The Corrupting Butterflies and the Spirit-Severing Formation

In the predawn hours of the next day, before light even touched the sky, Luo Yingkong quietly departed, periodically glancing behind her to ensure she wasn’t being followed. Once outside the small town, she ventured into the desolate wilderness. Sensing a commotion within her spirit beast bag, she released all her Corrupting Butterflies.

These butterflies absorbed spiritual energy from the air, and allowing them to roam freely seemed only beneficial. Twenty-five palm-sized blue butterflies gracefully fluttered around Luo Yingkong. Some would occasionally land on her, while others settled on flowers and leaves to drink dew, their contentment palpable.

Luo Yingkong retrieved a few immortal herbs, and several butterflies immediately flew over. Extending their straw-like proboscises, they pierced the plants, instantly draining them dry of nutrients.

As dawn broke, an explosion echoed in the distance. Luo Yingkong navigated through the jungle, taking cover on a high vantage point to observe. Below, on the grassy expanse, four cultivators were locked in combat.

Each side consisted of a man and a woman. The ground was scarred with craters from fireballs, indicating the battle had raged for some time. Both parties were clearly exhausted, their spiritual energy dwindling.

At this point, they could only rely on close-quarters combat for a few more exchanges.

“Fellow Daoists, at this rate, neither of us will claim victory,” the woman said, her voice strained. She was the most powerful among them, having reached the ninth level of Qi Condensation. “The day is almost here, and we’ll only benefit passersby. Why don’t we call it quits?”

“I was just thinking the same,” the man on the other side replied, casting a swift glance in Luo Yingkong’s direction. She quickly suppressed her spiritual energy and held her breath. “There’s also a rat nearby. Perhaps we should join forces and deal with them first?”

‘Was I discovered?’ Luo Yingkong wondered inwardly.

Unexpectedly, the man launched a fireball spell directly towards Luo Yingkong’s position—not precisely at her, but at a patch of grass below. True enough, a ten-year-old child emerged, their cultivation only at the fifth level of Qi Condensation. Having hidden too close, they had been exposed.

“There were actually others…” Luo Yingkong breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, a chilling aura pressed in from behind. She swiftly activated her jade pendant artifact, forming a protective shield.

“Clang!”

A sharp arrow flew forth, striking the shield before being deflected. Luo Yingkong warily surveyed her surroundings. A scar-faced brawny man emerged from behind a tree.

Wielding a curved saber, the brawny man grinned at Luo Yingkong. “Little girl, hand over your storage bag, and perhaps I’ll let you go.”

The brawny man unleashed his full aura, revealing he was at the tenth level of Qi Condensation! His spiritual energy was significantly greater than Luo Yingkong’s.

Luo Yingkong’s gaze sharpened. This man used a curved saber, yet an arrow had just been shot. Clearly, an accomplice was hidden, and she could not afford to be careless.

“If you want it, come and get it yourself,” Luo Yingkong stated, drawing out a flying sword and a flying disc to make her stance clear.

“Hmph!” the scar-faced brawny man sneered, charging forward with his curved saber. “Since you refuse to comply, things won’t be as simple as just taking your storage bag later!”

Luo Yingkong employed the flying disc and flying sword in a pincer attack, preventing him from closing in. Simultaneously, she kept a watchful eye on her surroundings, guarding against any sneak attacks.

“What good is such a flimsy flying sword?” the scar-faced man scoffed, swinging his saber horizontally. A crescent-shaped blade strike hit the flying sword, instantly sending it flying away, completely beyond Luo Yingkong’s control.

The flying disc was also deftly dodged by the brawny man, whose movements were like the wind. In the blink of an eye, he was right before Luo Yingkong.

Of course, she wouldn’t stand by idly. She activated her Cloud-Treading Steps to swiftly widen the distance.

“Running quite fast, aren’t you?” the scar-faced man sneered.

From the treeline, several more sharp arrows shot out, carrying faint spiritual energy and moving at incredible speed. Luo Yingkong’s jade pendant shield blocked them all, deflecting them easily. It was a top-grade artifact, impenetrable by ordinary means.

‘So that’s where they are!’ Luo Yingkong fixed her gaze on a distant treetop. She couldn’t tell what method the opponent used, as they were completely invisible.

“Little girl, that jade pendant of yours is quite good,” the scar-faced man said. “If I’m not mistaken, you can’t attack while using it, can you? Let’s see how much spiritual energy you have to sustain it!”

The scar-faced man charged again. This time, Luo Yingkong didn’t flee; instead, she waited for him to approach.

When he was about a zhang away, a Thousand-Jins Talisman flew out and affixed itself to her. The brawny man delivered a powerful vertical chop, yet Luo Yingkong, with a single hand, seized his saber and held it suspended in mid-air!

