Chapter 5

Qian Yu Zhenren looked at Lin Fan and asked, "Aren't you worried that the mountain sprite might take advantage of your incomplete formation and launch a strong attack?"

"No, since the mountain sprite lured the enemy into the forest, it indicates that the forest is already well-prepared. He will keep waiting for me until he loses patience and comes out to find me," Lin Fan answered confidently, waving his hand as one by one, talismans flew out and stuck to the tree trunks.

Qian Yu Zhenren was a bit puzzled, "What kind of formation is this?" Is it the Eight Formation Diagram? No. Is it the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper? No.

Lin Fan said, "This is called the Circular Formation. Once the mountain sprite enters the core area, all the talismans will activate together." Simple and clear.

Qian Yu Zhenren asked, "No Yin and Yang, no life and death gates, no changes?"

"No!" Lin Fan asked, "Master, can you change the team for me? This group is too dull. From Yunqing Mountain to here, apart from the polite exchanges between seniors and juniors, no one has spoken like normal people."

Qian Yu Zhenren smiled and said, "On the contrary, they might not have the same thoughts as you."

"Oh?" Lin Fan stopped writing, finding this quite reasonable. Throughout the journey, he hadn't done much, and it was possible that everyone felt bored but didn't want to be the first to break the harmonious and dull atmosphere. Lin Fan nodded, "Master is indeed the master; this insight is profound."

Qian Yu Zhenren said nothing, floating to one side, hiding his presence and body, and waiting quietly. Lin Fan frowned, sensing that the mountain sprite was approaching. Qian Yu Zhenren couldn't help but laugh, this little rascal was too smart; as soon as he saw Qian Yu Zhenren leave, he knew the mountain sprite was near. Good and bad, good in that he was smart, bad in that in a real encounter, there might be no one to give him a heads-up.

A cackling laugh surrounded Lin Fan, followed by a black shadow swiftly passing by, tearing off a talisman and discarding it. The second, the third...

Lin Fan didn't seem worried; talismans flew out of his hand one by one. For every talisman the mountain sprite destroyed, Lin Fan replaced it, and the speed of replacement was no slower than the mountain sprite's speed.

Then Lin Fan exclaimed, "Oh!" and looked at his left hand, which was empty.

Qian Yu Zhenren smiled wryly, "You still have two stacks of yellow paper in your bag, quite a convincing act."

The mountain sprite cackled with satisfaction, layer by layer clearing the talismans, then pounced towards the helpless Lin Fan in the center.

The mountain sprite's claws reached for Lin Fan, but Lin Fan stuck a talisman on a nearby rock, a Position Swap Talisman. Lin Fan and the rock swapped places, and the mountain sprite's claw hit the rock, tearing off a layer. The mountain sprite flew backward, emitting a sound of pain. Teeth can crush sand, but that doesn't mean they don't hurt.

Lin Fan chanted, "Rise!"

Hundreds of talismans in the shrubs and grass flew up and stuck to the tree trunks, faintly glowing. Lin Fan flew out talismans, one landing in the grass, another sticking to a tree trunk. When the tree trunk talisman was destroyed, the grass talisman was preserved. The mountain sprite discarded the destroyed talismans, providing an additional layer of cover for the hidden grass talismans. The trap was successfully set.

The mountain sprite looked around, assessing the power of these talismans. Lin Fan patiently said, "Mountain sprite, I already know that my master is using you to test us. Why don't we sit down and talk? How about a game of Heavenly Nine?" While saying this, Lin Fan created four more talismans. The longer the mountain sprite hesitated, the greater Lin Fan's advantage became.

