Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 164

Chapter 164 Flower in the Void

“?”

Bai Zhanglao‘s face wrinkled. He seemed to have completely failed to anticipate that his incantation would have no effect whatsoever. The formation remained as empty as ever!

“How could this be…” Rong Xie took a step back, taking in the entire scene. He concentrated his spiritual energy into his eyes, unwilling to miss even the slightest fluctuation or change in the air.

He saw nothing.

There was absolutely nothing.

“Impossible!” Bai Zhanglao formed the incantation once more. “Absolutely impossible—Manifest!”

He repeated this three times, his breathing becoming unsteady. Clearly, both the Suoling Fazhen and the Manifestation Spell consumed a considerable amount of spiritual energy. Failing time and time again like this, even Bai Zhanglao was finding it a bit too much to handle.

Rong Xie’s heart jumped into his throat, a numb sensation surging up. He asked with a hoarse voice, “Could it be that…”

Did a step go wrong, causing the Suoling Fazhen to fail to lock Xiao Zhi’s soul?

Or was Lu Yingqi’s sword strike too formidable, causing Xiao Zhi’s soul to shatter directly from the inability to withstand it?

Or was Xiao Zhi so heartbroken that his three hun and seven po could not condense, disintegrating on the spot?

Several terrifying possibilities flashed through Rong Xie’s mind instantly. His heart felt as though it was constricted by something heavy, plummeting… down into a bottomless abyss.

If Xiao Zhi truly couldn’t be saved, wouldn’t he become an accomplice? An indirect murderer?

What “indirect” or “direct” murderer… If Xiao Zhi couldn’t return, all the cultivators present who had watched helplessly without stopping it were guilty. This was especially true for Rong Xie, who had helped set up the formation; his hands were practically stained with blood.

A spine-chilling sensation gripped Rong Xie’s mind. Without him realizing it, cold sweat soaked his back.

“How is this possible! Why won’t he come out?!” Bai Zhanglao was also growing somewhat frantic. He formed the incantation again and shouted “Manifest” at the top of his lungs, releasing the spell into the Suoling Fazhen.

“Wait a moment,” Rong Xie forced himself to calm down, thinking desperately. “Is there any other way to sense a spirit body? As long as we can confirm he is still here, things will be easier to handle…”

“If he is still here, why won’t he manifest?!” Bai Zhanglao exclaimed, flustered and exasperated.

“Maybe he doesn’t want to manifest!” Rong Xie said. “Put yourself in his shoes. If you were the one being sacrificed to prove the Dao, Zhanglao, would you still be willing to come out?”

“What is there to be unwilling about? If there is hope of surviving, of course one must come out,” Bai Zhanglao said, looking entirely puzzled.

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“…” Rong Xie knew he had asked the wrong person. Naturally, Bai Zhanglao was incapable of empathizing with Xiao Zhi. “Have you never encountered a situation like this before?”

Bai Zhanglao hesitated for a moment and said, “No.”

His hesitation was caught by Rong Xie: “Bai Zhanglao, have you… truly successfully formed the Suoling Fazhen before?”

“Of course I’ve succeeded!” Bai Zhanglao immediately replied. Then, his voice lowered slightly, “Though it was just assisting the previous Palace Master of the Dao Gong at the time…”

“What?” Rong Xie gasped.

He had originally thought that someone of Bai Zhanglao‘s identity and status wouldn’t boast wildly. He never expected…

“There is fundamentally no difference! The previous Palace Master had imparted all the steps to me; it’s impossible for there to be any errors! Unless… unless…” Bai Zhanglao‘s eyes trembled. He thought of a certain possibility, then shook his head in denial, muttering words under his breath that Rong Xie couldn’t make out.

“Unless what?!” Rong Xie, burning with anxiety, asked loudly.

Bai Zhanglao suddenly raised his head and unleashed a streak of white light with a wave of his hand, striking directly at a certain spot in midair.

“Bang!”

A patch of something akin to an illusion rapidly contracted, creating distinct ripples in the air. Like a cloth cover slipping off an object, the entity hidden behind it revealed its true form.

“Unless, there is something else here,” Bai Zhanglao enunciated each word, “concealing that attendant!”

