Though small, both Blood Puppets possessed the strength of the late Three Layers, and in no time, they annihilated all the elephants.

These elephants were illusory constructs, but their source was Zhang Yang’s inner energy, meaning they consumed a portion of Zhang Yang’s vital force. The inner energy Zhang Yang expended maintaining the grand formation was no less than what Chu Yuntian consumed inside it.

Long Feng also noticed the Blood Puppets, and like Zhang Yang, fury appeared on his face.

The Long family’s secret manuals also contained records of puppetry techniques, and Blood Puppets had appeared in history before. However, those who forged Blood Puppets were quickly eradicated because such creations were considered offensive to heaven and harmony.

Using human flesh and blood as raw material for forging surpassed the tolerance levels of many people.

“Long Feng, take out those two Blood Puppets first!”

Zhang Yang’s cold voice suddenly echoed in Long Feng’s mind. Long Feng started slightly, then immediately nodded.

Chasing Wind, Lightning, and the others also received similar messages from Zhang Yang. The three Spirit Beasts and Long Feng ceased seeking opportunities to attack Chu Yuntian and instead focused on dealing with the two Blood Puppets together.

The scene shifted again; this time, over two thousand lions appeared.

A dense, massive pride of lions, mostly lionesses, but also quite a few long-maned males. If such a number of real lions existed, they could easily flatten a town; unless the army was mobilized, such a multitude of fierce beasts would be impossible to handle.

The appearance of over two thousand lions provided a chance for Long Feng and the others to cover their movements.

Long Feng and the others engaged the Blood Puppets directly, fighting them hand-to-hand. Chu Yuntian gained a rare moment of respite.

He did not remain idle during this lull; he kept wielding his Flame Saber forcefully, searching for an opportunity to break the formation through sheer power.

“Bang! Bang!”

One Blood Puppet was struck repeatedly by Chasing Wind’s kicks, sending its body flying backward continuously.

Dealing with Chu Yuntian put great pressure on it, as Chu Yuntian’s strength far surpassed its own. However, dealing with this other Blood Puppet, which was roughly its equal and lacked sentience, was easy; Chasing Wind fought with more exhilaration.

Having been struck repeatedly by Chasing Wind and constantly battered by Wuying’s inner energy, the Blood Puppet soon began to leak thick, foul-smelling sanguine pus.

The interior of a Blood Puppet was filled with energized blood, which was nearly solidified, naturally resulting in a bad odor.

Lightning also helped attack for a while, but eventually stopped when it realized its greatest asset was useless.

Lightning’s most potent skill was its poison, but puppets are inanimate objects—how could they fear poison? Furthermore, the force of its small claws was far inferior to the impact of Chasing Wind’s hooves.

However, Lightning was not idle; it leaped to Chu Yuntian’s side and began spewing toxic mist. Chu Yuntian was still highly wary of this mist. Lightning didn't expect the mist to kill Chu Yuntian right now; limiting his movements was sufficient.

At the very least, this would alleviate some of the pressure on Zhang Yang.

Time slowly passed. The two thousand-plus lions, under Chu Yuntian’s violent destruction and the occasional casualties inflicted by the Blood Puppets, soon vanished entirely. Chu Yuntian had fully unleashed his combat prowess now. A true expert of the mid-Four Layers was far stronger than they had imagined.

With the grand formation restricting him, and despite the combined surprise attacks from Long Feng and the three Spirit Beasts over this long duration, they had failed to inflict any real damage on Chu Yuntian. Instead, the formation itself was beginning to look precarious under the force of his power.

“Crack!”

The Blood Puppet that Chasing Wind and Wuying were fighting finally had its small head kicked off by Chasing Wind, ultimately dissolving into a pool of pus and blood on the ground.

Seeing the Blood Puppet he had painstakingly forged destroyed, Chu Yuntian looked distressed. However, the power in his hands grew even stronger. He knew clearly that the Blood Puppets had only bought him a limited amount of time; he had to break the formation quickly.

Only by shattering the formation could he reverse his passive situation.

Long Feng was battling one Blood Puppet alone. Since the puppet was stronger than him, he could only harass it from a distance using the Snow Whip. The damage inflicted on that puppet so far was minimal.

Only when Chasing Wind and the others finished off the other Blood Puppet and came to assist him did Long Feng's situation improve.

This realization brought a pang of sorrow to Long Feng. The gap in strength between him and Zhang Yang was growing wider, and there was also a considerable difference between him and the three Spirit Beasts. Now, his contribution to Zhang Yang was becoming increasingly limited.

About ten minutes later, the second Blood Puppet met the same fate as its companion, jointly destroyed by Chasing Wind and the others.

The two pools of pus and blood on the ground were glaringly conspicuous, representing the resentment of hundreds of wronged souls.

Having dealt with the two Blood Puppets, Chasing Wind and the others finally freed their hands to resume attacking Chu Yuntian. Lightning had already tangled with him once, and Lightning itself had narrowly escaped danger twice.

Zhang Yang, at the center of the formation, had his brow tightly furrowed.

Chu Yuntian’s forceful attacks on the formation had finally caused significant damage to some of the flagpoles.

Three flagpoles had already cracked; it seemed they wouldn't last much longer.

Once these flagpoles broke, the grand formation would immediately dissipate, allowing Chu Yuntian to break free, and they would lose the advantage of the formation.

