Zanxing

Chapter 101 - Demonic Formation (1)

The Revealing Demon Array can only be created by a formation master, and to become a formation master requires exceptional spiritual talent. There are very few formation masters capable of creating a Revealing Demon Array in the continent of Duzhou. This is not related to cultivation but to innate talent.

"Immortal Gu, fellow cultivator," Nie Xinghong said in surprise, "when did you learn to make the Revealing Demon Array?"

"My martial uncle is, of course, different from you low-level cultivators without talent. It took him a whole night of hard work yesterday to finish this Revealing Demon Array," Men Dong said with pride.

"But martial uncle, what are you doing setting up the Revealing Demon Array here?" Tian Fangfang looked at Gu Baiying and asked, "Is there a demon among us?"

Gu Baiying smiled slightly and replied calmly, "Demonic beings can use secret methods to hide their demonic aura, but they cannot hide their demon cores. As long as a demon enters the Revealing Demon Array... their true form will immediately be revealed. If they don't reveal their original form, they cannot pass through this array." He fixed his gaze on Rong Yu, a slight smile on his lips. "Why don't you come up here, Rong Yu?"

Rong Yu remained motionless.

A single step, just a short distance, now felt like a vast chasm, impossible to cross no matter how hard he tried.

This typically humble, timid, and cautious cultivator remained silent, staring at Gu Baiying. After a moment, his expression became strange.

Rong Yu tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a peculiar smile as he asked Gu Baiying, "When did you start to have suspicions?"

"Long ago, from the first time I saw you."

This response surprised Rong Yu.

"You are indeed a bit strange," Zanxing, standing beside Gu Baiying, petted the little creature in her arms, Mimi, and said, "When I first met you, Mimi jumped towards you, seeming to really like you."

"Did you suspect me because Silver Lion was warning you?"

"Well, not exactly." Zanxing smiled. "In fact, until now, Mimi has shown no signs of Silver Lion at all. It seems more like an ordinary... pig... cat. Also, my cat doesn't often get close to people."

The various masters on Gufeng Mountain usually have to lure the cat with spiritual fruits, and Tian Fangfang has served as a free cat servant for quite some time, yet Mimi still doesn't get close to him. But this unfamiliar cultivator has had Mimi diving toward him since their first meeting.

"I believe it's not giving me a warning but simply likes your scent," Zanxing said.

Rong Yu narrowed his eyes. "Scent?"

"If you are a merman from the ocean, you might count as half a fish. Cats like seafood; that's perfectly normal."

Rong Yu's expression suddenly turned ugly. Perhaps Zanxing's remark insulted his dignity as a merman.

"Don't be angry," Zanxing quickly added upon seeing his immediate cold expression. "I think you don't like Mimi either, which is why your expression is forced every time it jumps on you. It's not about liking or disliking; it's an instinct between natural enemies."

"Just based on that?" Rong Yu sneered. "I didn't expect that those from the cultivation world would be so casual about demon hunting."

"It's not just that," Zanxing said. "Also, you always wear loose robes, completely concealing yourself. Your sleeves show no skin. Perhaps it's because you're hiding some remnants of your demon form. Additionally, you don't sweat at all. Despite the heat in Li'er Country, you appear fresh and clean every day because you are not human."

Rong Yu replied, "That's utter nonsense."

Gu Baiying seemed unable to tolerate Zanxing's vague statements any longer. He glanced at her and took over the conversation. "The first time I saw you was at the gambling house, where a gambling bug parasitized your senior brother. The gambling bug has weak demonic power, so it cannot harm people directly; it can only parasitize others and confuse their minds. Therefore, the target chosen by the gambling bug must be a weak cultivator with an unsteady will. I heard that the Liuli Sect sent you and your senior brother this time; your senior brother is much stronger than you. It makes no sense for the gambling bug to choose him over you."

"Maybe Tan Tianxin had a hand in it," Rong Yu said coldly. "If you want to eliminate a future opponent, naturally, you would first remove the greater threat."

Tan Tianxin, who was nearby, was furious at these words and shouted, "I've said before, I didn't do such a thing!"

"It's indeed a possibility, which is why I didn't think much of it at the time," Gu Baiying said calmly. "However, Yang Zanxing's Panhua Staff issued a warning."

"The Panhua Staff is used to ward off evil and clear the mind, but a gambling bug shouldn't trigger such a big response from the staff. Initially, I thought it was a warning about the gambling bug, but later I realized it was truly warning us to pay attention to you."

"All of this is merely your speculation," Rong Yu mocked. "It sounds laughable."

"True, none of this is conclusive evidence," Gu Baiying said, his gaze locked on Rong Yu. Suddenly, he smiled brightly. "So at last night's celebration banquet, I specifically went to check on your senior brother."

"Your senior brother is not unable to get out of bed due to being severely injured; he is unconscious because he is being controlled. I suspect you didn't kill him because once he dies and his life talisman shatters, the elders in the sect will immediately notice something amiss and come here, exposing your lies. Furthermore, this body," Gu Baiying assessed him from top to bottom, "you haven't completely killed him; you've left him a sliver of his soul, taking over his body. That's why you can completely conceal your demonic aura, making it impossible for others to trace your whereabouts."

The moon rose, hanging above the white jade palace like a beautiful painting, cold and ethereal.

Rong Yu slowly smiled.

"It seems not everyone in your cultivation world is a fool."

"Wait, what does that mean?" A cultivator on the Xingxiu Platform asked. "Is he a demon? Rong Yu is actually a demon!"

"Rong Yu is not a demon," Pu Tao stared at the person on the steps, murmuring, "He has been possessed by a demon; one of our own has been infiltrated by a demonic race."

Nie Xinghong closed the folding fan in her hand, her gaze firmly fixed on Rong Yu. "Did you kill those girls in the city?"

The robed cultivator elegantly bowed. "Of course."

"How could that be?" The nation lord staggered two steps back. "The demon that harmed people isn't a Bixi spirit?"

"A Bixi spirit?" Rong Yu laughed loudly as if he had heard a delightful joke. "How could it possibly be a Bixi spirit? Right, I almost forgot, humans are all the same. If they can't find the true culprit, they randomly pick a scapegoat to bear the blame. Forty years ago, it was like this, and forty years later, it is still the same!"

"Forty years ago..." Princess Li Zhu stepped forward and scolded, "Who exactly are you?"

"Who am I?" Rong Yu slowly countered, suddenly leaping into the air. The night wind lifted his robe, blowing away the hairpin from his head. In an instant, his deep blue long hair cascaded like the waves of the sea at night in Li'er Country. His robes billowed with the wind, expanding like clouds and mist seen from the window of a celestial sea. Riding on the heavenly wind, his appearance gradually transformed into that of a strikingly beautiful young man.