Chapter 102: Refined to Death by the Modified Formation
Before Nan Xin could react, he suddenly felt an invisible force pulling at his soul, dragging it towards the central platform of the formation.
At the same time, Zhang Juncheng, who was on the platform, realized what was happening and laughed heartily, "Haha, young friend, your subordinates' method is truly ingenious."
As Zhang Juncheng spoke, Ye Xin, who stood beside Lin Qian, could clearly see a humanoid phantom emerging from the alien body on the platform.
Similarly, a phantom with twin horns appeared from the human body where Nan Xin had been residing.
The invisible pulling force, under the radiance of the formation above, forcibly moved the souls of both.
The purple-horned alien's soul was directly drawn back into its original body on the platform.
Meanwhile, Zhang Juncheng's soul returned to his human body, causing him to fall from midair to the ground.
On the platform, the alien body with twin horns slowly raised its head. The previously black eyes, when Zhang Juncheng inhabited the body, had now turned a ghostly purple.
As for Zhang Juncheng's human body, after falling to the ground, he slowly got up. Though his body appeared weak and exhausted, his eyes shone with vigor.
"Ultimately, one's own body is still the best," Zhang Juncheng muttered as he looked down at his hands, clenching them into fists before closing his eyes.
Thud! Thud!
The heavy, drum-like sound echoed, drawing Lin Qian and Ye Xin's attention toward Zhang Juncheng. The sound was coming from his body.
As the sound grew louder, Zhang Juncheng's once pale skin gradually became rosy again.
"How impressive," Ye Xin exclaimed in amazement as she watched.
Beside her, Lin Qian nodded in agreement, silently admiring Zhang Juncheng's abilities. As expected of the leader of an ancient sect, Zhang Juncheng had activated his heart to rejuvenate his entire body after returning to it.
The drum-like heartbeat echoed through the surroundings, subtly hinting at Zhang Juncheng's power.
"Human boy, is this your solution?" On the platform, Nan Xin's purple eyes glinted with mockery as he spoke to Lin Qian.
Lin Qian turned his head to look at the platform.
At this moment, Nan Xin had already returned to his original body, but his heart was pierced by a crystalline chain formed by the power of the formation. His entire body was bound and immobile.
However, purple soul energy surged and roiled around him, and his aura was gradually recovering.
"What advice do you have to offer?" Lin Qian asked with a cold smile, observing Nan Xin's appearance.
"Your plan is simply to swap bodies. Once that old man Zhang recovers his cultivation, he'll kill me. But my recovery speed is far faster than his. Even at his peak, he's no match for me," Nan Xin scoffed.
"Unfortunately, this young friend's plan doesn't require me to lift a finger," Zhang Juncheng said, suddenly appearing within the formation's light pillar beside Lin Qian.
At this moment, Zhang Juncheng's human form looked as healthy as any normal person, though his aura was still somewhat weak.
"Indeed, back then, my cultivation was a notch below yours, so I had no choice but to seal you. However, this young friend summoned people whose knowledge of formations is beyond imagination. They will use a sacrificial method to refine you to death," Zhang Juncheng explained.
As Zhang Juncheng finished speaking, the scholars standing at the edge of the formation's light pillar gathered, combining their metal plates into one, which they respectfully presented to Lin Qian.
"Your Majesty, please activate the formation," the leading scholar said, holding up the bronze plate towards Lin Qian.
On the bronze plate, an identical formation diagram to the one on the dome above glowed brightly.
"Refine me to death? Stop pretending. This formation is clearly just a trapping formation, not designed for attack. How could it possibly refine me to death?" Nan Xin shouted in defiance from the platform, clearly not believing Zhang Juncheng's words.
Lin Qian glanced at Nan Xin and grinned, "Sorry, but my ministers accidentally modified the formation to an offensive type, so just sit back and wait for death."
With that, Lin Qian decisively pressed his hand onto the bronze plate, infusing it with his soul power imbued with imperial attributes.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The moment Lin Qian activated the formation, the entire space of the second-layer ruins echoed with deafening roars.
The formation's waves, visible to the naked eye, coursed along the formation's lines, eventually converging through the crystalline chains and onto Nan Xin's body.
Pale blue flames erupted from Nan Xin's heart and quickly spread across his entire body, burning him alive.
"Ahhh!" Nan Xin's agonized screams filled the air, but Lin Qian's eyes showed no pity.
This creature was not only an alien but had also cruelly turned his own kind into mindless zombies.
Simply refining him to death with a formation felt like a light punishment to Lin Qian.
"Block out his screams; it's too noisy," Lin Qian ordered the scholars. They complied, making a slight adjustment to the bronze plate, and the sound from the platform was silenced.
After completing their task, the scholars were sent back to the Huaxia Empire by Lin Qian.
Once the scholars had departed, Zhang Juncheng bowed deeply in gratitude, "I am truly indebted to you, young friend, for saving my life and avenging my sect."
"Senior Zhang, there's no need for such formalities," Lin Qian hurriedly stepped forward to help him up.
Zhang Juncheng then explained the situation in detail, and Lin Qian finally understood.
It turned out that sealing Nan Xin had taken a tremendous toll on Zhang Juncheng. If not for Lin Qian's arrival and the events that transpired, Zhang Juncheng's soul would have eventually dissipated within a thousand years.
Moreover, Nan Xin had been the very culprit responsible for nearly wiping out Zhang Juncheng's Dang Yuan Sect. By eliminating him, Lin Qian had effectively avenged the sect.
"As a token of gratitude, young friend, the treasury of the Dang Yuan Sect should rightfully be yours. However..." Zhang Juncheng hesitated before continuing, "I have an unreasonable request."
"Please, go ahead, senior."
"I would like to keep the pills above the grade of Upper Jia in the treasury to restore the years of depletion."
Lin Qian couldn't help but laugh and nodded repeatedly, "These are your sect's treasures, after all. Of course, you may keep them. I only ask for one pill of each type above Upper Jia."
"That is perfectly acceptable," Zhang Juncheng agreed with a nod.
Since the formation had been modified by Lin Qian's scholars, the treasury's formation was now effectively useless.
After Zhang Juncheng took the pills he needed, he was astonished to see Lin Qian wave his hand and make the entire treasury disappear into thin air.
"Young friend, isn't your storage space a bit too large?" Zhang Juncheng exclaimed in surprise.
In response to Zhang Juncheng's amazement, Lin Qian merely shrugged, saying nothing. Considering the vastness of the planet where the Huaxia Empire resided, it would be laughable if it couldn't contain these treasuries.
"To have a child like you, your father must be very proud," Zhang Juncheng remarked with a smile.
"Yes, but unfortunately, they don't know my current situation, and their fate remains uncertain." Lin Qian frowned, sighing, "When they think of me, they probably still see me as a poor child who can't cultivate, filled with worry."