single formation suggested that either Ban Ye’s skill was extraordinary or the reputation of the Sichuan Four Dragons was exaggerated.
"If we don't break this formation, there's no telling what kind of humiliation we'll face."
Tang Ja-seong joined the conversation, clearly recognizing the gravity of the situation.
"Ugh!"
Groans began to escape the lips of the Demon Subjugation Group members, who were circulating their energy to endure the Blazing Dance.
It was a concern.
If they couldn't withstand the Blazing Dance and lost their minds, attempting to assault the nuns of the Emei Sect, would the Emei masters just stand by?
Hardly. They would take their heads in an instant.
"Now that Young Hero Eo is here, let us try to break the formation once more," Pung-hyeon suggested.
Tang Ja-seong and Man-gong nodded in agreement.
"Very well. We cannot simply sit here and wait for the end. Let us try."
"It would be good if my young brother joined us as well. He is my sworn brother," I said.
At my words, Jeok Yeong clasped his hands in a polite greeting toward the group.
"I am Jeok Yeong."
Man-gong spoke up. "It is a pleasure, Patron Jeok Yeong. However, this Blazing Dance has a powerful rebound force. If one's internal energy is weak, they may suffer internal injuries instead."
I chimed in to address Man-gong’s concern. "My young brother is actually more skilled than I am."
At that, everyone looked at Jeok Yeong with newfound interest.
"Brother, you flatter me. I am still far from reaching your level. I struggled against just three Blood Luo Living Jiangshi, while you struck down four in a single move, did you not?"
Jeok Yeong played along with the humility, elevating my status.
"Haha, you're too modest. Didn't you decapitate those three faster than I could have?"
As I praised Jeok Yeong in return, Tang Ja-seong spoke.
"I have seen the skills of Young Hero Eo’s brother with my own eyes. He is more than capable of joining us."
With Tang Ja-seong’s endorsement, Pung-hyeon and Man-gong raised no further objections and moved toward the boundary of the formation.
"Let us explode our internal energy all at once!"
The five of us raised our weapons and unleashed our internal energy.
Blade Qi gathered on Pung-hyeon’s saber, and Sword Qi formed on Man-gong’s blade.
Tang Ja-seong drew his daggers and held them in both hands. A dark blue energy flickered from the blades.
They truly lived up to the level of the Sichuan Four Dragons.
Even so, they seemed surprised when they looked at Jeok Yeong’s sword. Seeing the same level of Sword Qi flowing from his blade, their expressions revealed they hadn't expected him to be that strong.
Surprised, aren't you? To be honest, my little brother is probably a step above all of you.
I felt a surge of triumph internally as I drew my sword. I intended to just blend in and go through the motions.
"Hmph!"
I heard Pung-hyeon’s breath as a powerful blade wind swept the surroundings.
Man-gong’s sword wind ruffled my hair, and Tang Ja-seong’s stinging aura was sharp enough to pierce the formation.
Furthermore, Jeok Yeong’s sword momentum was enough to make the formation ripple.
However, I couldn't even draw out my internal energy.
The moment I tried to gather energy from my upper dantian just to make a show of it, I felt a stinging pain in my lower dantian.
I forgot about the Gu parasite.
As I stood next to Tang Ja-seong, unable to bear his sharp aura, I moved slightly to the side. Immediately, the Gu parasite in my dantian settled down.
What?
I held my sword and fell into silent thought.
On a whim, I took another step to the side.
Sting!
A pain like a needle plunging into my dantian flared up. I pondered the reason for a moment.
"Young Hero Eo seems to be acting strange," Pung-hyeon said, about to break my train of thought, but Man-gong stopped him.
"It seems Young Hero Eo has reached some sort of realization."
"Is that so?"
Pung-hyeon stepped back, making sure not to disturb me.
Then, Jeok Yeong and Do Yeon came to my side, standing as if to guard me. I sensed them but did not react. I was focused on grasping a thought that was hovering just out of reach in my mind.
"Ah! That might be it," I muttered in admiration.
If I could just find the Life Path, a formation like this could be broken easily. However, finding the Life Path required a profound knowledge of the formation, and there was no way Ban Ye, who created this, would have hidden it carelessly.
When I moved toward a place where the lustful energy was strong, the Gu parasite squirmed in my dantian as if giving me a warning.
And when I reached a spot where the energy was faint, there was no pain.
A smile spread across my face at the thought that I might be able to use the Gu parasite to find the Life Path.
