Chapter Fifty-Nine: Breaking the Formation, Consumed by Flames
“Arrogance! Our Thunder Valley has the Immortal Alliance standing guard—how dare you wreak havoc here?”
“Merely fledgling warriors at the Consolidation stage, huh? Once I activate the Nine Heavens Thunder Prison Formation, you’ll all be reduced to ashes!”
The disciples of Thunder Valley behind him glared fiercely at the four, their weapons gleaming with a cold light.
Lei Qianjun clenched the formation plate tightly, his knuckles whitening, fury contorting his face as he bellowed.
Yin Jiuniang licked the strand of azure hair at the corner of her lips, a sinister smile curling there. Her voice was sharp and piercing: “Children with barely a hint of maturity, yet you dare speak so arrogantly? Today, I will feed you to the Gu insects!”
She caressed the flesh pouch at her waist, adding ominously, “So what if you have innate sword bodies? Once caught by my Mother-Child Heart Devouring Gu, you’ll be begging on your knees!”
“Su Wan! You killed my brother—have you thought of this day? The blood debt between my father, my brother, and our sect must be repaid with your lives today!”
“Su Wan! I will tear you limb from limb, and with your blood, honor the souls of the deceased Xie family!”
Xie Mingyuan drew his sword, pointing it directly at Su Wan. The blade trembled with the intensity of his hatred.
The cultivators watching from the sidelines whispered amongst themselves, voices rising and falling:
“Lei Qianjun’s Nine Heavens Thunder Prison Formation isn’t simple—it draws power from the Earth Core Thunder Veins and is woven with hundreds of thunder-patterned iron pillars. Even those at the Nascent Soul stage would be severely wounded; it won’t be easy for these four to break through.”
“Yin Jiuniang’s nine black coffins are truly terrifying. The corpse demons inside are said to have gnawed on immortal bones. Coupled with her Mother-Child Heart Devouring Gu, one slip and you end up as bare bones. Her methods are ruthless.”
“Xie Mingyuan’s Death Sentence Sword Formation is powered by the life essence blood of seven disciples. The ‘Sword Locking Heaven and Earth’ technique weaves a nine-layered sword net which once could slay Nascent Soul cultivators. Su Wan will have to pay a price if she tries to break through.”
“These three each have their trump cards and the backing of the Immortal Alliance. Even if the Xuantian Sect disciples are formidable, winning will be as difficult as ascending to the heavens!”
“Prepare to die! Let me show you the true might of Thunder Valley!”
“Nine Heavens Thunder Prison Formation! Activate!”
Seeing Su Wan and her three companions arrive at the valley entrance, Lei Qianjun’s murderous intent surged. The pressure of a Consolidation stage Six cultivator rolled out like a dark cloud, and he slammed the thunder-patterned compass plate toward the formation’s core platform.
Lightning patterns on the compass flared instantly. Hundreds of iron pillars hummed in unison as thousands of streaks of thunderlight burst forth like raging dragons, crashing down relentlessly upon Su Wan and her companions.
Where the thunderlight struck, the air was torn, leaving scorched, charred trails. The power of a Consolidation stage Six thunder formation was enough to force even a Consolidation stage Two cultivator to evade.
The crowd watching erupted: “My heavens! Lei Qianjun is serious this time—the power of this thunder formation is more than double last year’s!”
“A full-powered strike from a Consolidation stage Six! Su Wan is only Consolidation stage Two—how can she possibly withstand this?”
Some clenched their fists, whispering anxiously, “Su Wan’s in danger now!”
But Su Wan moved forward instead of retreating. Her spiritual energy at Consolidation stage Two roared within her. In her hand, the Purple Lightning Tai’a Sword shimmered with interlaced thunder patterns, the blade flowing with streams of purple-gold light under the sun.
That blade was a supreme-grade divine weapon, forged from the fusion of the flowing light purple lightning sword and the broken Tai’a sword.
“A grain of rice dares to compete with the sun and moon?”
Su Wan’s sword pointed at the thunder formation, her voice cold and clear. “This formation is nothing but an ornament before the Purple Lightning Tai’a Sword!”
She then unleashed her Sword Domain.
Within the domain, purple lightning coiled like a dragon. The supreme-grade sword’s power manifested fully. The thunderbolts capable of shattering mountains dissolved instantly upon contact.
With a gentle flick of her finger, the Tai’a Purple Lightning Sword traced a dazzling arc, condensing the thunderclaps of the Nine Heavens and the sword’s own will into a purple lightning sword aura that tore through the air.
Where the sword aura passed, the thunder-patterned iron pillars crumbled like paper, and the formation’s humming abruptly ceased.
Gasps echoed through the crowd: “That’s… a supreme-grade weapon? The entire Great Qian Dynasty has fewer than five known supreme-grade treasures, each treasured by the top sects as their ultimate heirloom. The Xuantian Sect actually possesses such a treasure!”
