"Yes, sir!"
As soon as Liu Yunfeng gave the order, Qi Feiyun and the others immediately disengaged from combat. They formed different hand seals and moved into four positions, creating a mysterious formation that sent out the distant roars of tigers and cries of dragons.
It was still the same four people, but to Song Changsheng, they now felt completely different. The four had merged into a single entity, unbreakable and awe-inspiring, their aura surging with might.
Song narrowed his eyes and said loudly to Liu Yunfeng:
"It's said that the Lieyang Sect once inherited the legacy of a great formation master and obtained the method to set up the Four Symbols Heaven-Imprisoning Formation.
Later, with the refinements of various experts, they developed the Minor Four Symbols Battle Formation. Four people form the array, said to be unstoppable, rivaling the famed Formless Sword Formation, and said to be so powerful that, when mastered, even Foundation Establishment cultivators can challenge Purple Mansion experts."
He paused for a moment, eyes shifting toward Qi Feiyun with a mocking smirk.
"I've already experienced your Formless Sword Formation. It was... underwhelming. Let's see if this Minor Four Symbols Battle Formation is equally overhyped."
Qi Feiyun's face flushed bright red, and he shouted angrily:
"You only broke my formation last time because of dumb luck! Don't get cocky today, you won't escape!"
Liu Yunfeng's eyes gleamed coldly with cunning:
"Still trying to buy time, boy? Hoping someone will come to save you? That old man Song Xianyun can't even save himself!"
Song Changsheng's heart didn't waver at being seen through. Indeed, his earlier words were just a distraction, not to wait for Song Xianyun's return, but to buy time for himself to observe the formation's weak points using his True Sight Eye.
He may have sounded arrogant and dismissive, but in truth, both the Minor Four Symbols Battle Formation and the Formless Sword Formation were elite-level arrays in the Great Qi cultivation world.
Take the Formless Sword Formation, for instance: a perfected version used by a peak Foundation cultivator with twelve spirit swords could easily spar with Purple Mansion experts, even if not defeat them outright. The founding ancestor of Lieyang Sect once used that formation to dominate Yang Prefecture, leveraging its resources to break through into Purple Mansion and establish the sect.
Qi Feiyun had lost to him that day because he lacked talent and had poor-quality swords. Had those factors been different, Song might've been the one to lose.
While the Minor Four Symbols Battle Formation lacked the fame of the sword array, its power was comparable. When formed, the four participants' auras merged, greatly enhancing their cultivation. Even Huang Liqun, the weakest of them, now had the strength of a mid-stage Foundation cultivator.
And Liu Yunfeng, originally late-stage Foundation, was now pushing the threshold of peak Foundation, doubling the pressure on Song in an instant.
"I should've just used the Slaughter God's Flying Dagger to finish him off earlier,"
Song thought bitterly.
He had underestimated Huang Liqun and failed to notice his protective artifact. Had he used the dagger then, things wouldn't be like this now.
But regrets were useless. What mattered now was figuring out how to break the formation.
All arrays have flaws, and battle formations are no exception. They often have more weaknesses than static arrays. With the aid of his True Sight Eye, Song was confident he could break it if given enough time. Unfortunately, his enemies weren't about to wait.
"Four Symbols unite! Shake mountains, still the seas Suppress!"
Liu Yunfeng shouted, hands forming complex seals as four massive spirit beasts, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger, appeared behind them in ghostly form.
The Vermilion Bird spread its wings, and the Black Tortoise stirred tidal waves.
The Azure Dragon roared to the heavens, and the White Tiger let out an earth-shaking growl.
The four towering projections locked down Song Changsheng from four directions, exerting crushing pressure. Even the flow of spiritual energy through his meridians slowed, causing his expression to turn grim.
"Impressive. Just as expected of a formation descended from the Four Symbols Heaven-Imprisoning Formation. It's reduced my spiritual flow by more than ten percent."
Song muttered, eyes narrowing.
That might not sound like much, but for someone already on the back foot, a 10% decrease was critical.
"Hahaha! You can feel it now, can't you?"
Liu Yunfeng laughed maliciously.
"I admit, you're strong. Given time, you could become even more terrifying than Song Xianming.
But you're out of chances now. Brothers, let's take his head!"
Backed by the Azure Dragon, Liu Yunfeng charged at Song with a vicious grin. The other three followed close behind, weapons raised high.
Feeling their murderous intent, Song remained unfazed. With a flick of his spear, he charged into the fray once more.
Though still valiant and fierce, Song was now clearly at a disadvantage. The others' power had surged under the formation's boost, while he was weakened. The balance had shifted.
