The army encircled the sect.
Spiritual beasts of all kinds and flying vessels formed into formations, covering both sky and earth, sealing off the entrance to Jiuding Valley completely.
At the heart of it all was a black flood dragon, clearly the core of the entire military formation.
Dark waters swirled around its body, its sharp fangs and claws glinting menacingly, while a single horn on its head crackled faintly with lightning.
And now, compared to when it was previously besieged at Thousand Island Water City, this black flood dragon exuded an even greater and more terrifying aura!
Were it not for the murderous intent in its eyes that tainted its grandeur, it might have truly looked like a creature bearing the majesty of the dragon race, especially now, surrounded by beast hordes and armies.
"Looks like that Dragon-Suppressing Spike wasn't refined properly after all... That black flood dragon had taken serious damage before, and even after I pulled the spike out, it was still weak. But now... it seems like it's benefited somehow..."
From afar, Li Ye was observing the battlefield through a puppet, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Back then, when he examined the Dragon-Suppressing Spike, he found its seals incomplete and had assumed it was a one-time-use artifact. The residual power it retained was already impressive.
But now, it was clear Jiudingzi hadn't properly refined the spike at all. He had relied mostly on the innate properties of the Dragon-Suppressing Wood itself!
The dragon-corrupting energy that had entered the beast had since been refined by it turning what should have been harm into nourishment.
"No wonder it recovered so quickly… That spike was a half-finished product."
Li Ye chuckled darkly, clearly enjoying the irony.
"Jiudingzi shot himself in the foot. Not only did his scheme fail, he even left his sect with a much stronger enemy. If I were a disciple of Jiuding Valley right now, I'd probably want to die from shame!"
And in fact, he wasn't wrong.
Inside the sect's grand formation, Zhuang He, who had returned under Li Ye's orders, now looked utterly devastated.
He had managed to escape one disaster only to fall into another.
Back then, to save his skin from that unfamiliar late-stage cultivator, he'd followed orders and returned to the sect he had already decided to abandon.
Mission accomplished, sure but how long had it been?
Now Thousand Island Water City was knocking on their front door! And with the sect on lockdown, he didn't even have the option to flee!
Seeing the overwhelming army sealing off all exits, he could no longer see any hope of escape.
"Wait! The 'stones'...!"
His eyes widened, remembering the strange stones he had scattered around the sect entrance.
After returning, he'd investigated and discovered who that mysterious cultivator was
He hailed from the resource-starved Chidi Mountains, and was none other than the sect master of Pingyang Mountain, the leader of the mountain alliance: Li Ye!
Zhuang He had heard of him before renowned for his dual mastery of alchemy and formations. The fallen Jiuding Valley prodigy Deng Tiancheng, who died in the ancient tomb, had reportedly been close to him.
But what shocked Zhuang He most was that this man was now at the late Foundation Establishment stage and his talent seemed even greater than Deng Tiancheng's!
And now, it seemed Li Ye had also set his sights on Jiuding Valley.
At the time, Zhuang He had only been impressed. But now? He saw Li Ye as his last hope.
Bound by contract, he couldn't divulge anything about Li Ye or the stones. But since the man had instructed him to scatter them, they were surely part of some formation setup.
Given Li Ye's reputation in formation arts, it was likely he had made preparations perhaps to seize the chance to act amid the chaos!
If so, and if Li Ye succeeded maybe he could pull Zhuang He out of this nightmare. That single thread of hope was all he had left.
So Zhuang He set off immediately, heading to the nearest stone placement.
"Good thing I kept track of where I placed each one..."
Grateful for his caution, he carefully made his way to one of the hidden spots.
But when he got there, his expression froze.
Where's the stone?!
The soil looked untouched no signs of digging and no lingering spiritual energy.
Yet the stone he had buried there… was gone.
"Haha… Must've been some random junior messing around and kicked it aside. There are other spots I'll check those..."
