Chapter 1473: A Caged Confrontation (Part One)
Those oily green figures were, in fact, human figures, cultivators who had been teleported over.
The “Five-Ghost Revolving Locust” was a nearly lost teleportation formation. It could be activated without Spirit Stones, borrowing the power of the laws of heaven and earth to form a teleportation channel, but the distance usually did not exceed five thousand miles. However, because it did not use Spirit Stones for activation, this formation was extremely well-hidden! But for this very reason, the speed of this teleportation formation, by borrowing the power of heaven and earth, was a bit slower than a normal teleportation formation due to the lack of Spirit Stones in its foundation. This created a phenomenon where the lower the cultivation of the teleported being, the shorter the time and the faster the speed. The higher the cultivation of the person being teleported, the greater the power the teleportation channel needed to draw, and the longer the process of accumulating power was required.
The figures that flew out were all Golden Core cultivators. Just as Li Yan and the other had rushed over, twenty people had already flown out. The moment these twenty people appeared, ten of them immediately flew towards the tops of the five large trees, while the other ten, with a flicker, rushed towards the vermilion main gate.
The five Soul Suppression Palace cultivators at the vermilion gate, in a moment of stupor, also saw what was happening between the five large trees. Although their faces showed astonishment, seeing the sudden burst of light and figures rushing towards them, they, in their daze, instinctively, without needing Li Yan’s command, naturally could not let the other party get close and immediately went to meet them. Despite the one-sided difference in strength, there was no time for further thought, and the two sides quickly closed the distance…
As for the other ten Golden Core cultivators who had flown out of the formation, before they even reached the tops of the large trees, they had already each formed hand seals and shouted in unison.
“Rise!”
Immediately, ten streaks of light shot out from between their fingers, instantly rushing towards the canopies of the five large trees. The moment these streaks of light came into contact with the tree canopies, a mushroom-shaped, translucent light shield shot up from the tops of the five large tree canopies and towards the sky. The moment this light shield rose into the sky, it sank for a moment before pouring down in all directions, covering the entire sky above the manor.
At this time, Mu Guyue’s figure had already rushed out from outside the house, and Li Yan’s thunderous shout from inside the house echoed far and wide.
In the sky, a translucent light shield was like a spark, spreading out, and at the same time, the entire sky above the manor lit up as if spatial nodes had appeared, and they quickly connected. And all of this happened in a flash. Everyone in the different directions reacted differently.
At this time, Mu Guyue’s slender figure had already arrived at the large tree closest to her. Her reaction was quite fast. The moment she saw the five ghostly faces appear, after a brief pause, she finally remembered the legendary formation. But in that instant, the light from the five ghostly faces had already connected.
The moment Mu Guyue warned Li Yan, dark shadows had already flown out from between the five large trees. She pushed off the ground with her feet and had already flown out. Her body was still in the air, her slender body taut, like a fully drawn bow. With a flash of light in her hand, a Crescent Moon Handguard Saber left her hand and slashed fiercely at one of the ghostly faces on the nearest large tree.
“How dare you!”
At the same time, in the space between the five large trees, with a strong fluctuation, this time only one figure appeared. The moment that figure appeared, it had already soared into the air, and with a flick of its hand, it threw out a black shadow. This black shadow flashed and blocked the ghostly face on the large tree that Mu Guyue was attacking.
“Tch!”
The Crescent Moon Handguard Saber that Mu Guyue had thrown out slashed into the black shadow. Mu Guyue, who was still in mid-air, felt as if she had struck a wave of water. Although the blade had cut in, before she could exert more force, a soft palm seemed to emerge from the black shadow from bottom to top. It immediately caught Mu Guyue’s attack, causing the spinning Crescent Moon Handguard Saber to pause as it continued to cut in.
However, Mu Guyue seemed to have anticipated this. Her body in mid-air suddenly spun rapidly, one leg coiled up, and the other long leg whipped out like a long whip, fiercely striking her own Crescent Moon Handguard Saber.
