Chapter 710: Barging into the Beguilement Formation
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
It was no easy feat for an amateur to break a formation, but with sufficient strength, it was still possible to do so through brute force!
If someone were to attempt to trap Zhang Xuan with a grade-3 formation now, even without using the Eye of Insight of Library of Heaven"s Path, he would be able to crush the formation with just his fists.
No matter how powerful a formation might be, there would surely be a limit to its durability. If it were to suffer damage beyond its durability limit, it would instantaneously collapse.
Before supreme power, everything else was fleeting.
The Illusory Footsteps Beguilement Formation that the Luoyuan Empire master teacher had provided was a grade-5 primary formation. While it could trap Cosmos Bridge realm cultivators, it would be hard for it to do the same to stronger opponents.
The strongest of these spirit beasts were only at the Cosmos Bridge realm, but there were too many of them. Put their prowess together, and even a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Perfect Harmonization realm expert would have to retreat in fear. With this force directed toward the formation, it was unlikely that the formation would be able to hold on for too long.
"Break the formation using brute force?"
Hearing those words, the faces of the crowd turned pale.
It was just a moment ago that they"d thought that they would be able to save everyone in the gorge, but in the next moment, the formation was already on the verge of breaking. What should they do now?
Were they to watch by from the sidelines as the formation was torn apart, and the master teachers were plunged into danger once more?
After everything they had done?
Luo Xuan turned to the master teacher from Luoyuan Empire and asked, "You possess the deepest understanding of this formation. Is there any way to salvage the situation?"
The gazes of the others also hurriedly shot over.
The formation flags and blueprint were provided by him, so perhaps he might have a way to sustain the formation.
"Salvage the situation?"
With a bitter smile, the Luoyuan Empire master teacher shook his head and said, "There is indeed a way, but it"s impossible to succeed!"
"Impossible to succeed? What is it? With so many of us here, we might just be able to find a way to accomplish it," Luo Xuan urged.
They had 52 master teachers here, and a handful of them were formation masters as well. As long as the other party could point out a direction for them, they just might be able to accomplish it somehow.
"At this moment, our numbers don"t mean anything!"
The Luoyuan Empire master teacher sighed. "The Illusory Steps Beguilement Formation is a grade-5 primary formation, but if reinforced by a 5-star formation master, it could display the strength of a grade-5 intermediate or even advanced formation! By then, it would be impossible for these spirit beasts to break out of the formation using brute force."
"5-star formation master? Zhang s.h.i.+"s understanding of formations should be on par with a 5-star formation master, wouldn"t that work?" Ruohuan gongzi couldn"t help but ask.
Since Zhang s.h.i.+ was able to set up even a grade-5 formation so easily, surely reinforcing a formation wouldn"t pose any trouble at all.
"You don"t understand what I am saying. By 5-star formation master, I am saying that the person"s cultivation must reach Cosmos Bridge realm as well! Zhang s.h.i.+"s comprehension of formations is indeed formidable, but his cultivation is still limited at the Consonant Spirit realm. Without sufficient strength, he won"t be able to bring out the true might of the power my teacher has imbued into the formation!" the Luoyuan Empire master teacher explained.
"This…"
Everyone clenched their fists tightly in frustration.
With their collective strength, they would have been able to help with anything else, but the Cosmos Bridge realm…
With the formation on the verge of collapsing, it was impossible for anyone to achieve a breakthrough within this short period of time.
In other words, it was impossible for them to reinforce the formation!
"That Brother Yu from before has reached the Cosmos Bridge realm, but it"s too late to look for him now…"
Luo Xuan clenched his jaws in frustration.
Among the freshmen, the only one he knew to have reached Cosmos Bridge realm was the Brother Yu whom he had met just before the entrance examination. However, the other party was nowhere to be seen at the moment. Besides, considering the conflict between Zhang s.h.i.+ and him, it would be nigh impossible to gain his a.s.sistance!