He forced a laugh, trying to reassure himself, and quickly moved to several other locations.
But without exception, every spot he visited looked undisturbed and every stone he had hidden was missing!
At that moment, he felt like the sky was collapsing.
"How is this possible..."
He murmured, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
"Could it be… he's already started?"
Whether or not Li Ye had begun, he didn't know.
But what broke him completely was Thousand Island Water City launched their assault right then!
BOOM!
The flood dragon let out a thunderous roar that echoed across the heavens. Thunder burst forth from the black clouds that had gathered above.
Several bolts of black-blue lightning formed in the air and struck down in succession, shaking Jiuding Valley's defensive formation violently. Its illusionary outer shell dispersed, leaving only a layer of golden light barely holding under the pressure.
With the black flood dragon making the first move, the army surged forward.
All the formation units unleashed their spells waves of magical attacks and spiritual lights crashed down in a dazzling, unending assault.
Working in concert with the flood dragon, their assault shook the tier-three formation, which flickered unsteadily, its power rapidly draining it looked as if it might collapse at any moment.
Within the sect, the sect master's orders rang out: disciples were to rush to key formation points, support the formation, and replenish their spiritual energy reserves.
Any disciple caught wandering or harboring ill intent would be immediately dealt with.
Heart sinking into despair, Zhuang He had no choice but to obey and head off to assist.
Meanwhile, deep within the sect, a group of earth-element puppets radiating a dim yellow glow burrowed through the ground.
They quickly arrived at a predetermined spot a weak point in the formation and positioned themselves into a precise formation of their own.
A faint resonance formed between them and the grand formation.
As the formation's outer shell trembled slightly, the external forces seemed to respond as well. The protective golden light at that corner wavered more and more, and soon.
A tiny breach appeared.
SWISH
In a flash, a stream of black-blue water surged through the gap, materializing into an armored puppet.
It had successfully passed through the defensive formation and entered the sect grounds, making barely any disturbance compared to the massive attacks outside.
And the remote, neglected location it had entered from was deserted no cultivator was paying attention.
The water swirling around the puppet swept up the earth-element puppets, storing them away. After briefly orienting itself, it once again dissolved into a stream of water and flowed underground, heading toward a nearby mountain.
.......
"Senior Brother Sect Master, that black flood dragon has recovered far too quickly, and now it's even mastered thunder-based divine abilities. At this rate, let alone using the sect's grand formation to trap and kill it we might not be able to hold out much longer before it's forcefully breached!"
In the main hall of the sect, Ye Shiguang, one of the trusted elder disciples, stood at the center, coordinating the defenses.
He monitored the formation's status, reading the urgent messages sent back by disciples stationed at various key points, and couldn't help the bitter look on his face.
Sect Master Xiang Dong'ang's expression was grim. "Junior Brother Ye, if you have something to say, just say it."
He had harbored doubts from the beginning when the Patriarch insisted on launching an all-out assault against Thousand Island Water City. Now, the campaign had ended in total failure, leaving behind an absolute mess for him to clean up.
Given the current state of things, he had already made up his mind.
Ye Shiguang looked hesitant, then finally sent a voice transmission via divine sense:
"Perhaps… we should gather our fellow brothers, retrieve the sect's treasure vault, and look for a chance to escape..."
Xiang Dong'ang's gaze turned serious upon hearing this, making Ye Shiguang feel a tinge of shame. He was about to explain further to try and persuade him more.
After all, if they didn't leave now, it would only mean certain death. By himself, Ye Shiguang didn't have the strength to escape, much less take anything from the sect's vault. If he wanted a share of the treasures, he needed the sect master's help.
But before he could say anything more, Xiang Dong'ang responded:
"Junior Brother, your words are wise. Holding the line to the death won't lead us anywhere. We must preserve a spark of life for Jiuding Valley. Let's retrieve the sect's treasure vault at once and make our escape as soon as possible!"
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 505+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader