Chapter 41: Fierce Battle
"You demon, do you truly believe a seventh-grade formation alone makes you invincible?"
Ouyang Haoze sneered at Lü Yang through the glowing barrier of the formation. "Formations are ultimately lifeless constructs. For us cultivators, cultivation realm is paramount!"
"In the end, it all comes down to skill."
Though alarms blared in Lü Yang's mind, his expression remained unreadable. "If you're so confident, Daoist, feel free to enter the formation and fight. Otherwise, retreat obediently."
"You seek death!"
Ouyang Haoze grinned coldly before stepping forward. With a thunderous roar, a devastating soundwave erupted from his throat.
This was a supreme divine ability of the Divine Martial Gate—"Thousand-Mile Shattering Sky Divine Sound." By channeling spiritual qi through a secret method and imbuing it with the Divine Martial Gate's unique third-grade true qi, "Divine Martial True Essence," the resulting sonic blast could pulverize everything within a thousand-mile radius, friend or foe alike.
In an instant, the devastating soundwave tore into the formation.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the formation's runes, revealing rows of skeletal soldiers of varying appearances. The massive formation had been forcibly breached!
Immediately after, Ouyang Haoze produced a circular mirror.
"Taiwei Gong, lend me your strength."
With a hand seal, he hurled the mirror into the air. A majestic beam of light shot down, freezing the breach in the formation as if pinning it in place!
The entire market trembled violently.
Numerous cultivators scrambled backward, too terrified to approach the formation's edge, their faces pale with panic.
Fairy Feixia's complexion turned deathly white before she suddenly glared at Lu Yuanchun, who wore a peculiar expression. "Stay here," she hissed. "Don't you dare move!"
Having been betrayed once, Fairy Feixia no longer trusted Lu Yuanchun. Her beautiful face twisted into something almost feral. "If not for Junior Brother Lü, you'd already be dead outside the market. If you try to flee amid this chaos, I'll kill you myself!"
"Junior Sister Feixia, you misunderstand..."
Lu Yuanchun forced an awkward smile, unnerved by her predatory glare. He suppressed the dark schemes brewing in his mind.
With the two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators holding their ground, the chaos within the market quickly subsided.
But everyone knew this was only temporary.
The outcome between Lü Yang and Ouyang Haoze would be the final straw. For now, Fairy Feixia could only place her faith in Lü Yang—
Believing he could perform a miracle.
...........
"Is that... a spirit treasure?"
Lü Yang stared at the mirror in the sky, his expression shifting dramatically. "And one specifically designed to counter Earthly Fiend Yin Qi—a supreme Yang spirit treasure meant to dismantle the Hundred Bones True Formation!?"
Ouyang Haoze threw his head back and laughed, brimming with triumph.
"The Hundred Bones True Formation has stood at Skeleton Mountain for years. Did you think the Divine Martial Gate would act without preparing a countermeasure?"
"With the Taiwei Mirror in play, your death is assured today!"
This spirit treasure wasn't his—it had been forged by a Foundation Establishment True Person of the Divine Martial Gate specifically to dismantle the Hundred Bones True Formation. Its power spoke for itself.
Above the market, Lü Yang's face darkened. Without hesitation, he turned and fled.
"Hmph! Think you can escape?"
Ouyang Haoze gave chase instantly, unleashing another divine soundwave that shattered the surrounding skeletal soldiers before pursuing Lü Yang.
But then—
The moment Ouyang Haoze stepped into the formation, his expression twisted. He tried to retreat, only to find crimson formation runes sealing his exit.
"I didn't expect you'd actually enter..."
Lü Yang halted his retreat and turned back, the earlier panic vanishing from his face as a sinister smile spread across his lips.
"Impossible!"
Ouyang Haoze's eye twitched in disbelief. "The Hundred Bones True Formation was locked down by the Taiwei Mirror! How could another formation appear...? A second formation inside the market? Where did it come from? Why didn't I detect any traces of its setup?"
"Because I never needed to set it up..."
Lü Yang smirked inwardly. His Heaven-Slashing Blood River Sword Formation Diagram relied entirely on the Blood Sun Sword Pill—an array treasure that manifested formations instantly at his will, leaving no traces!
In the next moment, Lü Yang raised a fluttering banner in his hand.
