Section 59: Breaking Formations with Formations!
By Gu Zhenren
2013-02-09
The flute sound rises, the winds and clouds churn, and the towering green mountains sway.
The flute sound rises, the rivers and lakes roar, and the dark clouds surge like tides.
As the flute sound began, the eight spirit monsters let out a roar, their auras surging and combining into one. Instantly, they shot up into the sky, causing the winds and clouds to change color, the firmament to shake, and the heavens to tremble.
“What… what formation is this?!” the female assassin cried out in alarm, her voice sharp and questioning.
“These two spirit monsters, these two spirit monsters are so familiar! My heavens, no wonder Jade Scholar disappeared. You killed him, you killed him!”
“You’re going to die, you’re going to die, for daring to harm the prince of our Jianghan Kingdom.”
“Audacious, truly audacious. Kill him, capture this murderer, and take his head to claim the reward.”
The Life Spring Imperial Seal and the Swift Grass Shoes appeared, and were immediately recognized. The assassins, shocked and enraged, roared in unison.
“Stop playing around. Seven Stars Gather, Death Kill! Death Kill!” the assassin leader roared madly, and the remaining four shot down. The seven stars converged, their starlight surging like a tide, carrying the force of a death kill and the will to slay, encircling Chu Yun and Hua Ying.
Hua Ying’s eyes widened. At this moment, his pupils were filled with blue starlight. The attack was so fierce that he felt utterly drained, a bone-deep weakness swiftly spreading through his body.
The ‘Hei Ge,’ an assassination organization heavily supported by the Jianghan Kingdom, had every assassin nurtured with abundant resources and meticulous training. At this moment, they unleashed their strongest attacks, further amplified by the Seven Stars Death Kill formation, creating a raging storm.
Hua Ying felt like a tiny sampan, alone against a tsunami tens of feet high, in a world of darkening skies, raging winds, and violent thunder.
“All seven of them have attacked together, with nearly twenty spirit monsters. We only have nine, how can we resist? Has this moment finally come? Seven Stars Death Kill, it truly is a death kill.”
His face turned ashen, yet death did not come.
Chu Yun’s eight spirit monsters danced around them in a dazzling display, successfully blocking the attacks from all directions.
“Huh? They blocked it!” Hua Ying’s body trembled. He gaped, his eyes almost bulging out of his head.
The scene before him was unbelievable. He focused his gaze, and after only three breaths, he felt dizzy and utterly astonished. “This is truly an extremely brilliant formation! If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it was real. It actually blocked the Seven Stars Death Kill formation!”
“Impossible! Impossible!”
“What kind of infernal formation is this? It’s actually stronger than the Seven Stars Death Kill formation!”
The seven assassins attacked together, yet still could not break through the defense of the Eight Trigrams Battle Formation. After a prolonged struggle, the assassins were filled with fear and dread.
“This formation is more profound than the Seven Stars Death Kill formation, yet it only requires eight spirit monsters to set up. Wait, eight spirit monsters… could it be the legendary Eight Trigrams Battle Formation, created by the Ten Thousand Beasts King after studying the Star Saint’s Will, a formation that shook the world?!” The assassin in the Tian Shu position’s eyes flickered with panic as he finally recognized Chu Yun’s formation.
“Retreat quickly, the Little Tyrant’s trump cards are beyond imagination!”
“If we keep our lives, we’ll have firewood to burn. We can’t keep fighting.”
“Hurry and take this intelligence back. We need to send more people!”
The seven assassins panicked. The Seven Stars Gather state could not be maintained indefinitely, as the burden on their spirit energy was too great. Seeing no hope of victory, they immediately tried to escape.
“Do you think it’s too late to leave now? All of you stay!” Chu Yun’s flute melody suddenly intensified. When the seven were in disarray, the formation faltered, and Chu Yun seized the opportunity.
With a roar, the eight spirit monsters erupted in a brilliant golden light. The Battle Formation Space expanded from the inside out, shattering the Seven Stars Death Kill formation. It then swallowed them whole, encompassing the seven assassins within its confines.
Crimson Lotus of the World!
The Sky Fox exhaled, unleashing a supreme grade Dao method. It struck the Star De essence body, exploding with overwhelming flames, causing the true form to collapse and the assassin within to be incinerated into ashes.
Flying Xuan Imperial Sky Blade!
The Drunken Snow Saber pierced the void, its blade of snow-white steel slicing the Serrated Python King in two. It then pierced the rattan armor, impaling the female assassin with a single strike.
“Fight to the death!”
“Even if I die, I’ll take one with me!”
In despair, the assassins counterattacked wildly, unleashing attacks that caused one’s heart to palpitate.
Torrent of Dao Methods!
Chu Yun’s flute melody soared. The world spun, the sun and moon lost their light, and Dao methods erupted, converging into a colorful celestial river. The magnificent river flowed endlessly, extending for a hundred zhang, sweeping across heaven and earth, and washing over the universe.
“No!”
“I’m not reconciled! I’m not reconciled!”
“Little Tyrant, I won’t rest in peace even as a ghost!”
Facing this torrent of Dao methods, the assassins’ pupils contracted, their bodies trembled, and they roared with despair, unwillingness, and hatred.
Rumble…
Where the torrent passed, all was annihilated. Only dozens of Demonic Crystals remained, floating quietly in the Battle Formation Space.
The world fell silent.
“They’re all dead just like that?” Hua Ying stood beside Chu Yun, staring with his mouth agape. “Assassins from the ‘Hei Ge,’ who specialize in eliminating nobles and officials, bringing darkness and terror to Xingzhou. A small unit from the ‘Hei Ge,’ using the Seven Stars Death Kill formation, killed experts from the Talented Person Ranking one by one. Even experts from the Peculiar Person Ranking were in danger of falling. And now they’re all dead!”
