Chapter 2305: Sword Formation Initially Established

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly truly lives up to its name!

Jiumie praised it inwardly. His invisibility technique was utterly exposed before the Sky-Eyed Butterfly, proving even more formidable than described in ancient texts.

“No, this Sky-Eyed Butterfly…”

He looked at the empty flower patch, recalling how the Sky-Eyed Butterfly had just devoured the Thunderstruck Moon Orchid.

The Thunderstruck Moon Orchid was a lightning flower, and the Sky-Eyed Butterfly’s innate abilities had no connection to the path of thunder. Could this Sky-Eyed Butterfly have undergone a mutation?

Creatures in the world experience all sorts of fortuitous encounters, and the mutation of spiritual insects is not uncommon. However, it’s not always beneficial for the insect, much like the difference between purebreds and crossbreeds. Even if it provides some immediate power boost, in the long run, it usually contaminates the insect’s original talent, or even causes it to disappear entirely, rendering the spiritual insect useless.

The Witch Tribe’s cultivation of aberrant species is essentially also helping spiritual insects mutate. The Witch Tribe possesses talents granted by divine bloodlines and has a long heritage in the path of insect control. Even for them, cultivating a powerful aberrant species is incredibly difficult.

This Sky-Eyed Butterfly has cultivated to the mid-stage of the Sixth Transformation, and its Sky-Eyed ability is even stronger than that of a normal Sky-Eyed Butterfly. This is undoubtedly a successful mutation, making Jiumie envious of Daoist Qingfeng’s luck.

“I need to be more careful now…”

Jiumie realized his invisibility technique wasn't as foolproof as he thought. He secretly warned himself that the Yao clan was one of the most powerful great clans in the southern Witch Tribe, even stronger than the Dongyang clan. If his whereabouts were exposed, and the Yao clan pressured his own clan, he would suffer considerably.

He glanced up at the sky, calculating the time. Wu Yan should have made progress by now. The battle outside was intensifying, but their side showed no signs of defeat. This expedition should result in a ‘great victory’!

From beginning to end, the focus of the battlefield remained on Qin Sang.

Stars shifted.

Qin Sang shifted his target from the Frost Valley Grand Array to the incoming enemy. Firstly, because the Frost Valley Grand Array was badly damaged, and Master Huixing and others could handle it. Secondly, the guardians of Frost Valley had already lost their offensive capability, and he needed someone to help him hone his sword skills!

In an instant, sword stars enveloped Elder Yun’s head.

The golden roc looked up. Elder Yun saw a sea of stars bearing down on him, and the boundless deep space behind the starlight brought an invisible pressure that left him breathless.

A sharp shriek.

The golden roc roared!

Its wings spread wide with full force, conjuring golden flames. Each feather became a flickering ember, transforming into sky-burning fire.

‘Boom!’

The golden fire surged into the sea of stars, quickly spreading within it. Star after star plunged into the golden flames, their light dimming, until finally, the darkness of deep space was dispelled by the golden fire, becoming as bright as day.

Following the golden fire, the golden roc arrived, exuding monstrous ferocity, like a peerless great fiend intent on tearing open the nine heavens.

The so-called nine heavens were merely an illusion formed by the sword array!

Elder Yun knew this well. He didn't choose to maneuver around or avoid its sharpness, because this was the pride of the golden roc. As the king of the sky, it would not retreat an inch, no matter the opponent.

Since he had transformed into a golden roc, to possess the same powerful abilities and strength as one, he had to inherit this pride!

“Good!”

Qin Sang cheered inwardly, his eyes sparkling with delight. Elder Yun’s move was exactly to his liking.

This was a worthy opponent, not only possessing cultivation comparable to his own, but also having a fighting style that served as the best whetstone for his sword!

‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’

Ultimately, the sky-burning golden fire could not prevent the descent of the sea of stars.

The golden roc stood proudly at the center of the sea of stars. Trapped within the sword array, its arrogance remained undiminished, its gaze sharp. Wherever its eyes fell, raging golden flames counterattacked the sword stars.

