Chapter Seventy-Five: Breaking the Formation

"You must die!"

Lu Mengqiu shouted, and from the gray fog that enveloped all sides, a horde of monstrous beasts surged forth, each one a formidable creature at the Foundation Establishment level.

"Ye Yun..." As she worked to unravel the method of breaking the formation, Lu Su Xue sensed the rising tension and called out, worry coloring her voice.

"Don't worry. I can handle this. Just focus on breaking the formation as quickly as you can," Ye Yun reassured her, then raised his eyes to meet the oncoming tide of beasts.

Many of these monsters hailed from Sunset Mountain. Ye Yun, who had spent years honing his skills in those wilds, was well acquainted with them. At times, he would even spar with a few, forging amiable relations.

"Ye Yun of the Ye clan, don't blame us for being heartless. The Monster King's command cannot be defied," the familiar beasts sent him a message via divine sense, charging forward with unwavering resolve.

"If we each serve our own masters, then I won't hold back either!" Ye Yun, decisive and ruthless in battle, let his Scarlet Flame true energy rise. His form suddenly transformed into that of a dragon, and a vast sea of scarlet fire swept across the field. The lesser beasts could not withstand it, howling as they were consumed by the inferno.

"Roar!" "Howl!"...

Three beasts of perfected Foundation Establishment level darted forward as shadows, evading the scarlet flames with impressive speed and skillful movement techniques.

"Beasts who understand cultivation!" Ye Yun's pupils contracted.

There were grades among these monsters. Most lurking in the forests were wild beasts—ignorant of cultivation, their bodies strong and their demon energy thick, yet unable to wield it properly. Those who mastered cultivation techniques, however, were far stronger than human cultivators of the same realm.

The innate advantage of monsters lay in their powerful bodies and the immense energy they stored.

Furthermore, these three worked in concert, attacking from three directions and sealing off all Ye Yun's escape routes.

His crimson hair stood on end, his body now in the Scarlet Flame Demon state, and his strength had surged, comparable to a late-stage Foundation Establishment expert. Though not yet at perfect Foundation Establishment, with his Infinite Divine Eyes and Scarlet Flame Essence, he still held a tremendous advantage.

No matter how flawless the trio's assault, no matter their speed, under the gaze of his Infinite Divine Eyes, their movements were riddled with openings.

A beast in midair found Ye Yun upon it in a blink. He reached out and tore it apart, blood raining down.

Another beast, startled by the scene, immediately revealed its true form—a black eagle—beating its wings in a desperate attempt to escape skyward. But a hand shot out, seized one of its talons, dragged it from the air, and slammed it hard against the ground, the impact echoing and blood spreading.

As for the last perfected Foundation Establishment beast, its expression changed and it retreated, vanishing into the gray fog, unwilling to show itself again.

"A bunch of failures. Looks like I'll have to do it myself," Lu Mengqiu said coldly.

Meanwhile, Lu Su Xue's deduction had reached a critical point. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as her fingers formed seals faster and faster, leaving trails of afterimages. An exquisitely mysterious aura flowed between her slender hands, breathtaking to behold.

"Die!" Lu Mengqiu waved his hand, and three flying swords shot out from his body, releasing powerful streams of sword energy.

Facing a cultivator of the Golden Core stage, Ye Yun dared not show any negligence. He transformed into a roc, leaving a shadow where he had stood, and the sword energies struck only empty ground, gouging a massive crater where he had been.

He then noticed the three flying swords suspended in midair, trapping him at their center.

"Foolish boy, did you think my methods would be so simple? The sword energies were merely a distraction. My true skill is the sword formation!" Lu Mengqiu laughed, his gaze mocking.

Though Ye Yun had grown through countless trials and battles, he was still young compared to Lu Mengqiu, and had unwittingly fallen into his trap.

Now, with the Five Elements Formation still unbroken and the sword formation enclosing him, should Lu Mengqiu attack Lu Su Xue, Ye Yun feared he would be powerless to intervene.

"It's done!"

Just as Ye Yun grew anxious, Lu Su Xue suddenly opened her bright eyes, a hint of joy flashing within. She cast a series of seals, sending beams of light out in all directions, and the endless gray mist began to dissipate at astonishing speed. The powers of the formation faded away.