Clang!
The Seal of Overturned Waters was knocked flying by Liu Yunfeng's iron ruler, its glow dimming as it tumbled through the air.
Song Changsheng's artifact took damage, and he was momentarily affected. Qi Feiyun seized the opportunity; his twelve flying swords flared with light, aiming to finish Song off in one decisive strike.
"Buzz"
At that critical moment, the Ink Jade Lotus Platform beneath Song's feet radiated a dim, ghostly light. A phantom lotus flower bloomed around him, enveloping him completely.
The twelve swords struck the lotus phantom and shattered it, but it bought Song just enough time to react.
"You think you're the only ones with formation magic?!"
Song Changsheng's eyes widened with fury as a faint glow surged from his body. He activated the Yin-Yang Duality Array, expanding an invisible field all around him.
At the same time, his Soul-Slaying Gourd at his waist erupted with radiant light, spewing forth thick streams of yin and yang energy like a black-and-white waterfall. The energy merged seamlessly into the formation's field.
A taiji diagram manifested above his head. Qi Feiyun's twelve swords slammed into an unseen barrier and were instantly deflected.
"This move again! When did he even set up that formation?!"
Qi Feiyun gritted his teeth. He had lost to this trick before, and now it was happening all over again. Yet he still couldn't tell when or how the array had been laid down.
"We underestimated him. No wonder the Third Elder gave a kill-on-sight order.
His talent in formation magic may surpass even Song Xianming's."
Liu Yunfeng's expression darkened slightly as he stared at the slowly rotating taiji diagram. He, too, couldn't figure out when Song had deployed it.
"Formation or not, what's there to be afraid of?"
Huang Liqun's eyes gleamed with viciousness. He still broke out in cold sweat remembering how close he'd come to death earlier. Just a bit closer, and he'd have died!
His words resonated with Qi Feiyun, and the sleazy-looking cultivator had been equally startled by Song's earlier strength.
However, Liu Yunfeng unexpectedly held them back.
"The Minor Four Symbols Battle Formation has an extremely low consumption. We can afford to wait, but Song Changsheng can't.
Once his spiritual energy is drained, killing him will be effortless."
"Senior Brother Liu is right. He's already a fish on the chopping block.
No need to risk casualties."
The sleazy cultivator quickly echoed the sentiment. Song had shown too many hidden cards, and he wasn't about to be the unlucky one caught off guard.
Qi Feiyun and Huang Liqun thought it over and nodded. It made sense that once Song ran out of spiritual energy, he'd be far less dangerous.
So, the group held their formation and began a quiet standoff with Song Changsheng.
Seeing that they weren't charging in immediately, a flicker of disappointment passed through Song's eyes. Quietly, he slipped the Heaven-Shaking Thunder Talisman back into his robes.
This third-rank talisman was extremely powerful. If used, it could break the Minor Four Symbols Battle Formation but might not kill the four enemies outright. If he wanted maximum effect, he'd need to wait for the right moment.
Since they intended to wait him out, Song would play along. Though maintaining the Yin-Yang Duality Array cost significant spiritual energy, the lotus platform beneath him continued to replenish his reserves, allowing him to sustain it for a while.
Taking advantage of the lull, he once again activated his True Sight Eye, analyzing the battle formation for weak points.
The most straightforward way to break the formation would be to heavily injure or kill one of the four formation members, but that was difficult with his current strength.
So, he opted for a clever workaround.
With the aid of his eye technique, he dissected the Minor Four Symbols Battle Formation bit by bit. Eventually, he found it.
A linkage node.
If he could disrupt the energy channel connecting them at that node, their shared spiritual aura would be severed for a moment. If he could seize that moment, he just might escape with his life.
At this point, more than half his spiritual energy had been expended. He simply retracted the formation to conserve power.
When the taiji diagram vanished, Qi Feiyun lit up with joy.
"He can't hold out any longer!"
"Almost out of spirit energy, eh?"
Liu Yunfeng hovered with his iron ruler above his head and sneered.
"What else have you got now?"
"Even without spiritual energy, it's more than enough to kill you."
Song Changsheng replied flatly, holding his spear with a calm gaze.
"You talk too much."
Liu Yunfeng's eyes turned cold as he launched the ruler straight at Song's head. If it connected, it would split his skull open.
Song inhaled deeply and didn't activate any energy. He simply raised his spear and swung it straight into the incoming ruler.
"CLANG!"
