Translator: CinderTL
"He's trying to escape!"
Li Chunjun's sudden movement was immediately noticed by the Four Symbols True Lord.
"Trying to escape now? Too late!"
Kai Yang snorted coldly.
The distance between them was only a few dozen miles, already within attack range.
He directly activated the Law Suppression Talisman he had just obtained, which hadn't even had time to warm in his hands.
In the next moment, a streak of black light shot out at an incredible speed, following the "energy source" of the Grand Unity Golden Light Talisman.
Li Chunjun sensed something was wrong and tried to evade.
But Hai Fenglie, as if seeing the black light transformed from the talisman as his only lifeline, turned around abruptly, burning his Qi and transforming it into thunder, fiercely striking the Grand Unity Golden Light Talisman.
The Scarlet Sky Sword shot out, shattering the thunder, and its momentum continued unabated as it pierced through the void, aiming straight for the head of this True Inheritor Disciple.
Yet, this True Inheritor Disciple neither dodged nor avoided the attack. Under the infusion of his raging Qi, the shattered thunder recondensed and struck the thousand-foot golden light of the Grand Unity Golden Light Talisman.
Although it didn't cause him any substantial harm, the force that seeped through made his body pause for a moment.
In that brief moment of delay, the extremely fast black light had already hit the golden stream surrounding him.
"Sizzle!"
Under the erosion of the black light, the power of the Grand Unity Golden Light Talisman quickly melted and dissipated.
The black light even attempted to penetrate further along his Sword Qi, infiltrating his body.
But...
The black light destroyed the Grand Unity Golden Light Talisman, not Li Chunjun himself, which made Hai Fenglie, the True Inheritor Disciple who had staked everything on this desperate move, widen his eyes in shock.
He had burned his Qi, risking his life, betting that Kai Yang's Law Suppression Talisman could kill—or at least severely injure—Li Chunjun! Thus, he hoped to save his own life under the lethal strike of Li Chunjun's sword.
However, the Law Suppression Talisman Kai Yang had unleashed only destroyed the Grand Unity Golden Light Talisman and failed to inflict any harm on Li Chunjun.
In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the flying sword he hadn't dodged pierced through his head and flew off into the distance.
"Another Fifth-Tier Talisman?"
Li Chunjun quickly released all the remaining power of the Grand Unity Golden Light Talisman, transforming it into a dazzling explosion of light that scattered the black light, allowing him to escape.
Fifth-Tier Talismans were the treasured possessions of various sects, their value not much inferior to the Taiyi Essence Gold and Black Flame Diamond Li Chunjun had refined earlier. They could even be considered the foundation of a sect.
Now, the Zhou Tian Sect, in their efforts to deal with him, had used the Transverse Golden Light Talisman, the Myriad Thunderbolts Talisman, and now this Law Suppression Talisman...
They had truly gone all out.
"Locking Formation!"
As Li Chunjun detonated the remaining power of the Grand Unity Golden Light Talisman to escape, a loud shout echoed through the void.
The formation led by Kai Yang, the True Inheritor Disciple, had arrived.
He raised a formation flag in his hand, and through this top-tier Mystic Treasure, he united the auras of the forty-one people, creating a formation as solid as a mountain.
The effect of this formation was somewhat similar to a viscous fluid—the faster the Lifebound Flying Sword moved, the greater the suppression it faced. If it remained stationary, it wouldn't be affected much.
"A formation specifically designed to counter Lifebound Flying Swords?"
Li Chunjun instantly understood the purpose of the formation set up by Kai Yang and the forty-one others.
Lifebound Flying Sword!
This formation was aimed directly at his Lifebound Flying Sword.
They knew he had a Minor Teleportation Talisman, making it extremely difficult to kill him.
But the strongest point of a Sword Cultivator was also their greatest weakness.
As long as they could destroy his Lifebound Flying Sword, Crimson Sky, he would suffer severe damage to his Primal Qi, and it would take him years to recover.
At worst, his foundation would be completely shattered, and his future utterly ruined.
This was no different from crippling or killing him, the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy.
"It seems we must settle this with life and death! Since that's the case, I'll grant your wish!" He had originally planned to obtain a fifth-tier material to strengthen his Flying Sword and allow his Lifebound Flying Sword to evolve from a top-tier Mystic Treasure to a Spirit Treasure. Therefore, after killing Hai Fenglie and gathering enough "experience" to advance his life level, he would return to his sect and have them search for the materials.
