Chapter 745: Breaking the Formation Battle (Part 1)

Volume 5: Renowned Far and Wide

"There's no point in guessing wildly here. Given that person's cultivation, we should have a seventy to eighty percent chance of success if they're caught off guard. However, we also can't rule out the worst-case scenario. They might have already failed and been eliminated or captured, and this could simply be a trap," the green-robed woman said coldly, a slight curve appearing at the corner of her mouth.

"So, Master Le, you mean..." Kuyue asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Regardless of whether it's a trap, our purpose is to break the formation. We'll proceed according to our original plan. Even if we suffer some casualties to uncover the truth, it will be worth it. What we can least afford right now is time. According to newly acquired intelligence, reinforcements from other forces in Tiannan can gather and support the Nine Nations Alliance within two to three months. We must clear all major cultivator formations leading up to Tiancheng within a month. Only then can we seize the initiative. If we allow the reinforcements to join forces with the Nine Nations Alliance cultivators, even if we still defeat them, our strength will be severely depleted," the woman said unhurriedly.

"Then we shall do as Master Le says." The tall, thin spellcaster hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

As for Kuyue, he cared even less about the lives of the low-level spellcasters and offered no objection.

Seeing this, the woman nodded. After her red lips moved slightly a few times, she transmitted a message to an unknown recipient.

Immediately, nearly a hundred spellcasters, dressed in identical attire, emerged from the cultivator army. Led by a Core Formation spellcaster, they slowly approached the summit of Huanglong Peak.

The hundred-plus spellcasters became mere specks in the distance, gradually entering the area where the sea of mist had previously been. Nothing unusual happened.

So, each of them holding their magical artifacts, they boldly flew towards the peak.

Meeting no resistance, the hundred cultivators easily reached the summit, and still nothing happened. The tall, thin spellcaster breathed a sigh of relief and said to the green-robed woman with a joyous expression:

"It seems this place has truly been abandoned by them. Let's send others in to search as well. They left in such a hurry, they must have left behind many things."

"Don't rush. Let's observe for a bit longer," the woman said coldly, without even lifting her eyelids.

The tall, thin spellcaster was taken aback and said nothing further.

Meanwhile, the hundred-plus spellcasters had begun searching through the half-burned pavilions and towers. They occasionally found valuable items like spirit stones and materials. Each spellcaster was beaming with joy, unceremoniously claiming these items for themselves and stuffing them into their storage pouches.

The spellcaster army was originally composed of Mulan tribes of varying sizes. Items obtained during battles, apart from public goods acquired from warehouses or mining caves, naturally belonged to individuals.

Witnessing this scene, the spellcaster army outside began to stir.

Such an opportunity to claim spoils without a fierce battle was indeed very rare. Naturally, this made the others restless and extremely envious.

With such a vast complex of buildings, who knew how many more treasures might be hidden within?

"Master Le, look..."

After waiting a little longer, both the tall, thin spellcaster and Kuyue grew restless. Kuyue spoke up hesitantly.

Since both of them were among this group of spellcasters, most of these spellcasters naturally hailed from their respective tribes. The Mulan grasslands had always been scarce in cultivation resources, so they naturally didn't want their tribal spellcasters to miss this opportunity.

As for the initial hundred spellcasters, they came from a small, less powerful tribe. Acquiring these few items should be enough for them.

The green-robed woman's expression remained unchanged, as if she hadn't heard their words. However, her beautiful eyes subtly narrowed, taking on a somewhat hazy and distant look.

Kuyue and the other man exchanged glances, hesitated, and then said nothing further.

After a full tea-drinking period, the hundred-plus spellcasters had only just searched through nearly a third of the mountain peak. It was then that the woman finally spoke:

"Each of you send a hundred people to join them. While they're at it, have them destroy any remaining restrictions inside. Until I've scanned the entire peak with my spiritual sense, I won't allow anyone else to enter this mountain."

"Yes, we shall follow Master Le's instructions." Both men were overjoyed and immediately transmitted messages to their trusted disciples from their respective tribes.

As a result, another two hundred spellcasters rushed to the peak. Naturally, another frantic, wolf-like search began.

"It seems these are all of them. My spiritual power can no longer sustain this. Activate the restrictions," the voice of the old man surnamed Ma quietly sounded in a certain part of Huanglong Mountain.

"Sigh! What a pity. Not a single Mulan Grandmaster entered the trap," the sigh of the bald-browed man also rang out, sounding somewhat regretful.

But not long after he finished speaking, a rumbling sound, growing from faint to loud, reverberated throughout the entire mountain. The summit began to tremble in waves.

At this, the expressions of all three hundred spellcasters who were searching for treasures on the peak changed drastically. There was no need for anyone to command them. They immediately scattered in all directions, fleeing by escape light.

Among them, the three Core Formation spellcasters naturally had the fastest escape lights. They shot dozens of yards away in mere blinks of an eye.

But no matter how fast their escape lights were, they couldn't escape the range of the grand formation in an instant.

Above the peak, various spiritual lights emerged. The mist that had previously vanished from the surroundings surged forth. In an instant, green mist billowed, obscuring the sun, and transforming the vast area centered on Huanglong Mountain back into a sea of mist.

Upon seeing this situation, the expressions of the tall, thin spellcaster and Kuyue immediately turned extremely grim, even ashen.

