Chapter 241: Breaking the Formation

An Zheyang hummed a tune on the mountain peak, his gaze fixed on the bright moon. On a small table before him, a bottle of wine and two dishes were laid out. He took a couple of satisfying sips, let out a long breath, and sat in quiet contemplation.

During his time in the An family, An Zheyang wielded immense power and lived a life of formidable grandeur. Yet, even exotic delicacies like demon beast bear paws and clear spirit fish tasted bland to him, leaving him feeling adrift. Having suddenly experienced such a dramatic downfall, he now found common mortal wine and humble dishes more delicious than anything he had eaten before, and his days were surprisingly more content.

A self-deprecating chuckle escaped An Zheyang as he considered this. Just then, a servant scurried up from below, lantern swaying, gasping for breath, repeatedly calling out:

"Master... Master...!"

"Oh?"

An Zheyang felt a faint tremor of fear at the servant's appearance and whispered, "Is it the Madam...?"

"No!"

The servant shook his head vigorously and replied, "Word from the main family! Yu Yufeng of the Yu family has fallen, and our Old Ancestor has successfully broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm! We are preparing to dispatch troops to Mount Huazhong to reclaim our territory!"

"What?!"

An Zheyang looked up in disbelief, utterly stunned. His legs went numb, and he trembled, looking around, speechless. Only after the servant called out to him twice did tears stream down his face, and he burst into boisterous laughter.

"Damn it all... Li Tongya is a genius! To hell with it!"

Overwhelmed by emotion, he forgot himself. He leaped from the stone, kicked open the reddish-brown gate, and bellowed:

"Chen Donghe! Chen Donghe!"

Chen Donghe was deep in thought, sword in hand, when An Zheyang burst in so aggressively. Believing the scoundrel was staging a rebellion, Chen Donghe immediately adopted a defensive stance, sword ready as if facing a formidable foe. To his surprise, An Zheyang was both laughing and crying, exclaiming:

"Damn it, stop practicing your sword! It's time for a fight!"

Seeing Chen Donghe's bewildered expression, An Zheyang quickly explained the news. Chen Donghe's face instantly lit up with delight; he had known Li Tongya had broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm, but never imagined Yu Yufeng would die so decisively outside. He quickly nodded, summoned the wind, and together they ascended into the sky. Below, armored soldiers moved through the town, their cold, gleaming blades reflecting brightly in the firelight.

The two paused briefly. A young man, holding a golden bow, approached them. His eyes were sharp, and his attire was simple yet efficient. They quickly clasped their hands in salute and spoke:

"Xuanfeng," and "My Lord."

Li Xuanfeng nodded slightly in acknowledgment and replied, "The An family possesses two peaks: Jade Court Mountain, their ancestral vein, and Mount Huazhong, which they acquired from the Ji family years ago. You two will accompany me to Jade Court Mountain to seize it. Mount Huazhong will be left for the Old Ancestor and the others."

An Zheyang, naturally well aware of this, quickly nodded. Beside him, Chen Donghe subtly frowned and whispered:

"This is indeed a good plan, but I've heard that the Yu family has stationed cultivators to guard the An family. Won't this mean a direct confrontation with the Yu family, a complete breaking of ties, and a major battle?"

Li Xuanfeng shook his head and chuckled, "Haha, we were invited by Brother Zheyang to remove the illegitimate brother of the An family who seized control, violating ancestral law, and to restore proper order. Our actions are inherently righteous. As for any Yu family cultivators, we haven't seen them; they are merely rogue cultivators hired by An Zheyayu."

"Precisely."

A figure slowly descended from the sky, robes fluttering. His features bore a seventy percent resemblance to Li Tongya, and a sword was belted at his waist. It was indeed Li Xuanling, Li Tongya's son. He nodded slightly at the words, then took over the conversation, replying, "For the past few years, the various families on the East Bank have been restless, already harboring both hatred and fear for the Yu family, making them difficult to suppress. Yu Mugao likely feared provoking widespread anger, which is why he never directly annexed the An family, opting instead for a policy of loose control. Now, we possess legitimate legal grounds. As long as we act swiftly, and with Yu Yufeng gone, the Yu family will not dare to object."

Chen Donghe nodded. After a brief discussion, Li Xuanfeng, accompanied by the two, rode away on the wind. Li Xuanling paused in mid-air, and his elder brother, Li Xuanxuan, caught up with him on the wind, whispering:

"Brother Ling, do you find An Zheyang trustworthy?"

