Library of Heaven’s Path

Chapter 498: Despairing Hall Master Han

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

The 2-star beast tamer had advised him against roasting the Deerhorde Beast, and thinking that it was impossible, he refused to listen to the other party's advice. As such, the other party left along with his group for fear of being implicated in the trouble. Initially, he thought that the fellow was just fearmongering but to think that trouble really occurred out of it.

Could it be that he had actually predicted the appearance of the Soul Devouring Ants, the collapse of the formation, and the current, disastrous situation?

"That's impossible! Soul Devouring Ants are extremely rare spirit beasts. Even I was unable make the link out of the blue. How can such a young 2-star beast tamer possibly have foreseen this?"

Even though he knew that it likely was the truth, he still found the entire matter too hard to believe.

In ancient times, Soul Devouring Ants were the nemeses of the soul oracles. But ever since that era had passed, the entire species had disappeared from sight for a very long time. As such, very few people knew about their natural habitat, characteristics, and such.

How could such a young beast tamer possibly discern so much within a few short minutes?

Even 5-star beast tamers didn't possess such means!

This thought disappeared as soon as it appeared in his mind. Even if he wished to pursue the matter, the current circumstance didn't allow for it.

Landing on the ground, he suppressed the stifled sensation in his chest and straightened his back. Then, flicking his spear in his hands, he looked at the massive savage beast and said, "Brother Demon Cinque, no matter what, we have been together for three years. You should understand my character very well. I have no intentions of hurting you at all. How about this, why don't we just forget about this matter... Let's continue to get along as equal peers... Y-you... Stop! Why are you still charging here?"

Before he could finish his words, the massive figure appeared right before him once more. Raising its claws, it struck down on him.

Peng!

Blocking it with his spear, Hall Master Han was knocked backward once more.

Even though they were both at Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle, there was an irreconcilable disparity in their strength. He wasn't a match for the other party at all.

"Don't force me! Did you think that the formation was my only trump card... Shit!" Having been attacked relentlessly by the other party, Hall Master Han's chest ached from the heavy blows directed at him. Infuriated, he lashed out.

However, before he could finish his lashing, he was struck once more by the wing of the Demon Cinque Beast. He was sent rotating several rounds in the air before crashing heavily down.

At this moment, Hall Master Han felt extremely dismal.

If only he'd known that the roasting of the Deerhorde Beast would attract the Soul Devouring Ants and destroy the formation, he would have never done so!

In the end, not only did the Deerhorde Beast become a gift to the Soul Devouring Ants, the target he was aiming to tame was also in a berserk state. It seemed as though the other party would never rest as long as he was still breathing.

He snuck a glance at the 2-star beast tamer, Hall Master Sai, and the others, and this single glance nearly caused another mouthful of blood to spurt from his mouth.

At a distance several hundred meters away, the young man from before was looking at him leisurely as he lectured his students.

"Do you all see that? This is the consequence of not listening to the advice of others. In the future, when you all explore the world by your own, make sure to remain humble and keep an open mind to the words of others... In any case, just don't be like him!

"Also, even though that previous move of his looked incredible, it's actually a complete failure. If he had launched that attack half a breath earlier, the Demon Cinque Beast's movements would surely have been interrupted... To be able to use perfectly fine moves to such an extent, his fighting techniques are truly mediocre!

"Thus, you all must train your battle techniques diligently. Don't always think about conquering this and that. Rather than wasting your time on such immaterial accomplishments, you should work hard on raising your fighting prowess..."

...

The young man commented as he lectured his students.

Hearing those words, Hall Master Han's eyebrows leaped furiously. If he could, he would've charged forward to pummel that young man.

The heck!

I am a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle expert, the head of the Beast Hall! Why, in the view of an insignificant figure like you, did I suddenly become a person incapable of anything at all?

But... what left him even more frustrated was that... analyzing the other party's words carefully, he realized that the other party's words were actually spot-on. Even if he wanted to refute those words, he had no idea where he could start from.

"There is something bizarre about that fellow. When I'm done dealing with the Demon Cinque Beast, I will have to ask Hall Master Sai about it!"

No matter how foolish he was, it was clear that the young man was extraordinary. Most probably, he must have noticed something in advance, that's why he spoke those words.

However, this wasn't the time to be conflicted over this matter. Twisting his body, he dodged the Demon Cinque Beast's offense and raised his head.

"Brother Demon Cinque, since you refuse to agree to my offer of reconciliation, don't blame me for getting nasty!"

After which, he took a breath and flicked his hands.

While he was being continuously forced back by the Demon Cinque Beast, Elder Hu and the others had been making preparations.

Even though they had been knocked away by the Demon Cinque Beast, those were mainly superficial injuries. A moment of meditation was more than sufficient to get them back to their full strength. Upon hearing those words, they immediately got into position and drew their weapons.

Huala!

Their aura harmonized together as one, forming a collaborative offense formation.

"It's the same formation as the one the younger beast tamers used previously. However, this one is much more profound and stronger!"

From afar, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but nod his head.

It was a rare opportunity to view the battle among Transcendent Mortal 4-dan experts. Naturally, he should explain the entire battle to Zhao Ya and the others so that they could learn from it and improve.

"Indeed. This formation further augments their individual strength, allowing their battle prowess to soar several folds!" Jin Conghai nodded.

Even when crossing hands with the younger beast tamers outside, if not for his experience and superior cultivation, it would definitely be difficult for him to triumph over them.

Since even the juniors were already so powerful, not much had to be said about the seniors who had immersed themselves into the formation for such a long period of time. Not to mention, their cultivation realms were also far superior, resulting in a vast difference in the might of both formations!

