Merging Formations, What Will You Do When I Unlock the Halberd Form?

As Qian Yufeng's voice faded, thirteen figures clad in camouflage bodysuits appeared.

They wore masks that obscured their faces, their only identifying mark being the Black Swan pattern on their chests.

Indeed, this was the Shadow Organization of the Heaven Dou Empire.

These thirteen individuals formed a squad known as the Thirteen Protectors.

No one knew how many such squads the Shadow Organization possessed; if one was wiped out, another would simply take its place.

Qian Yufeng guessed that the people who arrived today were acting on the final order Xue Yao had issued before her death.

"Qian Yufeng cannot leave Heaven Dou City alive, even if it means offending Spirit Hall. As long as he lives, Spirit Hall will forever hold a transcendent position on this continent!"

The moment he stepped into the Heaven Dou Empire, he had noticed many people watching him from the shadows.

He had a vague suspicion in his heart that Xue Yao was trying to lure him into a trap.

Her desire to see him was real, but her desire to kill him was just as real!

The two were intimately familiar with each other, yet they had been locked in a secret struggle for their entire lives.

She had killed Mu Cheng's father, while Qian Yufeng had been the one to dispose of the previous Heaven Dou Emperor—her own brother—without leaving a single trace.

But Xue Yao knew that Qian Yufeng never left loose ends in his work.

In her final moments, the instant she saw Qian Yufeng, she understood that this man, whom she had loved her entire life but could never be with, would continue to live on.

At nearly two hundred years of age, the existence of such a person would severely disrupt the future balance.

He had to be eliminated!

"Elder Qian, forgive us!" the First Protector said, after which the thirteen of them scattered and set up their formation.

"You certainly think highly of me, going so far as to use the Heavenly Dipper Formation." Qian Yufeng sighed slightly, his eyes turning icy.

"If I were still an eight-ring Soul Douluo, perhaps this formation could truly keep me here."

"Unfortunately, times have changed; I have altered my fate!"

A powerful aura erupted from his body, and the Aurora Shield appeared in his hand.

"Summon your Spirits and Soul Rings!" the First Protector commanded, and the thirteen individuals revealed their Spirits and Soul Rings.

With four assault-types, three agility-types, three defense-types, and three support-types, their Spirits and Soul Rings resonated instantly, creating a unique soul power harmony.

The thirteen shared a uniform Soul Ring configuration: two yellow, two purple, and four black.

All thirteen of these people were Soul Douluos!

Once the formation was complete, it sealed off every escape route for Qian Yufeng and locked down the surrounding space; it was as if this technique did not belong to this era.

"Then let's see if you can kill me!"

Qian Yufeng reached out and gripped the top of the Aurora Shield, drawing a sword from within it.

He held the sword in his right hand and the shield in his left.

His Soul Ring configuration—two yellow, two purple, three black, and two red—was revealed.

"As expected of the Elder Qian praised by our leader, your Spirit has actually evolved!" The First Protector had heard of Qian Yufeng's exploits, but as they belonged to opposing factions, he could only express his respect for his opponent.

"Fusion, Evil Exterminator!"

The thirteen shouted in unison, and their Spirits and Soul Rings merged together, manifesting as the form of a General Spirit clad in armor and wielding a long sword.

"Seventh Soul Skill—Aurora True Body!"

Qian Yufeng revealed his Spirit Avatar, a magnified version of his own sword-and-shield-wielding manifestation.

The two were nearly identical in size.

"Though she is gone, I know you thirteen are her final trump card against me. Use your full strength; do not bring shame to her name!"

With that, the Laser Sword in his hand thrust toward the fused avatar in front of him.

Boom—!

The powerful shockwave rippled outward, only to vanish upon touching the surrounding barrier.

On the other side, Qian Lingxin and Qian Lingsu also sensed that something was wrong.

As they washed themselves, they realized that Qian Yufeng had deliberately sent them away.

"Sister Lingxin, the Patriarch, he..." Qian Lingsu's face was filled with worry as she quickened her movements.

However, the process of the Wonder Velvet Sky-Cleansing Marrow Pill required thirty minutes to complete, and they could not leave just yet.

Qian Lingxin had vaguely guessed the truth and spoke up: "The Patriarch once said that he hadn't been to Heaven Dou City in over a hundred years because that place was too dark and devoid of human warmth."

"Sending us away this time was likely his way of severing ties with the past. Let us wait and see."

She trusted Qian Yufeng deeply; in all their years together, the Patriarch had never done anything without being certain of the outcome.

"I suppose so. I actually believe the Patriarch can handle it, but he is getting on in years, after all!" Qian Lingsu said again.

"You're just worrying for nothing. The Patriarch's hair may have turned white, but his physical vitality is no less than that of a twenty-year-old—perhaps even stronger!"

"I believe in him; no one can stop him."

Qian Lingxin finished speaking, glanced back at the direction she had come from, and continued washing the grime from her body.

In reality, it was exactly as she had guessed. Qian Yufeng and the thirteen individuals had already exchanged thirty blows. At this level of cultivation, the effects of spirit skills were merely the icing on the cake; victory relied more on the raw power of the Avatar of the Spirit and its deep integration with the user to unleash overwhelming force.

Both sides had pulled apart, and Qian Yufeng felt quite satisfied with the formation he had designed back then.

He was even more satisfied with his own strength; after his spirit evolved, both his offense and defense had reached the pinnacle.

Regrettably, he was unsure if his spirit could evolve into the Ultimate Emperor Armor.

Otherwise, a battle of this level would have ended in an instant with the summoning of the Emperor Halberd.

Wait, the Emperor Halberd?!

Qian Yufeng looked at the shield and sword in his hands and began a daring experiment.

A spirit and its spirit master share a connection of heart and mind, similar to the relationship between a cultivator and their lifebound artifact.

The moment the sword and shield combined, they formed an entirely new weapon.

Even Qian Yufeng's Avatar of the Spirit shifted its state.

"This is... the Emperor Halberd?!"

Good heavens, the situation was about to reverse.

This sudden change took the Thirteen Protectors by surprise.

That a spirit could change its form was truly inconceivable!

Qian Yufeng immediately raised his weapon and shouted, "Halberd, Slash!"

He then hacked fiercely toward the General Spirit. The opponent hurriedly raised their sword to block, only to be knocked back and slammed heavily against the barrier.

Not only that, but the Thirteen Protectors felt their blood surging and found it difficult to catch their breath.

"This guy doesn't look like a one-hundred-and-eighty-year-old man at all; his stamina is even stronger than those Title Douluo!"

The third of the Thirteen Protectors gritted his teeth and remarked.

He had the lowest defense among the thirteen, and such a prolonged battle was disadvantageous for him.

Qian Yufeng was naturally aware of this; his previous attack had just been to add a little pressure.

The opponent's spirit fusion surely had more to it, but the only flaw among these thirteen was the one with the lowest defense.

If he couldn't hold on, this formation would lose its effect.

Had he not combined the Emperor Halberd, Qian Yufeng estimated it would have taken him another hour to break through their blockade.

Qian Yufeng's Avatar of the Spirit pointed the Emperor Halberd at them: "Come again, and there is no need for you to hold anything back anymore!"