Immortal of the Nine Realms

”It’s the Spirit God Sect formation. Since when do such small fry dare to meddle in the affairs of the Taicang Realm? They should be thanking the Heavens that we haven’t sought them out for trouble yet.”

The core disciple of the Black Sun Formation furrowed his brow. He had been wary a moment ago, but seeing the Immortal Boat Formation of the Spirit God Cult, his posture relaxed significantly. Although they had just lost two formations unexpectedly, it was of no consequence to the current tactical layout.

”Do not drop your guard. They are protected by an eighth-transformation Ghost Immortal, which suggests their backing within the Enlightenment God Palace is formidable. I suspect it is the Second Core disciple, Wang Ye. I’ve heard he is a difficult man to handle,” cautioned Ye Daoling.

He did not let the appearance of the Spirit God Cult ease his mind. Instead, his vigilance intensified.

”So, it’s Wang Ye of the Enlightenment God Palace, is it? You specially sought out these Spirit God Sect formations to ambush us?” The core disciple of the Black Sun Formation looked toward Fang Chen with a freezing gaze. ”I am Yun Xiujie, son of the War King of the Black Sun Empire. Once the Taicang Realm is pacified, I shall personally pay a visit to your Enlightenment Star.”

”And I, Tu Qiuyun of the Grand Wei Study, shall accompany him!” sneered a female cultivator from the Octopus Formation.

One by one, the formations’ core disciples announced their prestigious lineages.

Chen Dongdong’s heart grew colder with every name he heard. This was no longer a skirmish. This was a war to the death! Had there only been three enemy formations, he could have justified a retreat, but he couldn’t understand how Core Disciple Wang had convinced the Spirit God Sect to join this fray. Now, a battle was inevitable.

Reaching this conclusion, Chen Dongdong quickly sent a transmission: ”Only four of them have mastered Formation Immortal Art: Ye Daoling of the Wandao Immortal Sect, Yun Xiujie of the Black Sun Empire, Tu Qiuyun of the Grand Wei Study and Pei Zhan of the Nine Nether Immortal Sect. If we can suppress these four, we have a chance. If not, we run!”

He paused for a few moments, and then said, ”Even if Senior Sister Xuan and I combine our strength, we cannot suppress even one of them.”

Fang Chen’s voice echoed in their minds. ”You and the Spirit God Cult formations focus on pinning down the rest. Leave these four to me.”

The next moment, as the last member of the Blood Demon Hall finished his introduction, dozens of formations surged toward Fang Chen and the Spirit God Cult’s reinforcements. Chen Dongdong and Core Disciple Xuan immediately converged with the Cult’s formations. In a battle of this scale, getting isolated meant a swift death.

Fang Chen maneuvered the Black Dragon Formation to rendezvous with Kong Lin.

”Young Lord, though their individual cultivations aren’t high, Ye Daoling’s formation is enough to rival an eighth transformation Ancient Immortal,” Kong Lin transmitted. ”My advantage in cultivation is negated in this formation. At most, I can hold him and one other for half a day. After that, I will fall.”

As a newly enshrined Underworld True God, Kong Lin had no choice but to follow orders. Fortunately, even if he died today, it wouldn’t be a true death.

”You pin down the Immortal Sword Formation and the Octopus Formation. Leave the other two to me,” commanded Fang Chen.

Kong Lin blinked in surprise but said nothing. He immediately charged toward his assigned targets.

Yun Xiujie laughed heartily. ”Senior Brother Ye, it seems this fellow from Enlightenment God Palace intends to fight two of us at once. Why don’t you hold your horses and watch me handle this?”

In the next instant, his Black Sun Formation erupted with a blinding, divine radiance.

Fang Chen noted the shifting energy.

The Black Sun Empire’s Formation Immortal Art: ’Black Sun Incineration Heaven’?

The Black Sun Formation seemed to transform into a literal sun, wreathed in rolling, infernal flames. The light radiating from it carried an aura of absolute destruction. The nearby immortal ships caught in the peripheral glow began to sizzle and smoke. However, Yun Xiujie’s target was not them—it was Fang Chen’s Black Dragon Formation.

