Chapter 1547: Positioning the Formation

The universe was cold, very silent, and utterly soundless. Distant starlight streaked across, adding to the profound tranquility.

"Why haven't they appeared?" the Saint Prince asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

They had instantly vanished into the void, disappearing from their original spots, ready for an ambush. However, a long time had passed without any sign of movement.

"I must have seen wrong; it was probably just a meteor," the Black Emperor declared, not batting an eyelid.

"Do you really believe what it says? Can someone who gets themselves lost be reliable?" Ye Fan remarked, looking as if he had known this all along.

Clearly, the big black dog had just been trying to change the subject and distract them. It didn't want to be mocked by the three for being heartless, so it had deliberately created this ridiculous misunderstanding.

"This is even better! We have plenty of time; heaven is on our side! Let's set up a killing formation and use their own tactics against them!" The Black Emperor's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Ye Fan, Ji Zi, and the Saint Prince were relegated to being mere assistants, ordered about by the Black Emperor to help set up the formation. It was truly unique to have three Great Saint-level Imperial Princes at its beck and call.

The others were dumbfounded. How many treasures had this wretched dog acquired from the starry sky? All the materials were incredibly rare, and even the foundation stones for the formation platforms were sacred artifacts.

"Have you become a space pirate? How do you have so many treasures?" the Saint Prince asked.

"Nonsense! Am I that kind of person?" the big black dog retorted, assuming an air of righteousness.

"Yes!" Ji Zi replied, nodding with his usual conciseness.

"Honest people don't behave like this! How could you undermine me? I've always held the Void Emperor in high esteem," the big black dog said unhappily.

"You hold him in high esteem, yet you incited Duan De to rob graves in the Ji family's cemetery, and even took a share yourself. You even wanted to enter the Void Emperor's tomb," Ye Fan exposed, revealing its past misdeeds.

The big black dog immediately looked embarrassed, while Ji Zi glared at it with murderous intent.

The Black Emperor immediately protested loudly, "That's just a rumor! I have always been a person of integrity and would never do such a thing. One must have a conscience!"

"Your conscience has been eaten by dogs."

"Woof, woof, woof!" the big black dog barked, chasing and nipping. "Ye brat, you always undermine me! Do you think just because you're a Great Saint, I can't do anything to you?"

Wherever the dog was, there would be no peace; chaos was inevitable. In Ye Fan's words, this dog was utterly exceptional, engaging in all sorts of fraud and trickery, and specializing in "ripping off acquaintances." With it around, one could forget about being lonely.

"Huh, where are the phoenix divine feathers I got from the Azure Luan clan?" the big black dog muttered. "And I can't find the divine armor pieces I obtained from the Black Tortoise Sea either."

Ye Fan, Ji Zi, and the Saint Prince all wore expressions of understanding, certain that the dog had acquired these items through trickery and deception. They silently mourned for the races that had been swindled.

"No, some items need to be replaced, otherwise the killing formation won't be powerful enough," the Black Emperor stated.

Then, it eyed the star below, which was precisely the ancestral land of the Teng Snake lineage. The big black dog's eyes lit up. "Why are we worrying here when we're sitting on a treasure mountain?" it said. "Let's just go down and 'borrow' some things."

"If you want to loot them, just say so. Why bother with 'borrowing'?" Ye Fan quipped, though he didn't think the suggestion was bad at all.

"When a scholar 'steals' books, it's not called stealing," the big black dog righteously corrected. "So when I take materials for crafting formations, is that looting? Of course not! That's borrowing!"

Although the Saint Prince sometimes found the big black dog's behavior rather unsavory, at that moment, its suggestion was perfectly to his liking. He detested the old Teng Snake, so he naturally agreed wholeheartedly, and they swiftly descended towards the massive star below.

The fearsome group of ancestors had returned, all wielding Emperor artifacts. How could anyone fight them now? How could they possibly resist? All the experts of the Teng Snake clan turned ashen with fright and fled for their lives.

