Chapter 1036: Zhang Xuan Breaks the Seal (Part 2)

The pit was covered in restrictions. Directly throwing stones would be akin to an attack or forced entry, which could easily provoke a counter-attack from the seal.

Other formation masters, upon encountering a powerful formation, would typically take out their compasses, study it extensively, and search for its foundation and core. This person, however, simply threw stones directly into the formation... This wasn't attempting to break the formation; it seemed more like an effort to activate it.

If left unactivated, over 20,000 people, including two grand formation masters, could barely control it. Once activated, wouldn't it cause a cataclysm and bury them all?

What on earth was this person thinking? Could he be out of his mind?

Otherwise, why would he act so foolishly? A dignified six-star peak formation master was doing something even an apprentice wouldn't.

Filled with frustration, he was about to step forward and intervene when the stone thrown by the other person immediately dropped upon contacting the pit, without causing any change to the seal.

“Thankfully, this seal only reacts to living beings; stones are inanimate objects, so a major disaster was fortunately averted…”

With no reaction, Liu Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

The seal at the cave entrance was beyond the capabilities of their two great seven-star formation masters. It was fine as long as it remained untriggered, but once activated, it was highly likely to reactivate the terrifying power below, causing immense suffering to everyone and potentially even leading to an explosion.

This person experimented with a stone, and there was no reaction. Presumably, he would now understand fear and retreat cautiously.

Just as he was imagining this person looking helpless and full of regret, he saw him wave backward. A student from the Master Teacher Academy rushed over, and the person whispered something into the student's ear.

The student's face immediately turned serious, and without a moment's hesitation, with a loud shout, he leaped straight toward the seal.

“Gasp…”

That he would order a student to rush into the seal, disregarding life and death, was unthinkable. Liu Mo felt his chest tighten and nearly fainted on the spot.

This person was foolish, but he hadn't expected the student to be even more so. Rushing in like that... it could indeed activate the seal, but once activated, you'd lose your life!

“Nonsense!” While he was stunned, President Han, a teacher not far away, was utterly enraged.

As the dean of an academy and a master teacher, most would treat students as their own children, cherishing them with utmost care. Yet this person, in order to test the seal, deliberately ordered a student to charge in, completely disregarding their life. It was simply deranged.

“Stop!” he shouted again, just as he was about to rush forward to intervene. He then saw Zhang Xuan, standing at the edge of the pit, make a sudden grabbing motion with his palm. True Qi, like a rope, immediately enveloped the student who was leaping towards the seal.

Just as the student was about to touch the seal, the rope pulled him back, sending him flying backward.

Simultaneously, the seal seemed to sense the aura of life; its light involuntarily flickered, as if agitated, and it pulsed once before settling. It did not fully activate, nor did it explode outright as previously feared.

“Such precise control…”

President Han’s expression changed slightly, filled with surprise.

Pulling the student back the instant he touched the seal required an extremely profound understanding of the seal and absolutely precise calculations for that specific point.

Even a difference of a centimeter or a millimeter could trigger the formation, causing it to activate and swallow the student whole. Conversely, if the contact was slightly less, there would be no reaction, and the seal wouldn't even quiver.

Of course, based on his own understanding of the seal developed over the past two days, he too could have accomplished this. What was truly unbelievable, however, was the unspoken understanding and profound trust between the student and Dean Zhang!

The recent action, had there been even the slightest superfluous movement, could have led to unpredictable and catastrophic changes!

Dean Zhang told him to jump, and he jumped without a hint of fear. How immense was that trust? Even if he himself issued such a command, Liu Mo, who was not far away, wouldn't be able to execute it with such immediate obedience.

It wasn't that Liu Mo didn't trust him, but rather that he didn't trust him blindly.

After the student's jump, Dean Zhang remained motionless, as if stunned. After a moment, he turned his head.

“Master Wu, are the seven-star peak formation flags ready?”

“Here…” Master Wu hesitated for a moment, then flicked his wrist, produced a formation flag, and handed it over.

As a seven-star high-grade Master Teacher who also cultivated formation arts, while his rank was not as high as President Han's, he was still able to retrieve a formation flag.

“Good!”

Taking the formation flag, Zhang Xuan nodded without the slightest hesitation. He stomped his foot on the ground, rose into the air, and flew directly above the pit.

His True Qi circulated, and gripping the formation flag, he appeared to be searching for a node to insert it into.

“This person is insane... Liu Mo, stop him immediately!” Seeing Dean Zhang rush over to test the node without even consulting them, President Han was nearly scared to death on the spot.

He had seen reckless individuals before, but never one so utterly reckless!

Even if you're certain, you should still discuss the situation with us! To rush in without a word... can you be absolutely certain that your judgment of the correct position is accurate?

You must understand that if a mistake is made, it won't just be a matter of tens of thousands of lives, but of all living beings within a thousand-kilometer radius!

This was truly outrageous.

“Yes!”

Hearing his teacher's command, Liu Mo charged straight toward Zhang Xuan in the air.

At this moment, he was also seething with anger, wishing he could instantly strike this ignorant person dead.

