Chapter 1411

Han Li stands sweating in a bronze hall lit by a weak flame atop a metallic crane neck lamp, a space the formation itself created. He feels great lingering fear. He doubts he is qualified for the true inheritance of senior Zhen Yuan Zi, who he judges may be a righteous path Gu Immortal, and knows he reached this point on effort, calm judgement and above all luck. Righteous path inheritances are usually not trap laden the way demonic ones are, and the dangers of this one would be nothing to a Gu Immortal, though for a Gu Master they are lethal. That luck, tied to Fang Yuan, has already given him endless fortuitous encounters, and his rank four cultivation at his age, without any Gu Immortal’s help, is really rare. He decides to retreat and turns back, but his field of vision shifts and he finds himself more than ten steps closer to the lamp instead. ^{ch. 1411}

Trying a different direction, Han Li moves back to the right, and his vision shifts once more, carrying him dozens of steps closer, until he can barely touch the lamp with his arms outstretched. The last small distance tempts him, but he reasons that relying on luck alone is only gambling. He steadies himself and turns to find the way back. The retreat path is now clear even to Han Li, unschooled in formation path, and he follows it, getting farther from the lamp. ^{ch. 1411}

His vision shifts again without warning, and he finds himself directly before the metallic crane neck lamp. A groggy will wakes inside it, calling him fated one and confirming he is qualified to inherit, since he passed the formation’s test. Extremely embarrassed, Han Li admits he actually meant to leave. The voice explains Zhen Yuan Zi built the test so that with the lamp extremely close, any move forward is wrong: only a Gu Immortal of deep formation path attainment grasps this, though one of low attainment who retreats still has a chance. It corrects Han Li’s guess that it is Zhen Yuan Zi’s will, naming itself formation spirit Immortal Gu, created by Zhen Yuan Zi and unknown to anyone else. It explains that just as blessed lands have land spirits and grotto heavens have heavenly spirits, Gu formations can have formation spirits too. Realizing Han Li is only a Gu Master with no immortal essence, the spirit panics. ^{ch. 1411}

Han Li has no immortal essence, so he cannot suppress the immemorial desolate beast under the formation, and now that he holds the true inheritance the Gu formation will break apart, leaving him no hope. As the formation spirit predicted, the formation breaks apart, the bronze hall turns hollow, and the lamp settles onto Han Li’s shoulder. The hall is revealed as a huge hole beneath the desert, sand pouring in as the cave collapses without the formation’s support. Before him lies a sleeping, hill sized green claw ghost winged lion, an immemorial desolate beast meant for a qualified Gu Immortal inheritor to subdue, but Han Li cannot control it. Falling sand wakes it. Han Li attacks with his mortal killer move, but it lands like a harmless gust of wind, and the lion leaps forward and swallows him whole. ^{ch. 1411}