Chapter 81           Formation of Eight Paths

After he put down Feng Xinyu’s body, Ye Shaoyang proceeded to set up the formation.

He took out seven incense burners and placed them at the end of the formation in a row. He poured glutinous rice into them and stuck small purple flags into each one. Ye Shaoyang had only brought the small flags; Old Guo had prepared all the other materials. Old Guo pa.s.sed the items to Ye Shaoyang one at a time and waited for him to set things up. Then, he pa.s.sed a small green bottle to him, Ye Shaoyang opened the bottle and whiffed it. He asked, “This stuff is good?”

“Trust me, its good. Blood from the crown of the fiercest rooster that was born in the Wu year. I spent three thousand Yuan to purchase this.” After he finished these words, Old Guo turned to give Liu Ming a look.

After paying for such an extensive time already, Liu Ming instinctively understood what Old Guo’s look meant. Then, he immediately replied, “No problem, I’ll pay you for it. Maybe give me a discount?”

After he verified that the blood was good, Ye Shaoyang used the blood to write on a sheet of talisman paper. Then, he grabbed a lock of his hair and quickly plucked it. Following that, he tied the hair to the sheet of talisman paper and burned it. He mixed the resulting ashes into a bowl of water. Next, he soaked a ball of cinnabar stained strings in the bowl of water. When he felt that the mixture had soaked through the strings, he took it out and tied the strings to the small flags and the Dharma staff to connect them. All the strings were taut and created eight equal lanes.

The seven red strings created eight lanes less than a meter wide each. It would only allow at most one person to pa.s.s at a time. Rui Lengyu returned and saw the arrangement of the incense burners and the flags. Then, she asked, “That’s the Formation of Eight Paths?”

Ye Shaoyang nodded and explained,

“This formation is linked to the power of the Dharma staff. Utilizing its power, the formation will have eight paths. Three paths of life, which are called Kai, Xiu, and Sheng. Three paths of destruction, which are called s.h.i.+, Jing, and Shang. Two neutral paths, Du and Jing. When we break the seal later, the formation will immediately activate. The spirits and specters that come out will have to pa.s.s through the formation. As they cannot differentiate between the paths, they will randomly enter them. Spirits that enter the paths of life will pa.s.s without any problem, but if the spirits went into the paths of destruction, the formation’s power will strike them down.

“Additionally, the paths will rotate every minute or so; this is due to the rhythm of dissipating Yin Qi from the hundred spirit funneling formation within the spirit nest. That means we mean only need to guard the three paths of life for one minute, so there is no need to act overly aggressive. Then, the paths will switch, and the formation will destroy the spirits in the previous paths of life. So, we just have to follow the rotations of the paths and always guard the paths of life. Is everyone clear on that?”

Old Guo nodded in agreement, “This plan seems like a good idea. Now, no matter how many spirits come our way, we will be able to handle it.”

Ye Shaoyang shook his head and said, “It’s not as easy as that. This is a 70 year old spirit nest. Not only does it have the j.a.panese soldier spirits, but it must also have attracted other wandering spirits before it was sealed off. Also, this formation is not almighty. When it comes to spirits that are at the supreme level, it can only weaken them but not kill them. So, success or failure still depends on us.”

Ye Shaoyang took a deep breath and continued, “Alright then, let’s split up the jobs. Rui Lengyu and Qin Feng will guard a path each. The rest of you follow senior brother Guo to guard the last one. Speaking of which, where is Qin Feng?”

“Right here.”

Qin Feng’s voice came from behind him. Ye Shaoyang turned around and saw that Qing Feng was standing behind everyone. Ye Shaoyang shrugged his shoulders and said, “I almost thought you weren’t coming.”

Qin Feng did not care about his words. Instead, he observed Ye Shaoyang’s arrangements and said, “The Formation of Eight Paths, one of the secrets of Maoshan sect. This formation will only work if a Heavenly Master or above sets it up.”

Ye Shaoyang chuckled and said, “You know your stuff.”

“I’ve seen Dao Feng use it once,” Qin Feng said, “This formation is merciless; it will not differentiate between friend or foe. Once activated, it will kill whoever is inside, right?”

“Ah, I almost forgot about that,” Ye Shaoyang turned to everyone and said, “Once the formation is activated, it will strike down any being that enters the three paths of destruction, be it human, spirit, or specter. Even I can’t handle its power, so no matter what happens, no one is to step into the formations.”

Everyone nodded, as they understood the seriousness of the matter.

“Alright then, if everyone is clear about everything let’s get started.”

“Hold on,” Xie Yuqing interrupted, “While we’re busy guarding the formation, what will you be up to?”

Ye Shaoyang rolled his eyes and said, “Sister, you think I’m going to be free? Afterward, I’ll have to summon Feng Xinyu’s three Hun and seven Po back to her body. I have to fight her.”

“Oh, okay,” Xie Yuqing smiled and tapped his shoulder, “Work hard, okay? This sister will treat you to some big meat buns after we get out.”

Instinctively, Ye Shaoyang’s gaze dropped onto Xie Yuqing’s body when he heard her mention big meat buns. Ye Shaoyang was about to say something flirtatious to her, but he noticed Rui Lengyu standing beside her, so he eventually swallowed his words.

Finally, Ye Shaoyang stood up and said, “Everyone, ready? I’ll go and open the seal then.”

Then, Rui Lengyu speedily walked in front of Ye Shaoyang and said, “It’s best that I go and open the Dharma staff seal. My grandfather told me the method to release it.” Without even waiting for Ye Shaoyang’s response, she walked to the Dharma staff and did something to it. No one knew what she did, as her back was facing everyone.

Then, the rings on the Dharma staff started to suddenly shake and ring. The golden light that originally surrounded the staff began to retract. Finally, it shot into the formation. As soon as that happened, the metal door behind it opened with a loud groan. Then, a gust of strong Yin Qi blew out from the doorway. Xiao Ma and the others immediately s.h.i.+vered, as they felt a bone piercing cold.

Finally, the spirit nest that had been sealed up for so long was finally opened!

Ye Shaoyang shouted at Rui Lengyu, “Come back, quick. The formation is about to activate!”

Rui Lengyu quickly dashed through the formation and out to safety. Not long after, thick purple clouds of energy started to gather at the top of the formation. Then, they gradually filled up the air within the formation and blocked everyone's view.

“Little Ye, what’s going on?” Xiao Ma asked in surprise.

“This is normal. Now, the leftmost three paths will be the paths of life. You guys go and guard them now!” Just as Ye Shaoyang finished his sentence, audible human screams came from the other side of the purple cloud. Some cried, and some laughed. Worse yet, the enclosed nature of the tunnel amplified the sounds, which made everyone uneasy.

Luckily, Xiao Ma and the others had gotten used to seeing supernatural things. Even though they paled and felt slightly tense, they were still able to hold it together. On the other hand, Liu Ming was paralyzed and sat on the floor.

Very quickly, screams of pain mixed with the cries and laughter. Ye Shaoyang immediately knew what this indicated, so he notified everyone, “They’re in the formation already. Everyone, be careful!”

As the screams got closer and closer, the first batch of spirits came out from the paths of life and appeared before them. Most of them were soldiers, specifically j.a.panese soldiers. All of them looked terrifying; blood oozed out from their wounds, some had died with their heads blown open, some did not even have flesh, and some crawled on the floor and only had bones.

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