Although the dimensional space within Jiang Qiankun’s Strange Gate Formation was vast, it had a boundary. With Liao Xiaozhang present, Ye Qin felt considerably more at ease. At the very least, he didn’t have to worry about getting lost within the grand formation.
Ye Qin steered his Dark Cloud Barrier magical artifact, soaring swiftly across the great desert. With assistance from Liao Xiaozhang and Zhou Yao, they flew only a few hundred li to the southeast before locating Jin Zhongshan, who was being hunted by several Golden Core demonic birds within the formation. Fortunately, Jin Zhongshan’s strength was considered quite formidable even among early Golden Core cultivators, only slightly inferior to Zhou Yao. His Golden Ingot Nascent Soul magical artifact could transform into a massive, tens of zhang high mountain of blazing golden light, incredibly heavy, capable of both offense and defense. A direct strike could turn a Golden Core demonic beast into a paste, and ordinary Golden Core demonic beasts could barely approach him.
Moreover, Jin Zhongshan’s storage bag contained numerous talismans and magical artifacts, along with some spiritual wine to replenish his magic power. Although he appeared somewhat harried under the siege of several Golden Core demonic birds, he managed to hold his ground until Ye Qin, Zhou, and Liao appeared. He showed no signs of defeat.
Ye Qin merely glanced from a distance and knew Jin Zhongshan was not in danger.
“You two go down.”
Ye Qin instantly halted mid-air and spoke to Zhou and Liao behind him.
Zhou Yao and Liao Xiaozhang understood that Ye Qin did not intend to intervene, signaling them to act. The two immediately descended from the sky and joined Jin Zhongshan, eliminating the three Golden Core demonic birds in a short while.
Jin Zhongshan, having escaped his predicament, was naturally overjoyed to see Ye Qin, Zhou Yao, and Liao Xiaozhang—three familiar companions.
The team of four Golden Core cultivators regrouped and continued flying on their artifacts to search for the remaining Pan Shuang.
“Sister Liao, why are there so many Golden Core demonic beasts in this formation?! Also, I haven't seen a single person since entering this formation; how did you find me so quickly?”
Jin Zhongshan seemed puzzled.
“In the ancient palace, we were already the closest to each other. Entering this formation, we naturally started quite near. As long as one knows the method, deducing the direction isn't difficult,” Liao Xiaozhang chuckled.
“If Sister Liao hadn't been so meticulous, remembering everyone’s position in the main hall at the start and calculating everyone's distance within this formation, finding you wouldn't have been so easy,” Zhou Yao remarked with a slight edge.
Searching for Pan Shuang together was much simpler for the four of them.
After Pan Shuang was trapped in the formation, unaware of its true power, he cautiously stayed put rather than wandering aimlessly.
The area where he was located had few demonic beasts to begin with. He systematically hunted and slew the Golden Core demonic beasts within several dozen li. Afterward, he used spells to conceal his aura and stealthily moved through the desert, scouting the surroundings.
His extreme caution meant Pan Shuang encountered almost no danger. When Ye Qin discovered him, Pan Shuang was agonizing over which direction to proceed.
Ye Qin’s team of five Golden Core cultivators was now united, and their combined strength had multiplied several times over. Unless they encountered a horde of more than ten Seventh-Rank Golden Core demonic beasts, they had nothing to fear. Even facing a Ninth-Rank demonic beast, they possessed the strength to fight back.
“Brother Ye, where do we go now? Should we continue moving inward toward the center of the formation to meet the other cultivators, or should we divert toward the outer edge of the formation and try to break out?”
Zhou Yao had regained a good measure of her confidence.
Ye Qin surveyed the area spanning dozens of li around them, pondered for a moment, and then said calmly, “Our current strength is still a bit thin. The demonic beasts here are sparse; there are only a few Golden Core ones, suggesting we are very close to the formation’s eye. Let’s go to the eye first and see if we can find the other cultivators. The more people we have, the better it will be to charge out of the formation.”
Ye Qin had made up his mind.
Five streaks of light flew towards the core of the Qiankun Strange Gate Formation.
The five directions within the Qiankun Strange Gate Formation corresponded to Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
The eye of the Qiankun Strange Gate Formation was an open area spanning about a hundred li. This was the core convergence point of the Five Elements spiritual energy, where the spiritual energy was extremely thin, and consequently, no demonic beasts existed.
Although most Golden Core cultivators did not understand formations, they instinctively fled toward areas with fewer demonic beasts to evade attacks from Golden Core demonic beasts.
When Ye Qin's group of five entered the formation eye, seven or eight Golden Core cultivators from the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance were already present. Their auras were chaotic; many had clearly fought their way out of beast hordes.
This group included Yu Weifeng.
These cultivators were either extremely lucky to be near the formation eye, or they were immensely powerful, having slain numerous demonic beasts to reach it.
Adding the five cultivators who had just arrived, the formation eye now held twelve or thirteen cultivators.
“Fellow Daoist Jin, it is truly a blessing to see you! Oh, and Fellow Daoist Wang, you are here too! I thought I would never see you again. Haha. This humble Daoist only managed to survive here by sheer luck.”
