Chapter 2201: No-Guts Coward

As expected, the cultivators who attempted to break out were quickly encircled and annihilated, dying tragically on the spot. This intensified the dread in the hearts of many.

By then, they had no choice but to follow behind the Crane Wing Camp cultivators, watching helplessly as the encirclement tightened around them, their space for survival shrinking. This slow, gradual march towards death filled them with terror.

Only the hundred members of the Crane Wing Camp remained calm, knowing the immense power of the Crane Wing Formation. In this battlefield, the Crane Wing Formation was unparalleled at the Dao Entry stage. Their task was simple: to attract as many enemies as possible, ensuring that when the formation was complete, they could catch the enemy off guard and achieve greater victories.

The moment had arrived.

Just as Lu Ye was about to order the formation to activate, a horrific scream suddenly echoed from afar.

Such screams were not uncommon on the battlefield, but the direction from which this one came made Lu Ye's heart clench. He quickly looked towards the sound.

He saw that the intensely fierce Dao Integration stage battle had, surprisingly, already concluded.

Du Feng's face was pale, blood splattered across the sky, and one of his arms was gone.

Not far opposite him, the Insect Race Dao Integration stage cultivator was also covered in blood, clearly not unscathed. His expression, however, was savage. In his hand, he held a torn arm – Du Feng's severed limb.

Their eyes met. Du Feng's gaze filled with terror, while the Insect Race Dao Integration stage cultivator's expression grew even more monstrous. He then brought Du Feng's severed arm to his mouth, biting into it savagely. Blood splattered everywhere, making the insect look like an Asura descending upon the world.

Du Feng's face alternated between green and white. After a brief struggle and hesitation, he gritted his teeth, changed direction, and fled into the depths of space.

He just fled like that!

This scene made Lu Ye, who was watching, frown.

This was not good.

Their own Dao Integration stage cultivator was the strongest fighting force at this stronghold. With him holding back the enemy's Dao Integration stage cultivator, the Dao Entry stage cultivators had room to contend with the enemy. Now that Du Feng had fled, the Insect Race Dao Integration stage cultivator was completely unrestrained. If he charged into the crowd, it would surely result in a bloodbath.

"This Du Feng... he was simply a coward!" Lu Ye gritted his teeth in frustration.

He was not without the strength to fight again. He had already reached the Dao Integration stage; what did losing an arm matter? As long as his Dao power remained, he naturally still had the means to continue fighting. But he had clearly been terrified by his opponent, which was why he had decisively fled.

If it were merely a one-on-one duel where he was outmatched, fleeing for survival would be excusable. But he was the strongest fighting force at this stronghold, and many allied cultivators were still trapped. His escape meant abandoning those cultivators. Given the current situation, only death awaited them!

"Kill!" The Insect Race Dao Integration stage cultivator was naturally unwilling to let Du Feng escape. Seeing him flee, he immediately roared, threw down Du Feng's severed arm, and flashed away in pursuit.

At this moment, many cultivators within the stronghold looked utterly desperate, their faces ashen.

Even those cultivators who had only recently arrived as reinforcements and had been following behind the Crane Wing Camp, skirmishing with enemies, felt at a loss.

Everyone was clearly thrown into disarray by Du Feng's actions, unsure what to do for a moment.

Many secretly regretted their decision, thinking that had they known this would happen, they would never have come to reinforce the area, only to end up trapped and unable to escape.

It was at this moment that the enemy's encirclement was complete. Seas of Blood enveloped them from all directions, leaving Lu Ye and the others no room to maneuver. Within those vast Seas of Blood, chaotic and tumultuous auras surged and churned, carrying murderous intent.

"Form the formation!" Lu Ye commanded in a low voice.

The situation did not develop in the worst possible direction because the Insect Race Dao Integration stage cultivator clearly prioritized killing Du Feng. This was a normal choice; in his view, the human Dao Entry stage cultivators here could no longer cause any significant trouble. As long as he could kill Du Feng, it would be a complete victory.

This gave the Crane Wing Camp members room to act.

The bloody color obscured their vision, hiding everything else, and all the reinforcing cultivators panicked. They were not new to the battlefield and naturally knew what fate awaited them if enveloped by the Blood Race's Sea of Blood.

However, amidst this boundless bloody shroud, a point of faint light suddenly bloomed, and a clear, resonant crane cry seemed to sound. Everyone's face registered surprise; they didn't know what was happening.

With a faint *shatter* sound, something seemed to break deep within their minds.

The bloody color suddenly disintegrated, accompanied by numerous dense and urgent screams, and the world cleared.

Some cultivators stared dumbfounded at the area not far ahead, because, at some unknown point, a giant crane silhouette had appeared in their vision. It had a layer of ethereal luminescence on its body, a wingspan of hundreds of miles, and exuded immense power. As it flapped its wings, the surrounding Seas of Blood surprisingly melted away like snow under a scorching sun. Along with them, the lives of the enemies also dissolved!

Looking closer, it wasn't a mere crane silhouette at all, but clearly a grand formation formed by the interconnected energies of numerous cultivators. The so-called crane silhouette was merely a vivid, lifelike manifestation of the combined power of the formation's cultivators!

"The Crane Wing Formation!" a knowledgeable cultivator immediately exclaimed.

