"Ants? I'll curse your mother!"
Zhang Yu laughed in anger:
"Heh, so it wasn't your family or people you cared about who died?"
Screw the big picture, screw the righteous cause.
He knew there was no point in talking to this kind of person; he just had to fight.
"The battle begins! Using the Divine Soul as the guide and the Earth Vein as the Edge, slash!"
Zhang Yu endured the excruciating pain that felt like his Divine Soul was being torn apart, squeezing out the last bit of clarity and power from his Sea of Consciousness, and frantically activated the Grand Formation.
The Soul Power, carrying the might of the Grand Formation, transformed into an invisible and formless sharpness, yet carrying the resolute power to sever wills, and once again slashed towards Jiang Pojun.
This is the strongest strike he can deliver so far.
"Stubborn and incorrigible."
Jiang Pojun's voice was calm and even. Facing Zhang Yu's Divine Soul attack, which had gathered its last bit of power, he simply raised his hand and threw a punch in mid-air.
Without any grand display, the invisible fist intent precisely struck the sharpness of Zhang Yu's Spirit Soul Sword.
A soft "pop" sound.
Like a soap bubble bursting.
Zhang Yu's Divine Soul attack, a culmination of his last bit of mental and Formation power, shattered instantly under Jiang Pojun's seemingly casual punch, like an egg hitting a rock.
The gap in strength is like an insurmountable chasm.
Even Remnant Soul of Immortal is still Immortal, and Zhang Yu in his current state cannot withstand it.
Zhang Yu's illusory figure was also shattered by the force of this punch.
The moment the illusory image shattered, Zhang Yu's physical body, which was connected to the Formation's mental state, was struck as if by a heavy blow, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
The Xiao Family members and Hu Qingxuan, who had already retreated to this place, all felt a jolt of fear and were filled with worry.
"Eldest Brother!!!"
Just as Zhang Yu's illusory image shattered, an extremely shrill scream suddenly rang out from another direction.
Is it Jiang Ling?
Or perhaps it's Zhang Lingyun?
It was Zhang Lingyun's lingering ego that, upon witnessing Zhang Yu being easily obliterated by Jiang Pojun, erupted in a fierce struggle and uttered a cry.
This shout caused Jiang Ling's Soul Body to freeze for a moment, and a very complex fluctuation flashed in her scarlet eyes—it was the churning of Zhang Lingyun's memories and emotions.
"Don't rush, you're next."
Jiang Pojun's cold words heralded the final judgment.
However--
"Old man... take this!"
At this moment of utter despair, Zhang Yu's voice rang out again.
Although he was weaker than before, his voice reached the ears of everyone on the battlefield with unparalleled clarity.
Immediately afterwards, Spirit Soul Sword slashed towards Jiang Pojun once again.
"Um?"
Jiang Pojun was genuinely surprised this time.
With a backhand swing, he easily shattered the incoming Spirit Soul Sword once again.
But at the very moment it shattered, he sensed something amiss.
"So it turns out he was using the Formation power to create a phantom image while concealing his true form."
Jiang Pojun instantly understood, his eyes flashing even colder:
"A mere trifle of skill, yet you dare to show off your meager abilities before an expert."
He snorted coldly, raised his foot, and stomped down onto the ground below.
"Thump--!!!"
This stomp felt as if it weren't stepping on the ground, but rather on a key node in the very Earth Vein of the Imperial City.
An invisible yet terrifying force, as heavy as a mountain, emanated from the soles of his feet and spread outwards, instantly permeating the entire underground Imperial City!
"Crack! Rumble--!"
The earth shook violently, as if an earth dragon were turning over.
The raging torrent shook the heavens and earth, almost crushing the Formation that Zhang Yu had carefully constructed with a single step.
Damn it!
With a single step, Zhang Yu's afterimage flickered violently, nearly collapsing.
He could clearly feel that the Grand Formation of formations he had painstakingly built were groaning under the strain of Jiang Pojun's destruction.
This Formation was his only reliance, allowing him, with his mere Grandmaster Realm Cultivation, to intervene in a battle far beyond his level.
It is the bridge through which his Soul Power can be released and used to launch attacks.
Once the Formation completely collapses, he will revert to his original Grandmaster Combat Power.
