Lin He, Xin Ruoyin, and Xiao Mei stood within a thin, bluish-white barrier of light.
Xin Ruoyin's lovely eyes rested on Lin He in disbelief. She had naturally witnessed him use a Level Four Spirit Beast to catch a middle Foundation Establishment cultivator off guard and kill him.
Even an ordinary late Foundation Establishment cultivator could not have accomplished such a feat, yet Lin He had done it. Although the surprise attack had played a part, it was enough to prove that his current strength surpassed that of an average late Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Xiao Mei's face was filled with admiration. She hurriedly praised him, "Young Master Lin, your strength is extraordinary! You can ride this momentum and finish off every last enemy."
Lin He shook his head. "The fat old man is one thing-the Jade Mantis can handle him. But that blank-faced, vulture-faced old man has unfathomable cultivation and can even control a magical treasure. He destroyed quite a few of my magic artifacts in our earlier fight. I suspect he's a Core Formation cultivator."
"Core Formation?" Xiao Mei's expression changed drastically. Then she shook her head. "That's impossible! Young Master Lin, you're very strong, but if he really were a Core Formation cultivator, how could you have traded blows with him on equal footing?"
"I don't think he came in his true body. He must have used some other means that prevents him from unleashing a Core Formation cultivator's full strength. That's why I could hold my own against him for a while."
That brief clash had already given Lin He some ideas. Xin Ruoyin and Xiao Mei finally relaxed a little upon hearing his explanation. Just then, Lin He suddenly said, "Look, they've entered the formation!"
The Xu patriarch and the fat old man landed, and Lin He immediately activated the Five Elements Reversal Formation. Clouds and mist swirled around them, even interfering with spiritual sense and making it impossible to tell one direction from another.
"What can a mere illusion formation do to me?"
The fat old man relaxed at the sight, while the Xu patriarch spoke with open contempt. He pointed at the golden sword before him, and a streak of golden light shot out. It instantly shredded the surrounding mist. The illusion formation could not withstand it at all and was broken in a single instant.
Once the mist dispersed, it revealed a thin, bluish-white barrier of light, with Lin He, Xin Ruoyin, and Xiao Mei standing inside.
"Hmph, you little brat! You dare set up a formation before cultivators of our Heavenly Star Sect? You're showing off your axe at the master carpenter's door. Today, you'll die without a doubt!"
Seeing that his attack had worked, the fat old man smiled smugly and was about to step up his efforts to break through the barrier completely. The Xu patriarch, standing to one side, suddenly furrowed his brows, seemingly sensing something. As if to verify his guess, he pointed at the Golden Sword. A streak of golden light shot out. The bluish-white barrier was already on the verge of collapse, and now, faced with an attack from a Magic Treasure, it was even more fragile. It was soon shattered by the golden light.
Seeing that his attack was effective, the fat old man smiled smugly and prepared to press harder and shatter the barrier completely. Beside him, the Xu patriarch suddenly frowned, apparently having noticed something. As if to test his suspicion, he pointed at the golden sword, sending out a beam of golden light. The bluish-white barrier was already tottering under the attacks; against a magical treasure, it was even more fragile and soon shattered beneath the golden light.
The fat old man could not help cheering, but the Xu patriarch thought, Just as I suspected.
The Xu patriarch's brows furrowed tightly. Still wanting to make one final confirmation, he waved the Golden Sword, and a dazzling streak of golden light shot out, slamming into the Five-Colored Light Curtain. A series of muffled thuds rang out, and the Five-Colored Light Curtain was shattered. However, something strange happened: many more layers of light curtains appeared behind it. The golden light broke through seven layers in a row before its power was exhausted and it vanished. Clearly, the formation held endless mysteries and was difficult to break through in a short time. Moreover, the shattered light curtains were slowly healing.
