Unconsciously,

nearly a hundred Magic Crystals now lay quietly within Moria’s Storage Ring.

However, the small mountain of crystals before him seemed utterly unchanged.

Zhou Huai roughly estimated that the number of Magic Crystals here was at least ten thousand.

It could probably rival the current Magic Crystal reserves of Jiangning City’s official authorities.

And this was merely the tip of the iceberg.

It showed just how abundant the resources in this Secret Realm were.

After taking these hundred Magic Crystals, Zhou Huai stopped his actions.

Everything required sustainable development.

If he took a hundred, the Radiant Alliance might not notice.

But if he took too many at once,

they would become wary.

It would be no small matter if they discovered an outsider in this underground cave.

Having completed all this, Zhou Huai controlled Moria to move through the shadows, preparing to find the passage dug by Shi Lei and the others and return the way he came.

Just then, Zhou Huai paused.

He saw a familiar face among the distant crowd.

A look of surprise appeared on his face.

Although the person had deliberately disguised himself, Zhou Huai recognized him at a glance.

That person was none other than Li Gang, the chief examiner from the military who had dealt with Gandalf during the provincial examination in Jiangning City.

At this moment, Li Gang was wearing simple clothes, his face covered in dust, and he had grown a messy beard.

He was carrying a pile of mined Magic Crystals, following a team, and walking with difficulty out of the depths of the cave.

There was no trace of the dignified demeanor of a military general.

“Why is Li Gang here as well?”

Zhou Huai’s consciousness let out a soft exclamation from the shadows, then he realized.

The military of Jiangning City had clearly noticed the unusual activity of the Zhou Family.

They had already begun a secret investigation into the Zhou Family.

However, Li Gang was, after all, a prominent figure in the Dongning Province military; wasn't it a bit too reckless for him to personally venture into danger?

Zhou Huai naturally didn't know that it wasn't Li Gang's choice to come, but rather that all the people he had previously sent to infiltrate the Radiant Alliance had gone missing.

No matter what method he used, he couldn't contact them.

In utter desperation, he, this important figure, was forced to come in person.

Zhou Huai’s thoughts raced.

Since Li Gang was here, it meant that the military would definitely take action regarding this Secret Realm.

It was only a matter of time.

Now, there was truly a show to watch.

The Zhou Family, the Liu Family, plus the military.

Three forces entangled together.

However, on the other hand,

even though Li Gang had discovered the secrets of the Zhou Family and the Liu Family at this moment,

it would not be easy to transmit the intelligence from here.

This was a thousand-meter deep underground location.

Moreover, it was heavily controlled and guarded by the Radiant Alliance.

Even Li Gang would probably find it very difficult to escape from it.

Looking at it this way,

perhaps only he could help Li Gang out of this predicament now.

Thinking of this, Zhou Huai smiled.

Passing the information here to the military was not impossible, but not now.

The value of this Secret Realm was extraordinary.

Once the military intervened, the Zhou Family and the Liu Family would certainly pay a heavy price.

But he wouldn't be able to continue exploring this Secret Realm either.

This was an excellent opportunity for the Eternal Night Guild and his Clone to grow rapidly.

He couldn't let it go easily.

So, for now, this Lord Li Gang would have to suffer a bit.

Presumably, with the strength of this military leader, as long as he hid well, he should not die easily.

Having understood this, Zhou Huai no longer lingered.

Controlling Moria’s figure, like a drop of ink dissolving in water, he quietly returned the way he came.

In a flash, he returned to the headquarters of the Eternal Night Guild.

He placed the hundred Magic Crystals, shimmering with various colors, and the handful of moist soil from the Secret Realm, before Zhuge Kongming.

Next, the work of creating the Spatial Teleportation Formation officially began.

Zhou Huai’s consciousness returned, sinking into Zhuge Kongming’s body.

Designing a Spatial Teleportation Formation sounded very complex. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

In reality, it was not simple at all.

Zhuge Kongming sat cross-legged in the center of the secret room, with various rare Materials laid out before him.

He did not immediately begin.

