Breaking the Formation

"Chang'an City is not a place where formations can be set up arbitrarily. This must be a temporary formation constructed using array flags and spirit jade!"

Zhang Xuezhou vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but his reaction was a few beats too slow.

When there are no people ahead in the dark alleyway, and no pursuers behind, it can only mean that they are trapped in a formation and have not avoided it despite their own vigilance.

If this was the case for great cultivators like Zhang Xuezhou, then it goes without saying for others.

Are you True Person or a fake?

Zhang Xuezhou turned his head and looked at the new emperor who was almost right next to him. His guard was immediately raised, and he couldn't help but shout again.

"Don't hit me, we won't fight amongst ourselves!"

The new emperor, wielding his longsword, responded swiftly, his gaze inevitably shifting back and forth between Zhang Xuezhou.

"Only by getting a good beating can you tell if it's real or fake!"

Zhang Xuezhou shouted, not only because he had successfully identified the new emperor, but also because the new emperor had identified him.

This is how they identified the formations they encountered in the Shanglin Garden secret area. Since it's difficult to determine the type of formation at present, they can only eliminate the possibility of an illusion formation first.

He leaped off his mount and raised his fist, approaching the new emperor as he rode closer.

"What kind of time is this? Can't you be normal for once?!"

The new emperor also dismounted, holding his sword and looking wary.

"Don't do this!"

After shouting, the new emperor watched Zhang Xuezhou approach step by step, and his vigilance quickly rose.

The illusion array in Shanglin Garden, which had no one in charge, almost wiped out everyone. The Two Dragons Array in the Dragon City Ancestral Land, used to guide the secret area, almost caused the two to fall. The Principle now in question is guided by someone, and is a true array with a master.

An unowned formation and a formation with an owner are two different things. The new emperor felt a chill run through his body, realizing that he had fallen into a trap set by Daojun and others.

Before Daojun and the others could even enter the area he had set up, they turned around and were immediately trapped in the temporary formation set up by the other party.

The new emperor shouted at Zhang Xuezhou, who was cautiously approaching. He wasn't sure if the time Zhang Xuezhou had bought would be of any use, but at least breaking the formation was proving difficult for him.

He held his sword horizontally with extreme caution, adopting a defensive sword stance.

When Zhang Xuezhou blinked, his defensive sword stance inadvertently shifted.

"Hey!"

A soft shout came from Zhang Xuezhou's mouth. As the new emperor saw Zhang Xuezhou throw a punch at him, his eyelids twitched. He saw the darkness of the dark streets and alleys fade away, and the dim light of the lanterns shone out, illuminating a figure in black robes holding a black flag about three zhang away.

There were no mounts in the alley, but at least eight corpses lay there.

Some imperial guards skilled in archery and horsemanship perished in the pursuit, while Confucian scholars proficient in Southern Brightness Fire Technique and familiar with the terrain of the Imperial City District also died.

Perhaps seeing the infighting between Zhang Xuezhou and the new emperor, the man in black robes was not in a hurry to make a move.

"Hehehe, these two guys look somewhat familiar. You're clever enough to spot the formation, but misidentifying Principle plain stupid. You actually mistook the Five Ghosts Yin Wind Formation for an ordinary illusion formation!"

Seemingly unaware that the formation had been broken, the black-robed cultivator even seemed somewhat smug, as if he had reaped the benefits without lifting a finger.

"Go!"

Only when the new emperor thrust his longsword forward and a red Sword-Ray flew out did he swiftly wave the black flag in his hand.

The Sword-Ray's edge flashed past, striking the black flag with a metallic clang.

But before the severed black flag could hit the ground, the sounds of impact and further slashing rang out once more.

Rapid combat tests a cultivator's basic skills, involving strength, speed, and simple thrusting and slashing sword techniques. There is far too little time to activate the flow of Qi and Blood to unleash the full power of the sword.

