Chapter 263: Unexpected

"Roar!" The white ice flood dragon and the black flood dragon roared almost simultaneously, each spitting out an egg-sized demon core. They struck the two-colored light barrier in a flash. This was a desperate act; their demon cores were their most precious possessions. If a demon core was damaged, their strength would be greatly diminished.

If two or more Core Formation cultivators had controlled this Eight Gates Wind and Fire Formation, the two third-tier flood dragons would never have broken through. However, with only one Core Formation cultivator and sixty-four Foundation Establishment cultivators operating it, the formation's full power couldn't be unleashed. A complete formation, after all, required magic treasures as formation flags.

The two-colored light barrier shook violently, its glow dimming. The two flood dragons slammed fiercely into a certain direction. With an earth-shattering crash, the two-colored light barrier shattered, and the flood dragons escaped.

As they broke free, tens of thousands of green wind blades struck from all directions. Dozens of these blades hit the two demon cores, not destroying them, but leaving small marks on their surfaces. The two third-tier flood dragons felt immense pain. Although their demon cores weren't destroyed, they had to be retracted into their bodies for slow recuperation.

The two third-tier flood dragons bared their fangs and claws, lunging at the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had surrounded them. Without the formation, these Foundation Establishment cultivators were mere ants.

The black flood dragon, in particular, lunged towards Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan. Wang Ruyan's expression changed, and she quickly took out her Azurelight Mirror. With a flash of azure light, a large swath of azure radiance shot out, enveloping the black flood dragon. The black flood dragon's movement paused but quickly resumed, shattering the azure radiance. With a "crack," the mirror surface of the Azurelight Mirror shattered.

Seizing the opportunity, Wang Changsheng flickered and reappeared over a dozen zhang away. He raised his right hand, and a golden rope shot out, instantly wrapping around Wang Ruyan's slender waist. With a tug, Wang Ruyan quickly flew towards him.

The two third-tier flood dragons charged into the crowd, rampaging. Several Foundation Establishment cultivators were crushed to pulp, and over a dozen more were swept away by their tails, slamming into the rock wall, falling lifelessly to the ground.

"Wife, be careful!" Wang Changsheng's face paled as he saw a giant black claw swiping towards Wang Ruyan, exclaiming in alarm. Almost instinctively, he pulled Wang Ruyan into his arms and rolled to the ground. A sharp claw from the black flood dragon quickly grazed Wang Changsheng's back, leaving a terrifying bloody gash. Fortunately, his physical body was stronger than an ordinary person's, and his timely evasion meant his life was not in danger.

At this moment, Yang Zongwang also summoned three yellow flying swords, each about two feet long, and fiercely struck the black flood dragon's right claw. With several dull thuds of metal clashing, the black flood dragon bled profusely, and faint glimpses of bone could be seen.

Two other members of the Yang family also activated their talisman treasures: an azure short ruler and a yellow seal. The azure short ruler blurred, transforming into hundreds of identical rulers that rushed to strike both the black and white flood dragons. The yellow seal rapidly expanded to the size of a small hill and slammed down towards the weakened black flood dragon.

Furthermore, Yang Zongwang summoned a third-tier puppet beast—a golden ape over ten zhang tall, shimmering with golden light and radiating powerful spiritual energy. The golden ape pounded its chest, let out a heaven-shaking roar, and unleashed a golden wave of sound. Where the golden sound wave passed, ripples formed in the void.

The golden sound wave was incredibly fast, striking the white flood dragon in a flash and sending it flying backward. The golden giant ape clenched its right hand into a fist and fiercely smashed it onto the black flood dragon.

"Boom!"

The white and black flood dragons slammed into the rock wall, but quickly, they shook their heads and tails, lunging towards the golden giant ape. The black flood dragon opened its mouth and spat out a thick black light beam, which struck the golden giant ape in an instant, leaving only faint white marks. The white flood dragon spat out a thick white light beam, hitting the golden giant ape. The golden giant ape was immediately frozen, turning into a white ice sculpture.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators who had narrowly escaped death scattered and hid in corners. They dared not use their magic tools to attack the third-tier flood dragons, knowing they couldn't withstand an attack if the flood dragons targeted them. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan huddled in a corner, a black shield protecting them.

