Chapter 147: Activate The Formation
The first time Qu Xingxuan saw Summer Insect Fungus, it mainly targeted Ren Tongli and the others, so he hid in a diagonal corner and didn’t see Summer Insect Fungus completely.
So this time, it was his first time truly seeing clearly what Summer Insect Fungus looked like.
At this sight, Qu Xingxuan’s entire scalp went numb, his hand trembled a bit, and two of the small stones he was holding fell out.
The instant the two small stones hit the ground, Summer Insect Fungus, which had been confronting them, suddenly moved.
Like a launched cannonball, it “whooshed” straight at them.
Qu Xingxuan didn’t even have time to shout; he only felt his rear collar grabbed, barely dodging Summer Insect Fungus’s attack.
Summer Insect Fungus missed, but due to inertia, when it landed, the distance was even farther than before.
Xuan Xia held the talisman paper she hadn’t thrown out yet, glanced at Ren Tongjin who had pulled Qu Xingxuan away in the emergency, and mentally gave herself a thumbs up for her cleverness.
Fortunately, she had asked Ren Tongjin if he wanted to join; now there was an extra helper.
However, they probably couldn’t run this time, right?
When Summer Insect Fungus landed, all its centipede legs supported the ground; once steady, it stood up again, with only the bottom two legs supporting it.
Every face stared at them with a furious look.
As if brewing the next attack.
“I have a suggestion,” Xuan Xia said slowly.
Ren Tongjin asked, “What suggestion?” His line of sight locked on Summer Insect Fungus, considering how to protect two people by himself.
In his current primary perception, Xuan Xia and Qu Xingxuan were still rookies and weaklings.
Xuan Xia didn’t say, instead asking Qu Xingxuan, “Are you sure the formation you set up will work?”
After clearly seeing Summer Insect Fungus, Qu Xingxuan had been in a teary-eyed state; hearing Xuan Xia’s question now, he snapped out of it a bit and whined, “It should work.”
But Xuan Xia was dissatisfied. “Don’t say ‘should.’ I want it to definitely work.”
Qu Xingxuan wanted to say he hadn’t tested it in the illusionary scenery, but he knew that wasn’t what Xuan Xia wanted to hear, so he held back and just asked, “Why?”
Xuan Xia said, “We’ll hold it off for you; hurry up and set up the formation.”
Qu Xingxuan: “Ah… oh.”
“Then what are you standing there for?”
Just as Xuan Xia finished complaining, Summer Insect Fungus charged at them again from the opposite side.
Qu Xingxuan let out a howl, but fortunately, Xuan Xia acted first this time, throwing out a piece of talisman paper directly.
As soon as the yellow talisman paper stuck to one of Summer Insect Fungus’s human faces, it ignited on its own without Xuan Xia needing to chant a spell.
The three immediately heard a shrill wail in their ears, and the entire Summer Insect Fungus began twisting, swinging left and right in an S-shape frantically.
Although its body segments twisted wildly, it couldn’t stop Summer Insect Fungus’s intent to attack.
Ren Tongjin’s red thread was also flung out; it wrapped around, bells jingling, as if providing background music to its twisting.
But the next second, with Ren Tongjin forming hand seals and chanting an incantation, the red thread tightened on its own, directly binding Summer Insect Fungus into a tied-up piece of meat.
The wail the three heard grew louder, with more and messier sounds.
Xuan Xia pulled out another piece of talisman paper.
Since the real target wasn’t this Summer Insect Fungus in front of them, she was especially sparing with her talismans, using them one by one, completely without her previous extravagance.
Of course, to someone like Ren Tongjin, this was normal practice.
So Ren Tongjin didn’t pay too much attention to her.
Xuan Xia was holding the talisman, wondering which incantation to chant, when her peripheral vision caught Qu Xingxuan still standing beside her; she irritably said, “Why haven’t you set up the formation yet!”
Qu Xingxuan snapped back to attention and hurriedly said, “Getting to work, getting to work.” He quickly crouched down to pick up the small stones that had just fallen, then began setting up his grand formation.
But setting up this grand formation… was quite painful.
Even though Summer Insect Fungus was trapped into a bundle, it had so many legs; there were always two that could steady its body, then launch even fiercer attacks at Xuan Xia and the others.
After several failed charges, Summer Insect Fungus evolved; the head at the very top opened its mouth and, like a spider, spat out silk-like breath.
But this silk was like mist, wrapped in Yin Sha Qi.
The result of being touched by this thing was predictable.
Because of this, the three didn’t dare get too close, fearing it would be hard to dodge.
But after spreading out, Qu Xingxuan faltered again, trembling in fear, his formation speed even slower.
Soon he started whimpering.
Fortunately, though crying, the formation was still being set.
Xuan Xia wanted to conserve strength—actually, the number of talismans she had brought—so she handed most of the task of dealing with Summer Insect Fungus to Ren Tongjin, only occasionally helping with a finishing blow.
This deepened Ren Tongjin’s perception, and he faintly regretted it; he shouldn’t have listened to her persuasion.
With their strength, how could they possibly unravel the Mountain Mirage Fiend.
Rather than saying the two were fearless calves not afraid of tigers, it was more like they were ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth.
And being ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth in the illusionary scenery often led to only one outcome: losing their lives.
But realizing this now was obviously too late; Ren Tongjin could only barely resist Summer Insect Fungus, buying time for everyone. Of course, it would be best if the rain stopped soon.
If the rain stopped, this Summer Insect Fungus might disappear.
……
Unfortunately, the rain just wouldn’t stop.
After who knows how long of entanglement, Ren Tongjin was slightly panting, while that Summer Insect Fungus grew increasingly frenzied.
Xuan Xia also recognized how tenacious Summer Insect Fungus was; she had burned several of its faces with talismans, but it seemed to only stimulate it to go more berserk.
Her line of sight involuntarily turned to the head at the very top; Xuan Xia thought, maybe try attacking that top head?
Thinking this, she reluctantly pulled out two pieces of talisman paper, planning to use one to distract Summer Insect Fungus and the other to truly strike the forehead.
“It’s done, it’s done,” Qu Xingxuan called from the side.
Xuan Xia’s hand movements paused. “The formation is ready?”
The talisman was tucked back by her.
Qu Xingxuan nodded vigorously, holding up a small tree branch in his hand and saying, “Sticking this down will activate it. Activate now?”
“Set it!”
As soon as Xuan Xia spoke, Qu Xingxuan inserted the tree branch vertically into the mud like flipping a switch.
The next second, wind suddenly rose from nowhere; it came abruptly, instantly fierce, and in another second became a gale.
The three were in the gale, nearly toppled by the sudden change.
Qu Xingxuan was also seeing his own formation activate with such an effect for the first time, but after a momentary daze, he immediately shouted, “Run, to the Spirit Protection, awooo…”
He hadn’t finished saying “Spirit Protection Formation” when he was spun around by the gale from his own formation.
“Watch out.”
Fortunately, Ren Tongjin reacted quickly; his red thread bound Qu Xingxuan, then flung another to pull Xuan Xia, dragging both of them into the Spirit Protection Formation.
The Spirit Protection Formation was like a glass dome, shielding them inside; even with the gale howling, it couldn’t blow in.
But Summer Insect Fungus, still in the gale, was different.
The next second, with a “bang,” Summer Insect Fungus was blown by the gale and smashed onto the dome of the Spirit Protection Formation.
Those human faces came face-to-face with Qu Xingxuan.
Qu Xingxuan: “yue~”