“Clang!”
The speed of the Crescent Moon Handguard Saber had already begun to slow down, and even under the catch of the soft palm in the black shadow, its force was rapidly dissipating and was almost exhausted. But the half of the Crescent Moon Handguard Saber that was exposed outside the black shadow was struck by a leg, and a huge force was instantly injected into it.
“Buzz!”
With a trembling sound, the Crescent Moon Handguard Saber sank sharply, cutting through the black shadow and continuing to slash down towards the tree trunk! But just as it was about to strike the ghostly face, the figure that had flashed out of the formation had already moved in front of it.
When the Crescent Moon Handguard Saber struck the black shadow, the figure that appeared simultaneously opened its mouth and emitted a low, mosquito-like hiss towards Mu Guyue. Although this sound was small, it was like a steel needle that pierced straight into one’s mind.
As Mu Guyue launched that leg attack, a stabbing pain shot through her soul. Her entire person was as if struck by a sharp thorn, and the force of her attack was immediately dispersed. However, Mu Guyue had been used for testing by Grandmaster Lan for decades. The souls of the Demonic Clan were not weak to begin with, and now her soul had a certain ability to resist attacks. Although she didn’t know how to use soul arts to defend herself and could only rely on the condensation of her own soul to resist, this single attack, though sharp, was far from enough to shatter her soul.
However, this sound wave attack was not only aimed at Mu Guyue’s divine soul. Her Crescent Moon Handguard Saber, although it had broken through the black shadow, was also hit by the spreading sound wave from the side. With a “clang,” although the Crescent Moon Handguard Saber struck the tree, it had already deviated from the ghostly face and struck another part of the trunk heavily.
Under a slash from a Late-stage Nascent Soul grand cultivator, this large tree only shook violently, and a one-foot-deep gash was cut into it. The tree had not been turned to ash. This was because after the “Five-Ghost Revolving Locust” formation was activated, while the center of the five large trees was generating the power of the laws of heaven and earth, the trees themselves were also covered by spatial power and received a certain degree of protection.
The pain in her soul also made Mu Guyue’s figure sway slightly before she instantly returned to normal.
“Eh? An Evil Spirit Cultivator… This is a Soul Slave!”
Just as Mu Guyue’s attack was launched and she had also blocked the other party’s attack, the figure in the middle of the five large trees let out a light exclamation.
At this moment, Li Yan’s figure had also arrived. He saw Mu Guyue’s intention at a glance. Mu Guyue had reacted very quickly, and her judgment was also very accurate. She was trying to destroy the “Five-Ghost Revolving Locust” formation to cut off the enemy’s teleportation in time, otherwise they would have subsequent reinforcements.
After the enemy had only teleported a few dozen Golden Core cultivators, they had immediately chosen to teleport a Nascent Soul cultivator. This was because they were afraid someone on this side would destroy the formation, so they immediately sent out an expert. And the reason they didn’t teleport an expert first was due to the characteristics of the “Five-Ghost Revolving Locust” formation itself. Because there were no Spirit Stones to activate it, it needed a process to accumulate power. Only after it started running could it continuously absorb the power of heaven and earth to allow the formation to quickly accumulate the required spatial power.
And those Golden Core cultivators were just to test the waters. Another main purpose was to test if there were any problems with the formation on this end. To find out if anyone had already discovered the “Five-Ghost Revolving Locust” and had set up an ambush here, to kill those who came over like catching a turtle in a jar. Another purpose of the other party was to have these Golden Core cultivators test if the “Five-Ghost Revolving Locust” formation was running stably. Without Spirit Stones to activate it, this formation was not very stable, and the fluctuations in the accumulation of the power of spatial rules were very large. To put it bluntly, these Golden Core cultivators were like throwing a stone to find the way, and of course, they also wanted them to come over first and serve other purposes.
For example, now, Li Yan saw another large formation quickly enveloping this manor. The foundation of this formation was actually also hidden in the five large trees. And the vermilion main gate in front, at the same time as the mushroom-shaped light shield erupted from the treetops, also began to slowly close automatically.