After a moment of hesitation, one master teacher suggested, "Since it has come down to this, why don"t we leave the gorge to try and get the help of other examinees in the area? Otherwise, once the formation collapses and the spirit beasts break loose, we will all be doomed…"
However, halfway through his words, he suddenly noticed the bizarre silence amidst the group. Looking up, he saw each and every one of them staring at the battlefield below with a frenzied look on their faces.
"What happened?"
Frowning, he s.h.i.+fted his gaze downward, and his mouth slowly widened.
In the midst of the wavering formation, Zhang s.h.i.+ stood on a floating rock platform, and his aura was rising steadily.
Hong long long!
He furiously absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy through his acupoints, and the absurd speed of his absorption induced a deep rumbling reminiscent of thunder in the gorge. A magnificent bridge connecting him to the world could vaguely be seen behind him. At this moment, he looked exceptionally tall and powerful, as if an undefeatable G.o.d of war.
"This… He is trying to achieve a breakthrough to the Cosmos Bridge realm?"
The master teacher"s lip quivered uncontrollably, and he nearly burst into tears.
To advance to the Cosmos Bridge realm, other Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle cultivators would have their teacher stand guard for them in case of any problems, and all kinds of resources would be prepared by their sides so as to prevent exhaustion whenever required. Even so, it would still take several days of hard work before they could achieve the breakthrough… And yet, this fellow actually made the breakthrough on the spot just because he required his cultivation to be at the Cosmos Bridge realm in order to reinforce the formation…
What the heck was this!
Boom!
Amidst his shocked trembling, Zhang Xuan widened his mouth and swallowed the faint bridge in the air. His body rumbled, and his aura began to surge furiously.
Hu!
Exhaling a mouthful of turbid gas, the young man opened his eyes, and a bright gleam shone from his eyes. His movements were extremely graceful, seemingly aligned with nature itself.
"Cosmos Bridge realm… He really made the breakthrough just like that?"
"Isn"t this a little… way too easy…"
Everyone swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Never had they ever seen someone achieve a breakthrough so quickly in their life.
After two or three breaths, a Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle cultivator had become a Cosmos Bridge realm cultivator…
"Brother, are you sure you aren"t an expert who came here just to toy with us?"
Oblivious to the frenzied crowd, Zhang Xuan glanced at the shaking formation beneath him and muttered, "There"s no time for me to continue…"
Under normal circ.u.mstances, possessing the entire Cosmos Bridge realm Heaven"s Path Divine Art, he would strive for Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle in a single breath. However, with the formation teetering on the brink of collapse, he couldn"t afford to wait any longer.
"Stabilize!"
With a flick of his finger, a surge of zhenqi shot out from his hand. The surge of zhenqi further divided into several hundred streams, permeating throughout the entire formation.
Geji! Geji!
Under the nourishment of the Heaven"s Path zhenqi, the thinning mist abruptly thickened once more. The Illusory Steps Beguilement Formation, which had been shaking violently under the rampage of the spirit beasts, gradually stabilized as well.
"He succeeded…"
"The formation has been reinforced…"
The excitement and agitation of the crowd were palpable. Admiration seeped into their gazes as they looked at the young man below.
To reach Cosmos Bridge realm on a whim… Was that young man still human?
This was especially so for Ruohuan gongzi, Luo Xuan, and the others. Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, they were on the verge of fainting from shock.
They had seen the other party making the breakthrough for Yin-Yang realm to Clarifying Turbidity realm during the Master Teacher Tournament in Myriad Kingdom City with their own eyes. Barely a month had pa.s.sed, and he was already a Cosmos Bridge realm expert…
They were still thinking of competing with him after reaching the Master Teacher Academy, but they could no longer muster the confidence to do so.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan climbed back up and instructed, "Alright. Since the Beguilement Formation has stabilized, let"s hurry up and save the master teachers inside!"
"You"re right. However, given that spirit beasts are roaming inside the formation as well… how can we ensure that we will be able to stay out of their path?" a master teacher within the crowd asked.
The activation of the Beguilement Formation had halted the battle momentarily and trapped the spirit beasts, thus providing an opportunity to save the master teachers. However… things weren"t as simple as they seemed.
