120. Trouble Comes Knocking

“Om mani padme hum…”

Then, Chen Fengyun began to test the six-syllable mantra mudra once again. He found, much like the sutra of salvation, the Buddhist spiritual power surprisingly had a restraining effect on the malevolent Blood Bats. Each mudra wiped out vast swarms of them.

“Divine Dragon Exorcism…”

As Chen Fengyun focused on annihilating the Blood Bats attacking him from all sides, a sharp, commanding voice rang out not far behind. Martin Dang’s divine dragon phantom radiated a rich golden light around her body, boiling like hot water and engulfing hundreds of Blood Bats, reducing them to ashes.

“Angel’s Light…”

Further back, the Angel Mercenary Griega emitted a sacred glow from his body. When the Blood Bats encountered this holy light, it was like ice melting under the sun—they swiftly dissolved into ash.

Chen Fengyun’s Buddhist spiritual power, Martin Dang’s divine dragon phantom, and Griega’s angelic holy light all achieved a similar effect. Facing these evil Blood Bats was like walking through an empty field; within moments, more than half were slain.

“Screech, screech…”

The last thousand or so Blood Bats seemed to sense the trio’s formidable strength. With many of their comrades slain, they shrieked and fled, forming a small cloud of blood that soared toward the fissure above.

“There’s a faint spiritual energy fluctuation ahead. It appears to be an abandoned grand formation. The source of the spiritual waves seems to be residual spirit stones at the formation’s base,” Chen Fengyun said as he landed underground and scanned ahead with his divine sense.

Without hesitation, he darted forward like lightning. Less than a minute after he left, Martin Dang also descended, surveying the area for a time before hurrying after him.

A minute or two later, the Angel Mercenary Griega flapped his angelic wings and landed underground as well. Vigilant, he cautiously observed his surroundings before slowly moving forward.

“What kind of formation is this? So vast—it’s almost unimaginable,” Chen Fengyun muttered as he reached the depths below. Before him lay a forsaken grand formation the size of a basketball court. Many of the formation’s base points were destroyed, but several dozen still held thumb-sized spirit stones.

“Whew…” Though stunned, Chen Fengyun wasted no time. He sent his flying sword darting in all directions, gathering every spirit stone before storing them away casually.

He had already heard footsteps approaching. Sure enough, moments later, Martin Dang appeared behind him, catching sight of Chen Fengyun stowing his flying sword.

“So it’s you. Who exactly are you?” Martin Dang’s voice held sudden realization. She had sensed something unusual about Chen Fengyun before but hadn’t been able to pinpoint it. Seeing him here now, she immediately knew he was the one who had stolen all the medicinal herbs from the garden.

“I am Chen Fengyun. Miss Martin,” he said with a slight smile.

“Chen Fengyun? Are you the Mr. Chen from Rong City?” Martin Dang was startled and scrutinized him closely, yet still could not fully perceive his nature, only a faint aura of power lingering around him.

“Please, no need for such formalities. I’m just a wanderer. We’re about the same age—call me by my name,” Chen Fengyun replied freely.

“This must be a formation, right? Have you discovered anything here, Chen Fengyun?” Martin Dang asked, nodding with interest.

“I just arrived myself. I’m shocked by the scale of this grand formation. Though I know a bit about formations, I don’t recognize this one. How about you, Martin Dang? Do you know it?” Chen Fengyun shook his head in reply.

“I know little about formations, but the larger they are, the greater their power and purpose. This one is unlike the defensive formations we encountered above. Its immense scale suggests it has a special function,” Martin Dang said thoughtfully.

“Then let’s search the surroundings for clues,” Chen Fengyun nodded. Having only managed to collect the spirit stones, he began to carefully inspect the area.

As they separated to search, the Angel Mercenary Griega arrived, glancing at the vast formation, then at Martin Dang and Chen Fengyun. His gaze lingered on Chen Fengyun.

“Hmm, these stones with carved symbols are unusual. Though they emit no special energy, they seem to subtly blend with the surrounding space—definitely not ordinary stones.”

During the search, Chen Fengyun noticed many formation bases bore black stones engraved with intricate symbols. These were likely high-level formation glyphs, but he did not yet understand them. He gathered all such stones but, mindful of others nearby, refrained from storing them immediately in his miniature realm.

“Hey, kid, what’s the use of these stones? And did you find any treasure down here? Hand it over honestly, and I might let you live,” Griega growled as he approached Chen Fengyun after gaining nothing from his own search.

While speaking, Griega glanced toward Martin Dang. Though confident in his strength, he still felt some caution around her. Seeing her pay no mind to this side of the cavern, he relaxed.

Earlier, by the pool outside the underground palace, Griega had noticed Chen Fengyun and assumed he was a young disciple from the Southern Sect. Chen Fengyun’s low profile inside only reinforced the belief that he was a harmless youth.

“I did find some things—these items, these stones, and even a medicinal herb,” Chen Fengyun said, feigning fear as he produced several broken talismans, a handful of spirit stones, and a fragrant herb that immediately brightened Griega’s eyes.

“You’re wise to cooperate. Hand over everything, and I’ll let you keep your corpse,” Griega sneered, greed clouding his reason.

“Oh? You want my things? Let’s see if your god will protect you,” Chen Fengyun said with a cold smile. He swiftly recalled all the items, including the dozens of stones engraved with formation symbols, then unleashed a sword light toward Griega.

“You dare resist? You’re doomed!” Griega roared in fury. Flapping his angel wings, he appeared beside Chen Fengyun and struck out with a fist glowing with holy light.

“Boom!”

The sword light collided with the holy light, unleashing a tremendous shockwave that shattered many formation bases nearby and stirred a cloud of dust. Griega was forced back three steps.