Chapter 333: Nine Profound Heavenly Gang Formation

All ordinary disciples of the Burning Heaven Clan retreated, as their presence would have been nothing but a suicidal gesture. The individuals currently assaulting Yun Che were all mid-level practitioners of the Earth Profound Realm. Yet, their coordinated attack was hardly different from a mass suicide. Under the relentless swings of Yun Che's heavy sword, they were mowed down like decaying timber, their only effect being a slight delay in his advance.

In less than fifteen minutes since Yun Che began wielding his heavy sword, the Burning Heaven Clan was already strewn with countless corpses. This once awe-inspiring and solemn sect, regarded as a sacred ground by ordinary profound practitioners, had been plunged into utter chaos by Yun Che in a remarkably short time. Fear, screams, and persistent wails echoed throughout the grounds.

Suddenly, a sharp command rang out from nearby: "Everyone, retreat immediately!" It was Second Elder Fen Mojie who had given the order. To the Burning Heaven Clan members who had been relentlessly attacking Yun Che, his command sounded like divine intervention. Yun Che's terrifying power and brutal methods had already broken their resolve, making them charge forward with sheer stubbornness. Now, with the order to withdraw, they all frantically retreated like a receding tide.

Yun Che remained motionless, standing amidst a gruesome scene. Mutilated corpses lay scattered across an area spanning dozens of meters, and blood flowed beneath his feet, forming shocking crimson rivulets. Had one not witnessed it personally, it would be impossible to believe that the Burning Heaven Clan, one of the Four Great Sacred Sects, had been turned into a blood-drenched slaughterhouse by a young man not yet twenty years old.

Yun Che neither pursued his retreating enemies nor pressed forward. Instead, figures swiftly moved around him, and when they finally came to a halt, they had arranged themselves into an unusual formation, completely surrounding him.

A total of thirty individuals had encircled him, the youngest of whom appeared to be in their late forties. Nine stood closest, evenly spaced around him in a nine-directional formation. Behind them, twenty-one others were positioned unevenly, and a further twenty, looking grim, remained about twenty meters away without approaching. Each of these individuals held a Burning Heaven Blade, and the flames emanating from their blades were all purple.

This signified that the profound strength of every single one of these individuals was at least at the Sky Profound Realm.

"Be careful," Jasmine's voice suddenly echoed in Yun Che's mind, her tone tinged with gravity. "This is a profound formation designed for power transfer, created by those who cultivate the same profound art. This formation allows the profound strength of everyone within it to be concentrated onto nine individuals. These nine aren't fixed; the power can instantly shift to whomever is attacking you, or whomever you are targeting. The formation's maximum capacity is thirty people—no more, though it can have fewer. Even if you kill one of them, another will immediately step in to fill their place... their goal is to suppress and kill you, or to wear you down until you are utterly exhausted!"

Yun Che remained silent. "All of this sect's Sky Profound Realm practitioners must be here," Jasmine stated blandly. "Hmph, to kill just you, they're willing to deploy the full might of all their Sky Profound cultivators. I imagine you're the first person in this sect's history to face such a formidable combined force!"

The moment Jasmine's voice fell silent, a fiery glow suddenly appeared on the nine individuals nearest to Yun Che. A thin layer of faint purple flames simultaneously enveloped their bodies, and at that very instant, their profound energy aura surged severalfold.

Yun Che's eyes narrowed as he surveyed everyone before him. Beneath their feet, a faint, shimmering outline of a formation was barely visible. Simultaneously, an immense pressure settled heavily upon Yun Che, causing him to feel a slight sense of danger for the first time since entering the Burning Heaven Clan.

"The Nine Profound Skygang Formation!" Fen Juecheng murmured from his vantage point on the half-mountain wall of the Peerless Heaven Pavilion. His previously grim expression instantly brightened, replaced by a smile of wild glee, surprise, and ferocity. "It's the Nine Profound Skygang Formation, erected jointly by all the elders and pavilion masters... Hahaha, hahahaha! Yun Che, you're doomed! Even if you were ten times more powerful, this time you'll surely die without a trace!"