The spirit beasts weren"t dead yet. It was still possible to encounter them in the Beguilement Formation, and the chances of that were indeed relatively high considering the number of spirit beasts trapped inside the formation.
Furthermore, the Beguilement Formation didn"t discriminate against friend and foe. In other words, the master teachers inside were also affected by it.
Of course, the master teachers could try leaping up onto the floating platforms and attempt to escape from the Beguilement Formation. However, under the circ.u.mstances where even their sense of direction was confounded, it would be difficult for them to differentiate between up and down. On top of that, to truly escape from the formation, they would have to find the Life Gate first.
The Illusory Steps Beguilement Formation wouldn"t be called a grade-5 formation if it were so easy to escape from.
In the end, the Beguilement Formation was just a means to buy some time for those inside.
Zhang Xuan glanced at the Beguilement Formation and replied, "I see. Wait here then, I"ll head in to save them."
"Zhang s.h.i.+, you mustn"t! Even though you are a formation master, your senses will still be confounded in the Beguilement Formation. It"ll be a disaster if you were to be trapped with the spirit beasts inside…"
Everyone was horrified by Zhang Xuan"s words.
Even though Zhang Xuan had reached Cosmos Bridge realm, there were plenty of Cosmos Bridge realm spirit beasts inside the formation as well. There was no way he could stand against so many powerful spirit beasts!
"Trapped?"
Zhang Xuan shook his head before instructing, "There will be some injured among the master teachers inside, so prepare to receive and treat them!"
After which, leaving no time for the crowd to react, he leaped straight into the Beguilement Formation.
"Zhang s.h.i.+…"
The crowd"s vision darkened, and they nearly fainted on the spot.
To leap right into the Beguilement Formation, what if he leaped right into a swarm of spirit beasts? Even if he was tired of living, this wasn"t the way to seek death!
A master teacher amid the crowd asked, "What do we do?"
"There"s no need to panic. Zhang s.h.i.+ would never do anything reckless. Since he dared to leap into the formation, he must have his own plan!" Ruohuan gongzi a.s.sured.
Others might not know Zhang s.h.i.+ well, but he knew that the other party would never do anything he was unconfident of. Considering how the other party jumped in without any hesitation, he must have a plan in mind.
"Indeed. Didn"t Zhang s.h.i.+ tell us to prepare to receive the casualties? Since he said those words, he must have found a way to save the master teachers inside!" Luo Xuan added.
"A plan in mind? What plan could he come up with? Even if he has a thorough understanding of formations, he still can"t possibly stand against so many spirit beasts alone…"
"That is unless he finds a way to circ.u.mvent the spirit beasts to save the others!"
"Since Zhang s.h.i.+ was able to set up a grade-5 formation and achieve a breakthrough to the Cosmos Bridge realm so easily, he might just really accomplish this impossible feat…"
After a momentary discussion, the crowd turned their gazes back to the battlefield. Zhang Xuan had already disappeared amidst the thick layer of mist.
It was impossible for him to fight against so many spirit beasts single-handedly. The only possible solution was for him to circ.u.mvent the spirit beasts and guide the master teachers out.
However… there were several hundred spirit beasts in the Beguilement Formation. Even if Zhang s.h.i.+ knew how to navigate around the formation, was it really possible to circ.u.mvent all of them?
Roar! Roar! Roar!
While everyone was tense, ferocious roars abruptly sounded from the midst. It seemed like Zhang Xuan had encountered with some of the spirit beasts.
"Did Zhang s.h.i.+ encounter the spirit beasts?"
If that was really it, he would be in grave danger!
"What do we do?"
Anxious, everyone was tempted to rush in to help him. However, before they could even move, another wave of roars sounded. However, it wasn"t a ferocious roar this time. Rather, it seemed like the spirit beasts had encountered something sinister and terrifying.
It was tinged with fear and apprehension.
Roar? Roar? Roar?
Following which, screams of agony reverberated throughout the gorge, threatening to burst one"s eardrum. Rather than Zhang s.h.i.+, it seemed like it was the spirit beasts who were in danger…
"What is going on?"
Everyone stared at one another bewilderedly.