Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 107 The Netherworld Formation (Please Subscribe)

On the east side of the valley, rows of wooden houses extend upwards along the mountainside, forming a scattered settlement.

Baron led Lin Jingchu and Song Yu up the carved stone steps leading up the village path.

"Brother Lin, Miss Song, back in Shilin—it was my fault, Balong, who was disloyal and left first in the face of danger. I hope you two will forgive me and not take offense," Balong said with a forced smile as he walked away.

Lin Jingchu laughed and said, "Brother Balong, you flatter me. We met by chance, and in times of trouble, we each seek our own way to survive. I am not the kind of person who holds grudges, so there is no question of blaming you. In the future, I may have to rely on Brother Balong a lot while living here."

Baron patted his chest and said, "Don't worry! Life here is tough, but once you join the hunting team, the treatment is pretty good. What's more, the Grand Elder has promised Brother Lin the position of commander—that's a meteoric rise!"

Lin Jingchu simply smiled and said nothing more. As the three of them talked, they finally stopped in front of a stone house carved into the mountainside.

Pushing open the dilapidated wooden door, one sees that the stone house is quite empty, with only a stone bed in the corner, on which is covered a soft fur of a Yin beast.

Baron scratched his head, forcing an apologetic smile: "Brother Lin, Miss Song, this stone house has been vacant for a long time. The tables and chairs have all been moved elsewhere. I hope you won't mind. You must be hungry. I'll go prepare some food and move some furniture over while I'm at it."

Lin Jingchu waved his hand: "No need for now. My senior sister has been traveling a long way and needs to rest. Brother Baron, please make yourself at home as well."

Baron's smile widened, and he quickly said, "Then you two should rest well, I won't disturb you any longer." With that, he withdrew and closed the cracked wooden door behind him.

Song Yu adjusted her white dress, sat down on the edge of the bed, and said softly, "I never imagined that even in such a treacherous place, a small village like this would be unable to avoid the struggle for power and profit."

Lin Jingchu walked to the door, listened for a moment, and only after confirming that no one was outside did he say, "Where there are people, there is conflict, especially in a place with such scarce resources. Senior Sister, you should rest and recuperate here first. I'll go to the village to scout out some news. We won't stay here for long."

Song Yu nodded: "Junior brother, be careful."

With a slight thought, Lin Jingchu summoned dozens of Heavenly Crystal Ants that silently crawled out of his sleeve and quickly concealed themselves in the corners of the stone house and the cracks in the beams and pillars, secretly protecting Song Yu. Then, he pushed open the door and stepped out, his figure blending into the dim light of the village.

Song Yu looked at the wooden door that had closed again and sighed softly. Being so well protected by her junior brother warmed her heart, but she also felt deeply powerless at that moment.

But this moment of self-pity lasted only a moment. Song Yu quickly rallied, picked up his Autumn Water Sword, and began to practice his swordsmanship diligently, move by move, in the cramped stone house.

Lin Jingchu strolled around the village casually, chatting with the villagers he encountered every now and then. Soon, he found his target in the center of the village—a stone platform several meters high.

At the top of the stone platform was a stone disc about ten feet long, resembling a millstone, which was the protective array driven by the beast crystal.

Lin Jingchu climbed the steps and saw that the surface of the stone slab was covered with complex and ancient array patterns and runes.

A wisp of pale purple mist rose from the center of the stone slab, ascending several feet into the air, merging into the seemingly thin but all-encompassing purple clouds that covered the entire village valley.

The occasional streak of blue lightning from the sky struck the purple clouds, creating only ripples before dissipating into nothingness.

Lin Jingchu carefully observed the array patterns at the edge of the platform. Although the array appeared crude, its design was ingenious, especially the way it utilized the energy from the beast crystals in this desolate place, which was unique and gave him pause for thought.

"It seems you are also interested in the Dao of Formations?" A familiar voice came from below the stage.

