Chapter 360 - The War Begins

Chapter 360: Chapter 358: The War Begins

Once the Large Formation was complete, the battle to subjugate demons could begin.

But at the moment of truth, when the battle was about to commence, all the cultivators of Tongxian City felt doubts arising in their hearts.

Was the Large Formation truly flawless? Could it really subdue Feng Xi?

It wasn’t just the Loose Cultivators; even the Formation Establishment Stage cultivators like Elder Yu were filled with anxiety.

But they didn’t dare to ask Mo Hua.

One reason was fear of adding pressure to Mo Hua, and the other was that asking would be of no use.

An arrow shot cannot be brought back.

At this point, with the Large Formation already built, they had no choice but to brace themselves and start the demon subjugation.

Mo Hua, from beginning to end, wore a calm gaze and composed expression.

It was as if the defeat of the great demon within the Large Formation was a certainty.

This unexpectedly steadied several Foundation Building Cultivators.

Elder Yu sighed inwardly, thinking to himself that although they were cultivators who had lived for a century and weathered many storms, now they were less composed than Mo Hua, a mere child.

However, another thought crossed his mind: although they had faced tribulations, they had never encountered a storm as great as a big demon…

Since a Large Formation was still a formation, and since it was a formation, they didn’t understand it; if they didn’t understand, they might as well put their trust in Mo Hua.

Not only Elder Yu, but practically all cultivators shared this thought.

The Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation was a constraint and slaughter formation. In order to trap and kill Feng Xi, they naturally had to lure Feng Xi into the formation first.

This step was very dangerous, hence only Foundation Building Cultivators could undertake it, with Taoist Soldiers covering them from the sidelines.

Among the Foundation Building Cultivators who would lure Feng Xi, Mo Hua was surprised to see Zhang Lan.

“Uncle Zhang, you’ve reached Foundation Establishment?!”

Mo Hua was taken aback.

Zhang Lan tried to look nonchalant, but his eyes betrayed his pride as he casually said, “Not bad, I managed to seize some time to establish my foundation.”

Mo Hua curled his lips. Seizing some time to establish his foundation… he made it sound as easy as securing a marriage match.

Is Foundation Establishment really that easy…

But then he remembered what Zhang Lan had said before.

For disciples of noble clans, Foundation Establishment indeed wasn’t hard.

Zhang Lan had been at the Qi Refining Ninth Level previously, first to consolidate his foundation, and second to avoid troubles from his clan.

“Have you properly consolidated your foundation?” Mo Hua inquired.

Zhang Lan casually replied, “It’s almost there, there’s no need to keep polishing it.”

“Now that you’ve established your foundation, does that mean you’ll have to go home for an arranged wedding?” Mo Hua curiously prodded.

Zhang Lan’s face darkened, “You kid, can’t you talk about something serious?”

Mo Hua chuckled, feeling a sense of gratitude at the same time.

He knew that Zhang Lan’s action was actually for the cultivators of Tongxian City. After all, in facing a big demon, having an additional Foundation Building Cultivator meant more strength and security, which was why he was eager to break through his cultivation stage.

Mo Hua silently noted Zhang Lan’s kindness, thinking to himself:

“I must help Uncle Zhang if I ever get the chance!”

The plan to subjugate the big demon had already been discussed and agreed upon before the Large Formation was completed. Now it was just a matter of confirming the candidates.

The very next day, as the sky was still dim, Taoist Soldiers began to assemble.

Yang Jiyong stood on a hilltop, gazing solemnly at the blood-colored big demon in the distance.

Shortly after, another leader of the Taoist Soldiers clad in armor approached and said in a low voice, “Big brother, everything is arranged.”

This man was Yang Rong, a member of the Yang Family as well as the commander of the Taoist Soldiers who had been dispatched here to assist.

Yang Jiyong nodded, but his brows remained knitted.

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, so Yang Rong tried to lighten the mood by striking up a conversation with Yang Jiyong.

After talking about some trivial matters of their clan, Yang Rong suddenly looked puzzled and asked,

“Big brother, why did we only call over people from the Yang Family this time?”

