Shattering the Formation

By the time Chi Qiu reached the mountain peak, Su Hanxing had already settled on a large bluestone. His great spear, its tip still dripping blood, lay horizontally beside him. Below the stone, two black-robed figures lay twisted and lifeless.

“There were two Meng family cultivators patrolling this mountain, both at the Heart Scripture Realm,” Su Hanxing explained, seeing Chi Qiu arrive on her flying boat. “I’ve already pierced them to death with my spear.”

He leaped from the bluestone and walked over to Chi Qiu.

Chi Qiu disembarked from her flying boat, sparing only a glance for the two corpses on the ground. Without further comment, she turned to Su Hanxing.

“When do we act?” she asked.

Su Hanxing put away his great spear and produced a large golden bow.

“There’s no time to lose,” he declared. “We strike now.”

Chi Qiu nodded, her gaze falling upon the golden bow in Su Hanxing’s hand. Though beautifully crafted, its quality was far inferior to his great spear, appearing to be, at best, a mid-grade magic treasure.

“I possess a long-range attack technique that could also aid you,” Chi Qiu offered. She was referring, of course, to the Flying Haze Sword Qi she had recently mastered. Seeing the low grade of Su Hanxing’s bow, a flicker of worry crossed her mind.

“That would be excellent, of course!” Su Hanxing did not refuse.

He reached out, seizing Chi Qiu’s hands, and pulled her toward the edge of the mountain peak’s cliff. Pointing north, he began, “Once I’ve destroyed the grand formation, you’ll unleash your long-range attack directly at the Meng family’s stronghold, specifically that building…”

Chi Qiu’s hands were caught, and she instinctively struggled slightly. Yet, Su Hanxing’s grip remained unyielding, leaving her no choice but to be pulled to the cliff’s edge.

“Little Chi, do you see it?” he asked. “It’s that green stone tower.”

Chi Qiu followed the direction of Su Hanxing’s finger. After observing for a moment, she finally discerned the green stone tower in the distance. The Meng family’s stronghold was, after all, over four hundred li away. Although Chi Qiu was a cultivator with vision far surpassing mortals, such a distance still required careful observation to spot the target.

“I see it,” Chi Qiu confirmed with a slight nod, her tone a touch cool. “So, can you release me now?”

“Hehehehe…” Su Hanxing chuckled. “My friends and I often interact this way. If Little Chi isn’t accustomed to it, then I’ll release you.”

He let go of her hands and turned, offering a small smile.

“Are you always so frivolous with women?” Chi Qiu retorted, pulling her hands back. Her tone remained cool, yet her earlobes were faintly flushed.

“This…” Su Hanxing was momentarily speechless. In his estimation, Chi Qiu shouldn’t have admitted to being a woman. Now that she had openly declared herself one, it made him feel like a lecher.

“I’ve never had a female friend I was this close with before,” Su Hanxing admitted. Unsure how else to respond to Chi Qiu, he could only offer a sincere apology after a moment of fumbling for words. “I apologize for my transgression.”

“Hmph, hmph…” Chi Qiu let out two soft hums. She subtly prodded at Su Hanxing’s wounds. “Do you act this way with that Meng Yutang too?”

“I… I will personally cut down that man,” Su Hanxing declared, his expression instantly turning grim. Chi Qiu’s words were merely a casual jab, but for Su Hanxing, they reopened the raw wound of Meng Yutang’s betrayal. On that fateful day, Su Hanxing had personally handed a spiritual material to Meng Yutang, only to be struck and injured by a palm attack the moment he turned his back.

Noticing the change in Su Hanxing’s expression, Chi Qiu wisely refrained from further provocation. She drew her Azure Frost Sword, adopting the stance for unleashing Flying Haze Sword Qi. She stood ready, prepared to strike with a single sword slash the moment Su Hanxing destroyed the grand formation’s core.

Su Hanxing exerted force with both hands, drawing the great bow taut. A feathered arrow, formed entirely of true qi, materialized on the bowstring. He then closed his eyes, the bow drawn to its fullest extent. Streams of profound, enigmatic power surged from his body, drawing forth the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to coalesce upon the arrow.

Chi Qiu’s pupils contracted slightly. This power was simply too astonishing; the spiritual energy at the arrow’s tip was shredded to such an extent that it struggled to form. It was the first time Chi Qiu had ever witnessed spiritual energy being so utterly pulverized.

This must be an incredibly powerful divine ability, Chi Qiu mused inwardly. After all, the bow Su Hanxing used was merely a mid-grade magic treasure, and the arrow itself was condensed from true qi.

Su Hanxing’s eyes snapped open, his expression turning somewhat ferocious. Then, with a release of his right hand, a whoosh echoed. A streak of starlight, transforming into a brilliant rainbow, shot forth and, in a single instant, shattered the grand formation’s protective barrier hundreds of li away.