"If they were the ones whom we were facing previously, even if there were eight of us facing them, we still wouldn't have had the strength to retaliate at all!" Taking a glance, Hall Master Sai couldn't help but remark.

The reason why the both of them could suppress the formation of the young beast tamers previously wasn't because the formation was weak but because their cultivation far exceeded that of the other party. On top of that, the young beast tamers weren't familiar with the collaborative offensive formation either.

But Hall Master Han, Elder Hu, and the others didn't have such a flaw at all. It was clear that they had practiced the formation for several years already, and every single move of theirs had a deep intention behind it. On top of that, their teamwork was exquisite, so as soon as the formation was executed, their fighting prowess immediately soared to formidable heights, thus exerting a huge pressure on the Demon Cinque Beast.

Awed, Hall Master Sai commented, "So, this is his true trump card! For the formation to be so powerful, it seems like they began practicing this collaborative formation straight after the failure three years ago!"

The Confinement Formation they used previously was formidable, but what if the other party was determined not to give in? Eventually, it would just be a matter of time before the formation ran out of power and the Demon Cinque Beast was let loose.

Thus, Hall Master Sai was perplexed as to whether Hall Master Han had any backup plan to deal with this situation. From the looks of it now, this seemed to be it.

The collaborative formation made up of the several elders harnessed immense power, making them a match for even a Transcendent Mortal 5-dan primary stage expert. Dealing with a 4-dan pinnacle Demon Cinque Beast shouldn't be much of a problem.

"Do you think that... they can win?"

Seeing through Hall Master Sai's thoughts, Zhang Xuan chuckled.

"Their teamwork is flawless, and the might of the formation is also formidable. They should be able to suppress the Demon Cinque Beast entirely!" Hall Master Sai said.

As a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan expert, he was able to gauge of the fighting prowess of these elders accurately.

The collaborative offensive formation was profound and it augmented the strengths of every single individual in it. No matter how powerful the Demon Cinque Beast, it would be hard for it to withstand the combined might of the group.

"Should be able to?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Since they have their trump card, what makes you think that the Demon Cinque Beast doesn't have one? If a single collaborative offensive formation could bring it down, it would have been eliminated by the forces dispatched by the Myriad Kingdom Alliance long ago!"

Back then, even the many experts sent by the Myriad Kingdom Alliance ended in failure. To even entertain the thought that a single formation could subdue this Demon Cinque Beast was a gross underestimation of its ability.

"Besides, this is in fact a Slaughter Formation. However, given that Hall Master Han is reluctant to kill the Demon Cinque Beast in hopes of taming it, his movements will be severely limited. This will prevent them from bringing out the full might of the formation!"

After studying the Heaven's Path Formation Art, Zhang Xuan's understanding of formations had reached an astounding level.

Even though he didn't know the name of the collaborative offensive formation, he could accurately discern its properties and might.

Hall Master Han was too focused on taming the Demon Cinque Beast, and this would cause him to subconsciously hold back in his offense. In other words, he was treating this Slaughter Formation as a Confinement Formation... With the might of the formation greatly reduced, it was just a matter of time before the group fell apart.

And just like Zhang Xuan had said, initially, Hall Master Han and the others had the upper hand. However, as the Demon Cinque Beast gave up on its defense altogether and attacked recklessly, the formation was swiftly torn apart.

Pu pu pu pu!

A few minutes later, the elders were swept away by the wing of the Demon Cinque Beast and incurred heavy injuries. They spat out huge mouthfuls of blood.

Peng!

Eventually, under one of the attacks from the Demon Cinque Beast, Hall Master Han's spear was knocked out of his hand, and he crashed onto the ground.

Hu!

After breaking the formation, the furious Demon Cinque Beast immediately stomped its massive foot on Hall Master Han.

If Hall Master Han were to be really stepped on by that humongous figure, no matter how powerful he was, it would be difficult for him to escape from his demise.

"You..."

Seeing the that his life was at risk, Hall Master Han bore with the intense pain pricking at his body and got up. Summoning the strength he had into his palm, he prepared to receive the other party's blow.

Peng!

The foot came into contact with his palm, and for a moment, there was a stalemate.

However, the pressure on the foot only grew stronger and stronger. Just as Hall Master Han was coming to the verge of his endurance, and he thought that he would be reduced into meat paste, an anxious voice shouted, "Zhang shi, I beseech you to save Hall Master Han!"

The one who spoke was Hall Master Sai.

After years of being friends, he couldn't bear seeing his old friend dying before him. However, he knew the extent of his ability well. He wasn't even a match for his old buddy, needless to say, this monster that could easily subdue him.

Thus, the only option left was to request for Zhang shi's help.

Zhang Xuan's cultivation was far beneath his, but after the past few days of interaction, he found himself being continuously shocked by the other party's miraculous means. Perhaps, he might have a solution to save his old buddy.

"I am not a match for the Demon Cinque Beast either, how do you expect me to save him?"

However, contrary to his expectations, the young man gave a negative reply.

Hearing those words, Hall Master Han despaired.

He thought that three years of fellowship and the various hands he had prepared beforehand would allow this operation to end in success. Never in his dreams did he expect for this fellow's strength to be far beyond his, resulting in a completely one-sided fight!

"Please, you must have a solution... Otherwise, if the Demon Cinque Beast were to kill Hall Master Han, it'll definitely come for us next..." Hall Master Sai pleaded anxiously.

"Oh, I do have a solution!" The nonchalant voice of the young man sounded.

"What is it?" Hall Master Sai asked in agitation.

Hall Master Han's body also tightened. Seeing a ray of hope, he immediately pricked his ears to listen closer.

"Simple, we just have to ask this fellow to release him!" the young man said.

Pu!

Having his ray of hope abruptly crushed, Hall Master Han spurted a mouthful of blood and fell into despair.