Chapter 321: Two Glowing Clusters

Fortunately, no one was controlling this grand formation; otherwise, Lu Ye wouldn't have even bothered trying. There's a significant difference between a controlled formation and an uncontrolled one. A controlled formation exhibits many changes, and with his current strength, Lu Ye simply wouldn't be able to make the necessary adjustments.

An uncontrolled formation, however, is different. It remains static, making it easier to target.

As he continued his efforts, the spiritual energy flow of the grand formation seemed to slow, but this was far from enough.

His spiritual energy consumption was significant, so Lu Ye quickly took out a bottle of Breath Fruit Wine and drank it, then popped several spirit pills into his mouth to continuously replenish his energy.

Time slowly passed, and the flow of the grand formation's spiritual energy gradually decelerated. This gave Lu Ye, who had been working tirelessly, hope of breaking through.

After a long while, the formation's spiritual energy flow was less than half its original speed. By this point, Lu Ye distinctly felt a greater resistance; the formation flags in his hands seemed to weigh a thousand tons, and a clear pushing force emanated from them.

His own spiritual energy was being depleted at an increasing rate. Even though Lu Ye continuously consumed Breath Fruit Wine and spirit pills, he couldn't fully replenish it.

A faint cracking sound echoed. Lu Ye, who was struggling to hold on, looked closely and felt his heart sink: a tiny crack had appeared on the formation flag in his hand.

He was using the power of thirty-two formation flags to suppress the grand formation's spiritual energy flow, essentially contending against the entire formation. Even though it was uncontrolled, the formation's inherent power and the impact of its flowing spiritual energy were immense, which led to the damage of the flags.

Lu Ye grew anxious. It would be a great pity if the attempt to break the formation failed due to the flags.

He had crafted these flags himself, but the materials were provided by Bai Qian. Since Bai Qian had received his gift of Soul Cleansing Water, the materials he provided were naturally of the highest quality. Even so, they were now struggling to withstand the pressure.

Crackling sounds intensified as more cracks appeared. The meticulously crafted formation flags seemed to have turned into delicate pottery, liable to shatter at any moment.

Lu Ye immediately increased the spiritual energy he channeled into them.

At this point, he had no choice but to go all out.

The spiritual energy within his body rapidly drained, like a flood released from a dam. His efforts finally paid off: the formation's flowing spiritual energy was swiftly suppressed, and within dozens of breaths, it completely stagnated.

Lu Ye's face flushed. Reaching into his storage bag, he lifted his hand, and four streaks of light shot out.

The four spirit artifacts circled in mid-air, then descended with lightning speed, striking the grand formation's nodes.

As the attacks landed, each artifact glowed, empowered by sharp spirit enchantments.

Lu Ye's eyes were fixed on the impact points. His heart pounded, and he even forgot to breathe.

After a brief stalemate, a crisp cracking sound followed. At the points where the four artifacts struck, dense cracks appeared, rapidly spreading outwards.

With a resounding crash...

It was as if a massive mirror had shattered. The entire defensive grand formation collapsed with a roar, and Lu Ye's thirty-two formation flags shattered along with it!

The formation flags, crafted only half a month prior, were reduced to fragments in this trial.

Lu Ye himself was sent flying backward by the spiritual energy shockwave from the formation's collapse, landing heavily on the ground.

He quickly scrambled to his feet, panting heavily, a hint of joy appearing on his pale face.

He had broken a defensive grand formation single-handedly. This wasn't merely exploiting its weaknesses as before, but a genuine, thorough destruction.

Although the formation was uncontrolled, which significantly reduced the difficulty of breaking it, if he were to genuinely assault a Ten Thousand Devil Ridge stronghold, he wouldn't need to put in such an arduous effort to dismantle an entire formation.

From this day forward, the grand formations protecting the Ten Thousand Devil Ridge strongholds in the Spirit Stream Battlefield would no longer be able to impede his progress.

He wondered what the Ten Thousand Devil Ridge would think once they learned of this, though he hoped they wouldn't be too dismayed.

The shattered formation flags were a minor issue; he could simply craft another set later when he had time.

What troubled Lu Ye slightly was that he was now almost completely exhausted, and with little time remaining, he likely wouldn't be able to pass the next trial.

He was content.

Lu Ye sat down cross-legged. Since he couldn't pass the next trial anyway, he decided to disregard it and take the opportunity to rest thoroughly.

However, to Lu Ye's surprise, after the defensive grand formation was breached, there was no second trial.

Previously, each trial was immediately followed by another, offering no respite whatsoever. He couldn't fathom why it was different this time.

Just as Lu Ye was feeling puzzled, a palm-sized ball of luminescence suddenly floated down before him. Although it wasn't larger than previous ones, its color was significantly more vibrant.

It was clear that the benefits contained within this luminescence must be immense.

Had he passed the thirty-third trial? Lu Ye paused, then realized that the thirty-third trial consisted solely of that one defensive grand formation, nothing else.

This was an unexpected pleasant surprise.

Furthermore, it seemed his earlier conjecture was correct: the rewards bestowed by the Hundred Formations Tower were related to his initial level of formation cultivation when he entered the tower. Since his initial level wasn't particularly high, the rewards he received, even for passing just one trial on the thirty-third floor, were incredibly generous.