Thousands of years ago, the Huang family, one of the four top aristocratic families, had spent immense human resources, wealth, and energy to create the Crane Wing Formation. This was no secret, and many people had naturally heard of it. So, even though they had never seen anyone actually form it before, now, with the divine crane right before them, they could quickly recognize it.

Confusion, shock, and then excitement followed. They had thought death was certain; who would have imagined such hope? The many cultivators following alongside the Crane Wing Formation immediately became excited.

Even the cultivators trapped in the stronghold, filled with despair, now had a glimmer of light in their eyes.

The divine crane bent its neck, its proud head pecking downwards as if pecking a small insect on the ground. A Sea of Blood disintegrated, and the Blood Race and Insect Race members hiding within it instantly suffered heavy casualties.

The divine crane flapped its wings, and streams of light shot out from between them, devastating everything in their path.

With each member contributing a power level above the Thirteenth Dao, it was as if everyone possessed the enhancement of a top-grade Dao Artifact, making it even more powerful than the Crane Wing Formation from more than half a year ago.

Such divine might was unstoppable!

The Blood Race's Seas of Blood could originally have played some role, but with Lu Ye present, they had become useless.

In less than ten breaths after the formation was complete, a hollow area was carved out of the originally airtight encirclement. The Seas of Blood further away writhed, as if encountering a natural predator, retreating uncontrollably.

Wang Xun's loud laughter continuously echoed amidst the slaughter. The last time, the Crane Wing Formation had made him feel its power, but this time, what he felt was not just power, but invincibility!

The power of fifteen Dao paths—even the enhancement of a top-grade Dao Artifact wasn't this terrifying!

Casually wielding the Dao Artifact in his hand, the blocking Insect Race and Blood Race members shattered like bubbles.

"Inside the formation!" Lu Ye's voice suddenly rang out.

Those cultivators who had been following behind the Crane Wing Camp as reinforcements paused for a moment, then immediately understood and swiftly moved, rushing into the crane's silhouette.

The formation, formed by a hundred people, extended for hundreds of miles with vast spaces between each member, naturally allowing it to accommodate many cultivators and offer protection.

As long as the formation remained unbroken, the cultivators hiding within the crane's silhouette would be safe from harm. They could fully advance and retreat with the crane's silhouette.

Safe at last, many cultivators breathed a sigh of relief. The situation they had thought was certain death had undergone such an astonishing and unexpected transformation.

The divine crane changed direction and swooped towards the stronghold. Along its path, any enemies attempting to block it were merely like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot.

And in this process, the cultivators protected by the formation discovered something astonishing: the formation was incredibly sturdy and did not weaken by accommodating them. Hiding within the crane's silhouette, they could even launch attacks outwards, fighting alongside the divine crane!

This was simply unbelievable.

One must know that while formations are powerful, the connections between those forming them can sometimes be fragile. Even if they can withstand external pressures, they can easily be disrupted by internal forces.

And once these connections broke, the formation would collapse on its own.

Yet, the current situation was that many cultivators protected within the crane's silhouette were all launching attacks, with countless streams of power rising and falling, yet it did not affect the formation in the slightest.

These people... where did they come from?

How could their connections be so sturdy?

There was no time to think further, and no one explained it to them, but everyone discerned the intention of these people.

They clearly wanted to rescue the cultivators trapped in the stronghold as well!

With this formation, they could have easily carved out a path to safety and left this dangerous place. But they did not; instead, they turned towards the stronghold.

Compared to Du Feng's cowardly escape, the difference was starkly clear.

The cultivators of the Insect and Blood Races also perceived the Crane Wing Camp's intention and fearlessly intercepted them one after another. However, it was utterly useless.

The huge disparity in overall strength could not be compensated by numbers. All enemies blocking their path had their life force instantly extinguished upon contact with the crane's silhouette.

The many cultivators besieged in the stronghold clearly also saw the divine crane approaching and realized the Crane Wing Camp's intention. Their hearts filled with gratitude, they immediately took action, rushing out of the stronghold to meet the Crane Wing Camp.

Moments later, they converged.

"Quickly, get inside!" the cultivators already sheltering within the crane's silhouette shouted loudly, welcoming their rescued comrades.

Once everyone was inside the crane's silhouette, the divine crane suddenly flapped its wings and surged in another direction.

Break out!

Suddenly, a powerful aura rapidly approached from afar, and the direction from which it came was precisely where Du Feng had fled.

From within the crane's silhouette, Lu Ye turned his head to look and saw the Insect Race Dao Integration stage cultivator, who had been chasing Du Feng, return furiously, his face filled with rage.

In just this short amount of time, the situation here had unexpectedly undergone such a massive change, which he could not have imagined.

Moreover, his own forces had suffered extremely heavy casualties.

Staring at the giant crane silhouette, the Insect Race Dao Integration stage cultivator's heart burned with raging fury. He rapidly accelerated, charging directly towards the divine crane.

The might of a Dao Integration stage cultivator imparted immense pressure even before he drew near.

Within the crane's silhouette, all cultivators, whether from the Crane Wing Camp or others, grew tense. The excitement and joy from their previous slaughter vanished. They hadn't expected the Insect Race Dao Integration stage cultivator to return so quickly!