Chapter 29: Farce
Gan Ping walked out of the secret room with a gloomy face, jumped up and arrived at the highest house top of Ning Fu. He ignored the unsightly face on the other side, stretched out his hand, and a scroll-like treasure appeared in his palm. The spiritual power was obscure, just like an ordinary painting scroll. He unfolded it, and Gan Ping's other hand quickly flipped through, taking out one by one the spirit stones from the black lacquer ring and inserting them into the unfolded scroll.
Qingyue Dao Ren's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the scroll-like treasure in the young man's hand. If he wasn't mistaken, it was a rare and precious array-type treasure that could instantly set up a spiritual array. Although it couldn't attack or defend, the person controlling the array could launch a fierce offense or defense from within. Such treasures were extremely rare in the cultivation world, and only some of the most prestigious sects possessed them. Qingyue had only heard of such treasures before, so he wondered what kind of background this young man came from to possess such a treasure.
As Gan Ping casually fed high-quality spirit stones into the array one by one, Qingyue couldn't help but feel a pang of pain on his behalf. His own sect could only accumulate a few spirit stones in a year, yet this young man was using them as if they were worthless. This made Qingyue's eyes turn red with envy.
As soon as Gan Ping threw in those spirit stones, the formation map treasure in his hand also lit up. The originally obscure spiritual power fluctuations gradually strengthened, and Qingyue only reacted now, hastily stepping forward to bow from a distance, saying loudly: "Fellow Daoist, aren't you thinking of setting up a formation? I hope you'll consider the common people in this city and show mercy." He saw that Gan Ping had such treasures, and Qingyue's attitude also became more polite. Gan Ping coldly smiled, it seemed that not only worldly people were like this, even cultivators would treat others with courtesy when they saw that someone else's wealth was greater than their own. He said: "Qingyue fellow Daoist, this formation must be set up here."
"Excuse me, fellow Taoist," Qingyue hastily asked, "Why must you do this? Your formation is extremely powerful and I fear it will harm many innocent people." "Hmph, harm the innocent? My fiancée Ling'er was not innocent either! Since they have done wrong, they must pay the price. Now that Ling'er's soul has vanished, I have no choice but to borrow something from these two families of Fang and Ning." Upon hearing this, Qingyue felt a sudden jolt in his heart, vaguely guessing what it might be. However, looking at the anxious eyes of Fang Ting and his wife, and recalling their filial piety over the years, he steeled himself to ask: "May I ask, fellow Taoist, what is it that you wish to borrow?"
Gan Ping's eyes twitched, and he suddenly burst out laughing, starting from a low chuckle and growing louder until he was holding his sides and roaring with laughter. His face turned red and his eyes gleamed with madness. Qing Yue saw this and thought to herself that something was not right. She quickly retreated backward, just as Gan Ping let out a loud shout: "I'll borrow the lives of these two families for my use!" As soon as he finished speaking, he tossed the formation map upwards, and it began to inflate in the wind. In an instant, it enveloped the entire estates of the Fang and Ning families within a three-mile radius. A fierce gale howled, and a thick fog rolled in, but in front of Gan Ping, a layer of golden light flashed, forming a protective net that shielded his body.
Qingyue Dao Ren had already retreated back at this time, he was only in the middle of his Qi practice, how could he break through the array chart refined by Xuanyangzi? Although it was just a low-level array chart, it was not something that his current cultivation could withstand. His face looked extremely ugly, and he walked back to the original place with a sullen face, looking at Gan Ping who was standing high on the rooftop and said: "May I ask Daoist friend what is the meaning of this? Do you have any grudges against Fang Ning's family, why are you blocking my way?" At this point, Qingyue had already forgotten about Fang Ting, the money tree, and only thought about how to escape.
Through the thin mist, Gan Ping stood on the rooftop, his face ferocious, as if he wanted to devour someone. He gazed at Qingyue Road in the distance and said: "If it weren't for you blocking me, how would Fang Zhengyan have killed Ling'er? If it weren't for Fang Ting and Ning Lingtian delaying me, how would Ling'er have suffered this disaster? If it weren't for the Fang and Ning families indulging Fang Zhengyan, how could he have done such a cruel and inhumane thing? Now that he's gone, who else can I look for?" The last two sentences were already shouted out. Gan Ping had lost his original elegance due to Ling'er's death, and his mind was now somewhat deranged.
Qingyue heard this and was filled with regret, thinking that if he had known earlier, no matter how much compensation the Fang and Ning families offered, he would not have gotten involved in this mess. The young man in front of him seemed to hate him to the bone, and now he was caught up in this blood feud. At present, he couldn't escape from this formation, and he had lost his magic treasure, so he couldn't do anything to the young man. Fortunately, he had sent a message talisman earlier, and Master should be on his way, which made him feel slightly more at ease.