Finally, the golden roc’s gaze landed on the north. The nebula floating there was too conspicuous; it was as if the master of the sword array was explicitly telling him that the array’s weakness lay there!

Qin Sang smiled faintly. What if the weakness was discovered? Previous opponents had also seen the sword array’s weakness, but how many of them had ultimately left alive?

And he precisely needed a powerful opponent to challenge the Northern Black Tortoise Sword Array!

‘Whoosh!’

The golden roc moved, and as expected, its target was the north.

Qin Sang calmly activated his sword technique. Immediately, a White Tiger Star Fiend rushed out from the west, lunging forward to block the golden roc.

He wanted to use Elder Yun to hone his sword skills, but before that, he needed to test Elder Yun’s methods.

“Roar!”

The White Tiger roared.

Facing this legendary sacred beast, the golden roc showed no fear. A colossal golden claw, wreathed in golden fire, struck like lightning towards the White Tiger Star Fiend’s head.

The power of this claw was astonishing. For an ordinary demonic beast, it would surely have resulted in a shattered skull. But the White Tiger Star Fiend was not a physical entity; it was essentially just a sword intent.

‘Boom!’

The White Tiger was fearless, roaring wildly as it raised its head and charged into the eagle’s claw.

The golden roc’s body shook violently, its forward momentum abruptly halted. The golden fire on its claw nearly extinguished, and a distinct white sword mark was left on the claw.

Qin Sang watched this scene, his gaze slightly narrowed. There was a golden ring gauntlet on the eagle’s claw, apparently a spirit treasure, which prevented it from being severed by the White Tiger Star Fiend. However, the golden roc’s ability to block the White Tiger Star Fiend relied on more than just the power of the golden ring gauntlet.

It seemed this was a truly powerful golden roc.

The northern territories of the Witch Tribe bordered the wilderness, where clans might have connections with demonic tribes. But this was the southern Witch Tribe, closer to the human race.

The contents of the jade slip left by Wu Yan flowed through his mind. As their most formidable adversary to guard against, there was naturally a record about Elder Yun on it.

Elder Yun possessed a mysterious spiritual insect.

No one knew what kind of spiritual insect it was, because Elder Yun would always merge with his insect during battles, transforming into a demonic beast to fight. Not only was the appearance lifelike, but the seemingly fragile spiritual insect, as ordinary people perceived it, possessed combat strength no less than that of a true demonic beast.

The golden roc transformation was one of Elder Yun’s three strongest transformations, with top-tier escape speed and agility.

“The Witch Tribe’s path of insect control truly lives up to its reputation. It seems the Sky-Eyed Butterfly and I still have much to learn.”

Both Elder Yun before him and Elder Wen, who guarded Frost Valley, utilized their spiritual insects’ abilities to the extreme.

In contrast, Qin Sang mostly relied on the Sky-Eyed Butterfly’s Sky-Eyed ability. Its other divine abilities only occasionally found use, and he hadn’t fully unleashed the Sky-Eyed Butterfly’s potential.

Ultimately, Qin Sang’s understanding of the path of insect control was too superficial.

The ‘Pangu True Scripture’ was more about insect rearing. Although it contained insect control techniques, they were relatively broad. As the saying goes, ‘the master leads you to the door, but cultivation is up to the individual.’ There are countless spiritual insects in the world, each with its unique characteristics. No single scripture could cover them all; it requires persistent exploration by both master and spiritual insect.

However, Qin Sang had learned too many, too diverse things, leaving him little time to dedicate to insect control techniques.

In a flash, the battle within the sword array had already progressed through dozens of rounds.

The White Tiger Star Fiend fought the golden roc alone, falling into a disadvantage. Then, dragon roars and bird cries echoed in succession as a Green Dragon arrived from the east, and a Vermillion Bird flew in from the south.

Three Star Fiends combined to fight the golden roc!

