Breaking the Formation, Capturing the Enemy, and Turning the Spearhead on the Shaman Venerable

The one who fell was Yu Nian'en, the fourth hall master of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall. After being hit by the Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes, this Golden Core cultivator suffered severe pain in his internal organs, and even his Qi could not circulate smoothly.

The pain was so intense that his face was contorted in agony, and his once dashing long beard broke off inch by inch. He was no longer the person with any semblance of his usual composure.

"This young man surnamed Kang is far more capable than the Palace Master previously described."

Yu Nian'en continued to complain bitterly, which caused even the most determined warriors and monks in the small group to change their expressions.

This caused Ziling's already precarious situation to collapse completely, and Chongming Sect disciples began to systematically use their magic and Law Artifact to reap lives.

Fortunately, the Pill Master of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall had not completely lost their composure. They unanimously used some of their trump cards to force their enemies to retreat.

Even without any attempt to conceal it, there were always a few False Core who were more skilled than Yu Nian'en and abandoned their opponents to rush to her side to protect her.

However, none of these people looked well. Yu Nian'en could be considered the third-ranked figure in the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, yet after fighting against that lackey of the Immortal Dynasty surnamed Kang, they had all turned into this disheveled state.

How many of Sect Leader Kang Da's halberd strikes could these mere Pill Master possibly withstand?

People's joys and sorrows are never the same. The Pill Master of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall were grieving and uneasy, but Duan Anle under the banner was invigorated.

He could already see the long sword behind Jiang Qing trembling incessantly, but he ignored it, unwilling to let go of this rare opportunity. Only when the formation of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall dissipated did the five hundred Sky-Treading Cavalry, which had been kept hidden, finally come out.

As Yuan Jin had previously planned, this team should have been equipped entirely with the Cloud-Treading Colt bred in the Chongming Sect Beast Garden. However, since this wouldn't be enough in a short time, they had to be supplemented with many other animals to serve as training grounds for combat.

Like the Crimson Zhang Guard, the Sky-Treading Cavalry were also selected from the Chongming Sect. However, unlike the former, the Sky-Treading Cavalry was still in its initial stage, and even the name of the team was hastily decided when the Sect Leader Kang Da arrived in Xian Prefecture.

The current army is poorly trained, lacks proper armor, and is unfamiliar with battle formations; it is far from being a capable fighting force. Therefore, if it had hastily faced those shaman soldiers and warrior monks who had been trained for many years, it would have likely fallen apart in a single encounter.

However, at this moment, these cultivators riding decent warhorses were quite useful. They were fast and easily caught up with the tail of the fleeing soldiers of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall.

Jin Shilun's son, Jin Tanglü, had not yet Foundation Establishment, but he was extremely courageous. At this moment, he took the lead as a junior officer of the Sky-Treading Cavalry without hesitation.

In terms of courage, even Jin Shilun, who was used to being cautious under the Sect Leader Kang Da, was a notch below him.

After Jin Tanglü entered the remnants of the enemy formation, he began to stir up the scattered soldiers. Before long, the already chaotic army formation was further disrupted and became indistinguishable.

At this time, there were not many rational shamans and warrior monks, and even fewer who dared to form a defensive formation. However, they were given special attention by Jin Tanglü and his team, who were now free to deal with them.

This matter is extremely dangerous, let alone for someone who is merely at the Qi Refinement Foundation Establishment. Liu Ya, the Chongming Sect Punishment Hall Elder who is temporarily in charge of the Sky-Treading Cavalry, is very nervous and keeps urging the Foundation Establishment in his hands to help.

However, things were strange on this battlefield. Jin Tanglü did not shy away from death and was unharmed despite the stubborn resistance of the remaining enemies. On the contrary, many of the True Cultivator who came to help were somewhat hesitant and were targeted by the remaining enemies, resulting in deaths and injuries.

However, given the overwhelming tide of battle, these remaining enemies were nothing more than rotten wooden stakes disguised as reefs. With Liu Ya leading a group of True Cultivator and personally escorting the Sky-Treading Cavalry to their aid, they dared not put up a stubborn resistance, and blood flowed like rivers wherever they went.

