Chapter 49: Shell
Ji Yuan looked at the fully repaired Yin Ghost Flag in his hand and let out a long breath.
Whether it was truly his own talent in formations or simply the assistance of the [Comprehension Room], it was still the result of his own efforts, wasn’t it?
Now that the formation was complete, even against a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, he should be able to hold his ground.
Ji Yuan planned to leave the boat and find an uninhabited island to test this fully improved Yin Ghost Formation.
Walking out of the cabin to the front yard, he noticed that the two peach trees on the right side had already bloomed fully.
The light fragrance of peach blossoms filled the courtyard, attracting many bees and butterflies.
Looking at the peach trees, Ji Yuan couldn’t help but think of how, just a few days ago, Wen Ling’er had been playing here.
He had promised her that she could eat the peaches these trees would bear this year.
However, seeing how these two saplings were barely as tall as a person, whether they would bear fruit this year was still uncertain.
Leaving through the door and not seeing anyone around, Ji Yuan summoned the Black Wind Boat and quietly departed.
Half an hour later.
On a nameless deserted island in the Yunyu Marshlands, a sudden black mist spread out, followed by an eerie and sinister aura that scattered all the nearby fish.
In the center of the island, Ji Yuan walked calmly, accompanied by two Yin Ghosts that had already advanced to the fifth layer of Qi Refining.
No longer relying on his own spiritual power to control the formation, Ji Yuan felt as if he was completely at ease.
‘With this formation, along with these two Yin Ghosts, even without lifting a finger, I should be able to kill an average sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator.’
If one wasn’t prepared with items like Red Rooster Blood, it would be extremely difficult to break this Yin Ghost Formation.
In any case, this formation could now be considered as having stepped through the threshold of first-rank formations.
Especially in the Yunyu Marshlands, Ji Yuan reckoned that the number of people capable of deploying such formations could be counted on one hand.
Since the test proved there were no issues, Ji Yuan waved his hand to retract the formation. Keeping it deployed any longer would just waste Spirit Stones.
However, just as he put the formation away, he suddenly sensed a trace of danger.
The Dragon Scale Shield appeared behind him in an instant, followed by a crisp "ding—" sound.
Ji Yuan, without hesitation, re-inserted the Yin Ghost Flag.
As the formation reappeared, he also summoned the White Water Flying Sword.
Though he wasn’t sure what was happening, he immediately slapped a Golden Body Talisman onto himself.
Not stopping there, he also held a Thunderstrike Talisman in each hand.
As black mist surged, Ji Yuan flashed into the ghost fog and disappeared instantly.
At the same time, using the formation, he saw the face of the one who had launched the sneak attack.
It was a female cultivator carrying an iron sword on her back, appearing to be in her forties. Her aura had already reached the late stage of Qi Refining.
However, Ji Yuan didn’t feel much threat from her, estimating that she was likely a seventh-layer Qi Refining cultivator.
The key point was that Ji Yuan had never seen this person before.
If they were strangers, why would she suddenly attack him?
Could she be a rogue cultivator?
Landing inside the formation, the female cultivator also realized something was wrong.
She formed a hand seal and summoned the iron sword on her back, which hovered by her side.
Additionally, a piece of green cloth swirled around her.
Seemingly unsure of the situation, she didn’t act rashly but remained on high alert.
Ji Yuan could see everything within the formation clearly.
Seeing that she wasn’t attacking recklessly, he took the opportunity to speak up.
"I bear no grudge against you, Fellow Daoist. Why attack me upon our first meeting?"
The female cultivator sneered upon hearing this.
"Heh, you demonic cultivators deserve to be executed by all. Do I need a personal grudge? What about all the innocent cultivators you’ve slaughtered?!"
So, she was one of the rare righteous cultivators in the Yunyu Marshlands… Ji Yuan immediately guessed the situation.
She had probably just happened to pass by and, sensing the aura of the Yin Ghost Formation, had mistaken him for a demonic cultivator.
Indeed, this Yin Ghost Formation did emit overwhelming Yin energy.
If their roles were reversed, Ji Yuan would also assume the other party was a demonic cultivator.
"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand."
Since there was no personal grudge, Ji Yuan explained, "This formation was something I obtained after slaying a demonic cultivator. It is not my own creation."
"Not yours?"
The female cultivator sounded doubtful. "A thief would never admit to being a thief."
Ji Yuan added, "Surely, Fellow Daoist saw me just now. Do I look like a sinister demonic cultivator? If I truly were one, I would have attacked already instead of standing here talking."
