Chapter 1258: Charging the Formation

A magnificent fire phoenix flapped its wings, its resounding cry accompanied by a powerful, overwhelming pressure that suddenly permeated the air.

This was clearly the aura exclusive to a Star Constellation Realm cultivator!

Whether due to the overwhelming pressure or the intense heat, even the void itself seemed to twist. Hundreds of cultivators felt their hearts waver.

While the cultivators gathered here were indeed resolute and strong-minded, not easily disturbed, pressure was a tangible force. Upon clearly sensing the aura exclusive to a Star Constellation Realm expert, everyone's heart skipped a beat.

What in the world was happening? How could a Star Constellation Realm cultivator suddenly appear among a group of Divine Sea Realm experts?

This was, in fact, due to Lu Ye's Mimicry Spirit Mark. With his current Divine Sea Eighth-Layer cultivation, it was effortless for him to activate the Mimicry Spirit Mark and simulate the pressure of a Star Constellation Realm cultivator. He had initially considered mimicking a Moon Brilliance Realm aura, which would undoubtedly be more intimidating and perhaps scare everyone away without any further action. However, a second thought made him realize that while a Moon Brilliance Realm aura would be more terrifying, it would also be more prone to exposure. Thus, the Star Constellation Realm was the most suitable choice.

In the final few miles, Lu Ye, concealed within the massive fire phoenix, could already sense traces of cultivators employing escape arts and fleeing in all directions. A grand and immense secret art alone wouldn't be enough to deter them, but if a true Star Constellation Realm expert were to act, the situation would be entirely different. Though no one could fathom how a Star Constellation Realm cultivator had appeared in this place!

Nan Xiong did not retreat!

Not only did he not retreat, but he also activated a spell, striking towards the fire phoenix while shouting, "Don't be intimidated by him! If we join forces, even if this fiend truly is a Star Constellation Realm expert, we can still fight him!"

It had to be said that prodigies from the most prominent realms possessed exceptionally tenacious characters. Naturally, this was likely tied to his unwavering determination to seize the treasure gourd. For someone from a top realm like Yao Tian Realm, simply winning the Divine Sea competition was no longer enough to prove his capabilities. If he could secure a treasure gourd for his realm in this conflict, that would be a truly significant achievement, undoubtedly earning him the admiration of his elders and immensely benefiting his future prospects. He already had secret arrangements and deployments for the treasure gourd. While not entirely certain of success, he had at least a strong chance; if the situation continued to unfold as it was, he had a sixty percent probability of seizing it. This was also why he had been the first to step forward upon sensing danger; he had to ensure no unforeseen complications would disrupt his plan.

It was naturally impossible for him to retreat so easily now. At his shout, several individuals immediately followed suit and attacked—these were his clandestine allies. For cultivators of his caliber, hailing from a top realm and possessing renown, it was quite easy to gather allies, especially since some realms already had good relations with Yao Tian Realm.

The moment they attacked, they immediately sensed that something was amiss. As their spells struck the fire phoenix, the spiritual energy feedback felt strangely peculiar. Nan Xiong was enraged. He shouted again, "This isn't a Star Constellation Realm expert! It's just a ruse, don't be fooled!" He had wondered how a Star Constellation Realm cultivator could appear in the Grand Beginning Realm; it turned out to be just a special technique.

The Mimicry was indeed just a trick, intimidating at first glance, but easily shattered. As long as no one attacked the fire phoenix, it would have been fine, but once an attack was made, astute individuals like Nan Xiong could easily make a clear judgment. Lu Ye's activation of the Mimicry was merely an experiment; it would be ideal if it worked, but he didn't mind if it didn't. He hadn't expected it to be seen through so quickly. Through the fiery phoenix's form, he calmly darted a glance at Nan Xiong, filing away this interruption of his plans.

Following Nan Xiong's attack and shouts, more cultivators steadied themselves and launched their own assaults. In an instant, spells and flying swords, even more numerous and ferocious than before, rained down from afar. The fire phoenix's body immediately surged with spiritual energy, its internal energy growing chaotic. As it plunged forward for several miles, its massive form repeatedly shrank. This was a direct consequence of being attacked, reducing its size to maintain its cohesion. In a short span, its volume diminished by over thirty percent.

Nan Xiong and the others at the forefront could no longer remain stationary. While he had indeed seen through Lu Ye's trick and led his allies to intercept, achieving some success, the distance was ultimately too short. Had they been ten *li* further, he would have been confident in completely stopping the fire phoenix. But now, it was impossible!

One undeniable fact was that, among Divine Sea Realm techniques, this secret art was indeed terrifyingly powerful and difficult to confront head-on. Thus, the moment before the fire phoenix plunged into the crowd, the many intercepting cultivators could only temporarily evade its onslaught, scattering to the left and right.

The cry sounded once more, like a final, desperate struggle for life. Even with its reduced mass, the fire phoenix, still with a wingspan of dozens of *zhang*, violently crashed into the large formation formed by hundreds of cultivators. Everyone was retreating! The tightly maintained formation instantly shattered.