If the five hundred Sky-Treading Cavalry had been placed in the previous battle formation, they might not have even made a ripple. But at this moment, they were like griffins guarding a flock of sheep, chasing these Dao soldiers, who had been trained at the cost of countless resources from the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, into a panic.

Seeing this, Kang Rongquan wanted to urge his subordinates, the Crimson Zhang Guard, to pursue the enemy again. After all, in Elder Kang's eyes, there was no reason to gnaw on bones without eating meat.

But just as he was about to move, he saw the central command flag change, locking the movement of his entire battalion. Kang Rongquan was surprised for a short while before he saw that the conscripted soldiers who only knew how to obey orders and kill had already come out.

These conscripted soldiers were indeed fearless, but they shared the same problem as the poorly organized Sky-Treading Cavalry: they were extremely weak.

Therefore, Kang Rongquan thought to himself that if he were in charge of the entire army, he should use these weak soldiers to wear down the morale of the opposing shaman soldiers and warrior monks before sending the elite troops to engage the enemy.

However, judging from Duan Anle actions, he seems to want to keep these recruits on the sidelines for a while longer, pending further developments.

Yu Nian'en took in the entire scene before him, but no matter how anxious he was, he was completely helpless.

In fact, if Huo Prefecture weren't the location of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, he might have already fled for his life along with the other disciples and a group of Pill Master.

Yu Nian'en was neither the legitimate son-in-law of a powerful family nor a lackey of the Immortal Dynasty. He had cultivated diligently for three or four hundred years, and his wealth, body refinement, Daoist techniques, and Law Treasure were far inferior to those of a junior who had only recently Core Formation. What ability did he have to stop him?

But if Huo Prefecture is lost just like that, how will the Grand Hall Master Preceptor Huang Mi explain it to them?

Yu Nian'en's original intention was to rely on the elite shaman soldiers and warrior monks to barely hold off the Chongming Sect. As long as the battle formation was effective, even if that Kang fellow was cunning, he would still find it difficult to withstand the combined forces of thousands of cultivators, wouldn't he?

However, Yu Nian'en did not expect that Chongming Sect rising star with almost no lineage, could actually train such a large elite force in just a hundred years, rendering all his plans futile.

Even so, he had no intention of abandoning the formation and leaving. After all, if that were the case, there would probably be very few disciples left among those he had brought. If that were the case, how could he, Golden Core cultivator who had grown up in the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall since childhood, have the face to live on?

But if war is to be fought...

The halberd's light, Jade Palace Impurity Breaker Pill Master could hardly look directly at it. They had to quickly form hand seals and channel their spiritual energy into their eyes to be able to see about 50-60% of it.

As for blocking

Among these Pill Master was a sword cultivator named Hua Mei, who was a direct disciple of Yu Nian'en. He usually boasted that he had already reached the threshold of Sword Essence and was unmatched by his peers.

At this moment, Yu Nian'en's internal energy was not fully restored, so he was powerless to provide support. The Pill Master were also divided in their thoughts and could not form an array to resist in a short time. Therefore, the swordsman who drew eyebrows to repay his master's kindness naturally drew his sword and gritted his teeth to block, but the result was not good.

But after a clang of metal clashing, the swordsman with the painted eyebrows bled profusely. His precious Swordsmanship was also wiped away by the halberd's light and fell into his master's hands, where the Divine Sense Mark on it was erased in a few strokes.

"This... this is what a cultivator at the Golden Core Early Stage looks like?"

The swordsman who drew eyebrows clearly had some reputation among the alchemists of the Yunze Witch Lord Palace; he was at least comparable to Yuan Buwen of the Yuan family and Yue Lan of the Yue family.

But anyone with discerning eyes could see clearly that the person on the other side was holding back, afraid of damaging the still valuable Swordsmanship, which was why they didn't take the life of the eyebrow-drawing sword cultivator with a single blow.