In a vital area of the Teng Snake lineage, a partial Quasi-Emperor killing formation had been laid out—the very place where the Black Emperor had just been trapped. However, other areas lacked such Quasi-Emperor formations, allowing them to break in effortlessly.

"We're rich! The Teng Snake lineage's treasures are so abundant, it's truly exciting!" the big black dog exclaimed, grinning foolishly as drool trickled from its mouth.

It showed no politeness, sweeping through like a whirlwind, leaving everywhere it passed utterly clean, with hardly a single trace left. Useful or not, it simply collected everything first.

"What is the highest realm of defeating an enemy?" the big black dog declared smugly. "It's not forcing them to surrender without a fight, but making them destroy themselves. And now, I am employing precisely that method."

Not only did it empty several treasuries, but it also gathered all the divine exuviae the old Teng Snake had shed over several molts, preparing to incorporate them into the killing formation.

"Such excellent leather is incredibly rare! Do any of you want some?" it asked eagerly. "How about a pair of Teng Snake skin battle boots for everyone?"

This dog's character was truly unmatched! Although the other three were also looting, they weren't nearly as thorough. After emptying the Teng Snake Palace, the Black Emperor was still not satisfied and then set its sights on the clan's cemetery.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't cross that line!" Ye Fan said, nudging the dog. "Every profession has its specialty; that's Duan De's domain. We don't have time to dawdle now. What if that long worm comes back early and we can't even set up the killing formation properly?"

"I have always been knowledgeable; I could learn Little Dezi's tricks just by looking," it boasted. "However, time is truly short, preventing me from shining in that particular field today. So, we'll stop here for now." It turned and left reluctantly.

Outside the domain, it was dim and cold. One divine material after another was forged into formation flags and thrust into the void. One formation platform after another took shape, merging into the darkness.

The aura of this place instantly changed, imbued with a formidable energy that seemed to usurp the very creation of heaven and earth. The Peerless Killing Formation was rapidly taking shape, its killing intent capable of tearing apart the universe.

Now, as the Black Emperor's mastery deepened, a corner of the ancient Peerless Divine Might finally revealed itself. Just gazing at it from a distance sent shivers down one's spine!

This, of course, wouldn't do. The big black dog quickly deployed Heaven-Deceiving Formation patterns, instantly concealing the killing intent. In truth, if it had truly mastered the killing formation completely, such a measure wouldn't have been necessary.

Finally, everything was ready, all that was left was for the old snake to return.

"The peerless grand formation is complete!" the Black Emperor shamelessly declared, adding that if it claimed to be second in array formations today, no one would dare claim to be first.

On the star, someone was rushing towards the outer domain, clearly to deliver a message to the old Teng Snake. Their blatant movements naturally alarmed some of the people below.

However, with the Black Emperor, an expert in formations, present, it was impossible for anyone to slip through. As soon as they entered this void, their true forms were exposed. The monkey then extended a large hand, grabbing all of them; not a single person managed to pass through.

Time passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, two days had gone by.

The Black Emperor was restless. The Emperor's source had been its destiny, but the old snake had interfered, seizing one of its Dao fruits, leaving it seething with anger.

The Saint Prince, too, looked solemn. If the old snake were to enter the Quasi-Emperor realm because of this, it would indeed be catastrophic news, with unpredictable consequences.

On the third day, the Black Emperor's spirit was roused. "They might be here!" it announced.

It had set up a special formation capable of perceiving even the most subtle fluctuations. A being almost comparable to a Quasi-Emperor, upon appearing in a star region, would inevitably cause the entire heavens and earth to tremble, creating a unique pressure.

Ye Fan, Ji Zi, and the others all concealed themselves in the shadows, using Heaven-Deceiving Formation patterns to hide their auras. Not a single ripple of their presence escaped, making them incredibly secretive.

Almost instantly, a brilliant light erupted as the grand formation outside the domain was triggered. The formation platforms, scattered in all directions, rushed over as if summoned, converging at once.