”Die!”

The Black Sun Formation bore down on the Black Dragon with crushing momentum. In the blink of an eye, the Black Dragon plunged into the shadows and vanished without a trace. The attack hit nothing but empty space.

Before Yun Xiujie could realize it, a sword beam arrived. It ignored the brilliant divine light and pierced straight for the heart of the formation’s core.

BOOM!

The Black Sun Formation began to collapse from the center outward as it split apart like a cracked egg. As the formation shattered, the thousands of Immortal Boats within became like headless flies, losing their cohesive power in the Qingming.

Yun Xiujie stood in the open vacuum and stared at his severed boat in disbelief. Before he could process the loss, a massive black dragon tail swept through the space with violent force. The cultivators standing before Yun Xiujie immediately turned to ash.

”Damn it!”

Yun Xiujie only had time for a single curse before his body felt weightless. Instantly, he had been reduced to a wandering soul. A wisp of green aura appeared where he had stood and his soul was instantly reeled into the Black Dragon.

The warring sides froze for a fraction of a second as they were stunned by the spectacle.

Meanwhile, Chen Dongdong was reeling.

”Senior Sister Xuan, did you see that?! How did Senior Brother Wang train? Why is his Black Dragon Formation so terrifying? The Black Sun Formation was erased in an instant!”

Yun Xiujie, who had just been boasting about invading the Enlightenment God Palace, was dead in the blink of an eye. For a core disciple to die so easily... it defied logic. If Yun Xiujie is that fragile, what does that make me?

”Don’t lose focus!” snapped Core Disciple Xuan.

She suppressed her own shock and focused on the enemies in front of her.

Kong Lin felt the pressure on him lighten significantly. The Immortal Sword and Octopus Formations had become hesitant and moved timidly. The destruction of the Black Sun Formation had clearly shaken them to the bone.

”Wang Ye of the Enlightenment God Palace...” muttered Ye Daoling, his expression more solemn than it had ever been.

Watching the Black Dragon Formation slowly drift toward him, he instinctively commanded his Lotus Formation to retreat.

Suddenly, Ye Daoling said, ”You just unleashed two distinct Formation Immortal Arts.”

Atop the Black Dragon, Fang Chen gave a faint, knowing smile. ”I did.”

”Your Immortal Essence must be severely depleted. Your formation isn’t grand enough to sustain the drain of two Immortal Arts back-to-back. You cannot cast another!”

Ye Daoling stopped retreating and tested the waters.

Yet, the Black Dragon Formation did not stop. It continued its steady, predatory crawl toward the Lotus Formation.

Ye Daoling gritted his teeth. ”Fine. Forget it!”

He chose not to gamble his life. He commanded the Lotus Formation to accelerate its retreat and quickly vanished into the distance.

Seeing the leader flee, the Immortal Sword and Octopus Formations wasted no time in following suit. Upon realising their heavy hitters had abandoned the field, the remaining core disciples gave in and fled into the void too.

The Qingming, which had been a chaotic inferno moments ago, suddenly fell silent.

”Return to Lone Light Star,” said Fang Chen calmly.

He knew that for a long time to come, Ye Daoling and the others would not dare return. From the start, Fang Chen knew his internal reserves couldn’t sustain a prolonged war of attrition. Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys was the simplest and most effective strategy.

Even if the enemy suspected he was bluffing, they weren’t willing to bet their lives on it. The higher one’s status, the more cautious they become. At the first sign of a lethal threat, they would choose to live another day.

Kong Lin and the others maneuvered their formations to follow.

”Senior Sister Xuan, I never expected... the battle to end so quickly,” said Chen Dongdong, his voice brimming with excitement.

Not only had they protected Lone Light Star, but they had also seized several enemy formations. The fact that Yun Xiujie of the Black Sun Empire had fallen in this battle made their victory nothing short of legendary.