Chapter 154:  Level 2 【Formation Room】 - Stardust Illusion Killing Array

Ji Yuan stared at the Misty Island, shrouded in overwhelming ghostly aura, his eyes widening in anger.

His home had been stolen—how could this be tolerated?!

Moreover, judging by the situation, the culprit was likely a demonic cultivator. This Yunyu Marshlands was already the hinterland of the Water Dragon Sect, yet there were still demonic cultivators so rampant?

Remember the original website domain name: 𝕥𝕨𝕜𝕒𝕟.𝕔𝕠𝕞

But on second thought, he had left the Great Toad here to guard the place.

It was already equivalent to a late-stage Foundation Establishment monster beast. Even with it here, it still couldn’t protect the home—then what sort of powerful figure had come?

At the very least, it had to be at peak Foundation Establishment, right·——

The moment that thought occurred, Ji Yuan’s eyes instantly cleared, and even his back turned a bit cold.

Angry?

No, no, no. Right now he should take advantage of not being discovered yet and flee immediately!

Otherwise, if he really waited until the other side caught up, he’d probably have to resort to using the talisman treasure "Sky-Escape Shuttle" to escape.

If he were to leave, where should he go?

Naturally, he’d have to return to the sect to call for reinforcements, even bring Li Changhe over again and let him take a share—see if they could take down the demonic cultivator occupying this place!

Just as Ji Yuan was thinking of leaving, his ears twitched, and suddenly he heard something.

"Croak—Great Toad’s voice?!

It wasn’t dead!

Ji Yuan quickly turned his head toward the direction of the sound. After a moment’s hesitation, he still chose to drive the boat toward it. At present, within this Misty Zone, aside from his own Misty Island—there likely weren’t any great dangers.

Moreover, the Great Toad was still alive. Could it be that the one who had occupied his lair was only at late-stage Foundation Establishment?

Many thoughts surged through Ji Yuan’s mind.

When he finally passed through the mist and swept with his Divine Sense, he saw the Great Toad’s figure among the pile of boulders on the backside of a small island.

Compared to last year, the Great Toad now looked somewhat haggard.

Its body no longer gleamed with its former oily sheen, and instead bore a weathered look from wind and sun. It squatted there wearily, allowing some flies to buzz about its body.

Its mouth, who knew what it had eaten, was full of grime formed from blood-stained mud.

It looked just like something abandoned and unwanted.

Ji Yuan couldn’t help but recall the time when it followed him—it had been so clean back then.

"Sigh."

Ji Yuan sighed and brought the flying boat closer.

Perhaps sensing that familiar aura, the Great Toad immediately let out a "Croak——", its eyes snapping open. With a kick of its hind legs, it leapt up instantly, flipping over the small island to the front.

When it saw that incomparably familiar flying boat, and then spotted the figure it had longed for day and night—

"Croak, croak"—the Great Toad shed tears.

It was said, "It’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, hard to return from luxury to frugality."

When it had previously followed Ji Yuan, enjoying delicacies without even needing to hunt, the Great Toad hadn’t thought much of it—at times even believing—

That life ought to be this way, that this was how life should be.

But over the past year, ever since being driven off Misty Island, it had come to understand the hardships of life.

Going out to find food was still manageable—anything it locked onto rarely escaped its big mouth.

But the problem was, the Great Toad’s palate had already been spoiled, and it no longer fancied the ordinary fare.

So life was nothing but suffering.

Now, seeing Ji Yuan return, the joy in its heart was plainly written across its face.

"Croak croak croak"—it croaked non-stop.

If not for Ji Yuan remaining on the flying boat without descending, it might have rushed up for a passionate embrace.

Ji Yuan waited for quite a while before seeing the Great Toad calm down. He then pointed in the direction of Misty Island,

And made a confused expression.

The Great Toad immediately understood.

"Croak croak——"

"Croak—"

"Croak croak croak—"

Listening to the Great Toad’s lengthy explanation, Ji Yuan could only nod in partial comprehension.

Partially understood—because he grasped the gist: The Great Toad had been napping on the island that day, when suddenly two things jumped out and started attacking it.

But those two things couldn’t beat the Great Toad and were soon killed.

Yet just as they died, the two things reappeared. The Great Toad fought again, and each time it killed them, they reappeared.

Annoyed, the Great Toad started ignoring them.

But those two wouldn’t let it go and kept harassing it.

The entire island was covered in Black Mist Covering, and the Great Toad could barely see clearly.

Irritated, the Great Toad ran off. Later, it tried to return a few times, but each time those two things would fly out and bite it.