Yu Nian'en could also see the fear in the hearts of the surrounding Pill Master. He still had some composure, and with his best efforts, he blocked another halberd beam shining down from the clouds. Only then did he order the group of False Core to form an array to protect themselves.

Their Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall was indeed a well-established lineage, quite different from those wild fox Zen practitioners. But just as the cultivators were about to form a formation, their opponents, whom they had previously abandoned, all came looking for them again.

Unlike the Pill Master Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, whose hearts were turned to change after being frightened by the tragic state of the sword cultivator who drew eyebrows, the group of False Core cultivators from the Chongming Sect led by Yuan Buwen did not need to worry about Yu Nian'en, a superior cultivator, taking action.

Although the halberd technique practiced by Yuan Buwen, the leader, was far inferior to that of Sect Leader Kang Da, they were from the same source.

The latter also understood the principle of reciprocity, which led to the old cultivator, whose lifespan was nearing its end, making his halberd skills even more refined. This was quite conspicuous in the eyes of Yu Nian'en and the other cultivators of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall.

Yu Nian'en's eyes were filled with hatred. She had just finished forming the magic seal in her hand when she was startled by the Golden Light that came from the clouds and dropped the seal into empty air.

Having tasted the flavor of the Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes, Yu Nian'en dared not be negligent in the slightest. He summoned a tattered stone shield to block it. As the Golden Light vanished, the Law Treasure in his hand shattered into dust.

Yu Nian'en was in so much pain that blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Only then did she become even more determined. She took out a strange pill and swallowed it whole. After that, a mysterious light rose behind her. As soon as three beams of spiritual light appeared, they transformed into three Third Tier puppets, which blocked the halberd light that Kang Dabao was about to attack.

The Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall had already lost several palace masters, and it was already difficult to cope with the battles against the two arch-enemies, the Rouge Temple and the Thousand Buddha Grove, in Si Prefecture. The fact that it was possible to leave the fourth palace master Yu Nian'en, to guard Huo Prefecture alone seemed like a poor and unwise move, but in reality, it was the result of its utmost efforts.

Preceptor Huang Mi knew that the Sect Leader Kang Da, whom he had fought before, was somewhat troublesome, so he left three of the five Third Tier puppets sent by the Star-Picking Pavilion to Yu Nian'en for protection.

Just like the Xie Yi who was refined into a flesh and blood puppet by the Third Tier Enlisted Army Talisman, if he wants to bring out the maximum effect of the Third Tier puppet, he needs to be controlled by True-Grade Golden Core.

However, Yu Nian'en's Divine Sense was only mediocre among those of the same level. If he did not take the Tiger and Wolf Pills, how could he possibly control three Third Tier- level puppets for protection at the same time?

Even so, Yu Nian'en's Divine Sense, which had surged due to the consumption of the pill, was instantly drained by the Third Tier puppet, leaving her in a critical situation.

As the Golden Light and halberd beams that came one after another were blocked by the Third Tier puppets wielding swords and shields, Yu Nian'en felt much relieved. However, these puppets could only help him prolong his life, but could not protect the lives of the other Pill Master around him.

Yu Nian'en watched as the heavily wounded swordsman with painted eyebrows was knocked to the ground by Yuan Buwen's halberd. Before he could get up, he was covered by a group of Double Brightness cultivators wearing red armor and holding long spears.

When the sword light rose afterward, even though severed limbs and screams flew wildly from the crowd, the fierce and courageous aura of those cultivators did not dissipate in the slightest.

In fact, only a few breaths had passed, and before Yu Nian'en could even spare a moment to help, a handsome cultivator wielding a pickaxe rushed out from the crowd. Taking advantage of the fact that the sword cultivator had not yet regained his strength, he relied on three grass puppets and a wooden demon to manage to withstand half of the remaining Sword Qi. Then, he approached the sword cultivator and, with a single shovel, severed the latter's Dao Path.

Seeing his disciple's brains splatter and the cheers from the Double Brightness ranks reaching the heavens, Yu Nian'en was momentarily speechless with grief and pain.

