Cannon Fodder Cultivation Guide

Chapter 78 - Tacit Understanding

Zhou Yi stood above the formation, gifted and highly skilled. This was all thanks to a fortunate encounter many years ago.

What he initially thought was an ordinary jade slip turned out to be a legacy left behind by a master of formations from ten thousand years ago, containing hundreds of unique formations he had created.

With the jade slip, Zhou Yi plunged into the study of formations. Despite others looking down on this so-called lesser path, he achieved great success and improved his cultivation speed significantly, now reaching the mid-stage of the Golden Core.

After carefully inspecting it, Zhou Yi quickly understood and took out the materials for breaking the formation to get started.

Time passed slowly. As Zhou Yi continuously worked on breaking the formation, the mist in the valley began to change. The once dense fog visibly dissipated.

At this rate, it wouldn't take long to break through completely.

Zhang Yiyi never underestimated anyone but didn't expect Zhou Yi to be so formidable in formations.

Senior Sister Pan, who now focused on formations as well, had mentioned that large-scale mist formations were hard to break. Even if they were of average level, their vast area often required considerable time to dismantle.

Given Zhou Yi's current speed, it was clear he was a master among masters.

In such places, various formations would undoubtedly be arranged inside and out. With someone like Zhou Yi around, it was no wonder Zheng He felt so confident about this journey.

"Wow, Second hasn't wasted his efforts in these decades."

Seeing the progress was smooth, Zhu Qing was naturally thrilled.

Compared to the panic he felt when he accidentally arrived here during a crisis last time, his current state of mind was completely different.

"Of course, you think Second is like you, only looking to take shortcuts."

Zheng He shot Zhu Qing a glare, but seeing the progress made him feel good, and even his scolding had a hint of humor.

Zhang Yiyi observed the surroundings while paying attention to Zhou Yi's actions. As time passed, she felt increasingly uneasy.

But she couldn't quite pinpoint the source of her unease; her sixth sense wasn't giving the usual clear warnings, making it hard for her to judge the situation.

Noticing that Zheng He and the others seemed to be in good spirits, she couldn't help but voice a reminder: "I feel something isn't quite right. Don't joke around, let's pay more attention to the surroundings."

"What's wrong, Linlin?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng He stopped joking with Zhu Qing and instinctively scanned the area, but didn't notice anything unusual or dangerous.

"Don't you think it's too quiet here?"

Zhang Yiyi couldn't quite prepare for the impending crisis, yet the sense of wrongness was becoming increasingly apparent.

They had walked from the cliff base to this valley entrance, and there had always been sounds of nature along the way—chirping insects, singing birds, and rustling grass—that was normal.

But now, ever since Zhou Yi started breaking the formation, the place had grown eerily quiet. Apart from their own movements, no other sounds could be heard.

"Miss Han is right; it's indeed too quiet here, suspiciously so. Everyone, be careful."

Uncle Guan's eyes scanned the surroundings, quickly confirming Zhang Yiyi's suspicion.

In an instant, the rest of the group realized there might be a problem and became highly alert.

"Quick, quick, look! What is that?"

Suddenly, Zhu Qing shouted, pointing at a large mass of dark shapes appearing on the horizon, rushing toward them like arrows.

Clearly startled, the formidable Golden Core cultivator stumbled over his words.

"It's the poison king bees! Wow, there are so many! How many could there be?"

Zhou Ren felt a chill run down his spine. That massive swarm of poison king bees could turn them into a sieve in an instant.

"Stop gawking! Quickly set up a defense to block these beasts! Don't let them interfere with Second breaking the formation!"

Zheng He raised his hand, conjuring a wall of fire that the fastest bees crashed into, bursting into flames.

His fire elemental roots were exceptional, and he manipulated fire techniques with remarkable skill, making fire attacks the bees' greatest nemesis.

With Zheng He's defense in place, Uncle Guan, Zhu Qing, and Zhou Ren quickly reacted, moving to form a line and assist, keeping the swarm at bay.

Aside from Zheng He's fire techniques being particularly effective, Uncle Guan's ice spells were also quite powerful.

As ice shards flew, they encased large swathes of poison king bees, making it easy and effective to deal with them.

Zhou Ren pulled out a wooden fish-shaped artifact, channeling spiritual power to strike it repeatedly.

With each strike, sound waves spread out, killing any bees caught within their range, their bodies falling like rain.

Zhu Qing's method was somewhat weaker; he used a golden book that shimmered as it flew out, causing bees enveloped in golden light to fall to the ground.

However, it was quite laborious to use the golden book repeatedly, and its range was limited, making its lethality less impressive compared to Zheng He and Uncle Guan.

Even so, Zhang Yiyi recognized the golden book as a valuable item, but Zhu Qing's insufficient cultivation made it hard for him to wield its true power.

Still, this was the first time Zhang Yiyi had truly witnessed the might of spells or artifacts from a Golden Core cultivator. Compared to the duels among Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was indeed much more spectacular.

With these few defending at the front, she didn't rush to attack but instinctively moved closer to Zhou Yi, choosing to protect him.

Though she had no expertise in formations, she knew that disruptions during the breaking process were highly detrimental; even a small mistake could compromise the effectiveness or even result in backlash against the one breaking the formation.

Fortunately, the poison king bees were attacking from the valley entrance, so they didn't need to worry about being attacked from behind.

Zhang Yiyi stood beside Zhou Yi, refraining from indiscriminately engaging in battle.

But if any poison king bees broke through the defenses toward Zhou Yi, she would unsparingly swing her sword, ensuring his safety.