A Fierce Battle

"Demon, do you really think you can act without fear just because you have a seventh-rank grand formation?"

Ouyang Haoze looked at Lu Yang with a cold sneer through the formation's curtain of light. "Formations are dead things in the end. For cultivators like us, cultivation realm is what comes first!"

"When all is said and done, we'll settle this with what we have under our hands."

Warning bells rang wildly in Lu Yang's heart, yet his expression remained calm. "If Fellow Daoist is confident, then feel free to enter the formation and fight. Otherwise, you'd best retreat obediently."

"You're courting death!"

Ouyang Haoze gave a grim smile and actually stepped forward. Then he drew breath and let out a cry. Amid a clap of thunder, a thunderous roar suddenly burst from his throat.

This was a superior divine ability of the Divine Martial Sect, known as the Thousand-Mile Space-Shattering Divine Sound. It used a secret art to draw in and exhale Heaven and Earth's spiritual qi, empowering the Divine Martial Sect's unique third-rank true qi, the Divine Martial True Essence, before releasing it in a single roar. Wherever the sound waves passed, friend and foe alike within a thousand miles would be shaken into dust.

In an instant, the ferocious divine sound surged into the formation.

Formation runes shattered one after another, revealing Skeleton Soldiers of all different shapes and appearances. The enormous formation was forcibly blasted open with a breach!

Immediately afterward, Ouyang Haoze took out a Round Mirror.

"Lord Taixiao, lend me your aid."

He formed a hand seal and pointed, offering the Round Mirror into the air. A vast beam of mirror light descended, congealing the void and forcibly pinning the breach in the formation in place!

In an instant, the Marketplace shook violently!

Large numbers of cultivators hastily retreated, no longer daring to approach the edge of the formation. Their faces were full of panic.

Fairy Feixia's face turned deathly pale. The next moment, however, she abruptly looked toward Lu Yuanchun, whose expression was strange, and snapped, "Stay here. You are not allowed to go anywhere!"

Having been tricked before, Fairy Feixia naturally no longer trusted Lu Yuanchun. A trace of savagery even surfaced on her lovely face. "Without Junior Brother Lu, you would already be dead outside the Marketplace. If you dare take advantage of this chaos to run away again, I'll kill you first at all costs!"

"Junior Sister Feixia, you misunderstand."

Lu Yuanchun gave an embarrassed smile. Seeing Fairy Feixia's look as though she wanted to devour someone alive, he was somewhat wary as well and could only suppress the many sinister thoughts that had just arisen.

With the two Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators remaining composed, the chaos within the Marketplace quickly settled down as well.

Of course, everyone knew this was only temporary.

The outcome between Lu Yang and Ouyang Haoze would be the last straw that broke the camel's back. Thus, Fairy Feixia could only place her faith in Lu Yang now.

She believed he could create a miracle.

"This is... a Spiritual Treasure?"

Lu Yang looked at the Round Mirror in the sky, and his expression changed drastically. "And a supreme yang Spiritual Treasure that restrains earthly baleful yin qi, specifically made to deal with the Hundred-Skeleton Return-to-Truth Formation!?"

Ouyang Haoze threw back his head and laughed, brimming with satisfaction.

"The Hundred-Skeleton Return-to-Truth Formation has stood on Skull Mountain for many years. Since my Divine Martial Sect dared to plot against it, how could we fail to prepare a method for breaking the formation in advance?"

"With the Taixiao Mirror here, you are doomed to die today!"

This Spiritual Treasure did not belong to him. Rather, it had been specially refined by a Foundation Establishment True Person of the Divine Martial Sect to counter the Hundred-Skeleton Return-to-Truth Formation. Its power needed no explanation.

Above the Marketplace, Lu Yang's expression darkened. Without another word, he turned and fled.

"Hmph! Trying to run?"

Without hesitation, Ouyang Haoze leaped forward. At the same time, he unleashed the divine sound again, instantly pulverizing the surrounding Skeleton Soldiers before chasing after Lu Yang.

Yet at that very moment, an abrupt change occurred!

Ouyang Haoze had barely stepped into the formation when his expression changed. He instinctively tried to retreat, but when he turned around, all he saw were scarlet formation runes.

"I didn't expect you to actually dare enter."

Lu Yang stopped fleeing and turned to look at Ouyang Haoze. His previous panic seemed never to have existed as a grim smile appeared on his face.

"That's impossible!"

Ouyang Haoze's eye twitched, his expression filled with uncertainty. "The Hundred-Skeleton Return-to-Truth Formation was clearly pinned down by my Taixiao Mirror. Why is there still another formation? Is there a second formation inside the Marketplace? Where did it come from? Why did I not detect the slightest trace of anyone setting up a formation beforehand?"

"Because I don't need to set up a formation at all."

Lu Yang sneered inwardly. His Blood-Washing Heavenly River Sword Formation Map depended entirely on the Blood Sun Sword Pellet, this Array Treasure. With but a thought, the formation would take shape, leaving no traces behind!

The next moment, a Banner fluttering in the wind appeared in Lu Yang's hand.

The Primordial Breath Ten Thousand Spirit Banner!

The Banner waved, and Banner Spirits flew forth one after another, landing upon every formation eye of the Blood-Washing Heavenly River Sword Formation Map and moving of their own accord.

