Chapter 78: Entering the Graveyard Instance

After setting up the Heavenly Net Formation before the altar, Li Yunfei moved to the back of the altar. It was a pity he hadn’t prepared the large talisman banners and triangular flags in advance, which meant that many formations couldn’t be set up, but with those he could arrange, it was sufficient for now.

Li Yunfei was highly experienced in combat. No matter the circumstances, he would never allow himself to be surrounded, always shaping the battlefield so he only had to face enemies head-on. The Heavenly Net Formation he placed at the front was both defensive and offensive in nature, chiefly serving as a buffer zone—so that if too many ghosts attacked, he wouldn’t be overwhelmed.

With this formation as a buffer, he could deal with the oncoming spirits at his own pace. However, this meant he wouldn’t be able to watch his flanks or rear, so he needed defensive formations to guard those directions as well.

When a Daoist sets up an altar to contend with ghosts, the large talisman banners arranged in a U-shape around the altar serve precisely this purpose, preventing spirits from launching surprise attacks from behind. The rear defensive formation didn’t need to combine offense with defense; such a formation would drain too much of his power to repel evil.

If his power was spent, he’d still face the threat of being surrounded. Typically, formations could replenish themselves by absorbing the ambient spiritual energy, but this depended on the intensity of enemy attacks. If the onslaught was too fierce, the rate of replenishment would never keep pace with consumption, and the formation would inevitably be broken.

Therefore, he only required a purely defensive formation for his rear and flanks. Such formations consumed far less energy, allowing him to remain untroubled about attacks from those directions. When dealing with insect or beast-type dungeons in the past, he could use guerrilla tactics, but ghosts were another matter. They could fly and ignore physical barriers entirely, making escape or evasion impossible—so how could he employ hit-and-run tactics?

Thus, in supernatural dungeons, he could only hold his ground, and the altar became his fortress.

Li Yunfei went nearby and chopped a pile of wooden sticks, driving them into the ground in a U-shape around the altar, enclosing it at the center. He then purchased iron and copper wires from the system shop, and, much like constructing a wire fence, wove the sticks together into a net. Finally, he tied on red cords and pasted a circle of talismans imbued with ghost-repelling incantations.

This defensive formation was called the Iron Citadel Array. Compared to other formations, it was simple to set up and required only inexpensive materials. As such, it served no purpose other than pure defense—against monsters, spirits, and even humans.

Its function was to block all intrusion and attacks; it could be used to defend against outsiders or trap adversaries within, making it a veritable prison.

Once the formation was in place, it was time to activate it.

This time, Li Yunfei forwent the ritual steps atop the altar. He simply formed hand seals, bowed several times to the east, and recited the incantation: “Spirits of Heaven and Earth, I respectfully invite the twin masters Zhang Ban and Lu Ban to descend and erect the Iron Citadel here. Let its walls be invisible, as high as the sky, impervious to all evil spirits and monsters. A single rope, eight fathoms deep—copper and iron at its core. Neither golden nor jade blades can sever it. I call upon the Six Stars of the Southern Dipper and the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper. By the command of the Most High, so let it be.”

As he finished the chant, Li Yunfei lifted his left foot and stomped heavily. The Iron Citadel Array blazed with golden light, activating smoothly.

All borrowed spells were completed with a foot stomp, equivalent to the activating word “Hasten” in other incantations. This Iron Citadel Array drew upon the powers of the craftsmen gods Zhang Ban and Lu Ban. Though lesser-known, these two were genuine celestial deities, their abilities formidable.

In Journey to the West, it was these two who constructed the “Chamber of Peace” and “Chamber of Tranquility” for Sun Wukong, as well as the later Palace of the Great Sage. The demon-subduing staff wielded by the Curtain-Lifting General, Sha Wujing, was also forged by Lu Ban.

When crossing the Flowing Sands River, Sha Seng thus introduced his staff to Sun Wukong: “This staff is famed far and wide, once part of the laurel tree in the moon. Wu Gang chopped it down, and Lu Ban’s craftsmanship made it peerless. Gold runs through its heart; ten thousand threads of pearls entwine it. It subdues monsters and ensures tranquility in the heavens.”

If Lu Ban himself lacked profound magic, how could he have forged such a divine weapon?

With the Iron Citadel Array in place, Li Yunfei no longer needed to worry about attacks from behind or the flanks; he could focus entirely on the ghosts ahead.

Of course, besides the surroundings, he had to guard against what lay beneath his feet. Ghosts could not only fly but also travel underground.

Thus, one final step remained: reciting the “Invocation to the Earth God,” a must for any altar ritual.

“Primordial Lord, pacify and anchor; let all spirits be informed. Divine guardians of the mountains and rivers, spirits of the land, let no unwarranted disturbances arise. Let all energies return to the righteous path, purity within and without, each at their appointed place, steadfastly guarding the altar. By the command of the Most High, hunt down evil spirits, protect the scriptures, shelter the righteous, uphold the Way, and let all be as ordained.”

The purpose of this invocation was to notify the earth spirits of all directions and borrow their power to protect the altar grounds.

Whether or not Blue Star had mountain or earth gods, Li Yunfei did not know. All he knew was that after reciting this incantation, the ground around his altar became as impenetrable as iron to ghosts.

They could no longer tunnel beneath him and launch a sudden attack from below. Only now could he be truly free of worry.

With everything prepared, Li Yunfei focused his mind, first donning his suit of astral armor, then layering an imperial-yellow Daoist robe with the eight trigrams over it.

He replaced his helmet with a Daoist crown, stepped before the altar, and purchased several stacks of Heavenly Thunder Talismans from the system shop, piling them on the table.

Looking around at the fruits of his labor, Li Yunfei allowed himself a satisfied smile.

This was his first time entering a supernatural dungeon, and even the lowest-level instance here was one level above his own. No amount of preparation could be considered excessive.

“Select the level 31 Graveyard Dungeon.”

“Dungeon level selected. Enter?”

“Enter.”

“Confirming dungeon entry. Initializing program.”

As the system prompt sounded, the sky suddenly darkened.

Li Yunfei noticed that, for once, he hadn’t been shrunken down. Of course, the strength of ghosts had nothing to do with physical size.

Gusts of chilling wind sprang up from all directions, black mist churning, and in the blink of an eye, broad daylight was replaced by a night as dark and wild as pitch.

It wasn’t that the system had simply swapped day for night, but rather that thick, black clouds had appeared from nowhere to blanket the sky and block out the sun.

Centered on the graveyard, a wall of black energy encircled the land within a hundred yards, enclosing the graves at its heart.

The scene resembled an enormous bowl of black mist, inverted over the graveyard.

From the outside, the graveyard appeared unchanged—Li Yunfei, the little fox, the altar, and the formations he’d set up had all vanished from sight.

This graveyard had become a grim, desolate, and eerie isolated space. Until he cleared the dungeon, Li Yunfei would be unable to breach the wall of black energy and leave.

A chilling wail arose from all sides, enough to make one’s hair stand on end. Even Li Yunfei and the little fox, both seasoned in slaughter and well-versed in the mystical arts, found themselves involuntarily unsettled.