The Might of Formations

In the distance, dark figures gradually appeared, hopping and leaping. Their speed wasn't fast, but they exuded a sense of pressure. As these dark figures approached, the Corpse Qi grew thicker. The figures would occasionally let out low growls, and as time went on, more and more appeared, their roars merging into a chorus, adding to the somber atmosphere. Those with lower cultivation among the group began to tremble, nervously scanning their surroundings, appearing lost and unsure of what to do.

"Senior Sister Yun Ying, what should we do? Should we charge out?" Yao Yu, seemingly experienced with such situations, asked Yun Ying nonchalantly, her demeanor suggesting she'd charge out and slay zombies if Yun Ying gave the word.

"No, we still have our junior sisters here. Let's form a sword formation and wait for them to exhaust themselves," Yun Ying rejected Yao Yu's suggestion, her words directed towards the junior sisters behind them.

"Yes!"

Following orders, everyone summoned their Flying Swords, forming a circle, and quickly established a sword formation. Under the guidance of Yun Ying, Yao Yu, and others, the sword formation gradually gained the momentum of wind and thunder. The other women felt a bit more at ease, no longer fearful. They had practiced this sword formation many times and were thoroughly familiar with it.

"Uh, Senior Sister Yun Ying, what about me?" Seeing everyone form the sword formation while Ling Tian was left out, he felt like a lone rooster among a flock of phoenixes.

"Hehe, Ling Tian, you can move freely. I believe with your speed and abilities, you'll be fine," Yun Ying chuckled, not worried about Ling Tian at all. She had witnessed his speed before; he could escape if he couldn't win.

"Hehe..."

The women burst into laughter, which somewhat eased their tension.

"Uh, alright." Ling Tian felt like crying and laughing at the same time but could do nothing about it.

"Brother Ling Tian, be careful." At this moment, only Hua Min'er offered him a little comfort.

"Mm, I know, Min'er. Don't worry. I've set up so many Formations, will they be useful this time?" Ling Tian felt a warmth in his heart and smiled.

"Formations? You know Formations, Ling Tian?" Yun Ying asked, surprised and delighted.

"Mm, yes. I've set up quite a few around here." Ling Tian felt a little proud seeing Yun Ying's surprised reaction.

"Oh, then this might be much easier. Um, how many Formations did you set up?" Yun Ying clearly knew the power of Formations, but the number made a big difference. She asked with hope in her heart.

"Oh, just a few hundred, I guess." Ling Tian had no idea how astonishing his words were.

"A few hundred? And you say 'just'? You really know how to bring people down." Yao Yu chimed in, clearly stimulated by his words.

"Haha, now I can finally relax. I thought you'd be lucky to set up a dozen or so Formations at most. I didn't expect so many. Ling Tian, you've made a great contribution this time," Yun Ying truly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Of course. Who do you think I am? Hehe." Ling Tian became even more smug, starting to act conceited, much like his father, Ling Yun.

"Tch, you're not a 'Waste' after all. I didn't expect you to know so much. It seems I underestimated you. Big sister is rooting for you," Yao Yu, always speaking her mind, couldn't resist teasing Ling Tian. When she said "Waste," there was no malice in her tone.

"Uh, Senior Sister Yao Yu, I was wrong. I shouldn't have been so boastful." Ling Tian could tell Yao Yu meant no harm; she just didn't like him showing off. As Hua Min'er's senior sister, he couldn't argue with her, so he quickly admitted his mistake.

"Senior Sister Yao Yu, you're not allowed to talk to Brother Ling Tian like that, hmph." Hua Min'er's small face turned cold, and she scolded Yao Yu.

"Alright, alright, already defending him. Sigh, and she's not even married yet," Yao Yu couldn't help but tease.

"Senior Sister, you..." Hua Min'er blushed shyly.

"Okay, stop messing around. The zombies have entered the Formation. Ling Tian, pay attention to controlling the Formation. Junior sisters, you need to be alert too." Seeing the distant flashes of light, Yun Ying knew the zombies had entered the Formation's range.

"Yes!" everyone responded, standing ready.

In the distance, the dark figures gradually became clearer. They were stiffly moving human corpses – Zombies. Their faces were pale, their fangs protruding from their mouths. Their hair was disheveled, falling around their tattered clothes – perhaps they could no longer be called clothes, as a few strips of fabric concealed certain vital areas. A thick black aura emanated from them. They let out low growls, shuffling forward. As they advanced, the stench of the corpses grew stronger.

The zombies drew closer. The first zombie stepped onto the Alert Formation. The Formation flickered, and a white light shot towards Ling Tian, presumably the alert signal. Then, more and more zombies appeared from all directions. At a glance, there were no less than a hundred.

"Huh? Why isn't the Formation doing anything? Could your Formation cultivation be poor, Ling Tian? No wonder you set up so many. Formations are said to be very intricate; how could you possibly set up so many in such a short time?" Yao Yu asked, slightly puzzled, then began to doubt Ling Tian.

"Yeah," the others chimed in.

"Hehe, that was just the Alert Formation. It has already sent me a signal. These Formations don't have much killing power. The real Confinement and Killing Formations are next." Seeing their doubts, Ling Tian wasn't anxious and explained calmly.

