Chapter 172 The Seven-stars Soul-transfer Formation (1/2)
Liu Fenghuang stopped her sobbing. Xiao Chen sighed. ”Don't worry,” he said suddenly, a note of bitterness evident in his voice, ”I will make them pay. An eye for an eye.”
They sat in the breeze for a little more than two hours when suddenly an aura of light descended near them. It was Yu Yifeng. He came slowly over, and saw Liu Fenghuang asleep with her head rested on Xiao Chen's shoulder. ”She has not been sleeping since yesterday,” Yu Yifeng muttered sadly, ”Perhaps she feels comfortable only when you're around.”
Xiao Chen watched her sleeping, calm and serene like a baby in slumber. ”I'll bring her back,” he said, and carried her in his arms before walking towards the courtyard of the stronghold. Yu Yifeng waited for him. Before long, Xiao Chen came back and they strode down the hill towards the Coalesced Colors Hall.
They exchanged no words on their way down, until Yu Yifeng said, ”Chen...” But he did not go on, pausing apprehensively.
Xiao Chen saw him want to speak but stop at a second thought. ”What's wrong?” he asked.
Yu Yifeng said nothing, merely sighing. It was dark and Xiao Chen could hardly see his face properly. ”If things were to turn dire tomorrow,” he said at last, ”Take everyone and run. My teacher and the rest of the Seven will conjure the Sword Formation of Purification... Just tell Miss Mu... Tell her I'm...” His voice turned hoarse and cracked.
Conjuring the Sword Formation of Purification came with a terrible price: death. Xiao Chen heaved a long breath. ”Stop saying this, Brother Yifeng,” he remarked harshly and firmly, ”Who do you think I am? Am I a person who fears death?”
Yu Yifeng said nothing again, merely shaking his head and breathing heavily. They reached the great hall and stepped inside, finding the hall devoid of anyone else, save for the Jade Qing Seven. The rest of the warriors and swordsmen who had come to help were guarding outside. Midnight was upon them and it was the best time to begin conjuring the Seven-stars Soul-transfer Formation.
Hopeful and expectant glances cast upon the great hall from Elder Zhou, Elder Wang, Elder Ding, Elder Liu, and the others, along with almost every one of the disciples and acolytes of the Jade Qing Sect present, including the host of cultivators from around the East Continent. Hanxi and Ziling had already been sent by Yu Yifeng to a family of simple and common folk lest things turned bad.
Perfected Immortal Qing Chen declared loudly to everyone outside as soon as Xiao Chen entered the hall, ”We will begin conjuring the magical formation. Please retreat hundreds of meters away; there can be no disturbances!”
Everyone began shuffling away quickly, realizing the gravity of the matter, leaving only a handful of Elders standing guard outside. Elder Zhou and Elder Ding traded heavy looks and with a curt nod, they began channeling their powers, using their magic to close the large door of the hall and sealing it with a few more magical seals.
Everyone waited outside. Barely 2 hours later, the crowds outside began to notice seven stars that gleamed with remarkable prominence amidst the ocean of stars in the night sky. They recognized the Big Dipper constellation hanging over the mountain with its trademark bucket-shaped outline.
Just then, a huge wave of force erupted from inside the hall, threatening to shatter the magic of the seals that defended the hall. The crowds outside gasped with shock and apprehension, before seven white radiances shot through the ceilings of the hall into the sky, their blinding radiance flooding the entire stronghold as if it was daytime.
Murmurs and sighs of amazement and awe filled the crowd. The four Elders standing guard outside immediately withdrew further to the outer periphery of the plaza. ”Still, it has come to the inevitable,” Elder Zhou breathed wearily and said, ”It will be a bloody fight tomorrow. Don't you die, Old Man Ding... I need someone to bicker with...”
”What nonsense are you sprouting?!” Elder Ding snapped and said, ”I aim to live for more than a century! There's no way I'll lose to you in a bicker!”
Elder Zhou giggled, shaking his head. ”Pity my ears then, for nothing but your incessant bile will fill my ears for the next hundred years...”
Everyone around them watched their witty banter with solemn sadness. The shenanigans of the two Elders reminded everyone of the impending onslaught that would claim the lives of so many. Siblings in tutelage, teachers, and loved ones would perish, forever be separated by life and death. This silent calm before the storm could possibly be the last time everyone met each other.