Kuang Lei's expression wavered for a moment, then he regained full clarity.
"Witch, what spell did you cast on me?"
His voice thundered like a bell, eyes blazing as he glared at Yao Ranran. Could it be that the grand formation hadn't changed at all because she had used an illusion?
Kuang Lei could not help but doubt everything around him. Biting his tongue, he brought his fingers together, smeared them with fresh blood, and wiped across his eyes. But everything before him remained calm, undisturbed.
Yao Ranran blinked, confused. Why was he still asking the same question?
Hadn't she already explained: first this, then that, finally that, and the attack was blocked?
Yet seeing him so persistent, unwilling to relent, she paused thoughtfully.
"Killing in Formlessness!"
Yes, no matter what it was, the name had to sound imposing!
Kuang Lei's pupils trembled. Suddenly, realization struck. "A tenth-layer Qi Refinement little brat dares to threaten me? you hadn't even been born when I formed my Golden Core! Who was it that just broke my ultimate move? If you have the guts, come out and face me!"
"Who exactly is he calling out?" Xiao Rong wrinkled his nose, looking impatient.
Yao Ranran shook her head. "Elder Kuang, your time is running out."
She had been busy lately—not only earning money but also trying to save Zhou Lili and others. She had no time to indulge him.
Kuang Lei snorted. "Not only an illusionary formation but also a killing formation, huh? Do you think a few words from you can decide this elder's life or death?"
The last time he came here in a rush, with powerful cultivators stationed nearby, he had failed to destroy Biliu Sect and made a laughingstock of himself while retreating.
After that, he had found it hard to hold his head high in Mingxia Sect.
Even when strolling through the sect, he would hear the disciples whispering behind his back. His authority had crumbled, and even before the sect master, he was no longer favored. Resources were gradually diverted to other peaks.
Luckily, this time the demon sect had allied, Piao Miao Sect had rebelled, and several forces collaborated. That was when he heard from Pu Yehai about the departure of Longyin Village's great cultivator!
When Pu Yehai contacted Mingxia Sect, Kuang Lei immediately acted to claim this battle. He came to this place to avenge past humiliation, to utterly destroy Biliu Sect and this foolish mortal village, leaving not even ashes behind.
Yao Ranran furrowed her brows slightly. "Just one formation, right? Elder Kuang, are you done talking?"
Kuang Lei sneered at the radiant formation. "Not done. Even if you have high-level formation masters, they cannot prevent those inside from destroying the array!"
Yao Ranran's gaze shifted, and nine azure lotuses bloomed before her. Her purple skirt fluttered as three thousand strands of black hair cascaded like a brush painting.
"Now, Elder Kuang, you should be done, right?"
Kuang Lei's eyes narrowed, murderous intent radiating. "Even if this elder is done speaking, you…"
"You…"
Suddenly, Kuang Lei's eyes widened. With a loud thud, his long blade hit the ground. His hands began to crumble, petal by petal, scattering in the wind.
"Elder Kuang!" His disciples behind him screamed in terror.
Kuang Lei turned his head slightly. His abdomen and feet had collapsed, decomposing into ruin.
Every disciple's gaze on him trembled with fear and horror.
For some reason, the words the woman had just spoken flashed in his mind.
Killing in formlessness…
"No! No! This must be an illusionary formation!"
Only his head roared now, while his disciples scattered like frightened birds, fearing they would be next.
Kuang Lei ran desperately toward the outskirts of the village. If he could just leave, he could break free from this illusion! Or, when Pu Yehai arrived, he could destroy all the village formations!
But reality was far from what he imagined.
His body disintegrated into fragments, drifting with the snow, withering like plum petals.
At the final moment, he stiffly turned half of his head.
He was wrong… he was truly wrong…
There really are people who can determine life and death with just a few words…
"What is he saying?" Fairy Yao Ranran seemed to see something in his eyes.
Xiao Rong leaned forward seriously, lips moving. "He seems to be saying that dying at the hands of the boss is a blessing he has cultivated for eight lifetimes!"
Tang Xiangyin said, "I don't think so. I feel he is saying, 'I was wrong. How could I deserve to die at the hands of a Fairy?' That's what it seems."
Jiang Shengxiang blankly tugged at a strand of his beard. "Aren't you amazed by the Fairy's power?"
A Mingxia Sect Golden Core elder had died so casually?
Not even a trace of ashes remained…
Was it all too fast?
Xiao Rong paused, then realized. "Did he really just die? Isn't he performing some illusion?"
"Right, isn't there a grand illusionary human technique in the secular world? He seems to have mastered its essence!" Tang Xiangyin nodded in agreement.
Jiang Shengxiang shivered, plucking a strand of beard.
Did these two truly understand what had happened? Did they really think this Jīndān Zhēnrén was a mortal trickster?
Although he had died quickly, dispersing like firework. If not for knowing the truth, anyone would have thought it was a grand illusion.
Jiang Shengxiang's legs went weak, and he knelt before Yao Ranran. He thought, "Heaven help me, what level of cultivation must this Fairy have?!"
Xiao Rong jumped, startled by his kneeling. "Xiao Jiang, what are you doing? At your age, the boss won't accept you as a disciple!"
"Yes, yes, and you don't have money to pay for apprenticeship either…" Tang Xiangyin added mercilessly.
Jiang Shengxiang's heart ached, yet his eyes only reflected admiration. Was it because he was too clever that he could not stand beside a Fairy?
"Village Chief Jiang, was this elder important to Mingxia Sect?"
Fairy Yao Ranran looked at the scattered hundreds of cultivators. A thought crossed her mind.
Jiang Shengxiang hurriedly replied, "Fairy, Elder Kuang Lei is formidable. With the current conflict between righteous and demon sects, his presence is indispensable!"
Fairy Yao Ranran understood. With Kuang Lei's death, Mingxia Sect had lost a vital arm. She effortlessly drew in the void, tore off a jade identity token at her waist, and sent it flying east.
"Let us go. From this moment onward, Mingxia Sect will exist no more."
She floated lightly, leaving with Xiao Rong and the others.
Jiang Shengxiang remained kneeling until his legs went numb, only then regaining his senses.
"What did the Fairy mean just now?"
He gazed at the flying jade talisman and murmured, "Could it be… that the Mingxia Sect, passed down for tens of thousands of years, is about to be destroyed?"