But tears seemed to well up in his cloudy eyes involuntarily. He was stunned for only a moment before suppressing his grief and changing his hand gestures to fight against the powerful enemy.

The three puppets he commanded were all of Third-Tier Middle-Grade, one holding a sword and shield, one holding a purple-gold alms bowl, and one holding a whisk, dressed in Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist attire respectively. Yu Nian'en endured the splitting headache and the bleeding from her seven orifices, and managed to barely maintain her composure.

Seeing Yu Nian'en working so hard, even the usually aloof Sect Leader Kang Da finally decided to step down.

The scene before him was a sudden, blinding golden light bursting from the armor plates of a sword-and-shield puppet, as an ancient bronze sword, imbued with a chilling aura, slashed towards him.

The purple-gold alms bowl was inverted in mid-air, and mysterious runes condensed into a vortex-shaped black hole. The airflow in the entire space was collapsing towards the mouth of the bowl, and even the dust was twisted into spiral patterns.

The whisk unleashed thousands of feet of silver threads, each thread carrying the power of a restriction, forming a sky-covering net in the void.

These three oppressive forces each had their own merits, but none could be considered more than the last trump card that Huang Mi left for Yu Nian'en.

Duan Anle, standing beneath the banner, couldn't see clearly, but felt as if the bright sunlight above him was obscured by dark clouds, barely visible. Unlike the solemn-faced Duan Anle, Third Master Jiang remained as calm as ever.

Even though he knew perfectly well that the three Third Tier puppets in front of him were no ordinary objects, Jiang Qing seemed even more confident than the Sect Leader Kang Da, who was on the front lines.

The latter's pupils suddenly turned golden, and two golden rays shot out, causing the ancient sword to fly away, the black hole to shatter, and the silver threads to break.

The overwhelming pressure that Yu Nian'en had painstakingly created suddenly crumbled by more than half.

Fortunately, Sect Leader Kang Da's Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes were already at their peak, and unleashing such power was no easy feat. He then extinguished the golden light in his eyes and raised his halberd to fight.

Before long, Yu Nian'en's knuckles were clenched so tightly they turned white, his temples throbbed like drums, and drops of blood from his nose dripped onto his clothes, gradually spreading into dark red marks.

He clenched his teeth, his tongue tasting the metallic sweetness of rust. His spiritual energy surged through his meridians like a wild horse, yet he still managed to reassemble his scattered Divine Sense with sheer tenacity.

"Boom!" The sound of the clouds breaking apart drowned out the trembling of the puppet's armor.

The Sect Leader Kang Da's short halberd gleamed with a brilliant silver light as he slashed down at the sword-and-shield puppet resembling a Confucian scholar, forcing the latter, who was holding a shield, to break through the clouds and fall to the ground.

Kang Dabao's gaze swept over Yu Nian'en's bleeding eyes. With a slight frown, he formed a hand seal with his left hand and gathered power with his right. Just then, he once again commanded the reviving sword and shield puppet. The ancient bronze sword was already three inches in front of Kang Dabao's eyebrows.

The sword suddenly grew to over ten feet in length, and the Confucian inscriptions on its spine seemed to come alive, piercing straight at the face with a chilling Sword Qi of "sacrificing oneself for righteousness".

Without dodging or avoiding, Sect Leader Kang Da drew an arc in the air with his left index finger to block the Sword Qi, while simultaneously unleashing his long-prepared Eight Wastelands Suppress the Mountain Suppression technique, which landed on the puppet's true form.

With a loud "bang," the sword and shield puppet's armor shattered into dust, and the magic shield in the puppet's hand flew wildly. The ancient sword's murderous aura seemed to freeze for a moment.

Yu Nian'en hurriedly summoned the puppet resembling a Buddhist monk to the rescue. The purple-gold alms bowl in its hand regenerated into a black hole, which expanded to a radius of ten zhang in just a few breaths, encompassing all the surrounding soil, rocks, and trees.

With a flick of his sleeve, Sect Leader Kang Da caused intricate runes to reappear on the armor plates of the River Luo Mystic Armor, dispelling the endless Buddhist light that surged towards him.