"We absolutely cannot allow the Formation to be destroyed!"
Zhang Yu launched another attack despite all the dangers.
However, the gap in strength is like an insurmountable chasm.
Even though Jiang Pojun still focused most of his power on the Radiant Sun that suppressed everything, maintaining absolute suppression over Jiang Ling.
However, it can still withstand Zhang Yu's Divine Soul attack.
At the same time, the foot that contained terrifying shockwave landed once more.
"Crack! Rumble--!"
This time, it was no longer the groan of the Formation, but the wailing of utter shattering!
"Puff--!"
Zhang Yu, who was hiding in the core of the Formation, suffered the most direct and violent backlash, and coughed up blood.
Despair, like icy seawater, washed over Zhang Yu's heart for the first time with such clarity.
The Formation is destroyed... our last resort is gone...
Before someone like Jiang Pojun, without the aid of Formation, what difference is there between his mere Grandmaster Realm Cultivation and that of an ant?
Mr. Zhang
Zhang Yu!
Deep within the Heavenly Prison, Xiao Xuan, the members of the Xiao Family, and Hu Qingxuan, who had barely survived under the protection of the Formation's aftershocks, all paled and were terrified upon seeing Zhang Yu's miserable state.
Hu Qingxuan's face was deathly pale, and her lips trembled:
"Waaah... it's all my fault... I've ruined everyone's lives..."
Hu Qingxuan, who had been suppressing her fear and self-blame, finally broke down, covering her face and sobbing uncontrollably.
"If it weren't for my Azure Wood Sacred Body, Qiu Ruobai wouldn't have come to the Wei Kingdom."
It's all my fault, all the trouble I brought upon myself..."
She took all the blame upon herself, and the guilt and despair in her heart almost consumed her.
"Shut up, stop crying!"
A weak but angry growl interrupted Hu Qingxuan's crying.
Zhang Yu said impatiently:
"With your so-called Azure Wood Sacred Body, you can't even attract that kind of Old Monster."
The old man is after the Vengeful Soul that possessed Zhang Lingyun's body; what does it have to do with you?
Although Zhang Yu's words were rough, they were like a slap in the face, waking Hu Qingxuan from the vortex of self-blame.
She stared blankly at Zhang Yu, who was covered in blood, barely breathing, yet still had a fierce look in his eyes, and for a moment forgot to cry.
"Mr. Zhang is right."
Xiao Xuan also spoke in a deep voice, comforting Hu Qingxuan:
"Miss Qingxuan, this matter has nothing to do with you."
Today's calamity is not your fault, but the fault of my Xiao Family... and even this Imperial City, which is destined to suffer this calamity.
You don't need to blame yourself too much.
However, comforting words cannot ultimately change the dire reality.
In this suffocating moment of despair, as if only the final judgment could arrive—
"Bite!"
A crisp, mechanical sound rang out.
"Host detected to have remained in the Heavenly Prison for ten consecutive days; reward: one year's Martial Dao Cultivation."
The next instant, a vast and pure warm current appeared out of nowhere in Zhang Yu's almost dried-up meridians and Dantian.
This power was so pure that it automatically transformed into the True Qi he was most familiar with, requiring almost no refining.
At the same time, his Physical Body strength and Soul Power also surged.
More importantly, his Cultivation, which was already at the peak of the Grandmaster Realm, broke through again after a year of infusion of Cultivation.
An aura far more powerful than the previous Grandmaster Realm erupted from Zhang Yu's battered body!
Great Grandmaster realm! Success!
Great Grandmaster?
Another breakthrough?
Although the Xiao Family was surprised, they were already used to it; Zhang Yu's Cultivation always increased and broke through inexplicably.
However, Zhang Yu's face did not show much joy after the breakthrough.
His Cultivation has increased, and his Soul Power has become more refined.
However, this improvement is still not enough to deal with Immortal Remnant Soul like Jiang Pojun.
Just as a flicker of excitement about his increased strength rose in Zhang Yu's heart, it was quickly suppressed by the cold reality—
"Bite!"
The system notification sounded again!
[Ding! Detected that the host has been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison for ten days. Reward: Divine Ability - One Qi Transforms Three Pure Ones.]