According to Zhang Yang’s own estimation, Chu Yuntian had at most ten more minutes before he could break the formation. The illusion might collapse before reaching its final layer.

He felt somewhat helpless about this. Chu Yuntian’s power was still too immense, and this formation wasn't a true Esoteric Gate formation; trapping and killing Chu Yuntian using only the array was proving difficult.

Fortunately, Chu Yuntian had already expended a significant amount of inner energy, and his two powerful Blood Puppets were destroyed—it wasn't a total loss.

Re-infusing all the flagpoles with sufficient inner energy, Zhang Yang took out a Vital Blood Pill and shoved it directly into his mouth.

The consumption from hosting the grand formation had been substantial. Since the formation couldn't be sustained indefinitely, there was no point in continuing its current purpose. Using the final moments the formation could confine Chu Yuntian, he planned to unite the strongest forces to confront Chu Yuntian with maximum power.

The Cold Spring Sword materialized in Zhang Yang’s hand. The next moment, he entered the formation array.

He had set up the grand formation, and he controlled it; no one was more familiar with its intricate layout than he was.

“Swish!”

Chu Yuntian had just brought his great saber down violently against a stone block opposite him, shattering it. The surrounding space seemed to vibrate slightly again.

Immediately after the strike, a sudden sense of alarm shot through him, and the Flame Saber instinctively shielded his chest.

“Thump!”

A massive force struck him, forcing Chu Yuntian to stumble back a step. This force was more powerful than any previous sneak attack, and it carried a chilling coldness upon impact.

The Cold Spring Sword—the young man of the early Four Layers had appeared.

Chu Yuntian instantly grasped the situation. He didn't know Zhang Yang’s name, but he was acutely aware that this terrifyingly strong young man possessed wisdom and experience far exceeding his years; otherwise, he wouldn't have fallen into this trap.

This young man had refrained from attacking until now, and his emergence meant that the threat he posed to the grand formation had been effective. Now, it depended on whether Chu Yuntian could withstand this period; if he could, victory was still within his grasp.

“Squeak! Squeak!” “Chirp! Chirp!”

Zhang Yang’s appearance also energized Lightning and the others. To them, Zhang Yang was the true main force in battle, their anchor.

Lightning immediately jumped beside Zhang Yang, and terrifying clouds of poison mist continuously manifested around Chu Yuntian. Now protected by Zhang Yang, it no longer feared Chu Yuntian’s counterattacks.

Indeed, Chu Yuntian’s few retaliatory strikes were blocked by Zhang Yang, allowing Lightning the composure to weave its toxic net.

Chasing Wind and Wuying also became more aggressive. Chasing Wind’s hooves were quite threatening, and Wuying’s projected inner energy carried the force of a Four Layer expert. If Chu Yuntian hadn't possessed a divine weapon akin to a golden vest, he would likely have been severely injured already.

Zhang Yang’s entry placed Chu Yuntian in his greatest peril yet.

“Puff!”

Chu Yuntian suddenly let out a muffled groan and retreated again. Chasing Wind had successfully kicked him once more. However, this time, Chasing Wind’s flank was grazed by a blade-light from Chu Yuntian, though it was only a minor injury, not breaking the bone.

A mid-Four Layer expert was indeed difficult to handle.

In addition to kicking Chu Yuntian, this strike completely ripped open his golden vest. The fangs of the White Jade Serpent were sharp enough to sever divine weapons; under Chasing Wind's immense force, Chu Yuntian’s golden vest was effectively ruined.

Moreover, Zhang Yang and Lightning would not miss such a perfect opportunity presented by Chu Yuntian being struck.

A streak of chilling sword energy sliced directly toward Chu Yuntian’s neck. Zhang Yang had just consumed the Vital Blood Pill, and his inner energy was currently surging; releasing extra sword energy posed no issue.

Lightning seized this chance to lunge toward Chu Yuntian’s lower leg. This fellow wore a golden vest, but surely he didn't have armor covering his trousers. A bite here would surely make him suffer.

The intense cold caused every hair on Chu Yuntian’s body to stand on end.

He had just been kicked by Chasing Wind, and his body was not easy to control; dodging the incoming attack by turning was impossible.

Ultimately, he leaned straight backward, tumbling onto the ground in a clumsy attempt to evade the highly threatening sword energy. But immediately afterward, his leg went cold. By the time he reacted, two puncture wounds were bleeding profusely from his calf.

Having successfully sunk its teeth in, Lightning immediately retreated, hiding behind Zhang Yang.

Even though Chu Yuntian couldn't see it, Lightning remained extremely cautious. This Chu Yuntian was too powerful. It couldn't kill him with one bite, but if it were swept by Chu Yuntian’s Flame Saber, it would instantly be cleaved in two—utterly finished.

Lightning was smart enough to know how to preserve its little life.

“Good!”

Seeing Chu Yuntian bitten by Lightning, a flicker of joy crossed Zhang Yang’s mind. Zhang Yang knew better than anyone how potent Lightning’s toxin was; without an antidote, this fellow would be hard-pressed to survive.

Of course, even if Chu Yuntian couldn't neutralize Lightning's poison, Zhang Yang wouldn't let him escape. This creature possessed immense destructive power; if poisoned with no cure, who knew how much more harm he would inflict upon the world.

Yesterday’s third update; Little Yu has completed catching up on previous overdue chapters. There is still today’s update coming! RQ