Chapter 23: The Ninth Turn of the Array

  Karamay heard that Wu Zihan was going back, so he immediately stood up, even forgetting that he had just been injured. He said excitedly: "We've already come this far, what's the point of going back?" He looked around at everyone, trying to seek help.

  "It's a pity to go back now."

  Wu Zihan said calmly: "You guys continue, I'll take him back."

  After finishing, I was about to leave when Xiao Lao stopped me: "You two brothers are really alike, both so stubborn. Jun Yang didn't agree to bury you in the desert and wanted to go back, now you're healed and want to go back too. Let me say something fair, we've gone through countless hardships to get here, it's not easy at all. There have been several times when we almost lost our lives, and now that we're getting closer to the Ghost Tomb, giving up is a bit hard to accept."

  Fu Ma said with a hint of disappointment: "But we can't just leave Jun Yang alone either."

  Xiao Lao nodded: "I didn't say to abandon Jun Yang and Xiao You, as you all know, the Town Soul Grass blooms only once every hundred years. Even if we go back, it's not like we can find it just by looking for it. Jun Yang and Xiao You's injuries cannot be delayed any longer."

  Yang Cang couldn't help but say loudly: "Old man, can you hurry up and get to the point? Can you just say what's important? The lady doesn't have time to waste with you."

  Xiao Lao seemed somewhat displeased and continued: "In my humble opinion, Jun Yang's friend Luo Sha's bloodline has already awakened, and he was also affected by the Soul-Devouring Curse. I'm afraid that we can only use the Nine-Turn Array to separate the main Luo Sha's spirit from his body, stabilize Jun Yang first, and then continue on our way. It is said that around the Ghost Mound, there is a kind of grass called Four-Leaf Ghost Needle Grass. This grass has an extraordinary effect and can replace the Soul-Calming Grass."

  Karamay nodded repeatedly: "This method is very good, it can be done."

  Wu Zihan looked at Xiao Lao and asked: "Are you absolutely sure?"

  Xiao Lao waved his hand and sighed, saying: "Don't mention having a full grasp of it. Even with the use of Town Soul Grass, there's no guarantee of success. All we can do is try our best and leave the rest to fate."

  Wu Zihan stopped speaking, implying consent. Yang Cangcang furrowed her brow and asked: "What is the Nine Turns Array? I've never heard of it."

  Lao San burst out laughing: "Ceng Ceng, you've been staying in the scorpion's tomb for too long. You don't even know what 'jiu zhuan zhen' means?"

  Yang Cangcang pursed her lips and said, "You heard it from a tomb raider's mouth, that what formation is indeed unheard of, I'm ashamed to ask."

  Lao San imitated Xiao Lao's usual proud appearance, raised his head and said in a pedantic tone: "This nine-turn array is a relatively popular type of spiritual array method recently. It uses spiritual power to drive people to quickly turn around three circles in the east, south, and north directions, separating their souls. To put it simply, it's like how a washing machine's spin cycle can wring out water."

  Yang Cangcang hummed and asked, "What is a washing machine? I've been trapped for 40 years, but I understand what you mean. Why not turn west? And can Jun Yang withstand such rapid changes?"

  Lao San was about to speak when Xiao Lao cut in, "If you turn westward, you'll directly turn into the Western Heaven. The rapid movement of the finger isn't referring to the physical body, but the spirit."

  "To activate the Nine Turns Array, we also need the venom of a Long Legs Spider. I'll go catch one," said Wu Zihan.

  Yang Cangcang followed behind, saying "I'm going too." Lao San pouted a bit, looking unhappy. Wu Zihan didn't say anything and walked out directly.

  Xiao Lao looked at others and said: "Let's eat something first, wait for Zi Han to come back and then start." Others nodded.

  The moon had slowly risen to the middle of the sky, and looking up at the starry night sky in the desert always made one feel that the stars were especially close. Lao San said with some concern: "Why haven't they come yet? The long-legged sand spider isn't a benevolent creature, has something unexpected happened?"

  Karamay opened one eye and closed the other, saying: "A Long, with Wu Zihan around, you're worried about a mere ghost? Someone who can make a thousand-year-old old demon kneel down, what's a spider in comparison?"

  Xiao Lao also echoed: "Indeed, perhaps something happened on the way that delayed him."

  "Xiao Lao, what's the story with Wu Zihuan? Even if she were the reincarnation of the Raksha Queen of Mount Tai, there's no reason for her to kneel down like that?" asked San Ge in puzzlement. Xiao Lao shook his head and didn't say anything.

  Fu Ma suddenly straightened his back and burst out laughing: "They're back, they heard Yang Cangcang's heart voice."

  Lao San looked at Fu Ma, puzzled, and came back laughing. He didn't care much, happily ran out of the tent to pick up Yang Cangcang.

  Wu Zihan walked ahead, holding a bottle containing a liquid-like substance that was probably the venom of the long-legged sand spider. Yang Cangcang followed behind him with her head down and taking small steps. Wu Zihan's clothes were torn in several places, his body had several patches of venom stuck to it, his hands were injured, and there were still some strands of spider silk wrapped around them.

  Lao San looked at Wu Zihan in surprise and said, "Brother, you easily handled that arrogant queen, how did a few spiders end up so miserable?"

