In fact, what Hu Lan saw was not a real formation, but merely an illusion.
Within the spiritual realm, Ling Tian was the god of the space, and everything here could be arranged according to his will. It was truly a place where words became law.
What trapped Hu Lan was not a spirit-binding formation, but the spatial laws conjured by Ling Tian's mind.
Next, Hu Lan witnessed an even more terrifying scene. Before him appeared a massive furnace, bearing three ancient seal characters on its top: Refining Soul Furnace!
Hu Lan was no fool. Upon seeing these three characters, he felt doom approaching. These characters were far from friendly to a soul like himself.
Refining Soul Furnace. Was he not a soul now?
"No, don't, don't kill me, you can't kill me..."
Hu Lan became incoherent, the threat of complete annihilation having long thrown him into disarray.
A cold smile appeared on Ling Tian's face.
"In fact, you had plenty of opportunities to escape just now, but alas, you refused the path to heaven and instead forced your way into hell!
I truly cannot fathom where you found the audacity to provoke me!"
"I... I... my physical body was destroyed, and I acted on impulse. Please, give me another chance. I'll leave now, disappear from your sight immediately..." Hu Lan's soul pleaded incessantly, his appearance utterly pathetic and pitiable.
"It's too late, everything is too late. Do you think I would let a menace like you go?
Alright, it's getting late, and I won't waste any more words with you. It's time for you to depart!"
As Ling Tian spoke, he raised his hand and pointed towards the Refining Soul Furnace beside him. The furnace lid suddenly opened, and a powerful suction instantly drew Hu Lan's soul inside.
The lid snapped shut, and fierce flames erupted within the furnace. These were no ordinary flames, but a spiritual fire specifically designed to dissolve souls.
In less than ten minutes, the furnace door opened, revealing a jade pendant and a pitifully small wisp of soul energy at its opening.
Ling Tian collected the soul energy. While even a mosquito's leg was meat, this amount was insufficient to even fill a tooth gap for Ling Tian at present.
Then, Ling Tian picked up the jade pendant, which contained Hu Lan's memories. He placed the pendant against his brow and injected his true essence. A torrent of memories surged into his mind.
Ling Tian sat on the ground, categorizing and filtering the information he had obtained, extracting the useful messages.
As this process unfolded, Ling Tian's brow furrowed, for he had discovered the true purpose of their visit to Hantan Village from Hu Lan's memories.
The anomalies in Hantan Village were indeed related to Hu Lan and his companions, but they had merely fanned the flames.
The Heavenly Demon Sect also had its own intelligence channels, with dedicated personnel scouring the world for rare treasures and monitoring unusual phenomena. Most importantly, the appearance of any heavenly treasures was always accompanied by certain anomalies.
This intelligence was compiled and sent to the Heavenly Demon Sect, where the sect leader would then disseminate this information as a benefit to his subordinates.
Hu Lan had learned of the anomalies in Hantan Village from the Heavenly Demon Sect leader, which prompted his hasty arrival.
From the sect leader, he had acquired the cultivation technique "Profound Yin Ghost Art," which required the absorption of vast amounts of Yin energy for cultivation.
Furthermore, Shi Xiaoyue, the sect leader of the Corpse Refining Sect, needed to relocate to a place with abundant Yin energy to refine zombies.
Coupled with Yin Tianxiong, the sect leader of the Sound Note Sect, who was plotting matters concerning Longhu Mountain, the three of them had journeyed here together.
The three were immediately awestruck by the natural Yin gathering formation. They were overjoyed and prepared to stir up trouble.
At that time, the villagers had not yet been affected by the Yin gathering formation, so these individuals employed certain methods to turn the vengeful spirits of those who had drowned in the river over the years into "伥鬼" (ghosts that lead others to their doom).
In reality, which inland river had not seen a drowning, and which stagnant pool had not claimed a life?
Shi Xiaoyue, the sect leader of the Corpse Refining Sect, had also transformed a group of monkeys from the nearby mountains into "山魈" (mountain demons) using soul-locking nails.
With the combined efforts of the 伥鬼 and the monkeys, many villagers died, and the remaining ones were relocated.
This way, Hantan Village was left with only them, allowing them to cultivate peacefully using the local resources.
As for whether this would attract the attention of the Righteous Alliance, Hu Lan was well aware that it was inevitable. However, he did not take the Righteous Alliance seriously and had laid numerous traps.
Daoist Zhang Daoyun of Longhu Mountain had fallen into their ambush and was injured by a zombie, nearly perishing. Several disciples of Longhu Mountain had also been lost here.
Hu Lan and his companions had stayed here for nearly two months, reaping immense rewards. However, while cultivating, Hu Lan also sought to unravel the secrets of this natural Yin gathering formation. Once he could decipher its secrets, he would gain substantial benefits.
After a period of exploration, Hu Lan discovered that the secret of the formation lay deep within the cave beside Hantan.
Although he had not yet uncovered the truth, based on Hu Lan's analysis, it was highly likely that a very powerful zombie or some other monstrous entity resided within the cave.
This natural formation was prepared for this entity to aid its cultivation.
Thus, Hu Lan and the other two, while utilizing the spiritual energy of the area for their cultivation, were also contemplating how to eliminate the entity in the cave to gain even greater advantages.
However, they never expected that by walking the path of wickedness too often, they would eventually encounter retribution. They met Ling Tian and were severely punished.
Yin Tianxiong was killed on the spot, Shi Xiaoyue, transformed into a zombie, lingered on, and Hu Lan, his physical body destroyed, had his soul scattered by Ling Tian.
Ling Tian emerged from the spiritual realm. He picked up the satchel he had obtained from his opponent and approached the great monk who was meditating.
At this moment, the great monk Punisher of Evils had entered a state of deep meditation. Ling Tian noticed that he was about to break through and decided to stay by his side, acting as a protector.
As night fell, he set up a tent and started a fire. To prevent any disturbance from the various魑魅魍魉 (demons and monsters) in the surroundings, Ling Tian also erected a formation around the tent.
This time, the great monk Punisher of Evils remained in meditation for a very long time, only opening his eyes nearly two days later.
"Amitabha!"
As the great monk Punisher of Evils opened his eyes, he saw Ling Tian guarding him nearby. He was deeply moved.
Ling Tian directly handed some food to the great monk Punisher of Evils. The great monk accepted it without hesitation, expressed his gratitude, and began to feast.