“Formation, rise!”
Above the Skull Mountain Market, the fully restored Hundred Skeletons Returning to True Grand Formation rumbled into motion, startling Wu Zhichong and Duanmu Yuan so much that they instantly pulled away from each other. Seizing this opening, Lu Yuanchun transformed into a blood light and sped past.
The formation patterns outside the grand formation parted to let Lu Yuanchun pass through, then immediately closed again. The movements were so swift that they left no opportunity for any outsider to exploit.
“Many thanks for your help, Brother Lu.”
Landing within the formation, the blood light dispersed, revealing Lu Yuanchun's sorry state. His deathly pale face showed a mixture of shock and uncertainty: “Brother Lu, you're actually a formation master.” If you weren't a formation master, how could you have possibly restored the formation and resolved what was a certainly fatal crisis.
“You flatter me, Senior Brother, but I'm merely a ninth-grade one,” Lu Yang said with a faint smile.
“After studying it for several days, I was finally able to unleash a fraction of this grand formation's might.”
Lu Yang spoke of it simply, but Lu Yuanchun's expression was grave. Of the hundred arts of cultivation, the Dao of formations is supreme. The value of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator and a late-stage Qi Refining formation master cannot be compared.
The latter could almost be considered to be at the Perfection level of the Qi Refining Realm!
“That said, Senior Brother Lu, you seem to have gained quite a bit this time.”
Lu Yang watched Lu Yuanchun with a half-smile, and under his gaze, the expression on Lu Yuanchun's face gradually stiffened as cold sweat began to pour down. However, in the next second, he regained his composure.
“Brother Lu, I have been safekeeping the ‘Profound Feminine Supreme Yin Treasured Jade’ for you for a long time. Today, it is time to return it to its rightful owner!”
With that said, Lu Yuanchun took out a small box. He opened the lid, and inside lay a piece of white jade with seven apertures, closely resembling a human figure. As the saying goes, a person who understands the situation is a true hero.
Lu Yuanchun was a veteran disciple of the Saint Sect. He naturally knew that if he didn't hand over the treasured jade at this moment, he would soon be sacrificed on the front lines of the battlefield between the righteous and demonic paths.
Moreover, with the Divine Martial Sect having dispatched a cultivator at the Perfection level of Qi Refining, escape was impossible. Lu Yuanchun held no more illusions. Rather than keep the treasure, it was better to hand it over in public.
On one hand, it was a way to part with wealth to avoid calamity; on the other, it would shift the attention of the Divine Martial Sect onto Lu Yang.
“The Profound Feminine Supreme Yin Treasured Jade.”
Seeing this, Lu Yang nodded in satisfaction. He placed the small box into his storage pouch and turned, a calm expression on his face as he looked at the figure that had abruptly appeared outside the market. It was a handsome young man wielding a spear.
He wore a martial crown and was clad in scale armor, the long spear in his hand inscribed with dragon patterns. He looked less like a cultivator and more like a general from the mortal realm.
“A ninth-grade formation master?”
The young man's gaze was as sharp as a blade, as if it could pierce through the grand formation's cover and see Lu Yang controlling it directly.
“I didn't expect such an unforeseen variable.”
At the same time, ‘Divine Fist’ Wu Zhichong and ‘Mountain-Moving Daoist’ Duanmu Yuan approached and bowed respectfully to the spear-wielding youth.
“Senior Brother Ouyang, we have failed in our duties and disappointed you.”
“No matter.”
Ouyang Haoze shook his head, his expression gentle.
“Demons are cunning. It's normal for you two junior brothers to have been neglectful. From now on, just atone for your mistakes with meritorious deeds.”
After speaking, he turned his gaze back to the Skull Mountain Market, killing intent surging in his eyes.
“Our sect has planned this for many years and cannot tolerate any mishaps. If possible, we should first remove this nail the Demonic Sect has left here to minimize any unforeseen variables.”
In the next second, Ouyang Haoze's figure flashed as he completely unleashed his aura of the Qi Refining Perfection Realm. Instantly, a pillar of essence qi like wolf smoke shot up, manifesting with earth-shattering war cries. Faintly, thousands upon thousands of armored soldiers and generals could be seen forming ranks behind Ouyang Haoze, bolstering his essence, qi, and spirit.
“Break for me!”
In an instant, a sound like rolling thunder boomed through the air, blasting directly into the Skull Mountain Market. The few cultivators with lower cultivation levels were instantly shaken by this furious shout to the point of coughing up blood.
“Perfection level of Qi Refining…”
Controlling the formation, Lu Yang's expression grew heavy. The pinnacle of the Qi Refining Realm. In the major sects, this level didn't just represent one's cultivation level, but also one's status.