Because they didn't know from which direction the old snake would return, they had prepared numerous formation platforms, ensuring absolute sufficiency.

Moreover, as soon as one platform was triggered, the others would immediately tear through the void and descend, capable of inundating the entire area and unleashing a terrifying, indiscriminate assault.

"Roar..."

A colossal roar shattered the universe, as if a leviathan from the dawn of creation intended to destroy the world, capable of crushing countless stars with a mere turn.

This was a colossal Teng Snake, tens of thousands of miles long. It unleashed a Heaven and Earth Dharma Idol, sweeping across the vast starry sky, attempting to exit the formation and return by its original path.

Ye Fan, Ji Zi, and the Saint Prince all felt a chill in their hearts, and even the Black Emperor seemed a bit stunned. Meanwhile, the Teng Snake's colossal body continued to expand, seemingly on the verge of crushing the heavens.

"It's just a physical Dharma Idol! What if it fills the universe? It's still just a long worm!" the Black Emperor roared, snapping out of its daze. "Let's slice it into thirteen pieces, press all the Emperor artifacts onto it, and force it into the formation!"

Of course, none of them were intimidated. The monkey's father, as the Battle Saint Emperor, had once swallowed star rivers, countless times more powerful than this old Teng Snake.

Wielding his black iron rod, he swept it across, radiating brilliant immortal glow and myriad auspicious colors. A terrifying aura surged forth, shattering numerous small stars in the distance.

He was the embodiment of the Battle Saint, unstoppable!

Ji Zi's father was the Void Emperor, who had battled many supremes in the seven great forbidden zones of life. Having grown up immersed in such a background, Ji Zi's own experience was vast. A mere Teng Snake, let alone one not yet a true Quasi-Emperor, would not frighten him, even if it were a genuine one.

He flipped the Void Mirror in his hand, casting out a dazzling light that transformed into a brilliant beam. It shot directly forward, causing the old Teng Snake's expression to change as it swiftly dodged.

As for the Black Emperor, it went without saying that it had followed the Peerless Emperor. In its own words, having accompanied Great Emperors, why would it fear a mere Teng Snake? It stood upright, wielding a killing sword, and walked sideways with a swagger.

The only one who hadn't accompanied a Great Emperor was Ye Fan. However, he had experienced countless battles, having fought his way across the ancient human paths, so he was utterly fearless.

With a hum, the green bronze cauldron above his head glowed, releasing the might of an Emperor. Now that he was a Great Saint, he could activate this immortal artifact.

The four powerful beings united, each wielding an Emperor artifact. This was a disaster for anyone, especially when they were plotting against an unsuspecting foe.

"Juniors, how dare you!" the old snake roared in fury.

It had already retracted its eighty-thousand-mile Dharma Idol, transforming into a devil-god-like figure. It dodged the attacks, standing firm in the void, its golden hair flying wildly, its eyes as cold as two ice caverns.

"You killed my sworn brothers, destroyed their ancestral land, and slaughtered the beings of an entire small star. Even repaying this blood feud with your life wouldn't be enough!"

"You monkey, you ruined my great plan and still dared to show your face here! My move is to kill you; come and face your death!" the Teng Snake hissed with chilling killing intent.

Yet, within his heart, immense waves of shock surged. Four individuals attacking, all wielding Emperor artifacts, made half his body go cold, filling him with profound dread. Still, he showed nothing on his face.

"Old snake, you ruined my Dao fruit and snatched my Great Emperor's source! I will never rest until you are dead!" the Black Emperor roared.

The Teng Snake turned its head and looked at the Black Emperor, its face growing darker and darker. Finally, it couldn't help but let out an earth-shattering howl, for it had seen the golden boxer briefs the big black dog was wearing.

The old snake was so furious that it almost spat out blood. Its entire body trembled, its golden hair stood on end, its eyes wide with rage, almost bulging from its sockets. "I'm going to kill you!" it roared.