Chapter 837: Besieging

The island masters had an agreement. We have been trapped for so long that others should have noticed the anomaly, and reinforcements should have arrived long ago. Yet, there is still no news. The island master senses danger and will abandon the island if the situation becomes untenable.

Jinying received detailed information from the Merchant Alliance. All major forces were racing against time to make preparations.

“When the grand formation was originally built, the island master invested immense effort. Yuheng Island’s protective formation can not only defend but also easily transform into a pure killing formation with terrifying power. Unfortunately, once converted, this spiritual formation can only be used once, unleashing its final spectacular burst. When the island master activates the formation to slaughter the demonic beasts, that will be our best chance to break through.”

Jinying invited Qin Sang to break out with them. After a brief thought, Qin Sang only said he would try his best to meet up with them.

After all, no one could predict the situation when the time came.

Qin Sang saw the two women off, then sat cross-legged in his cave dwelling, lost in thought.

He did not know how powerful the island’s protective formation was. If it could annihilate the demonic beasts in one fell swoop, that would be ideal, allowing them to escape directly.

More likely, they would still face a bitter battle. Going with the Merchant Alliance experts would provide powerful assistance, but it would also make them more conspicuous and prone to being targeted by powerful demons.

After cultivating the ‘Celestial Demon Refinement Form,’ Qin Sang had an idea, which he might be able to test this time.

Everything remained normal for the next few days. During his daily vigilance and patrols, Qin Sang observed that the demonic beasts were indeed more active than before.

Days passed. They maintained contact, and Jinying frequently sent updates, but the situation showed no signs of improvement.

Half a month later, the cultivators were startled awake in the dead of night. Rushing out of their cave dwellings, they saw dark clouds pressing down across the night sky.

Anger, terror, determination, despair…

All sorts of expressions appeared on the cultivators’ faces.

On Yuheng Island, beast roars thundered, and the deep sound of warning bells was still clearly audible, signaling an alert.

Suddenly, it was as bright as day.

A massive light barrier appeared, covering the entire large city and a surrounding area.

The island’s protective formation was activated!

The grand formation could not cover the entire island. The outer areas were abandoned, and everyone withdrew into the city. The lush green mountains were soon flattened by overwhelming numbers of demonic beasts. The cultivators felt the ground beneath their feet tremble violently, mirroring their own heartbeats.

Boom!

The first impact occurred. A demonic beast slammed into the light barrier and was instantly crushed by the formation’s power. Its body was torn to pieces, its blood splattering across the sky.

Almost simultaneously, masses of flesh exploded and splattered onto the light barrier. The entire barrier was stained crimson with blood, turning into a horrifying blood-red shield.

Apart from the booming sounds and beast roars, they could hear nothing else. The light barrier pulsated with powerful spiritual energy. As soon as one demonic beast was crushed, countless new ones immediately replaced it, seemingly endless.

In this situation, the light barrier appeared thin but was extraordinarily sturdy.

Without anyone’s urging, the lower-level cultivators in the city proactively summoned their magical artifacts, flew into the sky, and unleashed beams of precious light, slaying the demonic beasts outside the light barrier.

The light barrier glowed brilliantly, while magical artifacts and treasures emitted multicolored lights, resembling stars.

Under the protection of the grand formation, the cultivators had no immediate concerns and fought the enemy with full force.

Qin Sang was on patrol at this time and immediately detected the unusual activity of the demon race.

The island had long been prepared for the beast tide, and Qin Sang had a mission. Seeing the situation, he issued a command and led his team members to sweep down to the ground. Together, they activated a formation disk to help the island master maintain the grand formation.

Qin Sang was tasked with guarding a corner of the grand formation, a heavy responsibility.

He dared not show the slightest negligence. Any lapse could lead to the beast tide instantly tearing open a breach, allowing them to invade, with his team being the first to bear the brunt.

The formation disk hovered above their heads, responding to the grand formation and other disks, consolidating the light barrier, and constructing a stable defense.

Only small demons led the charge. Although they appeared numerous, the pressure was not yet immense. Qin Sang made proper arrangements, instructing his subordinates to regulate their breathing and prepare for the most dangerous moment.

At this time, some of the city’s guards, like Qin Sang, were stabilizing various parts of the grand formation. Others were not idle either, seeking opportunities to launch offensive attacks and slay demonic beasts, though such efforts were like a drop in the ocean in this battle.

They would prosper together or perish together.

Everyone understood this principle.

However, they soon met resistance as the Core Formation-stage great demons pressed forward.

These great demons were thick-skinned and durable, capable of battling magical treasures with just their physical bodies and enduring their attacks. They blocked the cultivators’ experts, allowing the lesser demons to assault the light barrier, leading to a stalemate on the battlefield.

Qin Sang remained vigilant, observing the changes in the grand formation and the movements of the demon race.

His gaze occasionally drifted towards a large cluster of residences in the north. Jinying had previously informed him that the Merchant Alliance personnel were now gathered there, preparing to break out from that location after the island was abandoned.

When the island was abandoned, rushing there to rendezvous immediately should still be feasible.

Qin Sang did not know that while he was wielding his ebony sword and slaughtering, some figures were lurking within the beast horde, appearing near the light barrier. However, they barely attacked; instead, they observed their surroundings and sensed for auras.

Ultimately, they found nothing and gathered back together.

“We didn’t sense that person’s aura, nor did we see any similar magical treasures. That person is either hiding and not acting, or they are maintaining the grand formation, their aura obscured by the spiritual array. Unless they actively attack, it will be difficult to sense them.”

The demons gathered and exchanged their findings.

“They must be maintaining the grand formation!”

The leopard demon was somewhat agitated, pacing back and forth on a mountaintop overlooking the city. “This person’s cultivation isn’t weak; it’s impossible for them to be idle. It seems we’ll only find them after breaking the formation. Keep fighting! Break this grand formation, and we’ll see where they can hide! Oh, and they had a companion back then; finding their companion will also work!”

The leopard demon was determined; it would not give up until the city was breached. It ordered its demons to launch successive waves of attacks at all costs until the formation was broken.

The demons, filled with worry, departed to carry out their orders.

He awoke from his meditation.

Qin Sang looked down at his hands. The two medium-grade spirit stones in his palms had turned into pale, lifeless rocks, their spiritual energy completely depleted. Qin Sang rubbed his hands lightly, and the spirit stones crumbled into powder, sifting through his fingers.

He then looked up at the light barrier’s exterior; the beast tide still covered the sky and obscured the sun.

“Five days!”

Qin Sang silently counted the time.

For five whole days, the demonic corpses outside piled up like mountains, and blood flowed like rivers, yet the beast tide showed no sign of stopping.

Being on the front lines of the battle, he felt it more clearly: the beast tide, though seemingly chaotic, had an underlying order, indicating that powerful demons were certainly coordinating it from behind.

The atmosphere within the city grew increasingly oppressive. People sensed that this beast tide was unusual and were all deeply worried, especially those who knew the inner workings.

Having lost contact with the outside world and with no reinforcements appearing, it meant that hope in that regard was dim. The ultimate fate of Yuheng Island now rested solely on the island master’s decision.