“Little Chi, prepare yourself,” Su Hanxing urged. He drew his bow once more, shaping it like a crescent moon, as starlight reconverged throughout his body. He intended to fire a second arrow before the barrier could self-repair, aiming to shatter the formation’s core.

“Good.” Chi Qiu gripped her Azure Frost Sword tightly, poised and ready.

“Release!”

CRACK—SNAP!

Another rainbow of starlight streaked across the sky. This time, it flew even further, directly piercing toward the green tower. Its trailing arc left behind patterns of constellations and celestial palaces, like a magnificent scroll unfurling.

In Su Hanxing’s hands, the mid-grade magic treasure could not bear the immense strain. Both the bowstring and the bow itself snapped simultaneously, the shards almost recoiling back to strike him.

The arrow pierced clean through the green tower. The grand formation, which covered an area of three hundred li, flickered a few times before ceasing its operations entirely.

Inside the green tower, four hundred li away, chaos erupted instantly.

“Enemy attack! Quickly, recall the cultivators from the sub-formations to meet the enemy here! Meng Yutang, crush the spirit talisman and notify the family elders!”

Inside the green tower, pandemonium reigned. A white-haired elder, a God Concealing stage cultivator, was desperately trying to command the cultivators within. A young cultivator decisive pulled out a white spirit talisman and crushed it. This individual was none other than Meng Yutang.

“What—what is that?” Through the large hole created by the arrow, a cultivator pointed a terrified finger at the sky and screamed.

“Don’t panic! I will investigate.” The white-haired elder flashed outside the tower and looked up at the sky.

A streak of sword light, emerging from an unknown source, rapidly approached the green tower. As it traveled further, the sword qi defied all reason, growing ever larger and more vibrant in color. Within a few breaths, the sword light arrived before the green tower. By then, the sword qi had become a dazzling, multi-hued spectacle.

“Evacuate the stronghold! Quickly, leave the stronghold!”

The elder, realizing the sword light was aimed directly at the Meng family’s stronghold, let out a thunderous roar. He ordered the cultivators within the tower to quickly exit and evade the sword qi.

Yet, the sword qi’s speed was astounding. A mere instant later, the hundred-zhang-long sword qi struck the green tower, which was roughly its equal in size. The cultivators inside the tower felt a violent tremor, as if the earth itself was shaking. The green tower, unable to withstand the sword qi, disintegrated. Several Heart Scripture Realm cultivators, slower to react, were sliced in half before they could even erect their defenses.

“What powerful sword qi, Little Chi,” Su Hanxing exclaimed. “I’ll go ahead.”

Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing were currently en route to the Meng family’s stronghold. Su Hanxing, however, was already impatient. He unleashed his divine ability, Starfall Step. With starlight beneath his feet, he vanished from Chi Qiu’s side in an instant, reappearing dozens of li away. He repeatedly used the technique, and soon, he vanished from Chi Qiu’s sight.

Watching Su Hanxing’s disappearing figure, Chi Qiu’s eyes held a hint of envy. Such a movement technique was exceptionally elusive, offering a significant advantage in combat.

Chi Qiu, too, activated her movement technique, the Seven Stars Step. Her speed abruptly surged; while it couldn’t compare to Starfall Step, it was by no means slow. Now that she had advanced to the Heart Scripture Realm, her secret techniques were empowered by true qi, naturally enhancing their effects severalfold.

Traveling this way, in less than a quarter of an hour, Chi Qiu could clearly see several figures flashing and intertwining near the collapsed green tower. They were clearly locked in fierce combat.

Chi Qiu aimed toward the green tower and unleashed another Flying Haze Sword Qi. She worried that Su Hanxing, eager for revenge, might be encircled. Perhaps this sword strike could temporarily alleviate his predicament.

Meanwhile, Su Hanxing was locked in fierce combat with four God Concealing stage cultivators within the Meng family’s stronghold. Meng Yutang was at the forefront of the assault. Su Hanxing wielded his great spear, its cold gleam scattering like auspicious snow. Its relentless thrusts made Meng Yutang struggle to parry. The battle spear in Meng Yutang’s hand was riddled with cracks, appearing as if it would shatter at any moment.

Meng Yutang inwardly cursed his misfortune. He had never imagined that Su Hanxing would actually return alive. Moreover, his strength had not diminished in the slightest; he was able to suppress four cultivators of the same realm in a direct confrontation.

Just a little longer, just a little longer, he thought. The Meng family cultivators stationed at the sub-formations will arrive to provide support.

Meng Yutang comforted himself, desperately parrying Su Hanxing’s attacks. He strove to maintain the battle’s stalemate and prevent any breakthrough.