Styx Goes Mad, Tongtian Breaks the Formation

"You dumbass, I took it fair and square—why should I give it back just because you say so?"

Styx jabbed at the Eastern Duke, ignoring the probing glances from the crowd.

He knew what everyone besides the Eastern Duke was thinking—why wasn't he injured? The truth was, he had been hurt, but he'd used the Three Lights Divine Water to recover instantly.

Still, Styx wouldn't tell them that. Sometimes, letting others fail to see through you and building up an aura of mystique was a good thing.

He'd risked being blasted by the golden dragon to suppress the Dragon Head Crutch, effectively cutting off one of the Eastern Duke's arms.

The Eastern Duke finally snapped out of it, realizing what a stupid question he'd blurted out in his panic.

But he couldn't swallow his resentment. He turned to the others and said, "Fellow Daoists, why haven't you made your move?"

He'd been the one doing all the work so far; the rest had barely lifted a finger.

Styx paid them no mind. Instead, his gaze shifted to the Seven Treasure Mystical Tree within the formation.

That alone was enough to make Zhun Ti yank the tree back in fright.

Styx felt a twinge of regret.

The others ignored the Eastern Duke.

After all, it was his spiritual treasure that had been snatched, not theirs.

Why should they be in a hurry?

The Eastern Duke was so furious he couldn't speak. He simply formed a hand seal and activated the formation.

Soon, a spinning Universe Chart appeared above the formation, pressing down.

This Universe Chart was unleashed with the combined power of eight Quasi-Sages. Even before it reached Styx, he could feel immense pressure bearing down on him.

But a mere Universe Chart wasn't enough to suppress Styx. The Profound Origin Water Control Flag transformed into a colossal banner, clashing head-on with the Universe Chart to keep it from closing in.

Seeing this, the Eastern Duke added another layer of the Universe Chart, but it still couldn't breach the flag's defense.

He kept stacking them, one after another, until five layers of the Universe Chart had been added—only then did the Profound Origin Water Control Flag sink by a single inch.

The Eastern Duke was overjoyed at the progress and prepared to pile on more layers.

Once he reached eight full layers, he was certain he could crush that flag!

Just as the Eastern Duke was getting excited, a sudden pang of dread seized his heart.

What was this?

His eyes snapped to Styx, who was holding the Dragon Head Crutch. It was struggling violently, but it couldn't escape his grip.

But Styx's movements...

"Styx, what are you doing?"

The Eastern Duke shouted in terror, and his cry drew everyone's attention.

They saw strands of Creation Power flowing from Styx's hands, steadily enveloping the Dragon Head Crutch.

With forty-five percent Creation Power, Styx was already close to the level of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin. Against such force, the Dragon Head Crutch had no hope of resistance.

No wonder the Eastern Duke was terrified—any of the others would feel the same if their own spiritual treasures were treated this way.

Styx grinned. "I don't like the look of this Dragon Head Crutch, so I'm going to give it a makeover!"

He was going to destroy the Dragon Head Crutch!

The Eastern Duke's panic only deepened. Without thinking, he reached a hand into the formation toward Styx.

Perfect!

Styx praised inwardly.

The Eastern Duke was too rattled to think straight.

After all, the Dragon Head Crutch was a Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. How could Styx possibly destroy it? Even if he had no use for it, he could always keep it as a doorstop.

He was exploiting the Eastern Duke's anxiety over the crutch to provoke him into making a move!

Seizing the moment, Styx thrust both Yuantu and Abi straight at the Eastern Duke's massive hand, pinning it to the center of the formation.

The Eastern Duke winced in pain and thrashed his hand, trying to break free from the two swords' grip.

Just as Styx was about to press his advantage and cripple the Eastern Duke, he sensed a shift in the wind behind him.

He spun around—it was Kunpeng making his move.

At the same time, the other great powers struck in unison.

But this time, having learned from the Eastern Duke's mistake, they dared not use their spiritual treasures. Instead, they hurled a barrage of divine abilities at Styx.

Even the Eastern Duke fired a bolt of Pure Yang Purple Fire.

Once again, Styx didn't dodge.

A gentle stream of Creation Power flew out, wrapping around him like a cocoon.

All the attacks dissolved into that Creation Power, which then condensed into a small sphere in Styx's hand.

Everyone was startled.

Eight Quasi-Sages' attacks—just dissolved like that?

Laozi saw through Styx's move: "Styx cultivates the path of Creation Power, profound and wondrous. But there's no way he could break our attacks so easily!"

As if to confirm Laozi's words, Styx's left hand trembled slightly, as if suffering backlash.

Laozi seized that instant precisely and struck again, a fierce bolt of Taiqing Divine Lightning lancing toward Styx.

Yuanshi and Tongtian followed Laozi's lead; the Yuqing and Shangqing Divine Lightning merged with the Taiqing Divine Lightning into the more powerful Three Pure Ones Divine Lightning.

But Styx, having had the flaw in his Creation Power seen through by Laozi, showed no tension at all.

Instead, he let out a cold laugh and simply tossed the small sphere in his hand.

If he were so easily seen through by Laozi, would he even still be in the game?

The Three Pure Ones Divine Lightning struck the small sphere precisely, and the attacks from the group that had been wrapped in Creation Power were instantly released.

The astonishing force made everyone present instinctively take a step back.

But Styx advanced instead of retreating, charging straight toward the direction of the released attacks!

Was Styx insane?

That was everyone's first reaction.

But then, terror set in.

Because as Styx moved forward, the entire formation—along with the eight people, including Laozi, who were presiding over it—was also dragged closer to the center of the attack's release.

Zhun Ti immediately shouted, "Eastern Duke! You created this formation—make it stop!"

They had set up this formation to trap Styx to death, not to be hijacked by him into a suicide run!

Although the attacks they had just unleashed weren't their full power, the combined force was still something no one could easily withstand.

Even if they didn't perish body and soul, being flayed alive was a very real possibility!

Naturally, none of them were about to sit and wait for death; they all pulled out defensive spiritual treasures to prepare for the worst.

Eastern Duke's expression was equally terrified. The horror of eight Quasi-Sages' attacks was plain for all to see.

And they were the formation's core controllers—they moved with the formation, and the formation moved with Styx's actions.

Simply put, wherever Styx went, the formation went. Wherever the formation went, they went.

And now Styx was charging straight at the attacks above, so they were doing the same.

Eastern Duke shouted, "No good! I have to be at the head of the formation to undo it!"

When the formation was first set up, Laozi had absolutely refused to let Eastern Duke take the lead position, and in the end, Eastern Duke had to concede and let Laozi have it.

Laozi hadn't expected this situation to arise either, and it was clear that everyone was already nursing some resentment toward him.

If Laozi hadn't insisted on being at the formation's head, they wouldn't be unable to break it.

Then, at the critical moment, a "click" sounded from the position where Tongtian was stationed in the formation.

Everyone was overjoyed!

Right, how could they have forgotten Tongtian!

This man's mastery of formations was famous throughout the entire Primordial Wilderness!

As Tongtian secretly unraveled part of the formation, the others also exerted their strength together, shattering the remaining portion!

Thank goodness—they had barely escaped in the final moment before Styx went mad and flew toward the attack's center.

Eastern Duke also breathed a sigh of relief, but then his wariness of Tongtian deepened!

His own trump-card formation—Tongtian had comprehended it that easily?

But before he could dwell on it, a sweet, coppery taste rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Then his spirit withered. The others were baffled—what had happened to Eastern Duke?

"Styx, you deserve to die!"

Eastern Duke cursed furiously, then collapsed unconscious.

The remaining seven exchanged glances.

What had Styx done?