Among the nine individuals closest to Yun Che, the oldest, a white-haired and white-bearded elder, fixed his gaze on Yun Che and spoke in a solemn voice: "Yun Che, had I not witnessed it with my own eyes today, I, this old man, would never have believed that someone like you could emerge in the Azure Cloud Continent. With your inherent talent, you are destined to dominate the world. However, regrettably, you foolishly provoked my Burning Heaven Clan, digging your own grave and severing your own future. You have no one but yourself to blame! Although it is dishonorable for dozens of us to combine forces in a formation to confront you alone, still..."

"Shut your ancient mouth!" Yun Che slammed his heavy sword onto the ground, the resounding impact cutting off the elder's words. With a mocking sneer, he continued, "A pack of old dogs who kidnap and plunder the innocent, so vile that even heaven and earth despise you, yet you still pretend to care about 'dishonorable victory'? Bah!"

Yun Che's words left the white-haired elder flushed with anger. His aged face twitched uncontrollably. Faced with Yun Che's contemptuous, cold gaze, he found himself unable to utter a single retort. After a full-body tremor, he finally roared in a fit of rage, "Arrogant whelp... prepare to die!"

"A pack of despicable old dogs, daring to bark in front of me... Go bark in hell!"

Yun Che's body shot forward like a meteor, Dragon Fault crashing towards the elder with a thunderous roar. Under the sword's unparalleled, violent force, the surrounding air was instantly displaced, forming a barely perceptible concave arc in front of Dragon Fault.

The sheer might of this strike caused the elder's face to contort in alarm, though he quickly regained his composure. The nine individuals surrounding Yun Che simultaneously darted forward, their nine Burning Heaven Blades attacking Yun Che from different directions. The heat waves radiating from the blades were so intense they seemed to warp and melt the very space around them.

CLANG! The incredibly loud impact nearly ruptured eardrums. Six Burning Heaven Blades struck Yun Che's Dragon Fault simultaneously, unleashing a surging storm of profound energy that erupted instantly. Yun Che was forced back four or five steps, his wrist tingling slightly. Across from him, six individuals were simultaneously sent flying back at least a dozen paces, though they appeared to have suffered no substantial damage beyond being repelled. As Yun Che's body momentarily lost its balance, three chilling attacks closed in from behind, and three Burning Heaven Blades simultaneously slashed across his back.

*Splatter*... Blood spurted from Yun Che's back, where three half-foot-long, half-inch-deep gashes now marked his skin. The searing pain from his back instantly ignited Yun Che's ferocity. With a furious roar, he swung Dragon Fault backward, accompanied by an angry dragon's cry. A deafening crash followed as the three Burning Heaven Blades shattered instantly, flying from the hands of their wielders. The three Burning Heaven Clan elders who had inflicted the wounds on Yun Che were all sent hurtling far away.

The combined attack of the initial six had almost completely negated his heavy sword's strike, while the subsequent attacks from the three behind him had all inflicted significant external wounds. Yun Che's brow furrowed, and the profound energy throughout his body surged wildly, like boiling water. This formation was far more formidable than he had anticipated.

While Yun Che registered a hint of surprise, the Burning Heaven Clan members were utterly aghast. Although they had managed to injure Yun Che in a single exchange, the combined attack of the six not only failed to gain an advantage but was entirely repelled by Yun Che. Furthermore, the three full-force slashes from behind had merely created three superficial gashes!

These nine individuals were no ordinary Sky Profound Realm experts! Under the Nine Profound Skygang Formation, they wielded the combined power of thirty Sky Profound cultivators! They found it impossible to believe that Yun Che's strength and physical resilience were so terrifying.

Despite their profound shock, they were nonetheless convinced that with the Nine Profound Skygang Formation deployed, Yun Che, no matter his strength, would not leave alive today. This was, after all, the Burning Heaven Clan's most potent force, excluding only the Grand Elders and the Grand Sect Master who had long since entered seclusion. And indeed, Yun Che, who had previously been seemingly invincible, had been wounded in their very first encounter with this profound formation.