Chapter 84 Half a year in the formation, ten minutes in reality?
Just as they were thinking that more than half a year had passed and they wondered what was happening outside, a light came from the tunnel, getting closer and closer. The car was driving very fast and in the blink of an eye, it arrived at the tunnel exit. Seeing Chen Cheng standing by the roadside, the driver slammed on the brakes. A sharp screech of brakes rang out, and the car stopped beside him, its tires smoking and leaving a trail.
"Brother Xiao Cheng, where did you run off to?"
Lei Zhen's anxious voice came, and then he jumped out of the car.
"Brother Lei? Were you alright last time? Did you come back to see me again? Who came this time?"
"What? I came back to find you again? We just finished smoking and were about to get in the car, but I went around and couldn't find you or the car. I thought you had forgotten me and driven off. It was very dark in the tunnel, and I groped around for a long time before I finally saw the car about ten minutes ago, but I didn't see you, so I drove out to chase after you!"
Lei Zhen's words left Chen Cheng dumbfounded. He had clearly been inside the formation for at least seven or eight months, but according to Lei Zhen, only a few tens of minutes had passed in the outside world!
He pinched Lei Zhen hard. "Ouch, Brother Xiao Cheng, why did you pinch me?"
"Let me see if I'm dreaming!"
"Why don't you pinch yourself and see? What good will it do to pinch me?"
"Hey, by the way, Brother Lei, my phone is still in the car, right?"
After saying that, he opened the passenger door on his own. Sure enough, his phone was still in the handcuff. He quickly picked it up and checked the date and time. It really was that day!
"What's going on?"
"I'm not quite sure either. I've never come out. It's possible that the spacetime distortion inside the formation creates an illusion, causing people to either die of anxiety or be trapped inside."
Ling'er's voice came from Chen Cheng's mind.
That's probably it, Chen Cheng thought. Otherwise, how could he not feel thirsty after staying inside for more than half a year?
"We have a signal!"
Lei Zhen took out his phone and said with surprise.
Chen Cheng also looked at his phone; there was indeed a signal.
Immediately afterward, his phone rang.
"Old Xu".
"Xiao Cheng, did you find anything in the tunnel?"
"Yes, I've made some small discoveries, but they can't be explained in just a sentence or two."
"Oh, we're also preparing to go down the mountain. We've encountered countless small formations along the way, and Wenmiao is too tired to continue. We'll discuss this further once we're down!"
"Okay, Mr. Xu, we're at the tunnel entrance. Please be careful."
Before he could even put his phone in his pocket, the notification sound rang several times. Chen Cheng didn't need to guess who it was; he knew it was from her. Although he couldn't explain what the Great Array was all about, he had indeed missed her a lot during the more than six months of virtual time.
"Brother Cheng, our case is over. I can take two days off to rest. When are you coming back?"
"You jerk, why aren't you replying to my messages? I miss you, do you miss me?"
"You big bad guy, I can't get through on the phone either. Are you doing this on purpose or do you have an important mission?"
Zhang Qian sent seven messages, initially expressing dissatisfaction, but later filled with concern and anxiety. Chen Cheng had now calmed down and picked up his phone to make the call.
"Sisi, the signal is bad in the mountains today."
"You bastard, I'm so worried! You're not replying to my messages or answering my calls. Believe me or not, if I don't hear from you soon, I'll go to Qianzhou to find you. If I can't find you there, I'll go to 709 to demand your return!"
"Hehe, you're that worried about me?"
"Hmph, is it wrong for me to worry about you?"
"Okay, that's great, Sisi, I miss you so much!"
Chen Cheng suddenly said seriously that he had thought a lot while in the formation. Zhang Qian was a girl who dared to love and hate. He wondered how painful it would be for her if he died here. Fortunately, fate was just playing a joke on him.
"Hmm? I'm so happy you said that, but something about what you said sounds weird, like you haven't seen me in ages."
"Yes, a day apart feels like three autumns!"
Chen Cheng understood the meaning of those words all too well at that moment.
"I miss you so much. When are you coming back? I'll come to see you."
Zhang Qian, no longer spoiled, spoke gently and seriously.
"Our mission is basically over in the last couple of days."
Most of the supernatural events in the tunnel were due to the Qiankun Hunyuan Formation. Once Ling'er left, the formation lost its original power, and everything was resolved, allowing them to return home!
"Very good,,"
The two talked on the phone for a while longer before hanging up.
"Xia Chan, go and wander around the tunnel and the surrounding area, and clear out all the ghosts inside!"
Chen Cheng used his telepathy to communicate with Lü Xiachan, saying that although the great formation was broken, there would definitely still be wandering ghosts inside. As long as this place was cleared out, then this tunnel would be peaceful from now on.
"Yes, Master."
Then a red shadow shot out from Chen Cheng's jade pendant. Chen Cheng was not worried about it. After all, its strength was enough to crush other demons and monsters as long as it did not encounter a powerful ghost cultivator or ghost king!
"Xiao Cheng, what exactly happened? In the blink of an eye, I couldn't see you and the car anymore. To be honest, I was a little panicked. It wasn't fear, but a kind of indescribable trepidation!"
So Chen Cheng gave him a brief explanation first. It wasn't until dawn that the light of electric lights came from the mountain. It should be Xu Gongyi, Ma Guangzu and Wen Miao coming down. More than twenty minutes later, the three of them, panting, climbed over the highway guardrail and met up with Chen Cheng and the other two.
After eating something and drinking some water, Master Xu Gongyi finally spoke: "This place is too strange. We haven't climbed very high, but the continuous small formations are driving us crazy. It's all thanks to Wenmiao, otherwise we would still be trapped in the formation!"
"Master Xu, I solved the first two, but I couldn't solve the last one. Suddenly the formation disappeared, and I don't know what happened!"
"You mean, the formation that trapped us in the end wasn't broken by you?"
Ma Guangzu asked in surprise.
"Yes, these formations are very powerful. It would take me a lot of time and effort to break them!"
Wen Miao told the truth.
"Elder Xu, the formation here has been broken, and there will be no more trouble in the future. Our mission is complete!"
Chen Cheng's words surprised the group, but he didn't seem to be joking.
Then Chen Cheng recounted how he was trapped in the tunnel formation, how he entered the formation, how time intertwined inside, and how he accidentally broke the formation's core. He omitted Ling'er, as she used telepathy to prevent Chen Cheng from mentioning her.
"I never expected you to be our group's lucky star! You managed to break this great formation by sheer accident!"
Xu Gongyi was extremely gratified after listening to Chen Cheng's account.
"So that explains why the feng shui here suddenly became normal!"
Wen Miao said excitedly.
Xu Gongyi and his two companions were initially quite dejected after returning empty-handed, but upon hearing that the matter had been resolved, their excitement swept away their fatigue. Lei Zhen then asked, "Xiao Cheng, what about the ghost in the tunnel?"
"They were also annihilated along with the great formation; I saw it with my own eyes!"
Chen Cheng casually remarked that Lü Xiachan had already cleaned up inside and outside the tunnel.
"Very good"!
Xu Gongyi had witnessed Chen Cheng's abilities firsthand, so he naturally believed his words without a doubt.
After packing up, the group drove towards Xingyang City. By then, it was already broad daylight, and everyone was in high spirits. Ma Guangzu vividly described their experiences on the mountain.