It was then. A voice rang out, breaking my concentration.
"If Young Hero Eo hands over two things to me, I shall let you all go quietly."
A woman wearing a black veil approached us. It was Ban Ye, the creator of this Double White Net Blazing Dance.
Seeing as she already knew my name, it seemed she had gathered all the information she needed.
"Very well. I’ll even strip off my clothes and give them to you, Miss Ban. But I doubt you're after these shabby rags. What is it you want?"
When I asked, Ban Ye stared at me intently and said, "I want the secret manual and one person."
Since she knew even that, there was no way to wiggle out of it. Ban Ye had already laid out this Heaven-Earth Dragnet with full knowledge of the facts.
I glared at Hwang Chu. He said no one would recognize me if I used disguise techniques, yet everyone seemed to know exactly who I was.
When I didn't answer, Ban Ye continued.
"Otherwise, you will all die here. No one can escape this formation."
I replied with a smirk. "And what if I escape this formation?"
I poked at Ban Ye’s pride. A woman like her had likely never experienced failure in her life. Consequently, she had absolute confidence in herself and absolute faith in the formations she created.
"If you can escape this Double White Net Blazing Dance, I will let you all go quietly. And I will dismantle the entire Heaven-Earth Dragnet as well."
"Can you take responsibility for those words?"
Ban Ye flared up at my question. "I am Ban Ye."
With that single sentence, I could read her pride and self-esteem. At the very least, a person like her knew how to take responsibility for a promise. She knew that if she broke her word, the reputation she had built would become worthless.
"And what if you cannot escape?" Ban Ye asked me in return.
"I will give you everything you desire."
"Can I trust you?"
I smiled thinly and said, "I am Eo Ja-seo."
I mimicked her words.
Ban Ye stared at me piercingly before saying, "If it is the word of the New Dragon of Sichuan, who calls himself a weakling yet is known as the Great Small Hero, I can believe it."
I snorted inwardly at her words.
You believe me? The fact that you trust me shows you've still got a lot to learn, lady.
"Uuuugh!"
Suddenly, one of the Demon Subjugation Group members twisted his body. Unable to endure the Double White Net Blazing Dance, he was shaking like an aspen leaf. If he continued like that, he could die from Qi Deviation.
The power of the formation was gradually manifesting.
"Young brother, stabilize his energy."
Jeok Yeong sat behind the member and channeled his internal energy to calm the man's rampaging Qi. The convulsing man’s face finally relaxed.
But it was only a temporary fix. As the formation’s power intensified, our Demon Subjugation Group would eventually be unable to endure and would die as their vitality was drained.
"Then, I’m going now."
As I spoke, Ban Ye nodded.
"I will strengthen the formation even more than it is now, so be prepared."
I smirked at Ban Ye’s subtle threat. I decided I would completely trample her pride. A woman like her needed her pride broken once to realize how terrifying the world could be.
"To be honest, I could find the Life Path of a formation like this with my eyes closed. It’s nothing special to me."
At my words, Ban Ye’s aura surged like a storm. As expected, she reacted immediately when her pride was pricked.
"Can you take responsibility for those words?"
"I tend to stake my life on my words more than my sword."
"Fine. Let us see what Young Hero Eo is capable of."
She was thoroughly provoked. No one had likely ever spoken to her this way.
I could feel Ban Ye’s sharp aura. The fact that I could feel her presence from outside the formation meant her internal energy was at a considerable level.
Ah, why is it that when I was a weakling, seeing a master was harder than seeing the Emperor, but now that I'm in this position, everyone threatening me is a master?
Life is truly unfair.
Perhaps that’s why they say your lifespan shortens as your skill increases. When I hung out with other weaklings, I might get hurt, but I never felt my life was in danger.
But now that I was being mistaken for a master and acting like one, it felt as if the world was devoid of weaklings and only masters existed. It’s the same logic as maggots being in a pile of dung and flowers being in a garden.
Everyone looking at me remained silent, but I could tell they were in a desperate state. There was no telling when their internal energy would run dry.
The only ones who still had some leeway were Pung-hyeon, Man-gong, Tang Ja-seong, Jeok Yeong, and Do Yeon.
Tang Bin also seemed to have reached her limit; her face was turning bright red, and a glint of lust was shimmering in her eyes.
I, too, was starting to feel the pressure of the formation as desire slowly began to boil within me.
Until now, circulating the energy from my upper dantian had suppressed the lust, but now, even that was proving useless.