"Not good!" Lu Mengqiu's face changed drastically as he saw this. He formed seals, sending several strands of Green Vine Technique to entangle Lu Su Xue, seeking to stop her from breaking the formation.

"Heaven-Searing Seal!"

Ye Yun erupted with strength, shattering the sword formation around him. Like a flickering shadow, he raced toward Lu Su Xue.

"You dare, Ye Yun! You're courting death!" Lu Mengqiu raged, sending the three flying swords slashing toward Ye Yun.

Ye Yun ignored the swords coming from behind. He cast Fireball Technique, incinerating the green vines that threatened Lu Su Xue.

At the same time, as the three swords struck, Ye Yun summoned the Black Tortoise Totem.

Bang!

The first sword shattered the totem. The second pierced Ye Yun's left shoulder, narrowly missing his heart.

"Ye Yun!" Lu Su Xue watched, her heart wrung with pain. If not for his effort to shield her from the Green Vine Technique, he wouldn't have suffered such serious wounds.

A surge of courage from within drove Lu Su Xue to rush to Ye Yun, determined to use her frail body to shield him from the third sword's blow.

Lu Mengqiu, consumed by rage and intent on acquiring Ye Yun's innate perfect soul and the fire seed, cared nothing for Lu Su Xue's life.

Boom!

In this perilous moment, the gray mist nearby suddenly parted. A figure charged in, slapped away the sword that threatened Ye Yun and Lu Su Xue.

In quick succession, three more figures arrived, each taking a stance.

Two stood by Lu Mengqiu—none other than King Jade Flood Dragon and Wu Ying. The one who had intervened to save Ye Yun and Lu Su Xue was Lord Ye Hai Yi of the Ye family, and soon after Elder Ye Min appeared as well.

King Jade Flood Dragon glanced around, noting the numerous corpses scattered across the ground, most of them Sunset Mountain monsters. His expression grew cold.

"Lu Mengqiu, why did you send my Sunset Mountain beasts to their deaths?" King Jade Flood Dragon demanded.

"Calm yourself, Flood Dragon King. I merely underestimated that Ye clan boy's strength," Lu Mengqiu replied coolly, casting a brief glance at King Jade Flood Dragon.

Though King Jade Flood Dragon was the strongest present, Lu Mengqiu paid him little heed. Lu Mengqiu was a guest at the Xu family, which ranked among the top clans in the entire Sacred Dragon Dynasty, while King Jade Flood Dragon was little more than a mountain lord.

Seeing Lu Mengqiu's indifferent demeanor, anger blazed in King Jade Flood Dragon's eyes. If all his beasts perished, what would be the point of his rule in Sunset Mountain?

Wu Ying, patriarch of the Wu clan, saw the tension and quickly intervened with a placating smile. "Let us not quarrel. The greater matter is at hand."

As he spoke, Wu Ying produced a jade slip and crushed it. Immediately, figures stirred in the distance; Wu clan cultivators, responding to their patriarch's signal, began arriving in force.

For this assault on Ye Hai Yi, the Wu clan had mobilized nearly all its strength. Patriarch Wu Ying had come in person, bringing almost a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, leaving only a token force to guard Flying Dragon City.

In contrast, the Ye clan had only Lord Ye Hai Yi, Elder Ye Min, Ye Yun, and Lu Su Xue, the latter two merely at Foundation Establishment level.

"Ye Yun, how are your wounds?" Ye Min produced a healing elixir and handed it to him, concern evident.

"It didn't pierce my heart, just flesh wounds. Thank you, Elder," Ye Yun grimaced in pain but managed a smile.

Lu Su Xue reached out and took the elixir from Ye Min, gently placing it in Ye Yun's mouth.

"Thank you," Ye Yun murmured, his lips brushing her fingers. His heart nearly stopped.

"I should be the one thanking you," Lu Su Xue replied with a smile, her bright eyes clear, free of the confusion and worries that once haunted her.

"Facing death, you still have the nerve to flirt!" Lu Mengqiu snorted, then told Wu Ying and King Jade Flood Dragon, "Ye Hai Yi and Ye Min are yours. I will personally kill Ye Yun and Lu Su Xue, those two little wretches!"