Chapter 94: The Heavenly Tribulation Spirit Array

Zhou Bai felt quite helpless about this and could only say, "Fine, just leave the 'zongzi' here for now. Be careful and don't let it get out to harm anyone."

"Don't worry." Daoist Hou found a hoe from somewhere and began digging in the corner of the courtyard. Soon, a deep pit appeared.

"I plan to bury this zongzi first and deal with it later."

After the two pushed the coffin into the pit, Daoist Hou filled it with soil, leaving a mound in the courtyard that looked quite bizarre and out of place.

Once finished, Zhou Bai pulled him into the house and handed him the formation diagram for transcending the Heavenly Tribulation.

Daoist Hou’s expression was initially casual, but after a few glances, he quickly turned serious. It wasn't until he had finished flipping through it that he finally spoke.

"What kind of spirit formation is this? The materials required are stranger than the last. Why do I feel the only purpose of this formation is to make someone more like a demon or a monster?"

Zhou Bai looked at him with some surprise, not expecting Daoist Hou to truly have some skill when it came to formations.

"Never mind the nature of the formation. Is there any problem with setting it up?"

Daoist Hou pondered for a moment and nodded. "There’s no problem, though it might take some time. Where do you intend to set it up?"

"There’s a potter's field outside the city. We’ll talk about it tomorrow morning. I have the spirit materials; you take a look, Old Hou."

Zhou Bai opened the parcel. After a careful inspection, Daoist Hou said, "The materials are fine. It will take about two days to set up."

"Alright, let’s get it done as soon as possible. I have an urgent need for it."

Daoist Hou was an old veteran of the world; he quickly caught on, realizing this formation was likely related to mastering his true form, and that Zhou Bai had a pressing reason for such urgency.

"How did the situation with the ghost in the Zhang manor go?"

"The ghost was eliminated, but the people are all dead. Moreover, the wealthy Mr. Zhang said some very strange things before he died."

Zhou Bai did not hide anything from him; after all, the two of them were the only ones holding things together for the Ministry of Underworld Records in Hangzhou. He even briefly mentioned the existence of the Ghost Domain.

Daoist Hou didn't know much about the Ghost Domain, but he cherished his life. He did a quick mental calculation: if a major disaster were to occur, not having the cultivation of a true form would be far too dangerous.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s head out tonight. If we work without sleep, we’ll be just about done by the morning after tomorrow. Besides, I see this formation seems most effective at night."

Zhou Bai was surprised by his enthusiasm, but Daoist Hou added, "Don't worry, my ghost-path supernatural powers mean I won't feel tired even if I go a few days without sleep."

"That works then."

The two packed their things and rushed toward the potter's field. By the time they arrived, it was already pitch black.

The potter's field was silent, save for the occasional loud cry of a crow. It had been a long time since they had visited, and perhaps because so many people had died recently, the yin energy here had become even more concentrated.

The yin energy was so dense that the stone tablet there could barely suppress it anymore.

What Zhou Bai didn't know was that this was also related to that recent spell of dark, gloomy rain. Although most of the rain had been blocked by the Buddha’s light, a significant amount had seeped into the yin veins, making the area increasingly unstable.

Even the surrounding environment had changed; the trees grew in stranger shapes, and animals dared not approach, with only carrion-eating birds lingering nearby.

From the moment he stepped into the potter's field, Daoist Hou’s eyelids had been twitching uncontrollably.

"Good heavens, is this a yin vein? Having this thing right under the nose of Hangzhou is far too dangerous."

Zhou Bai pointed to the nearby stone tablet and said, "Thankfully, there is this tablet protecting the area. Setting up the spirit formation here shouldn't be an issue, right?"

Daoist Hou stroked his chin and said, "It shouldn't be a big problem. I’ll set up a Spirit-Locking Formation first. Once the yin energy is trapped within the field, we can move this stone tablet away."

With that, he carried the bag of materials and walked in. As soon as he stepped into the range of the yin vein, he couldn't help but curse, "Damn, this feels incredibly refreshing."

Zhou Bai followed a half-step behind. Once he entered, he felt the aura of the yin vein seeping into his body, giving him a sensation of being a fish back in water.

He released his Ghost Tree as well. Within the yin vein, his natal ghost artifact expanded to its full size, revealing a form over ten meters tall.

Its branches stretched toward the sky, and its roots covered the entire potter's field. The rough, black-grey bark was covered in mysterious patterns, far removed from any ordinary yin-wood.

Daoist Hou was stunned for a moment. He had seen Zhou Bai's natal ghost artifact before, but it was just a slightly larger sapling then, and he could hardly associate it with the sky-blocking figure before him.

In truth, this was the first time Zhou Bai had seen the Ghost Tree without any restraints, and while surprised, he was secretly satisfied. After all, this was only utilizing a tiny fraction of its visible potential.

"Zhou Bai, tell me the truth. The books of the Ministry of Underworld Records say that the 'Art of Manifesting Objects' is inferior to other fundamental methods. They must have been lying to me, right?"

Zhou Bai glanced at him. "Why, do you regret your choice?"

Daoist Hou sighed. "I regret it so much my guts are turning green. I feel like my limit is just becoming a very tall zombie."

Zhou Bai didn't continue to discourage him; if he knew that Zhou Bai also possessed the natal remains of a dragon-kind, he would likely be green with envy.

The yin energy within the Ghost Tree was already fully saturated; even within the yin vein, it could only use the energy here for refinement and purification.

The reason Zhou Bai released it was to help Daoist Hou set up the spirit formation.

Once they got busy, the Ghost Tree proved extremely useful. Under Zhou Bai's control, it could precisely manipulate the flow of yin energy, naturally accelerating the formation process significantly.

This caused them to move faster than planned, and by the evening of the second day, the formation was nearly complete. The stone tablet had been moved to the distant mountains.

The process was relatively smooth, though as it was Daoist Hou’s first time dealing with a formation for transcending the Heavenly Tribulation, some mistakes were inevitable.

However, they were rectified in time, and not many materials were wasted; in fact, there were some left over.

Zhou Bai stored the remaining materials in his storage belt; even if he didn't use them, he wouldn't bring them out again to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Finally, after adjusting the talisman threads within the formation, it was considered completely finished.

A transparent film seemed to shroud the potter's field. Even though the sun still cast some lingering light, the interior turned pitch black, with only flickering ghost fires drifting out from the tombs.

The massive yin energy had been contained, yet the inexplicable pressure it exerted on Zhou Bai grew instead of diminishing.

Daoist Hou collapsed onto the ground. Setting up the formation required the use of yin energy, and after working for so long, he was nearly exhausted.

Zhou Bai was holding up better. After they rested for a while, he stayed behind in the potter's field to acclimate to the formation.

Daoist Hou returned to Hangzhou, planning to notify the authorities to seal off the paths leading to the potter's field to prevent anyone from wandering in by mistake.