Chapter 664: Scholar Meets Soldier

Surrounded by black clouds, Ning Zhuo continued to grope his way through them. He had flown far from the first nexus marker. Moving rapidly through the black clouds, his flight path spiraled outwards from that point, while also accounting for upward and downward directions.

His spiritual sense spread out around him, while he actively sensed the changes in the snow-light emanating from his pouch.

A moment later.

The literary energy in the pouch subtly trembled, like a gentle heartbeat. Simultaneously, the halo projected by the snow-light underwent an extremely subtle change in shape.

Ning Zhuo’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately changed direction.

With the successful experience of the first time, his actions became swifter and more decisive.

Moreover, the literary snow-light seemed to be pulled by an invisible hand, its deformation increasing until it once again formed an unmistakably clear conical shape.

The cone’s tip pointed directly in a certain direction.

Ning Zhuo followed the trace.

"Mark it! The second nexus!" Ning Zhuo felt a surge of excitement. He held a jade slip in one hand, silently sketching the coordinates within it.

By now, he had figured out the correct method.

"But how many nexuses are there here?"

Ning Zhuo suppressed the worry in his heart. He left the second major formation nexus and continued to fly rapidly.

He was like a cartographer groping his way through a dark maze. Due to his limited mastery of formation arts, he could only use a relatively clumsy method, finding and marking the locations of each nexus one by one.

This process inevitably delayed him.

"Can Luo Si hold on?! Now, I need you to buy me time—"

Luo Si's swift defeat or surrender would render Ning Zhuo's actions futile, and he would lose his last chance to escape.

This was a test of the mutual trust between Luo Si and Ning Zhuo!

***

Oblivion City.

An old man and a young boy arrived at the innermost core of the City Lord's Mansion, where they saw a strange colossal stone.

Unbeknownst to them, the Oblivion Lord had arranged the Heaven-Connecting, Earth-Linking Grand Formation. The core of its Heavenly Aspect Formation was the altar presiding over the Celestial Ghost Metamorphosis and Offering Ritual, while the core of the Earthly Aspect Formation was an invaluable treasure: the Earth-Lung Turbid Qi Barrier!

Zeng Jide wanted to take revenge on the Oblivion Lord, regain his honor, and soothe his humiliated feelings, but when the moment arrived, he hesitated.

Sun Lingtong, however, was different.

He gazed intently at the colossal stone, his mind frequently triggered, feeling an increasingly strong urge to steal it.

This urge was all too familiar to him!

Since he was very young, he had experienced this impulse, which he found impossible to suppress; the more he tried, the more restless he became. Only by giving in to the urge and committing an act of theft could he find peace and relief for a period.

In short, his kleptomania had flared up.

His eyes grew brighter. He suddenly activated a stealing art and moved against the colossal stone.

"Don't be reckless!" Zeng Jide was startled. He quickly reached out to stop him, but it was already too late.

When Sun Lingtong’s stealing art landed on the colossal stone, his expression instantly changed drastically. He felt as though he was trying to pull a stone ox, while he himself was as weak as an infant.

The colossal stone, agitated, trembled slightly. Immediately, the spiral holes on its surface began to contract like living things, unleashing a terrifying suction force that threatened to pull Sun Lingtong in and bury him alive!

Zeng Jide had no choice but to intervene.

His intervention was no small matter and instantly altered the situation.

The same stealing art was applied to Sun Lingtong, doubling his strength, and he instantly managed to suppress the colossal stone in return.

With a soft click, a spherical stone core was stolen by Sun Lingtong. It flew directly out from within the colossal stone, emerging through one of the surface holes.

This stone core was about the size of an adult human head, oval-shaped, and seemed to pulse faintly like a living organ.

As the stone core landed in Sun Lingtong’s hands, he widened his curious eyes and asked, "What is this?"

Zeng Jide did not answer. Instead, with a solemn expression, he immediately took action.

He formed hand seals, his fingers fluttering like butterflies, dazzling the eye.

Soon, a sealing spell was cast, rendering the stone core dormant as if dead, and completely severing its connection with the main colossal stone.

Cold sweat dripped from Zeng Jide’s forehead. He glared at Sun Lingtong, saying, "You rascal, you’re too audacious! Do you know you nearly died three times?"

Sun Lingtong giggled, cupped the stone core in both hands, and handed it to Zeng Jide. "Senior, aren't you right here with me? With you protecting me, I’d even dare to steal the Oblivion Lord's underwear!"

Zeng Jide’s lips twitched, and a slight curve involuntarily appeared at the corners of his mouth.

Alas, he had been wandering the underworld for too long, feeling somewhat lonely. And in this situation, he encountered a junior from his sect whom he greatly admired.

Sun Lingtong's flattery truly resonated with Zeng Jide, making him feel: "Oh, returning to the City Lord's Mansion this time was truly the right choice."

