Chapter 198
"Alright, that last strike was too fierce; otherwise, this artifact should still be usable."
Chen Huai'an stuffed the skull back into his backpack, stroking his chin in thought.
There was no way he could take this skull to find the head of the Chunhao Sect.
It felt like Zhao Zhenlong was either the sect leader's son or the sect leader's father.
If he pulled out someone else's skull, wouldn't that just lead to misunderstandings?
Though... he wasn't too worried about misunderstandings given his strength.
As for Zhao Zhenlong's connection to Lingxi Valley, he wasn't sure.
However, compared to the Chunhao Sect, which he had never interacted with, he felt that the master of Lingxi Valley was kind-hearted and reasonable. Even if there were misunderstandings, she would likely give him time to explain, rather than forcing him to act rashly and strike down with his sword to cool things off.
...
Boom, boom, boom—!
When Chen Huai'an returned to the sky above the magic formation, he saw a group of cultivators hurling artifacts at the grand array, then detonating them.
The shockwaves from the explosions had already turned the surrounding mountains into a basin.
He couldn't help but twitch his lips.
He had just killed a Dongxu Third Realm elder, and this group of cultivators still hadn't broken through the formation they had set up?
What a bunch of useless fools!
"Oh, it's Daoist Chen back!"
The old ancestor of Qingyun brightened at the sight of Chen Huai'an, quickly stuffing away the half-exposed spirit artifact.
The hostility on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by a gentle and amiable demeanor.
"Daoist Chen, are you hurt? Just now, it seemed like there was a major battle among high-level cultivators miles away; even the aftermath could be felt here! I was so scared!"
Chen Huai'an took a deep breath, nearly choking on his leftover meal.
He hadn't felt such pressure facing the Dongxu Third Realm elder just moments ago.
Now, standing before the old ancestor of Qingyun, he felt as if he were standing under a thunderstorm.
He glanced at the grand array below.
If he could just break this formation, the old ancestor of Qingyun would surely leave him alone, right?
Just as he was about to draw his sword—
Bang—!
The magic formation, which had barely held for half an hour, finally collapsed with a thunderous roar.
Cheers erupted from the surrounding cultivators, celebrating their hard-won victory.
The elders of the Zhenwu Sacred Land also breathed a sigh of relief.
However, in the next moment, their expressions changed dramatically.
"Not good! Everyone, take cover!!!"
...
...
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Chapter 212: Luring the Tiger from Its Mountain? (tijin+1)
Elder Qi Zhengyan of the Zhenwu Sacred Land formed hand seals, and a Taiji diagram unfolded beneath his feet, instantly covering the sky.
This Taiji diagram protected nearly all the cultivators at the top of the magic formation.
Boom—!
At the moment the magic formation shattered, the power that had been brewing for a long time finally revealed itself.
Within it lay a hint of reverse Dao principles; any cultivator with a bit of skill could sense that something big was about to happen.
No wonder this formation was so difficult to break.
It turned out that the thick outer shell of the demonic formation was merely a disguise, concealing the core Dao principles of the formation. It had been absorbing the energy unleashed by the cultivators' relentless attacks, and now, influenced by the reverse Dao principles, this energy had accumulated to its peak and erupted violently the moment the Taiji formation appeared!
"Hold on, everyone!!!"
The scorching red light that burst forth from the center of the formation pierced through heaven and earth.
It cast a crimson glow on Qi Zhengyan's wrinkled face.
The cultivators scattered in panic, and the Taiji protective formation Qi Zhengyan had conjured was breached in just two seconds.
The combined forces of the Yaotai Sacred Land and the Fenjing Sacred Land exchanged glances: "Elder Qi, we’ll help you!"
They positioned themselves on the Taiji formation, pressing their hands down, their eyes glowing with spiritual energy as they poured their power into the formation.
Even so, with a series of cracking sounds, the Taiji formation continued to crumble.
Chen Huai'an stood a thousand meters away, staring in shock at the Taiji formation being pushed higher and higher by the red light.
He never expected that this demonic formation was essentially an energy cannon that spewed out whatever was shot into it...
At the moment of the magic formation's explosion, the old ancestor of Qingyun had already used her life-bound treasure to teleport the two of them out of danger.
It was a mass of azure clouds, moving at incredible speed and transforming them into vapor.
Chen Huai'an figured that even if they were hit, with the old ancestor's life-bound artifact, they wouldn't be harmed.
