Uncle Master spoke, telling us to prepare.
As for myself, there was nothing to say. This matter concerned my very life, and I had already adjusted myself to the optimal state.
As soon as that fierce ghost broke through the seal, I would be able to use the "Chì" (敕) incantation at the first moment, attacking her with my flying sword.
"Uncle Master, rest assured, I am ready! I can act at any time!"
After speaking, I took a deep breath.
My true qi flowed, and waves of Taoist energy vibrated from me...
Xiao Mei also let out a fox's howl, her demonic energy surging. Simultaneously, she crouched down, revealing her fangs and claws.
She assumed a beastly attack posture.
Old Mo, at this moment, licked his lips:
"Our resolve to charge the formation is unwavering, life or death be damned.
Master, I have been ready for a long time."
After speaking, he brandished his peach wood axe a couple of times.
I glanced at Old Mo, accustomed to his ways.
Uncle Master paid us no mind. He rapidly formed hand seals, his incantations ceaseless:
"One qi, chaos, with seven stars,
Seven stars push forward to the Yangming.
Heaven turns, earth revolves, treading the Six Jia,
Stepping the Dipper, commanding the Nine Spirits..."
The Seven Star Formation is perhaps the formation I understand best.
Among the demon-exorcising formations, it is also one of the relatively simple ones with fixed variations.
Yet, even as one of the simplest, its incantations and transformations number forty-nine.
To this day, I have not mastered them all.
Uncle Master chanted for about a minute, finishing his incantation.
He separated his hands, forming sword fingers, and pointed them outwards.
At the same time, he let out a low cry:
"Heavenly gods aid me in my hidden retreat, all calamities shall not touch me.
The Seven Star Big Dipper Formation; activate!"
As Uncle Master uttered the last two words, his voice grew louder.
And after he finished, he stomped his left foot onto the ground.
With a muffled "bang,"
Where Uncle Master stood within the formation, the patterns previously drawn with cinnabar instantly flashed with a faint red light.
The formation flags planted in the ground, in the direction Uncle Master pointed with his sword fingers, all unfurled.
The golden runes upon them lit up.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh," they all flew up into the air, two or three meters high, hovering.
In an instant, the seven main formation flags and dozens of smaller flags, at various heights, all suspended around us.
The red lines connecting them formed a dense network around us, culminating in the shape of the Big Dipper, centered on the seven main flags.
Uncle Master swept his gaze left and right, nodding with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Old Mo and I watched with immense admiration.
Uncle Master was indeed Uncle Master. His mere skill in setting up and activating formations was enough for Old Mo and me to continue learning.
At the center of the formation, the stone tablet by the dry well, besides constantly exuding thick Yin Sha energy,
From beneath the dry well, intermittent roars could be heard.
"Wuwu, wu ah..."
The sounds waxed and waned.
It was still possible to sense the fierce ghost within the dry well's extreme anger.
And most critically, the stone tablet above the dry well.
New cracks were continuously appearing on it.
The red seal talismans pasted onto the stone tablet seemed to be affected by the Yin Sha energy from the fierce ghost within the dry well.
They began to flutter in the wind, swaying.
As if they could fall off at any moment.
The few of us stared with wide eyes, knowing the seal was close to breaking.
The fierce ghost in the well was about to break free.
I clutched my peach wood sword, my senses heightened to the utmost.
Due to extreme tension, several of my wounds had split open, blood staining the bandages.
But I paid it no mind, my gaze fixed intently on the stone tablet.
And on the roars from the dry well, each clearer than the last:
"Wuwu, let me out, I want to get out..."
The voice was hoarse, but each utterance carried boundless rage and killing intent.
"Crack, crack, crackle..."
Under the impact of the continuous Yin Sha energy, the stone tablet was cracking bit by bit.
Grains of stone debris began to fall.
The red seal talismans swayed back and forth.
Each time, it felt like they were just a little bit away from falling...
We all remained vigilant, paying close attention.
Tense to the extreme.
Knowing that the seal was about to give way.
Perhaps it was only a matter of minutes.
Uncle Master formed hand seals, waiting for the fierce ghost to charge out so he could restrain it with the formation.
Xiao Mei had been on all fours for a long time, maintaining an attacking posture.
Her emotional tension was palpable.
As for Old Mo, this fellow.
The more tense the atmosphere,
The more chuunibyo and passionate he became, the easier it was for him to get carried away:
"Darkness envelops the land, a sacred light is about to arrive.
Awaken, beast slumbering within my body..."
As soon as Old Mo uttered "Awaken, beast."
The red seal talisman adhered to the marble stone tablet "swish."
It detached from the cracked stone tablet.
Our pupils contracted, and our hearts sank. We instinctively tightened our grip on our weapons.
The seal talisman gently fell, swaying, and in mid-air, it dissolved into dust...
With the disappearance of the seal talisman,
The marble stone tablet, already riddled with cracks, "boom" shattered, scattering stone fragments everywhere with a "clatter."
The next second, a black mist emerged from the dry well.
Accompanying the mist's appearance.
A female ghost with dishevelled hair, a pale face, and blood-red skin, with a ghastly smile, slowly rose from the dry well...