THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS

Chapter Fifty-Nine — A Formation Spanning a Thousand Miles

Xue Ningxiang and Xie Tianyang stared at Zhuo Fan in silence, both struggling to process his earlier words.

No matter how they looked at him—

He did not seem like someone lying.

And yet…

The idea itself sounded completely absurd.

The Seven Houses stood equal to the imperial family.

To ordinary clans, they were untouchable powers ruling from above.

At most, a weak clan could become an affiliated subordinate.

But an alliance?

Equal standing?

That was a privilege reserved only for the Seven Houses themselves.

What emperor would ever stand shoulder to shoulder with beggars in the street?

To the Seven Houses—

Every other clan beneath them might as well have been exactly that.

Beggars waiting for scraps.

So how could Hidden Dragon Pavilion possibly sign an alliance contract with some unknown third-rate clan?

The more they thought about it—

The more impossible it became.

Finally, Xie Tianyang burst into laughter and slapped Zhuo Fan heavily on the shoulder.

“Brother Zhuo…”

“If you don’t want to explain your origins, fine.”

“But inventing something this outrageous?”

“That’s too much.”

Xue Ningxiang pouted unhappily nearby.

“We already told you our identities honestly.”

“And you’re still lying to us.”

Zhuo Fan sighed helplessly.

The truth really was harder to believe than lies sometimes.

“Forget it.”

Xie Tianyang waved dismissively.

“Once this operation ends, we’ll probably all go separate ways anyway.”

“Whether we ever meet again is uncertain.”

“So why bother digging into each other’s secrets?”

Zhuo Fan smiled faintly and nodded.

Good.

He liked this attitude.

There were no eternal friends or enemies in this world.

Only benefits.

Today’s ally could become tomorrow’s mortal enemy.

Keeping one’s secrets hidden was survival itself.

Only Xue Ningxiang still muttered quietly to herself:

“If everyone gets along this well…”

“…why can’t we stay friends forever?”

Zhuo Fan and Xie Tianyang exchanged a glance.

Then both laughed simultaneously.

Too naïve.

With a flash of light, Zhuo Fan suddenly removed a blank sheet of paper and a brush from his spatial ring.

Then—

Without another word—

He began drawing.

His brush moved rapidly across the paper in sharp, flowing strokes.

Complex symbols.

Intersecting lines.

Ancient formation marks.

Within minutes, an incredibly complicated diagram began taking shape.

Xue Ningxiang stared blankly.

She understood absolutely nothing.

But Xie Tianyang’s expression gradually changed with every new line appearing on the page.

Shock.

Then disbelief.

Then genuine horror.

Finally, when Zhuo Fan completed the final stroke—

Xie Tianyang nearly snatched the diagram from his hands.

“This…”

His voice trembled slightly.

“A first-grade formation schematic?”

“But…”

He stared at the symbols intensely.

“So many of these formation marks…”

“…I’ve never seen them before.”

Zhuo Fan nodded calmly.

Naturally he had never seen them.

Many of these symbols originated from ancient formations lost since antiquity itself.

Modern formation masters no longer possessed this knowledge.

Xie Tianyang studied the diagram for a very long time before finally lifting his head again slowly.

His gaze toward Zhuo Fan had completely changed now.

“You…”

His voice became unusually serious.

“You’re definitely from one of the Seven Houses.”

Then after another pause—

“No…”

“…perhaps even the imperial family.”

Only those supreme powers possessed access to this level of formation knowledge.

At least—

That was the only explanation Xie Tianyang could imagine.

But Zhuo Fan merely laughed and shook his head.

“I already told you the truth.”

“Whether you believe it or not is your problem.”

“Right now…”

“…we focus on cooperation.”

After staring at him silently for several more moments, Xie Tianyang finally nodded.

“Fine.”

Zhuo Fan rolled the schematic closed and stood immediately.

“Follow me.”

The three of them immediately departed deeper into the mountains.

Six hours later—

Zhuo Fan finally stopped beside a remote riverbank far away from the Flowing Gold Spring Pool.

Xue Ningxiang looked around in confusion.

The farther they traveled—

The farther they moved from the Diamond Quicksand itself.

