Battle of Array and Thunder

Mo Yuan defeated Zhang Tianyuan and powerfully advanced to the finals. The news swept through the entire plaza like a storm.

A cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining defeating a peak ninth-level cultivator, and moreover, a direct disciple of Dragon Tiger Mountain. Such a feat was enough to engrave Mo Yuan's name into the history books of the Three Sects Tournament.

At this moment, no one dared to underestimate this new disciple of Mount Mao, who had joined less than a year ago. The gazes directed at him were filled with shock, admiration, and even a trace of awe.

After a brief period of adjustment, Mo Yuan's pale complexion regained some color, but his spiritual energy remained depleted.

The finals were set to begin in half an hour. His opponent was the mysterious formation genius from Ge Zao Mountain—Luo Li.

The atmosphere on the high platform was subtle.

Celestial Master Zhang of Dragon Tiger Mountain stroked his beard, his expression unreadable.

Qingxu Zhenren of Ge Zao Mountain looked at Shi Jian with a meaningful gaze. "Brother Shi, your sect's disciple has truly made a name for himself. Such lightning techniques, such spear momentum, faintly possess a nascent system of their own. His future is limitless."

Shi Jian's expression remained calm, but the relief and importance in his eyes were difficult to completely conceal. "Brother Qingxu flatters me. My disciple was merely fortunate. Your sect's disciple, Luo Li, is profoundly skilled in formations. The outcome of the finals remains uncertain."

Uncle Nine, standing nearby, tried his best to remain composed, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed his inner excitement. Qian He and Four Eyes were beaming with pride, as if they had achieved the victory themselves.

Below the platform, the Mount Mao disciples' area had erupted.

"Senior Brother Mo is mighty!"

"I knew Senior Brother Mo would win!"

"Finals! Go, Senior Brother Mo, take the championship!"

Those fellow disciples who had harbored jealousy before were now mostly silent. Strength was the best form of speech.

Mo Yuan sat cross-legged in the area specially prepared for the finalists beside the arena, holding two Medium-Grade Spirit Stones, fully focused on recovering his spiritual energy.

His final opponent, Luo Li, felt even more unfathomable than Zhang Tianyuan.

Since the tournament began, all of her opponents had been trapped by her mystical formations, leaving them helpless. They eventually surrendered voluntarily, and she herself had never truly launched an attack.

Her mastery of formations could be described as eerily unpredictable.

The Way of Formations relies on borrowing the power of heaven and earth to trap the enemy invisibly. It is the most troublesome.

Mo Yuan pondered in his heart. My Gengjin Thunderous Fiend Energy and Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear are sharp, but if I fall into her formation and cannot find its core, my strength will be useless. I must end this quickly and not give her time to set up her formation!

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

"Finals, begin! Please, Mo Yuan of Mount Mao and Luo Li of Ge Zao Mountain, ascend the stage!"

As the referee's voice rang out, all eyes focused on the largest central arena.

Mo Yuan took a deep breath, rose to his feet, grasped the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear, and stepped onto the stage step by step.

On the other side, a woman in a moon-white daoist robe, with a graceful figure and a face as beautiful as a painting, also gracefully ascended the stage. It was Luo Li.

Her aura was ethereal, her eyes as calm as a deep, ancient well. She held an ancient-looking compass in her hand, with faint starlight flowing around it.

"Senior Brother Mo, please," Luo Li's voice was clear, like the clashing of jade.

"Senior Sister Luo, please," Mo Yuan dared not be careless. His muscles tensed, and his mind was clear.

The referee's command was given!

Almost the instant it began, the two moved simultaneously!

Mo Yuan's objective was a swift victory. He activated the Ghost Shadow Footwork beneath his feet, his figure like lightning. The Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear transformed into a purple bolt of lightning, thrusting directly at Luo Li. He intended to use the fastest speed and strongest attack to disrupt her formation setup!

However, Luo Li seemed to have anticipated this. She did not retreat but merely flicked her slender jade fingers on the compass in her hand.

"Buzz!"

On the arena, the scene suddenly changed.

Mo Yuan felt his vision blur. The clear arena instantly became shrouded in dense mist. The surrounding scenery distorted, and he lost his sense of direction. Even Luo Li's figure disappeared.

Illusion Array!

"Not good!" Mo Yuan's heart sank. He knew he was still a step too late and had already fallen into her formation.

He immediately stopped his charge, held his mind steady, and spread his divine sense to its limit, trying to find a flaw in the formation.

But this illusion array was extremely sophisticated. It not only confused his vision but also distorted and interfered with his divine sense, making it difficult to discern the true direction.

"Senior Brother Mo, this is the 'Small Sky Illusion Array.' Please, appreciate it," Luo Li's ethereal voice came from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint her exact location.

Immediately after, the mist churned and condensed into countless ice shards, wind blades, and earth spikes, attacking Mo Yuan from various bizarre angles.

These attacks were not entirely illusory but were formed by the formation drawing upon Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, possessing real destructive power!

Mo Yuan swung the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear. His spear shadows were like dragons, shattering the incoming attacks one by one.

But these attacks were endless. And within this illusion array, he was like a blind man, forced to defend passively, his spiritual energy being consumed rapidly.

I must break the formation!

Mo Yuan's thoughts raced. He pushed his Primordial Comprehension to its limit, analyzing the energy flow of the formation.