Lin Fan saw that the mountain sprite quickly saw through this and was preparing to attack, so he warned, "This formation is called the Six Wastelands and Eight Heavens Formation, a secret formation passed down by my master's teacher. Once activated, it will kill gods and slay demons, with no exceptions. This formation can also transform into the All-Heaven Formation, the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper Formation, the Eight Trigrams Life and Death Formation, the Sun Travel Formation, and the Moon Devouring Formation. The most powerful is that it can ultimately transform into the Demon-Slaying and Evil-Exterminating Formation. Whether you are a Great Luo Golden Immortal or a Great Vehicle Evil God, you will be killed, killed, killed!"

That should be enough, Lin Fan thought, no longer bothering to talk nonsense, looking at the mountain sprite, "Mountain sprite, the decision is now in your hands, it's very powerful."

The mountain sprite pounded its chest and roared, two vines shooting up from under Lin Fan's feet. Lin Fan had seen this trick before and stuck a talisman on the newly swapped rock, which the vines tightly bound. Lin Fan simultaneously chanted, "Swiftly!"

Hundreds of talismans responded, with dozens of them glowing brightly.

"Flame-flying Jade Maiden, Thunder and Fire General, Fire Crow, Fire Horse, Fire Covering the Universe. Fire Bell Great Deity, quickly burn the evil spirits. Swiftly as the law commands!"

These dozens of talismans were called Fire Spirit Talismans. The mountain sprite tried to evade, but the flames hit the ground, rebounded, and continued to pursue. A flame enveloped the mountain sprite, binding it, while the other flames, like moths drawn to a flame, collided with the mountain sprite from all directions.

The sound of a thunderclap echoed, and the fire spirits exploded, the flames instantly disappearing, leaving the mountain sprite with a scorched head and a completely burned body.

"Thunder crashes like a golden bell, divine thunder fiercely destroys the veil. Dragon thunder shakes the red earth, burning away all evil and leaving no trace. Swiftly as the law commands!"

The second batch, Heavenly Thunder Talismans (Fire), formed into the size of a baby's arm and struck the mountain sprite's forehead. The mountain sprite staggered several times and fell to the ground with a thud.

Lin Fan pointed his finger and was about to chant "Swiftly" again, but Qian Yu Zhenren couldn't bear to watch this one-sided torture, "Stop." Although the mountain sprite had an inner core to protect it, Lin Fan might not be able to kill it, but the mountain sprite needed time to recover. Lin Fan's speed of drawing talismans clearly exceeded the mountain sprite's inner core healing speed. The next development was predictable; the mountain sprite would be like a target, allowing Lin Fan to freely lash out, with no chance of retaliation or escape.

Lin Fan spread his hands, and the remaining talismans floated down and landed on the ground. Qian Yu Zhenren said, "You have passed the trial, you can go save them now."

"Yes, Master."

Qian Yu Zhenren sighed, looking at the mountain sprite on the ground. This group was carefully selected by her, the elite of the young generation from various sects. Originally, there was no place for Lin Fan, but the head of the Zhengyi Sect insisted, and she reluctantly agreed to let Lin Fan try. The results were completely unexpected. Although Gu Yan's cultivation was high, he had no cunning and was lured into a trap. Bai Mu could perform the Copper Plate Divination, but had no combat experience. Ye Wushuang's spell scrolls were versatile, but he had no combat experience and even held the scroll upside down in a hurry.

Lin Fan was completely different from them. When faced with a situation, he immediately thought, quickly realized something was wrong, and deduced that this was a pre-arranged trial. He then set up the formation, openly building the path while secretly crossing the river, first placing himself in a position of certain defeat and then luring the mountain sprite into the trap.

Qian Yu Zhenren initially marveled at Lin Fan's unexpected intelligence, but when the Fire Spirit and Heavenly Thunder Talismans appeared, she realized she had underestimated Lin Fan's strength. The strength of others was clear at a glance, but Lin Fan was an exception. Lin Fan had two types of strength: one was the visible level of cultivation and depth of Dao. The other was called skill. Others could draw three talismans with slight deviations, but in the same time, Lin Fan could draw ten talismans with perfect precision, making the power several times greater in comparison.