The female cultivator seemed about to speak again, but Ji Yuan interrupted her, not giving her another chance to speak.
"I, too, despise demonic cultivators, which is why I killed that one and took this formation. If you attack me simply because I use a demonic cultivator’s formation, wouldn’t that dishearten all righteous cultivators in the world?"
These words finally made the female cultivator waver.
After pondering for a moment, she said, "Step out, and I will believe you."
"Very well."
Ji Yuan hadn’t gone far; he was standing right across from her.
With a thought, he dispersed the surrounding black mist, revealing himself.
The female cultivator was visibly startled, not expecting Ji Yuan to be standing so close to her.
If he had attacked just now, she probably would have been severely injured, if not killed.
Moreover, upon seeing Ji Yuan’s face, she was even more surprised.
First, at his appearance, and second, at his apparent youth.
"It seems I have indeed misunderstood you, Fellow Daoist. My apologies."
Righteous or demonic, a cultivator could usually tell at a glance.
The female cultivator put away her artifacts and cupped her fists.
"Hu Fang from Jingde Market, greetings to Fellow Daoist."
Ji Yuan returned the gesture. "Ji Yuan from Zengtou Market."
"In that case, could you put away the formation? It was all just a misunderstanding," Hu Fang said as she glanced around at the formation, feeling both fear and envy.
After all, this was a formation.
She had never heard of anyone in the Yunyu Marshlands possessing something like this.
Only after Ji Yuan retracted the Yin Ghost Formation did she turn to the water to the northwest and shout, "Brother Du, this is someone from Zengtou Market, not a demonic cultivator, just like us, specialized in hunting them."
Another expert!
Ji Yuan was shocked, feeling a chill run down his spine.
Especially when he saw the magical boat breaking through the water’s surface, his anxiety only deepened.
Two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators… if they really decided to go all out against him, Ji Yuan wasn’t sure he could escape unscathed.
Fortunately, the misunderstanding had been cleared.
It seemed that, unless absolutely necessary, he shouldn’t casually deploy the Yin Ghost Flag again.
"You are… Senior Du Kang?"
Looking at the middle-aged man landing in front of him, Ji Yuan felt he looked somewhat familiar.
"That’s me. No need to call me senior. We’re all from Zengtou Market. Just call me Brother Du," Du Kang replied with a smile.
"Since it was all a misunderstanding, there’s nothing more to it."
"Still, I have to say, Brother Ji, that formation of yours is quite impressive."
Ji Yuan took a subtle step back but forced a smile. "Just a stroke of luck, just luck."
No matter how subtle he tried to be, Du Kang noticed his caution.
"Relax. We’re not those rogue cultivators. There’s no need to be afraid, Brother Ji."
Ji Yuan cupped his fists again with a smile. "Just lucky, that’s all."
"Alright, you’re a cautious one, I’ll give you that."
Du Kang rolled his eyes and said, "Hu Fang and I have matters to attend to in the depths of the Yunyu Marshlands. We’ll catch up next time."
"Brother Du, Sister Hu, I’ll leave you to your tasks."
Ji Yuan cupped his fists toward the two once again and watched them leave.
After they had gone some distance, Hu Fang finally spoke.
"Brother Du, who used to have that formation again?"
"Sophora market’s Ghost Island Lord," Du Kang replied gravely. "Only mid-stage Qi Refining, but a few years ago, Han Feiyu fought him. Thanks to that formation, he managed to fight evenly with seventh-layer Qi Refining Han Feiyu."
"Later, members of our alliance mediated, and only then did they cease their conflict."
"I didn’t expect Ji Yuan to quietly kill the Ghost Island Lord and even seize his formation."
Hu Fang, familiar with Han Feiyu’s reputation, asked, "And who exactly is this Ji Yuan?"
Du Kang let out a breath. "Like you, I’m hearing his name for the first time."
"Looks like a rising star. I bet it won’t be long before we see him in our alliance," Hu Fang said.
Du Kang nodded. "That would be a good thing. If we run into trouble later, we can ask Ji Yuan for help. With his formation, our chances of success should greatly increase."
"Excellent."
"……"
After they left, Ji Yuan quickly steered his boat underwater and disappeared.
Afterward, he didn’t rush back to Zengtou Market.
Instead, he wandered around the Yunyu Marshlands for two more days.
It wasn’t until the third day that he landed from another direction and returned.
However, when he arrived at the gate of his courtyard, just as he was about to push the door open, his gaze habitually swept the side of the door.
With just one glance, he instinctively stopped in his tracks.
There, by the door.
He saw a shell.