Chapter 67: When the Formation Broke

In the Inner Sect, the struggle between Gu Yuan and the Crimson Fire had finally reached its end.

It had taken an entire week, which was actually a short time considering how long he had spent preparing for it, but after all that effort, he had finally succeeded in refining the Crimson Fire.

Such a joyful occasion would normally have been worth celebrating, but Gu Yuan had no time for that. The moment he left his cave abode, he could already sense unnatural fluctuations of power spreading throughout the Inner Sect.

He raised his head toward the sky and immediately saw a massive formation covering the area, with five elders hovering above five different formation nodes.

Something had clearly happened.

Gu Yuan immediately flew toward the Mission Hall. At a time like this, there was no point in slowly listening to the other disciples speculate among themselves. The fastest way to understand the situation was to ask someone who actually knew what was happening.

When he arrived at the Mission Hall, Gu Yuan was surprised to find a crowd gathered outside, most of them Outer Sect disciples who were only at the Qi Refinement Realm.

"Where are the Heavenly Twin Stars? Are they really going to let Deputy Sect Master Luo Yunjin die out there like this?"

"If they were here, we wouldn’t have suffered such a defeat. Where are they?"

"What defeat are you talking about? We haven’t lost yet!"

"And? It’s only a matter of time!"

Gu Yuan ignored the argument among the disciples. He entered the Mission Hall and quickly found a disciple on duty who was currently free, before he asked about the current situation.

The disciple looked at him strangely. "Where have you been living all this time? How have you not heard anything?"

His tone carried clear annoyance and frustration, as if Gu Yuan’s ignorance was almost unbelievable when the sect itself could be destroyed at any moment. Even so, he still explained.

Countless sects had invaded the Black Desolation Sect, and the Outer Sect had suffered countless casualties before everyone was forced to retreat into the Inner Sect.

During the battle, Peak Master Shen Lian had even drawn down the Heavenly Tribulation to break through into the Embryo Realm. Meanwhile, Deputy Sect Master Luo Yunjin, Peak Master Tie Shan, and Core Disciple Zhou Yucheng had remained outside and disabled the teleportation array connecting the Outer and Inner Sects.

The Inner Sect was now completely cut off from the outside world. The invading forces could only enter after breaking through the sect’s defensive formation, but fortunately, Ji Yue had reinforced the formation beforehand. Despite the attacks from countless forces, they had still been unable to break through it.

But with so many enemies surrounding them, everyone knew it was only a matter of time.

Gu Yuan stood silent for a moment.

It had been only a little more than a month since he had visited the Outer Sect. Yet in that short period, everything had changed to this extent.

He was surprised, naturally, but he did not allow that to distract him from what mattered.

"Is there a defensive mission available right now?" Gu Yuan asked.

If he was going to fight regardless, then he might as well complete his ten-year sect mission while doing so.

The disciple on duty looked at him with an even stranger expression. At a time when the entire sect could be destroyed at any moment, this was hardly the time to be thinking about completing a routine mission.

Nevertheless, he still issued Gu Yuan the mission.

Had someone of higher rank in the Mission Hall been the one dealing with him, Gu Yuan would never have been allowed to take it. Luo Yunjin had specifically instructed the Mission Hall not to let him participate in the battle. She could not afford to have Gu Yuan die while the Heavenly Twin Stars were away.

Unfortunately, the disciple on duty knew nothing about that. He simply completed the procedures and handed Gu Yuan the mission.

"I can’t find you a team under the current circumstances," he said. "Go outside and coordinate with one of the teams already preparing for when the protective formation breaks."

Gu Yuan nodded and left.

He had no intention of finding a team, however. After finding an empty place, he concealed his presence as much as possible and changed his appearance with the Thousand Forms Ring.

If he was going to fight in this battle, he would have to use his full strength. He could not afford to do so under his true face and risk revealing his real cultivation.

Now, where should he go?

Gu Yuan was still pondering that when a deafening cracking sound suddenly shook the entire Inner Sect.

He looked up.

For a moment, it seemed as though the sky itself had cracked. Space distorted above him, and the scenery beyond it began to change.

Because the Inner Sect had been isolated from the outside world, the area beyond the boundary had always appeared obscured, filled with nothing more than a vague stretch of mountains and clouds. Now, however, as the sect’s protective formation was finally broken, that barrier disappeared, and the true scenery outside returned to view.

It was a strange sight.

For those on the other side, finally seeing the Black Desolation Sect’s protective formation break must have brought excitement and elation. But for those inside, it was as if the heavens themselves had collapsed above their heads. The despair on the faces of the disciples was impossible to hide.

And it wasn’t merely because the formation had been broken.

It was because of what could now be seen beyond it.

From the ground, the invading cultivators looked like swarms of ants filling the sky. Yet they were no ants. Every single one of them possessed a cultivation of at least the Foundation Establishment Realm, and the combined pressure of their auras alone was enough to make one’s heart tremble.

But even they were not the ones who truly inspired fear.

The Embryo Realm cultivators were.

Am I going to die today?

The thought suddenly crossed Gu Yuan’s mind.

He sighed.

Where had his peaceful life gone?

For a moment, his expression carried a trace of resignation, but his eyes soon hardened and his resolve followed.

He took out the Heavenfall Saber.

Then using the Heavenly Shadow Traversal, he shot toward the invading cultivators.

One enemy fell, then another.

In a single breath, more than ten cultivators had already died beneath his saber.

Gu Yuan’s expression twisted as he looked at the blood staining his blade.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why am I doing this?"

Since coming to this world, Gu Yuan had killed only eight people. He had kept count of every single one and had never forgotten the face of any of them. If he could avoid killing, he always would.

Yet in the span of one breath, one fucking breath, he had already killed more than ten.

"Those fuckers... was there really a need to bring this many weak cultivators? A group of strong cultivators would have been enough!"

He cursed as he cut down another cultivator.

In the cultivation world, cultivation realms determined everything. This was not the mortal world, where overwhelming numbers could change the tide of a battle. Against truly powerful cultivators, bringing a massive number of weaker ones was often little more than sending them to their deaths.

Gu Yuan genuinely couldn’t understand what the people invading the Black Desolation Sect were thinking.

His frustration at being forced to kill so many people quickly turned into anger, and his anger soon changed targets... from the enemies in front of him to the two people who were still nowhere to be seen.

The twins.

"Those two bitches... when the hell are they going to show up and deal with this mess?"

The words slipped out before Gu Yuan could stop himself.