Zeng Jide suppressed the curve of his lips and continued to glare. "You don't even know what this is. You didn't even investigate what kind of formation this place has, yet you dared to make a move?! Acting so recklessly is simply courting death!"

"After all, I won't always be around to clean up your messes, you rascal."

Sun Lingtong retorted, "How could I not recognize this formation? It's clearly out of place with the surrounding defensive formations, so it must have another purpose."

"The Oblivion Lord was foolish. Precisely because it was out of place, he left this area unguarded, causing its defenses to be far weaker than other places. I concluded that this was the best place to strike!"

"And for him to value it so highly, willing to sacrifice defenses to arrange it this way, all points to this being an invaluable treasure!"

Zeng Jide, annoyed, lightly tapped Sun Lingtong's head. "Do you think I hadn't already figured out what you just thought of?"

"This formation is of the Earth element, yet it's set within Oblivion City. The latter is built above the Oblivion River, a main city of the Water element."

"It's precisely because Earth and Water elements aren't harmonious that I could easily assist you."

"If it were a Water element grand formation, you would probably have been pulverized into flesh and bone fragments by a whirlpool. Even if this old man had used his full power, I probably wouldn't have been able to save you."

Sun Lingtong laughed heartily and stated directly that Senior Zeng's strength was extraordinary and he would definitely be able to protect him. He also understood that Zeng Jide's good intentions were merely to scare him into being more cautious in the future.

At this point, Sun Lingtong took the opportunity to thank Zeng Jide, effectively preventing him from saying more.

Then, Sun Lingtong asked again, "Senior, senior, what exactly is this?"

This time, even Zeng Jide hesitated and looked puzzled.

He gazed at the stone core for a moment, then shook his head. "I can't identify its origin either; I can only surmise that it must be an Earth-element treasure from deep underground."

"This is one of the essences of the colossal stone. I’ve just ascertained that the colossal stone contains a considerable number of such stone cores."

Sun Lingtong rested his head on his hands and said excitedly, "That's great! Since there are so many cores, let's take a few more."

"Hmm," Zeng Jide stroked his beard and nodded.

The theft had already occurred, and there wasn't much reaction after it.

Furthermore, this mysterious treasure undeniably piqued his curiosity even more, and he subconsciously raised his estimation of its value. All these factors made Zeng Jide's heart itch as well.

"Since things have come to this, taking a few more won't hurt."

Zeng Jide personally took action, his efficiency several times higher than Sun Lingtong's.

One by one, the earth-lung concretions were removed, and the colossal stone's aura rapidly diminished.

***

The Altar Battlefield.

Pfft, pfft, pfft...

After a series of deflating sounds, the originally tall and mighty Earth Fiend Turbid Deity had shrunk to only slightly larger than a normal human.

What happened?!

Such a startling change exceeded everyone's expectations.

Luo Si took the opportunity to retreat rapidly, creating a safe distance.

"The Earth Aspect Formation! There's a problem with the Earth-Lung Turbid Qi Barrier at its core!" The Oblivion Lord's main body, in the tributary, glared furiously.

A surge of ominous feelings rose in his heart. He sent out a message almost the instant the problem occurred. He intended to mobilize the entire Oblivion City, to fully protect the Earth-Lung Turbid Qi Barrier, and to eliminate all enemies!

The Earth Fiend Turbid Deity looked at its own divine body, feeling regret for the first time.

He had forcibly sealed Luo Si's Nine Abysses Water-Draining Net onto his own body. This spell, based on a magical treasure, was immensely powerful. Once the Earth Fiend Turbid Deity itself weakened, the Nine Abysses Water-Draining Net would immediately exert its power, making it weaker and weaker, draining it repeatedly.

The dual overlay of the Earth-Lung Turbid Qi Barrier at the core of the Earth Aspect Formation and the Nine Abysses Water-Draining Net caused the Earth Fiend Turbid Deity to shrink significantly and its combat power to plummet.

Luo Si’s eyes gleamed with brilliance, and his morale greatly boosted!

"It's Young Master, it must be him!"

"My allegiance was not mistaken. Senior Graybone’s guidance was absolutely correct!"

"In this battle, destiny is on our side; we can win!!"

Luo Si re-engaged in battle.

This time, the engagement was distinctly different from before.

The Earth Fiend Turbid Deity wanted to shake off the Nine Abysses Water-Draining Net, but how could Luo Si let him succeed so easily? He would fight with all his might to keep the Water-Draining Net bound to the Earth Fiend Turbid Deity!

Previously, the Earth Fiend Turbid Deity relied on the Earth Aspect Formation, believing he had endless support and was full of confidence. However, he ended up shooting himself in the foot; the problem with the core treasure of the Earth Aspect Formation was a complete blow to his foundation!

The impact was truly immense.

And the Oblivion Lord's main body was still in the Oblivion tributary, without any strength left to fight. The string of beads in his hand was mostly broken, and the shadowy Nether蛟 he had just summoned was his last remaining full-strength strike!

