Chapter 107: Misfortune’s Threshold

However, before Liang Yan could react, the seven sect masters on the island, as if by silent agreement, simultaneously formed hand seals and cast spells toward an inconspicuous stone pillar at the center of the island.

As seven beams of light in different colors shot onto the stone pillar, a series of “clicking” mechanical sounds echoed from beneath the island.

Then, the stone pillar slowly began to rotate. At the same time, the entire island started to sink downward!

Even stranger, as the island descended, the surrounding water did not flood over it. Instead, a ring of water walls formed around the island.

Looking out, it was as if a deep pit had been dug in the lake’s surface, with everyone on the island trapped inside this pit.

“What? Could it be that the Gate of Calamities is actually underwater?” Liang Yan’s heart leapt in astonishment at the sight.

As if confirming his suspicion, as the island continued to sink, blue-green stone blocks gradually appeared atop the water walls.

At first, it was hard to discern what they were, but after the island sank about twenty zhang further toward the lakebed, the entire formation was revealed—a massive, ancient-looking blue stone gate!

Click, click, click!

With another round of mechanical sounds, the island seemed to reach the bottom and finally stopped. The full visage of the blue stone gate was now clear to all.

Liang Yan glanced upward and saw the surrounding water curtain roaring and majestic, towering over a hundred zhang high!

Such immense power of heaven and earth was truly unimaginable. If the entire lake surface were to pour down, surely none of the seven Qi practitioners present, except the Foundation Establishment cultivators, would survive.

Boom!

Another tremendous roar sounded. Gathering his composure, Liang Yan turned his head.

The weathered stone gate was slowly opening, seemingly to welcome these uninvited guests.

When the gate fully opened, Liang Yan curiously peered inside.

There was a dimly blue space within, but it appeared highly unstable, constantly twisting and distorting. Even more bizarrely, an inexplicable force pulled at his soul, dragging him inward relentlessly, impossible to resist.

“Snap out of it!”

Qin Yuan suddenly bellowed, his voice like a great bell resonating in everyone’s hearts.

Liang Yan’s mind instantly cleared at his shout, and he hurriedly turned away, unwilling to look inside again.

Scanning around, he saw that nearly all the Qi practitioners wore the same dazed expression—clearly just freed from that strange force’s grip.

Qin Yuan glanced at everyone coldly and said, “This place is eerie. It is beyond the understanding of you mere Qi practitioners. Return to your positions and quickly form the Six Ding Six Jia Formation!”

Upon hearing this, everyone gathered their thoughts and moved to their previously rehearsed spots. Liang Yan, having been taught for days by Yun Xuzi before arriving, stepped forward and took his assigned place.

Once everyone was in position, two concentric circles were formed. Six Qi practitioners stood in the inner small circle, while six Foundation Establishment cultivators formed the outer larger circle.

At the center of both circles stood three men: Qin Yuan, the Dog Daoist, and Li Huayang. It was clear that the others still harbored suspicions toward the Dog Daoist and did not allow Li Huayang, brought by him, to join the formation.

At that moment, Qin Yuan raised a pitch-black formation flag, around which dark energy swirled, exuding a terrifying oppressive aura.

“Activate the formation!” Qin Yuan shouted.

Following his command, everyone at their posts cast spells toward the flag. The twelve spells converged, causing the flag to emit a black halo that enveloped all of them.

“Enter!” Qin Yuan commanded again.

One step, two steps, three steps...

At last, Liang Yan walked through the blue stone gate with the others.

In the next moment, the world spun wildly, and the scenery shifted rapidly, like a revolving lantern flashing before his eyes.

Within just ten breaths, Liang Yan seemed to witness a towering volcano erupt, then a tranquil mountain village path, and then a journey deep into ancient forested mountains.

Clouds changed shapes, seas turned to fields—the scenes transformed endlessly, as if time itself flowed and folded.

After ten breaths, everyone regained clarity. The scenery had frozen before an imposing white snow-capped mountain.

Such a surreal sight was unlike anything Liang Yan had ever encountered.

“Snow mountain?” the Crane Woman murmured, “Last time it was a desert; we barely escaped annihilation.”

Hearing this, Liang Yan’s heart filled with doubt, but before he could fully process what he saw, something even stranger happened.

A silent, invisible force swept over him, causing his spiritual energy to move uncontrollably within his body. It was as if he had fallen into a bottomless funnel, and his energy drained away instantly.

His cultivation level plummeted swiftly, dropping from Qi Refinement stage seven down to stage one in the blink of an eye. It did not stop there—the remaining energy slowly seeped away, bit by bit.

It was almost certain that soon he would be reduced to an ordinary mortal!

Liang Yan was horrified. Since beginning his cultivation, he had become accustomed to the benefits of spiritual energy. Now, stripped of it, he felt the helplessness of mortality once more.

He feared that even a single avalanche could claim the lives of these usually invincible cultivators at any moment.

He glanced around and saw that everyone in the formation was the same. Even Qin Yuan and the mysterious Dog Daoist had nearly depleted their spiritual energy, soon to become no different from ordinary men.

As their cultivation faded, the black formation flag above them dimmed and wavered in the cold wind, as if ready to fall at any moment.

The black halo that once enclosed them dissipated instantly, and a biting chill swept in, chilling to the bone and causing involuntary gasps.

“You Qi practitioners, quickly sacrifice your essence blood!” Qin Yuan shouted, as if expecting this.

Snapping back to reality, Liang Yan and the others bit their tongues, using their last reserves of spiritual energy to send three streams of pure Yang essence blood and three streams of pure Yin essence blood into the hovering formation flag.

The flag, nourished by these six streams of essence blood, seemed to revive like an old tree in spring, radiating a black halo that once again enveloped them.

As the cold wind eased, Liang Yan finally caught his breath, only to hear Qin Yuan shout again:

“Six Ding Gods occupy the Ren-Chou position!”

Yun Xuzi had taught Liang Yan about the various transformations of the Six Ding Six Jia Formation. Though Liang Yan was only a temporary substitute, his talent for formations allowed him to grasp its essence quickly.

The six Qi practitioners in the inner circle shifted positions instantly according to Qin Yuan’s command. Qin Yuan glanced over with satisfaction, then cast another spell on the formation flag and ordered:

“Six Jia Gods occupy the Yi-Si position!”

This time, the six Foundation Establishment cultivators in the outer circle moved accordingly.

With the final positions set, the last remaining traces of spiritual energy completely dissipated...