The distance between the palm-shaped rock and the mountain wall was just over ten feet.
If several people were to descend side by side, it would be crowded. On the mountain wall facing the palm, there was a shallow, face-sized depression.
The Divine Senses of the youth surnamed Bai and the other two immediately swept over, already growing impatient.
After a moment, aside from the female cultivator surnamed Yang, the other two withdrew their Divine Senses.
The cultivator surnamed Yan looked at Song Rongdao with a puzzled expression.
"Brother Song, there are no restriction fluctuations there at all. This is..."
This time, even the youth surnamed Bai looked at Song Rongdao. His Divine Sense had also not detected any concentration of spiritual or demonic qi. Could it be that the man had led them to the wrong place?
Moreover, an "entrance" like this was extremely easy to overlook, like being in a "narrow" interlayer.
Coupled with the complete lack of restriction fluctuations, if they didn't believe Song Rongdao wouldn't joke about such a matter, it would be enough to make one want to draw a saber and cut him down.
Hearing the cultivator surnamed Yan's question, before Song Rongdao could answer, the female cultivator surnamed Yang let out a sneer. Only then did she withdraw her Divine Sense.
"If I'm not mistaken, there is a 'Hidden Scale Concealing Splendor Formation' here, which has long since disappeared from the world. I imagine Fellow Daoist Yan has never even heard the name!"
The female cultivator surnamed Yang seized the opportunity to belittle him, not holding back in the slightest.
The cultivator surnamed Yan was stunned. He truly had never heard of this formation's name.
But he had no desire to look at her smug face. He was about to retort with a cold sneer when he was interrupted by the slightly surprised voice of the youth surnamed Bai.
"Fellow Daoist Yang says that a 'Hidden Scale Concealing Splendor Formation' is laid out below. Could it be the legendary ancient formation where the dragon transforms into wind and clouds, its aura hidden within, its colorful scales entering its body, making its true form difficult to perceive?"
Hearing the youth surnamed Bai's question, a trace of surprise appeared on the female cultivator surnamed Yang's pretty face. She hadn't expected him to be so knowledgeable as to know the origin of the "Hidden Scale Concealing Splendor Formation."
Seeing the surprise on her face, the youth surnamed Bai gave a bitter smile.
"I've only seen this name and a simple introduction in an ancient book on formations. As for the specific power of this formation, I can only guess. So, please don't look at me like that."
Hearing his explanation, the female cultivator surnamed Yang's expression relaxed. Song Rongdao and the cultivator surnamed Yan, after their initial surprise, also stopped questioning the youth.
"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Yang is truly formidable. You saw through the mystery with just a brief probe. I was completely ignorant of it at first and even tried to break it by force."
"At the time, I really thought I had broken the formation's restrictions here."
"And because of that, I didn't get very far before the formation started operating again. If I hadn't reacted quickly, I would have definitely been trapped inside."
Song Rongdao looked at the female cultivator surnamed Yang with a strange light in his eyes.
The female cultivator surnamed Yang deeply agreed with this. The greatest functions of the "Hidden Scale Concealing Splendor Formation" were concealment and defense.
However, its defensive method was completely different from other refined formations. It focused more on luring the enemy deep inside and secretly accumulating power, like a hidden dragon at one's side, suddenly revealing its scales and claws.
With this, she thought again of Song Rongdao's encounter after he thought he had broken the restriction and entered the formation for some distance.
An ancient "Dark Spirit Demon Bat" had appeared directly. Even if it was not yet an adult, for Song Rongdao to still be able to escape with the aid of the restriction's attacks, his methods were truly remarkable.
But she was also clever. She could think of these things but would not say them out loud.
Seeing her identify the origin of the formation below at a glance, Song Rongdao was overjoyed. It seemed he had really found the right person this time.
Last time, if he hadn't had the "Seven-Colored Glazed Lamp" to help him, blocking a blow from the "Dark Spirit Demon Bat" at a critical moment, he would have been sealed in the formation. At that point, his chances of survival would have been slim.
Recalling the incident, he still felt a lingering fear, but he spoke again, his smile widening.
"It seems that Fellow Daoist Yang will have no problem breaking this formation."
The female cultivator surnamed Yang did not answer immediately but thought seriously for a moment before replying.
"Fellow Daoist Song, I only know the general refining method of the 'Hidden Scale Concealing Splendor Formation.' The inheritance for this formation has long been broken..."
At this point, she paused, as if thinking about how to phrase her words.
"Hahaha, so this Fellow Daoist Yang doesn't know how to break it either. I thought you would be able to handle it with ease!"
The cultivator surnamed Yan finally seized the opportunity and immediately interjected with a taunt.
Song Rongdao also frowned slightly. The female cultivator surnamed Yang was the person with the highest attainment in formations among all the rogue cultivators he knew.
'Could it be that I've miscalculated this time? Do I need to invite a cultivator from a major sect to handle this? But what should I do with these people here? Kill them all?'
In an instant, countless thoughts surged in Song Rongdao's mind, but his expression only became much more solemn, with no other change.
Anyone who saw this would only think he was lost in thought because of the female cultivator's words, not knowing that he had already moved on to the idea of silencing them by murder.
Regarding the cultivator surnamed Yan's mockery, the female cultivator surnamed Yang simply curled her lip.
"However, I did study the 'Hidden Scale Concealing Splendor Formation' for a period of time. Although I can no longer replicate its refining method, I can still deduce some of its general techniques."
"With these estimations and judgments, combined with other methods, it's not necessarily impossible to break this formation. It will just take me more time."