Rong Xie widened his eyes.

Heavy dark clouds churned and gathered over a nameless mountain peak in Zhilan Ling. Peals of thunder rumbled from within the clouds, as if some monster hidden inside was letting out low roars.

Occasionally, a flash of lightning would tear through the dim sky, illuminating the solitary figure sitting on the mountain peak.

After proving his Dao, Lu Yingqi felt the turbulent, surging spiritual energy within his body. Thus, he left the crowd and came here, refining the energy through meditation while awaiting the Heavenly Tribulation that would mark his breakthrough across realms.

Following a Dao proving through such intense means, Wuqing Dao cultivators typically advanced by one or two realms. Given that Lu Yingqi’s cultivation was already quite high, jumping two realms would be relatively difficult. It was highly likely he would bypass the early Fenshen stage and directly enter the mid or late stage. Regardless, the lightning tribulation from the Yuanying stage to the Fenshen stage was unavoidable, and Lu Yingqi had already prepared himself.

Lu Yingqi was ready. His state of mind was different from before. He didn’t know what had happened, but previously, when Xiao Zhi was still around, he would occasionally feel hesitation and indecision. Now, all of that was gone. The bonds connecting him to Bai Zhanglao, to Xuantian Zong, and to everyone around him had grown faint. He felt an unprecedented emptiness; it seemed that proving his Dao was fine, not proving it was fine, staying was fine, and leaving was fine. This emptiness blurred the boundaries of his ego, as if he had merged into one with the surrounding nature.

Rumble—

The cloud layers were lit up by a purple glow, revealing a malevolent form. Several bolts of purple lightning descended simultaneously, creating a dense, thick forest of electricity that struck straight at the summit of the solitary peak.

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In an instant, the lightning swallowed the figure.

The illusion dropped, and the scene before them was entirely beyond Rong Xie’s expectations.

A gigantic Hehuan flower slowly bloomed, presenting a state of full blossoming. Each petal was rich in color, as if completely saturated with human blood. The red light on its surface was incredibly wicked, making one dare not look at it directly.

A faint Hehuan floral fragrance wafted through the air, seemingly present yet ethereal, seeping into the heart and soul.

Rong Xie was startled and immediately covered his mouth and nose, but it was already too late.

He felt a wave of dizziness. His limbs went weak, his body felt light and airy, and he couldn’t condense any spiritual energy at all.

Bai Zhanglao fared no better.

Even though Bai Zhanglao‘s cultivation was stronger, and he even had the time to cast a spell on himself to isolate the outside air, the moment he laid eyes on the Hehuan flower, he blurted out, “Why is there a Hehuan flower here!”

It was exactly this exclamation that caused Bai Zhanglao to inhale even more of the Hehuan fragrance. The Hehuan floral scent had hallucinogenic properties, and no one understood this better than Bai Zhanglao, who had once been deeply involved with the Hehuan Jiao.

Bai Zhanglao took a few steps back, wanting to call for help, but collapsed powerlessly to the ground. Muffled, indistinct sounds came from his mouth, as if it were stuffed with dough.

Unfortunately, the disciples of the Wuqing Dao Gong had all been dismissed by Bai Zhanglao. For the sake of secrecy, Bai Zhanglao had ordered them not to approach the open area in front of the main gate until daybreak, telling them to use the side and rear doors if anything came up.

Now, Bai Zhanglao couldn’t summon anyone, and no one would pass by here. He and Rong Xie were trapped in the formation, their limbs devoid of strength. Facing a giant, unprecedentedly massive Hehuan flower, they were completely passively taking a beating.

This was clearly no ordinary Hehuan flower.

It had no root system, only an incomparably huge flower head, suspended in midair.

Like a peacock spreading its tail, it wantonly flaunted its vibrant flower disc. As the blood-red, demonic hue grew increasingly piercing, the Hehuan floral scent also became richer.

Rong Xie reached into his robes, his mind rapidly sifting through the magical artifacts and talismans he had brought out this time.

