Liu Zihao Caught in the Crossfire

During the subsequent refining process, arcs of lightning continuously bled from the talisman paper, striking Chen Yang.

These stray bolts possessed terrifying power; each discharge carried enough force to severely injure a late-stage Qi Gathering cultivator.

The Yang family cultivators guarding the perimeter of the ancestral hall felt their hearts tremble with involuntary unease at the mere sound of the rumbling thunder.

"What frightening power!"

"Just the ambient pressure alone is comparable to the late stage of Qi Gathering!"

"The Immortal Venerable's divine abilities are truly boundless! His cultivation must have recovered significantly!"

Inside the ancestral hall, streaks of lightning flashed repeatedly, breaking and scattering against Chen Yang's form.

Though the lightning strikes were fierce, the defensive strength of his outer armor was far superior, absorbing the brunt of the electrical discharges without a scratch.

Under normal circumstances, a human talisman master refining lightning-attribute talismans would always establish a lightning-avoidance formation beforehand.

Lightning spirit by its very nature was volatile and tempestuous, bound to strike back at the one trying to condense it. To prevent severe injury, talisman masters always employed strict protective measures.

Chen Yang, however, had never systematically studied the talisman path and remained entirely unaware of these technical details.

Fortunately, he possessed ample means. The lightning could not pierce his absolute defense, so enduring the strikes directly was of little consequence.

The refining process ground on for ten full days.

The commoners at the foot of Pine Mountain were initially deeply unsettled, wondering why thunder clapped across clear, cloudless skies at odd hours.

Eventually, Zhao Qi descended the mountain bearing an official decree, instructing the populace not to panic.

Upon learning that the immortal master on the mountain was performing rituals and invoking blessings for the region, the people's anxieties dissolved. Instead, they flocked to the Cheng Yang Hall with even greater fervor, offering up their prayers.

Ten days later, a muffled thud echoed within the ancestral hall, followed by a rising plume of thick black smoke.

At the final, failing moment of the refinement, Chen Yang had used his spiritual power to forcibly compress the blast radius within a single meter, ensuring the Yang family's ancestral tablets did not physically ascend to the heavens.

Halfway through the process, he had already sensed that the connection to the world's lightning spirit was fracturing. Anticipating the failure, he had taken precautions.

"It seems refining specialized talismans of this grade requires a proper environment," Chen Yang analyzed quietly.

"Constructing a dedicated lightning pool at the Yang family residence is impractical for now. To secure sufficient lightning spirit, I must supplement the process with lightning-attribute spiritual materials and ores."

He promptly summoned Yang Lingqing to the ancestral hall to delegate the task.

Yang Lingqing accepted the order, then took the opportunity to present her own proposals from the past few days.

Chen Yang's recent talisman refinement had caused a considerable stir. Despite their best efforts to mask the disturbance, the noise had still escaped to the outside world.

Therefore, she planned to first upgrade the defensive formations of the Pine Mountain Restricted Grounds to Qi Gathering Perfection quality, facilitating the Immortal Venerable's future workings.

"Furthermore, I intend to establish four large-scale mid-stage formations at the foot of the mountain to govern the north bank and support the south bank. These will serve to pray for rain, stabilize the weather, summon wind, and avert snow, thereby assisting our subordinate clans and commoners in their agricultural labors and general recovery."

Yang Lingqing bowed low in request. "I invite the Immortal Venerable to decide."

"Granted."

Chen Yang transmitted his thought.

Yang Lingqing's foresight was sound. Improving the quality of life for the mortals under their jurisdiction would allow them to thrive and multiply, yielding a more robust population.

Concurrently, it would deepen their gratitude toward the Yang family, allowing him to harvest a greater abundance of the Power of Prayer. It was an arrangement that served both ends perfectly.

"My profound thanks to the Immortal Venerable!"

Yang Lingqing acknowledged the command, then sent Zhao Qi on an expedition to the Fish Ridge River.

The Yang family's formations had consistently been handled by the Formation Master Liu Zihao. Yang Guanfeng had favored the man and had explicitly instructed Yang Lingqing before his departure to maintain a strong relationship with him.

However, commissioning him to arrange a Qi Gathering Perfection formation was a somewhat tenuous proposition.

Liu Zihao's current cultivation hovered around the sixth layer of Qi Gathering. Previously, his ability to construct late-stage formations for the family had already been an exceptional feat.

But pushing his limits to the tier of Qi Gathering Perfection was something they could not guarantee.

Given their extensive history of cooperation, Yang Lingqing's approach was to consult him first. If it exceeded his capabilities, he could recommend an appropriate alternative.

Following his senior sister's directives, Zhao Qi purchased a consignment of Lightning-Struck Wood in the market square before making his way to the local Formation Pavilion, where he requested Liu Zihao by name.

To his surprise, the attendant cultivator at the counter flashed a look of stark astonishment upon hearing the name.

Zhao Qi frowned slightly. "Senior, is there some complication?"

"Ah, no, no complication. It is just... it seems young friend has not visited our market square in quite some time?"

"Indeed, it has been a few years."

"No wonder. Formation Master Liu's circumstances over these past two years have been... rather difficult. He could no longer afford the maintenance fees to remain stationed within the Formation Pavilion, so he relocated elsewhere," the attendant explained.

Learning of this for the first time, Zhao Qi discreetly slid five Spirit Crystals into the attendant's sleeve to press for details.

