Chapter 229: Layout Master

That's right, you guessed correctly! I am not only a descendant of the Ghost Shadow Asura lineage but also its sole heir. I came to the East Sea specifically to reclaim everything that belongs to our sect. To be frank, the entire scheme of the Northern Jin branch of the Qianyun Sect was masterminded by my imperial brother and me.

Without you, Xu Yang, Northern Jin would have already taken control of most of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces by now!

To deal with you, and also to use the Dao Heart Whisk in your possession to open the Dragon's Treasury, I rushed to Sangshui City immediately to ally with the Seven, all to await this very moment! Xu Yang, you are now worthless. Prepare to die! Once you are dead, the Cloud Yang Empire and Cold Moon Empire will be leaderless, and Northern Jin's grand ambition of unification will be within reach!

It now seemed that Tuoba Hong was a complete schemer. Tuoba Hong and his brother Tuoba Yun had allied with the Sword Alliance, playing an astonishingly vast game. Northern Jin's ultimate goal was to unify all forces across the Three Thousand Dao Provinces.

Tuoba Yun used the power of the Wind Sleeve Sword Alliance to strategize on the main battlefield, while Tuoba Hong pursued the path of the Dragon's Treasury, using Xu Yang to open the gate to this forbidden realm that no one dared to enter.

Undoubtedly, the entire plan had proceeded perfectly up to this point. In Tuoba Hong's view, once Xu Yang was dead, no one would be able to stop the Tuoba brothers' grand ambition.

Unfortunately, Xu Yang had always been a being who defied heaven's will. Attempting to scheme against someone who walked against the heavens was the most pathetic choice.

"Since we've met, let me see what you're truly capable of."

Xu Yang sneered, and without hesitation, summoned his Eternal Divine Sword. He coldly surveyed the area below.

The eerie green ripples appeared with increasing frequency. The outlines of numerous corpse-transformed phantoms also grew more solid. Countless ghoul puppets began to gather in this space, poised to strike, ready to launch a fatal assault on Xu Yang and the Empress in mid-air at any moment.

"What's going on...? There were only four ghoul puppets from the Seven just now. How have so many ghoul puppets suddenly appeared out of nowhere?"

The Empress looked down, utterly shocked, as she discovered that these puppets possessed incredibly solid spiritual fluctuations, as if they were living beings conjured from thin air! Such a secret art of creating something from nothing was truly rare.

"It's simple. The source of this formation is those three on the island. The more creatures they hunt on the island, the more corpse spirits they seize, and naturally, the more cruel ghouls they can pile up! If nothing goes wrong, you and I will soon face all the departed souls on this entire island!"

"What?!"

The Empress was greatly shaken! She naturally understood that there were hundreds, if not thousands, of demon apes alone on the island, not to mention other species. Combined, there must be at least tens of thousands of living beings!

The awkward truth was that at this moment, it was impossible for them to return to the island and eliminate those three sources of chaos. As long as those three remained alive, the formation would continuously condense and birth new ghoul puppets, gathering at their feet, ready to launch an attack.

"You only have one task now: protect yourself. Be ready to release the Profound Flame Titan at any moment to guard against Tuoba Hong's sneak attack. If I'm not mistaken, his true strength is at least at the Divine Infant Realm!"

After Xu Yang finished speaking, he immediately charged downwards with his sword, single-handedly sweeping away the ghoul puppets.

These ghoul puppets were generally weak, possessing only half the strength of the three who cast this formation, roughly at the Golden Core Realm. However, they appeared in an endless stream!

At this moment, Xu Yang and the Empress faced only two options.

Either find a way to destroy the formation's core, severing the remote connection between this sinister formation and the spiritual power of the three individuals, thereby stopping the formation's operation. Or, they could only find a breakthrough point in this area and try to escape this enclosed space that was vast yet filled with murderous intent.

Boom!

Xu Yang's combat power was unquestionable. Each wave of puppets could be instantly annihilated with a maximum of two sword strikes. However, another batch of dozens of ghouls would immediately appear, dropping randomly in different locations within the eerie green formation. Upon landing, they would automatically lock onto Xu Yang's aura and converge towards him.

Even though Xu Yang's power reached the heavens, his physical endurance was ultimately limited. He simply couldn't keep fighting like this indefinitely.

Although the Empress wished to spread her spiritual power to search for an exit and the formation's core, she was worried about Tuoba Hong launching a sneak attack! She knew that he had admitted to being from the Ghost Shadow Asura lineage, meaning he was undoubtedly a top-tier assassin wielding thunderous techniques. Once he decided to act, an unstoppable, earth-shattering killing blow would surely descend!

Sensing that Tuoba Hong, who had been motionless for some time, suddenly locked onto Xu Yang's aura, the Empress instinctively felt a surge of worry. She immediately unleashed her Cold Moon Art, engaging Tuoba Hong in a fierce long-range confrontation.

Brilliant ice-blue energy blades were continuously launched through the air. Unfortunately, such an offensive density was child's play to Tuoba Hong.

Strolling through the void, Tuoba Hong was in no hurry to make a move. He knew very well that the current attrition from the formation alone wouldn't be enough to weaken Xu Yang. Rashly attacking the Empress would only provoke Xu Yang and be counterproductive. It was better to continue waiting for an opportunity to launch a decisive strike and gravely wound one of them, especially a fatigued Xu Yang!

Tuoba Hong was exceptionally cunning. He knew very well that if anything happened to Xu Yang, his plan would be largely successful.

"You scoundrel, let's see where you can run this time!"

The Empress was finally enraged. After her successive attacks proved ineffective, she suddenly touched her brow. Powerful spiritual energy was instantly unleashed, and a purer ice-blue light spread from her pupils.

Having achieved a breakthrough to the Grand Completion Realm, the Empress's current strength was not to be underestimated. Throughout their journey, Xu Yang had often protected her, so the Empress had rarely needed to act, and she had naturally been overlooked by Tuoba Hong.

As this formidable spiritual fluctuation spread, Tuoba Hong was startled, leaping into the air. Without hesitation, he broke his own power seal. A crimson light flashed around his body, and a powerful aura radiated outwards, fully revealing the unique essence of the Divine Infant Realm.

"You might not realize this, but for any powerful assassin sect, concealing one's aura and true strength are fundamental skills. It's regrettable to inform you, my true strength is — Middle-Stage Divine Infant!"

Whoosh!

Without any warning, Tuoba Hong finally locked onto the Empress, preparing to unleash a thunderous strike.

The Empress instinctively wanted to summon the Profound Flame Titan for protection, but realized it was too late! The sacrificial summoning bracelet had just begun to glow, when an unprecedented sense of crisis already enveloped her.

"Hmph, you're overthinking it, brother."

CRACK!

At this critical moment, an ice-blue barrier suddenly materialized before the Empress, successfully blocking Tuoba Hong's chilling murderous intent from reaching her immediate vicinity, and perfectly safeguarding the Empress.