“Why?” The Foundation Establishment cultivator stared blankly. The Lou Clan’s echelon for young clan elder… What a joke! How many cultivators would be willing to rush over here and come! Especially since the Lou Clan was bound to have one command plate this time! Furthermore, wasn’t that to say that the current Featherwood Guard could withstand another attack from the three clans? In that case, the Xingtian Legion had two command plates!

“T-This was his doing?”

One of the Five Honored Stars turned his head around and gazed at him peacefully. After ages, he then laughed, “Old Xu, this is the reason why you haven’t entered the candidate echelon for the Five Honored Stars.”

“

This

 was certainly the Xingtian Legion’s commander, Xu Yangyi’s work.”

“Only Qi Condensation… He is only a Qi Condensation cultivator…” he took a deep breath, “In the battle against the Reincarnation Puppet, the reveal of his shining sword against us, all was presided by his strength. That means in his united force of three that he has absolute control. If he doesn’t give the word, then none risk acting as such!” 

“Think again. From the beginning, he has always been playing weak. In addition, he chose an exquisite time to enter. This child… to what extent does his wisdom border on demonic! From the beginning, he was planning this step! It’s fortunate that the Linghu Clan became his model!”

After ten minutes, the palaces of the three clans did not stir. Instead, they sent emissaries, solitary riders, to the Featherwood Guard.

“The world’s matters are hard to fathom…” The Crimson Rakshasa looked up and heaved out a long sigh. This explosion hadn’t only destroyed the Linghu Clan, but also destroyed the three clan’s searing-hot battle intent into powdered dust.

Likewise, they required time to consolidate their battle intent again. While cultivators still able to continue fighting under the might of a Core Formation explosions did exist, there were certainly not many. Yet even the few didn’t enter the gates of their respective floating strongholds.

Having her fill of quiet sighing, the old woman-spider continued to spread her spiritual sense forward. But in the blink of an eye, her brows shot up! It wasn’t just her, however. The remaining elders, elites, and Foundation Establishment seniors now gazed to the nexus of the explosion!

“This!” Having just settled down barely moments ago, the Crimson Rakshasa’s heart suddenly picked up. If said that the Core Formation explosions just now had stunned her, then she was shocked in this very moment!

A shock like no other!

“What is that thing?” Zhao Zhiqiu sluggishly looked to the sky over the Featherwood Guard. “How… how could this happen?”

Presently, he didn’t see the broken Transference Formation on the floor of the Featherwood Guard faintly sparkle with a ray of weak light. Xu Yangyi patted away at the dirt on his body, and appeared in the formation’s glow.

A second brilliance came from the Transference Formation. For the formation not to have been directly ruined by such a terrible explosion was already incredibly fortunate. Everything was fine except for one thing, though. Only one person could come out at a time.

“Ahem, ahem ahem…” Just as Lord Zhao appeared, he promptly coughed several times, and his eyes quickly searched all around. He gasped sharply, “My god… This… is the might of a Core Formation explosion...” Eyes wide open, he studied the aftermath in disbelief.

There were no ravaged limbs. There was no wreckage of the White Tiger Hall. The surroundings were a desolate expanse. So desolate that not the slightest thing existed. 

No… there wasn’t nothing. At this moment in the sky, a red light flashed without warning. Very shortly, a red command plate slowly drifted down and landed in front of the crowd.

Xu Yangyi extended his hand and took the medal, releasing a long sigh.

Who could’ve expected this? Who could’ve expected this!

The very first to win a second command plate was not any of the clans! But instead the weakest, the Xingtian Legion!

Since the beginning, they had hid their figure. In between, they had shown weakness to the enemy. And ultimately, the weakest power had won the first command plate!

“The former swallows of Wang and Xie of old now fly into the homes of the common people.” Xu Yangyi grasped the warm command plate and softly laughed. On the battlefield, all his plans after entering Longsu Province had come to fruition at last.

[1]

With this laugh, all of his Dao was exhausted.

“Yeah… who would’ve expected… that it would be ‘common people’ like us…” Lord Zhao gazed at the command plate absentmindedly, already sighing with admiration in his heart.

He did it… he really did it!

A single core had wiped out 3,000 cultivators! Even the White Tiger Hall was unable to avoid it!

Under the self-detonation of a Core Formation origin crystal, a noble lineage transformed into ashes! Not even the slightest speck of their existence remained!

Above, an odd rustling noise was heard. At the same time… vast amounts of wood, stone, and debris from heavenly treasures were softly floating down like fine snow.

Somewhat dumbly, Lord Zhao extended both of his hands and caught onto the falling residue. This was the wind’s signal telling them that an explosion of titanic proportions had just occurred here. Presently, these remaining traces—utterly destroyed nameless objects—fluttered in the wind. 

“Are you even human… or a fiend?” he sucked in deeply and said with a voice only he could hear. Following the fine bits in the air with his eyes, he looked to the sky. He gazed ahead, yet fell into a sudden daze where he stood.

“Fellow Daoist Xu…” his voice was trembling, “What… what is that…”

Xu Yangyi stared blankly and lifted his head to look, but he saw a scene that he hadn’t anticipated whatsoever!

In the dark sky, a scar had appeared. It was a veritable rainbow of harsh color, yet terribly abrupt in its arrival. If said that the sky was a face, then in this instant this crack was a long scar cut onto it!

“That’s… a spatial crack!” The demon slayer recognized the phenomenon at once. Although the color was different, it was exactly the same as the crack that had whisked him away back then!

Yet the spatial crack alone was not enough to make him cautious. What truly made him cautious was the object inside this thousand-meter-long spatial crack that almost traveled across the sky.

