I attained immortality through meditation in the Great Qian Dynasty.

No one dared to disobey.

Xiao Bai ran to the stove in the back kitchen.

Wang Jingtian stood there, stunned.

This main stove was responsible for supplying meals to the core members of the Wang family, including himself and his father.

No wonder!

No wonder my father's health deteriorated so quickly!

No wonder I've always felt restless and lacking in energy these past few years!

"Using the smoke and fire of human life to temper the murderous aura, and then using food and drink as a medium to send the death aura into your bodies. Well done, what a subtle and silent method of killing."

Zhao Zian said.

"gentlemen……"

Wang Jingtian spoke.

"Is there any hope left for my Wang family?"

Zhao Zian said calmly.

"Without me, we would surely die. But now, I say there is salvation, and there is salvation."

Wang Jingtian was pulled back from the brink of despair.

That's right!

After marking the sha nails in the kitchen, Xiaobai found the last three sha nails in the library, storeroom, and other places.

The entire Nine Killers Locking Dragon Formation's structure, energy flow, and weak points were presented before his eyes.

"I see……"

Zhao Zian muttered to himself.

This formation was even more dangerous than he had imagined.

The nine affliction nails appear to be independent, but in fact they form a cycle.

If any one of them is forcibly removed, the other eight will detonate all the accumulated evil energy.

"All nine evil nails have been found."

Wang Jingtian bowed deeply to Zhao Zian.

"The Wang family will never forget your great kindness, sir!"

"Sir, the person who set up this formation is utterly despicable!"

"Jing Tian hereby swears that he will not be human unless he cuts this man into a thousand pieces!"

Zhao Zian nodded.

"Don't rush to make an oath. This Nine Fiends Locking Dragon Formation is interconnected; if one part is disturbed, all nine parts will be affected. The person who set up the formation must have left a backup plan. If forcibly breaking the formation fails, the fiendish energy will backfire, and the entire Wang family mansion will be turned into a dead zone in an instant, with no survivors."

Wang Jingtian's body stiffened.

One wrong step and the whole game is lost, leaving no one alive!

Zhao Zian then changed the subject.

"However, you don't need to worry too much."

"Even the person who sets up the formation could not have foreseen that I would have three days to prepare."

"He couldn't have predicted that I would choose to make my move on the night of the full moon, when the formation's power is at its peak."

"The strongest also means that its operation will reach a limit. Any sophisticated machine will reveal flaws that are not present under normal circumstances when operating at its limit."

"What I need to do is find that weakness in that instant, and then..."

"Sever its core hub, causing it to collapse from within."

Wang Jingtian bowed deeply to Zhao Zian.

"Everything is up to you, sir!"

"Jing Tian and the entire Wang family will follow your lead!"

Wang Jingtian personally led Zhao Zian to a courtyard.

This is Tingxue Xiaozhu (Listening to Snow Pavilion).

The Wang family used this place specifically to entertain their most distinguished guests.

"Sir, please rest here for the next few days. All resources in the manor are at your disposal!"

"Pen and ink," Zhao Zian said.

"yes!"

Wang Jingtian walked to the desk, laid out paper, and ground ink.

Zhao Zian took the pen, and the names of the medicinal herbs and objects appeared on the paper.

After a moment, Zhao Zian put down his pen.

That's all.

Wang Jingtian hurried forward.

"Three catties of cinnabar, one bucket of blood from a strong rooster, half a catty of mature black dog hair, ten dou of glutinous rice, five dan of rootless water, nine peach wood swords..."

The items on the list...

It's not rare, it's just... too common!

"Sir, aren't these materials a bit too ordinary?"

"I'm not questioning you, sir, but that formation is so dangerous, I'm worried..."

Zhao Zian put the pen back on the pen holder.

"Young Master Wang, what kind of person do you think was the one who set up this Nine Fiends Locking Dragon Formation?"

Wang Jingtian was taken aback.

"Meticulous in thought, ruthless in methods, and possessing profound cultivation, he is an absolute demon!"

"That's right."

Zhao Zian took a sip of tea.

"What would such a cautious demon do after setting up such a deadly formation?"

Wang Jingtian followed his train of thought and pondered.

"He...he will keep an eye on our Wang family, waiting for the formation to complete, and watching us walk step by step toward destruction."

"So what will he be focusing on keeping an eye on?"

Zhao Zian continued to ask.

"Naturally, they're keeping an eye on the expert we invited to break the formation!"

Wang Jingtian blurted it out.

Zhao Zian put down his teacup.

"Your Wang family is the most powerful clan in the county. If you have indeed discovered the formation and found the person who can break it, what will you do?"

"We will spare no expense to gather rare and precious materials, and invite the most outstanding array masters to set up an earth-shattering array to contend with it!"

Wang Jingtian practically gritted his teeth as he said those words.

"That's right."

"This is what they're waiting for."

"Remember, the key to breaking the formation is never how precious these materials are, but rather the person who uses them and the timing of their use."

"The greatest truths are the simplest; sometimes, the simplest things are the most effective."

Wang Jingtian trembled violently.

"Sir, your insights are profound! Jing Tian...I have learned a great deal!"

"Go and prepare."

Zhao Zian waved his hand.

"Remember, make a big show of it, but make it chaotic, make it look real. Let everyone in the city think that I, the young master of the Wang family, have gone mad, actually believing in the tricks of this charlatan."

"Yes! Jing Tian understands!"

……

Inside an inconspicuous house in the county town.

This is a stronghold of the Blackwater Alliance, a secret agent organization kept by Prefect Liu Mang.

A thin man in black reports.

"Leader, your subordinate, Earth Rat, has important news to report."

"explain."

"There's something unusual going on in the Wang family."

"This afternoon, Wang Jingtian brought a young man back from Liuxi Town. He treated the young man as an honored guest and settled him in Tingxue Xiaozhu."

Liu Mang, who was behind the screen, paused upon hearing this.

"Oh? That arrogant brat Wang Jingtian would treat someone like an honored guest? Have you investigated that young man's background?"

"We've checked. His name is Zhao Zi'an, a doctor at Jishetang in Liuxi Town. He's recently become quite famous in town. But according to our intelligence, he was a good-for-nothing apprentice medicine boy just six months ago. We don't know what kind of extraordinary encounter he had."

The groundhog answered with its head down.

"A serendipitous encounter? Ha."

Liu Mang sneered.

"There aren't that many lucky encounters in this world. He's just a country bumpkin who got lucky. Go on."

"Yes. After Wang Jingtian brought him back to the manor, the two walked around the manor for more than two hours. During this time, Wang Jingtian dismissed all the servants and acted mysteriously."

"Furthermore, I have observed that after Wang Jingtian came out, he sent his trusted steward to begin purchasing a large number of... strange things in the city."

"Something strange?"

Liu Mang became interested.

"Yes. Cinnabar, rooster blood, black dog hair, peach wood sword... and a lot of glutinous rice. All sorts of superstitious stuff. There are already rumors circulating that the Wang family's fortunes are declining, and Wang Jingtian, in his desperation, has hired a charlatan to perform rituals."