Meanwhile, the green-robed woman sitting on the giant beast maintained her icy gaze, not even twitching an eyebrow.

"It truly was a trap. What a shame. If Daoist Gu hadn't taken action, they might have continued to lie in wait and played a greater role," the woman surnamed Le uttered these cold and merciless words after observing for a moment.

"Master Le, those inside..." Kuyue clenched his fists, staring at the sea of mist, his eyes blazing as he spoke.

One of the Core Formation cultivators who had just led the team up was a direct descendant he valued greatly. He hadn't expected them to be trapped in the enemy's grand formation like this.

In his anxiety, he couldn't help but entertain the thought of rescuing them.

"Don't bother wasting your efforts. Given the spiritual power of their Nascent Soul cultivators, dealing with a few Core Formation practitioners within the grand formation is as easy as pie. They have likely already been annihilated," the green-robed woman glanced at Kuyue and said emotionlessly.

"If that's the case, Master Le, let me lead the charge in breaking the formation! I will unleash my Fire Spirit Essence and destroy this formation in one go! Then I'll reduce every cultivator inside to dust!" Kuyue's face shifted between green and red several times before he spoke with a fierce, resolute expression.

"Fire Spirit Essence? Very well. Since you are so determined, I will have the Giant Rhinoceros Beast cooperate with you. However, it would be best to save your Fire Spirit Essence for a critical moment. Also, pay close attention to the young cultivator who eliminated Mister Tian Ku. I suspect he is the same cultivator who destroyed Master Mu's physical body from the Tianfeng Tribe. If that's the case, his spiritual powers are considerable, and he also uses an extremely bizarre blue demonic flame. One careless mistake, and you could fall victim to him," the woman said, raising her elegant eyebrows.

"The cultivator who destroyed Master Mu's physical body? I heard he possesses the rumored Lightning Escape Art; is that true?" The tall, thin spellcaster's expression changed upon hearing this. A hint of fear was subtly revealed in his eyes.

"Master Wen, your cultivation method is most vulnerable to cultivators specializing in close combat. You must be very careful and absolutely avoid engaging him. Leave him to me. My 'Soft Wind Art' will certainly not be inferior to his Lightning Escape Art in terms of speed. Even if his demonic flames and golden arcs are powerful, they'll be useless if I don't let him get close. As for his other spiritual powers, he's merely an early Nascent Soul cultivator; can he truly contend with me?" A cold glint flashed in the woman's eyes as she spoke with a hint of arrogance.

"Very well. This person can only be dealt with by Master Le. Master Le is a master who can contend with the Heavenly Lan Saintess of the Tu'er people. That person certainly won't be a match." Upon hearing this, the tall, thin spellcaster immediately felt a sense of relief. He seemed to have great confidence in this green-robed woman.

"Hmph, Heavenly Lan Saintess!" The woman, whose face had been calm and unperturbed, immediately darkened upon hearing the name Heavenly Lan Saintess. Her expression immediately grew gloomy.

Upon hearing that cold snort, the tall, thin spellcaster was startled.

He suddenly recalled that Master Le considered her defeat at the hands of the Heavenly Lan Saintess a great humiliation. She had always greatly disliked anyone mentioning it.

"This... actually..."

The tall, thin spellcaster mumbled, trying to rephrase what he was about to say, when the young woman abruptly waved her hand, and her face regained its indifferent expression:

"Enough, breaking the formation is paramount. No need for further talk. Form the grand formation and attack!"

"Yes!" The tall, thin spellcaster felt a slight relief, and both he and Kuyue assented.

Somewhere within the impenetrable sea of mist, the headless body of a Core Formation spellcaster toppled to the ground.

Not far away, a figure flashed in the dense mist. Han Li, enveloped in green light, appeared there. He glanced at the distant corpse, and with a wave of his hand, a green rainbow circled once above the corpse before flying back to him.

Unhurriedly, Han Li took a few steps forward. He picked up the spellcaster's storage pouch, and after a brief inspection, a look of disappointment crossed his face.

Inside, there were still only some random trinkets, nothing related to spiritual arts.

Han Li's brows furrowed tightly, and after a long moment, he let out a long sigh.

Just then, war drums outside the sea of mist suddenly boomed loudly. Several astonishing waves of spiritual energy erupted from the drums, piercing the sky.

Then, a deep beast roar, like muffled thunder, resonated, shaking heaven and earth. It caused the green mist within the sea of mist to subtly churn on its own.

Han Li's expression remained unchanged. He coldly scanned the unusual surroundings before raising his head to look towards the area outside the mist, a hint of contemplation flickering in his eyes.

But a moment later, he sneered, a slight movement at the corner of his mouth. He raised his hand and released a crimson fireball, reducing the corpse at his feet to ashes. Then he turned and headed towards the center of the sea of mist.

In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished into the mist, leaving no trace.

At the center of the sea of mist, the entire mountain peak was strangely divided into two. The front half still consisted of ruined buildings and charred walls, while the back half presented a starkly different scene, with pavilions and towers standing perfectly intact. Cultivators occasionally shot out from within, dispersing to various parts of the sea of mist.

The old man surnamed Ma and the bald-browed man stood side-by-side dozens of yards above these pavilions, gazing towards the direction of the spellcaster army, their faces filled with gravity.