Chapter 48

Following the water formation is the northwest metal formation, then the southwest earth formation, the southern fire formation, the eastern wood formation, and finally, the central formation in Jiang City.

Each sub-formation consists of 8 smaller formations and 1 main formation eye; searching for them one by one could take forever.

But now, everyone's enthusiasm has significantly increased.

Within half a month, all the sub-formations around the Yusi Ni Great Waters were found, and after Lu Tianyao activated them all, only the formation eye in the lake remained.

Facing the boundless expanse of the vast waters, even a bold and extraordinary woman like Lu Tianyao felt a chill in her heart.

"Do I... really have to go down?"

Linghu Xuan nodded: "Of course."

From the positions of the 8 sub-formations, they had determined that the formation eye was in the deepest part of the lake.

The legendary Yusi Ni Great Waters is said to be a bottomless abyss, with no one ever reaching its depths.

Even though Lu Tianyao is now on the verge of the Golden Core stage, considered a high person even in ancient times, she still felt apprehensive.

Everyone stood on the cliff by the lake, no one urging her. This was a challenge she had to face on her own, a challenge everyone would eventually face.

After a long look, Ran Xi said, "I'll go down with you."

"Alright." Lu Tianyao smiled.

Ran Xi occasionally uses the merfolk's water spirit power in emergencies, but he still can't match those who have been adept from a young age.

With a thought, the lake below the cliff stirred without wind, slowly forming a huge whirlpool, with countless fish jumping within, all drawn by the merfolk's spirit power, striving to get closer.

Ran Xi extended his hand to Lu Tianyao.

Lu Tianyao took a deep breath, grasped his hand, and together they leaped off the cliff.

Two Siberian sturgeons, each three meters long, leapt high, catching the two falling figures one after the other.

The little merman, now in his original form with silver hair and tail, soft silver hair fluttering in the wind, raised his hand pointing towards the center of the lake.

The two giant sturgeons cut through the waves, followed by thousands of fish, large and small, creating a magnificent scene.

From the cliff, Lou Yuxian exclaimed, "So this is the legendary merfolk."

Reaching the center of the lake, the sturgeons carrying them dived to a certain depth then could go no deeper.

That depth was beyond their survival limit.

Ran Xi, with a flick of his fishtail, led Lu Tianyao deeper.

Lu Tianyao, having nearly perfected her path of cultivation and undergone bodily refinement, feared not the high pressure at the lake's bottom.

Yet, the boundless darkness at the lakebed instilled fear.

The silver merman, with his eyes glowing purple as if carrying his own halo, showed not a trace of fear, his gaze firm, calm and composed, a true king of the waters.

Lu Tianyao couldn't help but revise her opinion of him; she had thought him a timid little guy.

In truth, Ran Xi was still somewhat afraid; he hadn't even wanted to come initially!

At such a critical juncture, those on land in the array could still work together.

In this deep lake, only Lu Tianyao could descend alone, as no one knew what might happen upon the first activation of the main array eye, nor whether ancient people had left traps within these array eyes. These challenges she had to face by herself.

Ran Xi felt a pang of compassion.

His power was water-based, making water his natural element.

Thus, he followed Lu Tianyao down.

Reaching the dark depths, he felt fear, but he couldn't show it, especially in front of a girl. He had to put on a brave front and not back down!

Lu Tianyao was striving to save humanity.

Ran Xi also wished for humanity's betterment.

Calming himself, he pretended to be composed as he swam downward, summoning many fish around him for comfort, given his fear.

At about two to three hundred meters underwater, various fish species, slightly odd-looking compared to those near the shore, swam by.

Lu Tianyao, seeing the fish, felt apprehensive, but the steadfast merman held her hand firmly.

She knew there was no romantic sentiment in his gesture.

At that moment, as a being from another race, he stood by her side with kindness and determination.

She would remember this kindness.

After what felt like an eternity, they finally reached the bottom.

The deepest part of the lake was gloomy and shadowy, featuring a hundred-meter diameter slate stone floor.

Engraved upon it were arrays and ancient totems.

Ran Xi creates a bubble to envelop them both, then turns to Lu Tianyao, "This step, you must take on your own."

Lu Tianyao smiles and opens her arms.

Ran Xi also opens his arms to embrace her.

After a long embrace, Ran Xi feels Lu Tianyao trembling, but she bravely lets go, pushes Ran Xi away, steps out of the bubble, and walks toward the center of the array, her figure resolute and determined.

No one knows what she will face.

She is the first to venture this path.

Though there are millennia-old notes on how to channel spirit power.

But with thousands of years passed, what if the array has been altered? Or changed due to earthquakes or landscape shifts?

Lu Tianyao walks forth composedly.

Ran Xi, standing by, laments his inability to aid her as a demon.

It takes a long time for the water spirit power to fully infuse the entire array with a blue light.

When the last streak of blue light returns to the ground beneath Lu Tianyao's feet.

A blue column of light shoots up, shaking the entire lakebed!

Ran Xi senses a powerful aura. He wants to flee but, to protect Lu Tianyao, he bravely moves closer to the center of the energy fluctuation!

It all happens in an instant.

Lu Tianyao, glowing with a soft golden light, stands there calmly.

She joyfully tells Ran Xi, "I've reached the Mahayana realm!"

