Renown for a Time - The Battle to Break the Formation (Part 2)

Chapter 749: Renown for a Time - The Battle to Break the Formation (Part 2)

“I did not expect the Moulan to be this cautious,” the bald, thick-browed man said with a light sigh. “Even though we’ve wiped out these Dharma Warriors, it looks like we haven’t cut through to their core. We’ll have to meet them head-on. Brother Ma, you used the ‘Sky Concealing Banner’ to cover half the mountain peak earlier. How is your magic power holding up?” He turned to the old man with a hint of concern.

“I deliberately conserved some of my magic power. It may not be enough to defeat the enemy, but I can certainly keep one of their Moulan Grand Masters occupied,” the old man replied, stroking his beard with an unconcerned air.

“That’s good, then. I’ll deal with the remaining enemies with Fellow Daoist Han. Fellow Daoist Bu should have recovered some of his vitality by now as well. I’ve already instructed the cultivators under my command; if the situation becomes critical, they are to call out Brother Bu from his meditation.” The thick-browed man’s expression was grave.

“It seems we have no other choice. But that giant beast is a bit of a problem; none of us can afford to be distracted. The Core Formation cultivators won’t be able to handle it.” The old man, sensing the colossal creature outside the great formation with his divine sense, showed a trace of hesitation.

“Ahem! There’s nothing to be done about it. We simply don’t have enough men. For now, we’ll have the Mu Rong brothers use the restrictive formation to delay it. Their lightning-attribute techniques are among the most lethal among Core Formation cultivators. No matter how thick the beast’s hide is, it should at least have some effect.” Even the thick-browed man sounded unconvinced. After all, he and the old man had heard the defeated cultivators speak of the beast’s terror.

“I suppose we’ll have to make do for now.” The old man nodded, a look of worry on his face, as he accepted the plan.

At that moment, a faint flash of azure light appeared in the green mist. A dazzling rainbow shot out from within, hovered briefly, and then, as if sensing the two, flew straight towards them.

The azure light converged, revealing Han Li’s figure. He gave a faint smile and said to the pair, “It seems the Moulan are truly about to attack. Have the defensive arrangements been made?”

“Just the man we were looking for, Brother Han. We were just discussing the plan, and we intend to…” The thick-browed man smiled and repeated the plan they had just formulated.

“A giant beast? That thing is indeed troublesome. It’s a rare breed from ancient times. I wonder where the Moulan found it. Let’s do as Fellow Daoist Lu suggests.” Han Li frowned slightly, but his brow quickly smoothed out.

“We will have to rely heavily on Brother Han’s magical abilities in this battle.” The thick-browed man chuckled, speaking with a hint of respect.

“This concerns the safety of the entire Heavenly South. I will naturally do my utmost. But I fear the enemy is powerful, and I may have the will but not the strength.” Han Li, after rubbing his nose, replied calmly.

Since he had already revealed his strength, Han Li saw no point in continuing to be modest.

“If even Brother Han is no match for the enemy, then it cannot be considered our fault. I doubt the others in the Alliance will have anything to say about it.” The old man surnamed Ma relaxed into a smile, his tone flattering.

“Brother Ma gives me too much credit. My divine abilities are not as profound as the two of you imagine. Do not set your expectations too high.” Han Li gave the old man a look, a faint, enigmatic smile on his lips.

“Hehe, whatever the case, Brother Han is no ordinary early-stage cultivator. Your divine abilities far surpass what Fellow Daoist Ma and I can compare with. In this great battle… Eh? The Moulan have begun their attack.” The thick-browed man was trying to ingratiate himself with Han Li, but he stopped mid-sentence, his expression changing abruptly as he quickly turned his gaze into the distance.

Han Li and the old man, their minds stirred, looked on as well.

In the direction of the Dharma Warrior army, a faint red light could be seen. A patch of red clouds, like a blazing fire, spread across the distant sky. Within these clouds, dozens of massive, sun-like fireballs were taking shape and condensing.

“What is this?” The old man, surnamed Ma, was seeing this scene for the first time and exclaimed in surprise.

“This is the Moulan’s Spirit Art Great Formation. It allows many Dharma Warriors to quickly form a legal array, replacing the need for flag banners and array plates. However, it generally requires a high-ranked Dharma Warrior to preside. With these fireballs being so huge, it’s likely that Dharma Warrior who used the fire-attribute technique yesterday is in charge.” The thick-browed man explained, his expression dark.

“A Spirit Art Great Formation!” the old man, surnamed Ma, murmured to himself, still looking a bit astonished. He wanted to ask more, but knew this was not the right time, so he fell silent.

“Let’s enter the formation and act according to circumstances. Before we engage their Nascent Soul cultivators, we should try to eliminate as many low-level Dharma Warriors as we can.” Han Li withdrew his gaze and spoke calmly.

“Agreed!”

The old man and the thick-browed man naturally had no objections.

The thick-browed man then called over a few other Core Formation cultivators, gave them their instructions, and then led them into the sea of mist. Ying Ning was among them.

Han Li sent her a silent, private warning.

Then Han Li’s figure vanished into the mist.

…

Outside the sea of mist, a portion of the Moulan Dharma Warriors had split into several dozen squads. They formed various profound and mysterious formations, holding bright red fire-attribute magic tools aloft, which they raised above their heads as they chanted spells, gathering the surrounding fire-attribute spiritual energy.

Over a hundred zhang above their heads, dozens of massive fireballs were tumbling into shape, radiating scorching heat that baked the Dharma Warriors below, leaving them all parched and dizzy, their ears ringing and eyes stinging. Yet they all persevered, sweat pouring down their backs.

