A massive golden formation spanned the banks, with countless golden incantations flowing through it. It manifested in the shape of a slightly tilted circular array that was as large as a mountain. It scattered clouds and demons alike with an overwhelming presence.
"What an incredible formation."
By this point, the cultivators on both sides of the battlefield were gradually losing their fighting spirit. But they were all bound by orders from above, so none dared to stop. When they sensed the commotion, they all looked up but had no time to examine the formation closely; they vaguely saw a flickering behind it.
Si Yuanli finally lost his composure, and the light of his sword wavered slightly. Luckily, his opponent had long been beaten to the point of being unable to retaliate, so this slip caused no consequence.
Yet his heart was filled with terror, and he muttered in a low voice, "Thirty-two thousand seven hundred sixty-eight..."
As his words faded, a sky full of stars appeared above him, intertwined in gold and silver. They flickered uncertainly as they slowly grew larger in the pupils of the onlooking cultivators, transforming into a sea of profound light that fell from the sky. But the heavenly downpour was preceded by an aggressively sharp aura.
"Wh-what is this?!"
"Is this Foundation Establishment Realm?!"
The cultivators below had all lost color in their faces. Li Qinghong's eyes turned slightly red as she thought silently, Second Uncle must have used a secret technique that burns his own lifespan for Yuan Xiu...
The sky full of profound light fell like a torrential rain, and the many lesser cultivators on the ground immediately ran for cover. Fortunately, the light gathered on its own halfway down and slammed down on the central formation like a falling river of stars.
The twelve Buddhist cultivators were all pinned inside the formation. Their eyes were filled with gold and silver light. The formation wavered like a lotus leaf in the rain, tilting this way and that, but in the end, there were twelve of them. Every so often, one of them would cough up blood, yet the formation remained unbroken.
The twelve Master Monks were temporarily suppressed, and the profound light filling the sky had not hit the ground. Yet the lesser cultivators on both sides retreated to either bank. The Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators also had no intention of stopping them...
The torrential rain of profound light and golden mist forced the offensives on both the north and south sides to temporarily cease. The cultivators on both sides lost their will to fight. Those at the Embryonic Breathing and Qi Cultivation Realms withdrew one after another, leaving only the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators still locked in a stalemate.
By now, almost everyone on the field understood clearly that the outcome came down to Li Xuanfeng and these twelve Buddhist cultivators...
Either Li Xuanfeng would kill all twelve, forcing the north to retreat, or the twelve Master Monks would slay Li Xuanfeng. Once Li Xuanfeng died, the Huai River Map would naturally collapse, and the northern cultivators would have a chance to advance south!
As tens of thousands looked on, the golden string in Li Xuanfeng's hand was drawn back to its full length. His eyes shone with astonishing brightness. Even with the boost from the ancient spirit artifact, it was still not enough. Two streams of his Immortal Foundation within him began to evaporate recklessly, giving off a thin golden mist.
Over the years, Li Xuanfeng had naturally learned methods to burn his essence qi and lifespan. He had studied the Foundation Sacrifice Stabilizing Technique, a secret of the Ning Family. He had already used it once back when he killed Tang Shedu.
This secret technique came with extremely severe aftereffects, often overdrawing thirty to forty percent of one's Immortal Foundation, leading to a collapse of one’s cultivation. Although he had used this technique once to kill Tang Shedu, he had remained stable in the Great Ning Palace thanks to Yuan Xiu’s intervention and his current state.
His cultivation was largely stored in talisman seeds, and nearly half separated from his body. Thus, he was effectively always borrowing power from the talisman seeds. This unexpectedly had its advantages where his Immortal Foundation was supported by the talisman seeds, and unless he exhausted it all at once with the secret technique, his cultivation would not collapse no matter how he drew on it.
Thus, now he wielded the technique again without hesitation, seizing the moment while the twelve were tied down. The golden-red arrow in his hand grew ever more solid, with surging mana and Astral Qi condensing in his grip.
Buzz...
The sky full of profound light lasted dozens of breaths. When that gold-and-silver brilliance finally faded, the golden-red light in Li Xuanfeng's hand also disappeared at the same time. The twelve trembled as one but had no time to summon the Kongsijiang Demon Bowl.
Only the three golden rings floated up alone and suddenly grabbed something. The three circular rings paused for a moment, and buckled. An instant later, the dharma artifact let out a sharp tearing sound in the air.
Ka ka....clang...
The three dharma artifacts exploded, scattering golden fragments that fell with a rustling sound. The three Buddhist cultivators had severed their connection with the dharma artifacts in time, yet they still coughed up blood, their faces pale as gold paper.
Fortunately, it had bought them enough time. The purple-gold bowl reappeared in the air, swallowing the freed golden-red arrow. It shook twice, then flickered bright and dim.
The twelve Buddhist cultivators seized the moment, and decisively leaped from their positions. They put away the bowl, and the remaining nine Buddhist cultivators shifted positions, reforming the grand formation.
They shouted in unison, "We beseech Suxikong! True path to subdue the demon!"
The sky vibrated with a roar. The remaining nine Buddhist cultivators' bodies shone brightly. A pair of cold, emotionless eyes opened on their chests in unison. Golden lines erupted all over their faces. They no longer looked human.
The strange eyes all turned toward Li Xuanfeng. There was no colorful light or golden brilliance, no sign of anything tearing through the air. But the radiance beneath his feet trembled, causing the cultivators' footing to sway.
The bright light on Li Xuanfeng's body dimmed for an instant, and he was frozen in place. The nine Buddhist cultivators all leaped forward together. The formation beneath their feet dissolved instantly, and they attacked together, empowered by Suxikong's true form.
Boom!
In that instant, gold clashed with stone, like the meeting of a landslide and a tsunami. All the brilliance in the sky dimmed, and both the northern and southern banks froze simultaneously.
Ten Buddhist cultivators struck together, empowered by Suxikong's true form that had been summoned by the grand formation. Their combined strength had reached a terrifying level.
Si Yuanli stood to the side, a sense of impending doom rising in his heart. He exclaimed in horror, "I underestimated them!"
The radiant pass beneath his feet wavered. Si Yuanli broke into a cold sweat. Panicked, he searched the intertwining golden and multicolored lights of the various weapons and saw a hint of red.
Ting ting...
The scattered droplets of blood were like shattered strings of jade pearls, each round and crystal clear, scattering in all directions. When they struck the dharma artifacts stacked by the Master Monks, they actually rang with a sound like jade beads.
Clatter clatter...
Blood dripped and turned into a golden rain in the dim sky. Under the gaze of countless anxious or relieved eyes, both the golden bow and Li Xuanfeng’s figure vanished.
"Where is that fierce man?"
"Could he have turned to ashes and smoke...?"
Si Yuanli stared as the blood rain fell. Suddenly, he heard a crisp clash of metal on metal, and an icy, hoarse voice echoed in the sky, carrying all the way to the ears of the northern and southern cultivators.
"When the Heavenly Stem meets Ren and Gui[1], gold is used to its utmost..."
The crisp clash of metal grew even louder, almost louder than thunder itself. The cold, hoarse voice grew even deeper, "Invoke the proper position of the Metal of Shen and You[2], grant me dominion over metal!"
1. Ren and Gui refers to the Heavenly Stems where Ren is the ninth stem and Gui is the tenth. ☜
2. Shen and You refer to the Ninth and Tenth Earthly Branches ☜