Chapter 27: Flames and Fortune

"Be careful!"

The pursuers barely had time to scream before they instinctively raised their defenses. However, the formation that activated this time was far more powerful and swift than the previous ones. Their defensive measures crumbled like paper, utterly useless against the overwhelming force of the formation.

In their panic, they tried every technique they could think of, but it was futile. They could only watch helplessly as they were completely engulfed by the terrifying fluctuations of the formation.

"Ahhhh!!!"

Boom!!!

A blood-curdling scream echoed, followed by a deafening explosion that shook the earth. The shockwave traveled far, reaching even Lin Fan and the others, who had already put some distance between themselves and the scene.

"Hiss!" Fan Jianqiang gasped, his face filled with awe. "What a powerful formation! Second Elder, you're truly invincible. Judging by their screams, they must have been completely obliterated by your formation, turned to ashes."

Lin Fan's lips twitched as he struggled to hold back a laugh. It was an uncomfortable effort.

Wu Xingyun blinked, a flicker of confusion crossing her beautiful face. She was even beginning to doubt her own understanding of formations.

It was true that she had set up multiple formations, and it was clear from the pursuers' earlier roars that the formations had been triggered. But something didn't add up.

The pursuers had managed to withstand the initial wave of formations and had even started breaking through them. Logically, they shouldn't have been suddenly overwhelmed mid-way. And the sheer power of the explosion—enough to shake the earth from such a distance—was far beyond what her formations should have been capable of.

How could her formations have become so powerful? She had no idea.

But the voices of the pursuers had been unmistakable, and the location of the explosion matched where she had set up her formations. She grew more and more puzzled, unable to figure out what had gone wrong.

Meanwhile, Fan Jianqiang continued to heap praise on her, leaving Wu Xingyun in a state of bewildered pride.

'Could it be that my understanding of formations has reached a new level?' she wondered. 'Or perhaps, in my haste, I made a mistake that somehow resulted in an even more powerful formation?'

Unable to make sense of it, she could only accept this explanation for now. She hid her confusion and embarrassment, saying with feigned modesty, "Well, I've studied formations for many years. While I'm not a master, dealing with a few young cultivators isn't a problem."

But deep down, she didn't believe her own words.

Lin Fan, on the other hand, was delighted.

'I was right! This guy is definitely the cautious protagonist type! Even if he's not the main protagonist, having someone like him in the sect is a huge advantage!'

And the way Fan Jianqiang played along was truly impressive.

"Second Elder, you're amazing!" Fan Jianqiang continued to gush. "I must learn from you in the future…"

Wu Xingyun coughed awkwardly. "Ahem."

It was embarrassing, but she had to maintain her composed demeanor. The more she tried to act mysterious, the more awkward she felt.

But what on earth had happened? She couldn't help replaying the details of her formation setup in her mind, but no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. The confusion only deepened.

At that moment, Fan Jianqiang, who had been lavishing praise, suddenly pulled out his divination tools from his storage bag. "Sect Master, Second Elder, I suddenly felt a divine inspiration. I recalled the last hexagram I cast and decided to interpret it further."

"Go ahead," Lin Fan said, watching with amusement.

With permission granted, Fan Jianqiang immediately began his divination. After a moment, his expression turned grave.

"Huh?!"

"Sect Master, Second Elder, the hexagram shows great misfortune! It's a sign of impending disaster!"

Lin Fan wasn't surprised in the least.

"Oh?" Wu Xingyun frowned. "The hexagram is bad? But from what I recall, the hexagram you cast earlier was 'Thunder, Fire, and Wind,' wasn't it?"

The so-called Wind hexagram symbolized prosperity and success. The upper trigram was thunder, and the lower trigram was lightning, representing "thunder and lightning arriving together." Thunder was heard, and lightning was seen—what was heard was reputation, and what was seen was achievement. This hexagram could be interpreted as gaining both fame and fortune.

Even if it wasn't a perfect hexagram, it was still a favorable one. How could it indicate great misfortune?

After hearing Wu Xingyun's explanation, Lin Fan's lips twitched slightly.

But then he remembered that Fan Jianqiang was the cautious protagonist type. To someone like him, even a 98% chance of success was equivalent to certain death. So, in his mind, a hexagram indicating good fortune was practically a death sentence.

'How do these people's brains even work?' Lin Fan thought, half-amused, half-exasperated.

Fan Jianqiang, meanwhile, was momentarily stunned. He muttered to himself, 'Why does the Second Elder know so much about divination? I thought elders of small sects wouldn't be so knowledgeable. This… complicates things.'

But he quickly recovered. "Second Elder, you're right about the hexagram, but you've misunderstood its implications. This hexagram isn't about us—it's about our pursuers. They're the ones who will gain fame and fortune. For us, that's a very bad sign!"

Wu Xingyun's eyes widened. "Is that so? Is there a way to counter it?"

She had dabbled in divination, but her knowledge was limited. She could interpret hexagrams, but deciphering their deeper meanings was beyond her.

"There is!" Fan Jianqiang nodded emphatically. "Second Elder, your mastery of formations is unparalleled. You've already wiped out some of our enemies with your formations. Why not do it again? Think about it. When the next group of pursuers finds traces of the formations, they'll assume the previous group triggered them. They'll let their guard down, thinking they're safe. But if we set up another formation further ahead, they'll never see it coming!"

Wu Xingyun blinked. "Set up another formation?"

"Exactly!" Fan Jianqiang said with conviction.

"Alright," Wu Xingyun agreed. Though she still didn't understand what had happened earlier, the formations had clearly worked. There was no harm in trying again.

She landed immediately and began setting up another formation, ignoring the strain it put on her.

Fan Jianqiang, meanwhile, clutched his stomach again. "Oh, I was so scared earlier that I didn't finish… Now my stomach is acting up again."

Lin Fan couldn't help but chuckle, giving Fan Jianqiang a knowing look. "Go ahead."