"Roar!"

Knowing their situation was dire, the two flood dragons rushed towards the exit. The black flood dragon was the fastest, quickly reaching the cave entrance and almost flying out.

"Vile beast, stop right there!" Yang Zongwang formed a hand seal, and his three yellow flying swords flared brightly, erupting with countless yellow sword energies. They furiously struck the black flood dragon's body, piercing its tail and causing profuse bleeding. The black flood dragon roared and spat out its demon core, aiming it at Yang Zongwang.

"Oh no!" Yang Zongwang's expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, he quickly summoned a yellow shield to protect himself. The black demon core flashed before the yellow shield. With a deafening "boom," the black demon core exploded, and a vast expanse of black light enveloped an area hundreds of feet wide, sending out rolling waves of air. After two breaths, the black light dissipated, and the black flood dragon had already escaped.

The white flood dragon also reached the cave entrance, about to flee. Just then, a ripple spread above its head, and a yellow giant palm several zhang in size appeared out of thin air, quickly slamming down.

"Boom!"

With a loud crash, the white flood dragon plummeted to the ground. At this moment, the ice layer on the golden giant ape's body also shattered. The golden giant ape charged forward, grabbed the white flood dragon's tail with both hands, and violently swung it. The white flood dragon's head slammed hard into the rock wall, dislodging a large amount of rubble.

Led by an unknown person, the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the grotto sequentially rushed towards the cave entrance. If they didn't leave now, they would surely die if caught in the aftershocks of the battle. Yang Zongwang did not stop them. Foundation Establishment cultivators would be of no help staying there. More importantly, most of the cultivators were from the Yang family. Forcing the outsiders to stay and fight a bloody battle was out of the question; these individuals were not weak in cultivation. After the Sword Discussion Convention, they would enter Purple Moon Manor. If they suddenly all died, their backing forces would investigate, causing significant trouble for the Yang family.

The white ice flood dragon had been injured by his spirit art, and combined with the formation's previous consumption, its demonic power was dwindling. He would have no problem killing this white ice flood dragon.

After exiting the cave, Wang Changsheng and the others were surprised to find that the Yang family disciples guarding outside had suffered heavy casualties. Several shattered formation plates were scattered on the ground, likely caused by the black flood dragon.

"Fellow Daoist Yang, the third-tier flood dragons are too powerful; we are no match. We don't want the reward. Please excuse us," a tall, dark-faced man said to Yang Zongyan.

"Wait!" Yang Zongyan said coldly, summoning his magic tool. "You intend to pursue the black flood dragon, don't you? Don't think I don't know what you're planning. That black flood dragon belongs to our Yang family. No one is permitted to leave until Ninth Elder emerges." The Yang family disciples, on alert, promptly summoned their magic tools and watched the outside cultivators.

The black flood dragon was severely wounded, its demon core having self-destructed. Killing it wouldn't require much effort or be too dangerous.

"Hmph, humans die for wealth just as birds die for food," the dark-faced man scoffed. "Your Yang family offers a meager reward and expects us to risk our lives? What do you take us for? If it comes to a real fight, who's afraid?" The dark-faced man took out five black orbs, radiating powerful spiritual energy, their surfaces covered in intricate spirit patterns.

Wang Changsheng simultaneously released five mid-grade second-tier puppet beasts, while Wang Ruyan released five low-grade second-tier puppet beasts. Other outside cultivators promptly summoned their magic tools or talismans, creating distance from the Yang family cultivators. Yang Zongyan's expression turned grim. The dark-faced man held five Heavenly Thunder Orbs. If he unleashed them all, some Yang family disciples would undoubtedly be killed or injured.

Just then, a deafening crash echoed from inside the cave, faintly mixed with a dragon's roar. "This isn't good! Ninth Elder is in trouble!" A male voice came from within the cave.

"Forget it, if you want to leave, then leave!" Yang Zongyan hesitated slightly, then decided to return to assist Yang Zongwang. "Let's go back and help Ninth Brother." If anything happened to Yang Zongwang, it would be a disaster for the Yang family. Furthermore, if a real fight broke out, he wasn't confident he could stop them, especially Wang Changsheng and his wife, whose control over ten second-tier puppet beasts made him extremely wary.