Chapter 682: Zhang Xuan Sets the Formation

A retreat path hadn't been found when the opponent charged in, trapping them in a dead end once more. What were they to do?

There was no time for him to think carefully. As soon as he entered the room, the puppet charged straight at Zhang Xuan. It was clear Zhang Xuan had thoroughly infuriated the puppet, which now ignored even Luo Qiqi.

"Damn it!"

Knowing how formidable this creature's strength was, and that he couldn't possibly contend with it, Zhang Xuan's body shifted, and he shot straight into the air. This hall was not only much larger than the previous room, but also far more spacious above, reaching dozens of meters high. Since a direct confrontation was impossible, his priority was to get airborne.

No sooner had he taken flight than he felt a powerful aura rapidly rising from below. The puppet was leaping and charging towards him. Although this creature couldn't fly, a height of dozens of meters was nothing to a puppet possessing Saint realm strength.

"Teacher, I'll help you!"

Seeing the creature relentlessly pursue her teacher, Luo Qiqi was filled with anxiety. With a flip of her wrist, a bow and arrow appeared in her palm. She nocked an arrow and shot it straight towards the puppet in the air. The arrow vibrated intensely, carrying the power of a Cleansing Sixth Layer pinnacle expert. It reached its target in the blink of an eye, but the puppet swept its palm, deflecting it away.

During this momentary hesitation, Zhang Xuan found an opportunity. He quickly twisted his body in mid-air and flew towards Luo Qiqi. He could fly and maneuver freely in the air. The puppet merely leaped and continued its forward charge.

"Teacher..."

Seeing him fly over, Luo Qiqi didn't even think to ask why he could fly. She looked at him, full of worry, "Are you alright...?"

"For now, yes," Zhang Xuan replied. "But if we can't find an exit soon, we definitely won't be."

Zhang Xuan's expression was grim. He could evade the opponent a few times with aerial maneuvers, but once his zhenqi was depleted, he wouldn't be able to escape.

"Quickly put away the Redflame Cauldron," Zhang Xuan urgently instructed. "And let's hurry to find a way out..."

Knowing that further words were useless at this moment, Zhang Xuan quickly gave the order.

"Okay..." Luo Qiqi quickly nodded and approached the cauldron. As her palm touched it, she intended to put it into her storage ring. Before she could even move, she heard mechanical springs whirring and a voice spoke.

"I am Wu Yangzi! Whoever can forge or upgrade a spirit-grade high-tier weapon shall receive my inheritance. Otherwise, if you rashly take the Redflame Cauldron, the underground palace will instantly collapse. Upon receiving my inheritance, I will naturally reveal the method to leave the underground palace. Otherwise, you shall be buried with me here!"

"Collapse?"

"Buried with you?"

Zhang Xuan and Luo Qiqi froze simultaneously, both feeling a surge of frustration. Who wants your inheritance? With such a massive puppet right in front of them, ready to attack at any moment, how could they possibly have time to forge? Are you trying to kill us?

And forging a spirit-grade high-tier weapon... that would probably require a pinnacle 5-star Artificer, wouldn't it? Although Luo Qiqi knew how to forge, she was only an initial 5-star Artificer. How could she possibly forge a weapon that only a pinnacle 5-star Artificer could produce? As for him... he was completely clueless about forging. He hadn't even passed a single star-ranking exam, making it even more impossible for him.

As the two felt frustrated, a wave of air surged from the front again. The puppet had landed on the ground, locked onto their direction, and was charging wildly towards them once more. Judging by its speed, it would only take a few breaths for it to reach them and continue its relentless entanglement, fighting to the death.

"Teacher, what do we do?" Luo Qiqi's beautiful eyes were filled with anxiety.

Not only was she anxious, but Zhang Xuan also felt his scalp tingle. He had fought this enormous creature just moments ago; even with his clone, he couldn't withstand a single move. If it truly pursued them... it would likely take only a few moves for them to be beaten to death on the spot!

And judging by Wu Yangzi's message, they could only leave by obtaining his inheritance; otherwise, they would be trapped here until they died. To obtain the inheritance, they needed to forge... But in their current situation, even if they wanted to forge, this enormous creature wouldn't give them the time!

"Unless... there's some formation that can trap this creature," Luo Qiqi said anxiously, "otherwise, it's impossible for us to forge..."

"Indeed," Zhang Xuan replied. "But even if there is a formation, it would need to be at least a Level 6 formation. Otherwise, trapping it would be extremely difficult..."

Zhang Xuan nodded and was about to continue speaking when he suddenly paused, stunned. "A Level 6 formation?"

"Quick, help me block this creature for a few breaths!" Realizing something, his eyes lit up. Zhang Xuan's body shot up and he flew abruptly into the air.

"Okay!" Seeing her teacher's expression, Luo Qiqi knew he must have discovered something. She didn't dare hesitate, and again took out her arrows, shooting them straight at the puppet!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Several arrows followed in quick succession, each carrying immense power, forcing the puppet to raise its hands to block them.

Seeing the immense power of Luo Qiqi's arrows, and knowing she couldn't sustain firing many of them, Zhang Xuan wasted no more words. From his position in the air, with a flick of his wrist, a pile of formation flags appeared in his palm. These were the very ones he had dug up earlier in the valley.

He knew many formation diagrams for Level 3 formations, but very few beyond Level 4. The only Level 5 one he knew was for a Spirit Gathering Formation. Under normal circumstances, it would be absolutely impossible to set up a Level 6 formation. Without knowing the formation diagram and without suitable formation flags, how could it be accomplished?