Qin Sang abandoned the sword array’s ability to trap and confuse, opting for a head-on confrontation. He watched as the golden roc maneuvered within the encirclement of the three Star Fiends, inching closer to the northern starfield, showing no intention of using the power of his sword domain.

Finally, the golden roc successfully broke through the encirclement and stood before the northern starfield.

The surrounding golden flames were drawn back, encircling its body like a golden sun.

Its substantial gaze bore directly into the largest nebula in the starfield. If it could charge in there, it could break the whole array from a single point, tearing open the entire sword array—a tremendous temptation!

Victory was within reach, but Elder Yun made the golden roc halt here.

To break the sword array, speed alone wasn’t enough.

The golden roc took a deep breath, swallowing the golden flames into its belly. Immediately, its golden light receded, and its body underwent a drastic transformation.

Its eagle wings and talons transformed into four hooves, its golden feathers became deep, smooth skin, its head turned into that of an ox, with a pair of curved horns on its crown. Its body became a hundred times more robust than before, astonishingly transforming into an Ox Demon!

Ox Demon Transformation!

“Moo!”

The Ox Demon roared.

With a single stomp forward, the surrounding sword stars trembled, exuding an aura capable of shattering mountains and rivers.

It is said that powerful ox demons possess unparalleled strength, especially when standing on the earth. They can control the earth, drawing power from it, making them unshakeable. Enemies would only become crushed flesh beneath their hooves.

But this was in the void, within a sword array.

Just then, a porcelain bottle flew out of the Ox Demon’s mouth. The bottle shattered, and the water inside poured out.

The porcelain bottle, no bigger than a baby’s fist, seemed to have absorbed the waters of three rivers and five lakes. In an instant, it transformed into a vast celestial wave, overwhelming mountains and overturning seas, rushing into the northern starfield.

“So, it was an Ox Demon that wielded water.”

Qin Sang smiled, but his expression also turned serious.

While Qin Sang and Elder Yun were entangled in battle, the young man finally arrived, bypassing the sword array and heading straight for Frost Valley.

Master Huixing, overseeing the entire situation, had long seen through the young man’s movements. He immediately commanded: “This person is skilled in shamanic curses. Let the Divine Nun Heyun intercept him, and Fairy Huajing stay to assist this monk.”

“Alright!”

Divine Nun Heyun recalled her prayer beads and actively flew towards the young man.

The young man swept a glance over Frost Valley. After a fierce battle, the Frost Valley Grand Array was severely damaged. Elder Wen could only continuously contract the array, and many areas within Frost Valley had already become ruins.

If they had arrived even a moment later, Frost Valley would have completely fallen.

The young man was furious. He let out a cold snort, his voice imbued with a peculiar power. However, Divine Nun Heyun was already prepared. Her prayer beads circled her body, and her chanting grew louder. Divine Nun Heyun remained unharmed. Her prayer beads suddenly scattered, enveloping both her and the young man, bathing them in brilliant Buddhist light!

Master Huixing and Fairy Huajing continued to coordinate with the tree array, fiercely attacking Frost Valley, forcing Elder Wen to constantly shrink his defensive line. Large areas fell, instantly turning into ruins, their resources divided between the two, as if they had come solely for plunder.

At this point, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly and Jiumie, having achieved their goals, successively left Frost Valley.

Jiumie emerged from Frost Valley, leaning against a tree, arms crossed over his chest. His gaze swept over the various battlefields, spending most of his time fixed on the sword array. He felt a pang of regret that he couldn’t see the battle within the array.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly flew into the sky, silently entering the sword array.

Qin Sang, who was fiercely battling Elder Yun, looked at the Sky-Eyed Butterfly, a smile appearing on his face. He said, “You’ve certainly had your fill today.”

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly alighted lightly on his shoulder, seemingly quite pleased. Immediately, its Sky Eye locked onto the Ox Demon within the array.

