"Formation, rise!"
Above Skull Mountain Market, the restored Hundred-Skeleton Return-to-Truth Formation rumbled into motion, instantly startling Wu Zhichong and Duanmu Yuan into putting distance between themselves.
Seizing that opening, Lu Yuanchun transformed into a streak of blood light and sped through.
The formation patterns outside the grand formation parted in response, allowing Lu Yuanchun to pass. They immediately sealed back together afterward, so swiftly that outsiders were given no chance to exploit them.
"Many thanks for your aid, Brother Lu."
As he landed inside the formation, the blood light dispersed, revealing Lu Yuanchun's bedraggled appearance. His pale face still carried traces of lingering shock and uncertainty.
"Brother Lu is actually a Formation Master?"
If Lu Yang had not been a Formation Master, how could he have restored the formation and resolved what had originally been a certain death trap?
"You flatter me, Senior Brother. I am merely Ninth Grade." Lu Yang smiled faintly. "I only managed to bring out a little of this grand formation's power after studying it for several days."
Lu Yang made it sound simple, but Lu Yuanchun's expression turned solemn.
Among the hundred arts of cultivation, the formation path stood first!
The value of a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator and that of a Qi Refining Late Stage Formation Master could not be mentioned in the same breath. The latter could practically be regarded as a Qi Refining Completion cultivator!
"Speaking of which, Senior Brother Lu, you made quite a haul this time."
Lu Yang looked at Lu Yuanchun with a half-smile. Under his gaze, Lu Yuanchun's expression gradually stiffened, and cold sweat immediately began to flow.
Yet in the next instant, he regained his composure.
"Brother Lu, I have kept the Mysterious Female Yin Jade for you for a long time. Today, it should return to its rightful owner!"
With that, Lu Yuanchun directly took out a small box. Opening the lid, he revealed a piece of white jade with seven apertures, strikingly similar to a human figure.
A wise man submitted to the circumstances.
Lu Yuanchun was also an old disciple of the Sacred Sect. Naturally, he understood that if he did not hand over the jade now, he would soon be making a sacrifice on the front lines of the Righteous-Demonic Battlefield.
Moreover, the Divine Martial Sect had dispatched a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator. Escaping alive was no longer possible, so Lu Yuanchun no longer entertained any illusions. Rather than keep the treasure, he might as well hand it over in public. On one hand, it would be like spending money to avert disaster; on the other, it could shift the Divine Martial Sect's attention onto Lu Yang.
"The Mysterious Female Yin Jade."
Lu Yang nodded in satisfaction at the sight, then stored the small box in his Storage Pouch. Turning around, he calmly looked toward the figure that had suddenly appeared beyond the marketplace.
It was a handsome young man holding a spear.
He wore a martial crown and scaled armor, while dragon patterns were engraved upon the long spear in his hand. Rather than a cultivator, he looked more like a general from the mortal world.
"A Ninth Grade Formation Master?"
The young man's gaze was sharp as a blade, as though it could cut through the grand formation's obstruction and directly see Lu Yang, who was controlling the formation. "I did not expect such an unexpected variable."
At the same time, Divine Fist Wu Zhichong and Mountain-Moving Daoist Duanmu Yuan also approached. Each respectfully bowed to the spear-wielding youth. "Senior Brother Ouyang, we failed in our task and disappointed you."
"It is of no consequence."
Ouyang Haoze shook his head, his expression gentle. "These demons are cunning. It is only natural that you two junior brothers were somewhat negligent. Redeem yourselves through meritorious service afterward."
After saying that, he looked again toward Skull Mountain Market, killing intent surging in his eyes.
"Our sect has planned this for many years. We cannot tolerate the slightest accident. If possible, we should first remove the Demon Sect's nail planted here and reduce the variables as much as possible."
In the next instant, Ouyang Haoze's figure flashed. His Qi Refining Great Perfection aura erupted in full, and in the blink of an eye, a plume of essence and blood rose straight into the sky like beacon smoke, manifesting thunderous killing cries. Faintly, countless armored soldiers and battle generals could be seen arrayed behind Ouyang Haoze, bolstering his essence, qi, and spirit.
"Break for me!"
In an instant, thunderous sound rolled through the air and crashed directly into Skull Mountain Market. A few cultivators with lower cultivation were immediately shaken into vomiting blood by that furious shout.
"Qi Refining Great Perfection."
Lu Yang controlled the formation, his expression grave. The pinnacle of the Qi Refining Realm—within the major sects, this level represented not merely cultivation, but status as well.
Anyone who reached Qi Refining Completion was bound to be a sect's True Disciple!