The attendant caught the gesture instantly, guiding Zhao Qi into an adjacent private lounge to recount the story.

As it turned out, Liu Zihao was not a common rogue cultivator; he belonged to an established lineage.

His master was an early-stage Condensed Origin Formation Master of immense repute within Wangyue City, a figure who enjoyed intimate ties with City Lord Song Kaiyang.

It was precisely due to the tutelage of such an expert that Liu Zihao's grasp of the formation arts far outstripped his peers, enabling him to manifest late-stage arrays despite his mid-stage cultivation.

In the past, many of the factions who sought his services did so purely to curry favor with his master.

Quite a few hoped to use Liu Zihao as a stepping stone to bridge a connection with that Condensed Origin master.

However, over three years ago, an imperial inspector from the Wangchao reportedly descended upon Wangyue City. Since that day, City Lord Song Kaiyang had not been permitted to take a single step outside his domain.

Bound by his close associations, Liu Zihao's master was similarly confined to the city walls, stripped of his freedom.

Then, a little over a year ago, word filtered down that the master had been escorted under armed guard back to Chongtian City and cast into the penal prison.

This news sent shockwaves through the local formation circles.

It became blindingly obvious to all that the Condensed Origin master had committed some cataclysmic blunder, offending an entity he could not afford to cross, resulting in his arrest by the Wangchao.

Liu Zihao himself had been summoned to Wangyue City for rigorous interrogation.

Though the Wangchao cleared him of suspicion and released him three days later, the damage was done.

Even though he escaped material implication, the surrounding factions no longer dared to employ his services, terrified of inviting political contamination.

"So that is the truth of the matter. To think such an upheaval occurred."

"Indeed, young friend. Why not consider an alternative? The Formation Pavilion still boasts many exceptional masters," the attendant urged gently.

Zhao Qi fell into silent contemplation.

If Liu Zihao were truly compromised, the Wangchao would never have permitted his safe return. Given his meager cultivation level, he likely had no access to the high-level dealings between his master and Song Kaiyang, let alone any active participation.

Other forces kept their distance out of sheer ignorance, but the Yang family-having been directly involved in the Wangchao's grander maneuvers-saw the board with far greater clarity.

"Thank you for the warning, Senior. However, Formation Master Liu has been a loyal partner to my family. I must still pay him a proper visit on this trip," Zhao Qi said, cupping his hands.

Seeing his resolve, the attendant ceased his persuasion and provided the directions to Liu Zihao's current dwelling.

Following the address, Zhao Qi soon arrived at the western sector of the market square.

This quadrant was the domain of low-tier rogue cultivators. The environment and architecture were crude and dilapidated, lines of makeshift stalls flanking both sides of the thoroughfares. The air hummed with the noisy, chaotic hawking of vendors, indistinguishable from a mundane mortal market.

Navigating through three narrow alleys, Zhao Qi eventually located Liu Zihao inside a secluded, weathered wooden shack.

"Welcome, honored guest. Please, come inside and browse. The quality of my formation tools and diagrams is absolutely guaranteed!"

Stripped of his standard commissions, Liu Zihao had been reduced to crafting array components and reference charts to scratch out a living.

In truth, had he abandoned his pursuit of higher mastery in the formation arts, the proceeds from these items would have allowed him a relatively comfortable life.

Yet, even with his master's fall from grace, the man refused to forsake his path.

The Hundred Cultivation Arts were notorious bottomless pits, requiring massive financial investments to yield progress.

Consequently, the lion's share of his income was funneled directly into his personal cultivation and research, leaving him with insufficient reserves to maintain his residency at the prestigious pavilion.

"You are... from the Yang family?"

During Liu Zihao's last visit to upgrade the Yang family's defenses, the two had interacted. Recognition sparked within him; his hands froze over his work, and a sudden flare of hope ignited in his eyes.

"Greetings, Formation Master Liu."

Zhao Qi bowed in formal etiquette, presenting a courtesy gift of one hundred Spirit Crystals provided by Yang Lingqing.

"Formation Master Liu has extended much grace to my family in the past. Our family head specifically mandated that you must accept this token."

Zhao Qi continued smoothly, "Furthermore, our clan requires a comprehensive upgrade to our current arrays. We would be honored to have Formation Master Liu accompany us to inspect the grounds."

"This...!"

Liu Zihao gripped the Storage Bag containing the Spirit Crystals, his gaze locked onto Zhao Qi in sheer disbelief.

Since the scandal broke, the neighboring clans and sects had treated him like an infectious plague.

Not only did they refuse to offer him new contracts, but they had gone so far as to tear down and rebuild the existing arrays he had crafted for them, desperate to expunge any association with his name.

The fickleness of worldly relations always turned on the axis of profit.

He had spent the last two years adjusting to this biting isolation, resigning himself to his bleak reality.

Yet now, the Yang family had actively sought him out, offering him a direct invitation to oversee their clan's core defenses. It was a heavy stone cast into a stagnant pool, sending violent ripples through the quiet depths of his heart.

"Fellow Daoist... is this statement true? Pray do not make a jest at my expense..."

His fingers trembled as his emotions surged, his voice carrying the brittle fear of one terrified of grasping at empty illusions.

Zhao Qi offered a reassuring smile, stepping clear of the threshold as he made an inviting gesture. "Formation Master Liu, after you."

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