In fact—

They were now approaching the boundary between the first and second regions of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range.

The mountain range itself divided naturally into three danger zones.

The first region was relatively safe.

Mostly first and second-grade spirit beasts.

Even third-grade beasts rarely appeared here.

Suitable for Qi Gathering and Foundation Establishment cultivators searching for spirit companions.

The Flowing Gold Spring Pool lay within this outer region.

The second region—

Far more dangerous.

Third and fourth-grade spirit beasts roamed freely throughout these mountains.

Without Bone Tempering cultivation, entering here was nearly suicide.

The third region…

True death territory.

Fifth-grade spirit beasts and above.

Even Heaven Profound experts risked dying there.

And now—

Zhuo Fan had brought them directly to the border between safety and danger.

One wrong step—

And Xue Ningxiang could die instantly.

Even Heaven Profound experts avoided wandering carelessly here.

After examining the terrain carefully, Zhuo Fan finally nodded in satisfaction.

“This is the place.”

Xie Tianyang frowned.

“You’re setting the formation here?”

Zhuo Fan nodded before pointing toward the schematic.

“Have your Burrowing Mountain Rat dig tunnels from here all the way to the Flowing Gold Spring Pool.”

“Then place spirit stones according to these formation positions.”

Xie Tianyang froze briefly.

Then his expression darkened immediately.

“You want it to carry spirit stones underground…”

“…all the way back to the spring pool?”

He rapidly estimated the formation layout mentally.

Then inhaled sharply.

“There are over a thousand formation points here.”

“Three thousand two hundred and twenty-one,” Zhuo Fan corrected casually.

“Since the Burrowing Mountain Rat can only carry one spirit stone at a time…”

“…it’ll need over three thousand trips.”

Silence.

Even Xue Ningxiang covered her mouth in horror.

“You’re trying to work it to death!”

Meanwhile—

The Burrowing Mountain Rat itself slowly rolled onto its back dramatically.

Completely motionless.

Playing dead.

Absolutely impossible.

No chance.

It refused.

Zhuo Fan almost laughed watching the little thing tremble while pretending otherwise.

“Time’s limited.”

“The Diamond Quicksand could erupt anytime.”

“We don’t have the luxury of waiting.”

Xie Tianyang looked toward his spirit beast with slight guilt flickering across his face.

Then Zhuo Fan delivered the final push calmly:

“A first-grade spirit beast can always be replaced.”

“But Diamond Quicksand?”

He smiled darkly.

“That opportunity may never appear again.”

Xie Tianyang’s eyes hardened instantly.

“Fine.”

He grabbed the little spirit beast directly.

“It’s only a first-grade pet.”

“If it dies…”

“…then it dies.”

The Burrowing Mountain Rat immediately burst into silent tears.

What kind of owner was this?

Earlier, it thought Zhuo Fan was the devil.

Now it realized—

Its own master wasn’t much better.

Meanwhile, Xue Ningxiang quickly scooped the tiny creature into her arms protectively and glared furiously at both men.

“You two are monsters.”

Neither of them cared.

Especially Xie Tianyang.

At this point, his mind contained nothing except Diamond Quicksand.

Soon afterward—

The Burrowing Mountain Rat’s nightmare officially began.

Within minutes, underground tunnels spread rapidly beneath the earth exactly according to Zhuo Fan’s schematic.

Its tunneling speed truly deserved its reputation.

And because the tunnels remained extremely deep underground—

Not even the Heaven Profound elder guarding the spring pool sensed anything unusual.

Then came the real torture.

Trip after trip after trip.

The Burrowing Mountain Rat carried spirit stones endlessly through the tunnels.

One hundred trips.

Still manageable.

Five hundred—

Its fur became soaked completely with sweat.

One thousand—

It began collapsing every few minutes.

Xue Ningxiang felt increasingly heartbroken watching it.

So each time the little creature returned, she secretly fed it water and stroked its tiny head comfortingly.

At this point, the Burrowing Mountain Rat practically viewed her as a heavenly immortal descended to save it.

Meanwhile, Zhuo Fan and Xie Tianyang watched like two ruthless landlords exploiting laborers to death.

Especially Xie Tianyang.

At this point, even he no longer resembled a noble heir of Sword Marquis Manor.

