The Formation Traps the Heroes

Ye Yun stealthily approached the cave entrance, his pupils contracting at the sight before him.

The mountain hollow of Black Wind Ridge under the moonlight had transformed into a battlefield of carnage. Sword light and blade shadows intertwined, Essence Qi shot out in all directions, and every clash of weapons erupted with a deafening roar, the resulting gusts of wind scraping away thick layers from the ground.

The experts from Six Doors were clearly well-trained, forming a mystical battle formation of five, supporting each other, and covering both offense and defense. Mufeng's twin sabers danced like butterflies through flowers, each strike precisely targeting the enemy's vital points; the chubby youth wielded a pair of bronze hammers, their force immense, each blow shaking the earth.

However, the group of bandits was even more ferocious! Especially the scar-faced bandit leader, who wielded a ghost-head saber with such skill that not even water could penetrate his defense. Eerie black energy coiled around the blade, and he was locked in a fierce struggle with Zhuge Qing!

Zhuge Qing's longsword clashed with the bandit leader's ghost-head saber once more, the resulting blast of energy forcing several nearby individuals to retreat. Ye Yun watched clearly: Zhuge Qing's swordsmanship was upright and proper, each strike imbued with radiant righteousness; the bandit leader's saber technique, however, was strange and vicious, often attacking from unbelievable angles, more akin to some heretical martial art.

"Zhuge Qing! Your Six Doors reach too far!" the bandit leader snarled, backhanding a strike, the blade tracing a bizarre arc towards Zhuge Qing's ribs.

"Youming Saber Technique?" Zhuge Qing snorted, his sword tip suddenly erupting with a three-foot blue radiance. "As expected, remnants of the Youming Sect!"

Sword light and saber energy collided again, this time the shockwave shattering a nearby boulder! Ye Yun quickly circulated his energy to stabilize himself, his heart filled with awe—this was the true power of a fifth-rank expert!

On the other side, Mufeng's twin sabers spun like wheels, locked in combat with a thin man wielding a judge's brush. The man's footwork was strange, his brush specifically targeting pressure points, forcing Mufeng into a defensive posture. Suddenly, Mufeng feigned an opening, luring the opponent into a full-power assault, then crossed her sabers, unleashing a move: Cross-Slash of Soul Severing!

Swish! The thin man's sleeve was sliced open, revealing a ferocious ghost-head tattoo on his arm!

"As expected, Youming Sect!" Mufeng cried out, her saber momentum increasing.

The chubby youth was even more formidable, his bronze hammers swinging with powerful gusts of wind, forcing a bandit wielding a chain spear into a constant retreat. The bandit's chain spear was tricky and vicious, but at critical moments, its attacks were always disrupted by sudden bursts of lightning from the bronze hammers—this chubby youth was a rare Lightning Spirit Body!

The Constables of Chun'an County kept their distance, unable to intervene. Chen Qingzhou, enduring his injuries, directed his men to form a cordon, preventing the bandits from escaping. Yan Xiao Liu scratched his ears anxiously, knowing that at this level of combat, he would only be sending himself to his death.

"Brother Ye, what do we do now?" Yan Xiao Liu asked urgently upon seeing Ye Yun emerge.

Ye Yun's gaze was sharp: "Guard all exits. Not a single one can escape!"

The battle gradually became clearer. Six Doors, after all, had superior numbers and was a professional organization specialized in dealing with rogue elements, quickly gaining the upper hand.

Although the bandit leader was fierce, under Zhuge Qing's steady swordsmanship, he gradually revealed weaknesses. Mufeng had already dealt with her opponent and was now cooperating with another Six Doors expert to attack the bandit with the chain spear. The chubby youth was even more powerful, smashing his opponent's weapon with one hammer and following up with the other!

The bandit with the chain spear was struck in the chest by a hammer, flying backward like a kite with a broken string, slumping against the rock face, clearly dead.

Seeing this, the bandit leader roared, the black energy around his ghost-head saber suddenly surging, temporarily forcing Zhuge Qing back: "Second brother! Act!"

The effeminate man who had been lurking outside the battle circle moved at the sound! He quickly retrieved four small banners from his robes—the banners were colored blue, red, white, and black, embroidered with intricate runes in gold thread.

"Heaven and Earth without limit, Four Symbols Lock Spirit!" the effeminate man chanted, throwing the four banners towards the southeast, northeast, southwest, and northwest.

The moment the banners touched the ground, the entire mountain hollow fell silent! It was as if all sound had been swallowed by some invisible force. Immediately after, the four banners lit up simultaneously, blue, red, white, and black light shooting into the sky, intertwining to form a massive light barrier that enveloped the entire battlefield!

"A formation!" Zhuge Qing's expression changed. "Break it quickly!"

But it was too late! The four-colored light barrier rapidly contracted, eventually forming a barrier ten zhang in diameter. Within the barrier, the Six Doors members felt their bodies sink as if an invisible mountain pressed down on them, their movements suddenly slowing several times over. Even more terrifyingly, the circulation of Essence Qi within their bodies became sluggish, their full strength reduced to only sixty to seventy percent!

In contrast, the bandits seemed unaffected, instead thriving, their attacks becoming even more ferocious!

"This is... the Four Symbols Locking Spirit Formation!" Mufeng exclaimed. "An evil formation that can suppress a martial artist's Essence Qi!"

The bandit leader laughed heartily: "Zhuge Qing, today I will show you the methods of the Youming Sect! Brothers, retreat!"

