Chapter 122: Illusion Formation and Sword Formation
Chapter 122: Illusion Formation and Sword Formation
With his first strike, he instantly killed a Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage monster beast…
With his second strike, he deployed the sword formation and took down two more Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage monster beasts.
Elder Lu and two companions initially felt deep dissatisfaction toward the reinforcements sent by the Reinforcement Department. But upon witnessing Lu Hangzhi swiftly eliminate three Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage monster beasts, their anger turned to relief. They silently praised how capable the Reinforcement Department’s choice was.
“Young friend, what shall we call you? This old man is Lu Tong from the Ten Thousand Beast Sect. This here is Chen Xiangxiang from the Yuding Sect, and ‘Buming’ from the Diamond Temple.”
“This junior is Lu Hangzhi, a disciple of the Xuanxin Sect. I came under orders from Lady Honglian of the Reinforcement Department. Let’s talk specifics after we finish off these beasts.”
Lu Hangzhi shouted loudly, sweeping the area with his spiritual sense before shifting his tone:
“Please, Elder Lu, keep that Concentrated Spirit Peak Stage monster busy. I’ll first help clear the beasts inside the illusion formation. Brother Buming and Lady Xiangxiang, please guard against surprises.”
“Agreed!”
“Young friend, be careful. If the illusion formation breaks, these monsters might charge out,” Xiangxiang warned with concern, repeating her caution.
Lu Hangzhi smiled faintly. Forty-nine Mind-Concentrating Sword Qi surged into the air, gathering above the monsters trapped within the illusion formation.
At the same time,
five flying swords shot out again from the Tianji Umbrella.
Hidden within the swords, the five Sword Spirit ancestors vanished into the immense web of sword energy.
Elder Lu and his two companions exchanged determined glances.
Clenching their teeth, they nodded:
“Now!”
“Illusion Formation… release!”
Chen Xiangxiang shouted sharply, creating an opening atop the formation.
No reminder was needed—the forty-nine strands of sword qi cascaded downward.
BOOM!
Like a torrential waterfall of blades, their momentum astonishing, the sword qi converged and flooded into the breach. Two unprepared Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage monsters were instantly gravely injured…
The remaining Late Concentration Stage monsters froze in horror and tried to use this chance to break free. But before they could, an overwhelming presence erupted from the sword formation and locked onto them.
The Sword Spirits had joined the fight!
With the Sword Spirits personally aiding, the power of the Mind-Concentrating Sword Qi soared. Even the Qi and Blood barriers of Late Concentration Stage monsters could now be threatened.
Lu Hangzhi’s goal was clear:
Inflict maximum casualties in the shortest time possible. All five blades focused their fire onto a half-bodied Frenzied Rhino whose Vital Qi Power seemed weakest.
Quick as lightning,
the sword qi and Sword Spirits struck almost simultaneously.
The instant the two Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage monsters were critically wounded, five Sword Spirit-infused sword energies drilled violently into the half-bodied rhino. They shattered its external Qi and Blood barrier just as forty-nine fresh strands of sword qi flared with concentrated power—decapitating both injured Mid Stage monsters and one Late Stage monster.
“Beautiful!”
Elder Lu’s group felt their spirits soar.
Only six monsters remained within the formation, and their pressure lessened dramatically.
However,
consecutive high-intensity bursts from the sword formation would exhaust even a Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage cultivator. They glanced uneasily at Lu Hangzhi.
To their surprise, he stood casually beneath his umbrella, one hand holding a large gourd. His face glowed with vitality as he radiated calm composure, showing not the slightest hint of depleted magic power.
“Seal the formation!”
Before they could process this, two Late Concentration Stage monsters slipped through the gap in the illusion formation. Panicked, Chen Xiangxiang hastily resealed the formation, forcing the remaining beasts blindly against walls once more.
“Buming!”
Elder Lu bellowed.
