“Origin sphere?” Lu Yun fell into deep thought.
“Alright, let’s not go into that.” A bright smile tugged at Qing Han’s lips. “At least I’m alive for now!”
Lu Yun sighed and dropped the subject. There must be a way for the Tome of Life and Death to manipulate death. I’m just too weak right now to possess that death art. Determination flashed through his eyes.
The northern tomb was pitch black without any sources of light. The further Lu Yun and Qing Han went in, the thicker the murderous atmosphere grew. A thin layer of goosebumps covered their skin as the pressure on them grew heavier.
“Don’t move!” the Dusk governor hurriedly protested when he noticed a white light emanating from Qing Han; his friend was preparing to use the Scroll of Shepherding Immortals again.
“What’s wrong?” Qing Han quietly asked. “There’s no one else here this time.”
“The Big Dipper formation mustn’t be attacked by outside forces, or its full power will be unleashed and sweep over every corner in the layout. There are no blind spots here,” Lu Yun said seriously. “Your scroll is powerful, but it can’t counter the power of the seven stars.”
Qing Han paled.
“You have to follow my instructions from now on,” Lu Yun emphasized. “If I tell you not to do something, don’t do it. Put out the fire on your fingertip and place your right hand on my shoulder to follow me.”
“Alright!” Qing Han did as Lu Yun said.
“If only Mo Yi were here. She knows the Big Dipper Formation like the back of her hand. Although this formation isn’t the same as the one in her manor, there’s more similarities than differences.”
If Mo Yi were here, she would easily break the formation, resulting in the layout dissipating as well. Lu Yun could see through the layout and avoid any fatal traps, but he wasn’t strong enough to unravel it. This layout wasn’t one of the earth, but of the sky and the countless stars.
If his knowledge of feng shui hadn’t extended to the stars, he would’ve been in the dark as well.
There was a treasure hidden in this tomb that could channel the power of the Big Dipper to create the layout. But the treasure wasn’t part of the layout, so he couldn’t see where it was.
“Where is the cosmic treasure?” Lu Yun closed his eyes and expanded his consciousness to target the cosmic energy, trying to track it to its source.
Qing Han paused. “The cosmic treasure?”
“That’s right,” responded the governor. “The cosmic treasure is the key to this layout. If we find it, we can break this arrangement.”
“Do you remember the treasure you took from Li Xing?” Qing Han reminded him. “Heaven knows where Qing Hongchen found it, but it can even expose an item over ninth-rank.”
Lu Yun paused. “Oh?” He remembered now. Back in the burial mound under the Myriad Formation Summit, a Yueshen-controlled Li Youcai had attacked Li Xing with his Seal of Mountains and Rivers. However, Li Xing had knocked the fatty’s treasure away with a strange coin.
With a flip of a wrist, a palm-sized coin with a pair of small wings appeared in Lu Yun’s hand, glowing faintly of gold.
The Treasurefall Coin.
“This is it!” Qing Han’s eyes lit up. “It can not only knock down other treasures, but also seek out treasure! ...Er, have you not refined it yet?”
Lu Yun’s awkward expression was answer enough. “I haven’t.” He smiled wryly. He actually hadn’t touched the item at all. If Qing Han hadn’t reminded him, he would’ve forgotten all about it.
“Refine it now,” Qing Han said. “I’ll keep watch.”
“Okay.” Lu Yun accepted the offer and sat down cross-legged to refine the treasure with a taming method.
Li Xing was obviously Qing Hongchen’s man. Qing Han had kept a low profile when he made his way to Myriad Formation Summit, so no one but a handful of followers should’ve been able to find him.
It was Qing Hongchen who’d pointed Li Xing to Qing Han’s fortress ship. The man had gone there with the treasurefall coin, aiming to acquire the Portrait of Emptiness, but he’d unfortunately ended up possessed by the spirit of the portrait and ultimately dead and scattered.
The coin was now ownerless, so Lu Yun was able to refine it without difficulty.
“It really can seek out treasure!” The Dusk governor perked up when he received the information from the refined coin.
“Haste!” The wings attached to the coin lit up in response to his chant and the coin vanished in a flash of light.
“Come with me!” Lu Yun grabbed Qing Han and made his way through the layout.
Qing Han blushed when Lu Yun took his hand. The governor’s consciousness was glued to the coin, and since it was pitch-black around them...
Qing Han quietly dispersed the starstone’s power and turned into Qing Yu, letting Lu Yun lead her through the endless darkness.
Lu Yun was none the wiser. His sole focus was on controlling the rankless coin in search of the cosmic treasure hidden within the darkness.
“Why are you quiet again, Qing Han?” Lu Yun asked absentmindedly.
Qing Yu followed him without a word.
“Here it is!” Lu Yun came to a sudden stop, causing the girl to tumble into his arms in a moment of distraction. The fragrance assaulting Lu Yun’s senses temporarily entranced him.
Qing Yu hurriedly backed away and activated the starstone. “We’re here already?” He was somewhat disappointed.
“Hm?” Lu Yun was still distracted. He’d definitely felt a soft body falling into his arms just now. “Was that you, Qing Han?”
“No!” Qing Han quickly responded.
Lu Yun tensed. “Is there someone else here?”
“Well...” Qing Han cursed himself under his breath. Serves me right for dispelling the disguise. How big of a ditz can I be! I could’ve just followed him quietly! He abruptly found himself in the same pair of arms.
“Soft… I forgot how little tempering you’ve got. You have no muscle at all.” Lu Yun scratched his head and reached out to stroke Qing Han’s chest. Yep, it’s flat. Doesn’t feel like there’s any binding there. He really is a “he”.
Qing Han flushed a bright red. Fortunately, the place was too dark for Lu Yun to see his expression, or the governor would’ve noticed something.
“What… what are you doing, groping a man’s chest?!” Qing Han repressed the urge to move away. Jaw set stiffly, he snarked something he would regret for a long time, “You haven’t fallen for me, have you?”