Chapter 694: Injured (II)

After leaving the formation node, Lin Zheyu kept a constant watch on the Shadow Dragon with his Heavenly Eye. His right hand gripped Voidcleaver tightly, ready to deal the creature a vicious blow the moment it launched an ambush and became entangled with the formation controlled by Wang Zhengtian.

Unfortunately, the Shadow Dragon remained unmoved. It hovered openly above Lin Zheyu as though worried that he might fail to detect it, leaving Lin Zheyu sorely tempted to launch a sudden attack of his own.

"Quick, get inside!" Upon seeing Lin Zheyu arrive, Bai Lin immediately opened the formation node's protective barrier. Holding his token, Lin Zheyu flickered through the barrier and entered the formation node.

"Want me to take over?" Lin Zheyu asked.

"No need. This is only the beginning. I haven't even warmed up yet!" Bai Lin replied, brimming with fighting spirit.

"All right. Something seems off about this assault, so don't push yourself too hard. Conserve some strength in case of an emergency," Lin Zheyu cautioned.

"Don't worry. With you here, I won't risk my life." Bai Lin grinned, his face alight with eagerness. "Where's that seven-pattern Shadow Dragon? Let me send a few sword strikes its way."

Lin Zheyu stared speechlessly at Bai Lin's eager expression. This fellow truly was not afraid of making the creature hold a grudge against him. The grand formation was already severely damaged, but even at its full strength, Bai Lin would have been unable to threaten the Shadow Dragon. He was simply too weak.

Moreover, the first formation defense line had never been designed primarily for offense. At most, Bai Lin could indulge himself by taking a few futile swings at it.

Meeting Bai Lin's burning gaze, Lin Zheyu shrugged and revealed the Shadow Dragon's position. "Just west of directly ahead..."

The creature was currently hiding not far from Lin Zheyu and Bai Lin. Green light gleamed within its pitch-black pupils as it stared hungrily in their direction. Its gaze made Lin Zheyu uncomfortable, and even he wanted to run the creature through a few times.

"Uh, it's that close?!" Bai Lin's expression shifted, and he suddenly hesitated to attack.

It was a seven-pattern yao, comparable to a Nascent Soul realm immortal cultivator. If he encountered it outside the formation, it could swat him dead with a single blow.

"What, scared?" Lin Zheyu glanced sidelong at Bai Lin.

"How could I be?" Bai Lin replied stubbornly. He exhaled deeply and confirmed the Shadow Dragon's location with Lin Zheyu once more, his eyes growing increasingly resolute.

Vast blood qi surged forth as Bai Lin unleashed his full strength and drove the formation with all his might. Two terrifying sword lights condensed within the formation and shot toward the Shadow Dragon concealed in the darkness.

"Oh? These two youngsters certainly have guts!" Wang Zhengtian's eyes lit up as he observed the formation node occupied by Lin Zheyu and Bai Lin.

The instant the sword lights appeared, he understood what Lin Zheyu and Bai Lin intended. An excited smile spread across Wang Zhengtian's face as spirit power surged from his body, condensing into two equally terrifying sword lights. They followed closely behind the pair formed by Bai Lin and sped toward the Shadow Dragon hidden in the darkness.

The Shadow Dragon's expression shifted. "What? I've been discovered? How is that possible?" Sensing four terrifying sword lights streaking toward it, the creature instantly teleported a short distance and vanished from the spot.

"Just east of your right front..." Lin Zheyu narrowed his eyes and calmly announced the Shadow Dragon's new position the instant it reappeared.

Hearing this, Bai Lin continued controlling the sword lights and sent them hurtling toward the Shadow Dragon.

Damn it! Is it that martial artist from before? The Shadow Dragon cursed inwardly as Lin Zheyu's image surfaced in its mind.

Back in the void beyond the node, it had sensed that this man's spiritual perception was extraordinary and that he seemed capable of detecting its presence. Just now, however, it had deliberately concealed itself above him and secretly followed along, yet the human martial artist had appeared completely unaware. This had caused the Shadow Dragon to lower its guard slightly. Now it realized that the man had merely been feigning ignorance to lull it into complacency.

"What formidable perception. No matter what, this man must die!" Savage killing intent flashed through the Shadow Dragon's eyes as its body flickered and teleported a short distance once more.

"Eight hundred and forty-seven meters directly ahead of me," Lin Zheyu continued.

"I can't do it anymore. I can't hold on." Bai Lin, however, waved his hand with an exhausted expression, panting heavily.

Given his strength, every sword strike powerful enough to injure the seven-pattern Shadow Dragon consumed an enormous amount of energy. After only a few strikes, Bai Lin's reserves were nearly depleted. Without the energy stored within his divine repositories to replenish him, he would already have been too weak even to control the formation node.

Lin Zheyu rolled his eyes at him speechlessly.