This process…
Even at its fastest, it would take two to three months.
If delayed, it wouldn't be unusual for it to take a year or more.
In other words, the eight great sects would have at least several months, or even a year, to catch their breath.
But now, since they weren't planning to give him this opportunity…
"I'll grant your wish."
Li Chunjun flipped his hand, and three Tier 4 offensive Talismans appeared simultaneously.
Talismans, compared to a cultivator's own Arcane Arts, have one major drawback: they are slower to activate and harder to control.
Cultivators skilled in Sword Flight and evasion can easily dodge Talisman attacks.
However, formations, while capable of merging the power of multiple cultivators, also have their own disadvantages.
Namely, they are slow to change.
Therefore, as soon as Li Chunjun threw out the three Talismans, Kai Yang's expression changed immediately.
"Suppress and kill!"
He roared.
Instantly, the oppressive force in the void, as heavy as mountains, surged dramatically.
Li Chunjun's Lifebound Flying Sword, already damaged from consecutive fierce battles, bore immense pressure.
At this moment, the power of the three Talismans was simultaneously unleashed.
It was like three high-yield bombs detonating underwater.
Fierce flames mixed with violent energy erupted around the three Talismans in an instant.
But immediately after, they were forcibly suppressed by the unique sealing properties of the Eight Desolations Dragon Locking Formation.
The intense heat and power, capable of leveling a mountain peak and reducing a city to ashes, were compressed by the formation's might into three fireballs less than a hundred meters in diameter! And as Kai Yang further activated the formation's power, the three fireballs were compressed smaller and smaller until they were completely extinguished.
"Impressive formation! However, I'd like to see who will give out first—you or my Lifebound Flying Sword!"
Li Chunjun flipped his hand again, and three more Talismans appeared.
And these three were also Tier 4 Talismans. "Damn it! Crush his Flying Sword!"
Kai Yang cursed under his breath and issued another command.
"Buzz!"
The Lifebound Flying Sword, which was rushing back to Li Chunjun's body, groaned as if under immense strain.
But at the same time, as the power of another three Tier 4 Talismans was unleashed, dazzling and brilliant lightning scattered wildly, only to be suppressed by the Eight Desolations Dragon Locking Formation in the next moment. This process also significantly reduced the pressure on the Scarlet Sky Sword.
Moreover, after successively sealing six Tier 4 Talismans, each equivalent to a strike from a Nascent Soul True Lord, several of the weaker cultivators in the incomplete formation of forty-one, which wasn't at full strength, had turned pale, clearly suffering severe damage to their Primal Qi.
"I refuse to believe you have an endless supply of Tier 4 Talismans!"
Kai Yang's eyes turned fierce and sharp.
But the next second, his expression froze.
For Li Chunjun had once again produced six Tier 4 Talismans.
"Damn it!"
This scene not only shocked Kai Yang, but even the Four Symbols True Lord, who was dozens of miles away and unable to intervene in the battle, couldn't help but curse under his breath: "The Taixu Sword Sect has no sense of martial ethics!"
A Core Formation cultivator, carrying ten Tier 4 attack Talismans alone!
If you add in the defensive and escape Talismans, how many would that be?
Fifteen? Twenty!?
Even thirty!?
How is this even a fight? "Boom!"
In the next moment, all six Tier 4 Talismans were detonated! Terrifying energy, blinding light, Sword Qi, and storms instantly filled the Eight Desolations Dragon Locking Formation.
"Li Chunjun!"
Kai Yang roared in anger and frustration.
As the Core Formation cultivators controlling the formation spat blood, the entire Eight Desolations Dragon Locking Formation could no longer be sustained. With the terrifying energy fluctuations dissipating, it completely ceased to function.
Even the formation flag, equivalent to a top-tier Tier 4 Mystic Treasure, lost its luster and became extremely dim.
"Whoosh!"
Without the Eight Desolations Dragon Locking Formation, the Scarlet Sky Sword instantly returned to Li Chunjun's hand.
Without hesitation, Li Chunjun threw out two more Tier 4 Talismans.
One Talisman turned the world upside down, confusing Divine Sense.
