Who Let Him Cultivate?!

Lan Ting was initially accustomed to meditating at night instead of sleeping, but since joining the barbecue shop, he had formed a good habit of sleeping at night.

When the four of them woke up, they felt comfortable all over, and their spirits were completely lifted, all thanks to the Array Method set up by Lan Ting.

“Let’s go and play. I haven’t had enough fun!” Meng Jingzhou was the most vigorous, waking Lu Yang up from bed like one would drive a pig.

Lu Yang kicked Meng Jingzhou before unwillingly getting up.

Man Gu went to the market early to purchase supplies, always the first to get up.

Man Gu made a pot of noodle soup, added four eggs, dripped a few drops of sesame oil, and the fragrance spread throughout the hall.

Lu Yang liked vinegar, he added a small spoonful to his bowl of noodle soup. The four of them finished their meals, feeling refreshed and ready for fun.

Though the four of them left quite early, there were already numerous tourists roaming the streets. Lu Yang heard that all the lodges had been booked up, so many people opted for homestays.

The people’s faces were brimming with joyous smiles, children wore tofu masks similar to Lu Yang’s, holding windmills in their hands, jumping around energetically. Parents held their children’s hands tightly, fearing they might get lost.

“This is as lively as a temple fair.”

“Did you hear? Someone brought a gigantic creature from the southern part of the mainland. It’s by the river, let’s go and see!” someone excitedly said to his companion.

Upon hearing this, Meng Jingzhou, unable to suppress his curiosity, led the three to the river to see the gigantic creature.

The four of them arrived at the familiar large stone bridge, only this time they stood on top of it. Small flags were inserted all along both sides of the bridge.

Upon seeing the gigantic creature, Meng Jingzhou was somewhat disappointed: “I thought it would be something more exciting. Turns out it’s just an elephant.”

By the Hidden Dragon River, this place was originally a gathering spot for tourists every year. Now, someone brought an elephant from the southern part of the mainland to show off, attracting even more curious onlookers.

Undoubtedly, Lu Yang had seen an elephant before. Meng Jingzhou and Lan Ting, who came from influential families, had seen more exotic objects since childhood than Lu Yang could ever imagine. Man Gu, who lived in the wilderness, had even hunted elephants.

Ordinary people didn’t have the experiences of Lu Yang and the others and were very interested in the huge elephant.

The tourists exclaimed, “Is it a demon beast? It’s so big, and it has such a long nose and tusks?”

The owner of the elephant was a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator. He explained, “It indeed is a demon beast. It’s hard to evaluate the realm of a demon beast, but it roughly equates to the sixth level of Qi Refinement. However, size has nothing to do with being a demon beast. This type of creature is called an elephant and they all grow this big after maturity.”

The tourists continued to ask, “How heavy is this huge creature?”

The elephant’s owner laughed dumbfoundedly. Who would know? There weren’t any scales big enough for measuring it.

Another tourist suggested, “This place is right next to the river. You can put the elephant on a large boat, mark where the boat touches the water, then load the boat with rocks or other stuff until the mark touches the water again. Weigh the rocks, and we’ll know the elephant’s weight.”

The elephant’s owner, curious to know how much his spiritual pet weighed, happily agreed.

At the owner’s command, the elephant was shepherded onto the boat. The elephant was too heavy, even for the boat in the shallow water. Therefore, the owner rowed the boat to the middle of the river. He pulled out a small knife and made a mark where the boat touched the water.

Lan Ting pondered, “A body in a fluid experiences an upward force called buoyancy, equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.”

Just as the owner was about to row back, the elephant looked up by chance and saw Man Gu, which scared it badly.

Demon beasts are highly sensitive to aura. Man Gu, as a member of the Ancient Barbarian Tribe, lived in the wilderness and hunted elephants regularly. The ferocious killing intent blended into his bloodstream. Although the elephant didn’t understand the meaning, it trembled at the sight of Man Gu. This reaction came from the suppression of their bloodline.

The frightened elephant suddenly fell into the water with a splash, sinking to the bottom.

The people on the shore cried out in horror, urging the elephant’s owner to save it immediately. However, the elephant’s owner calmly made a mark where the elephant fell into the water and said, “Note this place. This is where the elephant fell.”

The people on the shore were confused. The owner didn’t explain either, instead pointing out the mark as they almost reached the shore and explained, “My elephant fell here, and it’s still here!”

The crowd laughed heartily, thinking he was joking. Unexpectedly, they saw a whirlpool formed on the river surface, and the elephant flew out from beneath it, fanning its large ears and flickering its eyes.

A southern mainland speciality product, giant flying elephants.

Observing the scene, Man Gu furrowed his brows. Suddenly his face lit up with realization and he smacked his palm, exclaiming, “I remember now, this is a common saying I learned in class: ‘mark the boat for the elephant!'”

He had just gained a deep understanding of the saying.

Lu Yang: “…”

What on earth had he been learning in class?

Meng Jingzhou laughed and said, “I remember us finding the first Reverse Life Talisman under that bridge. We were so scared when we first learned about this thing, luckily we reported it.”

Lu Yang was about to play along with Meng Jingzhou’s joke when he noticed the small flags in front of him. He pulled out a flag and started examining it closely against the sunlight, his face serious.

“What’s wrong?” Meng Jingzhou noticed the change in Lu Yang’s demeanor. He had been waiting for Lu Yang to respond in jest but instead found Lu Yang acting differently.

Lu Yang fixed a grave look on his face, pointing to the faint pattern on the flag, “Look at this pattern. What does it look like to you?”

“The Reverse Life Talisman?!” Lan Ting was the first to react as she was quite familiar with the pattern.

Meng Jingzhou’s eyes widened. The pattern on the flag was very faint, hardly visible without being held up to the sunlight. Even if it was visible, tourists would probably assume it was part of the Spring Festival decoration. How many people would recognize the Reverse Life Talisman’s pattern?

“Don’t panic. The Reverse Life Array might not have been formed yet!” Meng Jingzhou told himself to stay calm.

Lu Yang analyzed with a calm demeanor, “That’s impossible. Don’t forget, these are not just one or two flags. They’re all over Yanjiang County!”

A flag containing the Reverse Life Talisman pattern was hidden amongst the ordinary ones. Who could have imagined?!

Lu Yang continued, “In other words, the Reverse Life Array has been completed. They laid it all out in front of everyone, but no one noticed!”

“Then why hasn’t the Reverse Life Array been activated?” Meng Jingzhou thought of the conditions to activate the Reverse Life Array. Apart from setting up the array with the Reverse Life Talisman, it also required a blood sacrifice.

The people bold enough to lay out the Reverse Life Array could easily kill, so what were they waiting for?

Lu Yang responded grimly, “They are waiting for more people. The number of people here for the Spring Festival is not enough yet. People are still flocking to Yanjiang County!”

The Reverse Life Array would rob ordinary people of their lifespans, turning it into cultivation power for the one who set up the array. The more people robbed, the more cultivation power they would gain!

Meng Jingzhou also remembered, “According to customs, people will gather in the streets to sing and celebrate on the second night of the Spring Festival. They’ll also gather by the river for feasts and song contests!”

Today was the second day of the Spring Festival.