Excessive ferocity due to caution

Zhao Yi asked Su Xingcan what had happened, and the latter's aged wrinkles made him look even more disheveled.

"This goes back many years... Didn't I tell Brother Zhao last time that at the critical moment when disease was engulfing the six kingdoms, Ren Wudi stepped forward and sent Black Crow to deliver a letter to me?"

"Ren Wudi built a huge palace on Qishan Mountain in Guangming Cliff. This palace is connected to an underground mountain dragon vein, and the two are interdependent."

"The palace is sealed by an extremely strong barrier, so you can only enter... but not leave."

Su Xingcan explained the origin of the matter to Zhao Yi.

"Although the palace's barrier is one-way, it is by no means easy for outsiders to enter the palace. At least the strength of the Unity of Heaven and Man realm is required to enter."

"Once you enter the palace, you can influence the array patterns, which in turn affect the earth's dragon veins, ultimately helping the Bright Cliff's borders defend against external invasions!"

Zhao Yi seemed to have guessed something.

"You can only go in, not out... If there's nothing good inside, I'm afraid people from the outside won't easily come in."

Su Xingcan nodded:

"Brother Zhao has a discerning eye."

"Ren Wudi also thought of this, so he set up a formation within a formation and left behind many cultivation documents from the six kingdoms inside the palace."

"The palace is a gathering place for the spirit of heaven and earth, making it an excellent natural place for cultivation. Some martial artists who are obsessed with cultivation will naturally choose to enter it..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi smiled and said:

"A suspended death sentence."

"In the end, the problem wasn't solved; it was just shifted from the outside to the inside."

Su Xingcan sighed.

"Given the circumstances back then, there was no other way."

"Initially, we selected three virtuous experts at the Unity of Heaven and Man realm to enter the palace. They did indeed help resist the impact of the vengeful spirits from the outside world and became the guardians of Bright Cliff. However, as news of Qishan Palace spread, some people with ulterior motives still set their sights on that place!"

"At that time, people had finally enjoyed a period of peace and stability, and the military force was not yet fully developed and mature, so it was impossible to stop these people."

"Fearing they would wreak havoc within Bright Cliff, we had no choice but to bring them up to Qishan and into that palace..."

"At this point, the balance was still not broken... After all, the three who entered first were stronger and could suppress those who came in later, so those with ill intentions did not dare to show it for the time being and could only secretly cultivate in the palace..."

"But we all underestimated the wickedness of those who commit wrongdoing."

When that matter was brought up, even someone as composed and well-mannered as Su Xingcan showed extreme anger on his face!

His body trembled slightly, as did his voice:

"During a later external attack, the temple activated a powerful internal array to help defend itself... but the intruders who later entered the temple seized this opportunity to launch a drastic change!"

"They killed the guardians who helped activate the great formation and became the 'masters' of the temple."

"It was on that occasion that Bright Cliff was nearly breached by vengeful ghosts, and the last sanctuary on earth fell!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Kai, who was standing to the side, was also trembling with anger.

"These damn bastards!"

Su Xingcan sighed:

"Many people inside practice evil arts and are using all the people of Bright Cliff as leverage to coerce us into doing certain things..."

"Of course, their authority is limited; they cannot destroy the great formation, they can only control its activation and deactivation."

"So, from that time on, I began to spare no effort in developing the military strength of Bright Cliff, and tried to avoid seeking their help as much as possible."

"But Brother Zhao, you also know that many things in this world cannot be accomplished simply through human effort."

"Later, Bright Cliff encountered another great calamity, and I had no choice but to compromise... A person on Qishan Mountain who called himself the Golden Seal Ancestor helped activate the great formation and forced back the attacking ghosts, but demanded ten pairs of extremely yin boys and girls to provide for his cultivation."

Zhao Yi understood what had happened.

He could roughly guess what would happen next.

"You can only go in, not out. Even if I manage to go in and save those twenty children, they will still die in the end."

"There is no food inside, and they are not cultivators at the Unity of Heaven and Man realm, so they cannot abstain from grains at all."

Su Xingcan remained silent for a moment.

"What if I told Brother Zhao... there was a way to get out of the palace?"

Zhao Yi glanced sideways, and ripples swept across the teacup between his fingers.

"What method?"

Su Xingcan:

"Destroy the great formation."

As soon as he finished speaking, Guan Kai's eyelids twitched wildly, and he hurriedly stepped forward.

"Cliff Master...you, you..."

"That won't do!"

"This great formation protects tens of millions of people in Bright Cliff!"

Su Xingcan closed her eyes, and the flesh on her face twitched.

He is in pain.

But they were also very determined.

"A wise decision."

Zhao praised.

"Great destruction leads to great construction."

Su Xingcan said:

"That great hall has been a source of anxiety for me all these years."

"If a future ruler is misled by those inside, what terrible thing will Bright Cliff become?"

Guan Kai was speechless.

"this……"

Su Xingcan said slowly:

"Qishan has placed the hopes of too many people. Over the years, I have devoted myself to developing the strength of the border garrison, hoping to get rid of Qishan. However, when something really happened, I became cowardly... I do not trust my efforts over the years, nor do I trust the soldiers on the border."

"Because of my cowardice and weakness, I harmed fourteen families and took twenty innocent children from them, offering them up to the evil spirits on Qishan Mountain..."

After speaking, he looked at Guan Kai, whose eyes held a complex expression.

"Old Guan, you know I don't have long to live..."

"I really don't want to leave this unstable weapon to the descendants of the Warring States period."

"My old friend has passed away, Brother Zhao... This is my last chance in this life."

Guan Kai sighed, his figure showing signs of aging, and waved his hand:

"You decide for yourself... I'm getting senile, I shouldn't get involved in these kinds of things."

He turned and left the yard, stepping on the scattered fallen leaves.

Su Xingcan remained silent, when Zhao Yi's voice came from behind her:

"How can we destroy that great formation connected to the dragon vein?"

Su Xingcan snapped out of her daze and led Zhao Yi to a secluded courtyard. From a library inside, she found several special books and handed them to Zhao Yi.

"Over the years, I have also studied the great formation left by Ren Wudi in detail. Many of its ingenious features are adapted from the Daoist 'Coffin Dragon' and the Yin-Yang School's 'Qianxiu'. With Brother Zhao's comprehension, you can understand it with just a little study."

"However, those treacherous individuals within Qishan Palace are quite powerful. Brother Zhao, you must be extremely careful on your journey!"

Zhao Yi opened the book in his hand, glanced at it a few times, and then closed it again.

A gentle breeze ruffled his hair.

"Have you thought it through?"

Zhao Yi spoke.

"Once I make my move, there will be no turning back."

Su Xingcan:

"I have no way back... Brother Zhao."

PS: First update.