The Four Symbols Formation

Chapter 321: The Four Symbols Formation

No sooner had night fallen than a group of uninvited guests appeared in the sky above the pitch-black imperial city—Han Li and the other eight Yellow Maple Valley cultivators.

As they flew their artifacts over the dark city wall, the leader, Liu Jing, gazed down at the so-called forbidden ground. After a brief moment of hesitation, he waved his hand with bold resolve.

“Let’s go.”

His voice was decisive, carrying no hint of hesitation.

With that, he charged ahead first.

Seeing this, the others naturally followed in a cluster, their earlier顾忌 about the seven-sect ban completely forgotten.

Han Li did not rush to the front. Instead, he deliberately lagged behind, flying at the tail end of the group.

This was not because Han Li had any second thoughts, but because he was silently sensing the “Reversed Five Elements Formation” he had set up the night before.

When he reached a spot several li from the palace, a faint, mysterious smile tugged at the corner of Han Li’s mouth.

Excellent! The formation is still intact. The spiritual energy markers he had discreetly placed had not been disturbed in the slightest. This discovery filled Han Li with quiet delight.

Moments later, the nine of them floated above the imperial palace, looking down at everything within the Forbidden City.

“Listen up, everyone! We’ll follow the plan we discussed earlier and split into two groups. One group will head for the current Yue Emperor’s sleeping quarters to rescue him from the Black Fiend Sect. Only by doing this can we prevent the enemy from using the emperor as a hostage in a desperate last stand. The other group will go directly to the Cold Palace where the Black Fiend Sect Leader is staying, concentrate our forces to eliminate the Four Blood Servants first. Then, the two groups will reunite and deal with the Black Fiend Sect Leader, who is still in seclusion.” Liu Jing repeated the night’s plan with a grave expression. The others nodded in agreement.

The personnel had long been divided. The two female cultivators, Chen Qiaoqian and Zhong Weiniang, were to rescue the Yue Emperor. Liu Jing, along with the rest, including Han Li, would strike directly at the Cold Palace guarded by the Four Blood Servants.

“Junior Seventh, Junior Chen, be careful,” Liu Jing特意 instructed before they parted.

The two women acknowledged solemnly, then flew diagonally downward.

Soon, they vanished silently into the darkness.

“Once we’re inside, don’t hold back against any other cultivators. Anyone practicing magic within the palace grounds is definitely from the Black Fiend Sect. Let’s move out. This will also create an opportunity for our two junior sisters,” Liu Jing said coldly to the others, before immediately flying his artifact straight toward the Cold Palace Han Li had mentioned.

Han Li and the others followed.

Soon after, their menacing descent from the sky was immediately spotted by the Black Fiend Sect disciples guarding the outer perimeter of the Cold Palace.

Instantly, a few sharp whistles rang out, and from the concealed positions near the Cold Palace, a volley of spells and magic tools erupted, surging toward the seven cultivators.

“A mere spark dares to outshine the sun and moon?”

Liu Jing raised his hand, and a shimmering silk handkerchief flew out, instantly transforming into a massive barrier before him, shielding even Han Li and the others behind him. He seemed confident in the power of this artifact.

Indeed, as soon as the silk handkerchief spread out, the spells and magic tools struck it. But after a blinding white flash, the handkerchief was not only unharmed but even reflected some of the spells back down, sending the Black Fiend Sect disciples below scrambling in disarray.

“Senior Brother Liu, impressive skill!”

Song Meng, who was charging side-by-side with Liu Jing, praised loudly. Then, without hesitation, he tossed his own weapon into the air.

A massive blue giant sword materialized in the night sky—Song Meng’s favorite top-grade magic tool, the “Blue Silk Sword.”

“Go!”

Song Meng formed a hand seal with both hands. The giant blue sword let out a resonant hum and began to spin rapidly like a cartwheel, leaving the terrified Black Fiend Sect disciples below stunned by its immense form.

Seeing this, a cruel grin spread across Song Meng’s face.

He extended two fingers and pointed at the “Blue Silk Sword,” which had now turned into a massive disc of light.

Instantly, the blue light on the disc contracted, then expanded, suddenly shooting out countless fine blue threads that enveloped the entire area dozens of zhang below.

At this sight, the Black Fiend Sect disciples below were terrified out of their wits. They hurriedly activated various defensive spells and magic tools, desperately trying to block the overwhelming assault.