“The sudden activation of the grand formation in the ancient palace must have been orchestrated by those Earth Clan strongmen! They possess no magical power; how they activated the formation is a mystery. Everyone should focus on finding a way to leave this grand formation!”
The gathered Golden Core cultivators exchanged wry smiles, panting heavily.
Previously, they had fought tooth and nail over the Xu Niu Drum, eager to kill one another. Now, all trapped within this great formation, they were forced to figure out a way to escape, creating a rather awkward scene.
“Brother Weifeng, your strength is the greatest; what do you suggest we do?”
“Let’s wait a moment longer and see if anyone else arrives. The more people we have, the easier it will be to break the formation.”
Although Yu Weifeng was irritated by the Golden Core cultivators who had competed with him for the Xu Niu Drum, he had no choice but to calm down and contemplate countermeasures to break the formation.
The group waited in place for about half a day while searching for Pan Shuang.
During this time, a few more Golden Core cultivators arrived at the formation eye. In the end, only a little over twenty Golden Core cultivators appeared, roughly half the number who had initially entered the ancient palace.
Ye Qin scanned the crowd coldly. There were slightly more from the Heavenly Dao Alliance and a few fewer from the Heavenly Demon Alliance.
Anxiety simmered within him, but he remained silent. He knew every Golden Core cultivator present was desperate; no one was willing to be trapped and perish here. The most anxious was probably Yu Weifeng. Ye Qin didn't need to worry much; Yu Weifeng would surely devise every possible method to escape.
“It’s been over half a day; we shouldn't wait any longer! The cultivators who haven't arrived here have either died within the formation or lost their way. The immediate priority is leaving this grand formation. Otherwise, if two or three days pass and the Langya Secret Realm closes, we will all be buried here.”
Yu Weifeng’s tone carried a hint of anxiety.
“But, Brother Weifeng, how can we charge out of this Qiankun Strange Gate Formation? The outer perimeter of this formation is guarded by numerous powerful Ninth-Rank Golden Core demonic beasts.”
The assembled Golden Core cultivators quickly chimed in, having already grasped some understanding of the Qiankun Strange Gate Formation’s dangers, their confidence low.
“No need to worry, I already have a contingency plan.”
Yu Weifeng patted his storage bag and summoned a crimson-red flying sword.
A faintly visible fire Jiao, about a few cun long and full of spirit, coiled around the body of the red flying sword. This was no illusion, but the true soul of a fire Jiao sealed within the sword. This fire Jiao soul radiated a terrifying oppressive pressure that caused even the present Golden Core cultivators to tremble—the horrifying might typically emitted only by Nascent Soul demonic beasts.
“The Crimson Jiao Sword!” “A Minor Divine Ability Artifact!”
The gazes of the cultivators snapped toward the flying sword, and many Golden Core cultivators gasped in shock, recognizing the sword's origin.
“Indeed, this is the Crimson Jiao Sword. My ancestor from the White Abyss Palace slew a Tenth-Rank Nascent Soul fire Jiao, and using its essence, along with Crimson Flame Stone as raw materials, personally forged this Minor Divine Ability Artifact. They even sealed the Jiao’s soul within the sword. This sword’s power is immense; it can slay Nascent Soul level demonic beasts! Although ninety percent of this sword’s power is sealed, it is still more than enough to deal with Golden Core demonic beasts. With this Minor Divine Ability Artifact in hand, our hope of breaking out of the formation has greatly increased.”
Yu Weifeng spoke with arrogance, manipulating the crimson sword. His expression radiated unparalleled self-assurance.
This artifact had been personally bestowed upon him by the Sect Master before his departure. Since the mission to conquer the Earth Clan tribe also involved Yan Hao, the direct descendant of the Heavenly Demon Alliance’s Elder Ju, the Sect Master specially granted him this extremely powerful Minor Divine Ability Artifact to prevent him from being overshadowed by Yan Hao.
Now, to break the Qiankun Strange Gate Formation, they needed the Crimson Jiao Sword to display its might.
“However, my own essence energy is insufficient to fully drive this sword. I will require all of you to inject your essence energy into the sword; I will then operate it. What do you fellow Daoists think?”
Yu Weifeng’s sharp gaze swept over the crowd.
Yu Weifeng’s statement caused Ye Qin a slight jolt. He raised an eyebrow, musing, So, a Divine Ability Artifact can be driven collectively! It’s not limited to a single cultivator. This avoids the catastrophic drop in cultivation. If Yu Weifeng, who was at the first layer of the Golden Core stage, lost a layer of cultivation, he might plummet straight back to the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage.
“What? It requires essence energy to drive it?”
“Can’t we use magic power?”
The assembled Golden Core cultivators were startled and exchanged glances, deeply feeling the cost.
The essence energy within their Golden Cores was hard-earned. A single drop of pure essence required several years of arduous cultivation. To expel one drop was equivalent to wasting years of painstaking effort.
This was akin to using their precious lifespans to power the sword. Breaking through the Nascent Soul bottleneck in the future would become even more difficult.
