Chapter 189 — Blood
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 4 of 7
Li Xun's head was slightly bowed, his manner respectful, his eyes half-closed, and he said not a word.
Without turning his head, Yun Yifeng nevertheless seemed to know everything behind him, and said indifferently, "Xun'er is no outsider. In the future he too will take charge of the Burning Dawn Valley, so there is no need to keep these matters from him."
Shangguan Lue's body gave a slight tremor, then quickly steadied. After a moment of silence, he said, "Counting from the time all was made ready and the formal summoning began, it has been exactly thirty days to this day, and the 'Venerable Lord of the Crimson Flame' has never once responded."
Yun Yifeng's expression did not change in the slightest; at most, his eyes flickered a few times, yet the impression he gave was as though he had in an instant grown a shade more somber. Meanwhile, above the Mystic Fire Altar, Ming Li's heart stirred—not because he was surprised that the Burning Dawn Valley too was vexed by its inability to repair this uncanny formation, but because Shangguan Lue's words had mentioned the so-called "Venerable Lord of the Crimson Flame," which touched a certain place deep in his memory. Almost instinctively, he sensed what it was that Shangguan Lue referred to.
That gigantic beast, its whole body wrapped in flame, fierce and wild—could it be that this was in truth the key to the legendary Eight Fiends Mystic Fire Formation, with its long history and uncanny origins?
The atmosphere in the Mystic Fire Altar was somewhat strange. Yun Yifeng's face was grim, and he said nothing, only pacing back and forth in the great hall as though pondering some problem. Shangguan Lue likewise only watched the figure of his senior brother and did not speak, while Li Xun, standing to one side, seemed merely to maintain his respectful posture, silent throughout.
As time passed, Yun Yifeng's brows gradually drew together, and a fierce light began to show faintly in his eyes, as though some matter were raging in fierce contention within his heart. At last, however, he abruptly halted his steps, drew a long breath, and turned his head to look toward Shangguan Lue and Li Xun behind him.
Shangguan Lue glanced at Yun Yifeng and called out in a low voice, "Senior Brother?"
Yun Yifeng seemed to have made up his mind and hesitated no longer. He said coldly, "Shangguan, my junior brother, there is no need for me to say how important this formation in the Mystic Fire Altar is. No matter what, it must be restored; otherwise we shall have no other means to deal with him!"
Shangguan Lue nodded without a word, but in the darkness high above, far from the three of them, Ming Li and Jin Pingyue both started at once.
Him?
Who was he?
Who was the person the Burning Dawn Valley meant to deal with by means of this uncanny formation?
Within the silent Mystic Fire Altar, what seemed to flow now was an invisible air of gloom. Yet the words Yun Yifeng spoke next turned that faint, elusive darkness around them into cold, hard ice:
"When the lava erupted that day, the damage to the formation was too great. The spiritual energy that our Burning Dawn Valley has gathered and stored here over several hundred years is now utterly spent, and on top of that we have lost the formation's key, the 'Mystic Fire Mirror.' That is why we cannot summon the Venerable Lord of the Crimson Flame to restart the formation. Had that person not appeared, this would of course not have mattered; we could simply have begun gathering energy anew. But as things stand, the time has come when we urgently need this formation." Yun Yifeng gave a cold snort, and three deep furrows slowly appeared between his brows; a murderous intent was faintly visible, and his voice grew colder and colder.
Shangguan Lue's brows too were deeply knit, yet a trace of joyful surprise showed on his face as he asked in astonishment, "What? Does that mean you already have some other method, Senior Brother?"