Qingyue no longer cared about himself, only operating the formation there. Qingyue didn't dare to step forward and stop him, as this formation must have a prohibition against external interference. Having lost his magic treasure, he would certainly die if he rashly approached. Thinking of this, Qingyue grabbed Fangting's collar and roared at him: "You've raised a good son! Quickly go and capture him, hand him over to that little brat, maybe it can save your whole family! Hurry up!" Qingyue was already furious, having seen Fang Zhengfan's scoundrel himself and heard about his misdeeds. He never thought he would cause such trouble, provoking such a formidable figure. For now, the most important thing was to get him over here first, not asking that little brat on the roof to calm down, even if it meant dragging things out for a while longer. Qingyue didn't want to die with the Fang and Ning families.
When he heard the clear words, Fang Ting's eyes flashed a hint of sadness, but in an instant, he understood this kind of joint. He stomped his feet, bit his teeth, and turned to run back with big strides. Since it was that bastard who stirred up the trouble, let him take responsibility for it himself. It couldn't be because of him that the Fang family would be exterminated. Just as he took two steps forward, Ning Mingxia, who had been standing still beside him, suddenly rushed over and hugged his leg, crying out: "Master, don't go! If Faran falls into the hands of that evil man, he will surely die! My brother is dead, I cannot lose Faran again! Master, please spare Faran's life for the sake of our many years of marriage. He is your own flesh and blood!"
Fang Lei was caught off guard by her sudden pounce, almost falling to the ground. Hearing her words, his face turned ugly, and he kicked her away, shouting loudly: "Yuanyu is my son, how can I not be heartbroken? But now this great disaster is caused by him, if we don't hand him over, the Fang and Ning families' thousands of people will all perish at his hands. You only know how to spoil and indulge him, now you've brought about such a huge calamity, what am I supposed to do?" After finishing speaking, he stomped his foot and ignored Ning Mingxia who was crying on the ground, running towards the inner courtyard without looking back.
Qingyue coldly watched the couple, ignoring Ning Mingxia's incessant wailing. She raised her eyes to look at Gan Ping, who was carefully operating the magic array diagram. The success of this magic array would determine whether Ling'er's soul could return safely, and any carelessness would be disastrous. Although the Seven-Star Locking Spirit Array had the diagram as an auxiliary aid, the final magic decision still had to be made by herself. As she was casting spell after spell into the array, she suddenly heard a commotion from below, and her eyes widened in anger at the sight.
Originally, Fang Ting had brought two family members who had already dragged Fang Er to the front. Fang Er no longer had his previous arrogant appearance, but was now prostrate on the ground, covered in dust, looking like he had been through a struggle before being dragged here. His face was tear-stained and he trembled as he looked at Gan Ping. Gan Ping's eyes flashed with cold light, but he didn't respond to him. Fang Ting knelt in the distance and shouted loudly: "Immortal Master, please spare our lives! I've brought this evil son here, whether you want to kill or punish him is up to you, just please spare my family's lives."
Jian Ping didn't react, and Fang Ting continued: "That Li Zhuang ordered someone to kidnap Ling'er, I brought him here too, waiting for your instructions." After finishing speaking, he waved his hand, and from behind two servants appeared, dragging out a person. It wasn't Li Zhuang who was anyone else? Li Zhuang had already been scared out of his wits, loudly shouting and crying: "It's not my fault, I have nothing to do with this! This matter has nothing to do with me!" Fang Ting said hatefully: "If you hadn't instructed someone to kidnap that girl, how would such a disaster have occurred? You're a sycophantic little person." Fang Ting was fed up with Li Zhuang, and this kind of petty person, for the sake of pleasing his own son, actually dared to do something as outrageous as kidnapping a respectable woman. It's likely that in secret, he had done many similar things, which made Fang Ting even more furious.
What a strange thing it is to be a parent, when their own children make mistakes, they always blame others first. Fang Ting was no exception. When he heard Fang Ting scolding him, Li Zhuang's heart turned cold. He decided to take a risk and speak out: "You old scoundrel, you're blaming me for your own son's mistakes? You didn't even care about your wife who died, all because you wanted to climb up the social ladder by marrying into the city lord's family. Now karma has caught up with you! Fang Zhengfan, do you know why you've been having bad luck lately? It's all because of your older brother! From Miss Zhang to this woman in Majia Village, it was all his plan. Unfortunately, he didn't expect things to turn out like this, and I got dragged into it too. You called me a petty person? Your own son is the real petty person, and he's right in the backyard! Do you dare go get him and bring him here to be punished together?"
Li's words were swift and ruthless, each sentence cutting into Fang Ting's heart like a knife. He felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, stumbled backwards several steps, and almost fell to the ground. It was actually Fang Zhengyan who had orchestrated this, he sat down on the ground with a thud, his face filled with despair. Originally, he thought that even if he abandoned Fang Zhengyuan, he could still preserve some dignity for the Fang family, even if it meant sacrificing himself. But now, it seemed that his eldest son was also implicated in this mess, and today's events were irreparable.
Gan Ping originally watched their farce with a cold eye, but when he heard Li Zhuang's words, his heart was greatly shocked, and a wry smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. So it turned out that it was these two brothers who were fighting, which led to this series of events. He could only regret that Fang Zhengyan had also schemed against Ling'er, and sighed that the poor girl had become a sacrifice among them.