The bandits immediately disengaged from the fight, retreating towards a pre-arranged Life Gate. The effeminate man stood at the Life Gate, forming seals with his hands to maintain the formation, a smug smile on his lips.

"Trying to escape?" Zhuge Qing roared, pointing his longsword to the sky, his Essence Qi surging. "Watch me break your evil formation!"

However, just as he was about to unleash his full power to break the formation, it suddenly shifted! The four-colored lights rotated faster, and the pressure within the barrier intensified! Several Six Doors Constables with weaker cultivation immediately vomited blood and collapsed!

"Sir! Do not engage directly!" Mufeng hurriedly advised. "This formation will backlash against the force used to break it!"

Seeing this, the bandit leader became even more triumphant: "Zhuge Qing, until we meet again! Next time we meet, I will surely take your head!"

With that, he led the bandits in a rapid retreat into the depths of the forest. The effeminate man, seeing his comrades had gone far, calmly changed his hand seals, preparing to retrieve the banners and withdraw.

At this critical juncture, Ye Yun moved!

He had been observing the formation in secret and noticed that although the four-colored lights flowed continuously, there was a brief pause every time they flowed towards the black banner—though only for an instant, it was enough for him to seize the opportunity!

Coincidentally, he had seen similar formation records in the True Martial Secret Manual. Although the Four Symbols Locking Spirit Formation was powerful, it had a fatal weakness: the four symbols must be balanced. If even one banner was damaged, the entire formation would collapse!

"Yan Xiao Liu! Attack the black banner!" Ye Yun shouted, simultaneously darting like lightning towards the blue banner in the southeast.

Yan Xiao Liu didn't understand why, but he had absolute trust in Ye Yun. He immediately drew his bow and arrow, aiming at the black banner!

The effeminate man's face changed drastically, and he hurriedly shifted his hand seals to try and compensate, but it was too late! Ye Yun's long saber, carrying a brilliant golden radiance, struck the blue banner precisely!

Crack! The blue banner snapped in two!

Almost simultaneously, Yan Xiao Liu's arrow hit the black banner! Although it didn't break it, the Essence Qi attached to the arrow interfered with the banner's energy flow!

The Four Symbols were unbalanced, and the entire formation fluctuated violently! The lights of the other two banners flickered, and countless cracks appeared in the barrier!

"Good opportunity!" Zhuge Qing's eyes flashed with brilliance, his longsword raised high above his head, his entire Essence Qi condensing at the sword tip.

A purple sword beam, as thick as a child's arm, shot into the sky, striking the weakest point of the barrier like a thunderclap from the heavens!

Boom—!!!

Amidst the deafening roar, the Four Symbols Locking Spirit Formation shattered! The four banners exploded simultaneously, and the resulting shockwave sent the effeminate man spitting blood as he was flung backward!

"Charge!" Zhuge Qing commanded, and the Six Doors members surged forward like tigers released from their cages, pursuing the fleeing bandits.

However, it was ultimately a step too late. The bandits were clearly prepared; as soon as they broke free, they scattered and disappeared into the dense forest, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Only the effeminate man, heavily injured by the formation's backlash, was easily captured by Mufeng.

"A pity," Zhuge Qing said, his face grim as he gazed at the vast forest. "I didn't expect them to have a formation master."

Ye Yun walked to the black banner that had been hit by the arrow and examined it carefully. The banner's material was neither metal nor wood, and it felt cold to the touch. The runes on it were profound and difficult to understand, clearly not ordinary items.

This is a command flag forged from the Netherworld's Cold Iron. Zhuge Qing had appeared beside him at some point; it seemed the Youming Sect had spared no expense for this operation.

Mufeng brought the effeminate man over. "Sir, how should he be dealt with?"

Despite his injuries, the effeminate man sneered. "Kill me if you will, but you'll never get a word out of me!"

Zhuge Qing didn't get angry. He simply said, "Take him back to the yamen and give him a thorough interrogation."

Just then, Chen Qingzhou arrived with the Constables to confess. "Your subordinate's incompetence allowed the brigands to escape. I beg for your punishment, sir."

Zhuge Qing waved his hand. "It's not your fault. This group of brigands is more troublesome than we imagined." He glanced specifically at Ye Yun. "However, young brother Ye, your ability to spot the formation's weakness is truly astonishing."

Ye Yun said humbly, "It was merely luck. Your subordinate once saw records of a similar formation in ancient texts."

Zhuge Qing smiled meaningfully, not pressing further. He turned and said, "Clear the battlefield and see if there are any other clues."

Everyone immediately got to work. Soon, in the depths of the stone cave, they discovered several important items—including several chests of jewels they hadn't had time to fence, some classified documents, and most importantly, a list!

"This is..." Zhuge Qing looked at the list, his expression growing increasingly grim. He hadn't expected them to have people even within the prefectural yamen!

Ye Yun leaned closer and was also greatly shocked. The list bore several familiar names—all important officials of the prefecture! No wonder these brigands could repeatedly evade capture; they had an inside informant!

"Sir, what do we do now?" Mufeng asked.

Zhuge Qing pondered for a moment. "Send a carrier pigeon to Kyoto immediately to request reinforcements. Until the reinforcements arrive, we will hold our position to avoid alerting the enemy."

He looked at Ye Yun. "Young brother Ye, you have rendered a great service this time. Once this matter is concluded, I will certainly petition the court for your commendation."

Ye Yun cupped his fists. "It is merely my duty, sir."