Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 286: Chapter 200: The Final Battle_1

Three days later, outside the gates of the Tianshu Sect.

Various forces gathered, gazing at the Tianshu Great Array from afar.

The one-month deadline had arrived. When would the Spell King attack the mountain?

The crowd suppressed their impatience, waiting for the curtain to rise.

A hundred miles away, atop a remote peak.

Xiao Miao sat alone, frowning, looking towards the distant and majestic gates of Mount Tianshu, feeling restless.

The voice of Elder Zhen came through, “Miao lad, stop looking. It’s no use. Even if you could do something, that girl wouldn’t appreciate this favor from you. Why bother?”

Xiao Miao remained silent, not saying a word, and it was a long while before he finally asked, “What do you think his chances of winning are?”

“Hard to say.”

Elder Zhen said solemnly, “The Immortal Sect’s potential is not to be underestimated. It all depends on how much they’re willing to sacrifice. If they’re ready to cut their losses, I’m afraid he will take a tumble.”

“Is that so…”

“He’s coming!”

Xiao Miao murmured to himself, about to speak, but Elder Zhen’s exclamation interrupted him.

“Rumble rumble!”

The sound of thunder roared, and ominous clouds approached, churning wildly, covering the sky as they headed straight for the gates of Mount Tianshu.

“He’s here!”

“The Spell King!”

Seeing this, everyone was shaken.

“With your esteemed presence, our Sect is honored!”

Inside the Tianshu Sect, there was also a reaction, as brilliant starlight shone, and a figure stepped forward.

It was the Immortal Sect Elder, a grandmaster in Array Formation, once a Deity Transformation Venerable, now a Great Nascent Soul Cultivator—Dikui!

Dikui stood within the Formation, looking at the sky filled with ominous clouds, and then at the person above the clouds, he calmly asked, “My friend, what brings you here?”

Xu Yang’s expression was indifferent, and his words were unfluctuating, “To destroy your Sect!”

“Oh?”

Hearing this, Dikui did not show anger, but remained composed, “That will depend on my friend’s skills!”

Having said that, with a sweep of his sleeve, he gestured and said, “Dare you enter my Formation to test the methods of the Immortal Sect?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Yang said, “Take one of my seals and we will see!”

With that, his hand conjured thunder and fire, and he sent forth a seal.

“Boom!”

The thunder and fire surged, enveloping a large seal that tumbled forth like the overturning of a constellation.

Those of the constellation, the stars!

The seal of the mountains, assisted by the might of thunder and fire, appeared as if the stars themselves were plummeting, striking directly at the gates of Mount Tianshu.

Meteorite Crashes to the Earth would be no different.

“Hmm!”

Dikui’s gaze sharpened, mana simultaneously surging, as the Seven Stars within the Great Array shone brightly. The might of the Big Dipper was instantaneously deployed, connecting with heavenly stars above and the Earth Spirit below, forming a realm of its own, an impenetrable wall of iron and copper.

“Boom!!!”

The mountain toppled, the meteorite struck, raising an earth-shattering thunderous noise.

The earth shook and the mountains quaked, the starlight flickered, the Big Dipper Pivot of the Tianshu was impacted, but ultimately, its base remained stable.

The Great Array was undamaged, its foundation unharmed, without even a crack or crevice to exploit.

On the contrary, the seal that had struck, after the collision, saw its thunder and fire dissipate, and the murky energy scatter.

An initial strike was launched, yet it returned without effect.

“This…”

“The Spell King…”

Witnessing this, everyone was startled.

“As it should be, what’s so surprising about that?”

Only Elder Zhen was unconcerned, explaining to Xiao Miao in his mind, “That strike was not a real Spiritual Treasure, just a strand of Earth Aura, limited in might, a mere probe.”

“Look at that Formation, the Big Dipper Pivot, ranked fourth tier. Coupled with the array of Spiritual Treasures it contains, it has formed an unbeatable stance. Drawing the power of the heavenly stars and tapping into the Earth Vein’s energy, brute force from outside won’t break it, not to mention a Nascent Soul, even Divinity Transformation wouldn’t break through without expending considerable effort in Return to Void!”

“Lad, remember, the most foolish people in this world are those who attack Formations from the outside!”

To be honest, Xiao Miao had already understood this principle without Elder Zhen’s explanation.