As soon as she said this, a smile reappeared on Song Rongdao's face.
"Then how long will you need, Fellow Daoist Yang?"
"I'm not sure yet. Don't get close to the formation. I'll go down and take a look first!"
The female cultivator surnamed Yang did not immediately give a time for breaking the restriction but flew down directly.
At this, not only did Song Rongdao not show any disappointment, but his smile widened even further.
This was a person who truly got things done. If she had unhesitatingly given a time to break the formation, Song Rongdao would have thought her chances of success were slim.
Daring to give a time to break an unfamiliar formation was not very reliable.
The space between the palm-shaped rock and the mountain wall was only about ten feet. Although this width was considerable for a single person, for a cultivator casting spells, it was extremely narrow. One mistake and their own spell could reflect back onto them.
The female cultivator surnamed Yang landed in front of the depression in the stone wall. First, she carefully sensed it with her Divine Sense for about ten breaths, then she suddenly formed a hand seal, and a blooming red peony appeared in her hands.
"Go!"
With a soft cry, the red peony rose slowly and then flew rapidly into the depression in the mountain wall.
As soon as the red peony entered the depression, it immediately began to spin rapidly, creating streaks of red patterned light.
After just a few breaths, it disintegrated into specks of red starlight. But there was no movement in the depression, not even a trace of spiritual or demonic qi feedback.
The female cultivator surnamed Yang frowned. She had thought this was the most appropriate technique to use against the "Hidden Scale Concealing Splendor Formation," yet it was like a clay ox entering the sea, with no reaction at all.
After some thought, she changed her hand seals again and took out several bamboo slips from her storage pouch, casting them out.
Fifteen breaths later, the depression on the mountain wall remained motionless.
Subsequently, the female cultivator changed her hand seals several more times, using a variety of different formation tools. Finally, on her sixth attempt, a faint restriction fluctuation lit up within the depression.
This brought a flicker of joy to the three above, but it was just a flicker. After flashing a few times, the restriction fluctuation disappeared again.
This time, the female cultivator surnamed Yang fell into a long period of contemplation. The three people standing above silently watched everything that was happening below.
Even the cultivator surnamed Yan did not mock her again. Although he was lecherous, he was not stupid. At this time, he would naturally not incur public anger by mocking a formation master.
Probably before the female cultivator surnamed Yang could even act, the two beside him would immediately drive him away.
The female cultivator surnamed Yang stood facing the mountain wall, frowning and silent. After more than half an incense stick's time, a trace of conflict appeared on her jade-like face, unseen by the others.
Her heart was in a state of intense struggle.
'This place is protected by a 'Hidden Scale Concealing Splendor Formation.' This kind of formation has been gone for too long, so the secret grotto behind it must be, as Song Rongdao said, from the ancient times, or even older. The benefits and value within must be very high. It should be worth taking a risk...'
'Those three probably can't recognize the technique I'm using to break it. I've used this technique a few times in other places, and no one has ever been able to recognize it.'
'Hmm... there's more than a fifty percent chance they won't be able to see through it. Should I take the gamble...'
After another dozen or so breaths, a resolute look flashed in the female cultivator surnamed Yang's eyes.
With a slight movement of her curvaceous body, she took out a compass that seemed to be covered in green moss from her person. It appeared very old and quaint.
Patting her storage pouch again, a five-colored mottled butterfly made of some unknown material appeared in her other jade-like hand.
Afterward, she first gently levitated the compass in front of her. While chanting an incantation under her breath, she continuously tapped the void with one hand.
As her nearly one hundred finger taps fell, two beams of green light began to be emitted from the moss-like surface of the compass.
After the two beams of light appeared, the three above clearly saw that within each beam of green light, tiny runes were constantly tumbling.
But before they could react, these two beams of green light quickly split into four, then eight, sixteen, thirty-two...
By this time, the levitating compass was already trembling non-stop, and beads of sweat were dripping down the female cultivator surnamed Yang's forehead.
She suddenly let out a soft cry. After trembling violently for a long time, the thirty-two beams of green light suddenly split again, this time becoming forty-nine.
And as the green light from the compass transformed into forty-nine beams, the originally baby-arm-thick green beams each became a slender line of light, only about an inch long.
Looking at the compass in the female cultivator surnamed Yang's hand from a distance, it looked like a cluster of green petals surrounding the compass.
The female cultivator surnamed Yang's face turned somewhat pale. Her two full peaks heaved dramatically, like someone working a bellows, captivating the soul.
Due to the spirit power shield protecting her body, the seawater could not get close.
In just these few short breaths, her long skirt, which was already tight against her body, had been soaked through with sweat.
A pair of very spectacular, snow-white, smooth orbs were now faintly visible amidst the violent heaving of her chest, sometimes hazy, sometimes pressed tightly against the fabric, a patch of pure white.
Manifesting forty-nine beams of green light was already her limit.
For the compass to exert its maximum effect, it had to be able to manifest sixty-four beams of green light, but she was unable to do so.
'I hope I can get a glimpse of its Gate of Life and Death!'
The female cultivator surnamed Yang thought silently. In the next moment, she threw the five-colored mottled butterfly from her other hand into the air in front of her.
At the same time, with a pull of her spirit power, a beam of green light from the compass suddenly shot out and lengthened, striking the five-colored mottled butterfly from a distance.
In an instant, the butterfly came to life. Its previously still wings vibrated fiercely, and it immediately flew towards the depression in the mountain wall.
After quickly contacting a certain position in the depression, the five-colored mottled butterfly's pair of slender antennae continuously vibrated gently, as if searching for food.