The new emperor's reaction speed was clearly first-rate. In the brief moment that Zhang Xuezhou used the Acupoint-Fixing Technique temporarily break through the formation, the opponent had already drawn his sword and slashed at the main figure of the formation who had revealed himself.

Hehehe~

A Sword-Ray struck, followed by a head-on clash of sword techniques.

His black robe was pierced, and the feeling of the longsword slashing horizontally was as if it had hit a hard stone. The new emperor's body spun like a top.

Zhang Xuezhou had seen Wei Qing use this move in the Dragon City Ancestral Land. Wei Qing's sword swiftly killed the great cultivator in charge of teaching in the Dragon City Ancestral Land, splitting his body in two and making his death extremely frustrating.

The new emperor's move was slightly slower than Wei Qing's, but his body rotation speed was several times faster.

He spun rapidly to the ground, pulled his longsword back, and even imitated the black-robed cultivator's 'hehehe' laughter.

"You... you... you are..."

After uttering a few short words, the black-robed cultivator slowly raised his left hand toward the new emperor.

Before he could even point his left hand at the new emperor and unleash the pressure of a Technique Method facing a melee attack, his upper body collapsed with a thud, the sound of bones breaking emanating from his chest and abdomen, with black fluid and purple Law Power occasionally escaping.

"I mimicked his laughter and he didn't die of anger. This old guy is really tough and can take a beating. Who is he anyway?"

The new emperor glanced at the warped and broken blade of the longsword, and felt that the opponent's body was unbelievably thick. If he hadn't used his fastest attack speed, it wouldn't have been so easy to kill the opponent.

"He is Venerable Black Mountain! I never expected him to come in his true form this time!"

Zhang Xuezhou approached to examine the man, then removed the black cloth wrapped around his head, and couldn't help but sigh.

"I previously shattered your Yang Soul Body. Why did you come here with your body injured? Wouldn't it have been better to live out your remaining years in the Sacred Land?" Zhang Xuezhou approached and sighed.

"You... you... you've ruined my Yang body... it's hard to restore, I can only... I can only use my true body now, you... you still won't... refine pills for us..."

The Venerable Black Mountain's eyes widened.

He stared at Zhang Xuezhou's face, and the familiarity in his heart transformed into recognition, finally allowing him to identify Zhang Xuezhou.

"You... you should have been on our side..."

As he spoke intermittently, the voice of the Venerable Black Mountain grew weaker and weaker.

With his yang spirit destroyed and his physical body suddenly severed, even with his high cultivation level, he couldn't escape this calamity.

His aged face quickly lost its vitality, his shattered half-body lay on the ground, his eyes rolled back, looking at Zhang Xuezhou standing there as if he had died with his eyes open in disbelief.

"I was expelled from the Sacred Land many years ago. It wasn't that I didn't want you; it was that you abandoned me!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head, lowered his head, and responded softly.

If he were still that trash he used to be, it would be no different for the Venerable Black Mountain to slap him to death than to crush an ant. The other party only had eyes for him now, but only Zhang Xuezhou himself knew that it was almost impossible for a normal person to develop to his level.

It was merely an unexpected turn of events that surprised Venerable Black Mountain.

This sense of regret stems from the unwillingness to accept the truth after it has been discovered.

Of course, even if they coexist peacefully, Zhang Xuezhou is merely a tool to help with alchemy, since the Venerable Black Mountain doesn't have the final say in the Yedie River Holy Land.

"This Five Ghosts Yin Wind Formation is not bad; I'll repay you in my next life!"

Zhang Xuezhou's bending over wasn't in vain; when he stood up again, he held a black flag with its flagpole severed.

Holding the broken black flag, he unfurled it, and the flags of the four cardinal directions immediately came into view.

As soon as Zhang Xuezhou released the Acupoint-Fixing Technique, a whistling sound of something sinister quickly rang in his ears, and the formation resumed operation.

The Five Ghosts Yin Wind Formation still exists, only now it has a different owner.