It… was the remains of the White Tiger Hall!

The Linghu Clan’s stronghold had long since been scorched black. Its ornate talismans and formations were a magnificence of a gone past. Presently, the massive wreckage was slowly being vomited out of the giant, mouth-like spatial crack! 

Crack… Crack… 

The area was deathly still. Only as the thousand meters of wreckage was being spat out did heart-shaking cracking noises ring out. The falling wood, stone, and even the fragments of heavenly treasures, weren’t drifting in the wind! Instead, their origin was right above their heads!

Xu Yangyi ruthlessly clenched his fist. Variables were a constant presence in any plan.

While Xu Yangyi himself hadn’t expected this occurrence… not even the Linghu Clan themselves had!

And that… was the question. What would happen to the White Tiger Hall if it suffered the Xingtian Legion’s heavy blow as it was being transferred?

As one half of the stronghold emerged, that half had already become powdered dust. But!

The other half was still in the midst of being transferred. A transference belonged to a unique space. It wasn’t subject to the outside world’s influence. And yet the might of a Core Formation explosion was truly too great, having directly collapsed the transference passage’s exit!

Still though, this wasn’t the most important matter.

Above all else was the warping… Space was warping!

In the sky, the massive wreckage actually began to oddly warp. The entire structure was like milk in coffee, beginning to swiftly whirl. Devastated pavilions and all kinds of talismans strangely twisted into something that the ordinary man could not comprehend. However, the very top of the massive bulk was condensed down to less than a meter! Moreover, it was rapidly rushing over to the Xingtian Legion!

“Get out the way!” Xu Yangyi quickly pushed Lord Zhao aside and ducked to the left at the same time!

BANG!!!

 In the wake of a sonorous boom, the unspeakable entity violently stabbed into the Xingtian Legion’s Transference Formation! Very soon, it was like a drill, frantically slamming down below!

Just like… it wanted to rush underground, like there was something down below that was attracting this unspeakable thing, yet the earth was obstructing it.

“This…” Xu Yangyi shot a brief glance, his expression finally taking on a shade of total solemnity.

The Demonheart Seed Magik… 

Originally, Bai Suzhen’s demon heart wouldn’t have exploded due to a situation like this. However, it was no longer the demon heart of the past. At the present, it had already passed through several centuries! No one knew what amount its ‘demand’ was.

And now… it had unexpectedly activated by itself from a Core Formation explosion! In addition, the suctioning forces were surprisingly so great!

“No good!” In a flash, his heart tightened, and he suddenly looked to the sky!

A huge, visible hole was slowly taking form on the ground. And right now, the White Tiger Hall was like a mud flow, pouring in the hole. Then in that case… what would happen after the White Tiger Hall was done being poured?

Below the earth, there was an enormous formation! And also the Demonheart Seed Magik!

Because of this, his senior brother, Fang Cheng, had been murdered!

It’s you…

 He gazed at the spinning azure lotus. 

If the formation underground is totally exposed… will you turn this place into a complete bloodbath?

The enormous mottled dragon that was the spatial crack collided with the ground at full force. Yet on the azure lotus in the sky, Ancientpine and Titanspirit bolted up to their feet!

“Fellow Daoists?” Ancientpine and Titanspirit suddenly lost composure, yet Daomaster Hiddenscent, who had kept mumbling at the edge of the lotus, looked at them suspiciously. “You…”

“Nothing…” Daomaster Ancientpine walked over in passing and smiled. “It has been too long since I have seen such a giant spatial crack. I lost control of myself somewhat.”

These words came from his mouth, yet his gaze faintly brushed straight over Xu Yangyi below… 

You’ve taken in a good apprentice!!! 

Through spiritual sense, Daomaster Titanspirit’s furious shout resounded through Ancientpine’s mind. Ancientpine pursed his lips and answered, 

And how was I to know? How could I have known that things would develop to this step!

Then… you go stop him yourself

,

Titanspirit gnashed his teeth and said, 

We’ve plotted for so long. Four Dao Masters have joined, and you’ve run into a setback here! How are you going to let down the other fellow Daoists!

You killed one, so what’s to be scared of killing a second?! You even laid your hands on Old Man Fang’s sole heir, to say nothing of this outsider!

Ancientpine’s complexion paled and flushed in emotional turmoil. In a place that Hiddenscent could not see, his hand cracked as he clenched it, and he eventually said, 

Currently, it is not a question of whether or not to kill him… 

Hmph!

In less than five minutes… the ultimate truth of this place… will ring true under the heavens. I said earlier that there is something underground that even I fear somewhat. Apart from it, I cannot think of anything that can drag in the grand White Tiger Hall like this! Get ready… Fellow Daoist Titanspirit.

In five minutes… activate the Four Cardinals Heavenly Isolation Array. 

Titanspirit said nothing. After ages, he said coldly, 

All in all… everything has happened because of your good disciple… If he’s not dying this time, I’ll be teaching you a lesson.

If he does not die… 

Ancientpine’s spiritual sense stirred, and he thoughtfully raised his head to look at the bright moon in the sky. 

In five minutes… how many people will there be who can survive?

As everyone discovers that all their deeds and conduct are merely a bright splash of color on this grand curtain… how many will still believe in the name of Core Formation?

1. “The former swallows of Wang and Xie of old now fly into the homes of the ordinary people.” Poem by Tang poet Liu Yuxi (772-842 CE). General gist of poem is supposed to be how these swallows were in fancy places in the past and now are in normal people’s homes. Wang and Xie refer to two honored statesmen during the Jin dynasty, Wang Dao (276-339 CE) and Xie An (320-385 CE). Both are respected figures of their era, having contributed to the empire.

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