The young monk laughed brightly, dimples showing like a child’s. He flicked two Sanskrit scripture scrolls from his sleeves. They rapidly grew and coiled like spirit snakes. Countless tiny golden-hued particles flaked off, clinging stubbornly to the two freed monsters like shadow-seeking parasites…
The moment the scriptures touched them, the two Late Stage monster beasts froze as if electrocuted. Their enormous bodies stiffened, limbs locked.
“Good!”
Lu Hangzhi wasted no praise. Forty-nine strands of sword qi formed a roaring tidal wave. Like a dragon’s gaping maw, they relentlessly crashed against the thick Qi and Blood barriers protecting the beasts…
Compared to Mid Stage monsters, Late Stage monsters wielded purer, denser Qi and Blood—forming nearly unbreakable barriers.
Over forty strands of sword qi shattered instantly upon impact, barely scratching their defenses.
An entire wave of attacks only eroded less than one-third of the barrier’s strength!
Elder Lu’s group paled.
“You two, help!”
“I’ve run out of talismans,” Buming whimpered, turning to Chen Xiangxiang:
“Sister Xiangxiang, what about you?”
“I must fully sustain the illusion formation. I… can’t spare focus…”
Right then!
Lu Hangzhi gulped down some spirit honey. His depleted magic power instantly replenished. Refueled, forty-nine Mind-Concentrating Sword Qi flared with terrifying force and unleashed a second relentless assault.
Simultaneously, all five Sword Spirits rejoined the battle!
One-third!
Two-thirds!
Under the ceaseless barrage of sword energy, the Qi and Blood barriers of the two Late Stage monsters dwindled rapidly.
The beasts struggled desperately in terror!
“Buming” formed hand seals, channeling his magic power to strengthen his Diamond Subduing Demon Scroll’s grip, preventing their escape.
Pitiful howls of despair filled the air.
Seeing comrades perish, the Concentrated Spirit Peak Stage monster held back by Elder Lu’s spirit beasts could bear it no longer. It tried breaking free to assist. “Foul beast, stay put!” Elder Lu roared. A golden ring-shaped artifact shot from his palm. With a thunderous expansion, it stretched to dozens of meters in radius.
HUMM!!
An invisible barrier trapped the Peak Stage monster.
It shrieked furiously, forced to watch as its two Late Stage brethren—controlled by the Diamond Subduing Demon Scroll—were stripped of their last shred of Qi and Blood barrier by the endless sword river…
“ROOOAAARR!!”
CRASH!
The massive corpses of two Late Stage monsters slammed into the dust.
Lu Hangzhi took another swig of spirit honey. Glancing at Chen Xiangxiang and Buming, he saw Xiangxiang had paled—constantly opening and closing the formation consumed alarming magic power. Buming fared no better; forcibly restraining two Late Stage monsters beyond his cultivation level had pushed him into an overused state. His aura weakened drastically.
But…
Lu Hangzhi knew the Core Battle Zone was too dangerous. They needed decisive speed, or chaos could erupt. He shouted aloud:
“Hold steady! Let’s wipe out the remaining four monsters in one breath!”
“Understood!”
Elder Lu and the other two understood this too.
The longer time dragged on, the more Soul-Concentrating Monster Beasts would descend. By then… completely exhausted… it would really be too late to save them.
“Watch out!”
Chen Xiangxiang gritted her teeth and tore another life-gate open above the Illusion Formation.
Forty-nine streaks of Mind-Concentrating Sword Qi, together with five streaks of Sword Spirit Sword Qi, poured into the formation from above. They focused their fire, instantly killing a Late Concentration Stage monster beast.
There were still three Late Concentration Stage monster beasts…
Enraged, the three beasts simultaneously shredded the Illusion Formation and burst out!
“Bind!”
Buming Monk had been waiting. Two Diamond Subduing Demon Scrolls swiftly expanded amidst the wind, like rolling mountain and river curtains, completely enveloping a small area…
The three beasts were prepared. They channeled their Vital Qi Power, opened their five fingers, and massive, blood-red hands formed from void energy grasped the oncoming Diamond Subduing Demon Scrolls.
Buming Monk grunted, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth!
“Little monk!”
