After the Venerable Mystics withdrew, they returned to the array mechanisms Celestial Xia had previously laid down.
The array mechanisms here were constantly increasing in number and being reinforced, saturated with Clear Vault Aura. They were enough to serve as a rearward stronghold. If Upper Firmament Heaven relied on itself alone now, it had already lost any chance of mounting a counteroffensive.
Two or three breaths after everyone returned, Zhengqing and Wu Tingzhi also retreated from the depths of the opposing formation. However, neither entered the formation. Instead, they stood directly before the great array.
It could be seen that after they emerged, the formation's aspect within the forward middle ring abruptly changed. If Upper Firmament Heaven's formation had been riddled with holes just now, it was now grim and tightly ordered, impenetrable as a sealed wall.
The entire formation seemed to have grown together with the Azure Spirit Heavenly Branch behind it. Apart from the territory they occupied, dense azure vitality had covered nearly half the Heavenly Plain and was still pressing toward them.
Celestial Xia naturally would not allow them free rein. Masses of Clear Vault Aura surged from the formation and blocked it at the outer edge. The two currents of qi roiled and collided, forming a clearly defined boundary between the two auras.
However, because the two realms had already drawn close, although Celestial Xia still could not commit all its strength, it still held the upper hand at this moment. After being forced back slightly for a brief moment, the Clear Vault Aura pressed forward again, swiftly reaching the middle-ring formation once more. Yet upon arriving there, with Upper Firmament Heaven's formation aiding it, it became difficult to advance any farther.
Fu Yujie stood within the formation, looked for a few moments, then sensed the