The impact sent blood surging through Song's arm. His veins bulged, and his body erupted with raw energy. A low rumble of tiger roars and dragon cries echoed from within him, his entire body glowing with a faint red light.
To the astonishment of his enemies, the iron ruler was sent flying back while Song only took a small step back to stabilize himself.
"Impossible! He countered a spiritual weapon with sheer physical strength?!"
Liu Yunfeng was wide-eyed in disbelief. He wasn't an idiot; he could tell Song had just used pure physical force.
"Frog in a well, blind to the vast world,"
Song sneered.
"I've only just started cultivating the Five Beast Body Refining Art.
When it reaches mastery, I'll be able to crush spiritual weapons with my bare hands.
This? This is nothing."
"Come fight me!"
He let out a furious roar and charged straight at the weakest link, Huang Liqun.
"Arrogant brat!"
Liu Yunfeng's pride burned from the mockery. He swung his iron ruler again toward Song's back, while Qi Feiyun and the others also rushed forward to encircle him once more.
But Song Changsheng seemed completely unafraid of death. He ignored all attacks aimed at him, only defending his vital points, and relentlessly pressed in on Huang Liqun.
With his powerful physique and the Xuantian Battle Armor worn close to his body, the flurry of attacks inflicted many wounds on him, but none were fatal.
Instead, Huang Liqun was rattled by Song Changsheng's suicidal fighting style. He thought Song was trying to drag him down in a death struggle and gradually began to panic.
When the mind falters, the body makes mistakes, and Song seized this rare opportunity.
"Soul-Slaying, strike!"
The long-dormant Soul-Slaying Gourd revealed its fangs once more. A formless blade shot straight toward Huang Liqun's sea of consciousness. Because of the linked qi among the formation's members, it didn't kill him outright, but it left him seriously wounded.
Song immediately followed up, raising his spear to finish him off. Liu Yunfeng and the others, of course, didn't dare stand idly by and scrambled to rescue Huang Liqun.
But that was exactly what Song wanted.
He suddenly twisted his spear, stabbing it toward a seemingly empty part of the air.
"Crack!"
A web of fractures appeared in space. Qi Feiyun suddenly felt his qi connection to Liu Yunfeng severed, and his face changed drastically.
The Minor Four Symbols Battle Formation was broken.
Though Liu Yunfeng instantly tried to reestablish the connection, Song Changsheng had already used Flickering Shadows to escape the formation's range, fleeing at high speed with the Lu Wu Bell in hand.
Seeing this, a furious Liu Yunfeng unleashed the formation's final attack.
The four sacred beast phantoms merged into a single, radiant stream of five-colored light and shot straight toward Song Changsheng's back.
The stream was unimaginably fast. Song had no time to dodge.
"Pfft"
The light pierced directly into his body. He stumbled midair, blood spurting from his mouth as a chaotic force wreaked havoc inside him, draining his vitality in an instant.
But even injured, Song didn't dare stop. He forced himself to draw on what little spiritual energy remained and fled at full speed.
Meanwhile, Liu Yunfeng and the others weren't doing much better. That final attack had nearly emptied their spiritual reserves, but even so, they still failed to stop Song Changsheng.
Huang Liqun, now severely wounded, had fallen unconscious. Qi Feiyun turned to Liu Yunfeng, her face dark.
"Senior Brother Liu… what do we do now?"
"We're still nearly 100,000 li from Luoxia City.
But he's been injured badly. He won't make it far."
Liu Yunfeng sneered and pulled out a jade token.
He was going to mobilize all of Lieyang Sect's nearby forces to hunt Song down. Not only that, but he would issue a public bounty. If Song Changsheng wanted to flee, he'd have to do it with the entire region out for his head.
...
At the same time, over at Fengxi Pass, another intense battle had just concluded.
After parting with Song Changsheng, Song Xianyun had flown toward Fengxi Pass aboard his spirit boat, with Yu Chengbo and others in relentless pursuit.
Determined to stop him, Yu Chengbo's group spared no effort, going so far as to unleash another third-rank attack talisman, severely damaging the spirit boat and forcing close-quarters combat.
Song Xianyun was no weakling, but fighting three powerful enemies alone, he quickly fell into a disadvantage. Thankfully, at a critical moment, Song Luzhou and Song Lutong arrived with spirit weapons in hand to join the battle.
The two sides clashed fiercely throughout the night.
In the end, both sides were gravely wounded. Song Luai and his kin withdrew past Fengxi Pass and returned to Lingzhou, while Yu Chengbo's party, upon receiving Liu Yunfeng's message, turned back to join the hunt for Song Changsheng…
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