"Why is there fog? I remember Lucky Forest never has white mist," Ruan Mengtuo said.
Wu Shang nodded slightly. "Correct. I remember that too. This white mist feels strange."
Ruan Mengtuo continued, "Regardless, we must be careful. Since this white mist appeared out of nowhere, we must stay alert."
"En." Wu Shang nodded, took out antidote pills, and had everyone take them. They stepped forward carefully, one step at a time. But after only a few steps, they found the fog around them growing thicker. They could not even see their own five fingers.
"Master Ruan, are you nearby?" Wu Shang asked.
Ruan Mengtuo replied, "I can’t see anything around me. Only fog. Nothing else."
"Same here." Wu Shang felt very alert. "Everyone, be careful of your surroundings. Don’t let anyone sneak attack."
The fog gave them an indescribable feeling of smoke, but Wu Shang had no choice. The fog persisted. Even if he disliked it, it would not dissipate.
Zhu Yanyi watched Wu Shang, Ruan Mengtuo, and their group groping forward like blind people. After an hour, they had moved less than ten meters. She chuckled. "Do you think we should tease them?"
"We can’t go in. How can we tease them?" Ouyang Tianyun was not satisfied with Zhu Yanyi’s suggestion.
Zhu Yanyi sighed. "This is the tragedy of not understanding formations. So you must study formations more. Next time you truly set up a formation, you won’t have this problem. For now, let’s keep them trapped for three to five days, then trick them into leaving."
Although Zhu Yanyi said this, she knew it was the best approach.
Wu Shang and Ruan Mengtuo had just arrived. Their passion was high. If the Elf Queen, disguised as the White Great Shaman, appeared now, the effect would be poor. They needed to wait until their passion faded and they began to doubt this world. Only then would the fake White Great Shaman appear, achieving twice the result with half the effort.
Zhu Yanyi instructed everyone not to enter and disturb Wu Shang and Ruan Mengtuo. Instead, she led the group to explain the mysteries of the formation. Since Zhu Yanyi had set up this formation, it served as a live tutorial.
"See this formation? I used non-lethal formations focused on trapping, not killing. If you set up your own, you could add killing formations. That way, you could eliminate some invaders."
Zhu Yanyi explained to the Lucky Forest residents who were learning formations. "You should know that the beauty of formations is their stealth. But if you don’t study them deeply, the formation might hurt you while hurting the enemy. That would be a loss. I assume you don’t want to die together with the enemy."
Naturally, the Lucky Forest residents nodded. They wanted to protect Lucky Forest. Unless absolutely necessary, no one wanted to die with the enemy.
Seeing them nod seriously, Zhu Yanyi smiled. "Alright. Since you understand, I will teach you the uses of these formations over the next few days."
Zhu Yanyi began her live lesson. "Actually, part of these formations is due to your efforts. Remember when I taught you to set up simple formations some time ago?"
"We remember," everyone answered seriously.
"En." Zhu Yanyi nodded and continued. "I taught you simple formations for two reasons. First, to show you the basics. Second, for this moment. Simple formations are for humans. In human hands, some formations look simple but are most effective. For example, this Mist Formation. I used the Water Gathering Formation I taught you, modified it slightly, and got this result. Formations change endlessly. The change is in the heart, not rigid."
Zhu Yanyi explained seriously. "Also, formations exist primarily for change. A formation without change is a dead formation and useless."
Rarely, Zhu Yanyi drew a formation diagram on the ground. "These are the formations you set up before. I added elements I wanted to use. For example, here, I opened a gap and changed the Life Gate to the Shock Gate."
As she drew, she explained the origin of the Mist Formation. Compared to Wu Shang and Ruan Mengtuo, Zhu Yanyi and her group were very happy and relaxed.
Ruan Mengtuo and Wu Shang did not know how much time had passed. They found they could not move forward. The Mist Formation had become a huge problem. If they sought someone who understood formations now, it was too late. They could not see their retreat path.
They only remembered moving forward, forgetting how to exit. Now, they could only circle endlessly on the outskirts of Lucky Forest. They did not know how many days they had circled.
Their initial confidence to conquer this place had faded over the days. Instead, they felt an indescribable irritation.
They did not know the days, but Zhu Yanyi kept track. After trapping them for about nine days, Zhu Yanyi took further action.
She asked Flame to help the Elf Queen transform into the appearance of the White Great Shaman. Zhu Yanyi assisted secretly. With a wave of the Elf Queen’s hand, Zhu Yanyi used the formation’s rebound effect to throw the people out of the forest. The Elf Queen, disguised as the White Great Shaman, stood above the mist, looking lofty and intimidating.
"Lucky Forest is not for you to invade. Leave! Trapping you this time is a warning. If there is a next time, this Great Shaman does not mind taking you as sacrifices."
After speaking, she released pressure. Several lightning bolts struck around Wu Shang and Ruan Mengtuo, seemingly as a warning.
Wu Shang and Ruan Mengtuo’s faces changed. "White Great Shaman, didn’t you disappear?"
"I disappeared, but that doesn’t mean I left no backup plan." The White Great Shaman’s ambiguous words made Wu Shang and Ruan Mengtuo believe even more that this White Great Shaman was real.
Of course, their minds raced. They thought this White Great Shaman might be a clone. So, when the original disappeared, the clone appeared.