The Green-eyed Zombie’s skin gradually began to fail under the intense searing of the sun. Qiao’er clutched it tightly, urging it deeper into the sea. Only when the water reached her neck did the Green-eyed Zombie, carrying her on its back, begin to feel some relief. However, the Taoists in the distance had no intention of letting them go.
By now, the Cuiwei Mountain sect had thoroughly offended the Green-eyed Zombie. If they did not seize this opportunity to destroy it, it would be free to move once night fell, leaving them with endless future troubles.
Qiao’er understood this logic as well. She repeatedly tried to reason with the Green-eyed Zombie: "You go first! Come back and save me tonight!"
The Green-eyed Zombie ignored her, simply carrying her as it darted back and forth to avoid the magical artifacts the Taoists were hurling at them like trash. Qiao’er was human, so talismans were useless against her, and since the Green-eyed Zombie was underwater, none of the paper charms were waterproof.
Because the crowd could not see the zombie, Qiao’er’s head, bobbing on the surface, became a living target. Fan Shaojing looked as though he were about to hand out a basket of throwing daggers to every Taoist present.
Thus, the Green-eyed Zombie had to constantly shift positions. Fortunately, the sea was surging with wind and waves; though Qiao’er swallowed quite a bit of seawater, it was better than being skewered by several flying swords.
Before long, a Taoist in the water clutched his foot and screamed. While fleeing for her life, Qiao’er had actually managed to grab a crab. More terrifyingly, the large crab grinned at her. "Boss, we’re here!"
Qiao’er was so startled she nearly threw it back into the sea.
Soon, all the Taoists began clutching their feet. Although Taoists had always been the natural enemies of demons, this turbulent sea was truly the domain of marine life.
Crabs and lobsters have wide social circles. When the Green-eyed Zombie first jumped into the sea, a lobster spirit—who had been busy flirting with a clam on the seabed—had already received word via a conch: "Big Shrimp, there are a bunch of Taoists on the shallows ganging up on your first and second bosses!"
Upon hearing this, the lobster was outraged. It immediately organized a vast army of shrimp and crabs to come to the rescue. Consequently, the Taoists of Cuiwei Mountain suffered greatly. They didn't even need to contact other marine creatures; the shrimp and crabs alone were enough to give them a headache. These little demons were utterly unscrupulous; they did nothing else but focus their pincers exclusively on the Taoists' lower regions!
Not a single Taoist who escaped the water had a pair of trousers left intact...
Seeing that their assault was failing and the red sun was beginning to dip, Fan Shaojing decided to rescue Fan Shaohuang first. Outside the formation, Fan Shaohuang’s soul remained awake. Seeing his brother, he was still in a foul mood. "Are you here to laugh at me?"
Fan Shaojing felt helpless. "Can we get you out first before you start sulking?"
Fan Shaohuang gave another cold snort. Fan Shaojing busied himself outside the array for a while before finally speaking up. "This... this is clearly the Wind-Rain Moon-Veiling Array. Where is the eye?"
Fan Shaohuang grew even angrier. "If I could find the eye, do you think I’d still be trapped in here?!"
Fan Shaojing was silenced and began to search silently. By the time he had walked ten miles along the perimeter of Guantian Court, he finally exploded in rage: "Where on earth is this formation eye?!"
Qiao’er knew he was trying to break the array, but she wasn't worried. Breaking this formation wouldn't actually be difficult for either Fan Shaojing or Fan Shaohuang. However, the distance of the eye from Guantian Court...
She had spent an entire day riding the Green-eyed Zombie to set it! It was impossible for Fan Shaojing to reach the eye before sunset.
The Taoists retreated to the beach. The lobster spirits used a sea turtle to carry Qiao’er to a distant reef. Her clothes were soaked through and clung to her body, but fortunately, the autumn sun was still strong. Having gained some cultivation herself, she did not fear the cold.
The Green-eyed Zombie was seriously injured and sank to the seabed to avoid the light and heal. In the nearby waters, several lobsters circled the reef, looking very much like a patrol.
Qiao’er checked her own injuries. Her shoulder was covered in abrasions, but they weren't serious—just stinging from being soaked in seawater for so long. During the fight, Fan Shaojing had only wanted to restrain her and hadn't intended to take her life, so there were no other wounds.
She sat on the reef with her knees pulled to her chest, waiting for sunset. Sunlight spilled across the water; the sea was vast, a boundless expanse of azure and cerulean. She worried about the Green-eyed Zombie’s injuries, unable to appreciate the scenery of golden-tipped waves before her.
Waiting made time crawl. Qiao’er watched the red sun on the horizon, feeling as though the sky would never darken and the hours were standing still. Finally, the twilight descended slowly.
When the Green-eyed Zombie climbed out of the sea, its wounds had improved significantly, though its parched, cracked skin had not yet recovered. The moment its head broke the surface, it spotted Qiao’er. It let out a few excited "ah-ahs" and swam over hurriedly.
Qiao’er flipped herself onto its neck, the movement so practiced it was as natural as flowing water.