  Wu Zihan didn't speak, and glanced at Yang Cangcang. Everyone's eyes were on her, and Yang Cangcang looked embarrassed, shaking his head to the right and saying: "I... I also want to get rid of those spiders quickly, don't I? This flute hasn't been played in years and is a bit rusty, accidentally attracting a few more, so..."

  Fell to the ground laughing so hard he was crying, Karamay frowned and asked: "How many more did you bring?"

  Yang Cangcang stuttered: "Just... just a few... a few thousand, that's all."

  Lao San had just taken a sip of water, and suddenly spat it all out: "Auntie, several thousand? I said why you came back so late, the long-legged sand spider is the most ruthless, must fight to the death with you, how many to kill, we would have been exhausted killing several thousand."

  Wu Zihan raised his head and said: "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and start, it will be too late after midnight."

  Everyone nodded, and at this time, my whole body was already a mess of colors, with some parts blue and some purple. Fu Ma seemed to have remembered something and asked: "Where is the seal of the separated soul?"

  Xiao Lao thought for a moment and said: "Is it sealed in his left eye?"

  Wu Zihan shook his head: "The left eye can't be sealed at all, it can only be temporarily stored in the Luosha Female King's Heart-Guarding Ghost Bone, and wait until the Four-Leafed Ghost Needle Grass is found to return and calm the soul."

  Xiao nodded, took the bottle from Wu Zihan's hand, and used the oily poison to draw a circle in each of the three directions: east, south, and north. He looked at everyone and said, "Dà yǎn, Càn càn, Zǐ hán, you three inject the Qi of the Void into these circles."

  Wu Zihan said softly: "I can handle it myself."

  Xiao Lao waved his hand: "You just consumed too much energy, let's work together, we are a team."

  When Xiao Lao said that we are a team, Wu Zihan seemed to be touched, and his eyes flashed with an unusual light for an instant.

  Lao San looked at Yang Cangcang with a sly smile and said, "Miss, you'd better not mispronounce the incantation, or else my second brother's soul will be misplaced."

  Yang Cangcang gave him a slanting glance and viciously said two words: "Shut up!" Lao San slipped away to hide behind Xiao Lao.

  Xiao Lao looked at everyone and said: "Let's begin."

  The three of them chanted a spell in unison, and then Fu Ma took charge of the southern circle. The air inside the circle shimmered like mist, while the northern circle's air was golden yellow. Wu Ziheng's eastern circle remained unchanged.

  Lao San's eyes widened and he didn't even blink as he asked Xiao Lao: "Why are their colors different?"

  Xiao Lao stroked his Mediterranean-style hair and said slowly: "The power of Tongling is different, so the aura of Yunyuan is naturally different. The Xuan tribe can use flute sounds to control insects, golden yellow, Pei Ma's eyes emit white light, only Wu Ziheng is the real return to true colorless aura."

  Lao San also drew a circle on the side, muttering: "Black sesame digging, white sesame sending, black sesame white sesame digging and sending ha, ding dong ding dong, Li Long burning incense, Xiao Lao Xiao Lao, longevity without aging!" After saying this messy pile of words, he shouted loudly: "Xiao Lao, look at my circle, it's the same as Wu Zihuan's, I'm also a colorless aura returning to simplicity and truth."

  Xiao gave him a white eye, too lazy to care about him. At this time, I had already sat down in the nine-turn array. Although my body didn't move, I could feel that my body was like sitting on a boat, constantly swaying up and down. According to Old Three, at that time, he saw countless transparent versions of me rapidly rotating, starting from the south-north circle and finally sitting on top of the east circle.

  When I finished the last lap of the Nine Revolutions Formation, a semi-transparent me appeared in front of me. Xiao Lao called him Po Ling. When Po Ling appeared, he glared at everyone and said: "I didn't expect you to use the Nine Revolutions Formation to separate me from my body. It's useless, I am Zhou Junyang, Zhou Junyang is me, even if separated, I will eventually return."

  Lao San glared at Bo Ling and said: "You'd better not think about touching a single hair on my second brother's head!"

  The ghost of a smile: "Oh, now you come to pretend to be brothers? Old three, do you think I don't know what's in your heart? And you..." He stared at Karamay, "The residual soul of the Phoenix has already told Zhou Junyang everything, so I said that Zhou Junyang is too kind, he needs me." The ghost let out a loud laugh.

  Everyone stared at Lao San and Karamay with surprised eyes, Lao San's face turned red with anger, while Karamay remained calm and slowly said: "You evil spirit, apart from being good at sowing discord among us brothers, can't you come up with some new tricks? Only fools would believe your words."

  The ghost's mouth slanted, and he smiled smugly: "Oh? Is that so? Then let's see about that. I'll make you kneel down and acknowledge me as your new master."

  Fu Ma glared at Kelamayi, who rushed to Wu Zihan and shouted: "Don't you hurry up and seal him? He's stalling for time. The longer it takes, the stronger he'll become, and the harder it'll be to seal him!"

  Wu Zihan swept Karamay with a gaze that seemed to see through people's hearts, and his whole body shook. Wu Zihan recited a few spells, the evil spirit let out a loud cry, twisted and was sucked into my chest. Lao San let out a sigh of relief, cursed loudly: "Damn it, I even let an evil spirit fix me, when Er Ge wakes up I'll have to settle accounts with him."

  I don't know how long it took, but when I opened my eyes again, I was no longer in the desert. It felt like I was floating in the sky, surrounded by clouds, with two people staring at me beside me.