If they were also favored by a Daoist Master, they would surely be a True Disciple of the sect! The Divine Martial Sect was located in the Northern Frontier. Although its scale was far inferior to the Saint Sect's, it possessed several world-shocking Great Divine Abilities that only True Disciples could cultivate.
“If he has mastered a Great Divine Ability, I'll abandon the formation and run immediately.”
As he prepared to flee, Lu Yang moved to the edge of the formation to face Ouyang Haoze.
“My name is Lu Yang. Might I ask for fellow Daoist's name?”
“You are not worthy of knowing my name,” Ouyang Haoze sneered.
“If you know what's good for you, surrender without a fight. In that case, I might show some leniency, merely crippling your demonic arts and sparing your lives. But if you choose to put up a desperate struggle, the day this formation is broken will be the day I slaughter every last one of you!”
“When will the cycle of vengeance ever end.”
Lu Yang's smile remained, his tone gentle.
“Though our sides are righteous and demonic, we have always kept to ourselves. Why not give me some face?”
“Give you face?”
Ouyang Haoze burst into laughter, mocking him, “Such arrogance! A mere eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator. What if I refuse to give you face today?
What can you possibly do about it?”
“Why must it be this way…”
Lu Yang shook his head.
“Since it has come to this, then please, fellow Daoist, proceed with breaking the formation.”
“Courting death!”
A flash of killing intent sparked in Ouyang Haoze's eyes. The wolf smoke formed by his qi and blood converged as he clenched his fist and threw a punch. At first glance, it looked like a simple mortal martial art.
However, seeing this, Lu Yang's expression tightened. Not daring to be careless, he immediately summoned the Blood Sun Sword Pellet. His body then merged with the sword light as he slashed towards Ouyang Haoze.
In that instant, fist and sword clashed. An unparalleled sharpness and fist energy exploded outwards, like sparks blossoming in mid-air. Ouyang Haoze moved like lightning, throwing hundreds of punches in the blink of an eye.
Unlike other immortal sects, the Divine Martial Sect prioritized body cultivation. Most of their divine abilities were based on fists and feet, and their speed in close-quarters combat was even faster than a sword cultivator's!
“Volley of Arrows Strike!”
Ouyang Haoze stretched out his arms as if drawing a great bow. Then, fist shadows shot out like arrows, submerging Lu Yang's position in the blink of an eye.
Rumble!
Amid the deafening explosions, Lu Yang felt as if the surrounding spiritual energy had been completely drained, replaced by an endless barrage of fist shadows that threatened to grind him to dust! A thousand strikes in a single moment, leaving no room for a counterattack—this was clearly a superior divine ability!
Although Ouyang Haoze's words were arrogant and he seemed to look down on Lu Yang, when he actually made his move, he showed no carelessness whatsoever. He was attacking with his full strength. In that moment, explosive shockwaves rolled out one after another.
Under the barrage of his fist shadows, Lu Yang lasted less than ten seconds before being smashed to pieces. The sword light shattered, and in the blink of an eye, he was reduced to a shower of withered bones and skeletal remains. The assault of fists came to an abrupt halt.
Ouyang Haoze stood in mid-air, his brow slightly furrowed. Meanwhile, above the market, the Hundred Skeletons Returning to True Grand Formation whirred. A figure materialized from thin air and strolled out—it was, to everyone's surprise, a perfectly unharmed Lu Yang.
“Fellow Daoist's fist might is unparalleled. I am truly impressed.”
Ouyang Haoze didn't respond. He attacked again, still using the Volley of Arrows Strike. Lu Yang once again resisted tenaciously, and once again, after holding out for about ten seconds, he was smashed to pieces.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, Ouyang Haoze saw Lu Yang's body dissolve into withered bones, while a completely unscathed Lu Yang strolled out from the formation once more. His wide sleeves fluttered, his elegant demeanor unchanged. He hadn't even consumed the slightest bit of True Qi or magical power.
He cupped his fists towards his opponent and said, “Do you wish to fight again, fellow Daoist?”
“…The Hundred Skeletons Returning to True Grand Formation. It truly lives up to its reputation.”
Ouyang Haoze's expression was grave. As far as he knew, this was a seventh-grade formation that contained a hundred skeletal soldiers. A cultivator inside the formation could use the bodies of these soldiers to manifest their own full combat strength.
This meant that, in essence, the skeletal soldiers were fighting in his place. If they won, all was well. If they were destroyed, there was no impact on the main body.
Moreover, as long as the formation continued to operate, the skeletal soldiers could be rapidly restored even after being consumed. Thus, no matter how fiercely he attacked, it was all a pointless effort. And this was only because he remained outside the formation and hadn't rashly entered.
Otherwise, the moment he stepped inside, Lu Yang could summon all the skeletal soldiers to swarm him. At that point, even a cultivator at the Perfection level of the Qi Refining Realm would be skinned alive