"Are you okay?" she wrote on its back. It happily carried her in two circles on the spot, treading across the water as it headed back toward Guantian Court.
Earlier, Qiao’er had worried the people from Cuiwei Mountain might still be there, but when they arrived, Guantian Court was deserted. The Taoist temple, usually bustling with incense and pilgrims, was now so quiet one could hear a needle drop.
Qiao’er first checked the formation. Fan Shaohuang was indeed still there, and his expression was naturally sour upon seeing her. Qiao’er didn't mind. She stood before the array for a moment until the Green-eyed Zombie nudged her, then she said softly, "Daoist Fan Shaohuang, I suddenly thought of a unique formation style. I would like to ask you to test it."
Fan Shaohuang was fuming. "Is there no end to this?! How far away did you set that damn eye, for heaven's sake?!"
Qiao’er pressed her lips together. "I don't know the name of the place, but it's Mid-Autumn now. By the time Daoist Shaojing finds it, he'll probably be eating Yuanxiao."
Fan Shaohuang finally understood the Ghost Car; the ability to curse someone out was truly something to be envied sometimes...
Anger was useless. After three deep breaths, Fan Shaohuang asked, "What is the formation style this time?"
Qiao’er ordered some shrimp and crab spirits to slightly alter the mountain range around Guantian Court so it met the sea. Her voice remained very soft: "This array will connect the momentum of the mountains and the sea. If the principles of formations you once told me are true, and if the Hao family Taoists didn't lie, then this array will only break when the seas run dry and the mountains crumble."
Fan Shaohuang inquired about the formation diagram in detail and fell into a contemplative silence. "This array uses the mutual restraint and balance between the seawater and the spiritual energy of the earth and mountains to maintain the space. The drying of the sea and the collapse of the mountains must happen simultaneously. Unless there is a miracle, my soul would be crushed by the opposing force. A fine array!"
It was rare for a word like "fine" to come out of his mouth, but Qiao’er couldn't bring herself to be happy. "Even now, I still don't know why I have to deal with you. You taught me many of the things I know. There are even many things I don't understand."
Fan Shaohuang was still pondering the formation and answered absentmindedly, "You aren't even worthy of being my enemy; naturally, there is no grievance between us. Besides, with a head full of mush like yours, it's only normal not to understand."
Qiao’er wasn't angry. She didn't actually want an answer from anyone; she had simply been without human interaction for too long and wanted to organize her own thoughts. "When the formations are being exchanged, there will be a split-second opening. However, you still have the soul of a mortal; I fear this momentary flaw is of no use to you."
Fan Shaohuang knew this all too well and merely snorted, offering no further reply.
Many demons make for light work. By the fourth watch of the night, the formation was complete. As Qiao’er slowly channeled the mountain and sea ley lines to dissolve the previous array, a flash of white light suddenly appeared, and another soul charged into the formation.
Fan Shaohuang finally emulated the Ghost Car: "Holy crap! What are you doing in here? Do you think it's not crowded enough? Was your head caught in a door?!"
Another voice rang out from within the array—it was Fan Shaojing. "Don't just glare and curse at people, my junior brother who was expelled from the sect. Look, Master passed all his cultivation to me, and the only thing he couldn't stop worrying about before entering seclusion was you. At the time, your senior brother beat his chest until it was bruised, boasting that I would surely keep you safe and sound. Yet those words are still ringing in my ears, and you've already... *cough*. If Master comes out of seclusion one day and sees me standing here with all my limbs intact while your soul is separated and your bones are lost... this... how could I, your eldest senior brother, live with myself?"
Fan Shaohuang’s attitude didn't soften in the slightest at these words. "Hypocrite!"
Fan Shaojing seemed to have expected this and laughed. "Junior brother, if the two of us work together to break the array, wouldn't it be easier?"
Fan Shaohuang was in despair. "Stupid! Didn't you see the formation clearly when you came in?"
"Gah!" Fan Shaojing had been focusing entirely on preparing his soul for astral projection. He wasn't foolish; he knew Qiao’er would definitely change the location of the eye, and with the Green-eyed Zombie there, it was impossible for him to find it before her. Thus, he had been waiting for the momentary flaw when she swapped the arrays. He had stayed far away to avoid being detected by her or the zombie, and only now did he begin to examine the formation...
The Green-eyed Zombie was completely unaware of the approaching danger. That night, it carried Qiao’er to the small wooden hut, arranged a formation with Seven-Star Lamps, and transferred all the demonic power it had previously absorbed from Fan Shaohuang into her.
Qiao’er was shocked. Her first thought was the incident where Fan Shaohuang turned into a kitten. The Green-eyed Zombie comforted her smugly: "Don't worry. This demonic power was purified by him and filtered by me. It's clean now."
A majestic surge of demonic power rushed in. Qiao’er silently incorporated it into her soul while the Green-eyed Zombie sat nearby, guarding her quietly. Although Qiao’er possessed Fan Shaojing’s power, she lacked their experience; she didn't dare be careless while receiving this demonic energy and had to absorb it slowly. The Green-eyed Zombie was in no hurry. As the sky gradually brightened and