“Buming!”
Elder Lu and Chen Xiangxiang both cried out in alarm.
At this critical moment!
A slender black shadow perched on Lu Hangzhi’s shoulder raised its little face.
Hummm!!
Space vibrated.
Astounding Heaven and Earth Power suddenly surged behind Lu Hangzhi.
Within the dark void, a pair of huge slitted pupils suddenly opened. Golden and narrowed into mere slivers, they emitted a bizarrely bewitching aura.
The three beasts unexpectedly locked eyes with this hellish gaze. Their grip on the Diamond Subduing Demon Scrolls faltered slightly, their bodies freezing for half a second.
Boom!
The phantom image shattered instantly.
The Mirror Spirit Cat, having just broken through to the Early Spirit Concentration Stage, had forcefully attacked three Late Concentration Stage beasts. Its mind overtaxed, its head drooped, and it lay limply on Lu Hangzhi’s shoulder to rest.
“Great chance!”
The little monk’s eyes lit up. Seizing the moment, he formed hand seals. The Diamond Subduing Demon Scrolls swooshed free from the grasp of the blood-red giant hands. They whirled wildly, binding the limbs of two of the Late Concentration Stage beasts tightly.
Lu Hangzhi hadn’t been idle either.
The instant the Mirror Spirit Cat struck, he frantically poured Magic Power into the sword formation. It erupted again, the sword energy, joined by the five Sword Spirit Sword Qi streaks, ruthlessly slamming into the third Late Concentration Stage beast not bound by the scrolls…
At this moment.
Chen Xiangxiang had already dispelled the Illusion Formation. With a sweeping hand, she unleashed a spiral Mental Spike.
The Late Concentration Stage beast had barely shaken off the Mirror Spirit Cat’s soul magic, its Vital Qi Power at its weakest, when it faced forty-nine streaks of Early Spirit Concentration Stage sword qi, five streaks of Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage Sword Spirit Sword Qi, and the full-force strike of a Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage cultivator specialized in Illusion Arts.
Two Late Concentration Stage beasts remained…
But before the trio could rejoice, Elder Lu’s anxious, thunderous voice urged them:
“The Sky Passage is stirring again!”
“Finish this battle quickly!”
A chill ran down Lu Hangzhi’s spine…
Chen Xiangxiang didn’t even look up, rushing towards the Concentrated Spirit Peak Stage beast pinned down by the Spirit Beast on Elder Lu’s side: “Leave these to you.”
She knew.
With Lu Hangzhi’s strength and Little Monk Buming’s control Art Techniques, finishing off two Late Concentration Stage monsters would be more than enough.
The real trouble now was the Concentrated Spirit Peak Stage monster, the Dark Nightmare Wolf, fiercely battling the Spirit Beast…
Unexpectedly.
Lu Hangzhi showed no intention to hastily finish off the two Late Stage beasts. Instead, he looked skyward, fixing his gaze on the dozens of fireballs rapidly descending… aimed straight at Combat Zone 619.
“Hangzhi?”
“I can’t hold on much longer!”
Buming Monk’s face was pale, his voice urgent, almost drained: “Hurry!”
“Here.”
Lu Hangzhi, unhurried, tossed him a bottle of spirit honey. Simultaneously, all forty-nine streaks of sword qi abruptly aligned themselves vertically, blades pointing skyward. Whistling, they shot up to meet the dozens of falling fireballs – Epiphany Stage monster beasts.
The dozens of Epiphany Stage beasts were still mid-air when streaks of light flashed before their eyes. Then, their bodies were cleanly severed…
Their Vital Qi Power, their reflexes – all were useless.
Faced with Spirit Concentration Stage sword qi, the Epiphany Stage beasts were instantly dismembered mid-air!
Sword qi crisscrossed; blood rained down.
An extremely perilous beast assault was resolved in the blink of an eye.
By the time the carcasses hit the ground, the two surviving Late Concentration Stage beasts were already engulfed in the storm-like, relentless assault of the sword formation. Their agonized wails pierced the air incessantly.