"I can't believe these demonic cultivators are so cunning! This formation is nothing but a trap!" Rong Qingyun's face turned pale.
She already had hidden injuries, and using her artifact to protect herself and Chen Huai'an had drained her energy.
But it was worth it!
As long as her brother Chen Huai'an was safe, that was all that mattered.
"Daoist Chen, what do you think the demonic cultivators are trying to achieve with all this commotion?" Rong Qingyun looked at Chen Huai'an with soft eyes, eager to hear his insights. After all, a powerful, charismatic, and knowledgeable cultivator like him must have unique perspectives!
Chen Huai'an pondered for a moment and opened the system translation.
"I believe that No. 56 rebar should be mixed with spaghetti; that way, it won't affect the excavator's biochemical indicators..."
What Rong Qingyun heard was:
【I believe it might be a ploy to lure the tiger from its mountain!】
"Just as expected of Daoist Chen!" Rong Qingyun's eyes sparkled with admiration as she clapped her hands. "Yun'er thinks the same! This place is too far from the entrance of the secret realm for our spiritual senses to reach. I'll ask that useless son... cough, cough, the Second Elder!"
Rong Qingyun took out a communication jade talisman and asked a few questions.
However, to her surprise and relief, everything was normal at the entrance of the secret realm.
There was no sign of a demonic ambush.
Just then, the already high Taiji formation was on the verge of collapse.
"Elder Qi, this won't do!"
The elder from the Yaotai Sacred Land looked anxiously at the remaining Huashen cultivators who had yet to retreat.
"We can't hold out like this; why not use your Taiji formation to redirect this energy elsewhere?"
At this moment, Qi Zhengyan was drenched in sweat, his face pale. He thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright, I’m running low on spiritual energy; you all lend me a hand!"
So the three of them worked together to support the Taiji formation.
Qi Zhengyan stabilized the formation while the elders from the Yaotai Sacred Land and the Fenjing Sacred Land adjusted its angle.
"Lift it up!!!" With a collective roar from the three of them.
The cultivators watched as the Taiji formation gradually shifted.
This Taiji protective formation also contained the principles of reversal.
When the energy column struck it, it was like encountering a mirror, causing a refraction effect.
This significantly eased the pressure on Elder Qi Zhengyan, who was maintaining the Taiji formation.
Chen Huai'an watched the Taiji formation shift and felt something was off until it tilted in the air, and the energy column flew out sideways after refraction. He finally realized—the direction of the energy column was heading straight for the entrance of the secret realm!
If Qi Zhengyan and the others couldn't withstand such terrifying energy waves, what could the weak and injured around the secret realm do to defend themselves?
No, these three old geezers must be doing this on purpose!
Chen Huai'an's lips twitched.
There were no disciples from the Sword Pavilion around the secret realm, so he wasn't particularly worried; he just had some doubts about the motives of these three old geezers.
But without evidence, he couldn't accuse them of doing it intentionally.
"You can't do this; you'll hit the entrance of the secret realm!" Rong Qingyun also noticed something was wrong and hurried closer to remind Qi Zhengyan and the others, who were meditating on the formation.
Upon hearing the voice of the old ancestor of Qingyun, Qi Zhengyan's heart sank again.
He looked in the direction the energy column was flying and realized it could indeed hit the secret realm.
"Quick! Tilt the formation angle again!"
The two elders from the Yaotai Sacred Land and the Fenjing Sacred Land immediately sprang into action.
A few seconds later, once the energy column was angled upward to ensure it wouldn't affect the entrance of the secret realm, the three of them finally stopped, panting heavily.
Qi Zhengyan sat cross-legged at the formation's center, his palms forming seals as his spiritual energy transformed into eight golden locks to stabilize the restless formation patterns. He took a deep breath, his eyes like lightning sweeping over the surrounding cultivators, his voice booming like thunder: "I will suppress this formation with a hundred years of cultivation; you all hurry back to the entrance of the secret realm and check for any disturbances!"
The cultivators, hearing this, expressed their gratitude and quickly departed.
From the old ancestor of Qingyun's words, they understood the urgency of the situation.
Chen Huai'an followed the crowd back to the vicinity of the secret realm entrance.
He didn't see any signs of disaster.
However, the disciples from various sects were indeed restless, and upon seeing their seniors return, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Could it be that I misunderstood? They weren't intentionally guiding that energy column over here?"
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