When Lu Yang had designed this formation, he had already accounted for the Primordial Breath Ten Thousand Spirit Banner. Now, the tens of thousands of souls within the Banner spread out in ranks, taking their positions at the formation eyes and revealing profound mysteries. In an instant, Heaven and Earth turned crimson as a surging Blood River fell from south to north, plunging down upon Ouyang Haoze from the heavens!

Ouyang Haoze immediately let out a muffled groan and staggered.

The Heavenly Demon Blood-Dissolving Divine Light!

Trapped inside the formation, Ouyang Haoze could not evade the divine light's might at all. He only felt his originally immense vitality and blood pouring out of his body like floodwaters after a dike had burst.

The next moment, he hurriedly shouted, "Lord Tianguang, save me!"

Golden scales of armor opened toward the sun. Layer after layer of Precious Light enveloped Ouyang Haoze, and for a moment, it truly halted the devouring force of the Heavenly Demon Blood-Dissolving Divine Light.

The Spiritual Treasure, Heavenly Light Cuirass!

This treasure had been refined from Demon-Subduing Heavenly Light and stood in direct opposition to the Heavenly Demon Blood-Dissolving Divine Light. When the two collided, the result was a deadlock between them.

Only then did Ouyang Haoze barely breathe a sigh of relief.

After all, he had never expected that, with his cultivation combined with the Taixiao Mirror and Heavenly Light Cuirass, with preparations this thorough, he would still nearly capsize in a gutter.

"At this point, I cannot flee."

Ouyang Haoze's eyes were bloodshot. Not only did he have no intention of fleeing, he instead looked toward Lu Yang in the depths of the formation, his eyes brimming with suffocating killing intent.

"...I can only counterattack!"

As a true disciple of a sect, his will was by no means weak. He understood even better the principle that when enemies met on a narrow road, the brave would win. If he focused solely on escape now, Lu Yang would toy with him to death. To break the formation, he had to seek life amid death and find a way to kill Lu Yang. Once Lu Yang died, the formation would unravel on its own!

Rumble!

The next moment, protected by the Heavenly Light Cuirass, Ouyang Haoze charged at Lu Yang. His peerless spear point aimed directly at the Primordial Breath Ten Thousand Spirit Banner in Lu Yang's hand!

"That Banner appears to be the core of this formation. If I cannot kill Lu Yang, destroying it may still leave me a path to survival."

"Good timing!"

Lu Yang raised his Banner, and a figure emerged—it was Liu Xin. His face was full of confusion, as though he had yet to wake up.

The next moment—

"Explode!"

With a deafening boom, Liu Xin involuntarily opened his mouth and shouted the word "kill." It was the Life-Killing Curse, made specifically for perishing together with one's enemy!

In Lu Yang's view, Liu Xin's use of the Primordial Breath Ten Thousand Spirit Banner had been far too shallow. Banner Spirits were immortal, after all. Even if they were destroyed for a short time, as long as their true spirits did not disperse, they could be summoned again by expending Dharma Power. Since that was the case, why make them fight step by step?

They should be taught killing moves meant for mutual destruction!

Since they could revive anyway, they should unleash divine abilities that killed a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred to themselves the moment they appeared, detonating themselves to kill their foes. That was the proper way to use them!

In an instant, a tide of spiritual qi swept through everything.

When the dust settled, Liu Xin had vanished, while Ouyang Haoze had been forcibly stopped in midair, his expression dark to the extreme.

By now, he had already used many methods.

Divine abilities, Spiritual Treasures, and the suppression of his cultivation—all of it should have made dealing with a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator as easy as turning over his hand. Who could have imagined that none of them would achieve anything?

Instead, he had suffered enormous losses of Dharma Power.

"If this continues, I truly may die here."

At this thought, a ruthless gleam flashed across Ouyang Haoze's face. He formed a Dharma Seal, and immediately afterward, the Heavenly Light Cuirass on his body suddenly let out a mournful cry.

"This is... not good!"

Lu Yang's expression changed sharply. With a flash of his body, he instantly shifted behind the Blood Sun Sword Pellet, then summoned the Sword Pellet's blood shadow to protect himself in front of it.

Rumble!!!

The Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Light Cuirass had self-destructed!

The exploding spiritual light swept in every direction, just like the scene Xiao Shiye had once created. It instantly shattered Lu Yang's Sword Formation Map and exposed the clear Blue Heaven.

Although Lu Yang reacted extremely quickly and rapidly closed the formation, Ouyang Haoze was even faster. At the critical moment, he burst out from the Sword Formation Map's encirclement. Lu Yang only had time to unleash the Heavenly Demon Blood-Dissolving Divine Light, stripping another thirty percent of his vitality and blood away, leaving him looking like nothing but skin stretched over bones.

"You destroyed my Dharma treasure. Unless I tear you into ten thousand pieces, how can this hatred ever be quelled!"

Standing outside the Marketplace, Ouyang Haoze looked utterly savage. He actually poured his remaining Dharma Power into another Spiritual Treasure, the Taixiao Mirror, making it let out a mournful cry as well.

"At worst, I'll abandon every Spiritual Treasure I have today! Let's see whether you can bring out a third grand formation!"