Chapter 1611: A United Assault
"The power of the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation is too terrifying. My Seven-Level Pagoda Talisman can withstand at most one or two more strikes. No, this formation must be destroyed. Otherwise, forget about annihilating the Yin-Yang Hall today—even surviving and walking out of here alive will be difficult."
Only by destroying the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation could Zhang Ruochen achieve the ability to advance and attack or retreat and escape, truly seizing the initiative.
Zhang Ruochen raised his head, looking toward a black formation tower not far away.
The formation tower was over thirty zhang tall, with twenty-seven levels. It appeared to be forged from metal, a single, unified structure. In the Yin-Yang Hall, beside each of the ten main halls, stood one such formation tower.
These ten towers were the foundation of the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation.
Given Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation level, breaking the formation through brute force was clearly impossible. The only option was to destroy the formation towers, causing the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation to collapse.
Just as this thought crossed Zhang Ruochen's mind, a dazzling array of stars suddenly appeared above his head. Moreover, the light emitted by these stars grew increasingly intense.
It was as if the constellations in the sky were all falling down together.
At that moment, every cultivator in the Yin-Yang Hall felt an overwhelming pressure, their hearts trembling with fear and unease. They couldn't help but look upward.
What stars were those?
It was a scroll painting.
On the scroll, an ancient city was depicted, densely dotted with countless points of light resembling lamps. Those lamp-like lights bore a striking resemblance to the stars in the sky. Some of them even blazed like scorching suns, radiating astonishing heat.
"Boom."
The scroll crashed downward, colliding with the light shield formed by the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation about fifty zhang above the ground, unleashing a violent surge of energy.
The light shield, as thin and fragile as a bubble, trembled violently, as if on the verge of shattering.
The formation masters and evil-path cultivators stationed at the ten formation towers were all greatly shocked, their hearts filled with terror.
After all, the Yin-Yang Hall had invested heavily to arrange the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation, hiring a formation saint master with unparalleled skill to personally set it up in the Truth Heaven Domain.
Even a Nine-Step Saint King would find it no easy task to breach the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation from the outside.
It was precisely because of the protection of this formation that the Yin-Yang Hall, despite having offended many major worlds, could still stand firm in the Heavenly Capital Sacred Market.
The moment the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation was shaken, the two leaders of the Yin-Yang Hall, Flame King and Lian Hou, could no longer remain seated. Transforming into a fireball and a gust of cold wind respectively, they rushed out from the Extreme Pleasure Underground Palace.
Within the fireball stood a man nearly three meters tall, his body covered in steel-like muscles. The light and flames radiating from him made even evil-path cultivators at the Supreme Saint level dare not approach.
The gust of cold wind coalesced into a seductive, peerlessly beautiful demoness. Compared to the Flame King beside her, her figure appeared exceptionally slender and delicate.
At this moment, their expressions were grave as they stared upward at the "Ten Thousand Lamps Illuminating the City Scroll."
"Truly a peerless treasure scroll. If I could obtain it, who would I fear among those below the Great Saint level?" Lian Hou's starry eyes revealed a look of infatuation.
Flame King let out a deep roar: "Tower masters of the ten formation towers, why haven't you activated the Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifacts yet? Kill the enemies attacking the Yin-Yang Hall!"
"Whoosh—"
From the tops of the ten formation towers, bright beams of light shot forth, surging into the thick evil clouds above.
Within the evil clouds, a Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact shaped like a ruler materialized, radiating a blood-red glow.
It was called the "Blood Ruler," a rather ancient Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact.
The inscriptions on the ruler were connected to the formation patterns of the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation. The Blood Ruler had always hovered above the Yin-Yang Hall, hidden within the evil clouds.
Ordinarily, if a Saint King-level cultivator caused trouble in the Yin-Yang Hall, the Blood Ruler would shoot out from the evil clouds and severely wound them with a single strike.
On the Blood Ruler, inscription after inscription emerged, soon forming four layers of sacred power light waves.
Moreover, the aura it emitted continued to intensify, as if it were about to manifest a fifth layer of sacred power light waves.
For context, cultivators at the Half-Step Saint King level could at most activate two layers of sacred power light waves from a Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact, unleashing a Two-Yao Perfection power.
