Netherworld's Spirit Envoy - Chapter 91 - Opening the Altar for a Spell

After I finished speaking, Lei Heng didn’t say a word. I looked at Li Bai and Leilei, waiting for Lei Heng’s response.

Leilei caught my gaze and then playfully moved next to Lei Heng, saying, “Dad, Xiaofei and the others have helped me before. You must agree to help them, as a favor to me, okay?”

Lei Heng glanced at Leilei and then at me, saying, “Leilei, this task is neither entirely difficult nor easy. Is it worth taking such a big risk for them?”

“Is it very dangerous?” Leilei asked me, looking up.

I had no idea. This was something Li Bai and I had discussed; whether it was dangerous or how dangerous, I didn’t know.

Li Bai looked at Lei Heng and said seriously, “You handle the spell, and I’ll guard the formation. Since we could come here, you should know we are not just ordinary people. Are you afraid you can’t do it? Of course, if you truly can’t, we won’t insist. Xiaofei, Lin Zhe, let’s go.”

Without understanding what was going on, Li Bai started to walk out.

I looked at Li Bai, then at Lei Heng, feeling torn and unsure what to do. As Li Bai passed by me, he grabbed my arm and pulled me along.

“Wait a minute, what do you mean by that, questioning my ability? Let me tell you, even though I’ve left the bustling world, my spell power only increases and never diminishes!”

It seemed Li Bai’s words had provoked Lei Heng. After thinking for a moment, he made a decision, “Give me two days to prepare. After two days, I’ll begin the spell!”

“Great, it’s a deal!” Li Bai immediately turned around, wanting to give Lei Heng a high five, but Lei Heng snorted and walked out with big steps.

Leilei thought that Lei Heng was angry and quickly chased after him, repeatedly saying good words on our behalf, afraid he might get upset and make a mistake.

Contrary to our expectations, Lei Heng, despite his seemingly short temper, was much more broad-minded than we thought. While he appeared to be speaking to Leilei, he raised his voice to ensure we heard it too.

“Leilei, how could your father be narrow-minded? But among your friends, that guy seems a bit like a girl…”

We couldn’t hear what was said next, but when we saw Leilei constantly glancing at Li Bai, Lin Zhe and I understood what was going on. Fortunately, Li Bai was entirely focused on Fei and didn’t pay much attention to Lei Heng’s words.

We later learned from Leilei that Lei Heng had been aware from the moment we entered the Qimen Dunjia formations. However, he hadn’t expected us to wander inside for only a day before coming out. Later, Leilei informed him that we had found our way using Zhang Bansuo’s map, which cleared things up for him.

Apparently, there was some connection between Zhang Bansuo and Lei Heng in the past. When we mentioned Zhang Bansuo, Lei Heng didn’t look pleased, but he didn’t say anything, which made me a bit curious.

After preparing for two whole days, on the third morning, as soon as I got up, I saw Li Bai standing outside, gazing intently at a patch of white fog in the distance, lost in thought.

We were currently at the peak of Langdang Mountain, essentially a large cave turned into several small rooms. From the entrance, we could view the entire mountain range.

At the foot of Langdang Mountain lay a dense white fog, the final layer of protection. Once through it, entering Langdang Mountain would be a breeze.

“What are you doing here? Lei Heng is about to start the spell,” I said, approaching Li Bai and noticing his worried expression.

Li Bai muttered something to himself, “I guess Lei Heng’s Qimen Dunjia isn’t that difficult after all.”

“What?” I hadn’t understood what he meant before Li Bai turned and left.

I hurried after him, shouting at his back, “What do you mean by that?”

Following Li Bai down Langdang Mountain at such a crucial juncture surprised me. He didn’t say a word the entire way, no matter how much I asked, just continued onward. The white fog was already surrounding us, and going further would inevitably lead us astray.

But Li Bai ignored my warnings and walked on. Curiously, despite walking for a long time, the dense fog around us didn’t change, nor did Li Bai get lost in front of me. It felt like we were taking a casual stroll on the edge of danger.

When we returned, it was already approaching evening. Lin Zhe, impatient from waiting, rushed over as soon as he saw Li Bai. “Where did you go? Weren’t we going to perform the spell at noon?”

Li Bai ignored Lin Zhe and went directly to Lei Heng, asking, “Did you set up smaller formations on the edge of the Qimen Dunjia formations?”