With just a glance, Li Yan knew that the vermilion gate was also the only exit of this second formation that had been activated. He saw that after Mu Guyue’s attack failed, she flashed and attacked the large tree in front of her again. And the figure in the middle of the tree also attacked Mu Guyue again, blocking her way.
`
At the gate, the five Golden Core cultivators he had arranged had also seen everything before them clearly. Their reaction was also very swift. As they faced the onrushing enemy, they also saw the unusual movement of the vermilion gate! The strongest Pseudo-Nascent Soul cultivator among the five, at the moment of contact with the enemy, also discovered the strange phenomenon in the sky: a “mushroom-shaped” translucent light shield was rapidly spreading out.
In a hurry, the man shouted.
“Zhang Xin, fall back and defend!”
Then the remaining four people directly charged forward. The ten cultivators who had flown out of the teleportation formation also attacked them in an instant. And of the five Golden Core cultivators on Li Yan’s side, one of them, amidst the Pseudo-Nascent Soul cultivator’s shout, turned back and attacked the two vermilion gates.
All of their responses were correct.
Li Yan snorted coldly. The forty-odd cultivators he had sent to the back of the manor had not yet returned. But he certainly couldn’t let that gate close. That way, the other party’s second formation would be completely activated, and all of them would be trapped inside.
Although Li Yan had the “Heaven-Stealing Kerchief,” he was not sure if it would succeed every time. Could it break the formation restrictions here? How long would it take to break through? He didn’t know. If it was just him alone, it would be easy. But now, he certainly couldn’t let the other party’s formation close. This was what had to be done.
Li Yan saw that the Golden Core cultivator who had turned back from his side, under his continuous attacks, the closing speed of the vermilion gate had slowed down a bit. But with his strength alone, he couldn’t destroy the vermilion gate.
While Li Yan snorted coldly, he planned to first annihilate those enemy Golden Core cultivators and destroy the vermilion gate. But just as he was about to go over, his body suddenly stopped. Because in the middle of the five large trees, another figure appeared. The aura on that figure was rapidly soaring, and it was actually at the Spirit Transformation realm cultivation.
“Not good, I can’t let them teleport like this anymore!”
A shiver ran down Li Yan’s spine, and this thought immediately flashed through his mind. The power of the teleportation formation was now on full display. After the other party had tested the teleportation twice without error, the next person to be teleported was actually a Spirit Transformation cultivator. From the soul power fluctuations on the other party, Li Yan sensed that it seemed to be a Mid-stage Spirit Transformation.
Although he could annihilate those Golden Core cultivators with a single turn, Li Yan didn’t dare to gamble anymore. He was afraid that the other party would teleport other Spirit Transformation, or even Void Refining cultivators. Li Yan had the confidence to escape from an Initial-stage Spirit Transformation, but in just a short moment, a Mid-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator had already appeared. If even a Nascent Soul cultivator were to be teleported out again, Li Yan and the others might all die here today.
Li Yan had always been very cautious. Although he had the confidence to escape from a Mid-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator, if you could fight above your realm, couldn’t others? He would never be arrogant and place himself in his own speculations. Everything had to be dealt with with the greatest danger in mind.
At this time, if Li Yan only took Mu Guyue and these five Golden Core cultivators and escaped immediately, although they might be chased by these people from behind, he was completely confident that he could lead these few people to escape from here first.
But in a flash, Li Yan had made a choice. Although he was selfish, in these few days, these Golden Core cultivators had also been very respectful to him. This made Li Yan feel as if he had returned to the past, back among the warriors of the Tianli Clan. Now that things were not at their most critical, Li Yan decided to stall for some time and let the forty-five cultivators come back. If there was no chain of ambushes in the back of the manor, then these cultivators should be able to fly back here in about ten breaths. After all, the speed of Golden Core cultivators was not slow.
“Destroy the main gate with all your might, and be sure to hold on for a few breaths!”