Instead, he closed his eyes, and in his mind, countless runes and structures related to spatial Formations began to rapidly deduce, combine, and collide.

Teleportation Formations belonged to a type of Spirit Formation.

Their complexity was more than a notch higher than the Level 4 Defensive Formation he had practiced before.

After a while, he opened his eyes, which were clear and bright.

He reached out and picked up a fist-sized Magic Crystal, placing it into a mortar made of obsidian.

“Bang!”

He raised the pestle and brought it down hard.

The Magic Crystal cracked in response, emitting a crisp sound.

He struck it dozens more times until the hard Magic Crystal was completely ground into a fine, star-shimmering powder.

Next, came the second, then the third...

He crushed and ground each of the Materials containing different spatial elements into powder.

Purple “Void Vines,” silver “Stardust,” black “Boundary Stones”...

Each Material was incredibly valuable.

Soon, before him were a dozen jade bowls filled with powders of various colors.

The next step was mixing.

He took a crystal bowl and, with an exquisite silver spoon, carefully scooped a measured amount of powder from different jade bowls.

One spoonful of star-shimmering purple powder.

Two spoonfuls of deep black, like the night sky.

Half a spoonful of soft, silver-glowing grit.

He poured these powders into the crystal bowl and gently shook it.

The powders, containing violent spatial energy, tumbled in the bowl, repelling each other, emitting faint “sizzling” sounds, as if they could explode at any moment.

Zhuge Kongming’s expression remained unchanged, and he began to chant obscure incantations.

He slowly injected a wisp of magical power into the crystal bowl.

Under his guidance, the volatile powders finally gradually calmed down, reluctantly fusing together to form a viscous paste like a liquid starlit river.

Having completed all this, fine beads of sweat had already appeared on Zhuge Kongming’s forehead.

Zhou Huai, controlling him, picked up a carving knife and lightly dipped it into a bit of the starlit river-like paste.

He took a deep breath.

He bent down and began to engrave the first Formation pattern on the cold, hard ground.

The tip of the knife traced across the ground, leaving a faint, shimmering silver line.

Zhou Huai’s movements were fluid and unhesitating.

However, just as he was about to complete the first set of core runes—

“Puff!”

A soft sound.

The silver line, already formed, seemed unable to withstand the internal energy and suddenly broke.

The paste under the knife tip emitted a wisp of green smoke, instantly evaporating.

It failed.

Zhou Huai’s brows furrowed slightly.

He looked at the broken Formation pattern on the ground, then at the crystal bowl containing Materials worth hundreds of thousands.

He shook his head.

He wasn't discouraged; he simply walked to the side, sat cross-legged, and began to recover his expended magical power, while mentally replaying every detail of what had just happened.

An hour later, he stood up again.

This time, he was even more focused.

However, the result was the same.

When carving to the seventh rune node, the Formation pattern collapsed again.

The third time.

The fourth time.

...

Two days later,

the corner of the secret room was already piled with burnt Material residue.

The ground was also covered with various charred marks left by failures.

Thirteen of the hundred Magic Crystals had already been consumed by him.

Converted to great xia currency, that was a huge sum capable of bankrupting any small Guild.

At this moment, Zhou Huai’s eyes were even brighter.

He once again dipped into the newly prepared Materials.

He bent down.

And began to carve.

This time, his movements were much slower than before, but also more steady.

Every stroke, every line, contained a unique rhythm.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

In the secret room, only the “shush” sound of the carving knife against the ground remained.

Who knows how long passed.

When the final stroke fell,

a circular Formation, over five meters in diameter and composed of thousands of complex runes, finally appeared completely on the ground.

Zhuge Kongming slowly straightened his body, letting out a long, turbid breath.

He raised his hand and injected the last trace of magical power remaining in his body into the core of the Formation.

Buzz—!

On the ground, the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) intricate Formation suddenly lit up!

Silver lines, like awakened spirit snakes, swiftly moved through the Formation patterns.

Eventually, all the light converged to a single point.

A soft Teleportation Gate, composed of countless starlight, slowly opened in the center of the secret room.

It was done.