Chapter 719 - 669: Damn, I’m sorry!
On Gufeng Ridge, the group of Masters led by Zhou Shaofeng all furrowed their brows as they gazed at the region where the dark purple energy was spreading. Based on their current perception of this Demon Dragon Energy, they feared it would erupt before noon the next day.
"Tai Chi gives birth to the Two Forms! The Two Forms give birth to the Four Symbols! The Four Symbols give birth to the Eight Diagrams! The Eight Diagrams give birth to the Sixty-four Hexagrams! Activate the Chaos Formation to temporarily contain this Demon Dragon Energy while we devise a plan!" he shouted using ventriloquism.
Zhou Shaofeng suddenly stomped his foot on the ground.
CRACK!
The next second, cracks spread across the ground’s surface in a rhythmic, cinematic pattern. A closer look revealed that they originated from him as the center point, creating the patterns of the Two Forms, Four Symbols, Eight Diagrams, and Sixty-four Hexagrams. With these points established, the other Abnormals could see the layout at a glance. To conserve Primordial Power, they no longer used ventriloquism to respond and quickly moved to their chosen positions.
In the blink of an eye, the seemingly dizzying Chaos Formation took shape, enclosing the entire area permeated with Demon Dragon Energy.
"Hold nothing back! Unleash everything you have! First, force the Demon Dragon Energy to rise, then we’ll contract our formation and gradually exterminate it. Finally, we’ll locate the sealing point and implement a second Seal! Seal it for as long as possible! We will devise a new strategy when my master emerges from seclusion!"
Zhou Shaofeng rapidly relayed the plan using ventriloquism. These few sentences became their only course of action. They were facing the same Demon Dragon Energy that had devoured the souls of those esteemed Masters from Jiangzhou with its mere presence. This was the only response they could muster, and it came at the risk of forfeiting their chance at Reincarnation, their souls liable to scatter at any moment.
Following Zhou Shaofeng’s orders, the group of Abnormals immediately began forming hand seals, chanting a series of obscure spells using ventriloquism. As the various spells interwove, the surrounding aura immediately fell into chaos. At the same time, amidst the bizarre incantations, the enclosed Demon Dragon Energy gradually began to surge.
"It’s moving! Suppress it!" Zhou Shaofeng shouted again through ventriloquism, his Heavenly Eye watching the masses of dark purple energy expand.
As he finished shouting, Zhou Shaofeng violently yanked the golden whip from around his waist.
"Dragon-locking Whip! Press it down!"
With another ventriloquized roar, Zhou Shaofeng leaped into the air. Carrying an overwhelming momentum, the golden whip smashed down toward the Demon Dragon Energy below. The ferocious Whip Force rippled outward, forming a net of energy that blasted down upon its target!
BOOM!
The golden whip struck, sending stone chips flying. Instantly, the previously surging Demon Dragon Energy was blasted apart. It seemed to become energy without a source, drifting about thinly as its momentum sharply decreased.
"Seize this chance! Quickly!" Zhou Shaofeng yelled urgently, his Heavenly Eye tracking the now-scattered Demon Dragon Energy.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Following Zhou Shaofeng’s shout, the Abnormals all released their hand seals in unison. Instantly, the aura of the entire area seemed to explode. Yin-Yang Abnormal Skills were unleashed without reservation at the Demon Dragon Energy.
At that moment, the violently shifting aura stirred up a gale that whipped at everyone’s clothes. One by one, they levitated into the air from where they stood. Surrounding stones flew and scattered in every direction. The scene looked as if it were taken straight from a fantasy television series.
SIZZLE! SIZZLE! SIZZLE!
As their strongest, unrestrained attacks struck the Demon Dragon Energy, a sharp crackling sound erupted. Through their Heavenly Eyes, the purple-black Demon Dragon Energy visibly shrank, rapidly retreating back into the ground.
"Did it work? Just like that?" one Master exclaimed joyfully through ventriloquism, seeing the Demon Dragon Energy being forced back inch by inch by their combined assault.
He was not the only one; all the Masters, except for Zhou Shaofeng, were elated by this turn of events.
However, to Zhou Shaofeng, this was unbelievable. If it was this easy to suppress the Demon Dragon Energy, why had those esteemed Masters from Jiangzhou perished here, their souls scattered? Something was off! Absolutely off!
As he furrowed his brow, a change was occurring elsewhere.
「In the cave below.」
Zhou Donglin suddenly opened his bloodshot eyes. Feeling the Demon Dragon Energy receding back toward him, his brow tightened. He had sensed that the Abnormals above were from Xiangjiang’s community of practitioners. Among them was even his own disciple, Zhou Shaofeng. Unlike the Masters from Jiangzhou, whom he could eliminate without hesitation by unleashing the Demon Dragon Energy for Soul Gathering, he now faced his peers from Xiangjiang. These were practitioners under his own command, and for a moment, he hesitated.
"Damn it! Why isn’t it the people from the mainland? How could these fools be so stupid as to come here and die!" he growled, gritting his teeth with a sinister expression. His sullied eyes grew ever redder.
During his hesitation, more and more Demon Dragon Energy flowed back, eventually filling the entire cave with a purple-black haze.
"Damn it! My apologies!" Zhou Donglin finally forced out the words, his eyes twitching, knowing he could wait no longer.
「Meanwhile, above.」
Seeing all the Demon Dragon Energy being forced back, even Zhou Shaofeng, who had previously felt uneasy, began to dismiss his worries.
"Quick, form the seals! Seal this place! Invoke the Three Purities, request the Supreme! Buy us time!"
Although the Demon Dragon Energy had seemingly been completely repelled, a lingering sense of wrongness kept Zhou Shaofeng from daring to remove the Black Glutinous Rice blocking his seven orifices. He shouted again using ventriloquism.
"Yes, Master Zhou!"
"Looks like we were overthinking it. This Demon Dragon Energy isn’t so tough after all!"
"It’s laughable that those so-called Masters from Jiangzhou fell to something like this. They must have been a bunch of useless good-for-nothings!"
"If we had known it would be this easy, we should have acted sooner! We were held up for days by those useless fools from Jiangzhou! Damn it!"
"And here I thought those damn Masters from Jiangzhou had some skill. Turns out they were all just flashy phonies, haha!"
Yes, the Abnormals from Xiangjiang had grown cocky. They were so cocky that after the Demon Dragon Energy retreated, they removed the Black Glutinous Rice from their seven orifices. To them, the situation was already decided.
However, an extreme sense of unease began to inexplicably grow within Zhou Shaofeng.
This suppression seemed too successful, almost effortless. If the esteemed Masters from Jiangzhou who died here were truly incompetent, then it would make sense. But were they really incompetent? I don’t think so.
Before his tangled, chaotic thoughts could even settle, everything changed in the next second, just as they were preparing to re-seal the area.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The purple-black energy that had just retreated a moment ago suddenly surged out wildly without any warning! Its volume was several times greater than before!
"Be careful!"
At the critical moment, Zhou Shaofeng screamed hysterically.