Chapter 159: The Passing Bead Fails

"This is my junior fellow apprentice, Qimenzi."

Daoist Wubo introduced a thin, tall elder. Everyone, including Lei Xiang, was somewhat startled. The bamboo-pole-like old man brought in by Daoist Wubo was actually his junior uncle and the chief formation master of the Boruo Sect? Yet, judging by the spiritual power fluctuations around him, he seemed to be merely at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Could someone like this truly be a master of formations?

That Qimenzi, however, remained expressionless. He extended his left hand in a single-palmed salute to the crowd, "Greetings, fellow daoists. I am Qimenzi. May I ask what formation you all require me to break?"

Lei Xiang hurriedly returned the salute, "Master Qimenzi, please. This time, we intend to explore the Smiling Fang headquarters on the Hanging Island once again. There is an unknown, powerful grand formation inside, and we kindly ask for your esteemed assistance." Lei Xiang understood that appearances could be deceiving; furthermore, it did not matter if a formation master's cultivation level was low. What mattered was his research into formations. One did not rely on brute force to break restrictions, and generally, those who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the study of formations had little spare energy left for personal cultivation.

Daoist Wubo had evidently already briefed Qimenzi on some of the circumstances, so Qimenzi did not ask any further questions. He simply nodded and said, "When do we set off?"

Lei Xiang cast a glance around the surroundings and said, "We must still wait for Bo Zhang and the Bo soldiers. Once everyone is gathered, we will depart immediately."

At this moment, Daoist Wubo smiled faintly, stepped forward, and pulled a small figurine out of his storage pouch. The figurine was half a meter tall, clad in interlocking chainmail, and possessed a fierce expression, though it was currently entirely stern, looking like someone incapable of smiling. Lei Xiang frowned upon seeing it, a thought crossing his mind, though he did not voice it.

Daoist Wubo explained, "Have a look, everyone. This is Bo Zhang, who guards the Bo-ba. I have brought him for you all, and we can set off right now."

This was Bo Zhang?

Except for Lei Xiang, everyone else wore expressions of doubt. Lei Xiang, however, possessed a crystal jade puppet and naturally could sense the spiritual power of this small figurine. Having had his suspicions the moment he laid eyes on it, he asked, "Daoist Priest, since this is the Bo Zhang you mentioned, where are the thirty-two Bo soldiers under his command?"

Daoist Wubo smiled without answering. He tossed Bo Zhang onto the ground and pointed a finger at him. Bo Zhang's body suddenly grew until it reached the height of an adult man. Then, flipping his palm, a black bean appeared in the center of his hand. At that moment, Daoist Wubo shouted in a booming voice, "Scatter beans to form an army!"

True to his word, Bo Zhang scattered the black bean in his palm. A flash of black light erupted on the ground, and a dark-faced man of the exact same height as Bo Zhang leaped out onto the earth. Judging by the spiritual power fluctuations within his body, he was at least at the early Core Formation stage, only one grade lower than Bo Zhang. Bo Zhang himself ought to be at the Great Circle of the early Core Formation stage. At this sight, everyone felt much more at ease. Meanwhile, Daoist Wubo transmitted his voice to Lei Xiang, imparting the incantations for controlling Bo Zhang and the Bo soldiers, along with the precautions for operating Bo Zhang. Finally, he handed Lei Xiang a short, slender "chopstick," which served as the baton to command Bo Zhang. With it, one could control Bo Zhang effortlessly, and Bo Zhang would in turn command the Bo soldiers in battle.

Lei Xiang put away the Bo soldiers and the "chopstick," letting out a long breath. He was preparing to welcome new challenges, help Tian Rui obtain that object, and then plunder some spirit stones from the Hanging Island to accumulate the necessary quantity for his next breakthrough. As for the benefits Tian Rui had promised, Lei Xiang naturally looked forward to them even more. After all, his current proficiency in refining the Immortal-Shooting Spear with pellet fire did not entirely satisfy his requirements, and having just formed his nascent soul, he could not yet fully wield nascent soul fire. Subconsciously, Lei Xiang still wanted to forge an Immortal-Shooting Spear of even greater might.

Bidding farewell to Daoist Wubo, Lei Xiang and his party flew toward the direction of the Always Home Inn. This time, there were two more people than the first trip: Dugu Yixiao and Qimenzi. Moreover, Lei Xiang had successfully formed his nascent soul and newly developed the forty-seven-fold Immortal-Shooting Spear, making this journey quite worth anticipating.