He looked exactly like Zhuo Fan.

Completely corrupted by greed.

Finally—

After placing the last spirit stone—

The Burrowing Mountain Rat collapsed into Xue Ningxiang’s arms twitching weakly.

Its eyes were lifeless.

Its soul practically gone.

Xue Ningxiang hugged it gently while comforting it softly.

Only then did the little spirit beast regain the will to live slightly.

Zhuo Fan smiled faintly.

“See?”

“I told you it wouldn’t die.”

Xie Tianyang sighed helplessly.

“Yes…”

“But it’ll definitely hate me forever after this.”

“No choice.”

Zhuo Fan shrugged.

“Finishing this formation within three days required force.”

“Otherwise your lazy little rat would’ve slacked off endlessly.”

The Burrowing Mountain Rat instantly opened its eyes furiously.

Slacked off your ass.

You absolute demon.

Ignoring the creature’s resentment completely, Zhuo Fan suddenly stood.

Formation seals flashed rapidly between his fingers.

Then—

Boom.

Another formation instantly activated beside the riverbank.

At the same time—

Thousands of buried spirit stones beneath the earth lit up simultaneously.

A massive invisible pulse spread through the mountain range instantly.

Miles away—

The formation hidden beneath the Flowing Gold Spring Pool answered immediately.

The two formations resonated together across thousands of miles.

At the center of the spring pool—

The gray-robed Nether Valley elder suddenly opened his eyes sharply.

A deep unease rose inside his chest for no clear reason.

“What’s this feeling…”

He frowned slightly.

“Why do I suddenly feel…”

“…something’s wrong?”

Meanwhile, beside the distant riverbank—

Zhuo Fan slowly lowered his hands.

A dark smile spread across his face.

“Everything’s ready.”

“Now…”

“…we wait.”

Then his eyes gleamed dangerously.

“When the Diamond Quicksand erupts…”

“…that old Nether Valley bastard is going to lose his mind.”

[End of Chapter Fifty-Nine]

Chapter Sixty — Grand Shift of Heaven and Earth

Everything had been prepared.

Now all that remained—

Was waiting.

For the next several weeks, the three of them entered an uneasy calm much like Nether Valley itself.

Waiting for the Diamond Quicksand eruption.

Xie Tianyang spent every day leaning against trees with his sword beside him, constantly debating whether he should train to pass the time.

But each time he tried—

The same thought returned.

What if the Diamond Quicksand erupted while he was away?

What if Zhuo Fan secretly took everything for himself?

Trust?

Impossible.

He barely understood who Zhuo Fan even was.

How could he fully trust him?

Meanwhile, Xue Ningxiang seemed to have forgotten the Diamond Quicksand entirely.

Every single day, she played happily with the Burrowing Mountain Rat from sunrise until dark.

Laughter constantly echoed through the forest.

Whenever Xie Tianyang tried calling his spirit pet back—

The little traitor only glanced at him with utter disdain before burying itself deeper into Xue Ningxiang’s arms.

Each time that happened, Xie Tianyang nearly coughed blood from frustration.

Clearly it was his spirit beast.

Yet now it treated him like a complete stranger.

Eventually, Xie Tianyang gave up entirely.

Then his gaze naturally drifted toward Zhuo Fan again.

And once more—

Confusion filled his eyes.

Zhuo Fan remained the strangest person he had ever encountered.

Mysterious origins.

Mysterious strength.

Mysterious knowledge.

Even now, Xie Tianyang still absolutely refused believing Zhuo Fan came from some weak third-rate clan.

Impossible.

During this entire waiting period—

Zhuo Fan did only one thing.

Cultivate.

Day after day, he sat motionless beneath the trees, eyes closed in silent cultivation as though the Diamond Quicksand mattered less than breathing.

Yet ironically—

Among all three of them—

He was clearly the one who cared about it most.

That contradiction alone made Xie Tianyang admire him even more.

At least personally—

Xie Tianyang knew he could never achieve this level of calm.

Not while waiting for something as precious as Diamond Quicksand.

If he forced himself into cultivation under these conditions, his restless mind would only cause qi deviation sooner or later.

And yet Zhuo Fan…

…remained completely unaffected.