Eventually, the Great Toad gave up and began wandering the Misty Zone—

All just to wait for Ji Yuan’s return.

That was the part Ji Yuan understood. As for what he didn’t understand—it reminded him of something.

Those two things the Great Toad mentioned—why did they sound so much like his two Yin Ghosts?!

And when he had left Misty Island, hadn’t he just so happened to leave those two Yin Ghosts behind?

Could it be that the two Yin Ghosts had undergone a breakthrough?

But if that were truly the case, why hadn’t he sensed their familiar aura just now? Ji Yuan felt that something must’ve gone wrong somewhere—he decided to go back and see for himself.

"Let’s go, Great Toad. We’re going home!"

Ji Yuan waved his large hand, and the Great Toad’s eyes lit up.

"Croak——"The Great Toad took the lead, suddenly leaping to another island ahead.

Ji Yuan followed close behind·—·shielding the Great Toad at his front.

  He naturally intended for the Great Toad to take the lead, to scout ahead and see if those were indeed the two Yin Ghosts. If they really were, then he could be more at ease.

But if they weren’t——

Brother Toad, take care, wait for me to go get reinforcements!

Moments later, Misty Island·————oh no, Black Mist Island, reappeared in Ji Yuan’s vision.

The Great Toad felt a surge of fury like an enemy meeting face to face.

There was no need for Ji Yuan to remind it.

With a loud shout, it leapt onto Misty Island.

Ji Yuan’s Divine Sense immediately followed and enveloped the area, but the moment his Divine Sense came into contact with the mist, it was cut off.

Even his strengthened early Foundation Establishment Divine Sense couldn’t break through?!

But fortunately, that brief contact had allowed Ji Yuan to confirm clearly—

The Black Mist covering the island was indeed released by a formation!

And it was exactly his previous Yin Ghost Formation!

But now, this Yin Ghost Formation was no longer under his control. A thought flashed through Ji Yuan’s mind, and he immediately guessed the general situation.

Most likely, the two Yin Ghosts within the Yin Ghost Formation had both broken through to Foundation Establishment Stage.

Moreover, they had broken through even earlier than him, hence they had broken free from his control.

But the problem was, according to the "Yin Ghost Sect" records, Yin Ghosts’ cultivation shouldn’t be able to surpass their master’s. Was it the Black Coffin obtained from Bai Piao that was problematic, or were the Yin Ghost Sect’s records themselves flawed?

Ji Yuan didn’t know. He wanted to retrieve the Yin Ghost Formation.

Since both Yin Ghosts had broken through to Foundation Establishment, the formation was likely a Second-Tier Formation. If he retrieved it, it might fulfill the requirements for the【Formation Room】upgrade.

Once the【Formation Room】was upgraded to Level 2, he could obtain a set of Second-Tier Killing Formation, the "Stardust Illusion-Kill Formation".

And only by reclaiming the Yin Ghost Formation could he take back Misty Island—his home.

With that thought, Ji Yuan had already made up his mind.

Do it!

Ji Yuan first stuck a Copper Wall Talisman onto himself, then piloted the flying boat to circle to the other side of Misty Island.

To take down these two Yin Ghosts, he’d definitely have to refine the wild Yin Ghost Flag.

The Yin Ghost Flag was stored by Ji Yuan behind the mountain on the island, near the【Fish Pond】.

Ji Yuan still remembered the location. In no time, he reached the cliffside. Without hesitation, he piloted the flying boat and plunged into the Yin Ghost Formation.

Black Mist surged to engulf him.

Ji Yuan released his Divine Sense, but it was still blocked by the Black Mist.

Not only that, even his vision was obstructed by the Black Mist. He could only see a small portion ahead—it was no wonder the Great Toad couldn’t stand it and wanted to run.

Fortunately, this Second-Tier Copper Wall Talisman could still resist the Black Mist. Moreover, the Vital Energy surging on Ji Yuan’s body prevented the Black Mist from approaching.

Foundation Establishment Physique, Foundation Establishment Magic Power—ordinary means could no longer breach Ji Yuan’s defense.

"Go——"

Ji Yuan gave a soft shout, and the Purple Lightning Flying Sword tore through the air with the might of Ninefold Wave. In just a flash, a loud "rumble rumble rumble" echoed ahead.

Though Ji Yuan couldn’t see clearly, he could guess that the mountain had likely been pierced open.

With a few steps forward, he arrived at the cliffside and finally saw the cave entrance he had previously dug out.

The Yin Ghost Flag was inside.

But at that moment, the mist ahead surged violently, as if something was about to emerge.

The two Yin Ghosts had returned!

Ji Yuan had not yet learned any Second-Tier techniques, but the First-Tier techniques would suffice for now.

