Chapter 987: Attack on Emerald Cove P1: Threefold Wind Halberd Formation

Rumaal glanced at Kanis before turning his attention back to the enormous gray dome surrounding Emerald Cove Island.

A half-step 4th Order formation? Built on an island with a 2nd Order Spirit Vein? How... How in the hell did the island’s owner manage to pull off such a feat? This formation alone breaks the general logic accepted in the Empire.

What’s even more absurd is that it appeared in Orveth, a region that was supposed to be backward in terms of all inheritances related to Spirit cultivation. Even this sword lunatic has come to recognize its peculiarities and is willing to extend the debt he owes me just to acquire this formation. The question is... should I agree?

Even Rumaal understood that acquiring the island’s formation alone would make their trip worthwhile. Even King Runiye wouldn’t punish them too severely for failing to safeguard the faction’s core inheritances if Rumaal offered this formation as compensation.

Such was the profoundness hidden within the formation that perhaps nobody from Orveth could properly understand it. Only someone from the Shinayin Empire could truly appreciate its true value. With a formation like this, it was absurd to think that Emerald Cove Island wasn’t the core force among the so-called Big Five sects. It was like listing the ten strongest fighters in a village but leaving out the strongest one.

The formation’s mysterious nature had certainly piqued Rumaal’s curiosity, but he wasn’t foolish enough to let greed cloud his judgment. Before attempting anything more forceful, he wanted to test the formation’s defensive capabilities and determine how much effort would be required to breach it.

Perhaps the reason he offered to let me probe the formation first is that he’s already confident I won’t be able to break it.

If I fail, he’ll be able to claim his rightful share for the Swordfall Realm when he steps in and destroys the formation himself. If that’s his plan, then perhaps this sword lunatic isn’t a lunatic at all.

Rumaal sighed inwardly. It was indeed difficult to deal with True Sword Cultivators, especially those who possessed both brains and brawn.

Then again, Rumaal didn’t have much choice. He had already accepted Kanis’s intervention. Forget about the fact that the three of them were heavily outnumbered by the powerful Swordfall cultivators present at the scene; Kanis alone was more powerful than all three of them combined.

As such, Rumaal could only accept Kanis’s proposal and go with the flow. If he actually managed to break the formation, he wouldn’t be at too great a loss once they had settled everything afterward.

"Very well, my friend," Rumaal said, having made up his mind. "Since you wish to test the formation, allow me to take the first step. If we can break through its defenses without destroying the formation itself, we might even be able to preserve it for further study."

Kanis smiled and stepped aside, leaving the matter in Rumaal’s hands. He had no objections to letting the older cultivator test the waters first. After all, if the formation proved more troublesome than expected, there was no reason for him to waste his strength before understanding what they were dealing with.

Rumaal turned toward his two wives.

"Anaah, Mirelle, let’s do it. We’ll use the Threefold Wind Halberd Formation. I want to see how this island’s formation responds to a concentrated attack."

Anaah nodded immediately, her crimson eyes gleaming with anticipation. Mirelle, meanwhile, remained as composed as ever. Neither woman questioned her husband’s decision. They had cultivated together for a long time, and their coordination in formation-based techniques was one of the reasons the three of them could stand among the powerful Lords of the Shinayin Empire.

The trio separated without further discussion.

Rumaal flew toward the left side of the island, while Anaah headed toward the opposite direction. Mirelle moved farther away from both of them, completing the triangular arrangement around Emerald Cove Island. Each of them stopped at a considerable distance from the gray dome, ensuring that the area covered by their formation would encompass the entire island.

The three cultivators then summoned their formation flags.

Dozens of flags emerged around each of them, their surfaces engraved with intricate wind-element runes. The flags fluttered violently despite the absence of any strong breeze, releasing streams of pale green Spirit Essence that converged above their heads.

Rumaal formed a series of Mudra with both hands, and Anaah and Mirelle followed his movements in perfect synchronization. The late-stage 3rd Order formation flags shot outward, spreading across the sky and establishing a triangular network that connected the three cultivators.