Xie Tianyang stared toward him silently.

For the first time in years—

He genuinely felt inferior to someone his own age.

Then suddenly—

Pop.

A faint explosive sound echoed from Zhuo Fan’s body.

He slowly opened his eyes and exhaled softly.

“Qi Gathering sixth layer…”

“…finally broke through.”

Xie Tianyang’s face twitched violently.

Then after several long seconds—

He sighed in total surrender.

Ridiculous.

At a time like this, Zhuo Fan still managed to advance a cultivation realm calmly.

Monstrous.

Absolutely monstrous.

So the days continued passing.

One month.

Then another.

Xie Tianyang nearly went insane from boredom.

Xue Ningxiang and the Burrowing Mountain Rat only became closer and closer.

And Zhuo Fan remained exactly the same.

Calm.

Silent.

Waiting.

Finally—

“I’ve had enough!”

Xie Tianyang suddenly exploded in frustration.

But at that exact moment—

BOOM!

A terrifying explosion echoed across the entire mountain range.

The earth shook violently beneath their feet.

Trees trembled.

Birds scattered wildly into the sky.

Xie Tianyang froze.

Then instantly—

His eyes exploded with excitement.

“It’s happening!”

At the same time, Zhuo Fan’s eyes snapped open sharply.

Golden light flashed across them.

“Finally.”

Far away at the Flowing Gold Spring Pool—

Nether Valley’s Seventh Elder suddenly rose into the air laughing wildly.

“Hahahaha!”

“I’ve waited over two months for this!”

“Prepare the Flowing Gold Silk Nets immediately!”

“Fish out the Diamond Quicksand!”

More than fifty Bone Tempering experts bowed instantly.

“Yes, Elder!”

Golden nets flew through the air one after another before sinking directly into the spring pool.

At once, the entire pool glowed brilliantly beneath golden light.

Meanwhile—

Beside the distant riverbank—

Zhuo Fan looked toward Xie Tianyang calmly.

“You brought your Flowing Gold Silk Net, right?”

Xie Tianyang laughed proudly before waving one hand.

A second golden net appeared instantly.

“Of course.”

“No one comes for Diamond Quicksand without one.”

Diamond Quicksand erupted alongside underground magma currents.

To separate the sand from molten stone—

Flowing Gold Silk Nets were essential.

Zhuo Fan grabbed the net immediately and threw it into the river.

Then he slowly formed hand seals.

“Watch carefully.”

His voice lowered.

“Grand Shift of Heaven and Earth…”

“Mountain and river reversal…”

“Yin and yang exchange…”

“Twin formation transposition…”

“Shift!”

Boom!

All buried spirit stones erupted simultaneously.

Countless pillars of light exploded skyward from beneath the earth.

Miles away—

The same phenomenon erupted around the Flowing Gold Spring Pool itself.

Three thousand two hundred and twenty-one pillars of light rose simultaneously like heavenly punishment descending across the mountains.

Nether Valley’s Seventh Elder frowned immediately.

But at this critical moment, he had no time to investigate properly.

The Diamond Quicksand eruption mattered more.

Then suddenly—

Splash!

A massive column of water erupted from the spring pool.

Crystal-clear water.

Cold water.

The temperature of the entire spring pool instantly dropped dramatically.

Everyone froze.

Because this made absolutely no sense.

Diamond Quicksand eruptions should always accompany underground magma.

The spring pool should become unimaginably hot.

Even Bone Tempering experts normally feared touching the water during eruption periods.

But now?

Cold water?

The Seventh Elder stared blankly for several seconds.

Then finally—

His face twisted violently.

“Someone’s tampering with the eruption!”

He immediately rose into the air and looked toward the distant horizon.

There—

Thousands of light pillars shimmered far away across the mountains.

“Over there!”

Without hesitation, he shot through the sky furiously.

“Whoever dares steal from Nether Valley…”

“…is dead!”

Meanwhile—

Back beside the riverbank—

The entire river suddenly vanished.

In its place—

A massive black hole opened beneath the earth.

The next instant—

BOOM!

Scorching magma exploded upward from underground like a volcanic eruption.

Within the molten current, countless tiny golden particles glittered brilliantly.

