Driven by curiosity, Zhu Ji arrived before the entrance of Langya Cave in the Immortal Valley.
"It doesn't look special at all, why aren't we allowed in? Perhaps there's something hidden within. Since I'm already here, I'll go take a look!"
She gazed at the unremarkable cave entrance, no different from any ordinary mountain cave. Zhu Ji muttered to herself, hesitating for a moment. With a flash, she entered the cave.
It was pitch black inside, so Zhu Ji produced a luminous pearl. The cave floor was smooth and even, indicating frequent passage. Zhu Ji observed meticulously but found nothing else. Holding the pearl, she ventured deeper.
After navigating two turns, a faint light appeared. Stalactites filled the cave, their surfaces refracting light from an unknown source. The entire cavern became a bizarre, colorful spectacle. Zhu Ji put away the pearl, admiring the magnificent scenery as she continued forward.
It wasn't until she saw a stalagmite, resembling a pillar supporting the sky, that she had seen before, that she realized she was walking in circles.
"Is this a formation? How careless of me." Zhu Ji was annoyed. She was skilled in formations, but her fascination with the scenery had made her negligent. Realizing she was going in circles, she understood she was trapped in a formation.
"It looks like a simple Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams formation, not difficult. Watch me shatter the formation eye and break free." Zhu Ji was confident as she surveyed her surroundings. She identified the positions of Qian, Kun, Gen, Dui, Li, Kan, Xun, and Zhen. Then, taking three steps forward and five steps back, she approached a rugged, massive stone. "This is it. This giant rock is the formation eye. Once it's destroyed, this Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams formation will be broken. I'm such a little genius, breaking formations is a piece of cake."
Zhu Ji chattered to herself, praising her own cleverness, and raised her hand to strike the boulder.
"No, danger!"
At that moment, Cheng Zui's voice echoed from afar. He had been practicing his skills in the valley when he saw a flash of movement. There were only two people in the valley, so it had to be Zhu Ji. Cheng Zui tried to evade her, fearing she might tease him again. However, seeing the direction Zhu Ji was heading, towards Langya Cave, he followed. Standing at the entrance, he sensed the fluctuations of the formation. Worried for Zhu Ji's safety, he disregarded his master's prohibition. Cheng Zui rushed into Langya Cave and saw Zhu Ji about to break the formation. Sensing the formation's complexity, he urgently shouted a warning.
But it was too late. Zhu Ji's palm strike had already been unleashed and couldn't be retracted. The rugged boulder collapsed with a roar, and dust filled the cave. The sound of falling debris echoed within the cavern. Cheng Zui rushed forward, shielding Zhu Ji behind him, his face filled with anxiety.
"I didn't realize you cared so much about me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have disobeyed you. It was just my curiosity, I wanted to see what was inside this cave. Now I've seen it, it's just an ordinary Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams formation. Your master is being overly dramatic. A formation like this, I can break it with ease. Let's go!"
Seeing how worried Cheng Zui was about her, Zhu Ji felt a surge of happiness. She grabbed Cheng Zui's arm, intending to leave the cave, but he didn't budge. She looked back and saw Cheng Zui's tense expression and solemn face.
"We can't get out. This formation, on the surface, is the simplest Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams formation. But it's actually a metamorphic formation. The Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams is just an illusion. Breaking it will trigger the metamorphosis. Furthermore, it will change based on who breaks the formation eye, making the formation infinitely variable. It's different every time, but it's always a killing formation. One wrong step, and you could lose your life. Don't wander off."
Cheng Zui pulled Zhu Ji back, channeling his cultivation, his expression vigilant. Before Cheng Zui could finish speaking, the scenery before them shifted. The stalactites vanished, and the space became vast. Then, from all directions, countless wind blades flew towards them.
