Green Pattern Reappears

“Junior Han, you’re truly remarkable. You found the loophole so quickly? What’s the weakness?” Liu Jing praised, then asked amiably.

Han Li offered a faint smile and suddenly handed over the crystal ball in his hand.

“Brother Liu, if you look through this violet light ball toward that direction, you’ll understand.” Han Li pointed to the direction he had been staring at earlier.

Liu Jing took the device curiously and peered through the crystal ball.

As he looked, his expression shifted to one of surprise. After a moment, he returned the crystal ball to Han Li and lowered his head in contemplation.

After another pause, he raised his head and addressed the anxiously waiting others:

“Junior Han is correct. In that direction, the spiritual energy fluctuations are vastly different from elsewhere—much thinner. It seems the other side set up the formation hastily and left a weak spot.” Liu Jing’s voice grew louder as he spoke, exuding confidence.

“Then Brother Liu, your plan is…?” Chen Qiaoqian’s senior sister couldn’t help asking.

“Concentrate all our artifacts and strike that weak point simultaneously. We should break the formation without spending too much mana.” Liu Jing stated firmly.

“Then let’s do it!” Song Meng said impatiently, raising his hand and releasing his “Blue Silk Sword,” which whirled above his head.

The others wore eager expressions after hearing Liu Jing’s words.

Seeing this, Liu Jing didn’t hesitate. “Alright! Attack together. We must break this formation and teach them a lesson.”

With that command, a dozen artifacts emitted blinding light, flew out from their bodies, and shot directly toward the exposed weakness.

…

Outside, the Ice Fiend, who was directing the sect disciples in various encirclement formations, was equally anxious.

According to the Black Fiend Sect Leader’s orders, the four Blood Attendants were required to stand guard at the palace in rotating pairs. But Ye She, who should have been guarding the gate alongside him, had snuck off to train in the Blood Prison, claiming he was on the verge of breaking through to mid Foundation Establishment. The Ice Fiend hadn’t wanted to offend the rising star among the four Blood Attendants, so he had turned a blind eye.

That momentary lapse had led to this invasion. With so many powerful enemies at the gate, he was the only one on duty.

Fortunately, he had kept his wits. He had trapped the enemies with the Four Symbols Formation and immediately sent for the other three at the Blood Prison and the rear hall.

He knew well that the Qi Condensation disciples under his command were no match for this many enemies. But the Four Symbols Formation could buy him some time. As long as his three colleagues arrived in time, the four Blood Attendants could face any foe.

As he was thinking this, a rumbling roar came from the Four Symbols Formation.

Following the sound, the thick white mist within the formation churned violently, as if it was about to break and release the trapped cultivators.

“What’s going on? The Four Symbols Formation can’t collapse this quickly! Something must be wrong!” The Ice Fiend’s pale face, hidden within the chill aura, turned green.

“Lord Ice, the enemy attacked too fast. Several disciples tasked with maintaining the formation have already fallen. We don’t have enough hands to sustain it properly. They might have spotted a flaw,” a nearby Black Fiend disciple explained cautiously.

The Ice Fiend was furious but before he could bark a reprimand, a mild voice came from behind him.

“Ice Fiend, what’s happening? You’ve even activated the Four Symbols Formation, and it looks like it can’t hold them.”

Hearing this voice, the Ice Fiend’s heart eased.

“Green Pattern, you’ve finally arrived. Excellent!” His voice was filled with undisguised relief as he turned to look.

About five or six zhang behind him stood two figures. One was a thirty-something man with regular features, a clean-shaven pale face, wearing a green Daoist robe. He was watching the Four Symbols Formation’s condition with a serious expression. The other figure was a tall, burly man with a bald head—Tie Luo, who had fought Han Li.

“Who are the intruders? And where is that brat Ye She?” Tie Luo rubbed his bald head, a bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes.

“Ye She is…”

Before the Ice Fiend could finish, a thunderous explosion echoed. The mist in the Four Symbols Formation vanished without a trace. Where the white fog had once shrouded the hall entrance, the figures of Han Li and his companions appeared.

