Chapter 114 Xin Ruyin's New Achievement!
Inside the quiet room, there is no sense of the passage of time.
After Zhou Ding broke through to the third level of the Great Evolution Technique and condensed the "Soul-Destroying Thorn," which was powerful enough to threaten the soul of a Nascent Soul cultivator, he did not immediately leave seclusion. Instead, he immersed himself in familiarizing himself with and controlling his newfound power.
At the same time, he did not stop his research in other areas.
On this day, light and shadow flickered in the quiet room, and the air was filled with the faint, unique scent of smelted spiritual wood and metal.
Zhou Ding sat cross-legged in front of a large jade table, on which various refining materials were scattered: a hundred-year-old ironwood core, some tough bones of demonic beasts, demon cores of low-level demonic beasts, and some strange ores that shimmered with metallic luster.
He was toying with a palm-sized, spider-shaped piece of dark wood with tiny runes engraved at its joints.
In front of him stood twelve "figures" of different shapes, standing in neat rows.
There are skeletal puppets that are nearly ten feet tall, wielding huge bone blades and resembling apes; there are swift puppets that are only half a person tall, with eight legs like knives and resembling spiders; and there are shield-wielding puppets covered in heavy wooden armor, like small fortresses...
These puppets stood there quietly. Although the material seemed ordinary, each one emanated energy fluctuations equivalent to the late Foundation Establishment stage. The demon cores or spirit stones embedded in their eyes emitted a faint light, vaguely forming a simple formation.
"The True Explanation of Puppetry... it's quite a world unto itself." Zhou Ding put down the spider puppet parts in his hand, glanced at the twelve finished products in front of him, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.
He had only skimmed through this cultivation method, which he obtained from the Thousand Bamboo Sect, when he first acquired it. He found it quite complicated and demanded a very high level of mastery from the Great Evolution Technique, so he put it aside for the time being.
Now that he has broken through to the third level of the Great Evolution Technique, his divine sense has surged to the strength of the late Nascent Soul stage, and his control has reached an unbelievable level.
The many ingenious manipulation techniques and complex puppet-making methods recorded in "The True Explanation of Puppetry" were no longer difficult for him.
More importantly, with his current spiritual strength, he is theoretically capable of precisely controlling hundreds of level-four puppets at the same time!
This is a force to be reckoned with; it can produce unexpected results whether exploring dangerous areas, setting traps, or dealing with hordes of enemies.
Over the past few months, while consolidating his realm and familiarizing himself with the newly acquired divine sense killing moves, he also took the time to study the "True Explanation of Puppetry" and attempted to refine it using some not-too-rare materials at hand.
The twelve level-four puppets before him were the result of his months of hard work.
Although they are only level four, their strength lies in the combination of quantity and variety. More importantly, they are completely under his control, as easy as using his own limbs, and they are not afraid of death. In certain situations, they are far more useful than cultivators or demonic beasts of the same level.
"Once I find higher-grade materials in the future, I might be able to try to refine level 5 puppets, or even level 6 puppets equivalent to the Core Formation stage..." Zhou Ding thought to himself, and waved his hand to put the twelve puppets into a special storage bag.
This can be considered an additional auxiliary skill and a trump card he has added to himself.
Just then, a soft knock came from outside the quiet room, followed by Xin Ruyin's clear and gentle voice: "Young Master Zhou, do you have some free time? If you are free, could you please come to the main hall?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ding immediately tidied up the jade table, got up, and pushed open the stone door. There stood Xin Ruyin, graceful and elegant, in a light blue dress that accentuated her snow-white skin and refined, otherworldly气质.
A hint of excitement and anticipation flickered in her eyes as she looked at him with a clear smile.
"Ruyin, is something the matter?" Zhou Ding stepped forward and naturally took her hand.
"Well, I have a little trinket that I'd like to ask Mr. Zhou to take a look at."
Xin Ruyin smiled gently, took his hand tightly, and pulled him toward the main hall of the cave: "Xiao Mei is there too, let's go together."