Ran Xi: "???"

He recalls the cultivation manual given by the national teacher, detailing the realms of Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Out of Body, and Mahayana as the six stages.

They were all at the Foundation Building stage before, and now, someone has leaped three levels directly to Mahayana.

Truly incredible.

This time, it was Lu Tianyao who took the initiative to pull Ran Xi upward through the water.

Humans in the Mahayana phase can now traverse water without fear.

Hand in hand, they emerged from the water.

Four men hovered above the water with their superior lightness skills, their expressions priceless.

They recognized from the natural phenomena that someone had reached the Mahayana phase.

Everyone was about even, and then suddenly, one person ascended directly to the Mahayana phase.

Such envy.

Walking over, Ling Xi took Ran Xi's hand, "Come back here, how could you hold the hand of Concubine Cheng!"

"She's my sister-in-law!"

Not seeing you treat her with the respect due to a sister-in-law before, Ran Xi excitedly said, "Ling Xi, Concubine Cheng has reached the Mahayana phase!"

"She's really amazing!"

Ling Xi pretended not to hear.

Beside them, Lou Yuxian amiably said, "Concubine Cheng bravely took the lead, risking her life to break through to Mahayana, it's well-deserved, congratulations."

In the water, Lu Tianyao laughed heartily, now understanding the spiritual power of heaven and earth more deeply, feeling she could roam the universe fearlessly.

She decided to open the eyes of these petty men.

The lake water steamed as Lu Tianyao walked on air, casually bringing the men along with her on the breeze.

She boasted, "Let's go, I'll directly fly you all to the northwest."

Ran Xi exclaimed, "Great! Wait, we still have horses and the lion!"

Lu Tianyao flew back, bringing the horses and the lion from the lakeside along.

The group headed toward the northwest.

They flew over snowfields, grasslands, and deserts, leaving onlookers astonished at the sight of merfolk, a lion, steeds, and young men and women soaring through the sky.

"Are these immortals traveling?"

As they neared their destination, Lu Tianyao suddenly felt unstable in her control of the wind, causing everyone to crash down into the desert.

Ran Xi asked, "What happened, Concubine Cheng?"

Lu Tianyao, feeling her dwindling spiritual power, puzzledly remarked, "Why does it seem strange, the spiritual power of Mahayana doesn't last?"

Ling Xi calmly commented, "Ancient cultivators used to collect heavenly materials and treasures to create flying artifacts precisely because flying with the wind consumes a lot of spiritual power. Not using a flying artifact and instead carrying multiple people and mounts is naturally draining."

Ran Xi questioned, "Ling Xi, why didn't you say so earlier!"

Ling Xi turned away sourly, having never been through Mahayana, how could he have known its limits.

Understanding his sentiment, Ran Xi felt embarrassed, wondering why Ling Xi had to be so petty.

A group of people in the desert took a moment to shed their heavy clothing before continuing towards their destination.

The gold array was located in a place called Flame Mountain in the northwest.

It's said to be an active volcano.

This time, it was convenient; the vast desert laid everything bare, making the eight sub-arrays easy to locate.

Then, the group discovered that the gold array's focal point was within the volcano's crater, requiring a leap from above to enter.

Since arriving in the desert, Qu Zhanxia had been silent.

Standing at the volcano's edge, gazing into the churning lava below, he asked, "Are we really jumping in?"

Diving into a deep lake is terrifying enough, but you won't drown immediately; however, jumping into this lava means instant death!

At this moment, Ran Xi also dared not jump with him.

Everyone looked at Qu Zhanxia in silence, no one urging him to back down. Each of them would face such a situation, yet there was no reason to ask him to jump into the volcano.

Ran Xi, resolute, said, "I'll jump with you. I... probably won't burn to death; I can create a water bubble to envelop us both."

Qu Zhanxia, touched, smiled, "Forget it, just give me a kiss, and I'll jump."

Ran Xi, looking at this beautiful girl, filled with reluctance, thought of kissing "her" before leaping together.

But how could he kiss a girl? Men and women should not touch, let alone kiss.

The little merman found himself in a dilemma.

Qu Zhanxia, seeing his indecision, approached to kiss him voluntarily, but before getting close, was fiercely kicked away by Ling Hu Xun, almost falling off the cliff.

Ran Xi cursed, "Ling Hu Xun, why did you kick sister Xia?!"

"How could you just kick someone off?"

"You tyrant!"

Ling Hu Xun: "..."

He walked over, grabbed Qu Zhanxia's arm, and shouted to Ran Xi, "I don't want her getting close to you."

"It's not what you think."

"This time, I'll go down with him."

Qu Zhanxia: "?"

Without warning, Ling Hu Xun dragged him and jumped down.

"Ah, I don't want to die, Ran Xi, save me!"

"Save me!"

Qu Zhanxia's voice, distant from inside the volcano's mouth, was then drowned out by the bubbling lava.

Ran Xi lay prone at the edge of the volcano, looking down.

He felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

Ling Hu Xun... could he still be alive?

Could they still be alive?

Lu Tianyao, having completed her upgrade, stood aside with a look of amusement, relaxed. If Ling Hu Xun died, she could totally help take care of the little merman~

Xie Huai and Lou Yuxian stood side by side, their faces covered in sweat, unsure if it was from the heat or from fear.