"Outwardly compliant, but his true thoughts remain unknown."

Li Xuanling replied, and Li Xuanxuan subtly frowned, saying, "We have already promised him Fei Ruo and granted him freedom of action. He shouldn't fear that we will use him and then cast him aside."

"As a sixth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator, he still holds some influence in the lake region. He understands his value."

Li Xuanling shook his head, and he and Li Xuanxuan sped through the wind. In the distance, Mount Huazhong came into view, its peaks undulating, and its protective formation emitting a faint white light.

Above Mount Huazhong.

Li Tongya stood suspended in the air. Below him, within the formation, screams and cries echoed, while sporadic flickers of firelight illuminated the mountainside. Gazing at the seemingly robust formation, its magical light flowing, he was suddenly overcome with a moment of introspection.

"How many times has this happened now?"

These spiritual veins by the lake, in less than a century, had witnessed countless massacres and conflicts. The Wan family was annihilated by the Ji family, the Ji family by the Lu family, and then the Lu family was dismembered. Finally, it was he, Li Tongya, who stood above this mountain.

"Alas..."

Streaks of crystal-clear, agile water dragons rose from beneath his feet, coiling from his waist to his chest, then around his neck, dancing and leaping at his sides. His broad hand closed around the hilt of the sword. The ordinary magic sword slowly unsheathed, inch by inch, revealing its snow-white blade and intricate, mysterious patterns.

Li Tongya was an exceptionally cautious man, never one to overextend himself. He wouldn't engage in theatrics where Qi Condensation cultivators laid siege and Foundation Establishment cultivators waited for the grand finale, giving enemies time to await reinforcements. Instead, he would commit fully from the outset, drawing his sword with all his might. While he hadn't fully mastered the "Moon Deficient Sword Canon," he had practiced this specific "Moon Deficient Sword Arc" technique for forty years. Since reaching the Foundation Establishment realm, he had yet to unleash his full power. Now, with a gleam of excitement, he dedicated an additional ten percent of his spiritual power to the attack.

"Clang!"

Li Tongya slowly closed his eyes, fully activating "Vast Sea." Sword qi and spiritual power surged around his blade. After a long moment, he suddenly drew his sword, unleashing a snow-white beam of light. It was as vast as a ship's sail, as swift as lightning, and vanished in an instant between heaven and earth.

"Boom!"

The grand formation below instantly exploded with a resounding boom, fluctuating violently and emitting groaning, grinding sounds. Slowly, a massive rift appeared, spanning the entire mountain, revealing the high platforms and buildings within.

The rift flickered hesitantly, visible for only a few breaths before dissolving into the air. The lingering sword qi, at a thought from Li Tongya, transformed into scattered spring rain, falling gently upon the mountains.

"The power is quite impressive!"

Having broken the formation, Li Tongya felt a surge of emotion. The sword qi on his magical blade pulsed incessantly, showing signs of morphing its shape. Delighted, he thought to himself:

"After stagnating in the Sword Qi realm for so many years, there are finally signs of a breakthrough to Sword Essence!"

Below, the Yu and An family cultivators had just dressed, grabbed their swords, and were rushing out of their courtyards when the grand formation on the mountain utterly collapsed, dissolving into scattered points of white light. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, staring blankly at the dazzling magical sword in the sky.

It was only when the cool spring rain drifted through the forest and fell, cold and refreshing, upon their faces, that someone dropped their magical artifact with a clang, fell to their knees, and cried out:

"What the hell are we still fighting for?!"

"This is a Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivator! A Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivator! If Yu Xiaogui doesn't come, how can we possibly stop them?!"

Not only were the An family cultivators on the mountain stunned, but even the Li family's Embryonic Breathing cultivators below paused for a moment. They had never imagined the enemy's formation would be obliterated in an instant. With a mix of shock and elation, they gazed at the towering figure between heaven and earth, cheering, "Long live the Old Ancestor!" and charged directly into the shattered formation.

The cultivators on Mount Huazhong had entirely lost their will to fight. While the Yu family cultivators still attempted to resist, shouting about Yu family rule, the Li family cultivators, having received prior instructions, treated them as mere rogue cultivators and engaged them in a chaotic melee. The An family cultivators, however, clanged their magical artifacts to the ground, knelt, and pleaded for mercy.