The two arrived at the hall and, sure enough, saw Xiaomei lying on a stone table with several half-finished talisman papers spread out in front of her. She was using a cinnabar brush dipped in spiritual ink, her little face serious, and she was concentrating on sketching a complex rune.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up, saw Zhou Ding, immediately dropped her pen, and ran over like a cheerful little bird.
"Young Master! You've come out of seclusion! Come and see, Miss has developed a really powerful formation! It's terrifying!" Xiao Mei's eyes sparkled with pride.
Zhou Ding chuckled at her antics and ruffled her hair. "Oh? What kind of formation is it that even Xiaomei says is 'scary'?"
"Hehe, the young master will know when he sees it!" Xiaomei kept everyone in suspense, then skipped over to a specially cleared area in the center of the hall.
Xin Ruyin released Zhou Ding's hand, walked to the edge of that area, and with a light wave of her hand, five exquisite array flags of different colors and only an inch long flew out from her sleeve and silently disappeared into the ground in the five elements.
Then, she took out five mid-grade spirit stones with different attributes and embedded them around the array flag in specific positions.
"Zhou Lang, Xiao Mei, step back a bit," Xin Ruyin gently reminded them, her expression becoming serious.
"Zhou Lang, Xiao Mei, step back a bit," Xin Ruyin gently reminded them, her expression becoming serious.
Zhou Ding did as instructed, pulling Xiao Mei back several feet away to watch curiously.
He knew that Xin Ruyin was exceptionally talented in array formations and had the ancient inheritance of the "Tianyuan Array Classic," which allowed her to progress rapidly. However, seeing how seriously she was taking it, it was clear that this "little gadget" was extraordinary.
Xin Ruyin stood outside the formation, her hands forming hand seals, her fingers flying like butterflies. Streams of pure magic power, accompanied by profound hand gestures, rained down upon the five formation flags. Instantly, the five formation flags moved without wind, their surfaces...
With a rustling sound, five colors of light—gold, green, blue, red, and yellow—suddenly shone brightly, intertwining and flowing together, instantly forming a complex light array on the ground with a diameter of about three zhang (approximately 10 meters), where the five colors of light intertwined and flowed, and runes appeared and disappeared!
The moment the light array took shape, an indescribable aura of killing intent, destruction, and terror, as if capable of crushing all life, erupted from within the array!
It was just a small array of light, yet it gave people a sense of awe, as if they were facing a primordial beast or a cataclysmic calamity!
The space within the formation seemed slightly distorted, the light was dim, the five elements of spiritual energy were chaotic and violent, and the faint sounds of wind and thunder and the clanging of metal echoed within the formation.
Xin Ruyin pointed her finger at the void within the formation.
"Buzz!"
The five-colored light suddenly contracted inward and then exploded! But it did not spread out; instead, it transformed into countless fine, hair-like, and differently colored sharp light threads, which frantically shuttled, cut, and strangled within the narrow space of the formation!
The light filament was so fast that it was difficult for the naked eye to catch it. It was incredibly sharp, and wherever it passed, the air emitted a mournful hiss. The hard jade on the ground was instantly cut with countless deep, bottomless cuts!
Even more terrifying is that these light threads seem to contain different five elements of attack, which interact and counteract each other, giving rise to more bizarre attack methods. Blazing flames, freezing ice, golden blades, poisonous vines, earth spikes... all kinds of killing moves flashed in the formation, but were firmly bound within a three-zhang range, forming an absolutely deadly death zone!
This terrifying killing formation lasted for less than three breaths before Xin Ruyin's face turned slightly pale and sweat appeared on her forehead. She quickly withdrew the spell.
The five-colored radiance instantly subsided, the array flags and spirit stones dimmed, and the terrifying aura of destruction dissipated.
All that remained was a jade surface covered with countless crisscrossing cuts, some several inches deep, silently recounting the horror of that brief moment.
"I name this formation the 'Five Elements Annihilation Formation'."