"Forget it. Leave this to me." Lin Zheyu stepped forward and took control of the formation node. The moment he assumed control, a familiar, excited voice sounded in his mind.

Little fellow, why did you stop? Wang Zhengtian asked excitedly.

He had been controlling two sword lights and pursuing the Shadow Dragon behind Bai Lin's attacks, thoroughly enjoying the chase. He had not expected Bai Lin to stop after holding out for such a short time. Had he known this would happen, he would not have sent Xiao Yu to the other formation node. It would have been perfect to keep him here to locate the Shadow Dragon.

Of course, Wang Zhengtian was merely entertaining the thought. If Lin Zheyu had remained at his formation node, Bai Lin's strength would likely have been insufficient to endure such an intense battle for long.

Senior, that yao is too fast, and its natural talent is too powerful. My perception is always one step behind it, Lin Zheyu explained, making up an excuse. Besides, repeatedly using my spirit divine ability consumes an enormous amount of energy.

I see. Then forget it, Wang Zhengtian replied through voice transmission.

He smiled and shook his head. Caught up in the excitement of the hunt, he had momentarily overlooked that issue. It made sense. How could such a powerful spirit divine ability be used without restraint? Its energy consumption and the burden it placed upon a martial artist were undoubtedly immense.

The battle grew increasingly fierce as the yao army poured in as though its troops were inexhaustible, with two more replacing every one that fell. Despite teetering on the verge of collapse, the grand formation somehow endured over four days of relentless assaults as wave after wave of yao sacrificed their lives against it.

Throughout those four days, Lin Zheyu divided his attention between halfheartedly slaughtering yao and devoting most of his concentration to comprehending the formation.

Driven at full power, the badly damaged grand formation seemed to be exhausting every shred of its latent potential, exposing all the mysteries contained within it. Lin Zheyu eagerly comprehended and absorbed these mysteries, leaving him with little attention to spare for killing yao. Fortunately, the powerful Wang Zhengtian shouldered roughly eighty percent of the pressure.

"This grand formation is nearing its limit. Prepare yourself. I'll send you away from here," Lin Zheyu said gravely with a slight frown.

Under the yao's unceasing bombardment, the damaged grand formation was finally about to be completely breached. The fact that it had lasted this long had already far exceeded Lin Zheyu's expectations.

"All right. Be careful, fellow friend!" Bai Lin replied solemnly without protest.

Although Bai Lin had broken free from his second shackle, the strength Lin Zheyu had casually displayed over the past few days made him realize just how vast the gap between them was. He could not help marveling inwardly that Fellow Xiao was as monstrous as ever.

Lin Zheyu soon activated the formation node's emergency contingency. Radiance flashed, and Bai Lin abruptly vanished from within the formation node. This emergency measure could only be used when the grand formation was on the verge of being breached.

Boom!

No sooner had Bai Lin departed than a heaven-shaking explosion erupted from the node fissure, followed by a terrifying blast of energy. Lin Zheyu's eyes contracted sharply, and his expression changed in an instant.

"Senior failed!" Lin Zheyu exclaimed in horror.

He saw Jing Xinyue's fiery-red divine sense being blasted out of the fissure in a sorry state. Wang Zhengtian also sensed the tremendous disturbance, and his expression immediately turned grim. In stark contrast, the savage smile on the Shadow Dragon's face grew even wider as the murderous brutality in its eyes reached a fever pitch.

"They're here. They're finally here!" the Shadow Dragon snarled. It opened its cavernous maw and fixed its pitch-black pupils upon the formation node where Lin Zheyu was stationed.

Run! Leave this place immediately! Wang Zhengtian's low voice resounded in Lin Zheyu's mind, laden with urgency and gravity.

Senior Jing Xinyue's injuries meant that this stronghold city was now in grave danger!

"All right!" Lin Zheyu replied decisively.

The sense of danger in Lin Zheyu's heart had reached its peak, and he did not want to remain there for another moment. He exhaled deeply and immediately activated the emergency contingency. Radiance swirled, and his figure vanished from the formation node.

At the same time, a grave look flashed through Wang Zhengtian's eyes. He also activated the grand formation's emergency measure and disappeared. Faced with such an abrupt turn of events, a mere crude martial artist like him, who had not even reached the Deity Transformation realm, would only be courting death by staying behind.

After the two disappeared, the grand formation, already nearing its limit, shattered with a terrifying explosion. A devastating tide of energy swept throughout the entire formation. The yao that had poured inside let out waves of anguished roars, and nearly every yao below the six-pattern level was reduced to a pulpy mass of flesh in the blast.

Concealed within the dark void, the Shadow Dragon sensed the two powerful morsels vanish and let out a savage laugh. "Hehe, you won't escape!"

As soon as it finished speaking, two enormous yao forced their way out of the fissure in the node, one after the other.