The Innate True Qi Myriad Spirits Banner!
With a shake, countless banner spirits surged forth, taking positions across the Sword Formation Diagram's nodes, moving as if compelled by an unseen force.
Lü Yang had designed this formation with the Myriad Spirits Banner in mind. Now, tens of thousands of souls arrayed themselves, activating the formation's mysteries. The world turned crimson as a torrential river of blood cascaded from the heavens, crashing down upon Ouyang Haoze!
Ouyang Haoze staggered, a muffled groan escaping his lips.
Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light!
Trapped within the formation, Ouyang Haoze had no way to evade the divine light's power. His once-mighty vital energy gushed out of his body like a collapsing dam.
Desperate, he roared, "Heavenlight Lord, save me!"
Golden scales shimmered like sunlight as layers of protective radiance enveloped him. For a moment, the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light's devouring force was halted.
Spirit Treasure—Heavenlight Armor!
Forged from "Demon-Subduing Heavenlight," this treasure clashed directly with the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light, resulting in a deadlock between the two forces.
Only then did Ouyang Haoze manage to catch his breath.
Even with his cultivation, the Taiwei Mirror, and the Heavenlight Armor, he hadn't expected to nearly lose control of the situation.
"At this point, fleeing isn't an option..."
His eyes burned with bloodlust as he locked onto Lü Yang deep within the formation. An overwhelming killing intent radiated from him.
"...The only way out is to attack!"
As a true disciple, his will was unshakable. He understood the principle of "when paths cross, the bold prevail." If he tried to flee now, Lü Yang would pick him apart. To break the formation, he had to fight for survival—kill Lü Yang, and the formation would collapse!
Boom!
Under the protection of the Heavenlight Armor, Ouyang Haoze charged toward Lü Yang, his spear aimed straight at the Myriad Spirits Banner in Lü Yang's hand.
"That banner must be the formation's core. If I can't kill Lü Yang, destroying it might still save me..."
"Perfect timing!"
Lü Yang flicked the banner, summoning a figure—Liu Xin, his face blank with confusion, as if still disoriented.
Then—
"Explode!"
With a deafening blast, Liu Xin's mouth opened involuntarily, uttering a single word: "Kill!"
It was the Killing Curse—a technique meant to take the enemy down with the user!
In Lü Yang's eyes, Liu Xin's use of the Myriad Spirits Banner had been shallow. Banner spirits couldn't truly die—even if temporarily destroyed, as long as their true spirit remained intact, they could be revived with expended magic power.
So why fight conventionally?
They should be trained in mutual destruction techniques!
Since they could be revived, why not have them unleash suicidal attacks from the start? Self-detonation was the correct way to wield them!
In an instant, a tide of spiritual energy engulfed everything.
When the dust settled, Liu Xin had vanished, while Ouyang Haoze hovered mid-air, forcibly halted, his expression darker than ever.
So far, he had employed numerous methods—divine abilities, spirit treasures, and cultivation suppression. Against a mere late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, victory should have been effortless. Yet, nothing had worked.
Instead, his magic power was draining rapidly.
"If this continues, I might truly perish here..."
A ruthless glint flashed in Ouyang Haoze's eyes as he formed a hand seal. The Heavenlight Armor on his body let out a mournful wail.
"This is—bad!"
Lü Yang's expression changed drastically. In a flash, he teleported behind the Blood Sun Sword Pill, summoning its bloody shadow to shield him.
BOOM!!!
The Heavenlight Armor—self-destructed!
The explosion mirrored the scene Xiao Shiye had once created, obliterating Lü Yang's Sword Formation Diagram in an instant and revealing the clear sky beyond.
Though Lü Yang reacted swiftly, reconstructing the formation, Ouyang Haoze was faster. At the last possible moment, he burst free, leaving Lü Yang only enough time to unleash the Heavenly Demon Blood-Transforming Divine Light once more—stripping away another thirty percent of Ouyang Haoze's vital energy.
What remained was little more than skin and bones.
"You destroyed my treasure!" Ouyang Haoze stood outside the market, his face twisted with fury. "I'll tear you to pieces for this!"
He channeled his remaining magic power into his other spirit treasure—the Taiwei Mirror—forcing it into a death throes.
"Fine! This Protector will sacrifice all my spirit treasures today! Let's see if you can pull out a third formation!"