Before he even reached him, his palm extended, unleashing True Qi in a grasping motion.

He was a Saint Realm Triple expert; with a single move, the heavens and earth seemed to change color, and his formidable power flowed like a river.

“Hm?”

Zhang Xuan, who was about to locate the node and stabilize the seal in one swift move, had not yet acted when he saw Liu Mo attacking him. He couldn't help but frown, filled with confusion.

What on earth was this person thinking now?

There had been some verbal disagreements just moments ago, but surely a dignified seven-star formation master wouldn't be so petty!

However, the opponent had already made their move, and it was useless to dwell on it now. His expression darkened, and he also pressed down with a palm.

Boom!

His palm force was immense, his power pure. It collided with the opponent's palm, producing a violent roar in the air. The two impacts were surprisingly evenly matched.

“What formidable strength…”

Liu Mo’s pupils constricted.

Although he had only used less than a tenth of his strength to stop the other person, the fact that the opponent could easily block it indicated combat power that was far from merely being a Saint!

He was likely no weaker than a Saint Realm Two expert!

Creak! Creak!

Still reeling from shock, he was about to continue his attack on Zhang Xuan in the air, intending to force him to retreat, when he suddenly heard a grating, teeth-chattering sound from the seal below.

This was immediately followed by a sound like muffled thunder rumbling beneath, as if ready to erupt at any moment.

“Damn it, it’s about to erupt again…”

His pupils constricted.

The violent power beneath erupted every ten minutes. Evidently, that interval had passed, and it was about to begin again.

“Stop quickly! If you don't want to get everyone killed, then stop now…”

Knowing that once the muffled thunder ceased, the raging power beneath would surge forth and become unstoppable, Liu Mo gritted his teeth, roared, and lunged forward once more.

This time, he unleashed his most powerful technique. As his palm struck out, the air above Yanlin Mountain seemed to condense, and spiritual energy stagnated, unable to circulate.

“What on earth does this imbecile want?”

Seeing him about to attack again, Zhang Xuan frowned.

Once the violent power below erupted, it would impact the entire seal, causing anomalies. The nodes that had been painstakingly calculated could then shift slightly.

Such nodes, involving both power and position, adhere to the principle of ‘a miss by a hair is a miss by a mile’; there could be no room for error. He was just about to locate the precise spot and avert the disaster entirely, yet this person persistently interfered…

He was simply a terrible teammate!

“No, the power below is about to surge; once it begins, it will be too late…”

His expression grim, Zhang Xuan was burning with anxiety: “But this person’s strength far surpasses mine. I was only able to block him moments ago because he underestimated me and didn't exert his full strength. Now that he’s employing his full power, even if he can’t kill me, it will be impossible for me to withdraw safely and successfully insert the formation flag into the node…”

Originally, inserting the formation flag would have been instantaneous, but with this person causing interference, it became difficult.

Given the opponent's Saint Realm Triple strength, even if he could fight above his own level, he was simply no match.

“My apologies!”

Knowing he had no time to waste engaging with the other person, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes and roared, “Students of the Master Teacher Academy, where are you? Knock him down for me!”

“Yes!”

Hearing the dean’s command, 20,000 students roared in unison, simultaneously raising their palms.

Boom!

Individually, these students might not have been strong, perhaps only at the Heavenly Bridge or Unity Realm, but united, they were formidable. Twenty thousand streams of True Qi converged like a giant dragon, distorting the surrounding space even before reaching their target.

“Oh no…”

He hadn't expected this person to command so many students. Liu Mo's expression instantly changed, and he no longer paid attention to attacking Zhang Xuan above. With a backhand, he redirected the power he had just unleashed.

Upon colliding with the True Qi from below, he immediately shot backward like a cannonball, spitting mouthfuls of blood while still in mid-air.

The combined attack of 20,000 students was something even a Saint Realm Five expert would be forced to flee from, let alone him.

“Excellent!”

Knowing that the many students had shown mercy, and that this person was merely injured, not killed, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He ignored him, twisted his wrist, aimed the formation flag in his palm at a specific spot, and prepared to insert it.

“Stop…”

Before the formation flag even left his hand, he heard another furious shout and saw President Han, no longer able to restrain himself, also rushing forward.

Rumbling!

Just as this person reached mid-air, the rumbling below grew increasingly loud, clearly on the verge of erupting.

“Knock him down for me too!”

Knowing he could no longer afford to contend with this person, Zhang Xuan roared again.

“Yes!” The many students nodded in unison, their combined power ready to erupt at any moment.

“You dare…”

President Han’s expression changed.

Although he was a Saint Realm Four peak expert, he could not withstand the simultaneous attack of 20,000 students.

He gritted his teeth and roared, “I am saving all of you! Otherwise, if your dean’s formation flag falls, everyone will be buried alive…”

Boom!

Before he finished speaking, a formidable beam of light struck.

His vision went black, and President Han, like Liu Mo before him, was sent flying backward, crashing into a nearby rock wall. He landed covered in dust, looking utterly disheveled.