"Tch, looks like this guy really is close to the level of a high-rank Earth Sovereign… otherwise he couldn't have come out of that attack unscathed." As Long Nixian showed shock, Xiao Yan too had already made a more accurate judgment about his strength. Don't be fooled by how he'd repelled Long Nixian with his previous strike—he hadn't actually injured him. All he'd done was leave him looking a bit disheveled.
Still, this level of strength was within the range Xiao Yan could handle. More importantly, he didn't need to defeat Long Nixian—he just needed to stall him until his body couldn't withstand the Earth Sovereign-level power anymore. So after launching the Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler, Xiao Yan didn't pursue the offensive, but instead continued using Demonic Lotus Buries Life Steps to dodge Long Nixian's attacks.
As time went on, more blood cracks appeared on Long Nixian's body—proof that the vessel he had possessed was reaching its limit. He glared at Xiao Yan with a twisted expression. "Are you only good at scurrying around like a rat? If you've got the guts, stop running and face me head-on!"
"That's a pretty low-level provocation," Xiao Yan shook his head with a smirk. "But sure, I'll accept it."
Long Nixian was stunned for a moment, but then a flicker of realization crossed his eyes. He quickly looked around, and just as he did, Xiao Yan's hand seals shifted slightly. Suddenly, within a radius of tens of thousands of meters around Long Nixian, beams of radiant light began to light up. Countless illusory lines crisscrossed in midair, eventually spreading into the shape of a massive array.
"A spiritual formation?" Long Nixian's face darkened. He could sense it—this formation was enormous, far beyond any ordinary Heaven-rank formation. Judging by the fluctuation of energy from within, it could even be considered a Master-level array.
This formation was the Five Saints Demon-Sealing Formation, the one Xiao Yan had entrusted Qin Wan'er to acquire at the auction. Though he hadn't used it in battle until now, he'd thoroughly familiarized himself with its construction. Though it was technically Heaven-rank, its power was sufficient to restrain even a low-rank Earth Sovereign, which was exactly why he chose it against Long Nixian.
"It's just a formation. You think it's enough to deal with me?" Long Nixian took a deep breath and sneered coldly. With his discerning eye, he could tell that while formation masters could suppress cultivators of the same level, he wasn't an ordinary Earth Sovereign. Xiao Yan's spiritual formation might deal with other Earth Sovereigns, but against him, it was wishful thinking.
"I'd like to see how long you last once I destroy this array!" he sneered and prepared to act. But just then, the surrounding space trembled violently again, and more lines of light began to emerge.
"Who said I only set up one array?" Xiao Yan smirked. With a shift of his hand seals, formation after formation began to take shape and converge, tightly encircling Long Nixian. Thanks to the special nature of Demonic Lotus Buries Life Steps, his seemingly panicked evasion earlier had been nothing more than preparation to set up these formations.
"These… are all spiritual formations?" Long Nixian was inwardly shocked. He hadn't expected Xiao Yan to deploy a Master-level formation, let alone so many Heaven-rank arrays on top of that. Judging from their energy, each was strong enough to annihilate an ordinary ninth-grade Sovereign.
"With his level, how could he possibly set up so many formations?" Long Nixian cursed. Spiritual arrays were indeed powerful, but they consumed massive amounts of spiritual energy. He could sense that Xiao Yan's cultivation was only at the peak of ninth-grade Sovereign. There was no way he could support so many formations on his own.
To deploy this many high-level arrays simultaneously, one would normally need the energy reserves of an Earth Sovereign—unless he'd used a mountain of Sovereign Liquid to power them. But Long Nixian hadn't sensed any such fluctuations. He still couldn't figure out how Xiao Yan had managed to set them up right under his nose.
A single Heaven-rank formation wouldn't faze him. But dozens? Even a seasoned Earth Sovereign would feel a headache. And among them was a Master-level array! That was enough to make even someone like him feel true danger.
"You like breaking formations so much? Then I'll let you break to your heart's content." Xiao Yan sneered, pointing lightly into the void. Instantly, all the formations activated at once. Tens of thousands of beams of light shot out from the arrays, converging on Long Nixian.
"Five Saints Demon-Sealing Formation—activate!"
"Flowing Cloud Formation—activate!"
"Netherworld Deathtrap Formation—activate!"
"Nine Nether Phantom Spirit Formation—activate!"
"…"
Formation after terrifying formation roared to life under Xiao Yan's voice. Their radiant light lit up the sky in succession, overlapping into a vast web of spiritual might. Even if Long Nixian wanted to dodge, it was impossible—under such an onslaught, even a true Earth Sovereign might not escape unscathed.
The profession of a formation master was sometimes considered impractical in fast-paced battles. But if they had ample time to prepare, they could unleash unfathomable destructive power. Any rational cultivator would avoid directly confronting a well-prepared high-tier formation master.
Under normal conditions, enemies wouldn't give them time to prepare. But Xiao Yan's Demonic Lotus Buries Life Steps perfectly solved that flaw.
All the formations he now unleashed had been purchased from the Nine Nether Palace or looted from enemies he had killed. He had studied each one to enhance his own techniques, giving him the ability to deploy them all.
A single Heaven-rank formation might be overlooked by an Earth Sovereign—but dozens of overlapping arrays? That was a different story. It was enough to be described as world-ending. And Long Nixian had the misfortune of being the one trapped within this web.
Most concerning of all was the Five Saints Demon-Sealing Formation. Though Long Nixian had forcefully boosted his strength to the peak of low-rank Earth Sovereign, his physical body was still at the level of a ninth-grade Sovereign. If he got caught in that formation's core attack, he could very well be shattered on the spot.
(End of Chapter)
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