“Do you choose to be trapped here forever, unable to leave the Langya Secret Realm, or do you pay the price of several years of lifespan to break out and return to the Eastern Sea Islands region? Choose for yourselves. Those willing, follow me. Those unwilling, stay here and wait for death.”
Yu Weifeng roared, then, ignoring the assembled cultivators, he soared into the sky, riding his flying sword, speeding rapidly toward the distance, intent on forcing his way out of the grand formation.
The more than twenty Golden Core cultivators reluctantly urged their swords to follow.
After all, this was their only chance to leave alive. Sacrificing several years of lifespan was far better than being completely trapped here.
Over twenty Golden Core cultivators each spat a stream of essence energy into the Crimson Jiao Sword.
The small Crimson Jiao Sword absorbed the vast essence energy, emitting a fiery red glow, swelling in the wind to become a hundred-zhang-long, blazing giant sword. A fiery Jiao coiled around the flying sword, like a true fire Jiao emerging, its demonic aura soaring to the heavens.
The cultivators were awestruck and followed in the wake of the Crimson Jiao Sword, rushing outward. In almost the span of a breath, they could cover several dozen li; the speed was terrifyingly fast. In just half a day, they traversed thirty to forty thousand li.
As they neared the formation’s periphery, Ninth-Rank Golden Core demonic birds suddenly increased in number. Nearly every few dozen li, they encountered one or two fierce Ninth-Rank demonic birds. In a short thousand-li stretch, dozens of them swarmed toward the group.
“Quick, keep injecting essence energy into the sword! The Ninth-Rank demonic beasts are incredibly dense here; we are close to breaking out! Whether we survive this charge depends on this moment! We only need to hold on for another hour!”
Yu Weifeng’s face flushed; the pressure was mounting. Controlling the Crimson Jiao Sword consumed an enormous amount of mental energy. He opened his mouth and expelled another stream of essence.
The originally slightly dimmed Crimson Jiao Sword instantly flared with brilliance, regaining some of its fierce momentum.
The Golden Core cultivators had no choice but to spit out their essence energy to strengthen the Crimson Jiao Sword while simultaneously manipulating their own artifacts to defend against the demonic bird attacks. At this stage, survival hung by a thread; they had to fight with everything they had.
Ye Qin did not hold back, expelling three full streams of essence.
Having reached the Golden Core stage, he had expelled nearly all the essence energy he had cultivated over the years. His Golden Core dimmed, almost reaching the point of collapse. If he expelled one more stream of essence, his Golden Core would likely shatter, causing him to regress to the Foundation Establishment stage.
It was not just him; every Golden Core cultivator had reached their limit, having expelled all the essence energy they could spare.
The terror of this formation was unimaginable.
Every Ninth-Rank Golden Core demonic beast encountered along the way was torn into large chunks of flesh by a single claw strike from the Crimson Jiao. Not a single Golden Core demonic beast could block the path of the Crimson Jiao flying sword.
Over tens of thousands of li, the number of Golden Core demonic beasts slain by this Crimson Jiao Sword was countless.
With the strength of any one of them individually, they absolutely could not have reached this point. However, with the Crimson Jiao Sword—a Minor Divine Ability Artifact—and the cost of twenty-plus Golden Core cultivators’ ten to twenty years of cultivated essence energy, they had created a miracle.
Even so, quite a few Golden Core cultivators became entangled by attacks from Ninth-Rank demonic birds swarming from all directions. If they accidentally strayed from the main group, they were immediately surrounded by hordes of beasts and died horribly.
Only a little over ten Golden Core cultivators remained. When they were nearly exhausted, they finally saw a canopy of five-colored light in the distance on the horizon.
The cultivators were stunned, followed by wild ecstasy.
“That’s the edge of the formation, still several hundred li away. Once we charge through that, we can escape the Qiankun Strange Gate Formation!” Liao Xiaozhang shouted in excitement.
“Correct, we are very close to the formation’s edge. Thank you, fellow Daoists, for your assistance! I can handle the remaining distance alone. As for the rest of you, remain inside this formation.”
Yu Weifeng suddenly gave a cold laugh. He abruptly retracted the hand seals in his hands. The hundred-zhang-long Crimson Jiao Sword suddenly contracted, coiled up, and wrapped around him alone, protecting him completely. All the other Golden Core cultivators were forcefully ejected outside the protective sphere.
“Yu Weifeng, what are you doing?”
“Yu Weifeng, you despicable villain! You actually used us to break the formation, and now you plan to escape alone!”
The Golden Core cultivators were aghast, finally realizing they had been manipulated by Yu Weifeng, and shouted their indignant curses.
Ninth-Rank demonic birds were visible everywhere within dozens of li of the vicinity. Without the Crimson Jiao Sword's protection, their group was completely exposed to the attacks of the Ninth-Rank demonic beasts, moments away from losing their lives.
“Hahaha, did you think I would let you out to compete with me for the Xu Niu Drum? That Xu Niu Drum can only be obtained by me, Yu Weifeng!”
Yu Weifeng sneered, glancing at the assembled cultivators. Ignoring their accusations and curses, he directly urged the Crimson Jiao Sword, flashed away in a beam of light, and charged toward the edge of the grand formation.