Chapter 40: The Formation Master!

That man's eyes brimmed with disdain as he stood in the void, hands lowered, allowing Zhong Yuanhua to charge at him without a hint of defense. Deep within, those of the Central Heaven Realm roared with fury, desperately wishing for Zhong Yuanhua's fist to obliterate this intruder and relieve the suffocating pressure in their hearts.

Meanwhile, the lords of the other three realms, who had long since hidden in the shadows, wore expressions of curiosity. They could not fathom from whence this powerful figure had come. Yet they knew with certainty that he was not of the Newborn World—otherwise, he would not have claimed Xi Danyou as his envoy.

“Could it be...?” The three lords were suddenly struck by a dreadful suspicion. Their faces changed dramatically as they stepped from the void, their auras erupting at once as they joined Zhong Yuanhua in his assault.

“Yuanhua, allow us to help you slay this trespasser who has violated our world!”

Zhong Yuanhua had already sensed their arrival. As long as they did not meddle in the battle between the two realms, he had no intention of interfering with them. He had not expected, however, that now they would lend him their strength.

“Thank you!” Zhong Yuanhua called out in gratitude, his speed surging, the brilliance of his fist growing even more dazzling than sun or moon, as if it would outshine all the heavens.

His fist light wrapped around the intruding powerhouse like a silkworm's cocoon, yet the man remained unchanged until the very moment Zhong Yuanhua's blow truly descended. Only then did the stranger narrow his eyes and strike out with the force of thunder, as if a storm had fallen to annihilate all before it.

“Those who trespass against our world must be destroyed!”

At the very instant the two clashed, the other three lords arrived as well. As if by tacit understanding, they unleashed their might without hesitation.

“Xi Danyou, will you not come to my aid?” the intruder roared. One Zhong Yuanhua was nothing to fear, but matched against several of equal strength, he found himself pressed hard. The rules of this world constrained him, so that his power was barely superior to Zhong Yuanhua’s—by the slimmest margin. If not for Zhong Yuanhua’s injuries, he would have been hard-pressed even to defend himself, let alone face four together.

He might endure for a moment, but could not last—like a battery, however powerful, it would eventually be drained. Thus, the man called for Xi Danyou, who, understanding everything at stake, rejoined the battle without hesitation.

With Xi Danyou’s return, the situation shifted again. Among the weaker cultivators, the Central Heaven Realm still dominated with overwhelming power, but among those of the Fusion Qi Realm, the Western Desert Realm’s warriors were clearly superior.

Had it not been for the presence of the two anomalies, Luo Yuanhuang and Ye Hanzhou, the Central Heaven Realm would have already been defeated. The sky was ablaze with dazzling lights from the battle.

The battle among the five lords and the mysterious powerhouse from the Thousand Emperors World wielded world-shattering might. With every movement, thunderous booms filled the air, and even the void trembled.

Zhong Yuanhua’s long halberd danced as he joined forces with the other three lords, forcing Xi Danyou and the stranger to fall back again and again.

“Were it not for the suppression of this world, you would be mere ants before me!”

“Hmph, enough talk. Today, the two of you will die!” Zhong Yuanhua gave them not a moment’s respite, launching another ferocious assault. His halberd, as if fused with his very being, swept in deadly arcs, every strike a killing blow.

The other three, too, fought with wild abandon, each displaying their unique strengths, their combined assault dazzling to behold.

“Dong Qiming, Nan Feiye, join me in forcing this old intruder to his death. Bei Xingdao, deal with that old dog Xi Danyou!”

“Agreed!” Zhong Yuanhua issued his quick commands, but the four coordinated without a trace of awkwardness, moving as if they had fought side by side for years.

Dong Qiming suddenly conjured two bronze clubs in his hands; Nan Feiye’s grip filled with countless silver-winged leaves, each weapon shimmering with power, clearly no common artifact.

“Good!” Zhong Yuanhua bellowed, his body shooting forward like a cannonball, halberd and man as one, eyes cold and resolute as he thrust at the invader.

Seeing Zhong Yuanhua strike, Dong Qiming wasted not a second, erupting with speed to cut off the enemy’s retreat.

“Well, well, let’s see how you destroy me now!” the stranger sneered, face calm as ever, as if this was but a minor skirmish, all within his calculations.

“Feiye!” the two shouted in unison, and at once, a radiant light exploded forth, their power rumbling like thunder as boundless energy surged around them. Like men possessed, they charged at the foe.

Suddenly, the invader formed a seal before his chest. Energy swirled, and a cryptic symbol appeared, shining brilliantly as he pressed both hands to it.

As the two closed in for the kill, the man murmured, “Formation—descend!”

The symbol flew from his chest, crashing forth with unstoppable might, resonating with the laws of the universe. The void groaned beneath its weight, and even the winds of heaven and earth stilled.

“A formation master?!”

The two were stunned. Formation mastery was a hundred times more difficult than forging or alchemy, and yet this man had conjured a formation at a mere thought.

“Feiye, attack—now!” they cried, panic-stricken.

Nan Feiye’s gaze grew colder as he sent his silver-winged leaves spinning. Though they seemed to float lazily, in the next instant they broke the light barrier, vanishing into the void to strike at the enemy.

A crisp clang rang out. To their shock, Nan Feiye’s flying leaves were blocked. The intruder was surrounded by whirling formations—unbeknownst to them, he had built several arrays in the blink of an eye.

Such terror!

The same thought flashed through all three minds.

“For a century I have immersed myself in formation arts. Cultivation is my weakest aspect, yet you truly believed this was all I could do?” The stranger strode through the void, a tiny formation spinning in his right palm like a bagua, glowing with mysterious power.

“Go!” At his command, the array spun out, transforming into an invincible force that pressed down relentlessly.

The void trembled in its wake, unable to bear the weight. Heaven and earth themselves changed color as the formation descended.

Though the three were aghast, they did not shrink from resistance. Energy surged within them like tidal waves as they stamped the ground, raising their hands to withstand the formation’s crushing pressure.

“Bei Xingdao, kill Xi Danyou and come quickly!” they shouted. None of the three were versed in the formation arts; all their hopes now rested on Bei Xingdao, the burly giant whose massive blade hacked at Xi Danyou with decisive force.

Most of Xi Danyou’s brush had already been destroyed, yet he showed no fear. Bei Xingdao knew that delay meant certain death for all of them.

Without hesitation, he made his move.

“Boundless Sea Slash!”

Bei Xingdao’s energy surged. Above, a colossal blade formed in the sky, its edge flashing with blinding light as it fell mightily downward.