He pointed a finger—Layered Blast appeared.

"Boom——" With a loud blast, the Black Mist before him was blown apart, even forcing him to retreat a few steps.

"——" Behind him came the sound of gnawing—those two Yin Ghosts had circled around behind him.

Ji Yuan didn’t care. They couldn’t break his defense for now. His figure darted into the cave.

Inside, the Black Mist was even denser. If not for his Foundation Establishment Physique and far superior physical constitution, he would have been in total darkness.

Once inside, he swept a glance at the ground and immediately understood the situation.

The original Black Coffin·—had now lost all Yin Energy, as if it had been drained dry, turning into an ordinary stone.

Whereas the Yin Ghost Flag was still shrouded in Yin Energy, exuding a terrifying aura.

Even the black color on the flag had become deeper.

With a wave of his hand, Ji Yuan used Object Manipulation Technique, and the Yin Ghost Flag flew into his hand.

The two Yin Ghosts cried out anxiously but could do nothing.

They were born from the Yin Ghost Flag and naturally had no control over it.

Otherwise, they would have buried the Yin Ghost Flag deep underground and hidden it.

Ji Yuan grabbed the Yin Ghost Flag, blood dripped, and instantly began refining!

The formation flag was successfully refined—the Yin Ghost Formation was once again under his control.

The two Yin Ghosts were also the same. With a sweep of his mind, Ji Yuan sensed them clearly.

These two Yin Ghosts had indeed reached the Foundation Establishment Stage!

And the Yin Ghost Formation had been upgraded to a Second-Tier Formation.

Success, it had really succeeded!

Then Ji Yuan willed it, and the entire Yin Ghost Formation was retrieved.

The Black Mist that had enveloped Misty Island for over half a year finally receded into the ground and was absorbed into the Yin Ghost Flag.

Ji Yuan looked at the Yin Ghost Formation in his hand, which exuded thick Yin Energy. A brief sense told him all he needed to know.

This Second-Tier Yin Ghost Formation not only had a range several times larger, but also contained many more means to trap enemies. Of course, the most important were the two Yin Ghosts.

Compared to when they were First-Tier at the Qi Refining Stage, the current Second-Tier Yin Ghosts had gained a truly outrageous ability—

Immortality!

Near-immortality.

As long as the Yin Ghost Flag was not destroyed, even if these two Yin Ghosts died, they could be reborn again—or rather, if their bodies were merely scattered,

They could quickly reappear by absorbing Yin Energy from the Yin Ghost Flag.

  So even the late-Second-Tier Great Toad found these two Yin Ghosts extremely troublesome.

It had even been forced to avoid their edge and wander elsewhere instead.

"Strong! Next time I fight someone, releasing this Yin Ghost Flag would be like gaining two Foundation Establishment Stage helpers for free, plus the Yin Ghost Formation’s own enemy-trapping effect."

For a time, Ji Yuan felt that even without learning any other techniques, relying on this Yin Ghost Formation alone might be enough to dominate the early Foundation Establishment Stage.

After storing away the Yin Ghost Formation, he reached out and picked up the stone coffin.

Compared to before, the stone coffin now truly appeared to be just an ordinary piece of rock, with no trace of Yin Energy,

Yet it still felt faintly cold in his hand.

He didn’t know what it actually was.

Ji Yuan swept it with Divine Sense several times and even jabbed it with his flying sword a few times, but couldn’t manage to split it open.

Its texture was extremely hard—clearly not an ordinary item.

In the end, he had no choice but to store it. To be safe, he kept it separate from the Yin Ghost Formation, placing each in different storage pouches.

After reclaiming his home, that long-missing sense of security finally returned.

Ji Yuan emerged from the cave, and the Great Toad had already followed him.

It was delighted, croaking nonstop with "croak croak croak."

Ji Yuan couldn’t tell if it was happy to see him again, or happy thinking it might get to eat Spiritual Pig meat.

The【Fish Pond】had already been completely ruined by those two Yin Ghosts. There weren’t even any Semi-Spiritual Fish left, let alone Spiritual Fish, and the lake had become a pool of dead water.

Ji Yuan then went over to the area where the small wooden hut used to be—it was much the same.

After over a year without occupants, plus the prolonged exposure to Yin Energy "soaking," the hut had rotted. It would take a full overhaul before anyone could live there again.

"Guess I’ll have to trouble Tu Yue once more... sigh."

When Ji Yuan turned around again, he saw the Great Toad already squatting in the【Pigsty】, looking around cautiously as if it didn’t want to collapse the damaged structure.