The Xu patriarch's brows knitted tightly, but he still wanted one final confirmation. The golden sword swung, sending a dazzling beam of golden light crashing into the five-colored barrier. A series of dull booms sounded, and the barrier shattered. Then something strange happened: many more barriers appeared behind it. The golden light broke through seven in succession before exhausting its spiritual power and vanishing. Clearly, the formation held endless intricacies and could not be broken anytime soon. Moreover, the shattered barriers were slowly restoring themselves.
"It's actually the Five Elements Reversal Formation!" The Xu patriarch made no further attempts. Instead, his expression darkened as he named the formation. Beside him, the fat old man turned pale.
"You mean the renowned minor restriction formation-the Five Elements Reversal Formation?"
"A formation set up by an early Foundation Establishment cultivator actually withstood a strike from my magical treasure without being destroyed. Other than this one, I truly can't think of any formation capable of that."
Although the Xu patriarch's brows remained tightly furrowed, he did not seem particularly worried. Instead, he explained, "The Five Elements Reversal Formation is formidable, but it cannot actively kill its enemies. Trying to break it by force would only waste our magical power. All we need to do now is wait for our opponent to expose an opening."
The fat old man refused to believe it and wanted to test things himself. Riding his fiery-red flying sword, he tried to fly above Lin He's head, but his efforts were futile. No matter how he flew, he only went in circles where he was.
Lin He watched the Xu patriarch refrain from making any rash moves inside the formation and couldn't help but admire him. Although the man was an enemy, he was, after all, a cultivator from the Heavenly Star Sect. His mastery of formations was indeed impressive; he had spotted the weakness of the Five Elements Reversal Formation at a glance.
Watching the Xu patriarch refrain from attacking blindly inside the formation, Lin He could not help admiring him inwardly. Although the man was an enemy, he was, after all, a Heavenly Star Sect cultivator. His mastery of formations was indeed impressive; he had spotted the Five Elements Reversal Formation's weakness at a glance.
Beside him, Xin Ruoyin frowned. "This man has considerable mastery of formations. He's seen that the Five Elements Reversal Formation cannot actively kill its enemies, so he has nothing to fear. He's deliberately stalling for time, waiting for the formation to weaken before suddenly striking to break it. When that happens, we'll lose without a doubt."
Lin He nodded. Keeping the Five Elements Reversal Formation running required a continuous supply of spirit stones-and medium-grade spirit stones at that. More importantly, he also had to control the formation with his spiritual sense. Although each expenditure was small, the constant drain would add up to a considerable loss, putting him at a severe disadvantage once fighting resumed. Whether he was controlling a formation, commanding spirit beasts, or even manipulating magic artifacts, all of it consumed spiritual sense.
"We can't wait any longer. We have to take the initiative now. Only then will we have a chance of winning."
Xin Ruoyin looked worried. Her original plan had been to trap their opponents inside the formation and let them attack wildly, exhausting much of their stamina and magical power before having Lin He finish them off. She had not expected their enemy to be proficient in formations as well, spotting its weakness and choosing to conserve his strength.
Xiao Mei's cultivation was too low for her to offer any help. She could only fret on the sidelines. Seeing this, Lin He reassured them,
"Don't worry. Since I dare to take the initiative, I naturally have my reasons."
With that, Lin He moved, activating the Cloud-Treading Boots, and soon vanished into the Grand Array. Xin Ruoyin and Xiao Mei were surprised to discover that their spiritual sense was being disrupted.
Xin Ruoyin seemed to understand something and hurriedly said, "Xiao Mei, withdraw your spiritual sense. Don't try to investigate. Cover your ears and close your eyes. Don't look at anything or listen to anything. Just do as I do. Understand?"
Although Xiao Mei did not understand why, she followed Xin Ruoyin's example, covering her ears, closing her eyes, and sealing off her spiritual sense.
Having entered the formation,
Lin He naturally noticed Xin Ruoyin and Xiao Mei's actions and nodded in approval.
"Now I can fight him without holding back."