There are essentially three methods to breaking a Formation: overpower it, outsmart it, or a combination of both strength and cunning.

The most direct approach, brute force, is also the most foolish. It can only break through lower-tier Formations. When facing Formations of equal or higher cultivation, there’s nothing one can do.

Lacking the knowledge of Array Formation and not entering the Formation, merely pounding from the outside is futile. You could tire to death without making a dent.

After all, you are but a single person; you cannot compete in exhaustion with a vast Formation.

The only way is to counter Formation with Formation, subtly breaking through or using a combination of strength and cunning to solve it from within.

The former is practical but not applicable here, as the Yuan Spirit has been pinned down by the opposing Great Array. You can’t initiate Formation against Formation without the conditions to do so, unless you can set up a high-tier Formation of your own to seize the control of heaven and earth.

The latter is applicable but risky. One must enter the Formation, find the nodes or central core of the Formation, and solve it from there.

It is extremely difficult.

But breaking Formations is just that difficult. If it were easy, how could Array Formation stand as one of the three greatest arts, excelling above hundreds of skills?

“If this person wants to break the Formation, he can only enter it. Relying on the might of Spiritual Treasures, he must shatter the foundational base.”

Elder Zhen spoke gravely, “But clearly the Tianshu Sect won’t allow him to enter, so the first challenge of this battle is to see his methods, whether he can forcefully break from the outside into the Formation.”

“But that man just now clearly invited him into the Formation, right?”

“You believe him just because he said so?”

“A mere strand of Earth Aura to breach my Great Array?”

Within the Formation, Dikui chuckled, “My friend, you seem to underestimate our Sect a bit too much!”

Ignoring whatever reaction Xu Yang might have, Dikui sat in the void, reciting his knowledge as if counting his family’s treasures.

“Formations can be divided into various types: lethal Formations, Illusion Arrays, defensive Formations, battle Formations!”

“Lethal Formations need the enemy to be inside to unleash their greatest power.”

“The same goes for Illusion Arrays, the marvels are seen within the array’s engagement.”

“Only defensive Formations strictly guard and repel enemies from the outside.”

“And battle Formations, based on Formations, launch attacks from within, capable of slaying enemies thousands of miles away.”

Dikui smiled, looking at Xu Yang, “Our Sect’s immemorial teachings, the Array of the Big Dipper, are versatile in offense and defense, combining reality and illusion, intricate and boundless, creative and infinite. Since my friend is not willing to test the lethal prowess within the Formation, then watch from outside how my Big Dipper’s defensive abilities fare?”

“On what basis?”

“A joke!”

Before the voice had faded, thunder began to rise.

The Taoist Man leaped into the sky, with thunderbolts shooting straight up to the ninth heaven.

And then…

“Boom!!!”

A clap of thunder, a burst of flame, the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Peaks appeared to topple down like stars, igniting the Earth Aura with the sky’s thunder and fire, piercing through the layers of clouds, and melting the dark celestial canopy.

“Big Dipper Pivot, Seven Stars as One!”

Despite being prepared and aware that his opponent was no mere commoner, seeing such might, Dikui was still terrified and hurriedly manipulated the Formation, defending with all his strength.

The Seven Star Command Banner rose within the Formation, as if intending to fix a corner of the heavens and earth.

With such a Spiritual Treasure, with such a Formation, under the concentrated starlight, even the void became as unyieldable as walls of brass and iron.

However…

Just how heavy could the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Peaks be?

What kind of power did a Meteorite Crashes to the Earth hold?

Descending from above, with thunder and fire aiding its momentum, it came overturning chaos and the primordial state.

With such a strike…

“Boom!!!”

A loud crash that shook heaven and earth.

The Big Dipper Star Array, annihilated by the thousands.

The starlight condensed, and the void boundary as tough as walls of brass and iron was directly shattered, leaving a huge hole in the canopy of the sky, with cracks spreading like a spiderweb, not only throughout the void, but the Sect’s gate also suffered destruction; mountains collapsing, ridges toppling, countless foundations ruined, numerous nodes destroyed…

“Hiss!!!”

Seeing this scene, Xiao Miao’s mind echoed with a hiss of cold air being sucked in.

“This Spiritual Treasure is merely a Middle Grade one, yet it’s so formidable?”

“Big Dipper Pivot, with the Seven Stars combining their forces, turned into a defensive Array, and it’s been blown open by one strike?”