Noticing Ji Yuan’s gaze, it gave an obedient croak.

"Croak——" Looking at the filthy Great Toad, Ji Yuan pointed at the distant lake, then at its body.

The Great Toad, knowing Ji Yuan liked cleanliness, bounced off and jumped into the lake.

Afterward, Ji Yuan flew a few laps around Misty Island, thoroughly scanning it inside and out with Divine Sense. Once he was certain there were no other problems, he landed at the highest point of the cliff.

The original Mist Array had already been destroyed by the two Yin Ghosts, but fortunately, the mist still helped obscure the area.

Ji Yuan sat at the highest point of Misty Island and summoned the Panel, turning his attention to the【Formation Room】section.

He wanted to see whether upgrading the Yin Ghost Formation to Second-Tier had fulfilled the upgrade condition for the【Formation Room】.

【Upgrade Conditions: Mid-Grade Spirit Stone ×40, Meteorite Stone ×5 pieces, Illusory Spirit Sand ×6 jin, upgrade one First-Tier Formation to a Second-Tier Formation (fulfilled)】

With just one glance, he saw the three characters "Upgradeable" beside【Formation Room】.

And also saw the note "fulfilled" next to the upgrade conditions.

His previously anxious heart finally settled.

Meteorite Stone and Illusory Spirit Sand weren’t particularly rare items; they could be bought with Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Ji Yuan had already prepared them in advance on Everything Island before reaching Foundation Establishment Stage.

All for this very day!

It seemed the Panel was still intelligent. The upgrade of the Yin Ghost Formation was naturally due to the Black Coffin he had gotten from Bai Piao.

So the upgrade result was rightly attributed to him.

As long as it could be upgraded, that was enough!

The Yin Ghost Formation was upgraded, and so the Formation Room could also be upgraded.

Ji Yuan had coveted the formations provided by the Panel for a long time.

Upgrade!

As Ji Yuan activated the thought—his thought simply moved. Nothing else changed.

"Damn it, something’s off."

With both hands pushing off the edge, Ji Yuan, who had been sitting at the cliffside, plummeted straight down.

He had jumped off cliffs before—this height wouldn’t kill him. At worst, his legs would just get stuck in the ground.

After struggling to pull his legs out, he arrived in front of the【Cave Dwelling】.

With a sweep of Divine Sense, he instantly detected the anomaly within.

The "Stardust Illusion-Kill Formation" generated by the Level 2【Formation Room】was naturally inside the【Formation Room】.

Ji Yuan stepped into the moss-covered mountain cave and entered the Formation Room.

The Stardust Illusion-Kill Formation generated by the【Formation Room】did not rely on Formation Disks or Flags as foundations. All its formation patterns were embedded into the walls of the【Formation Room】.

Even walking through it without activating the formation, Ji Yuan could feel the murderous aura radiating from it.

Damn, this was some fine work. Ji Yuan looked at the complex patterns on the walls.

Compared to the First-Tier Formations he had previously understood, this Second-Tier Formation was several levels more difficult.

The difference between them—if a Second-Tier Formation was like solving a system of linear equations, then a First-Tier Formation was at most simple arithmetic within ten.

This formation clearly wasn’t something ordinary people could comprehend.

Ji Yuan immediately willed it, choosing to activate the Stardust Illusion-Kill Formation.

In an instant, the formation that had merely covered the【Formation Room】expanded outward and enveloped the entire Misty Island.

Ji Yuan once again exited the Cave Dwelling, sweeping his Divine Sense over the surroundings.

At this moment, the entire island was filled with drifting dust—or more accurately, stardust, as faint sparkles would occasionally appear among the dust, flickering like stars in the sky.

But as for the effect——.. Ji Yuan looked at a large boulder in the distance.

"Explode——" As Ji Yuan willed it, the dust on the boulder instantly detonated.

"Boom——"

With a loud explosion, the entire boulder was blasted into rubble.

Under the Stardust Illusion-Kill Formation, every speck of dust was a weapon to kill.

Compared to the previous Rainkill Formation, this was what truly qualified as a killing formation.

Ji Yuan was thrilled, suppressing his urge to activate all the stardust—if he did, Misty Island would probably be mostly destroyed.

And since it was named Stardust Illusion-Kill Formation, naturally, the stardust could be hidden.

Along with the entire formation itself being concealed—if not examined closely, even Foundation Establishment cultivators might not detect it.

Ji Yuan was just thinking of hiding the formation and checking what effects the Level 3【Formation Room】might have—

But just then, a pitiful cry came from outside the formation.

"Croak——"

The Great Toad, which had just gone out to wash itself, returned only to find—it couldn’t get back in again.

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