The other Talisman manifested golden light, enveloping Li Chunjun entirely.
After activating the two Talismans, he focused all his Essence, Energy, and Spirit, and with a single breath, he infused them into the Flying Sword.
At the same time, the Great Void Destruction Sword Intent was unleashed, and dozens of Sword Qi, their power drastically reduced, shot toward the dozen or so Core Formation cultivators who were severely weakened! "Be careful!"
Kai Yang was the first to notice the Sword Qi, shouting as he condensed energy with a wave of his hand.
Beams of intense light, like laser beams, intercepted the dozens of Sword Qi.
But...
Influenced by the Sword Intent, at least ten Sword Qi seemed to have been overlooked by him, or perhaps he was simply unable to stop them, and they directly pierced through four Core Formation cultivators whose auras were already weak.
This scene instantly made Kai Yang feel as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his heart, chilling him to the core.
It's over!
It's all over! The Eight Desolations Dragon Locking Formation has been broken! Forty-one people have lost four more, and over a dozen have lost their combat ability, falling below the minimum number required to maintain the formation.
With only thirty-seven of them left, how could they possibly match Li Chunjun, the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy!? Continuing to fight would only lead to the same fate as Dongfang Wu and Hai Fenglie!
"Retreat! We must retreat immediately! Everyone scatter and flee to have any chance of survival!"
This Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy was simply not a monster that Core Formation cultivators like them could defeat with numbers or formations.
Nascent Soul!
Only a Nascent Soul True Lord could truly contend with him!
Just as Kai Yang's courage and fighting spirit were completely shattered, a surprised message from the Four Symbols True Lord suddenly rang in his ears: "He's done for!"
Then, the surprise turned to joy: "Li Chunjun, no matter how powerful he is, he's still a Core Formation cultivator! A Core Formation cultivator, having gone through several intense battles, each fought at the highest level of ferocity, even a man of iron would be exhausted! Even if he is the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy, he is no exception! The power of his Sword Qi is now less than a tenth of its peak! He is at the end of his rope!"
Hearing this, Kai Yang was also jolted.
Then he thought of something.
The Sword Qi!
The power of those dozens of Sword Qi was far weaker than when Li Chunjun had attacked before!
In his previous state, with the Scarlet Sky Sword sweeping through, and with their side's dozen or so people severely weakened and almost unable to resist, how could this wave of attacks not have taken down at least a dozen before ending?
But the result...
Li Chunjun had not even summoned his Lifebound Flying Sword, and in just one round, he had taken down four people!
Was he truly on the verge of collapse, just as the Four Symbols True Lord had said? With this thought in mind, Kai Yang's spirits lifted, and he shouted sternly, "Li Chunjun is at the end of his rope! Victory is within our grasp! Those who are injured, fall back! Those who still have strength, gather around me and form the Greater and Lesser Four Symbols Formation!"
This sharp command caused the Core Formation cultivators, who had been considering fleeing in all directions, to pause momentarily.
At that very moment, the Divine Sense of the Four Symbols True Lord echoed through the void.
"Those who have walked a hundred steps are halfway through ninety. Do not be intimidated by Li Chunjun's bluster! If he were not severely injured, why would he go to the trouble of using a Tier 4 Talisman to isolate his aura and invert the Yin and Yang?"
Hearing the Four Symbols True Lord speak, these cultivators finally regained some of their courage.
They glanced at the figure hidden within a golden light, who showed no signs of movement, hesitated for a moment, and then gathered around Kai Yang, forming the formation.
But...
They hesitated, and not a single one dared to take the initiative to attack.
Not just them, even Kai Yang stared at the golden light, unable to gauge its depth, and hesitated to move forward.
After a full ten breaths, even the Four Symbols True Lord couldn't stand it anymore: "What are you waiting for! Li Chunjun must have some precious healing medicine on him! The opportunity is fleeting! If we delay any longer, are we waiting for him to fully recover!?"
Seeing that the golden light remained completely still for over ten breaths, Kai Yang, the True Inheritor Disciple, seemed to finally be convinced that Li Chunjun was severely injured and made up his mind.
"Strike while he's weak! Everyone, attack together!"
(End of the Chapter)
---
Read (MI) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c240. [+4.3k Words]
Early Access at $5.
Translated (5) Series, (2.6K+) Chapters, (3.5M+) Words.