Xin Ruyin breathed slightly, calming her magical power, and walked to Zhou Ding's side. Looking at the mess on the ground, her eyes showed a trace of fatigue, but more so the joy and anticipation of completing a masterpiece: "It is a simplified and improved version of the ancient killing formations in the 'Tianyuan Array Canon' that I have been studying in recent years, combined with my own understanding of the Dao of Formations. Although it is only a simplified version and the scope is smaller, its core killing power should be... not weak."
Zhou Ding was already deeply shaken!
With his current perspective and strength, he could naturally see the terrifying nature of this "Five Elements Annihilation Formation." Its ferocity in killing, its unpredictability, and its ingenious application of the five elements' mutual generation and restraint were far beyond anything he had ever seen before!
Even the upgraded "Inverted Five Elements Formation" is more defensive and traps the enemy. In terms of pure killing efficiency and destructiveness, it is far inferior to this formation!
He had a strong intuition that once this formation was set up, its range would expand and the quality of the spirit stones and formation flags would increase. If cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage were trapped inside, unless they had special life-saving treasures or were proficient in formations and could break the formation quickly, they would probably not be able to escape death!
Even a late-stage Core Formation cultivator would face a near-certain death if trapped in such a situation!
"Excellent! What a brilliant Five Elements Annihilation Formation!"
Zhou Ding couldn't help but clap his hands in admiration, his eyes filled with undisguised surprise and pride.
He looked at Xin Ruyin with burning eyes: "Ruyin, you have truly given me a great surprise! The power of this formation is unparalleled! Given time, if you can perfect it and set it up as a grand formation, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would likely suffer greatly if they tried to enter! Your talent and achievements in the Dao of Formations have far exceeded my expectations!"
He was truly shocked. Xin Ruyin's rate of progress was astonishing.
Although this Five Elements Killing Formation is only a simplified prototype, its underlying principles of formation and its true meaning of killing have already touched upon the threshold of advanced formations.
With her by my side, it's not just like adding wings to a tiger, it's like having another array master who can be relied upon as a Great Wall!
Receiving such generous praise from Zhou Ding, Xin Ruyin's fair cheeks flushed slightly, adding to her beauty.
She lowered her eyes and said softly, "You flatter me, Zhou Lang. My limited knowledge today is entirely due to the 'Heavenly Origin Array Manual' that you found and your usual support. I would be content if I could research something useful and help you."
Her words were humble, but the joy and satisfaction of receiving her lover's affirmation in the corners of her eyes and brows could not be hidden.
"Miss is amazing! Young master, you didn't see it, Miss hasn't rested much these past few days because she's been researching this formation!" Xiao Mei chimed in, her little face full of admiration.
"You're so talkative," Xin Ruyin scolded her sister lightly, but there was no blame in her eyes.
"You're amazing, miss! I'm just as good!"
Xiao Mei puffed out her chest and ran to the stone table, not to be outdone. She picked up the few half-drawn talismans and then pulled out a bulging animal skin bag, dumping it onto the table with a clatter.
Dozens of talismans, each brimming with spiritual energy and bearing unique runes, covered the table. There were "Fire Serpent Talismans," entirely crimson with runes that leaped like flames; "Ice Cone Talismans," azure blue as ice, radiating a chilling aura; "Golden Sword Talismans," gleaming gold and exuding a sharp, menacing presence; and "Rejuvenation Talismans," vibrant green and brimming with life…
There were many kinds, as many as seven or eight, and each one had clear runes and spiritual light. These are clearly all successful intermediate-level talismans!
Among them, some runes had particularly complex patterns and stronger spiritual energy fluctuations, seemingly being among the more powerful and difficult-to-draw intermediate-level runes.
"Look, son-in-law!"
Xiao Mei pointed at the pile of talismans like she was showing off a treasure, her eyes shining like stars: "These are all the ones I drew recently! I can now draw the Fire Serpent Talisman, Ice Cone Talisman, and Golden Sword Talisman very skillfully, with a success rate of 70%! There's also this 'Earth Prison Talisman,' which can trap a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator for a short while; and this 'Swiftness Talisman,' which makes you run incredibly fast! From now on, when my son-in-law goes out to fight—no, I mean, to duel—I'll take care of all the talismans he needs! I guarantee there will be plenty!"