Another ball of luminescence drifted down. This one wasn't vibrant in color but was as large as a washbasin.

Lu Ye's expression gradually grew serious.

He had never seen such a large ball of luminescence before. If it were to suddenly imprint itself into his mind, wouldn't it be deadly?

Moreover, passing the thirty-third trial resulted in two balls of luminescence descending, which was different from previous instances.

Just as he was thinking this, the washbasin-sized luminescence floated to the ground and then dissipated.

Clinking and clanking sounds...

Something scattered across the floor.

Unlike the previous rewards, this luminescence didn't contain vast knowledge of formation arts; instead, it enveloped several objects.

Lu Ye looked closely and saw a collection of jet-black formation flags! A quick count revealed precisely thirty-two of them.

Were these also rewards from the Hundred Formations Tower?

Lu Ye was somewhat surprised. He had never heard of anyone obtaining formation flags from challenging the Hundred Formations Tower. All cultivators of formation arts who attempted the tower received intangible benefits that aided their understanding of formations; the bestowal of actual flags was unprecedented.

But this was exactly what Lu Ye needed right now.

He had originally planned to spend some time at the Heavenly Esoterica Sect's forging workshop to craft a new set of basic formation flags after he left. He had already made one set before, so creating another wouldn't take as long and would result in an even better product.

Now, with the Hundred Formations Tower's reward, he saved himself some trouble.

Without examining the flags closely, he knew that a complete set of basic formation flags consisted of thirty-two, and their various combinations and connections were sufficient for the array-laying and array-breaking needs of cultivators at the Spirit Stream Realm and even the Cloud River Realm.

These flags clearly weren't ordinary; he could study them in more detail later when he had time.

After putting away the flags, Lu Ye finally raised his hand and reached for the luminescence before him.

Even though he had experienced it over thirty times, and even though his soul was now much more resilient than when he first entered the Hundred Formations Tower, the experience was always equally terrible.

Outside the Hundred Formations Tower, the cultivators holding their breath in anticipation perceived the unique vibrations and felt the enlightenment from the tower's resonance. Cheers erupted, one after another.

Here, they had witnessed the birth of a miracle and a historical event worthy of being recorded. Although they still didn't know the identity of the person who challenged the tower, this was the Heavenly Esoterica Sect, and they were cultivators of formation arts, so they shared in the glory!

Yu Xiao and Bai Qian exchanged glances, both letting out a long breath.

It was finally over!

They had been on edge for half a month, and now they were finally free from that internal torment.

While astonished by Lu Ye's capabilities, they still harbored some silent complaints. *That brat is so troublesome*, they thought. *Go on, keep causing a fuss. The Heavenly Esoterica Sect's Hundred Formations Tower only has thirty-three floors in total, so there's nowhere left for you to mess around!*

Despite their thoughts, both of them felt immense envy.

The Jade Blood Sect had certainly taken in an excellent disciple! With such a disciple, would they ever fear their sect wouldn't prosper in the future? Furthermore, that young man wasn't strictly a formation cultivator; anyone could see the purpose behind his study of formation arts. If he were to focus solely on the path of formation cultivation, there was no telling how high he might reach.

The Ten Thousand Devil Ridge would likely face difficult times ahead! At the very least, the entire Spirit Stream Battlefield was bound to undergo significant changes.

This made Yu Xiao feel a little lost in thought, recalling events from several decades ago. In that era, it seemed another disciple from the Jade Blood Sect had also led the trend across the Nine Provinces. Wherever that crimson flag with the golden flame went, the Ten Thousand Devil Ridge would retreat far out of its way.

In that era, the Jade Blood Sect was at its zenith!

Was the former glory and power about to reappear?

Yu Xiao was only glad of one thing: when Elder Tang from the Jade Blood Sect had visited previously, he had secretly forged an alliance pact with him.

The cheers in the valley gradually subsided. Formation cultivators began to comprehend the essence of formation arts, aided by the Hundred Formations Tower's resonance, while other cultivators eagerly craned their necks, looking towards the tower, all curious to know the true identity of the challenger this time.

After several hours of anxious waiting, the main gate at the base of the Hundred Formations Tower was pushed open, and a figure emerged.

Many didn't recognize the young man who walked out of the Hundred Formations Tower, but some did identify him. They felt a slight shock, yet also found it perfectly reasonable.

Given that Zhao Li, who was presumed dead, was still alive, there was no reason for Lu Yiye of the Jade Blood Sect to have perished.

Lu Ye hadn't expected such a large gathering in this otherwise quiet valley. Even Yu Xiao and Bai Qian were waiting there, along with several True Lake Realm cultivators from the Heavenly Esoterica Sect, clearly all high-ranking members.

"Sect Master Yu, Elder Bai," Lu Ye said, stepping forward to bow.

Bai Qian smiled and nodded, his demeanor very amiable. Regardless of his earlier worries and silent complaints about Lu Ye during the tower challenge, the outcome was undeniable. Though the young man standing before him didn't have high cultivation, Bai Qian could no longer regard him as an ordinary Spirit Stream Realm cultivator.

Furthermore, Lu Ye had previously given him eight drops of Soul Cleansing Water—a tangible benefit. With that Soul Cleansing Water, both he and Yu Xiao had a chance to advance to the Divine Sea Realm, thereby elevating the Heavenly Esoterica Sect's status.