“Junior Brother, this jade pendant is flashing more and more intensely!”
“This means we are getting closer and closer to Senior Brother!” Gu Ningyan reminded him.
“I know!” Ye Fei replied.
Upon entering the palace, Ye Fei first observed his surroundings carefully. Although the palace was in disrepair, Ye Fei discovered unusual details from subtle clues.
After a moment of thought, Ye Fei reached a startling conclusion.
With a grave expression, he spoke.
“Senior Sister, I have a guess. If I’m not mistaken, someone must be residing in this palace!”
“I suspect Senior Brother stumbled in here and was abducted!”
Pausing, Ye Fei continued.
“And based on my experience, there must be a formation within this palace!”
“You stand guard at the entrance for me. I will find the formation and break it!” Ye Fei said solemnly after surveying the palace interior.
“What?”
“You say there’s a formation in this great hall?”
“How can you tell?” Gu Ningyan, unfamiliar with formations, asked doubtfully.
Ye Fei couldn't immediately explain. It was more of an intuition, and he didn't know where to begin.
“Senior Sister, I don’t know how to explain it, but please trust me!”
“There’s no time for further explanation, let’s hurry!” Ye Fei urged.
“Junior Brother, Senior Sister trusts you. I will protect you!” Seeing Ye Fei’s anxious expression, Gu Ningyan knew it wasn't the time for questions. She immediately stood by the entrance to guard Ye Fei.
Ye Fei then began tapping and probing the surrounding walls. After two attempts, Ye Fei discovered a subtle difference in the wall.
“Found it!” Ye Fei exclaimed with joy. He then connected the centers of each mural on the elaborately carved walls. As the last stroke was drawn, a transparent screen of light rumbled into existence on the wall.
Gu Ningyan could no longer contain her shock, covering her mouth in astonishment. At the same time, she felt a surge of excitement. If they could break this formation, they would surely find Senior Brother.
Ye Fei remained calm, circling the formation and memorizing it in his mind. However, the complexity of the formation exceeded Ye Fei’s expectations. Fortunately, Ye Fei was well-versed in formations and could apply his knowledge analogously, otherwise, it would have taken him an unknown amount of time to decipher it.
“Senior Sister, I have devised a method to break it. I will break this formation now!” Ye Fei leaped and stopped directly before the transparent screen. He then began drawing a deconstruction pattern on the formation with his spiritual energy.
In less than half an hour, the deconstruction pattern was complete! Ye Fei then concentrated his spiritual energy onto his palm and pushed it forward, striking the screen of light. The deconstruction pattern on the screen instantly lit up. As the last line glowed, the pattern erupted with a dazzling light. With a boom, the screen shattered and vanished into nothingness.
“Senior Sister, let’s go!” Ye Fei urged. The two then hurried towards the back of the great hall. At that moment, the jade stone’s glow intensified, flashing much faster than before.
“Junior Brother, could Senior Brother be in one of the rooms nearby?” Gu Ningyan wondered. The area behind the great hall was a completely different world, far from being dilapidated. Instead, it was opulent and exquisitely carved.
“Senior Sister, you are right. Let’s search room by room!”
“To avoid getting separated, I think it’s best if we stay together!” Ye Fei advised, finding the profound silence unsettling.
“Junior Brother, let’s start with the rooms on the right.” At a glance, there were dozens of rooms, each quite spacious and offering a comfortable living experience. The two crept towards the rooms on the side. However, after searching several rooms, they found no trace of Senior Brother.
“Let’s search this way!” Ye Fei suggested. He had a strong intuition that Senior Brother was in the first room on the left. Since they couldn’t find him in the rooms on the right, they naturally moved towards the left side. They exchanged a glance before carefully pushing open the window of a room. At that moment, the jade stone suddenly emitted a strong light. Suppressing their excitement, they both pushed open the door and entered.
On the large bed within the room, the figure they saw was none other than Gu Ningyan’s Senior Brother, Mu Fang!
“Senior Brother, it’s really Senior Brother!”
“Senior Brother, wake up, what’s wrong with you?” Gu Ningyan cried out anxiously as he seemed unconscious. Recalling Ye Fei’s proficiency in alchemy, she immediately called out to him.
“Junior Brother Ye, please take a look at Senior Brother. What’s wrong with him?”
“Why won’t he wake up no matter how I call him?” Ye Fei frowned, quickly approaching Senior Brother’s bed. After a brief examination, he spoke.
“Senior Sister, don’t worry, Senior Brother is not in serious condition!”
“He sustained injuries before, and was then given a sleeping agent, which is why he remains unconscious.” Ye Fei explained.
“That’s good!”
“Let’s not delay, we must hurry and take Senior Brother away from here!” Gu Ningyan said again.
However, at that moment, hurried footsteps were heard from outside, accompanied by a very aged voice.
“Someone actually broke our formation!”
“You four, quickly go check the young man’s room to see if his accomplice has come to rescue him!” Ye Fei’s sharp ears caught these words, and his heart sank, realizing they had run into serious trouble.
“Senior Sister, quickly hide!”
“Don’t come out until I tell you to, understand?” Ye Fei’s expression was extremely serious. He had intended to speak further, but was silenced by Ye Fei’s stern demeanor and could only nod feebly. Ye Fei then quickly shoved her into a well-concealed corner to hide. He then walked out boldly, coming face to face with the four young martial artists.