Chapter 67: Come on, Break Through Quickly

Ye Jiuyao gazed at the people still several miles away, a look of regret appearing on her face—especially when she saw that Ye Qing hadn't entered.

Zheng You looked the most unsettled of all, secretly relieved that he hadn't let greed cloud his judgment and rushed into Tongxuan Sect, otherwise he would be the one dead by now.

But Ye Qing's expression was the darkest; once again, he had underestimated Ye Jiuyao and the capabilities of Tongxuan Sect.

"Retreat!"

At his command, all members of the Falling Leaves Sect withdrew.

"Ye Jiuyao, come out and meet your death. I can make it quick for you!"

"Heh, are you an idiot? Why would I come out when I can live comfortably in here?" Ye Jiuyao laughed at Ye Qing as if he were a fool, then leisurely reclined on the steps once more.

"Stewards, come forward and shatter this formation for me. I don't believe it can withstand the assault of peak Awakening Realm cultivators!"

The full might of the Falling Leaves Sect had gathered—three Heaven and Human Realm cultivators were present, a rare sight for a sect that only boasted one Sage Lord and five Heaven and Human experts.

Their arrival alone showed how seriously Falling Leaves Sect took this matter.

"Yes!"

Led by Zheng You, more than ten stewards erupted into action in an instant.

Ye Jiuyao yawned exaggeratedly, watching their attack without a trace of panic—if anything, her eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Come in and hit me, I’m itching for it, please—give it your best!"

"You brat, don’t be arrogant. Once we get in, we’ll skin you alive and make you wish you were dead!" Ye Qing snarled through gritted teeth.

Ye Jiuyao’s scornful words instantly infuriated the ten stewards, who struck with burning rage.

Each unleashed their force; in a flash, all kinds of formidable powers crashed against the grand formation.

Brilliant light erupted from the array.

Terrifying surges of elemental energy roiled across the formation, the clash between the array’s might and the ten cultivators’ power causing the entire Tongxuan Sect to quake.

Ten peak Awakening Realm experts attacking together—the spectacle was enough to shock the world.

In the blink of an eye, the formation seemed about to shatter, trembling violently under the assault, on the verge of collapse.

Within the Falling Leaves Sect ranks, many disciples grew restless, clearly waiting to charge forward as soon as the array broke.

"Hmph, it's just a mere formation—how could it withstand our assault? This is nothing more than a cheap trick," Zheng You sneered.

"A sect that shuts itself away dares to call itself one of the three great sects? Now that the Xuan Emperor Mink is dead, what is there to fear?" Ye Qing echoed disdainfully.

At that moment, Ye Jiuyao, still lounging, suddenly flicked a stone, which landed precisely inside the array.

Instantly, the elemental energy surrounding Tongxuan Sect was drawn in, the winds and clouds surging.

The formation, which had seemed on the verge of breaking, was suddenly as solid as an iron fortress once more.

"I refuse to believe this! All out—smash it to pieces!" Zheng You roared. The others exchanged looks, realizing that if they didn’t give their all now, they’d become a laughingstock.

After all, these were all seasoned cultivators; who would use their full strength at the outset? Everyone wanted to keep something in reserve.

But Ye Jiuyao quickly made them eat their words. The array, which had been teetering, was now utterly secure.

A flush of embarrassment colored the ten’s faces—if they didn’t go all out now, there’d be no excuse.

Immediately, their elemental energy surged and they launched a frenzied assault.

Thunderous blasts resounded from the formation, which wavered dangerously, seemingly about to crumble at any moment.

"Push harder! The Tongxuan Sect’s array is about to break!" Zheng You shouted, excitement in his eyes.

Yet Ye Jiuyao flicked out several more stones, and the formation immediately condensed further.

The group felt their blood surge—couldn’t this scoundrel just unleash the full power of the formation at once, instead of reinforcing it bit by bit?

They glanced at each other, realizing they’d only used seventy or eighty percent of their strength so far, but now no one dared to hold back.

Once your trump cards are revealed, there’s no more mystery to you; how would they fare in the future?

Hesitation flickered across all ten faces.

"Oh dear, why have you stopped? Keep going, I can barely hold it together," Ye Jiuyao taunted, crooking her finger at them.

"Don’t hold back—give it everything you’ve got! After we take Tongxuan Sect, you ten can have first pick of the elemental arts!" Ye Qing, seeing their hesitance, dangled a crude olive branch.

"Alright!"

At once, the ten unleashed their full strength.

In an instant, elemental energy arced like a rainbow, dazzling and fierce, their attacks raining down on the array.

A resounding crack—

"It’s breaking! Almost there—hurry!" Disciples of Falling Leaves Sect shouted excitedly, spurring the ten on.

"Heh... so sleepy. Did you not eat enough?"

Ye Jiuyao yawned again, then flicked another stone; the array instantly regained its stability.

"Damn it, could you stop doing that?!" Zheng You and the others were nearly in tears; every time the array was about to break, Ye Jiuyao would reinforce it, always at the perfect moment.

"Heh... stay humble, stay humble. I’m doing this for your own good. Come on, boys, almost there..."

Ye Jiuyao beamed at them with a sweet smile, her words mockingly encouraging.

"Everyone, attack! I don’t believe this!" Ye Qing waved his hand, unleashing a flood of Falling Leaves Sect disciples.

If ten couldn’t do it, then a hundred—if a hundred failed, then a thousand. He refused to believe Ye Jiuyao could reinforce the array again.

"Go for it!" Ye Jiuyao called, flicking out several more stones, making the array even stronger.

Soon, the relentless onslaught from the Falling Leaves Sect once more brought the array to the brink of collapse.

Ye Qing shouted in excitement, "Hurry, it’s about to break!"

But Ye Jiuyao, nonchalant, flicked out more stones, and the elemental energy surged—the array’s crumbling state stabilized again.

"Come on, boys, almost there—if you don’t try your best, you’ll lose your chance."

"Why are you all staring at me? Break the array, or I’ll just go back to sleep..." Ye Jiuyao yawned again, looking drowsy, which only made the others grind their teeth in fury.

"Harder! Break it!"

Under Ye Qing’s command, the assault resumed.

Blinding golden light flashed atop the array, thunderous explosions rang out, but every time the formation was about to break, Ye Jiuyao would toss out another stone to reinforce it.

Seeing this, Ye Qing and the others nearly lost their minds.

Ye Qing glanced at two figures in the ranks, their faces remarkably similar, and gave them a meaningful look.

Ye Jiuyao, noticing his action, followed his gaze—and her expression changed dramatically.