Yun Zhong Ge, as its name suggested, was a pavilion that towered into the clouds, seemingly suspended amongst them.
As Feng Xi Wu had said, Lu Qing Wan stood at the summit of Yun Zhong Ge, her gaze sweeping across the landscape for miles around.
It was from this vantage point that she was astonished to realize, "This is a Bagua city!"
From the design of its outer walls to the intricate network of streets and alleys within, everything was constructed based on the principles of the Eight Trigrams, creating a city where every path led somewhere, yet nowhere in particular.
Such a design, even in a modern metropolis facing immense traffic pressure, would eliminate the problem of congestion.
Excitedly, she darted around, and after surveying the surrounding scenery, remembered her pressing concern. "Where are the two formations you mentioned?"
Cracking these formations would not only unlock new rewards in her spatial laboratory but also open up passages between the north and south, achieving two goals at once.
Therefore, Lu Qing Wan was quite eager about this matter.
Feng Xi Wu extended his arm, pointing into the distance. "Thirty miles from the Li and Kan directions, there are each hidden formations. However, the formation in the Kan position has been damaged and cannot be broken by conventional means. If you are interested, you can go and examine the formation outside the Li gate."
Lu Qing Wan nodded thoughtfully. "No wonder Ru Yue said that the Tian Xuan Sect was just relying on favorable timing and location to rest on its laurels. This place, even without resting on its laurels, could make a fortune, couldn't it?"
Tian Xuan City appeared to be located in a no-man's-land between the three tribes and a part of the northern territories, but in reality, it was encircled by a vast forest and the territory of the Great Qin.
The three tribes and a part of the northern territories formed a small fan shape wedged against the northern kingdoms like Great Qin, with Tian Xuan City situated near the center of this fan.
Separating this fan from the circle of the northern kingdoms was the legendary Cloud Forest, from which no one ever returned.
For the three tribes and a part of the northern territories to reach the northern kingdoms, the only way was through Tian Xuan City. To control such a critical stronghold, it would be against natural law for the Tian Xuan Sect *not* to become immensely wealthy.
After understanding the key to Tian Xuan City's prosperity, Lu Qing Wan muttered, "I'm almost reluctant to break that formation. As long as there are no other routes, and they only control this one path, I can get rich and support you."
Feng Xi Wu chuckled. "Then shall we not break the formation?"
"Let's just forget it." Lu Qing Wan patted her chest with a pang of regret. "Hoarding all the benefits for oneself never ends well. I don't want to end up like the Bei Ming family."
Seeing her conflicted expression, Feng Xi Wu was amused. "Alright, then let's go take a look."
Thanks to Feng Xi Wu, his men had already discovered the two formations. To spend a long time there breaking the formations, Shen Ci had also helped research some miasma-avoiding pills, saving Lu Qing Wan considerable effort.
Descending from Yun Zhong Ge, Lu Qing Wan followed Feng Xi Wu directly to the formation outside the Li gate.
Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea after leaving, Lu Qing Wan took an antidote pill. "No wonder they say this place is one-way. It's truly quite peculiar. After taking the miasma-avoiding pill, take this too."
Lu Qing Wan handed the antidote she had brought to Li Jin, then peeled an orange, not eating it but sniffing it intermittently. The accompanying attendants followed suit, and soon, Li Yang exclaimed, "Hey, it really feels much more comfortable! Oranges have this effect? If I'd known, I would have brought more when we came."
"We've arrived, it's here." Feng Xi Wu pointed to the lush bushes in front of them and said to Lu Qing Wan, "There is a hidden formation here, can you see it?"
Lu Qing Wan scanned the area. Apart from bushes, there was grass taller than a person. There was no trace of any human alteration. However, "Wait for me here."
As she spoke, she took out a small bottle, smeared some on her hands and face, then scrambled up a nearby tree. Like a monkey, she climbed to a higher position in a few movements.
Li Yang was stunned. "She can climb trees too? Is there anything the Princess Consort can't do?"
No one could answer his question, so Li Yang continued to mutter, "But why is the Princess Consort climbing trees?"
"Any formation has traces of human alteration, but those unskilled in formations will not easily discern them. The Princess Consort is employing foresight, intending to observe from a high vantage point to determine the formation's precise location, or even its core."
Just as he was speaking, there was a muffled thud, followed by a series of thudding sounds. Lu Qing Wan, using her long whip as a rope, hung herself from a tree and kicked at the tall, sturdy trees nearby. Within the reach of her whip, no tree was spared. As she kicked, the trees suddenly seemed to sprout legs and move. Then, Lu Qing Wan shouted, "Fall back to both sides!"
Feng Xi Wu spread his arms wide, channeling his energy to push all the surrounding attendants to the sides. Those who reacted quickly also swiftly pulled their companions back. Feng Xi Wu himself leaped forward, catching Lu Qing Wan as she fell from the tree.
In the time it took for one to push and the other to catch, it wasn't just the trees Lu Qing Wan had kicked that came alive. The bushes on the ground also uprooted themselves and, like caltrops on a battlefield, surged towards their original direction. Though they looked like ordinary trees, where the bushes passed, towering trees as thick as pillars were broken in half and crashed heavily to the ground. Where the bushes had been, a pit filled with sharp blades was revealed. As the two were about to fall into the pit, Lu Qing Wan swung the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes in her hand, using it to pull herself and land safely.
The trees and bushes continued to thrash about chaotically. Lu Qing Wan grabbed a handful of whatever she could and threw it out in various directions. More trees began to move, and more pits opened up on the ground. Even the spot where they had been standing had transformed into sharp blades, placed there who knows how long ago, along with snakes, insects, rats, and ants that made one's scalp tingle.
Lu Qing Wan raised an eyebrow and looked at Feng Xi Wu. "This is the hidden formation you mentioned?"
"This is just the surface. Don't let your guard down," Feng Xi Wu reminded Lu Qing Wan in a deep voice. "Look closely. Everything that appears within our field of vision is what the other party wants us to see..."
Just as he spoke, a small black blob suddenly leaped out. Before Lu Qing Wan could react, the tiny figure disappeared into the bushes opposite the formation.
"Hey, Da Bai!" Li Yang reacted and shouted anxiously. "Princess Consort, is that little guy going to be alright running out at a time like this?"
"No," Lu Qing Wan didn't speak. She focused all her attention on the spatial laboratory. Seeing this, Feng Xi Wu guessed her situation and quietly moved closer, standing by Lu Qing Wan's side in a protective stance.
Meanwhile, Lu Qing Wan's divine sense had already reached the spatial laboratory. In its most familiar spot lay a book, so plain it looked like an antique buried for a hundred or eighty years. The words "Gua Jing" (Divination Classic) on the cover were simple and crude, yet Lu Qing Wan inexplicably believed that this book might help her break the formation outside.