Caught off guard, the Hehuan flower head dove downward, swiftly brushing past Rong Xie’s ear. By the time he reacted, Bai Zhanglao had already been slammed into the edge of the formation. A loud bang rang out as his physical body collided with the barrier, and Bai Zhanglao tumbled to the ground like a ragged sack. Then, he was hoisted up again by an invisible force.

“Bang!”

Once again, and again.

It was like playing a game with a punching bag. Bai Zhanglao was repeatedly thrown against the barrier wall at the formation’s edge. His chest had visibly caved in, and a large amount of blood spilled from his mouth, yet his face showed no expression of pain. Instead, he looked as peaceful as if he were asleep.

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When the Hehuan flower head turned toward Rong Xie, Rong Xie sat on the ground, shuffling backward, propping himself up with one hand behind him.

“Rong Gongzi,” a familiar voice echoed from within the flower head. The sensation was incredibly eerie. “Hee hee hee hee, I trust you’ve been well?”

“Xiao, Xiao Zhi?” Rong Xie’s movements froze, and he stared at the flower head in disbelief. There was only one person here who would call him Rong Gongzi, even though he wasn’t any kind of young master at all.

That person was Xiao Zhi.

The voice coming from the flower head was exactly Xiao Zhi’s voice. However, Xiao Zhi would never laugh so wantonly.

Rong Xie composed himself, guessing that Xiao Zhi’s soul must somehow be linked to this Hehuan flower head. The Hehuan flower head attacked Bai Zhanglao but didn’t lay a hand on him—did this contain Xiao Zhi’s will?

“Xiao Zhi, I know you feel deeply wronged, but things aren’t exactly as you think. Bai Zhanglao didn’t intend to truly sacrifice you. You should have noticed by now, right? Within this Dao-proving formation is another layer, a Suoling Fazhen, designed to lock your soul and prevent you from dissipating.” Rong Xie forced his spirits up and said, “Look, we even brought your body here. As long as you return to your body, Bai Zhanglao will find a formidable medical cultivator to treat you, and you can come back to life—”

“Really?” Xiao Zhi’s voice came from the flower head. The flower disc tilted toward Rong Xie, as if Xiao Zhi were scrutinizing Rong Xie’s expression to determine if he was speaking the truth.

“Of course it’s true!” Rong Xie stated. “If you don’t believe me, I can swear an oath.”

“Hee hee hee hee, swear upon the Dao Heart of a Caijieguan? No, wait, an ex-Caijieguan!”

“…”

“What, don’t dare to swear? Reluctant to?” The flower head provocatively faced Rong Xie. Although it lacked facial features, Rong Xie felt as though he could see its mocking smile.

“This matter has nothing to do with Shen Bingsi. I don’t like using irrelevant people to swear oaths.” Rong Xie slightly lowered his head, warily watching the Hehuan flower. “What exactly are you… who are you? What about Xiao Zhi? Where have you hidden Xiao Zhi?”

“Hee hee hee hee, I am Xiao Zhi,” the Hehuan Huayao shook its petals, floating diagonally upward before sinking back down. The massive flower disc pressed right in front of Rong Xie’s face, enveloping his entire body in red light. An intense, oppressive aura weighed heavily on Rong Xie, and the color of the Hehuan flower seemed to deepen. “Rong Gongzi, I have you and Bai Zhanglao to thank for allowing me to see the light of day again. You have no idea how grateful I am to you—”

“Clang!”

The Hehuan flower head repeated its old trick, launching a dive towards Rong Xie. A streak of silver sword light suddenly materialized out of nowhere, forcefully piercing through the petals near the flower’s core.

The petals appeared soft, yet upon contact with the sword light, they emitted a sound like clashing metal. A shrill shriek erupted from the flower disc. The Hehuan flower yanked upwards abruptly, smashing through the Suoling Fazhen that was on the verge of collapsing, and flew into the sky.

Cold sweat dripped profusely from Rong Xie’s forehead. The hand he had been hiding behind his back was now facing forward. A small, lightweight, and bright silver sword, resembling an orchid leaf, was gripped firmly in Rong Xie’s hand. The blade tilted upward, its surface stained with wisps of blood-like red—that was the flower sap left behind when Guangdian Bailan had just pierced through the Hehuan flower’s core.