mtl008 Chapter 298 The Altered Formation
Chapter 298 The Altered Formation
"Boom!"
"null!"
"Ta-da!"
The sounds inside the Wuji Cauldron grew increasingly chaotic and louder, and the green light emanating from the cauldron surged, transforming from a misty haze into a bright radiance.
Xiao Jiu's body began to change again, becoming thicker and longer, and its snake-like body began to coil around the cauldron. Golden light shimmered on its scales once more, and specks of golden light pierced through the green light, causing the entire Wuji Cauldron to change color and shape in an instant, making it impossible to look directly at.
[Wait, this shouldn't be happening!] Tuanzi looked at the changes in the Wuji Cauldron with suspicion. [Even if only one-thousandth of its power was mobilized, and those ten were rare, top-tier materials, it shouldn't have caused such a commotion!]
Ning Xiaoxi pointed to the runes on the Wuji Cauldron, where there was a subtle anomaly: "There are signs of tampering there."
Tuanzi stared intently, then her expression suddenly changed drastically. "Oh no! Xiaoxi, go check again, see if there are any other places that have been altered." She urged Ning Xiaoxi, her little hands gripping her shoulders tightly.
Ning Xiaoxi unleashed her Dragon-Soaring Steps, slowly circling the Limitless Cauldron ten zhang away, observing its runes with lightning-fast eyes. Soon, after one circling, she saw [nine runes that had been modified. Tuanzi, what are those?]
[Quickly tell Zhu Jiuyin that the formation on the cauldron has been reversed. It's not refining Gu anymore, it's raising Gu. Those ten are increasing their cultivation. Stop refining them.]
Following Tuanzi's voice, Ning Xiaoxi quickly arrived three zhang in front of Xiao Jiu. "Xiao Jiu, the formation on the cauldron has been altered. Stop for now."
Xiao Jiu suddenly looked up and stared at Ning Xiaoxi, her eyes gleaming with a deep purple light.
【Xiao Xi, attack it! It's been affected by the formation.】
The Heaven-Opening Fist: All things return to one!
The spiritual source hanging high in the cave suddenly became the infinite source of Ning Xiaoxi's unity of all things, and a huge spiritual power surged out. The power that Ning Xiaoxi had gathered in her fist suddenly exploded, directly imprisoning Xiao Jiu's soul and body.
The brief restraint restored Xiao Jiu's eyes to their former liveliness, and she ceased activating the Wuji Cauldron.
"Xiao Jiu, the formation on the cauldron has been altered into a reverse formation. Take a look." Ning Xiaoxi didn't dare to get too close to Xiao Jiu. She had only managed to sneak up on it while its mind was confused. She couldn't afford to do it twice.
Xiao Jiu stared at Ning Xiaoxi for a moment, sensed the turmoil beneath her body, and began to slowly swim around the cauldron. The green light on the cauldron extinguished when Xiao Jiu stopped urging it, revealing its massive and heavy body. Although the runes were still flashing, they no longer generated any power.
Ning Xiaoxi stood there, watching a long, dark snake slowly swim across the ancient and heavy cauldron.
The once bustling cauldron had become eerily quiet. The world suddenly returned from extreme liveliness to tranquility, and even Xiao Jiu's crawling on the cauldron was completely silent.
Only the golden barrier above remained steadfast under the cover of night.
Ning Xiaoxi believed that if it weren't for this golden barrier, such a commotion would definitely have attracted the attention of the Celestial Master Pavilion.
Soon, Xiao Jiu returned after circling around, her dark eyes filled with anger, doubt, and relief. "Xiao Xi, the runes on the cauldron have been altered. The outside world no longer has the conditions to adjust them back. If we were outside, the only thing we could do is cover up the runes in front of it."
Ning Xiaoxi nodded to indicate that she understood. "What do you need me to do?"
As she spoke, Xiao Jiu's body, which was wrapped around the Wuji Cauldron, began to shrink, and the cauldron itself also shrank along with her body until it was only the size of an ordinary three-legged cauldron.
"Take us all into the cave."
Ning Xiaoxi was taken aback. "Can that cauldron be stored inside?"
"The commotion caused by the external adjustments is too great; my barrier may not be able to withstand such a large disturbance. After the breeding of the Gu just now, the ten Gu inside the cauldron have greatly increased in strength. Releasing them all at once would bring annihilation to the people of this world."
"It wasn't so kind. It was afraid that too much noise would alert the Spirit Guards and attract a siege. Repairing the runes on the Limitless Cauldron couldn't be done in a day or two. Once the Spirit Guards were attracted, it wouldn't be able to handle it. There would only be two outcomes: either abandon the Limitless Cauldron and become a sinner of the demon race, or be wiped out and lose the Limitless Cauldron as well. It couldn't bear either outcome." Tuanzi's tone was very unpleasant.
Ning Xiaoxi's face was serious. "I'll give it a try. Whether it works or not depends on luck."
Xiao Jiu nodded, "You can place it on the outermost edge. The space of the cave has no boundaries. As long as you place it outwards, it will automatically expand the space for you."
Ning Xiaoxi's eyes lit up. Since obtaining the cave dwelling, its only function has been to collect spirit crystal veins and spirit sources. At most, she has transplanted a few insignificant plants, taken in a few demon remnants, and hatched a dozen or so small illusory pythons. Although she has been trying to increase the cave dwelling's ability to house living creatures, she has never paid attention to the size of the cave dwelling.
Scanning the cave dwelling, the spirit crystal mines obtained from Xiao Jiu were neatly arranged in concentric circles. Apart from the main hall in the center and the dragon mine behind it, only the palace area destroyed during the attack on the void remained in a state of chaos.
The little beast under the three mulberry trees was still fast asleep. Nine Domains was resting with her eyes closed. Little Star had somehow returned to its little den; its entire body was transparent, and if it weren't for the few very conspicuous pink bead fragments on its head, Ning Xiaoxi wouldn't have noticed it at all.
The Dragon Mine remained as quiet as ever. The silver dragon and the mermaid seemed to be completely absent, and at the heart of the mine, there was only the faint sound of a heartbeat. The fat body that was wrapped inside the dragon's body truly seemed to have vanished.
Ning Xiaoxi slowly approached the Wuji Cauldron and placed her hand on its surface.
Normally, Ning Xiaoxi could simply raise her hand to retract it, but after trying it from the outside and finding that it didn't work, she resorted to the safest method of retracting it by touching it.
Xiao Jiu stared at Ning Xiaoxi's hands for a long time.
Ning Xiaoxi was a little embarrassed, "I can't put it away."
Xiao Jiu raised its eyes, and with a thought, returned to its cave.
"Damn it, do you think this is your home?" Ning Xiaoxi couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Xiao Jiu didn't dare stay in the cave. She teleported back to the Wuji Cauldron, suppressing the cauldron's slight tremors. A faint golden light emanated from Xiao Jiu's body, slowly flowing and spreading, covering the Wuji Cauldron with a thin golden shield. Then, she looked up at Ning Xiaoxi.
Ning Xiaoxi raised her hand and placed it on the Wuji Cauldron, then shook her head slightly.
The golden light dissipated, and the protective barrier was gone.
Xiao Jiu's body slowly grew longer, wrapping around the cauldron layer by layer until it completely enveloped the cauldron, leaving no gaps.
Ning Xiaoxi raised her hand again and placed it on Xiao Jiu's body. Then, she shook her head slightly.
Xiao Jiu's body was bulging, clearly on the verge of going berserk.
Suddenly, a white cloak floated out of the cave and landed on the Wuji Cauldron, covering both Xiao Jiu and the cauldron itself.