Lin Jingchu turned his head and saw that the Second Elder had quietly come down from the stage at some point, standing with his hands behind his back, looking at him with a smile.

Lin Jingchu stepped down from the stone platform and cupped his hands, saying, "Second Elder, I am not well-versed in the art of formations, but I am quite surprised that there is a formation that can operate in this desolate land, and that it is driven by beast crystals. I have come to take a look."

The Second Elder stroked his beard and sighed, "We cultivators are inherently defying the heavens. Even though we have fallen into this desolate place, our spirit has not yet dissipated. This formation is the result of countless predecessors' painstaking efforts. It is not merely a formation, but also the lifeline that the human race here relies on to survive."

Lin Jingchu's expression was solemn: "Our seniors have overcome numerous hardships, which is truly admirable. May I ask, Second Elder, is there a way to escape from this place?"

The Second Elder, seemingly having anticipated this, shook his head and said, "There is indeed a way to escape—it is Storm Mountain. Legend has it that this dark and gloomy place is a realm formed within the body of the legendary Luo. Whenever Luo eats, a passage to the outside world opens in the sky above the mountaintop."

"Throughout history, there have always been cultivators who were unwilling to give up and went to climb this mountain, but they either gave up halfway or perished in the mountains. Not only are there endless howling winds of darkness on this mountain, but there are also strange and illusory mists on the mountainside that can confuse the mind, making it extremely dangerous."

He changed the subject, his tone earnest: "Young friend Lin, it's not that I'm trying to discourage you. It's just that Storm Mountain is a near-certain death trap. It would be better to stay in the village."

"To be honest, compared with other villages, our village is quite prosperous, with more than 30 mu of land suitable for growing black sweet potatoes."

"In other villages, five or six acres is considered good. Most of them rely on food from the outside world that is brought in every six months when the passage opens, or on hunting Yin beasts to survive. However, the flesh and blood of most Yin beasts are inedible."

Lin Jingchu remained calm and pressed on, "Thank you for informing me, Second Elder. May I ask, exactly where is Storm Mountain located?"

Seeing his resolute determination, the Second Elder stopped trying to persuade him and pointed northeast: "Go this way. If you see a colossal mountain that reaches to the heavens and the earth, that is it."

Lin Jingchu noted it down and then asked the Second Elder about the approximate locations and conditions of several other human villages nearby.

If Master Lü and the others are unfortunately also caught up in this world, they may end up in other villages, and I need to go to those villages to search for them.

After understanding the required information, Lin Jingchu declined the Second Elder's invitation to come to his residence for a detailed discussion, saying only that his senior sister needed to be taken care of.

Before leaving, he asked the Second Elder for a pass that allowed him to freely enter and leave the village. The Second Elder pondered for a moment, then took out a bone fragment engraved with strange patterns and handed it to him, telling him to be careful and that he was always welcome to return to the village to settle down.

Lin Jingchu bowed and declined, then continued to stroll seemingly leisurely through the village.

As he passed the residence of Baron and the others, he did not stop, but quietly released more than a dozen transparent crystal ants from his sleeve. These little creatures landed and quickly burrowed into the shadows and disappeared.

Next, Lin Jingchu strolled to the back of the village.

This is the location of the black jade potato field that the Second Elder mentioned.

Looking around, the flat valley floor and the gently sloping sides have been cultivated into neat rows of fields, planted with tuberous plants with dark green leaves, which are growing well and bringing a rare vitality to this barren land.

In a clearing where the potato fields meet the village houses, there is a well built of stones, and next to the well is a stone talisman array.

There were two men on guard by the well; they must have been cultivators under the Second Elder.

Lin Jingchu stepped forward and started chatting with the two people, naturally focusing on the water well formation and the cultivation of black jade potatoes.

As they were talking, he suddenly sensed something and glanced at the shadow of a house to his side and behind him. A blurry figure instantly shrank back and disappeared.

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