From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 174 The Dawn Light of the Spirit Array

The icy touch traveled from my fingertips throughout my body, and I suddenly opened my eyes.

Beneath the fingertips was a stone slab engraved with strange patterns, half-buried in the mist.

The patterns on this stone slab subtly match the array patterns I saw before!

Could this be... the key clue to the location of the formation's core?

My heart suddenly raced, and I suppressed my excitement as I carefully observed the patterns on the stone slab.

A faint fluctuation of spiritual energy emanated from the stone slab, completely different from the chaotic fluctuations of spiritual energy around it.

I tried to touch this fluctuation with my own spiritual power, but I felt a strong repulsion the moment I made contact!

"Xiao Yao, give up. You can't break the formation." Li Yunfei's voice, tinged with smugness, came from outside the mist.

Su Yao's sharp laughter followed: "She thinks she can break the formation? That's just wishful thinking!"

Their mockery pierced my eardrums like needles, further fueling my fighting spirit.

I took a deep breath and tried again to use my spiritual power to communicate with the patterns on the stone slab.

This time, I condensed my spiritual energy into fine threads and carefully explored along the patterns.

Suddenly, the surrounding mist began to churn violently, and a powerful force pushed me backward!

I groaned and fell heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"What happened?" Elder Murong's voice carried a hint of panic.

"Someone is interfering with the formation!" The formation master's voice was low and solemn.

I struggled to my feet, wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth. A blurry figure flashed past in the mist. It was Ghost Shadow! He was secretly manipulating the formation!

Before I could react, the ground beneath my feet suddenly cracked open, revealing a bottomless fissure in front of me.

I gasped in surprise, and my body began to fall involuntarily...

"Xiao Yao!" An anxious voice came from above.

I tried to steady myself, but I felt an invisible pressure coming from all directions, squeezing my body. My head... hurt so much...

The feeling of weightlessness as I fell made my stomach churn and my head throb, as if it were about to explode.

I managed to steady myself, only to find myself in an even thicker fog.

"Xiao Yao, how much longer are you going to struggle? Give up, you're just not cut out for this!" Su Yao's voice was sharp and piercing, accompanied by a nauseating giggle.

The other female cultivators chimed in, "That's right! A piece of trash without spiritual roots dares to dream of breaking the formation? Doesn't he even know his own limitations?"

"Senior Brother Li is the true genius of formations. Compared to him, you are like a firefly compared to the bright moon!"

Their mockery was like sharp blades, piercing my heart. My head throbbed even more, and my vision blurred.

At this moment, Elder Murong's icy voice rang out: "Xiao Yao, my patience is limited. If you make no progress, don't blame me for being impolite!"

His words struck me like a thunderbolt, sending a shiver down my spine.

I understand that he's losing patience.

If I still can't find the key to breaking the formation, I will face severe punishment, even...

"Heh, it seems this good-for-nothing has run out of tricks." Li Yunfei's voice carried a hint of contempt, as if he had already foreseen my defeat.

He was surrounded by several disciples, all of whom looked at me with mocking eyes, as if I were a clown.

I gritted my teeth, enduring the intense headache, and tried my best to concentrate.

I can't give up, I must find a way to break the formation!

I repeatedly recalled the formation trajectory I had seen before, and repeatedly felt the spiritual energy fluctuations on the stone slab...

Suddenly, I sensed something was amiss.

Amidst the chaotic fluctuations of spiritual energy, there seemed to be an extremely faint yet remarkably stable fluctuation.

I held my breath, focusing all my attention on the fluctuation... It seemed to be guiding me, leading me to a hidden place... I reached out my hand, slowly extending it towards the direction from which the fluctuation originated...

My fingertips touched a cool stone slab. Unlike the rough texture of other stone slabs, this one was smooth as jade.

A surge of joy welled up within me. Could this be...? I concentrated my mind and slowly channeled my spiritual energy into the stone slab.