Ning Mingxia heard Li Zhuang's words and rushed towards Fang Ting like a madman, grabbing his collar tightly and wailing: "It's all because of that bastard, he harmed my son to such an extent. If I had known earlier, I would have killed him and that slut together back then, eliminating this root of disaster." Fang Ting let Ning Mingxia tear at him, only muttering to himself: "Retribution, retribution..." He was already resigned to his fate, listening to the heavens' will.
At this time, a figure emerged from behind the broken wall not far away, shouting loudly: "Stop, you cheap woman! It was really you who killed my mother. If it wasn't for my father's protection, I would have died at your hands long ago. Today, you finally spoke the truth." Ning Mingxia saw that Fang Zhengyan still dared to appear, so she let go of Fang Ting's hand and pounced on Fang Zhengyan like a mad tiger, cursing: "You little beast!!!" The two of them fought together, and Fang Zhengyuan, seeing his archenemy's older brother, also became enraged, jumping up from the ground and pouncing forward.
"That's enough!" Just as several people were in a mess, a loud roar came, and several people turned their heads to look at Gan Ping. Gan Ping stood on the high eaves with a dark face, looking down at the crowd below with a cold expression. He sneered: "Very good, very good, you're all here, not one is missing. You don't have to make a fuss anymore. When the Seven Star Lock Spirit Array is activated later, no one will be able to escape. I'm too lazy to pursue each of you individually. At that time, you can all die together with Ling'er, and don't think about any grudges in the next life. Under the great array, your souls will be shattered, and you won't even enter reincarnation. You'll disappear into nothingness!"
With a resolute tone, Gan Ping ignored the crowd with varying expressions and cast his final spell. The entire grand formation began to operate instantly, emitting waves of light from within. The originally thin mist had already become so dense that one could not see their own fingers in front of them. Panic-stricken cries echoed throughout the Fang and Ning families' residences as the Seven-Star Locking Spirit Formation was activated.
Under the sudden movement of the array, everyone in the array was shocked and panicked. Qingyue saw that things were irretrievable, let out a loud whistle, and rushed towards Ganping at the center of the array. Although he had no confidence in breaking through the thunder net ban of the array core, it was better than waiting for death. Ganping saw him desperately trying to break through, smiled lightly, pointed his hand, and a Wuxu Thunder suddenly appeared above the large array, heavily striking Qingyue who was rushing towards him. At the same time, he turned his magic decision, and several thunder lights came down, like a few thunder dragons in the misty array, filling the entire array. Fangting and his group had not even had time to cry out before they were blown to pieces, their fragmented souls being absorbed by the large array, gathering towards the center of the array. Qingyue also took out a jade pendant from somewhere, its spiritual light flashing as it formed a thin layer of light screen around his body. Ganping didn't bother with him, only focusing on commanding the array, gathering the remaining souls. The protective light screen around Qingyue's body was becoming thinner and thinner under the attack of the thunder lights, almost breaking apart. He desperately poured true yuan into the jade pendant in his hand, barely maintaining the light screen from being dispersed.
"As long as Ling'er is safe and sound, I don't care about the lives of others. Even if it means sacrificing millions of people, I won't show any mercy. It seems that one's own strength is indeed the foundation. If I had set up this sinister formation from the beginning, Ling'er wouldn't have encountered such misfortune. It looks like my days in Majiacun were too peaceful and I've become complacent. However, from now on, I will definitely work hard to cultivate myself and take control of my own life."
At this point, Gan Ping no longer hesitated and quickly gathered the residual souls, pinched his fingers, and these residual souls merged into a light ball, flying towards the center of the formation. He took out a piece of spiritual jade from the ring and quickly carved it with his divine soul power. What Gan Ping was carving on it was the secret transmission of Wangyue Mountain's Soul-Gathering Array. Although it was an evil cultivation method, it was suitable for the current situation. If it were a famous orthodox sect, they would not be able to find such a suitable spell even if they crawled all over. In the blink of an eye, this spell was completed, and Gan Ping threw the spiritual jade into the air. The light ball transformed from the residual souls in the formation burned fiercely, which was burning the soul power to guide Ling'er's soul back. If it were a complete soul, it would be distracting when burning, and it might impact Ling'er's mind. When Ling'er woke up, she would also be confused, so Gan Ping had to shatter and burn everyone's souls.
Only to see the big array operating, a seven-colored stream of light flew in from the distant horizon, and one head rushed towards the jade stone in the air. Gan Ping was overjoyed at the sight, as long as Ling'er's soul returned, he would use his secret method to strike it into her body, and within three days, Ling'er would be restored to her original state.
Just as Gan Ping was overjoyed, a loud shout came from the sky: "Evil demon, you actually dared to do such a cruel thing, look at my Taicheng Zhengyi God Thunder!" Before the voice had fallen, a heavenly thunderbolt with infinite power struck the Seven Star Lock Spirit Array. Gan Ping's face turned pale with despair and he let out a miserable cry: "No——"