At the same time, he attempted to draw upon the power of thunder. "Brilliant Heavenly Thunder, heed my command, reveal the truth and expose evil!"

A thick bolt of purple-gold lightning shot from his palm, striking the mist ahead.

However, the lightning entered the mist and vanished like a clay ox entering the sea. It only caused the mist to churn more violently, failing to break through the formation.

This illusion array clearly had a powerful ability to disperse and absorb energy attacks.

"It's useless, Senior Brother Mo.

The Small Sky Illusion Array forms its own space, isolating the inside from the outside. Ordinary attacks can hardly shake it," Luo Li's voice remained calm.

The audience below could only see the stage shrouded in dense mist, with occasional flashes of lightning and the roar of energy collisions emanating from it. They couldn't see the specific battle situation, and their anxiety grew.

"Senior Brother Mo is trapped!"

"The formation from Ge Zao Mountain is too powerful!"

"Are we going to lose?"

On the high platform, Qingxu Zhenren nodded slightly, quite satisfied with Luo Li's performance.

Shi Jian and Uncle Nine, however, frowned, closely watching the movements within the mist.

Inside the formation, Mo Yuan's situation was grim. Passive defense consumed a huge amount of energy, and he felt the pressure from the formation gradually increasing, as if it were brewing a stronger change.

Constant defense inevitably leads to a mistake!

"I can't use conventional methods anymore..." Mo Yuan's eyes sharpened, and he thought of the strand of Innate Gengjin Thunderous Fiend Energy he had recently refined! This fiend energy was incomparably sharp, specializing in breaking through all sorts of energy barriers and illusions.

He stopped attacking blindly. Instead, he retracted his spiritual sense, focusing all his attention on sensing the densest, most core node of energy flow within the formation.

At the same time, he poured the remaining spiritual energy in his Dantian, along with that strand of Innate Gengjin Thunderous Fiend Energy, into the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear.

The spear vibrated violently, platinum lightning intertwined with purple electricity, and a destructive aura continuously escalated.

Relying on his Primordial Comprehension and his keen perception of energy, he finally captured a relatively stable energy hub hidden within the illusion array's transformations.

Now!

He gripped the spear with both hands, channeling all his strength, will, and desire to break the formation into this single strike.

In his mind, he visualized that trace of chaotic thunder source Dao charm, invoking a sliver of its intent to destroy all laws.

"Break through the surface with a single point, Gengjin Fiend Energy, break for me!"

He roared, moving with the spear. The Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear transformed into an extremely condensed, almost pure white, tiny lightning shuttle. It ignored the surrounding illusions and attacks, moving at a speed beyond thought, and precisely pierced the hidden energy node.

"Chii--!"

An extremely sharp sound, as if space were being torn apart, rang out!

That incredibly solid energy node of the illusion array, capable of dispersing and absorbing powerful attacks, was like fragile glass before this lightning shuttle imbued with Gengjin's sharpness, the Thunder Dragon's destruction, and even a trace of chaotic destruction intent. It was instantly pierced and shattered!

"Crack!"

A sound like a shattering mirror echoed across the arena.

The dense white mist churned violently, then rapidly receded like a tide! The arena's scene became clear again.

Mo Yuan stood holding his spear, its tip pointed three feet in front of Luo Li's void, where the illusory core compass of the formation had been. It was now dim and shattered.

Luo Li, on the other hand, had a pale face. The ancient compass in her hand was dim, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. Clearly, the formation had been forcibly broken, and she had suffered a backlash.

She looked at Mo Yuan, her cold eyes revealing shock and disbelief for the first time.

Her renowned Small Sky Illusion Array had been forcefully broken by the opponent in such a brutal and precise manner.

The entire venue fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone stared dumbfoundedly at the figure standing tall on the stage, holding his spear.

It broke? Luo Li of Ge Zao Mountain's mystical formation was broken just like that? And in such a direct, violent way!

The referee was stunned for a moment before reacting and loudly announcing:

"Finals, Mo Yuan wins!"

"Whoosh--!!!"

After a brief silence, a thunderous roar of cheers erupted! Especially the disciples of Mount Mao, who were almost jumping with excitement!

The champion! The champion of the Three Sects Tournament! It belonged to Mount Mao! It belonged to Mo Yuan.

On the high platform, Sect Leader Shi Jian finally showed an uncontrollable smile. Uncle Nine let out a long sigh of relief, his eyes filled with pride.

Qingxu Zhenren shook his head and sighed softly, but he still cupped his hands to congratulate Mo Yuan.

Mo Yuan retrieved his spear and cupped his hands towards the pale-faced Luo Li, "Senior Sister Luo, I have won."

Luo Li looked at him with a complex expression and said softly, "Senior Brother Mo's lightning techniques are divine, and his formation-breaking skills are even more incredible. I am impressed." She was genuinely convinced of her defeat.

Mo Yuan stood in the center of the arena, bathed in the gaze of the entire crowd. Exhausted, but unable to hide the excitement in his heart.

At this moment, with his own strength, he had earned everyone's respect and truly begun to make a name for himself among the younger generation of the cultivation world.

However, at this moment of glory, under the attention of all, no one noticed that in the shadows at the edge of the plaza, several cold, snake-like gazes were fixedly staring at Mo Yuan on the stage, filled with greed and murderous intent.

"Target confirmed... possesses dragon energy, lightning techniques, and a rare treasure... priority has been raised to the highest..."

"Waiting for the opportunity... must succeed..."