The Divine Martial Sect was located in the Northern Border. Though its scale was far inferior to the Sacred Sect's, it still possessed several earth-shaking great divine abilities that only True Disciples could cultivate.
"If he has mastered a great divine ability, I'll immediately abandon the formation and run."
As Lu Yang prepared to flee, he moved to the edge of the formation and confronted Ouyang Haoze across it. "I am Lu Yang. May I know this fellow Daoist's name?"
"You are not worthy of knowing my name." Ouyang Haoze sneered. "If you know what is good for you, surrender at once. Then I may show mercy and merely cripple your demonic cultivation rather than take your lives. But if you choose to resist stubbornly, the day this formation breaks will be the day not even chickens and dogs are spared!"
"When will vengeance upon vengeance ever end?"
Lu Yang's smile did not change, and his tone remained mild. "Though our sides differ as righteous and demonic, we have always kept to our own waters without offending one another. Why not give me some face?"
"Give you face?"
Ouyang Haoze immediately burst into laughter, mocking him. "What a grand tone! You are only at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer. If I refuse to give you face today, what can you do about it?"
"Why must it be this way?"
Lu Yang shook his head. "Since that is the case, then please, fellow Daoist—come break the formation."
"You are courting death!"
A flash of killing intent passed through Ouyang Haoze's eyes. The beacon-like smoke formed from his blood and qi fully contracted, and he struck out with a fist. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary mortal martial technique.
Yet Lu Yang's expression tightened slightly at the sight, and he did not dare relax in the slightest. He immediately summoned the Blood Sun Sword Pellet, merged his body with sword light, and slashed at Ouyang Haoze. In an instant, fist and sword collided. Unmatched sharpness and fist force burst in all directions like flowers of sparks blooming in midair.
Ouyang Haoze moved like lightning, throwing several hundred punches in the blink of an eye.
The Divine Martial Sect differed from other cultivation sects. Body cultivators ruled there, and most of its divine abilities centered on fists and feet. Their close-quarters killing speed was even faster than that of Sword Cultivators!
"Arrow Barrage Strike!"
Ouyang Haoze spread his arms as though drawing open a great bow. Then his fist shadows became arrows, drowning Lu Yang's position in the blink of an eye.
Boom!
Amid the explosions, Lu Yang felt as though all the spiritual qi around him had been drained away. In its place came endless fist shadows, seeking to grind him into dust!
A thousand strikes in an instant, leaving no opening at all for a counterattack—it was clearly an exceptional divine ability!
Though Ouyang Haoze spoke arrogantly and acted as though Lu Yang was beneath his notice, once he truly began fighting, he showed not the slightest carelessness. He was going all out.
In an instant, violent waves of air churned and rolled.
Under his fist shadows, Lu Yang held on for less than ten seconds before being smashed to pieces. His sword light scattered, and in the blink of an eye, he became shattered skeletal remains filling the sky.
The fist momentum abruptly ceased. Ouyang Haoze stood in the air, his brow faintly furrowed.
Meanwhile, above the marketplace, the Hundred-Skeleton Return-to-Truth Formation revolved. A figure condensed from illusion into reality and stepped forth at an unhurried pace—it was Lu Yang, completely unharmed.
"Fellow Daoist, your fists are unrivaled. I am impressed."
Ouyang Haoze did not respond. He punched again, still using Arrow Barrage Strike. Lu Yang still resisted tenaciously, and after holding on for a little over ten seconds, he was once again smashed to pieces.
Yet in the blink of an eye, Ouyang Haoze saw Lu Yang's corpse turn into shattered skeletal remains. Then the unscathed Lu Yang leisurely stepped out from the formation again, his great sleeves drifting, his bearing unchanged. Even his true qi and dharma power had not been depleted in the slightest. He cupped his hands toward him. "Would fellow Daoist like another round?"
". . . The Hundred-Skeleton Return-to-Truth Formation truly lives up to its reputation."
Ouyang Haoze's expression became grave.
As far as he knew, this formation was Seventh Grade and contained a hundred Skeleton Soldiers. While inside the formation, a cultivator could use the bodies of the Skeleton Soldiers to manifest one hundred percent of their true strength.
In this way, it was equivalent to the Skeleton Soldiers fighting in place of the cultivator's true body.
If they won, all was well. If they died, the true body would remain completely unaffected. Moreover, so long as the formation continued operating, even expended Skeleton Soldiers could rapidly recover.
Thus, no matter how fiercely Ouyang Haoze attacked, it would be futile—mere useless labor. That was only because he was outside the formation and had not rashly entered it. Otherwise, once inside, Lu Yang could summon every Skeleton Soldier and directly gang up on him. At that point, even a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator would still have to shed a layer of skin!
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