“Indeed, it is a Spiritual Treasure specialized in attacking Formations. The solidity of metal and stone, the thickness of the earth, the Might of Thunder and Fire, the heaven-overturning force, terrifying indeed, terrifying indeed!”

Elder Zhen exclaimed in shock time after time, but Xiao Miao paid him no heed, her eyes fixated on the development of the battle.

However…

“Rumble rumble!”

As the earth shook and the mountains quivered, starlight rose again, filling the cracks, erasing and wiping them away.

The Big Dipper Array, having suffered a tremendous blow, did not collapse and disintegrate; instead, it transformed and reorganized quickly.

In a blink, the Array was restored, with starlight glittering brightly, showing only the gate of Mount Tianshu, leaving no trace of the Spell King.

“The second challenge, battle within the Array!”

Seeing this, Elder Zhen once again spoke gravely, “Breaking through an Array is different from unraveling an Array. This great Array is presided over by a tier-four Array Formation Grandmaster, supported by a set of Seven Star Command Banners and an Array Formation Spiritual Treasure. Although that person’s strike was terrifying, it was not enough to completely destroy the Array.”

“Next, the defensive Array will transform into an offensive and killing Array, an Illusion Array, a Binding Array. Now that the person is trapped within the Array, can he break out?”

“Taoist friend, well done, what bravery!”

Within the Array, in the void, even though Dikui felt the damage to the Array and his heart was heavy, he still maintained a calm facade.

Looking down at the ground, dust and smoke billowed, a massive crater embedded in the mountainside, like an abyss choosing its victim.

Only because the gate of Mount Tianshu was so majestic and extraordinary did such a sight of a crater embedded therein exist, if it had been anywhere else, if not an abyss thousands of feet deep, then surely chasms miles long would have formed.

In the pit, no figure was seen.

Dikui’s expression unchanged, he waved the Command Banner in his hand, transforming into starlight and escaping into the heavens and earth.

Now that the enemy had entered the Array, his main task was to stabilize the Formation and sever the opponent’s escape routes.

As for the killing, others would take action.

Dikui vanished from sight, the Array’s structure solidified even more, and the starlight above and below was so bright it was as if one were in the Milky Way.

At this moment…

“Moo! Moo! Moo!”

With the sounds of mooing, heaven and earth stirred.

From the depths of the Abyss, dust and smoke surged out like waves.

Yin bulls and Yang bulls, eighteen Green Bulls came roaring out of the Abyss, charging towards the foundational corners of the Array.

It was indeed the Nine Bull Building Mountain Skill!

The might of this skill, even greater than before, and especially when executed from within the Array, did not need its threat level mentioned.

At the critical moment…

“Brilliance of a rice grain also shines!”

A sharp yell, starlight myriad falling from the heavens.

Surrounding the skies, twenty-one treasure mirrors were suspended high, channeling the light from the celestial stars, and then reflecting it back at the enemy within the Array.

“Moo!”

With just one reflection, the Green Bulls froze in place.

With another reflection, it pierced through the Green Bulls’ flesh and blood.

Finally, with one more reflection, the Taoism vanished like smoke and clouds.

The spell of the Nine Bulls, in an instant, was broken.

As the Taoism shattered, within the depths of the crater, thunder once again startled the surroundings.

A person leaped out, intending to smash the surrounding treasure mirrors.

However…

“Hehe!”

A soft laugh, and a myriad of starlight rays shot towards the Taoist Man’s body, aiming to penetrate and break through, to dissolve the soul and melt the spirit.

This set of Middle Grade Spiritual Treasures, used in conjunction with the Big Dipper Array, possessed a might that could be dubbed terrifying.

Even a Deity Transformation Venerable being struck by the twenty-one star mirrors, channeling the light from all around the heavens, would suffer severe injuries, their flesh would dissolve, their Primordial Spirit would be greatly damaged unless protected by an equal grade Spiritual Treasure, or else calamity was inevitable.

Was the newcomer undergoing Deity Transformation, did he possess a Spiritual Treasure for protection?

No one could assert for sure.

But this did not affect the Array’s killing intent.

The mirrors flipped, the myriad starlight all aimed at the person within the Array.

There was also a sword, rising shockingly into the sky, like a long rainbow piercing the sun, delivering the final death blow.

The killing moves were fully deployed, leaving no leeway!