Chapter 445: The Formation Rises
Five days later, at the Jiang Family estate in Southern Heaven Valley, Jiang Yu sat on a wooden chair, his legs wrapped in bandages. He leaned over a desk, brush in hand, painting—a task assigned by his father to cultivate his temperament and temper his volatile nature.
As the brush touched the paper, a portrait gradually emerged, its outlines becoming clearer with each stroke. The subject’s narrow eyes were icy, and thin lips added to the chilling aura.
Snap!
The brush snapped, splattering ink across the floor. Jiang Yu glared at the portrait with venomous hatred, the desire for revenge nearly consuming him.
“I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll make you pay!”
Jiang Yu gritted his teeth so hard they creaked. The portrait depicted Xu Sanyan.
He didn’t understand why, though he had intended to paint a landscape, his hand seemed to move of its own accord, sketching the figure that haunted his every waking moment.
Jiang Yu had never suffered such humiliation in his life—forced to beg for mercy before the person he loved. If Li Wuxing hadn’t intervened, he would surely be dead.
“Junior Brother Yu, are you feeling better?”
A voice came from behind Jiang Yu. Without turning around, he knew it was his elder brother, Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yu forced a smile. “I’m much better now, thank you for your concern, Brother.”
Jiang Yan approached slowly, his gaze casually sweeping over the portrait on the table. His pupils suddenly contracted, and he froze in place.
Instinctively, he thought he was seeing things. He strode forward, snatched the portrait from Jiang Yu’s hand, and examined it closely. His expression shifted rapidly, like the mercurial weather.
“It’s him! It’s him!” Jiang Yan’s fists clenched tightly, his heart churning with conflicting emotions. Memories of their encounter in the Hundred Saints Secret Realm flooded back—hatred, fear, and even a grudging respect.
“Brother… what’s wrong?” Jiang Yu asked softly, noticing his brother’s grim expression.
“You recognize him?!” Jiang Yan’s sharp gaze pierced his younger brother, as if he might strike at any moment.
Jiang Yu felt a flicker of fear at this unfamiliar side of his brother. “Yes, he’s the one who broke my legs.”
“What?!” Jiang Yan exclaimed in shock. If his brother’s legs had been broken in Qianzhou City, that meant this man had appeared there too?
Since the Hundred Saints Secret Realm closed, this man had vanished as if he’d evaporated from the world. Countless people coveted the secret realm fruit in his possession, searching tirelessly but finding nothing. Who would have thought he was hiding here?
“B… Brother, you know him too?” Jiang Yu asked, puzzled. Since the Hundred Saints Secret Realm closed, his elder brother had remained at home. How could he possibly recognize this man?
“Recognize him?” Jiang Yan sneered, crumpling the portrait in his hand. “That’s an understatement. Even if he turned to ashes, I’d never forget him. He’s none other than Xu Sanyan, the holy son of the demonic sect!”
“What?!” Jiang Yu’s heart trembled. He had long heard of this infamous figure and knew that his elder brother’s inner demon had been caused by him. How could they both have fallen victim to the same person?
“But his name is Liang Yongzhuo…”
“An alias!” Jiang Yan declared firmly. “It must be an alias. He possesses a priceless treasure, and countless people are hunting him. How could Xu Sanyan dare reveal his true name?”
“No, no, something’s wrong!” Jiang Yu suddenly shouted, his eyes widening.
Jiang Yan, unsure what his brother was getting at, asked, “What’s wrong?”
“His cultivation level is wrong!”
“What do you mean?”
Jiang Yu mentally pieced together the events, organizing his thoughts before speaking. “I remember Brother Yan saying that Xu Sanyan was at the Dao Seeking Realm during the Hundred Saints Secret Realm. He broke through to the Initial Stage of Soul Refinement within the realm, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“But Uncle Li said last time that Xu Sanyan had already reached the Peak Stage of Soul Refinement…”
“Impossible!”