"Sizzle,"

The silver net of the whisk had already descended upon them. Each silver thread shimmered with mysterious restrictions, and the mesh of the net was shaped like the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). The moment it touched Kang Dahe River Luo Mystic Armor, it collided with the endless runes and immediately exploded with a crackling sound, causing even the Sect Leader Kang Da to frown slightly.

"It's alright, we can just avoid it." The Golden Core in his Dantian suddenly lit up, and the flowing spiritual energy condensed into phantom images of weapons in his meridians.

As Kang Dabao gazed at the three puppets approaching in a triangular formation, he pressed his tongue against his palate and uttered a soft shout. At that moment, the military strategy taught by the Wood Mansion Star Lord, the Halberd Master, was being dissipated from his short halberd.

"Seven Sha Lock the Dragon!" With this shout, Kang Dabao's figure suddenly split into six afterimages on the spot.

Seven figures moved about according to the Big Dipper, the arcs drawn by their short halberds weaving into dark golden dragon-shaped chains in the void.

Just as the sword-and-shield puppet was about to charge forward with its shield, its ankles were already bound by chains. The chains, formed from battle energy, were covered with intricate star patterns. With each tightening, a wisp of green smoke seeped from the gaps in the puppet's armor.

The black hole in the purple-gold alms bowl suddenly accelerated its rotation, undeterred, determined to suck Kang Dabao's true form into it.

But the six afterimages turned around simultaneously, their sword tips pointing at the center of the black hole. The chains suddenly taut like strings, and the originally collapsing airflow was forcibly pulled back by this force. The gilded Buddhist mantra on the chest of the bowl-holding puppet suddenly burst out with spiritual light, as if it had been hit hard by an invisible warhammer.

Just then, the silver net of the whisk puppet descended. Kang Dabao's true form suddenly soared into the sky, and the seven figures instantly merged into one. The semicircle drawn above their heads by the Jade Palace Impurity Breaker Purity shone with Cold Moon- like radiance.

"Greedy Wolf Devours the Moon!" With a flick of his wrist, the battle aura on the short halberd suddenly transformed into a silver wolf with its blood-red maw wide open, which actually bit and shredded all the silver threads that were shimmering with restrictions.

Taking advantage of the moment the chains loosened, the sword-and-shield puppet swung its sword, and the Confucian inscriptions on the ancient bronze sword lit up once more.

Kang Dabao, however, kept his eyes straight ahead, letting the blade graz his shoulder. His powerful body, sculpted from the Primordial Ancient Body, allowed him to almost engage in hand-to-hand combat with this puppet made of metal and stone. He probed with his Divine Sense, made a mental calculation, and then unleashed another Eight Wastelands Suppress the Mountain Suppression, which struck the sword-shield puppet's wound, where the armor plates had been removed.

This time it wasn't as easy as before; the immense force quickly spread to the puppet's true form.

Seeing that the sword and shield puppet was beginning to crack all over its body and that the carefully drawn spiritual barrier seemed to be collapsing, Yu Nian'en gasped and hurriedly commanded the bowl-holding puppet and the whisk-wielding puppet to rush to the rescue.

The golden alms bowl suddenly fell over, and a soul-stirring shriek suddenly emanated from the black hole; the ox-tail whisk flicked, transforming into countless silver threads that rushed towards Kang Dabao as if they were free.

Kang Dabao abandoned the sword-and-shield puppet, which he couldn't even hold onto with a bronze ancient sword. With a light touch of his toes, he soared into the air, and Golden Light shone out again, instantly annihilating the once majestic black hole.

The golden alms bowl shattered instantly, and the joints of the puppet holding the bowl creaked. The runes on the bowl dimmed, and it instantly turned into an ordinary object.

Yu Nian'en's face showed shock and fear, and his eyes suddenly became even more serious. He saw that the silver threads in front of the whisk puppet had re-condensed, this time forming a death array in the shape of a tai chi symbol.

