劍問蒼天 - 第189章 鮮血 - 翰墨軒

The corner of Yun Yifeng's eye seemed to twitch slightly. "The formation here in the Mystic Fire Altar was laid out by our founder according to the records handed down in the 'Jade Register of Burning Incense,' and at the very end of that register, another of our founders left a line of commentary—a desperate measure devised for precisely the predicament we face now, with the Mystic Fire Mirror lost and the Mystic Fire Formation unable to start. It may prove workable."

Both Shangguan Lue and Li Xun behind him were taken aback, then greatly delighted. The "Jade Register of Burning Incense" was the supreme treasure of the Burning Dawn Valley, ever kept and studied only by the valley master himself. If Yun Yifeng spoke so, then surely some truly brilliant founder had indeed left behind a wondrous and extraordinary method.

Shangguan Lue said joyfully, "Senior Brother, what wondrous method did that founder describe?"

Yun Yifeng saw the excitement in both their faces, yet not the slightest joy showed on his own; on the contrary, his somberness only deepened. After a moment of silence, he said slowly, "At the end of the 'Jade Register of Burning Incense,' that founder wrote: The Mystic Fire Formation is born of the heaven-and-earth baleful aura; the Crimson Flame Beast is savage and violent, and the spirit borne by the carved formation diagrams is likewise a ferocious deity of the eight directions. Cross-referencing this with the ancient texts of the southern frontier, it follows that if it be sacrificed with the blood of the living, then the baleful aura will flourish and the deities will return to their places, the fierce beast will appear and the fire formation will be complete."

Shangguan Lue and Li Xun turned pale and stared at each other, for a time unable to utter a word.

It was a good while before Shangguan Lue barely recovered from his shock and doubt. He said hoarsely, "This—was this truly written by one of our own founders?"

Yun Yifeng snorted. "Shangguan, my junior brother, do you suspect me of borrowing the founder's name to commit such an evil deed?"

Shangguan Lue's expression changed again, and he hastily said, "I would not dare. It is only—only that this matter of a living blood sacrifice is plainly a dark-arts heresy. How—how could it appear in our sect's jade register?"

Yun Yifeng cut him off outright and said coldly, "You are right. This founder did write those words, but no one has ever attempted this method."

Shangguan Lue looked at the gaze Yun Yifeng turned upon him, and suddenly felt a chill run through his whole body. He could not help but take a step back, and from the corner of his eye he caught sight of Li Xun standing behind him—only to find that Li Xun's face too was ashen, indescribably grim.

"Senior Brother, could you—" Shangguan Lue seemed never to have spoken with such difficulty, "could you be planning to use this method?"

Yun Yifeng's brows lifted, majestic in his anger, and he sneered, "If not this method, then what? We have labored and built for several hundred years; the great work was in sight, and then so many mishaps arose—and now even the most important formation is destroyed. Would you have me watch countless years of heart's blood drain away to nothing?"

Shangguan Lue still seemed hesitant, and argued, "Senior Brother, the great work is of course paramount, but this method is truly too—"

Yun Yifeng coldly cut him off. "Shangguan, my junior brother, you cling so stubbornly—can it be that some remnant of the righteous path still lingers in your heart? All these many years, for the sake of this great work, the things you have done have hardly been those of the righteous path, have they?"

Shangguan Lue was instantly silenced.