"It's the Ten Absolute Formations! Run!" Cheng Zui yelled, grabbing Zhu Ji and fleeing. Zhu Ji could already sense the power contained within the wind blades, a power she couldn't withstand. Terrified, her face turned pale. In her panic, she stumbled and fell. At the critical moment, Cheng Zui grabbed her hand and, with a sudden surge of strength, threw her onto his back. Carrying her, he sprinted towards the depths of Langya Cave.
He was a descendant of the Living Immortal. Although he obeyed his master and had never entered Langya Cave, he couldn't break the formation quickly. However, he could survive and evade attacks within it. He darted like lightning, leaving the wind blades far behind.
"Cheng Zui, I didn't expect your cultivation to be so high. So much higher than mine, I don't know how many times over. That day you were forcefully kissed by me, you didn't resist. Was that intentional? Did you start liking me the moment you saw me? That's why you went along with it and let me have my way, otherwise, you could have slapped me out of the Immortal Valley with one hand. How could I have succeeded and kissed you for so long?"
Zhu Ji lay on Cheng Zui's back, feeling his speed. She knew his cultivation was profound and spoke with self-assurance.
"Shut up, it's not over yet." Hearing Zhu Ji's words, Cheng Zui stumbled, almost falling. That day, he had been so shocked by Zhu Ji's boldness that he forgot to resist. It wasn't that he had fallen in love with Zhu Ji at first sight. This woman, at the brink of death, was still thinking about this. Truly bizarre. Cheng Zui mused, feeling Zhu Ji's soft body on his back. The memory of that forceful kiss involuntarily resurfaced in his mind.
Just then, two earth spikes suddenly emerged from the previously flat ground. Cheng Zui, distracted, didn't notice and tripped. This brief pause was disastrous. Countless giant rocks flew towards them. Due to the sudden fall, Cheng Zui's internal energy was disrupted, making it difficult to gather. Seeing the massive rocks about to engulf him and Zhu Ji, Cheng Zui instinctively shielded Zhu Ji beneath him. It was too late to re-gather his true qi. He intended to use his own body to block the rocks and protect Zhu Ji.
Unexpectedly, a powerful force struck him, sending him flying. It was Zhu Ji, who had struck his chest with a palm, sending him flying over ten meters.
"Zhu Ji!"
Cheng Zui cried out in agony while in mid-air, as he watched Zhu Ji's figure being buried by thousands of rocks. He assumed she had been crushed into a pulp. He knew very well that if Zhu Ji had used the strength she used to push him away to escape, she could have gotten away. She wouldn't have died under the rubble like this. Zhu Ji, at the moment of crisis, had sacrificed her life to save him.
Cheng Zui had grown up in the Immortal Valley, isolated from the world. His master would occasionally go into seclusion in Langya Cave, and in a year, they spent less than a month together. Moreover, his master was aloof, rarely speaking to him beyond guiding his cultivation. Since he could remember, he had managed all his own affairs, from food and clothing to daily life. For twenty years, he had never felt anyone's concern. But Zhu Ji's actions just now had made him feel it. It was just that the person who cared for him was now dead, having died to save him.
Cheng Zui went mad. Powerful magical energy surged within him. His cultivation was several times higher than usual. With a wave of his hand, the pile of rocks that had buried Zhu Ji turned to dust. He ran over quickly, tears welling in his eyes. To his surprise, the ground was empty, not even a trace of blood.
"Zhu Ji, you're too foolish. Why would you do this to me? Now there's not even a body left. Was it worth it? Why were you so good to me? So good that you didn't even care about your own life." Cheng Zui sat on the ground, murmuring dazedly.
Fortunately, in his rage and distress, he had performed beyond his usual capabilities. He had also accidentally broken the formation eye, causing the formation to cease its operation. Otherwise, in his dazed state, he would have surely died within the formation.
"Because I like you?"
A voice replied, it was Zhu Ji's.
"Zhu Ji, is it your soul speaking to me?" Cheng Zui looked around, seeing no sign of Zhu Ji. With tears in his eyes and a quivering lip, he asked.