When requesting the deployment of Taoist Soldiers, one usually had to accept whomever the Taoist Court allocated. However, Yang Jiyong had used the Yang Family’s connections to have Yang Rong and others transferred here.

Moreover, it was not just Yang Rong; all the Taoist Soldiers who came had ties with the Yang Family, either sharing the Yang surname, being allied through marriage, or having received favors from the Yang Family; they were all considered “our own people” by the Yang Family.

“I feel more assured when our own people handle matters,” Yang Jiyong answered.

Yang Rong clearly didn’t believe him, “Big brother, tell me the truth, don’t lie to me.”

Yang Jiyong gave Yang Rong a look, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said,

“Alright, I’ll tell you, but you must keep it to yourself, and don’t let any of it slip to our men below.”

Yang Rong’s expression became serious as he nodded, “Don’t worry, big brother.”

Yang Jiyong said, “The main reason I had you all come is for confidentiality. Regardless of whether or not the Large Formation is completed, whether we can kill Feng Xi or not, do not let the news leak out…”

Yang Rong felt it would be difficult, “But with such a large-scale formation being built, it’ll be hard to keep it secret…”

“I’m not asking you to keep the construction of the Large Formation a secret,” Yang Jiyong said. “I’m asking you to keep the one who’s constructing it a secret.”

Only then did Yang Rong feel puzzled and asked, “Who constructed the Large Formation?”

Upon their arrival at Tongxian City, they had been stationed near the big demon to prevent any unforeseen events, and did not interact much with the cultivators of Tongxian City.

They were not involved in the construction of the Large Formation.

As for Drawing Formation, they were even less informed.

He only remembered seeing a group of Formation Masters, the most prominent of whom was an impressive-looking elder. But as for who was responsible for building the Large Formation, he had no idea.

Yang Jiyong was about to speak but then shook his head, “It’s better if you don’t know.”

Yang Rong was taken aback and did not wish to ask further, but a sudden intense curiosity clawed at him.

If Yang Jiyong was taking this so seriously, it must be far from ordinary.

“Big brother Yang, if you tell me, I’ll know what to keep confidential. If you don’t, I won’t even know what’s confidential, and I might accidentally let something slip,” he argued.

Yang Jiyong was taken aback, “Since when have you become so clever?”

Yang Rong chuckled.

After some thought, Yang Jiyong decided to tell him, “Have you seen a young cultivator these few days?”

“A young cultivator?” Yang Rong was slightly startled.

“A cultivator with picturesque features, fair-skinned, handsome, who at first glance seems clever and adorable, but upon closer look, completely enigmatic…”

Yang Rong furrowed his brow in thought, then suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!” He had remembered.

“It’s that young cultivator following behind a group of old Formation Masters.”

“You’ve got it backwards.”

“Backwards?”

Yang Jiyong stated indifferently, “It’s not that he was following behind the old Formation Masters, it’s a group of old Formation Masters following behind him…”

Yang Rong’s mouth fell open in shock, “No way…”

Then he recalled what Yang Jiyong had mentioned about “the person who built the Large Formation,” and for a moment he was befuddled before repeating, “No way…”

Yang Jiyong stopped there, not saying more, and only reminded him,

“Got it now?”

Yang Rong was stunned for a long while before he figured it out, and shaking his head, he muttered, “That’s terrifying…”

In this day and age, could such a young kid really build a Large Formation?

Yang Rong then leaned closer to Yang Jiyong and said quietly, “Big brother, this matter, we mustn’t let the Li Family and Chang Family know.”

Otherwise, they would certainly resort to any means to win him over.

“That’s why I used the Yang Family’s connections to get you guys over here.”

“But what if we can’t keep it a secret?” Yang Rong was somewhat worried.

“No matter,” Yang Jiyong said calmly, “as long as they don’t see it with their own eyes, they won’t believe it.”

Yang Rong nodded.

Actually, he had seen it with his own eyes but still found it hard to believe…

But since his big brother had said so, he would just follow suit.

“There’s one more thing that’s most important…”

Yang Jiyong looked at Yang Rong and further instructed:

“In this operation to subdue Feng Xi, success is uncertain, if we fail, by all means think of a way to ensure Mo Hua’s safety.”