Usually, late-stage 3rd Order formation wouldn’t be enough to break a half-step 4th Order formation. However, Emerald Cove Island’s current Spirit Vein had yet to evolve.

Without a compatible power source, a formation couldn’t exert its full potential. At least that’s what Rumaal thought when he decided to use an offensive formation against a defensive one.

The surrounding wind suddenly grew violent.

Whistling currents swept across the sea, stirring enormous waves beneath the formation. Wisps of green light gathered at the vertices of the triangular array before flowing toward its center, where they converged into a spiraling mass of wind-element Spirit Essence.

The mass expanded rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, an enormous halberd took shape above the island.

Its shaft stretched across the sky like a towering pillar, while its crescent-shaped blade gleamed with a sharp, pale-green radiance. Countless wind currents revolved around its edges, compressing into layers of invisible cutting force. The weapon was so enormous that its shadow covered a significant portion of the island’s gray dome.

Several Swordfall cultivators watched the spectacle with interest.

Although the Threefold Wind Halberd Formation wasn’t an exceptionally rare inheritance within the Shinayin Empire, it was a formidable combined formation when operated by three experienced late-stage Lord-level cultivators. Its greatest strength lay in concentrating the power of its participants into a single devastating attack.

Even a powerful defensive formation would struggle to withstand such concentrated force without suffering some damage.

"The island owner is famously called Lord Turle by the natives of Orveth, right? Hehe. It’s quite fitting. But no matter how tough your shell is, you will become vulnerable once we break it," Rumaal muttered.

He brought his hands together and abruptly thrust them downward.

The enormous wind-element halberd descended.

BOOM!

The moment its blade struck the gray dome, the surrounding sea erupted into chaos. Enormous waves surged outward from the island, while violent gusts swept across the sky. The halberd’s cutting force spread over the formation barrier, pressing the rolling gray fog inward as though an invisible giant had slammed its palm against a massive cushion.

The dome visibly caved in.

For a brief moment, the gray fog seemed to collapse under the tremendous pressure. Its surface sank inward, forming a gigantic depression directly beneath the halberd’s blade. The outermost layers of fog twisted violently, and the entire dome appeared to tremble as cracks seemed to spread across its distorted surface.

Several imperial cultivators instinctively leaned forward.

Was the formation about to break?

Rumaal’s eyes narrowed as he poured more Spirit Essence into the formation. Anaah and Mirelle did the same, maintaining their positions while reinforcing the triangular network with their combined power.

However, just as the halberd seemed poised to penetrate the dome, the gray fog suddenly surged upward.

The depressed surface rebounded with astonishing force.

The halberd’s blade was pushed back, and a tremendous shock wave rippled through the surrounding air. The gray dome shuddered violently before returning to its original shape, its rolling fog once again flowing as smoothly as before.

The first strike had failed.

Rumaal’s expression grew solemn, but he didn’t withdraw the attack. Instead, he adjusted the flow of Spirit Essence within the triangular formation, concentrating more of its power along the halberd’s blade.

"Again!"

The enormous weapon rose into the sky before descending for a second strike.

BOOM!

The impact was even more violent than before.

This time, the gray dome sank considerably deeper, and the fog around the point of impact twisted into enormous spirals. The pressure generated by the halberd forced the surrounding sea to recede momentarily, leaving a vast depression in the water before the waves rushed back in from every direction.

Yet the formation held.

The gray fog resisted the halberd’s cutting force, absorbing the impact through layers of mysterious energy that Rumaal couldn’t identify. The more force the halberd exerted, the more violently the dome distorted, but the formation refused to rupture.

Then, once again, it pushed the weapon away.

Rumaal’s face darkened.

He had already increased the power of the second strike beyond what he had initially intended. Even so, the island’s formation had managed to withstand it without revealing any obvious weakness.

"One more time!" he barked.

Anaah and Mirelle immediately responded, their Spirit Essence surging as they poured the remaining power of the formation into the halberd.

The enormous weapon rose for the third and final strike.