Sure enough, the stone slab trembled slightly, and a surge of pure spiritual energy flowed into my body through my fingertips, miraculously easing the severe headache I had been experiencing.

"What...what did she discover?" A gasp rippled through the crowd, and I could feel Li Yunfei's gaze piercing my back like needles.

Su Yao's voice was even more scathing: "Impossible! How could a good-for-nothing like her find the array's core? It must be a coincidence! It must be!"

I sneered and ignored their noise.

I sensed that this stone slab was the key to the formation. As long as I could control it, I could break this damned maze!

I took a deep breath, preparing to increase my spiritual energy output, when suddenly, a chilling aura came from behind me, accompanied by a sinister laugh: "Hehe, little girl, you're very clever, but unfortunately, you discovered it too late."

I turned around abruptly and saw a person dressed in a black robe, whose face was hidden in the shadows, appear behind me at some point.

He was surrounded by an eerie black mist, and held a gleaming dagger in his hand, pointing it straight at my back.

"Who are you?" I asked warily, while secretly channeling my spiritual energy, ready to deal with his attack at any moment.

The man in black robes smiled sinisterly: "Who I am is not important. What is important is that you will soon become a corpse and remain in this formation forever." Before he finished speaking, his figure pounced on me like a ghost, his dagger slicing through the air with a piercing shriek.

I quickly dodged, but the dagger still tore my sleeve, and a sharp pain shot through me... I squinted; it seemed this was going to be a fierce battle!

The dagger pierced the air, bringing with it a gust of cold wind. I barely dodged it, but felt a chill run down my back.

The ghostly figure was incredibly fast and moved with unpredictable movements, drifting like a wisp of black smoke.

I dared not be careless and quickly summoned my flying sword, its blade gleaming with a cold light, and thrust it straight at the ghostly figure.

"A mere trick!" Ghost Shadow sneered, and a black array flag suddenly appeared in his hand. With a fierce wave, black pillars of light rose from the ground, trapping me within them.

I was shocked; the formation was set up way too fast!

The black beam of light was like a cage, constantly shrinking. I swung my sword at the beam, but it was like throwing mud into the sea, having no effect whatsoever.

The ghostly figure reappeared before me, the dagger pointed directly at my throat.

"It's over, little girl."

I gritted my teeth and forced myself to calm down.

Although this formation is strange, there must be a way to break it.

I closed my eyes, sensing the flow of spiritual energy around me, trying to find the weak point of the formation.

The ghost seemed very confident in its formation and did not rush to attack, but just watched me struggle with a cold smile.

Suddenly, I felt a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy, exactly the same as the spiritual energy that had been injected into the stone slab earlier.

I suddenly opened my eyes and looked towards the northwest corner of the formation, where there was an inconspicuous stone that was emitting a faint spiritual light.

That's it!

I was overjoyed and concentrated all my spiritual power into the tip of my sword, thrusting it fiercely towards the rock.

The sword energy collided with the stone, producing a crisp sound. The black pillar of light collapsed instantly, and I finally broke free from the formation.

"How is this possible?!" Ghost Shadow was clearly not expected that I would break the formation so quickly, and a look of shock appeared on his face.

While he was distracted, I leaped up, the tip of my sword pointing directly at his chest.

The ghost hurriedly waved its battle flags to defend itself, but my sword strike was already unstoppable and pierced through its defenses.

The ghostly figure let out a muffled groan, and its form once again vanished into black smoke.

I looked around warily, not daring to let my guard down.

He knew this assassination attempt had failed, and he would definitely be more careful next time.

Those around were stunned by the brilliance of the battle and fell silent.

I took a deep breath and turned to look at the smooth stone slab.

The appearance of the ghostly figure interrupted my attempt to break the formation, but it also made me more certain that this stone slab was the key to the formation.

I channeled my spiritual energy into the stone slab once more. This time, the slab emitted an even more dazzling light, and the surrounding scenery began to change... Whether I can completely break through the maze depends on this final step!