Before he finished speaking, a zombie stepped forward, and with a flash of fire, it was engulfed in raging flames. The zombie roared and struggled with all its might. After a few steps, it flailed like a headless fly, circling the same spot, unable to escape. Moments later, thick black smoke billowed from its body, and it collapsed on the ground, twitching violently before becoming completely still, presumably dead beyond any doubt.

"Wow, that's amazing! What Formation was that?" everyone exclaimed, a few unable to resist asking.

"The first Formation was the Earth Flame Formation, which uses earth fire to kill enemies. The second was a Confinement Formation, which is why it kept circling and couldn't get out of that area," Ling Tian explained with great pride and excitement.

Before the others could rejoice, several more zombies fell into the Formations. Flames erupted, and the zombies' roars echoed across the land. Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but cheer. Even Yun Ying couldn't help but reveal a faint smile, her dimples appearing.

"Wow, the killing power is impressive. In a short while, more than ten zombies have been killed. But there are too many zombies, and quite a few have broken through those Formations. What's next?" Yao Yu was also somewhat dumbfounded. It was her first time witnessing the power of Formations. However, the zombies kept coming, and the confinement and fire Formations couldn't hold them all back; some had already broken through.

Seeing Yao Yu's concern, Ling Tian smiled slightly and said, "There are follow-up Formations. Aren't you scared, Senior Sister Yao Yu? This doesn't seem like you."

"Hmph, who says I'm scared? It's just that these zombies are so ugly, and their Corpse Qi is so heavy. If I can avoid killing them, I naturally won't," Yao Yu retorted, blushing slightly but still arguing.

"Yo yo." Ling Tian let out a strange laugh, looking at Yao Yu teasingly. The other women also chuckled.

"Ling Tian, you..." Yao Yu, embarrassed, was about to retort.

"Huh? Those zombies are stuck in a mud puddle!" Before Yao Yu could react, Hua Min'er exclaimed, pointing into the distance.

Everyone followed Hua Min'er's gaze and saw some zombies seemingly stepping into a swamp. In moments, they were submerged up to their thighs. No matter how they struggled, they couldn't break free; instead, they sank deeper. Soon, they were submerged up to their chests, but they didn't sink any further.

"This Formation is also quite good, but it can't kill these zombies, only trap them," Yun Ying nodded slightly, looking at Ling Tian questioningly.

"That's the Mud Puddle Formation. It's mainly for trapping people. They won't be able to get out, so they're not a threat," Ling Tian explained.

"Mm, we'll deal with them later," Yun Ying nodded in understanding.

"Hehe, Brother Ling Tian, so many have been eliminated without even using the other Formations. It seems we won't have to lift a finger this time." Hua Min'er was happy not to have to deal with the ugly zombies.

"There are many more Formations later, like the Golden Spear Formation, Illusory Killing Formation, Wood Binding Formation, Ice Formation, and so on. We probably won't need to act," Ling Tian felt that all his effort in setting up the Formations was worth it seeing Hua Min'er's delight.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a roar echoed, low but with great penetration and pressure. The zombies that were charging towards the group stopped, confused by the roar, as if questioning it. But the low growl came again, this time more urgent and serious. The hesitant zombies finally turned back and slowly retreated. In moments, they disappeared into the night, leaving behind only a dozen scorched corpses and the zombies trapped in the mud.

"Uh, they... they ran away?" Ling Tian looked at Yun Ying in disbelief, then with confusion.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Yun Ying's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she began to ponder.

"Should we pursue them?" Hua Min'er looked at Yun Ying eagerly, waiting for her command.

Yun Ying didn't answer, lost in thought, her brow furrowed even tighter. Hua Min'er felt helpless and then looked at Yao Yu. Yao Yu was the deputy leader and also had some authority.

"I fear this matter is quite serious," Yao Yu mused, then murmured, her voice heavy with gravity.

"What's wrong, Senior Sister?" Hua Min'er was a bit bewildered.

"I didn't expect these zombies to be controlled by someone, no, by a zombie. This has indeed become troublesome," Yun Ying said, snapping back to attention and picking up the conversation.

"Controlled? So what?" Hua Min'er was even more confused.

"A zombie that can control other zombies must be at least at the Corpse Core stage, which is equivalent to a Golden Core Realm expert," Yun Ying explained.

"Golden Core Realm? Then aren't we in danger?" Ling Tian had heard from his father. He was already struggling against zombies at the Golden Core Realm and knew how formidable they were.

"Not necessarily. This zombie likely just reached the Corpse Core stage, so its cultivation isn't high yet. Otherwise, it wouldn't have sent zombies to test us," Yao Yu also snapped back to attention and analyzed.

"Mm, that's true. With our cultivation at the thirtieth level of the Qi Solidification Stage, we should be able to handle it. We can also form a sword Formation, whose power is not inferior to a mid-stage Golden Core Realm expert. Plus, we have Ling Tian's Formation skills. I was being overly cautious earlier," Yun Ying's tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed.

"Oh, should we notify Master?" Hua Min'er asked, somewhat reassured.

Yao Yu looked at Yun Ying questioningly, as if seeking her opinion. Seeing Yun Ying nod, she said, "No need. Master sent us out this time for training. A little danger will make the training more effective."

"Oh, right," Hua Min'er nodded. She hadn't had a chance to fight since they came out.

"Alright, let's clean up the battlefield," Yun Ying commanded.

"Yes!" everyone agreed.