“And that sword’s power is terrifying! The thunder prison formation is as fragile as paper! Innate sword bodies truly are formidable!”
The sword aura surged toward Lei Qianjun atop the formation’s core platform.
His pupils constricted sharply. He could clearly sense the terrifying power contained within the sword aura.
This was the cutting edge of a supreme-grade weapon, far surpassing weapons of his rank!
He hastily summoned the thunder-patterned Heart-Protection Mirror he wore on his person. Forged from thousand-year-old thunder dragon scales, this treasured mirror could withstand a strike from an early Nascent Soul cultivator.
But the moment the sword aura struck, the mirror shattered into brittle fragments like glass.
Staring at the broken mirror in disbelief, he roared, “Impossible! My Heart-Protection Mirror…”
A chill crept over his brow. His consciousness sank into darkness.
His body fell from the high platform, crashing onto the thunder-patterned compass plate below, sending blood spraying and staining half the formation’s core.
After a moment of silence, the crowd erupted into thunderous uproar: “Instant kill! Lei Qianjun, a Consolidation stage Six, has been slain instantly!”
“One sword? And he was Consolidation stage Six!” “The Xuantian Sect disciples are terrifying indeed—with weapons and power like this, the Eastern Domain is surely on the verge of upheaval!”
Some cultivators gasped, shaken: “One sword to kill a Consolidation stage Six! Su Wan’s strength is unfathomable!”
Within moments, Lei Qianjun, a Consolidation stage Six, was slain by Su Wan, a Consolidation stage Two, wielding the supreme-grade Purple Lightning Tai’a Sword.
At this moment, disciples from the three major factions seemed to lose their souls, most collapsing weakly, their weapons clattering to the ground, eyes filled only with terror toward Su Wan.
Some disciples pulled each other nervously, voices trembling: “Young Master is dead… We must flee quickly!”
Black-robed disciples of the Ghost Gu Palace instinctively stepped back half a pace. Even the insects inside their flesh pouches seemed to sense the fear, their gnawing sounds suddenly weakening.
“Trash!” A furious roar exploded like thunder across the valley. Suddenly, a withered hand shot out from the clouds above, its five fingers claw-like, aiming straight for the back of Su Wan.
Before the palm wind arrived, a thick stench of rot spread, turning even the surrounding rocks into gray-black decay—this was the aura of the Immortal Alliance’s one-eyed elder, a Nascent Soul stage Two cultivator, his oppressive power fully manifest in the palm wind.
He eyed the four below coldly and snorted, “A bunch of trash. The old man will have to deal with you himself!”
“My heavens! An elder of the Immortal Alliance has personally entered the fray! And a Nascent Soul stage Two one-eyed monster at that!”
The crowd watching burst into startled cries, retreating en masse. “That Spirit-Eating Palm is terrifyingly potent—anyone hit has their spiritual energy corroded in an instant. Even early Nascent Soul cultivators would suffer grievous wounds. Xiao Yi is in deep trouble!”
Some covered their chests, nervous: “Nascent Soul stage Two against Consolidation stage Three? Xiao Yi is doomed!”
“Old geezer, bullying the weak—is that any kind of skill?”
Xiao Yi’s gaze sharpened as he immediately shielded Su Wan with his body.
He thrust both palms forward, the Fiery Emperor Flame and the Southern Ming Blaze instantly weaving into a golden-red fire dragon. The dragon’s head reared proudly, exuding a world-devouring might as it charged toward the withered palm.
He stared at the one-eyed elder, flames surging: “So what if you’re Nascent Soul stage Two? Today you’ll taste the power of dual异火!”
The one-eyed elder, seeing Xiao Yi was only Consolidation stage Three, sneered with disdain, accelerating the palm wind to corrode this foolhardy youth.
He sneered, “Consolidation stage daring to provoke Nascent Soul? Seeking death!”
But the moment his palms met the fire dragon, the disdain on his face froze.
The golden-red flames ignored the Spirit-Eating miasma, climbing wildly along his palms. Wherever the flames passed, the corrupting miasma burned away into blue smoke, even igniting his sleeves in roaring flames.
“Impossible! How can this be?” The one-eyed elder cried out, a mixture of shock and fury, withdrawing his hands. “This fire can suppress my Spirit-Eating Miasma?”
Xiao Yi flicked his fingers, and the fire dragon suddenly surged ten zhang taller, engulfing the elder instantly.
“Pfft—” The Nascent Soul’s protective aura shattered like paper. The one-eyed elder spat a mouthful of black blood; his chest and clothes were instantly burned through, exposing charred bones.
He struggled wildly within the flames, his piercing screams shattering the sky.
“Ah—my hands! My body! This fire… this fire is so strong!”
His form was visibly consumed by flames; his bones crackled sharply in the blaze.