As she spoke, she patted her rather large chest, looking proud of herself as if to say, "I'm very useful, praise me!"
Looking at the pile of exquisitely drawn talismans on the table, and then at Xiaomei's energetic and expectant face, Zhou Ding felt even more delighted.
The timid little girl who needed his protection back in the Yue Kingdom has now grown into a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who can stand on his own and has made considerable achievements in the art of talismans.
This growth made him feel very gratified.
"Good! Good! Xiaomei has become quite successful!"
Zhou Ding laughed heartily, praising without reservation: "It seems your study of the 'Heavenly Talisman Scripture' has paid off! Your talisman-making skills are almost on par with some professional talisman makers. With you here, our cave dwelling will never lack talismans again!"
Upon receiving praise from her son-in-law, Xiaomei beamed with joy, sweeter than if she had eaten honey.
Looking at the two women before him, whose fates were closely intertwined with his and who were now shining brightly on their respective paths, Zhou Ding felt a surge of warmth and a sudden surge of pride.
He took out two jade boxes that he had prepared in advance from his storage bag and handed them to Xin Ruyin and Xiao Mei respectively.
"Ruyin, Xiaomei, I have seen your diligent cultivation and rapid progress. These two portions of 'Snow Spirit Water' and 'Heavenly Fire Liquid' are spiritual items to aid in Core Formation. Keep them safe. Ruyin, you are not far from Core Formation, and this is just the right time for you. Xiaomei, you are already in the late Foundation Establishment stage, so prepare well and strive to form your Core as soon as possible."
"Snow Spirit Water! Heavenly Fire Liquid!" The two women took the jade box, opened it, and felt the pure, icy cold and scorching spiritual energy inside. Their delicate bodies trembled, and their beautiful eyes were filled with surprise and emotion.
Xin Ruyin gently stroked the jade box, looked up at Zhou Ding, her eyes tender and gentle, a thousand words condensed into a soft call: "Zhou Lang..."
She knew the item was precious, and she also knew Zhou Ding's expectations and support for her path in Taoism.
With these two spiritual items, her chances of successfully breaking through to the Core Formation stage increased significantly.
Xiaomei's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
She clutched the jade box tightly, her voice choked with emotion, "Young master... this... this is too precious... I..."
She never imagined that she, a maid of humble origin, could obtain such a precious Core Formation spiritual item!
You should know that countless fake Core Formation cultivators outside risk their lives to fight for a Core Formation treasure, while she did nothing, and her son-in-law had already prepared the best for her.
This unreserved trust and affection filled her heart with immense gratitude and happiness. At the same time, a strong belief that she would give everything for her son-in-law and daughter also took root in her heart.
"Young Master, Miss, don't worry! Xiaomei will definitely cultivate diligently and reach the Core Formation stage as soon as possible! In the future, I will definitely draw more and more powerful talismans for you! I will serve you both well!"
"Silly girl, what are you talking about as a maid? You've been family to us for a long time," Zhou Ding said gently, ruffling her hair.
"Once you successfully form your cores, I have another gift for you." Zhou Ding looked at the two women and threw out another bait, his eyes filled with a smile.
"Any gifts?"
Xiao Mei immediately forgot her gratitude; her curiosity was piqued, and she blinked her big eyes, asking, "What gift is it, son-in-law? Tell me quickly!"
Xin Ruyin also looked at Zhou Ding with curiosity.
Zhou Ding smiled mysteriously and shook his head, saying, "It's a secret for now. If I tell you, there won't be any surprises. You'll know when you reach the Golden Core stage. I promise you won't be disappointed."
"Huh? Why are you keeping me in suspense, young master! You're making me so curious!" Xiao Mei pouted, stomped her foot in dissatisfaction, and circled around Zhou Ding, trying to get him to tell her the truth.
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Looking at the warm and slightly mysterious smile on Zhou Ding's face, and then at Xiao Mei who was scratching her head anxiously, Xin Ruyin couldn't help but smile. She also felt a warm anticipation for the unknown "gift" in her heart.