“Just watch the battle, no need to help me. Let’s see to what extent he can push me,” Qin Sang said in a deep voice.

At this very moment, the northern starfield was already in utter chaos, having been turned upside down by the Ox Demon.

Vast waves surged in, colossal and overwhelming, continuously crashing against the sword stars. The Ox Demon strode upon the waves, each simple punch and kick containing powerful shockwaves that spread along the water.

‘Boom!’

A nebula, along with several surrounding sword stars, shattered in response, creating a breach in the sea of stars.

Immediately, a beam of green light arrived, and the mighty body of the Green Dragon firmly blocked the breach.

The nebula, on the verge of collapsing, rapidly condensed, giving birth to sword stars and returning to its original state. However, this time the nebula was slightly more condensed than before. As the starlight flickered, a new sword star slowly rose, perfectly embodying the concept of ‘building anew after breaking down.’

Similar situations were too numerous to count. The sword array seemed full of holes, and the Ox Demon rampaged through it, seemingly capable of tearing it apart at any moment. Yet, Elder Yun had a premonition of misfortune. Looking around, he was surprised to find that the number of nebulae had decreased by more than half compared to the beginning; all had transformed into stars.

“Damn it! This fellow is using me to comprehend his sword array!”

Elder Yun finally understood his enemy’s intention.

It wasn't that he couldn’t leave, but simply rushing out of the sword array wouldn’t be enough to reverse the situation. Elder Yun had originally intended to completely smash this starfield to teach his enemy a lesson, but only now did he realize his miscalculation.

The residual power from each of his punches and kicks lingered, hidden in the shadows. This ‘residual power’ required accumulation, but by the time it finally erupted, it would likely be too late!

“Explode!”

Elder Yun roared in anger, and through the Ox Demon’s mouth, an earth-shattering bellow erupted.

‘Crashing…’

Within the water, Ox Demon phantoms suddenly appeared, floating everywhere. They struck with various postures, some charging, some ramming with their horns, simultaneously unleashing powerful attacks.

‘Boom!’

It was as if the entire starfield was struck simultaneously. Star after star, along with the Ox Demon phantoms, shattered at the same time.

A vast nebula, like a void in the sword array, suddenly appeared at the center of the northern starfield.

The Ox Demon’s eyes flickered with fierce light. Suppressing its inner ferocity, it leaped, intending to burst out of the array.

Just then, a burst of wild laughter rang out overhead: “Haha! Many thanks, Daoist friend, for your assistance!”

This was followed by a strike of heavenly lightning. The Ox Demon’s eyelids twitched, and it forcibly halted, avoiding the lightning, but thereby missing its opportune moment.

Looking again, the surrounding stars shone brightly, and there was no longer a single obscure nebula to be seen. The four starfields were now connected, forming a seamless whole. Sword intent was omnipresent, without a single flaw, making the Ox Demon feel as if thorns were pricking its back.

The Northern Black Tortoise Sword Array was finally complete!

Starlight shimmered before the Ox Demon, gradually revealing a colossal creature with a tortoise shell and a serpent’s body—none other than the legendary sacred beast, the Black Tortoise!

“Roar!”

The White Tiger, Green Dragon, and Vermillion Bird roared in celebration. The Four Spirits had finally gathered, launching a combined attack on the Ox Demon.

Another round of fierce battle began!

At this moment, Qin Sang had half his energy on the battlefield and the other half on the sword array. He had a feeling that the mere appearance of the Four Spirits was not enough; it was only a minor achievement. The true mark of the Four Symbols Sword Array’s grand completion was the unification of the Four Spirits!

Could he, in one fell swoop, comprehend this step today?

Qin Sang looked at the Ox Demon fighting fiercely within the sword array, and instead hoped his opponent would unleash even stronger techniques, putting greater pressure on him.

Just then, a stretch of red light appeared in the distant sky, as fiery red as the evening glow, continuously flickering and drifting towards Frost Valley.

The ‘Third Brother’ mentioned by the young man had finally arrived.