Flying at high speed the entire way, they encountered no danger whatsoever. Just as they were about to reach their destination, Lei Xiang proposed taking a rest so they could enter the Hanging Island in their optimal state. Thus, the group descended upon a small mountain and sat cross-legged to rest.

By dusk, the evening glow across the sky was as fiery and brilliant as blooming flames. It was precisely at this moment that Lei Xiang and his companions appeared in the back courtyard of the Always Home Inn. What they found peculiar was that there was no one here. Searching with their divine sense just now, they found not a single soul inside the Always Home Inn. What was the meaning of this? Could the enemy have prepared in advance?

Lei Xiang and the others quickly made their way to the front hall and stepped behind the counter. They discovered that the chair Wisdom Tooth had sat on previously was still there. When Lei Xiang flipped the chair over and used his Divine Thunder Slash to search, he once again located that thin, fine thread. Everyone finally heaved a sigh of relief. During their very first accidental intrusion into the Hanging Island, it was by pulling this thread that they had gained entry into that permanently locked room, obtained the green droplet to fuse with Yang Jian, and subsequently fallen into the bottomless deep lake, eventually passing through Mount Mallet, the Bloody Swamp, the Cavern, and other locations.

Lei Xiang's fingers wrapped around the end of the thread, and everyone's hearts instantly tightened. Seeing Lei Xiang give a gentle pull, the thread was drawn out a little, but nothing changed whatsoever. It did not directly transport them to that sealed room as it had last time. Everyone was stunned. Why was it failing to work this time? Tian Rui rushed forward, snatched the thread away, and pulled it fiercely. This time, the thin thread actually snapped, yet still, there was not the slightest change.

The few of them froze in place.

If this method no longer worked, how were they to reach the Hanging Island? They did not know the path to the Hanging Island. Suddenly, Lei Xiang's eyes lit up, and he said to Tian Rui, "When we returned, didn't we use your Path-Remembering Bead? Since this bead can remember paths, surely it should work whether we are coming or going, shouldn't it? Why don't you try the Path-Remembering Bead?"

Tian Rui let out an "Ah!" It truly was a case of a single remark waking up someone lost in thought. With such a divine treasure, why waste time trying to pull threads? She immediately retrieved the earthy-yellow bead from her bosom, cupped it in her palms, and poured her spiritual power into it. The Path-Remembering Bead burst into a brilliant yellow light and began to revolve slowly around the crowd. Who would have thought that after rotating more than a dozen times, none of them were whisked away by the Path-Remembering Bead? What was going on here?

Could it be that the Path-Remembering Bead had also malfunctioned?

Tian Rui grew irritable. Everything was prepared, yet they were unable to enter the Hanging Island once again and thus could not acquire that object. In her frustration, she cast spell seal after spell seal into it. Apart from growing even brighter, the Path-Remembering Bead produced no delightful changes. Tian Rui retracted the bead like a deflated ball, and even Lei Xiang felt a wave of gloom.

Everyone wore furrowed brows, and no one could think of a good solution. The most anxious among them were undoubtedly Tian Rui and Dugu Yixiao. Tian Rui was anxious because of that object, while Dugu Yixiao was anxious because he could not save Baixue. Lei Xiang sighed inwardly, lowering his head to ponder a solution. He re-evaluated the entire process of their accidental intrusion into the Hanging Island three times over, but found nothing worth utilizing.

Time ticked away second by second. The five of them had lingered here for a full three hours when Lei Xiang suddenly bared his small tiger teeth in a smile. He had recalled a few details he had overlooked moments ago—namely, the reactions of Tian Rui and Yang Jian when they first entered. Both of their reactions had been extremely intense, and Yang Jian had even been able to fuse with the green droplet. Their common trait was that it felt as though something on the Hanging Island was summoning them, which made Lei Xiang feel that this could be exploited.

Thus, Lei Xiang put forward his suggestion, "Since this mechanism has been sabotaged by Smiling Fang and his group and cannot lead us into that room, why don't we go there ourselves? Even though we may not be able to enter that sealed room, perhaps the two of you will once again be able to perceive that nameless summons."

I have been super busy lately, so updates are a little slow. Please forgive me, book friends... Twelve can only guarantee that the book will not be abandoned unfinished!