When Green Pattern saw the cultivation levels and number of the intruders, his expression shifted slightly. Tie Luo was even more shocked.

“Haha! Did you rogue cultivators think a shabby formation could trap us Yellow Maple Valley disciples? Wishful thinking!” Song Meng shouted excitedly when he found himself back in front of the Cold Palace.

“Yellow Maple Valley?”

Green Pattern and the other two were surprised, but it made sense upon reflection. Other than the Seven Great Sects, who else in Yue Kingdom could mobilize so many Foundation Establishment cultivators at once?

“Why have you broken into the Imperial Palace at night? Are you not afraid of violating the decree?” Green Pattern questioned calmly, not waiting for Liu Jing to speak.

Knowing the Seven Great Sects’ prohibitions well, he hoped to exploit them to make Liu Jing and the others hesitate.

Liu Jing snorted coldly but before he could respond, a shout came from the opposite side.

“You! Aren’t you from the Thousand Bamboo School? Why are you mixed up with Yellow Maple Valley cultivators?” The bald-headed Tie Luo’s gaze swept across the group and landed on Han Li, who stood at the back. He asked in startled suspicion.

Both friend and foe were taken aback. All eyes turned to Han Li.

Green Pattern got a clear look at Han Li’s face. His cheek twitched, and disbelief shone in his eyes.

“When did I ever say I was from the Thousand Bamboo School?” Han Li shot the bald-headed man a cold glance before shifting his gaze to Green Pattern.

Meeting this old acquaintance from the Tai Nan Meeting here, and as his enemy, was unexpected. But it also clarified the mystery of why this man had so enthusiastically recruited low-level cultivators to travel together, and why Han Li had been ambushed and nearly assassinated by a yellow-robed pursuer afterward.

Understanding the full picture now, Han Li was naturally furious. He felt a strong intent to kill this man.

“Nonsense! If you’re not from the Thousand Bamboo School, how can you use puppetry?” The bald-headed man pressed on.

“Does Junior Han need to explain his techniques to you?” Liu Jing’s face darkened, and he suddenly barked. “Enough talk. They’re stalling for time. Don’t let them succeed.”

He raised his hand, and a streak of silver light shot straight at the Ice Fiend.

The Yellow Maple Valley cultivators snapped to attention, cursing the enemy’s cunning. They unhesitatingly activated their artifacts, and the melee began.

Han Li had already fixed his sights on Green Pattern. As the fight started, he and one of Chen Qiaoqian’s fellow disciples, a certain Brother Wang, flanked the Daoist.

Han Li said nothing. He slapped his storage pouch, and a dozen streaks of blinding golden, black, and red light shot into the air. After a brief circle above his head, they dove straight at Green Pattern with a low hum.

Han Li had no intention of exchanging pleasantries.

Both Green Pattern and Brother Wang, seeing the sheer scale of Han Li’s attack, changed expression at the same time.

Brother Wang’s face lit up with surprise and delight. So the rumors about Han Li were true, he thought—he truly was a terrifying power who had killed many Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Green Pattern, meanwhile, steadied himself. A faint green aura enveloped his body. Recognizing that Han Li intended to kill him, he had no intention of dying helplessly.

Saying nothing himself, he suddenly opened his hand before the artifacts struck.

Five green pearl-shaped artifacts flew from his palm and instantly arranged themselves in a pentagon around him.

Then a flash of green light appeared. A pentagonal, prismatic shield materialized around Green Pattern, protecting him completely.

A riot of colors exploded as Han Li’s “Golden Cicada Mother-Child Blades,” “Crowd-Dragon Snatch,” and “Flame Chain Fork” slammed into the green prism. The light blazed brilliantly, but the strange shield remained completely intact.

“Han Li, my Greenwood True Shield can only be broken by Core Formation cultivators. Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot harm it in the slightest. You might as well give up!” Green Pattern said with a faint smile, as if he and Han Li were old friends.

(Everyone, if you have monthly tickets, please support Wang Yu! Although I’m not comfortable asking for votes often, without them, the monthly ticket rankings are truly lacking. If you find this book enjoyable, please cast a few monthly tickets to give some motivation!

(This chapter ends)