Kang Dabao remained fearless, sweeping his short halberd across the battlefield, repelling thousands of silk ribbons.

Yu Nian'en remained unconvinced and continued to pester him, but was once again grabbed by the Sect Leader Kang Da with one hand and had countless silver threads torn off. If the former had not been quick to assess the situation, he might have even torn away the whisk Law Treasure.

The silver threads broke and grew back, and the Tai Chi Death Formation couldn't harm Kang Dabao, but it could buy Yu Nian'en time to repair the other two puppets.

The Sect Leader Kang Da, with a somber expression, examined the formation for a long time. Suddenly, his left ear twitched, and he took a half step to the side. An ancient Sword-Ray grazed past his temple. If it weren't for his tough body, the mere grazed light would have burned his head to ashes.

However, there is no such thing as "if it weren't for". Having dodged the ancient sword's sudden attack, Kang Dabao's eyes suddenly flashed with Golden Light, and with a flick of his finger, the short halberd in his hand shot out.

Yu Nian'en below only knew about the power of the Sect Leader Kang Da's pupil technique for conquest, but she was completely unaware that the words "breaking through illusions" were not just for show!

Yu Nian'en watched helplessly as the tip of the Jade Palace Impurity Breaker Halberd struck the eye of the Death Array. The loud "boom" made his body tremble. Afterwards, his fingers, which Hand Seals, suddenly broke open, and in no time, his hands were stained bright red.

At this moment, his already difficult-to-control injuries were exacerbated by this, making him feel as if his internal organs were churning, unable to find any relief.

Just as the bare ox-tail whisk fell to the ground, the bronze ancient sword was also caught up by Sect Leader Kang Da, who had broken through the Tai Chi Death Formation. With a single slash, the sword's spiritual energy completely dissipated, its runes became chaotic, and it no longer possessed any power whatsoever.

The purple-gold alms bowl shattered, the ancient bronze Sword Sha vanished, and the ox-tail whisk no longer resembled a whisk. The three puppets could barely be considered intact, but if they were to fight again, they would truly have to raise their three pairs of fists to compare with Sect Leader Kang Da and see whose true body was more solid.

"We've lost!" Yu Nian'en was quite straightforward and immediately had the idea of fleeing.

As for whether he could leave, it would be a joke for someone who had cultivated to the Golden Core stage not to have any means of survival. Yu Nian'en held a high-level talisman and transformed into a stream of light to leave.

He didn't provoke his three puppets into self-destruction, lest he anger the "vengeful and womanizing" Sect Leader Kang Da and drive him to his death.

Even at his peak, he had used every trick in the book to not harm the latter in the slightest. Now, Yu Nian'en thought to himself that if he were to flee on his own and not be rescued, he might not survive.

Therefore, given this perilous situation, who cares about what would happen to the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall if these external items fell into Kang Dabao's hands?

However, Sect Leader Kang Da was clearly unwilling to just watch Yu Nian'en retreat. Even if Golden Light and Jade Palace Impurity Breaker Halberd could not catch up with him, the former, who was only at the rudimentary level of the Sharpened Spirit Thorn, suddenly unleashed it. It easily caused the latter, whose Divine Sense was on the verge of collapse, to suddenly freeze and fall down.

At this moment, the battle of Golden Core cultivators finally came to an end. The group of Pill Master from the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall no longer dared to fight like cornered beasts. They simply looked at the gaze cast by Sect Leader Kang Da, withdrew their magic and fighting spirit, lowered their heads and Law Treasure, and surrendered without resistance.

The disciples of the Double Brightness Alliance were overjoyed and cheered for a long time.

"If it weren't for the need to protect these three puppets, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths!"

However, the protagonist, Sect Leader Kang Da, casually put away his short halberd, then methodically picked up the treasures scattered on the ground. Finally, he carefully put away Yu Nian'en and the three Third Tier puppets, turned around, and Double Brightness proclaimed to the Chongming cultivators:

"The Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall is just ahead. I will go first, and you all will follow behind. The blade is mine, and the riches and future are yours!"