With a thunderous boom, and spiritual energy surging wildly, the gigantic fire phoenix figure disintegrated. It had been subjected to too many attacks while rushing into the formation, making it impossible to maintain its form. Fiery-red spiritual energy spread out in all directions, with flames soaring and swirling. Several cultivators found themselves enveloped, roaring and cursing incessantly, turning the scene into utter chaos. Some were injured, but most remained unharmed, and even those injured sustained no serious wounds. After all, so many cultivators had collectively absorbed the pressure from the fire phoenix's final explosion, preventing any fatal casualties.

Amidst the dust and disarray, some individuals spread their divine sense, searching in all directions to ascertain the treasure gourd's whereabouts. In such a chaotic situation, the tight encirclement could no longer be maintained. At the last moment, the treasure gourd had already escaped, moving with extreme speed. Not just one, but a group of cultivators detected this. Ignoring all else, they promptly leaped forward to give chase.

However, just then, an incredibly ferocious and violent aura suddenly erupted, as if an ancient, monstrous beast, imprisoned for ten thousand years, had broken free. Amidst the swirling flames, a sharp saber light suddenly slashed towards them. Caught off guard, some cultivators panicked, others scrambled to defend, and still others swiftly dodged.

The already chaotic situation descended into even greater pandemonium. In this swirling disarray, everyone's gaze quickly converged on one spot: the location where the fire phoenix had ultimately detonated!

The flames there were rapidly dissipating, revealing a distorted, towering figure swaying within the firelight, two points of bloodthirsty crimson faintly rippling within its form. The next moment, the figure's true form came into view, and everyone gasped.

It was clearly a towering crimson figure, standing three *zhang* tall. Intricate patterns formed a complex totem across its body; simply gazing upon it evoked an intensely wild and oppressive sensation. The figure was slender, with no unnecessary bulk. It stood there silently, yet it felt like an insurmountable chasm, blocking everyone's path. Of course, even more captivating was the exaggerated and unique long saber it wielded. Its segments, resembling bamboo, were clearly recognizable to anyone with a modicum of knowledge as not bamboo at all, but rather the spine of some ferocious beast. The savage aura surging from it undeniably indicated that this creature was no ordinary or nameless entity.

A War Puppet!

And it was a full-body, humanoid war puppet! Everyone's expressions turned to shock. Because of the fire phoenix earlier, everyone had instinctively assumed that a spell cultivator must have been hidden within it, since the fire phoenix was, after all, a manifestation of a spell. It was also undeniable that activating such a spell would be an immense burden for any Divine Sea Realm cultivator. One could say that anyone who unleashed such a technique would suffer a significant drop in their own strength. Therefore, after the fire phoenix dissipated, some cultivators believed that its instigator would surely meet a terrible end, though they weren't sure who would ultimately benefit from it.

Who would have thought that not only had he not died, but he had also donned such a war puppet! Judging by the saber light he had just unleashed, this individual seemed proficient in more than just spells. Many thoughts flickered through their minds. Some cultivators, too preoccupied to ponder, simply thought: *We gathered here for the treasure gourd, and now it's gone. Why waste more time here?* So they blurred, moving to give chase.

However, the moment he moved, the war puppet, which had been standing silently, also sprang into action. Despite its towering height, its speed was swift as the wind. With what seemed like a mere flicker, it intercepted the cultivator. Two streaks of crimson light trailed behind its head, remnants of the sanguine glow from its eyes. The massive long saber in its hand was raised, and it slashed down with an almost effortless motion.

The cultivator was aghast, hurriedly activating a defensive spiritual treasure to protect himself while shouting, "Fellow Daoist, why are you doing this?!" He hadn't intended to attack the war puppet; he merely wanted to pursue the treasure gourd. How had this offended it?

As the long saber descended, a high-grade defensive spiritual treasure shattered, followed by a flash of blood. The body split neatly into two halves, the cut impossibly clean! There was no elaborate flourish, no earth-shattering display—just a simple, straightforward slash. Yet, a top prodigy from a realm was cleaved apart as if he were made of paper. But it was precisely this simplicity that made it so much more shocking. The eyelids of the hundreds of cultivators present twitched in unison.

Lu Ye himself hadn't anticipated such a massive boost from donning the Dragon Seat as his strength increased. It had been a long time since he last used the Dragon Seat in combat. He was unsure of the true limits of this war puppet, acquired from a secret realm on the Dragon Ascent Continent. He only knew it was an extraterrestrial artifact. Back in the Cloud River Realm, wearing it had drained his life force to exhaustion after a single full-power burst, nearly killing him in the secret realm. He had also used it in the True Lake and Divine Sea realms, but it still placed an immense burden on him. Now at Divine Sea Eighth-Layer, the burden remained significant. After donning the Dragon Seat, he felt all his foundational reserves being rapidly absorbed. This undoubtedly indicated one thing: the Divine Sea Realm was still insufficient to fully control this war puppet.