“Mo Hua…”

Yang Rong remembered the name and nodded, saying, “Alright!”

After he spoke, he looked toward the distant Feng Xi and couldn’t help but exclaim,

“Such a huge Evil Monster, I get palpitations just looking at it, can we really kill it?”

Yang Jiyong spoke with a grave tone, “No matter what, we’ve got to try.”

He then sighed inwardly,

He hoped that this time, not too many would die…

The Taoist Soldiers who came this time were all trusted members of the Yang Family, and most were brothers who had shared life and death on the battlefield with him; he didn’t want too many casualties.

But what they were facing this time was a terrifying Big Demon.

Within the state boundary, the Big Demon was invincible.

Even with the Large Formation in place, contending with the Big Demon was certainly no easy task.

Yang Jiyong’s expression was calm, but his heart was filled with anxiety.

After Yang Rong left, a while passed and then Zhang Lan found Yang Jiyong.

Having reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, Zhang Lan’s confidence had grown considerably. Seeing Yang Jiyong, he stood even straighter.

After a brief handover about the matter with Feng Xi, Zhang Lan turned to leave, but he had only walked a few steps before Yang Jiyong called out to him.

“Zhang Lan,” Yang Jiyong called, and after a moment of silence, he said with difficulty, “Don’t die…”

Zhang Lan paused, a hint of surprise in his expression, but his mouth was still not kind, “I’m not going to die, you son of a bitch, don’t curse me.”

Yang Jiyong’s eyelid twitched, “I’m saying don’t die, not telling you to go die!”

Zhang Lan snorted coldly, “Before a battle, words are always said in reverse, the way you said it, it’s like I’m about to die…”

Any trace of concern Yang Jiyong had for Zhang Lan vanished in an instant, and he couldn’t help but curse aloud:

“Goddammit, a dog can’t spit out ivory, I really am, wasting kindness on a dog!”

“You have kindness?”

“Not anymore, eaten by you, a damn dog.”

After trading insults for a while, they both fell silent again.

Zhang Lan then said, “Don’t worry, the Large Formation was built by Mo Hua, he usually doesn’t do things he’s not certain of. As long as you don’t seek your own death, you should survive…”

Yang Jiyong didn’t speak, but his mood wasn’t as heavy anymore.

At 6 A.M., everyone began to prepare as planned, to awaken Feng Xi and lure him into the Large Formation.

Yang Jiyong took action first.

He lifted his spear parallel to the ground, mustered all his strength, concentrated his Spiritual Power onto the spear, and then, as the spear blazed with a golden light, he thrust it fiercely into Feng Xi’s belly.

This was an advanced Taoist Skill passed down in the Yang Family—the Radiant Golden Spear.

The Patriarch of the Qian Family, who was in the Foundation Establishment Middle Phase, had also been gravely injured by this spear technique.

Where the spear passed, Feng Xi’s abdomen was torn open by the Spiritual Power, creating a deep hole, but in an instant, Blood Qi condensed and new flesh grew back.

The onlookers all gasped in admiration.

Such a formidable spear technique, and such robust Blood Qi.

To have cultivators kill such a powerful Big Demon was nearly an impossible task.

Even if it just stood there motionless, letting these Foundation Building Cultivators attack until they were exhausted, they might not deplete even one-tenth or one-twentieth of its Blood Qi.

However, this spear thrust did indeed cause significant injury to Feng Xi.

With a pained roar, Feng Xi abruptly awoke, unleashing a ferocious howl that made the listeners’ blood run cold.

It opened its eyes, its pupils erratically shifting, finally locking onto Leader Yang. In an instant, a surge of malevolent energy exploded from its body.

As it shakily stood up, Feng Xi, having refined Blood Qi for three months, resembled a small mountain, exuding a thick scent of blood, and charged directly at Leader Yang.

Fortunately, the Pig Monster was clumsy, its Blood Qi not fully refined, and it was cumbersome in its movements.

Yang Jiyong retreated, simultaneously luring Feng Xi towards the direction of the Large Formation as he moved back.