Luo Si's combat power had declined significantly, and he was severely wounded, so he wisely adopted a hit-and-run tactic.

The Earth Fiend Turbid Deity's methods were singular, and he pursued with all his might. Although he still held the upper hand, he could not convert his advantage into a decisive victory, leading to a stalemate.

The Oblivion Lord watched the battle, secretly anxious, a sense of dread rising in his heart.

His heart wavered. "Should I not have been greedy for this advantage, allowing my divine sense to split off to forge a natural divine body? What if I had split off another Water-element divine clone? At least my methods would be diverse enough."

"Should I not have placed the core of the Earth Aspect Formation so far away? Oblivion City is beyond my reach, and the transmission process incurs astonishing losses. In truth, the Earth-Lung Turbid Qi Barrier isn't severely damaged, but the effect here is extremely pronounced. If it were arranged nearby—"

The Oblivion Lord immediately shook his head inwardly. "No, if it were placed nearby, it would have likely been found and destroyed by Yin Jiuzhu and the others during the previous battles!"

"The situation is gradually turning against me. My fortune is evolving, and it's targeting me!"

The Oblivion Lord had already gained a related insight. He stared at the Nether蛟 Shears in the ice coffin, his eyes bloodshot, so anxious and enraged he looked like he wanted to devour someone: "Damn it! Is there any way for me to quickly retrieve this national artifact?"

The evolution of fortune was an extremely dangerous matter.

Especially now, after multiple fierce battles, his condition had hit rock bottom.

The Nether蛟 Shears were a national artifact, capable of suppressing fortune. With this treasure protecting him, he could largely counteract the unfavorable evolution of his fortune.

The Oblivion Lord understood his own predicament and knew very well that retrieving the Nether蛟 Shears was paramount!

But the Nether蛟 Shears were trapped in the ice coffin.

Although the ice coffin was constantly being eroded, it remained a persistent and annoying obstacle.

"Yin Jiuzhu!!!" The Oblivion Lord roared inwardly, his hatred for the Ghostfire Lord surging immeasurably.

***

Intense fatigue and pain, like a tide, assaulted Ning Zhuo's will.

The golden core in the Five-Element Golden Core Compass had become dim and shrunk to the size of a soybean.

Ning Zhuo acted with lightning speed, replacing it with a golden core that was still relatively full of energy.

Unlike before, after the defensive battle at White Paper Immortal City, he possessed a considerable number of golden cores. None of these golden cores' primary cultivation methods were ones Ning Zhuo had mastered.

As a result, in this critical, time-sensitive situation, even golden cores had become a luxury to be consumed.

"This is the ninth nexus."

Ning Zhuo's full-effort exploration yielded preliminary results. A rough map of the nexuses had already been sketched in his mind.

His solid foundation in formation arts made Ning Zhuo feel that this grand formation didn't have many nexuses, and the map of nine nexuses already covered most of it.

Should he continue exploring, or take a different course of action?

Ning Zhuo didn't know that, over in Oblivion City, Sun Lingtong had naturally achieved a breakthrough, indirectly altering Luo Si's predicament.

The longer time dragged on, the more anxious Ning Zhuo became!

He mentally deciphered the map: "'Guest Star Reflects Literary Nexus North' means the northern direction on the nexus map."

"Although this map is incomplete, determining the northern section is feasible."

Ning Zhuo changed his flight direction and swiftly headed towards the northern part of the nexus map.

Upon reaching a certain area, the literary energy in the pouch suddenly changed. This time, it no longer merely pointed in one direction or settled into a stable snow-light sphere.

Instead, it transformed into countless rays of light, twisting and turning as if pulled by invisible threads, transforming into millions of strands, spreading out haphazardly in all directions.

A sharp glint appeared in Ning Zhuo's eyes: "There's clearly no nexus here, so why such a change?"

"The Celestial Ghost Metamorphosis and Offering Ritual is a Confucian sacrificial rite, thus using literary energy as its nexus. The formation's core should be that altar, and this is the internal space of the grand formation."

"Could this be the intangible nexus mentioned in the books? All previous nexuses were tangible. Is it using the tangible to set off the intangible, and the intangible to control the tangible?"

Ning Zhuo's heart pounded faster, and he felt his mouth go dry.

His mastery of formation arts was only basic, so he could only guess. His Confucian cultivation was even worse, but fortunately, he had previously consulted Wen Ruanyu.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt this was the place. "I don't have much time left."

"At this final step, I still need to take a risk!"

Confucian Art — Scholar Meets Soldier!

This Confucian art was also taught by Wen Ruanyu. It was relatively simple and easy to master.

It could use military malevolence to counteract other Confucian arts.

Ning Zhuo had long ago mastered the Art of Bearing Soldier Malevolence and possessed numerous military malevolence energies, forming an excellent synergy with the Scholar Meets Soldier Confucian art.

Rumble...

A drastic change occurred!