After a long while, he finally reacted, looking at Chu Yun in shock and saying, “So your strength has already become this formidable. Eight spirit monsters are enough to qualify for the Peculiar Person Ranking. Even the Seven Stars Death Kill formation couldn’t kill you!”
“You overestimate me,” Chu Yun waved his hand, frowning with a heavy tone. “This battle was truly perilous. If these seven assassins had unleashed the Seven Stars Gather from the start, I would have died before I could even figure out their strength. Fortunately, I held on for three rounds, and by observing the Seven Stars Death Kill formation, I was able to grasp some of the essence of my Eight Trigrams Battle Formation. This Battle Formation Space was also the first time I successfully used it.”
The Seven Stars Death Kill formation was indeed terrifying, exerting immense pressure on Chu Yun. The Vital Energy within the formation was completely controlled by the opponent, and Chu Yun’s demonic creatures could not draw even a trace of it. Fortunately, his Immortal Pouch was not ordinary; it contained abundant Vital Energy, enough to sustain this protracted battle.
Each of these seven assassins was experienced, ruthless, and venomous. Individually, they were formidable opponents. Reflecting on the battle, Chu Yun couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.
As the spatial formation dissipated, they found themselves back in the original council hall. Their positions hadn’t even changed.
Looking at the familiar furnishings around them, Hua Ying stood rooted to the spot, as if he had experienced an eternity. After a long, stunned silence, he clasped his hands in front of Chu Yun and said, “Hua Ying thanks the Young Island Master for saving my life!”
His tone was sincere. When he had first submitted, there was still some lingering resentment in his heart. However, after this battle, seeing Chu Yun’s hidden strength, that sliver of resentment vanished immediately.
“I didn’t expect the Jianghan Kingdom to even deploy the ‘Hei Ge.’ Such a swift and decisive attack clearly intended to put me to death. Fortunately, I hid some of my trump cards. I just don’t know if this was specifically targeted at me or at the Shu family. If it was targeting the Shu family, then the other two armies are also in danger.”
Chu Yun frowned in thought.
In his previous life, such a change had not yet occurred. The journey to unify the Archipelago had just taken its first step, only to encounter such a strong setback.
“Young Master, in my opinion, the other two armies will certainly be attacked. However, the focus of the assassination was here. The ‘Hei Ge’ is definitely not the Jianghan Kingdom’s full force. I suggest we combine our armies and first capture Wei Family Island, taking the initiative before the situation changes,” Hua Ying advised, his eyes flashing with intelligence after some thought.
“What you said is very reasonable. However, before setting out, I need to properly digest the fruits of this battle.” After this battle, he possessed dozens of Demonic Crystals, and once absorbed, the cultivation of his demonic creatures would skyrocket.
On Tie Family Island, in the council hall.
“General Mad Confucian, you said it would take half an hour. Now nearly an hour has passed, and I still haven’t seen a single of the heads you spoke of,” Tie Ao said with a half-smile, looking at General Mad Confucian with a hint of mockery in his tone.
General Mad Confucian’s expression was also not good. He wasn’t an idiot; with the delay reaching this point, he knew something unexpected must have happened.
“The assassination of Chu Yun has completely failed. Our seven assassins, including the captain, have all perished. The Little Tyrant’s strength far exceeds expectations.” The black-robed man reappeared, his face ashen. His reporting tone was stiff, concealing anger and confusion.
“What?” Upon hearing this, General Mad Confucian’s eyes narrowed, and a chilling light flickered within them. Although he had been mentally prepared, he had not expected the accident to be this significant!
“Are you joking with me? The captain had five spirit monsters, and the seven of them combined had nearly twenty spirit monsters, forming the Seven Stars Death Kill formation, yet they couldn’t kill Chu Yun, who only had five spirit monsters? Are you from the ‘Hei Ge,’ or the ‘Zhu Ge’ (Pig Pavilion)?” General Mad Confucian couldn’t help but question.
“Facts are facts, the assassination failed. Not only that, but the Little Tyrant’s demonic creatures’ cultivation has greatly increased after this battle. It seems he has subdued Hua Ying, the Island Master of Hua Family Island, forming an alliance and has already captured Wei Family Island,” the black-robed man reported.
One piece of bad news after another. Hearing this, General Mad Confucian actually began to laugh. “Hehehe, as expected of the Little Tyrant; he has a bit of flair. Now that the Shu family occupies Wei Family Island, they immediately gain the initiative to attack the Tie family’s territory. Even the ‘Hei Ge’ was killed by Chu Yun. How much confidence do you Tie family have in dealing with him? I can assure you, once the Shu family conquers the surrounding islands, your Tie family will be next.”
“The wise choose their battles. If you surrender early, we can unite. When our allied forces move, they will sweep across the land. Even the Shu family will be no more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot, overestimating their strength.”
“Do you think I would agree? The Archipelago has never welcomed outsiders. Do you think I, Tie Ao, am someone who bows and scrapes, betrays the land passed down by my ancestors, and sells out my heritage for a bit of fleeting glory?” Tie Ao’s head was held high as he flatly refused.
“Hmph! Then we’ll see,” General Mad Confucian snorted and walked out without looking back. Only after leaving the Tie family’s city did he stamp his foot in frustration, gnashing his teeth. “Tie Ao was clearly wavering just now. It’s a pity Chu Yun wasn’t killed. It gave him hope to persevere. Alas, the opportunity to unify the Archipelago is lost. From now on, the Archipelago will be divided, and a great war will decide its fate.”
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