“Of course there are. Given it’s a Qimen Dunjia formation, each part is interconnected, layer upon layer. In the dense white fog at the front of Langdang Mountain, I’ve set up eighty-one formations. The fact that you made it through is sheer luck,” Lei Heng said, his tone quite self-assured. It was clear he took great pride in his Qimen Dunjia formations.

Li Bai, however, seemed puzzled. “That’s odd. Early this morning, I sensed an unusual disturbance in front of Langdang Mountain. It was subtle, but definitely not my imagination. Today, I took a closer look, and there are signs of tampering inside.”

“Impossible!” Lei Heng’s voice rose sharply as he glared at Li Bai. “I can guarantee that my Qimen Dunjia formation can’t be breached by anyone. Even if someone did manage to get inside, without very advanced spells, they wouldn’t cause any noticeable disturbance within the formation. Do you understand?”

Seeing the tension between the two rising, I quickly signaled to Leilei and Lin Zhe. We hurried over and got between them, pushing them apart.

Lin Zhe and I wanted to calm Li Bai down, but Lei Heng snorted coldly and said, “How dare you doubt me? I’ve already set up the formation for today. Once started, no one can stop me.”

Before Li Bai could retort, Lin Zhe and I clamped his mouth shut and grabbed him by the legs, dragging him aside.

I must admit, I had my reasons for acting hastily. Lin Shishi had been trapped in that gem for so long, and who knew what her condition was now? There was no time to waste. Even if someone had broken in, we still had Li Bai and Lin Zhe as backup. I believed they could hold their ground for a while.

Besides, Lei Heng was so confident and clearly wasn’t fond of Li Bai’s criticisms. If this continued, the formation might not be completed, and Lin Shishi wouldn’t be freed.

As Lei Heng began the spell, it was too late for Li Bai to intervene. He forcefully broke free from Lin Zhe’s and my grasp, glaring at us and pointing a finger at me, “Don’t think I don’t know your little agenda. Let’s see how you handle it if something goes wrong!”

I really was innocent. What ulterior motive could I have? I just wanted to rescue Lin Shishi.

On the altar, the offerings were placed, and three sticks of incense sent spirals of smoke into the air, surrounding Lei Heng. He wore a black Taoist robe, with a Bagua diagram on the back and strange runes on the front. I wasn’t sure what they were for. He waved a horsetail whisk with authority, looking very much in command.

Lei Heng now looked completely different from when we first met him. The rough, reckless image was totally gone, replaced by a neat and dignified presence. Even the topknot on his head had vanished, now replaced with neatly trimmed short hair.

He performed the formation with impressive focus, a solemn expression on his face. He fixed his gaze on a newly emerged star in the night sky, resting the horsetail whisk on his left hand while making a mudra with his right. He closed his eyes and began chanting an incantation.

His voice was low and quick, with elongated tones, resembling a celestial hymn that easily captivated those who listened.

In front of him, a handful of copper coins were cast, and he waved the horsetail whisk up and down. When everything settled, the copper coins were neatly arranged on the table. Lei Heng’s expression shifted to surprise as he examined the patterns formed by the coins.

Lin Zhe and I stood by, nervously watching, while Li Bai seemed to sense something amiss and attempted to rush forward. We quickly held him back, keeping him still.

This was the most critical moment, and we couldn’t let Li Bai cause any disruption.

“Heaven and Earth boundless, Yin and Yang form laws, gather upon me, spirits of all realms, heavenly treasures, calm my body, soothe my spirit, souls from eight directions, Five Internal Organs of Xuanming, Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise, the battle formations in full array, Azure Loong and White Tiger, guard my being, quickly by divine command!”

This was the pivotal moment. A powerful wave of spiritual energy from the formation surrounded Lei Heng, and an invisible whirlwind circled around him. The wind made his dignified Taoist robe billow dramatically. At this moment, Lei Heng was no longer the disheveled and irritable man we first encountered; he seemed like a celestial being descended from the heavens.

Lei Heng stood with his eyes tightly shut, hands clasped before his chest, as if in deep meditation, completely motionless. I could see with my own eyes a ghostly figure, resembling a soul, appear above his head, only to vanish in an instant.

Just as we were all intensely focused on Lei Heng, a loud bang suddenly erupted from the mountainside behind us, as if something had exploded.