Jiang Yan’s face was filled with disbelief. How long had it been since the Hundred Saints Secret Realm expedition? Just over a year! How could anyone advance from the Initial Stage of Soul Refinement to the Peak Stage in such a short time?
“I’m afraid it’s true,” Jiang Yu replied solemnly. “The aura he emanates is similar to our father’s…”
“…How is that possible?” Jiang Yan’s expression was one of utter dismay. He was only at the Mid Stage of the Dao Seeking Realm himself. How could Xu Sanyan have already reached the Peak Stage of Soul Refinement?
When they first met, Jiang Yan had even considered Xu Sanyan a rival. Now, he couldn’t even see his shadow. How had Xu Sanyan cultivated so rapidly?
Wait a minute!
The secret realm fruit!
Jiang Yan’s eyes flashed with realization. That’s it! It must be the secret realm fruit! Otherwise, there’s no explanation for Xu Sanyan’s consecutive breakthroughs in such a short time.
“Hurry and inform Father! Our chance has come, brothers!” Jiang Yan exclaimed, his face flushed with excitement. Once they obtained the secret realm fruit, he would undoubtedly secure his place among the world’s most exceptional talents!
“Mm,” Jiang Yu nodded emphatically, clearly recognizing the gravity of the situation.
Half an hour later, a group of five emerged from the Jiang Family compound and headed straight for Qianzhou City. The group consisted of the Old Ancestor of the Jiang Clan, the Jiang Clan Head, the brothers Jiang Yan and Jiang Yu, and Sun Yingtang, the Prefectural Governor of Qianzhou, who was currently visiting the Jiang Family.
After hearing the brothers’ account, Sun Yingtang immediately grasped the severity of the situation. His anxiety surged. Xu Sanyan had meticulously infiltrated the city and tirelessly deployed the Soul-Gathering Brilliance-Preserving Grand Formation across Qianzhou City. This was no act of benevolence; he must have sinister motives!
As the Prefectural Governor of Qianzhou, Sun Yingtang would be held directly accountable by the imperial court if any disaster struck the prefecture.
Please, let nothing go wrong… Sun Yingtang prayed silently.
But fate had a cruel sense of irony. Just as they reached a point about a hundred miles from Qianzhou City, the Old Ancestor of the Jiang Clan, who was flying ahead, abruptly halted. He raised his head to gaze into the distance, his face etched with shock.
A crimson radiance blazed across the horizon. In an instant, a dark red curtain of light materialized in the clear sky, like a colossal, blood-red transparent bowl that completely enveloped an area spanning thousands of miles.
“What… is that?” Jiang Yan murmured, staring at the awe-inspiring spectacle. A primal fear gripped his heart, and every hair on his body stood on end.
Yet, a flicker of relief stirred within him. Thank heavens we arrived late; we weren’t caught inside that barrier.
“Move!” Sun Yingtang shouted in alarm, abandoning the others to rush toward Qianzhou City alone.
Within Qianzhou City, Xu Sanyan stood atop the city wall, his gaze fixed on the sky. Despite the cacophony of voices around him, his heart remained serene.
After long preparations, the moment had finally arrived.
Whoosh… whoosh…
A fierce wind suddenly arose from nowhere, its bloody gusts whipping his robes and gradually lifting him into the air.
A sharp-eyed observer spotted him and pointed, shouting something, but the words were swallowed by the wind.
As the luminous barrier rose, five cities were completely encircled, trapping countless people within. Once the Soul-Gathering Brilliance-Preserving Grand Formation activated, no one would be able to enter or leave.
Associate Magistrate Qin’s face darkened. The instant the crimson barrier appeared, he understood what had happened. Liang Yongzhuo must have tampered with the formation during its deployment! No one else had the opportunity.
“Father, look! Isn’t that Brother Liang?” Qin Shutong pointed dazedly at Xu Sanyan hovering in mid-air, her voice filled with hope. “Is Brother Liang trying to break the formation for us?”
(End of the Chapter)