Dodging left and right, Song Changsheng evaded all incoming attacks, his mind working at lightning speed.
From the pattern of the formation's assaults, he had already identified it as a Tier 2 Low-Grade [Wood-Earth Heaven and Earth Formation]. This array could seamlessly blend into mountainous forests and continuously draw upon earth and wood spiritual energy to strengthen itself.
Though it was a common formation, its strength lay in the endless cycle of earth and wood elements, enabling it to wear down intruders through relentless attacks.
However, Song Changsheng remained calm. Despite being a Tier 2 array, it implied that the one who set it up likely wasn't above the Qi Refining stage otherwise, they wouldn't need to rely on a formation to ambush him.
As long as a Foundation Establishment cultivator wasn't involved, he still had a sliver of hope thanks to the Tier 2 Low-Grade talismans in his possession.
"Water Dragon's Roar!"
Spreading his arms, a torrent of water and spiritual energy surged beneath his feet. In an instant, a vividly lifelike water dragon formed behind him, letting out a piercing roar.
The wave of vines rushing toward him was shattered into pieces by the dragon's cry. Yet almost immediately, countless earth spikes erupted from the ground.
Song Changsheng frowned. At this rate, he'd be exhausted to death.
"Breaking the array is my only chance. But its range is too vast and its patterns are ever-changing. How can I locate the key?"
After all, he was only a top-grade Tier 1 formation master, and breaking a Tier 2 array was no small feat.
"I must study the array patterns to find its core, but I'll need uninterrupted time to do that."
"Wait... the Lu Wu Bell!"
A flash of inspiration struck him. He pulled out a bell-shaped artifact the [Lu Wu Bell] and murmured, "You're my only hope now."
With a flick of his arm, the bell expanded, enveloping him completely. All incoming attacks were instantly blocked.
Despite not being able to fully unleash its power due to its limited cultivation, the bell being a spiritual artifact possessed its own will and could perform basic defensive operations on its own.
With Lu Wu Bell shielding him, Song Changsheng finally had the breathing room to study the array.
He drew a basic formation pattern into his palm and pressed it to the ground. Instantly, the hidden array patterns became visible.
Spreading his divine sense, Song Changsheng began deducing the structure of the rest of the formation based on the revealed lines a daunting task, but also a great opportunity…
Outside the array, an elderly man wearing the Earthfire Sect robes frowned. He could see everything happening inside. What he thought would be an easy kill was taking an unexpected turn especially with Song Changsheng pulling out such a powerful artifact.
"Get in there and tear that damn tortoise shell off him!" the elder barked to several Earthfire Sect disciples nearby.
"Yes, Elder!"
The four disciples answered in unison and leaped into the array, launching attacks on the Lu Wu Bell…
Meanwhile, back on the distant battlefield, Wang Wanzhou wielded the [Seven-Colored Glazed Mirror] in his left hand and the [Wind-Supporting Sword] in his right. Despite being outnumbered two to one, he fought evenly without giving an inch.
Cheng Yufei and Du Huating had no intention of going all-out with him. Their only goal was to delay and keep him from leaving the battlefield.
Suddenly, a streak of light shot down from the sky, aiming straight at Cheng Yufei's face.
"Soul-Piercing Spike!?" he exclaimed, shocked. He hurriedly summoned a small round shield to block his chest, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.
A black, foot-long metal spike flashed past the edge of his vision.
"Song Luyao?" Du Huating muttered, his expression darkening.
The sudden interference forced the three combatants to break apart momentarily, all of them warily eyeing the eastern horizon, where two powerful auras were rapidly approaching.
Wang Wanzhou suddenly burst into hearty laughter:
"Your end is near death!"
With a roar, he charged at the two again.
The two newcomers now revealed themselves Elder Song Luyao and Elder Song Luhuai. Both wore grim expressions and immediately joined the fray without hesitation.
In an instant, the battlefield shifted from a two-on-one to a three-on-two. Cheng Yufei and Du Huating quickly found themselves struggling to keep up.
"Damn it! What were the Qiu Clan people doing? They couldn't even hold them back!" Cheng Yufei's heart burned with rage and panic. He had anticipated that the Song Clan might catch on, which was why he had arranged for the Qiu Clan to stall them.
They had agreed to delay them until sunrise. Yet not even an hour had passed, and the Song Clan reinforcements had already broken through.
Now the situation had taken a dire turn.
At this point, Cheng Yufei no longer cared about killing Song Changsheng. All he could think about was:
"How do I escape with my life at the smallest cost possible?"
....
Within the formation, Song Changsheng remained unaware that his presence alone had already sparked a deadly clash among several Foundation Establishment cultivators from the four great sects.
At this moment, he had reached a critical stage in his attempt to deduce the workings of the formation.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Outside the bell, the array's relentless assaults combined with the attacks from several Earthfire Sect disciples continued to rain down on the Lu Wu Bell, causing violent tremors.
As the saying goes, "Even the strongest shield can fail if worn down long enough." The spiritual glow on the bell's surface gradually dimmed, and with one final wave of attacks, it shattered and reverted to its original bell-sized form.
The Earthfire Sect disciples were overjoyed and rushed in to take Song Changsheng's life. But just as they closed in, Song Changsheng, who had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes and flung out a yellowed talisman.
The talisman ignited midair, transforming into an enormous phantom palm that came crashing down on the four disciples.
"A Tier 2 Low-Grade Talisman Giant Spirit Palm?!"
The disciples were terrified and scattered in all directions. But how could they possibly dodge an all-out strike equivalent to a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Two of the Qi Refining ninth-layer cultivators were instantly crushed into pulp beneath the palm. The other two both at peak Qi Refining fared a little better. Bones shattered and tendons snapped; they'd need years to recover.
With one clean strike, Song Changsheng pushed off with his toes, darting to the left. A sudden gleam of spiritual light flashed beneath his right foot as he unleashed a spinning kick toward an unremarkable stone.
That stone was the core of the array!
"Boom!"
The stone instantly crumbled into dust. Song Changsheng suddenly felt as if heaven and earth had brightened. A dense network of glowing formation lines appeared beneath his feet, only to collapse completely in the next moment.
The Tier 2 Low-Grade Wood-Earth Heaven and Earth Formation is broken!
"Pfft!"
The Earthfire Sect formation master suffered a severe backlash, vomiting a mouthful of blood as his aura plummeted. He looked at Song Changsheng in disbelief.
"So... you're a Tier 2 formation master?"
Song Changsheng shook his head calmly and said,
"Before entering the array, I was only a peak Tier 1 master. I should thank you. In the face of life and death, I was forced to take that next step ahead of schedule."
The old man laughed bitterly.
"No wonder Elder Cheng and the others wanted to eliminate you. A true prodigy… what a pity. I lacked the skill to rid the sect of this grave threat."
His eyes were filled with deep unwillingness and resentment as he spoke through gritted teeth.
"You nearly succeeded. If not for the Lu Wu Bell, I would already be a corpse within your formation. Rest now. In your next life, don't make enemies of the Song Clan."
With a quiet sigh, Song Changsheng flicked his finger. A streak of spiritual energy pierced through the old man's skull. His pupils instantly went lifeless.
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