“Diamond Quicksand!”

Xie Tianyang shouted excitedly.

Then he immediately turned toward Zhuo Fan in disbelief.

“Brother Zhuo…”

“How the hell did you make the eruption transfer here?”

Zhuo Fan smiled faintly.

“The formation’s called the Grand Shift Array.”

“A first-grade formation.”

“But it can reverse terrain flow and redirect underground veins.”

“I simply transferred the Diamond Quicksand eruption from the Flowing Gold Spring Pool…”

“…to this location instead.”

He explained it casually.

But Xie Tianyang already looked completely numb.

Reverse terrain flow?

Shift mountain veins?

Those were abilities normally belonging only to legendary sixth-grade formations long lost to history.

And yet Zhuo Fan recreated similar effects using only a first-grade formation.

At this moment—

Xie Tianyang finally began genuinely reconsidering Zhuo Fan’s earlier words.

Perhaps…

Hidden Dragon Pavilion really had formed an alliance with him.

Because someone capable of this kind of formation mastery…

…was worth it.

Even the Seven Houses would fight to recruit him.

Thinking this far, Xie Tianyang suddenly grabbed Zhuo Fan’s shoulder seriously.

“Brother Zhuo.”

“Come to Sword Marquis Manor.”

“Become our honored guest.”

“With your abilities, the Manor will absolutely value you above almost anyone else.”

Xue Ningxiang nearly choked hearing this.

A direct invitation from one of the Seven Houses?

To someone their own age?

Absolutely unbelievable.

But Zhuo Fan only rolled his eyes.

“Too late.”

“Hidden Dragon Pavilion already invited me before.”

“I refused.”

“So they settled for alliance instead.”

Xue Ningxiang instantly snorted.

“Your bragging gets worse every day.”

But this time—

Xie Tianyang nodded seriously instead.

“I understand.”

“Then after returning, I’ll send Sword Marquis Manor’s alliance contract to Windforest City personally.”

Zhuo Fan blinked.

“You’re serious?”

“Of course.”

Xie Tianyang grinned.

“But only with you personally.”

“If one day you leave the Luo Clan…”

“…Sword Marquis Manor refuses taking losses.”

Zhuo Fan genuinely did not know whether to laugh or curse anymore.

Why were all Seven House heirs exactly the same?

Suddenly—

Boom.

The magma eruption weakened sharply.

Zhuo Fan’s expression changed instantly.

“Now!”

“Pull the net!”

Xie Tianyang immediately activated the Flowing Gold Silk Net.

Golden threads slowly rose from the magma current.

Molten stone poured through the gaps, splashing against the ground while releasing hissing steam.

And attached across every golden strand—

Were countless glittering golden grains.

Diamond Quicksand.

Even Xie Tianyang’s breathing grew heavier seeing it.

But before he could celebrate—

Zhuo Fan’s cold voice interrupted immediately.

“Hurry.”

“We’re leaving.”

Xie Tianyang froze briefly.

Then instantly understood.

The Nether Valley elder would arrive soon.

Very soon.

That was the entire reason Zhuo Fan spent six hours bringing them this far from the Flowing Gold Spring Pool.

To buy escape time.

Even Heaven Profound experts required at least an hour crossing this distance.

Enough for them to flee completely.

The real question now was—

Where?

Xie Tianyang immediately looked toward Zhuo Fan seriously.

“What’s next?”

Zhuo Fan slowly lifted his eyes toward the distant mountains ahead.

Beyond the river…

The second region of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range began.

Xie Tianyang and Xue Ningxiang both instinctively followed his gaze.

Then suddenly—

Both froze.

“K-Knowledge Treasure Region?” Xue Ningxiang whispered nervously.

Zhuo Fan shook his head slowly.

“No.”

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

“We’re going deeper.”

“Third region.”

“The Death Zone.”

Silence.

Both of them stared at him like he had gone insane.

The second region already bordered on suicide for them.

The third?

That was a graveyard even for Heaven Profound experts.

But Zhuo Fan only smiled faintly.

Because from the beginning—

This had always been his true destination.

The sixth-grade spirit beast—

Thundercloud Sparrow.

[End of Chapter Sixty]