But coincidentally, outside the valley, he had seen a Level 6 formation. Yu Feier had used the Formation Breaking Silver Needle to activate the formation, revealing its detailed layout and flaws. This had given him a deeper understanding of this formation than even the Spirit Gathering Formation. And this hidden formation just happened to be Level 6... and its formation flags had coincidentally been collected into his storage ring! At the time, he had only thought it would be a waste to discard such good items. He never dreamed they would be of such great use now!

"The room is big enough, perfect for setting it up..." From the air, he surveyed the entire hall. This hidden formation could conceal the entrance, so it could naturally also conceal the area with the pill cauldron and books. As long as the puppet couldn't find them, they would have enough time to forge the spirit weapon and figure out how to obtain Senior Wu Yangzi's inheritance! However, the previous hidden formation covered a very large area. Fortunately, there was enough space here; otherwise, it truly might not have been possible to set it up.

"Deploy!" Having locked onto the positions, he flicked his fingers. The formation flags in his palm shot straight out in all directions.

"Formation flags? Is Teacher setting up a formation?" Luo Qiqi, who was shooting arrows to stop the puppet, couldn't help but be stunned when she saw Zhang Xuan's actions. Then her pupils contracted. Although she hadn't studied the Formation Master profession, her best friend was a 5-star Formation Master, so she had personally witnessed how formations were set up. Even the most skilled Formation Masters in the Master Teacher Academy's Formation Department would first use a compass to measure the terrain, search inch by inch, and meticulously place each formation flag into the ground... But this person was different. From mid-air, he simply shot the formation flags out, several at once... Is this for real? Could a formation really be set up like this? It's too much like child's play, isn't it?

Amidst her shock, the power of her arrows weakened. The distant puppet, with an angry roar, reached out and caught one, throwing it straight back at her. Whoosh! Although it was merely thrown by hand, the creature's strength was too immense. The arrow, whistling through the air, shot straight towards her. Her pupils contracted. Luo Qiqi quickly dodged. A gust of wind swiftly swept past, tearing the fabric at her shoulder and leaving a faint scratch on her fair skin.

With one arrow forcing her to dodge, the puppet let out another low growl and charged towards Zhang Xuan in the air. With a twist of his body, Zhang Xuan changed direction. He continued to throw the formation flags downwards from his hand, each landing precisely in its designated spot.

"Your opponent is me! Don't bother Teacher!"

Seeing the creature pursue Zhang Xuan again, Luo Qiqi gritted her teeth. Her bow drawn like a full moon, she shot another arrow. This arrow was fired in anger, condensing almost all her power. Its speed was like a shooting star, reaching its target in an instant. The puppet didn't have time to block it and was struck in the forehead. However, the creature's defense was simply too strong. Furthermore, as a puppet, it had no vital points like acupoints. Although hit in a crucial area, it wasn't harmed in the slightest; instead, it was enraged. It roared again, ignoring Zhang Xuan in the air, and charged directly at her.

Clearly, Luo Qiqi had diverted the creature's aggression. Now, what it most wanted to do was to mince this woman into a paste. Its speed was swift. Before Luo Qiqi could react, the Otherworldly Demon corpse puppet was already upon her, its five fingers splayed, and it lunged to grab her. Its grasping fingers whistled through the air. Although it didn't use zhenqi, the aura and power it exuded still made the girl's breath catch.

"Get lost!" With a sharp cry, there was no time to draw and fire an arrow now. She swung her long bow and lashed out at the massive creature in front of her. Her longsword, which had been struck flying into the wall in the small stone room earlier, had not yet been retrieved. And even if she wanted to grab another weapon now, it would be too late. She could only use her bow to defend.

Snap! Before the long bow could even strike the opponent, it was caught by the puppet and lightly tugged. Luo Qiqi felt a tearing sensation in the web between her thumb and forefinger. She hastily let go, and the weapon was already in the puppet's palm. Even Zhang Xuan couldn't directly contend with its strength. How could she possibly?

Crack! Grasping the long bow, the Otherworldly Demon puppet brought its hands together, instantly snapping the spirit-grade mid-tier weapon in two. It casually tossed the pieces aside and lunged at Luo Qiqi again.

The air exploded with a violent sonic boom. Luo Qiqi hurriedly retreated, but it was still too late. A violent wave of air struck her chest, sending her tumbling several times through the air before she slammed heavily into a nearby wall. She spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, her face turning pale. A proud top student from the Master Teacher Academy, a renowned genius of the second year, she hadn't even managed to withstand a single move from this opponent. She was filled with dejection.

"No, I have to buy Teacher some time!" Struggling, she pushed herself up from the wall. Seeing the puppet abandon her and look towards Zhang Xuan again, Luo Qiqi gritted her teeth and charged straight towards it.

"Your opponent is me!" With an angry shout, her delicate fists struck the air.

Luo Wind Fist! This fist technique, left by her family's ancestors, had reached the late spirit-grade, possessing boundless power. It was the strongest offensive move she could currently employ! Even an initial Cleansing Seventh Layer Unity realm expert would have to temporarily avoid its edge.

However, this large monster wasn't a Unity realm expert, nor was it human. Before her fist even reached it, she saw one of its fingers point towards her. Blood spurted out. Luo Qiqi was sent tumbling twice through the air, shooting backward again. Just as she thought she would certainly slam into the wall this time and be half-dead from the impact, she felt a softness behind her and a surge of zhenqi enveloped her.

Immediately, a faint voice sounded in her ear.

"The rest... leave it to me!"