Li Yan roared at the five Golden Core cultivators at the gate. He had also quickly attacked the five large trees. He had to destroy the formation first.
As Li Yan spoke, he flicked his large sleeve, and two streaks of black light shot out from his sleeve, separately shooting towards the ghostly faces on two of the large trees.
All of this, though it sounds long, actually happened in an instant. The moment Li Yan flew into the front courtyard, he had quickly made a decision. Two streaks of black light appeared in an instant, and almost as soon as the light and shadow appeared, they had reached the ghostly faces of the two large trees.
“Hmph, none of you will run today!”
And the figure that had just appeared in the formation, seeing Li Yan feint towards the gate and then turn back towards him, had also appeared outside the large formation like a phantom. His speed was much faster than the first Nascent Soul cultivator who had been teleported.
Seeing Li Yan turn back and shoot two streaks of black light towards the two large trees, the man snorted coldly. The moment he arrived outside the large formation, he also waved both of his large sleeves, and two pitch-black shadows appeared in front of the two large trees that Li Yan was attacking.
These two pitch-black shadows, their entire heads seemed to be covered in a thin layer of black mist, making it impossible to see their facial features. But in their hands, they each held two long sabers. One of them, as soon as he drifted in front of the large tree, crossed his two sabers and blocked in front of him.
“Ding!”
With a crisp sound, a streak of black light struck the intersection of the two sabers.
And almost at the same time, the other black shadow also flashed and arrived in front of the other large tree. He slashed down fiercely with his two sabers, directly striking the other streak of black light. The streak of black light paused, and immediately, waves of counter-shock force rippled out.
The two streaks of black light were the Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spikes that Li Yan had sent out. This strike was also with all his magical power, and the force was incredibly powerful. In an instant, the Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spikes erupted with extraordinary power. Although the two Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spikes were blocked by the other party, after a brief stalemate, the power that erupted from the Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spikes shattered the two featureless black shadows into wisps of black qi.
These black qi immediately dispersed, but the Gui-Yi Water-Parting Spikes, under the block of the two black shadows, had their directions changed respectively and flew past the two large trees into the distance.
“Initial-stage Spirit Transformation, no? It’s peak Late-stage Nascent Soul!”
Due to this delay, the black shadow that had flown out of the formation had already moved in front of the large tree. In an instant, he had also made a judgment on Li Yan’s strength, but his voice revealed uncertainty. He sensed that the soul shadows he had hastily summoned due to just being teleported, although not at their full power, were equivalent to an attack from an Initial-stage Spirit Transformation, and yet they were dispersed by the other party.
This showed that this person’s strength was extremely strong. The other party’s magical treasure contained a dual force of magical power and soul power. With just one touch, it had dispersed the two soul shadows he had summoned. The power was extremely fierce. However, he felt that the profoundness of this black-robed youth’s magical power should be that of an Initial-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator, but the next moment, he sensed something was wrong.
These two magical treasures had very profound magical power, but the soul power attack they erupted with should only be at the Late-stage Nascent Soul realm. Although it was already close to Spirit Transformation, it did not have the power of the Spirit Transformation realm. This situation made him somewhat surprised. For a moment, he couldn’t determine the specific strength of the other party.
And at this moment, several screams had already come from behind Li Yan. Without his divine sense, Li Yan could only sweep his eyes with the corner of his eye. He saw that of his own side, the five Golden Core cultivators guarding the gate, in just the moment of his attack, two had already fallen to the ground. Although there were no bloodstains on these two, they had already fallen to the ground, and their auras were gone.
Four Golden Core cultivators against ten, and in just one exchange, the two weakest of them were instantly killed, while none of the ten on the other side were even injured. At the same time, the ten enemy Golden Core cultivators on the treetops, after activating the large formation, also pounced down in an instant.
And on Li Yan’s side, relying on the remaining one Golden Core cultivator to destroy the vermilion gate was also unsuccessful. The gate was still continuing to close at this time and was already half-closed!