A series of screams erupted in waves.

Under the piercing barrage of countless blue threads, most of the Black Fiend Sect disciples failed to defend themselves. Some were brutally killed, their bodies shot through like beehives. Others, though protecting their vitals, had their limbs or other body parts pierced, instantly losing combat effectiveness.

“Excellent move, ‘Ten Thousand Threads Descending the World’! I’ve long heard of this technique, Senior Brother Song. It’s truly extraordinary.”

Upon witnessing the power of this move, one of Chen Qiaoqian’s senior brothers couldn’t help but offer genuine praise. A hint of pride flickered across Song Meng’s face.

At this moment, the group descended calmly before the gates of the Cold Palace. The Black Fiend Sect disciples who had been lucky enough to survive no longer dared to attack recklessly; they had already become utterly dispirited.

“Activate the Four Fiends Formation and trap them inside.”

Just as the remaining Black Fiend Sect disciples were trembling before Liu Jing and his group, an icily piercing voice came from within the Cold Palace.

Immediately after, a white figure, radiating a hazy white cold aura, appeared at the entrance in the blink of an eye. It was the “Ice Fiend,” who happened to be on duty again.

It was he who had just issued the order through gritted teeth. Now, he stared at the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators with a mixture of shock and rage.

“Hmph! Evil fiend, your life is forfeit!”

As soon as Liu Jing heard this and saw the man’s cultivation level, he immediately recognized him as one of the Four Blood Servants. With a cold snort, two streaks of silver light shot out from his body, flying straight toward the opponent’s head.

Seeing this, the others also readied their magic tools, intending to join forces and kill this newly emerged Black Fiend Sect master on the spot. This was not a sect sparring match; naturally, they wouldn’t stand on ceremony about fighting one-on-one.

Han Li also released six beams of golden light from his storage pouch.

If this Blood Servant could be killed here, Han Li would be more than happy.

But at that moment, the scenery before Han Li and the others suddenly blurred. Then, with a dizzying spin, they found themselves transported to a frozen, snowy wasteland.

All around was a vast expanse of white. A biting wind howled, and heavy snow swirled in the sky. Across from them, there was no longer any trace of the white-clad figure.

Though startled, Liu Jing and the others knew they had fallen into the Four Symbols Formation. After a brief moment of panic, they quickly regained their composure.

After all, there were many Foundation Establishment fellow disciples here. What was there to fear from a small formation?

“Heh heh! You have quite the nerve, daring to harm our sect’s disciples! You can stay a while in our protector formation.” The icy voice was ethereal, seeming to come from all directions at once, its presence truly imposing.

“The Four Symbols Formation?”

“Does anyone here understand this formation? We’d better break it quickly. Otherwise, if the Four Blood Servants get a chance to regroup, things will get troublesome.” Liu Jing, ignoring the Ice Fiend’s provocative words, asked the others with a calm expression.

At this question, the others exchanged glances. For a moment, no one spoke.

“I do know a little about formations, and I’ve heard of the Four Symbols Formation. But as for the specific method to break it, I’ve never studied it. This formation is considered a relatively obscure one. Most people wouldn’t research it,” said Chen Qiaoqian’s senior sister, hesitatingly, upon seeing the awkward silence.

“That’s a bit of a problem. Are we really going to have to brute-force our way out?” Liu Jing frowned, muttering with some reluctance.

Everyone knew that breaking a formation through pure force, though direct and simple, was not only time-consuming but also drained a great deal of mana. This would naturally be very disadvantageous for the subsequent battle. Wasn’t this precisely one of the enemy’s intentions in activating this formation?

The others, hearing this, were also at a loss, beginning to worry.

Just then, a curious voice broke the silence.

“Eh? Junior Han, what are you doing?”

Song Meng knew nothing about formations, so he didn’t bother racking his brain over how to break it. As he looked around, his gaze happened to fall upon Han Li’s peculiar actions.

Han Li was holding a crystal ball artifact up to his eyes, staring intently in a certain direction through it.

This strange behavior piqued Song Meng’s curiosity, and he asked without thinking.

This question drew the attention of Liu Jing and the others, who looked at Han Li with some confusion.

Han Li calmly put down the crystal ball before turning to Liu Jing and saying:

“I may have found the formation’s weakness.”

“What? You found a weakness?”

Han Li’s words brought expressions of surprise and joy to those watching him, and Liu Jing looked especially delighted.