In the center of these dozens of Spirit Art Great Formations, Ku Yao sat cross-legged, unmoving, his hands forming strange hand seals. Six enormous crimson banners slowly revolved around him, while the zhang-long fire python spiraled above his head, its body blazing with a dazzling red light, stirring up patches of rolling fire clouds.

Not far to the side, the green-clothed woman had somehow dismounted from the giant beast, watching Ku Yao’s every move with cold indifference. Half a step behind her, the tall, gaunt Dharma Warrior also watched the scene with great concern.

“Go!” Ku Yao’s eyes suddenly snapped open, and he let out a low shout.

The six fire banners hummed loudly in unison. Six crimson pillars of light shot diagonally out from the flags, accurately sinking into six of the giant fireballs, each over ten zhang in size, which had already fully formed in the sky.

The instant they absorbed the crimson pillars of light, all six fireballs trembled, and their surface flames suddenly shot up over a zhang high. Then, amidst the booming war drums, these fireballs shot into the sea of mist like enormous meteors, lined up in a straight line, as if trying to forcibly blast open a passage.

The power of the fireballs, crystallized by the combined spellcasting of so many Dharma Warriors, was truly extraordinary.

Even though the mist-shrouded restrictive formation of Fiery Dragon Mountain had been painstakingly arranged by the formation masters of the Nine Nations Alliance, the moment the fireballs touched the green mist, several earth-shattering explosions rang out. Pillars of fire, dozens of zhang tall, erupted through the mist one after another. A gale of hot wind swept through, erasing the nearby mist in the blink of an eye.

Though yellow and green restrictive light flashed around them, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, utterly unable to block the assault.

In an instant, looking down from the sky, six enormous, perfectly aligned circles had appeared in this section of the mist sea. Inside them, the mist had vanished completely, leaving a vast emptiness.

A cold light flashed in the green-clothed woman’s eyes. With a turn of her delicate hand, a golden ring appeared out of thin air.

With a flick of her wrist, the ring transformed into a beam of golden light and shot towards the giant rhinoceros beast, which had already positioned itself at the edge of the mist.

A clear, ringing sound echoed as the golden ring accurately looped around the giant rhinoceros’s blue horn.

Then, with a sudden tightening, the ring took root at the horn’s base, its form blazing with blinding golden light.

Whether it was stimulated by the golden light or the green-clothed woman had done something else, the giant rhinoceros’s jade-green eyes suddenly turned bloodshot. It let out a thunderous roar, stamped its foot on the blue cloud beneath it, and charged wildly into the sea of mist, its massive body shaking the air.

In moments, the beast’s roars echoed from the sea of mist, and yellow and green light flared up.

“Move in. Dharma Master Ku will continue using his Fire Spirit Art to destroy the remaining restrictions. In today’s battle, we must break this formation in one fell swoop.” The green-clothed woman’s clear voice rang through the entire sky. With a cheer, the long-waiting Dharma Warrior army surged into the green mist, in groups of five or six, or a dozen or so.

“Let us go as well. Once Dharma Master Ku has finished his spellcasting, he will follow.” The green-clothed woman said coolly. White light flickered around her, transforming her into a white rainbow that shot forth.

The tall, gaunt Dharma Warrior quickly acknowledged, transforming into a streak of black light to follow close behind.

In moments, only the few hundred Dharma Warriors who had been forming the spell array remained before the sea of mist.

The remaining fireballs in the sky, guided by Ku Yao’s six fire banners, descended into the mist one by one, all aligned with the first six. Dozens of pillars of fire shot up into the sky, directly destroying seven or eight out of ten of the restrictive formations along that line.

With a few arrogant laughs, Ku Yao “swooped” to his feet. He gave a wave to the surrounding cultivators and, without another word, transformed into a fireball and charged into the sea of mist.

Seeing this, the other cultivators who had formed the array also swarmed in.

In an instant, over a thousand Dharma Warriors had crowded into the sea of mist, not to mention the several hundred cultivators who had been secretly manipulating the restrictions, lying in wait for an opportunity to act.

…

Han Li floated motionless in a certain part of the sea of mist, his eyes gently closed. He was already wearing his tri-colored Gold Devourer Beetle armor, with a giant azure flying sword beneath his feet. Above his head, a cloud of golden, zhang-large insects hung silently, but within it, the insects were all vicious and terrifying, their eyes gleaming with murder, looking as if they were waiting to devour someone.

Han Li’s eyelids twitched slightly. He slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of surprise on his face.

“So there really is a mid-Nascent Soul Dharma Master in there, but… a female one?” Han Li muttered to himself in a low voice. After pondering for a moment, he slapped his storage pouch. A flash of light appeared, and a set of array equipment materialized in his hands.

With a flicker of his form, Han Li spent a few moments setting up the most powerful temporary formation available to him from his collection of array equipment.

“Silvermoon, come out.” Han Li gave the order, and with a flick of his other sleeve, a small fox shot out and landed before him.

“This ‘Purple Cheng Net’ is yours to use. Take these ancient treasures as well. Our opponent this time may prove more troublesome even than Senior Apprentice Sister Wan. Be extra cautious! If their divine ability is truly formidable, there is no need for a desperate fight. Lure them here, and with the aid of the mist’s restrictions and the formation I’ve set, we can test our strength against them. If that still won’t do, then we shall give up and make our retreat. There is no need for us to fight to the death with them.” Han Li’s expression did not change as he gave his instructions.

Then, with a flip of his hand, the “Purple Cheng Net” and a blue ancient treasure appeared in his grasp. He tossed them directly towards the small fox.