“What?!” the scar-faced man exclaimed in shock. Seeing such a slender opponent was actually a Body Cultivator! He inwardly cursed himself for his recklessness; approaching a Body Cultivator in close combat was courting death.

However, his curved saber wouldn’t budge from her grip. Luo Yingkong’s small hand was like an iron clamp, firmly locking onto the blade! Perhaps she squeezed too hard, for the saber shattered into two pieces.

The brawny man dared not hesitate. He quickly leaped back, shouting behind him, “Don’t just stand there watching! I can’t deal with her immense strength!”

“Oh? Are you referring to that person over there?” Luo Yingkong pointed towards the treetop. There, a swarm of butterflies completely engulfed a figure, instantly turning them into a desiccated corpse!

“What the —?!” The brawny man gasped in shock. Before he could fully process his surprise, Luo Yingkong shot a bullet straight through his head!

“With such meager strength, yet daring to commit robbery…”

Luo Yingkong shook her head, retrieving his storage bag. She then allowed the butterflies to drain his corpse dry. A cultivator was far more nutritious than spirit herbs, after all.

She also collected the other person’s storage bag. This place was not suitable for leisurely inspection; it was best to leave early.

On the ground, there lay a piece of cloth. Luo Yingkong picked it up and found she could see the ground right through her hand! After experimenting, she confirmed the cloth had an invisibility effect when draped over one’s body.

However, it only rendered her visually invisible; cultivators could still detect her with their divine sense. Even so, it was a valuable item, potentially useful.

“Time to come back, all of you!” Luo Yingkong waved her hand, and several butterflies flew back towards her spirit beast bag. A few seemed reluctant, circling around her.

Using her divine sense, she forcibly stored them back into the spirit beast bag. It would be troublesome if these butterflies were recognized. Encountering two novices was one thing, but facing high-level cultivators would be extremely tricky.

The few people below were still fighting, and the child at the fifth level of Qi Condensation was surprisingly still holding on. Luo Yingkong shook her head and continued her journey toward Autumn Leaf Valley. It was better not to linger on this path.

****

Cautiously, she continued forward. Before long, the surrounding scenery abruptly shifted. One moment she was in the forest, and in the next, she had stumbled into a white expanse.

‘What is this? An illusion formation? Or something else…’ From Luo Yingkong’s experience, she had most likely entered a formation someone had set up in advance.

One trouble after another, it seemed. Not far away, three individuals were entangled with a swarm of wasps, while an old man battled a masked man.

“Old man, you actually brought so many disciples out,” the masked man snarled viciously. “Perfect, I’ll just wipe you all out together!”

Both men were at the Foundation Establishment stage, but the old man appeared to be struggling. Luo Yingkong initially intended to leave, yet she discovered that spiritual energy could not be circulated within this formation!

The three Qi Condensation cultivators in the distance were being stung black and blue by the frenzied insects, forced to evade and defend simultaneously.

“Seniors, I have no desire to involve myself in your affairs,” Luo Yingkong tentatively called out. “I am merely passing through. Could you please open the formation and allow me to leave?” Operating without spiritual energy was dangerous, and the two Foundation Establishment cultivators still seemed capable of using theirs, putting her at a severe disadvantage.

“Passing through? Then you’d best not interfere, or I’ll kill you along with them!” the masked man threatened. He couldn’t possibly open the formation; if he did, the old man and his group would escape.

“Young friend, don’t listen to him! If we die, do you truly believe he’ll spare you?” the old man shouted back. In such a critical moment, securing an ally was paramount.

“Hmph! A mere Qi Condensation cultivator, trapped within my Spirit-Severing Formation, is nothing more than a mortal without a shred of spiritual energy,” the masked man sneered. “Your three apprentices are also on their last legs.”

The masked man scoffed, not perceiving Luo Yingkong as a threat in the slightest. His attacks grew fiercer, and the old man gradually began to falter.

‘Wasps? Are these also Gu insects?’ Luo Yingkong couldn’t circulate spiritual energy, meaning she couldn’t cast fireballs or manipulate artifacts. However, she could still just about open her storage bag.

She pulled out a cylindrical wooden tube. This was leftover nitroglycerin. With a swift motion, she hurled it towards the swarm of wasps, shouting:

“Get out of the way!”

The three Qi Condensation cultivators didn’t hesitate, quickly leaping backward. Luo Yingkong then fired a shot at the wooden tube! Upon impact, the nitroglycerin inside instantly erupted in a ball of flame.

That amount of nitroglycerin was more than enough to demolish a building. The surrounding swarm of wasps was entirely obliterated by the shockwave.

They fell like rain! The three disciples were also thrown aside by the residual blast, but fortunately, they were largely unharmed.