But the Blood Ruler was not being driven by evil-path cultivators within the Yin-Yang Hall; it was powered by the ten formation towers and the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation. Naturally, it could unleash a Four-Yao Perfection power, or even a Five-Yao Perfection power.
Even for cultivators of Flame King and Lian Hou's caliber, at their peak, activating a Five-Yao Perfection power from a Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact would require tremendous effort.
"Whoosh—"
Finally, the fifth layer of sacred power light waves radiated from the Blood Ruler, transforming into a blood cloud that surged into the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation and collided violently with the "Ten Thousand Lamps Illuminating the City Scroll."
"Boom."
Two torrents of sacred power erupted in midair, scattering in all directions.
Throughout the Heavenly Capital Sacred Market, various sacred shops and training grounds immediately activated their defensive formations.
On Heavenly Capital Mountain, beams of light shot up one after another, causing the mist shrouding the mountain to disperse considerably.
Such a massive commotion naturally alerted some major figures from the Truth Divine Temple. Divine Transmission Disciples responsible for patrolling the Truth Heaven Domain transformed into streaks of light and rushed toward the Heavenly Capital Sacred Market at top speed.
Whether any Great Saint-level beings had arrived was unknown to anyone.
However, when those Divine Transmission Disciples of the Truth Divine Temple reached the Heavenly Capital Sacred Market, they did not intervene to stop the battle between the two sides, leaving cultivators from various major worlds puzzled. Only a few guessed the reason behind it.
The power unleashed by the Blood Ruler was terrifying, capable of easily killing a Saint King.
But the "Ten Thousand Lamps Illuminating the City Scroll" was even more formidable. Though only Luo Xu and Li Xian were sustaining it, they still managed to block the Blood Ruler's power.
"Attack together!"
The cultivators of the Kunlun Realm, standing behind Luo Xu and Li Xian, each channeled a beam of sacred qi into the "Ten Thousand Lamps Illuminating the City Scroll."
Instantly, the power of the scroll surged even further, pressing the Blood Ruler downward.
"Whoosh—"
From the evil clouds of the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation, another Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact flew out, crashing toward the "Ten Thousand Lamps Illuminating the City Scroll."
It was a bronze long spear, also activated to Five-Yao Perfection power. Together with the Blood Ruler, it resisted the "Ten Thousand Lamps Illuminating the City Scroll," seemingly intent on tearing the scroll apart.
The "Ten Thousand Lamps Illuminating the City Scroll" would naturally not be destroyed, but given the cultivation levels of the Kunlun Realm group, they could not unleash the scroll's full power to any great extent.
Under the bombardment of two Five-Yao Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifacts, the Kunlun Realm group gradually found it difficult to hold on.
"Let's join in. Only by tying down those Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifacts within the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation can Zhang Ruochen have a better chance inside the Yin-Yang Hall of toppling the formation towers and cutting off the hall's foundation."
Ling Feiyu was quite decisive. She activated the demonic qi within her body, pressed her hands against the void, and sent a beam of demonic qi into the "Ten Thousand Lamps Illuminating the City Scroll."
Mo Yin also joined in.
The three experts of the Hundred Flowers Palace—Ji Fanxin, Dan Ling Wang, and Yao Jue Wang—gathered together, gazing toward the direction of the Yin-Yang Hall.
Dan Ling Wang's sacred eyes flashed with a cold light. "Originally, I didn't think much of Zhang Ruochen, but I have to admit, he is the only one who might be able to destroy the Yin-Yang Hall. As long as the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation is broken, those major worlds with grudges against the Yin-Yang Hall will have no more reservations and will surely launch a united assault."
With that, Dan Ling Wang transformed into an afterimage and charged into the night.
Yao Jue Wang had many concerns and wanted to stop Dan Ling Wang, but failed.
Both Yao Jue Wang and Ji Fanxin knew well that Dan Ling Wang had been captured by the Yin-Yang Hall, subjected to humiliation and torment, and the hatred and fury in his heart could not be extinguished even by the waters of the Heavenly River.
Now, seeing a glimmer of hope to destroy the Yin-Yang Hall, Dan Ling Wang naturally joined without hesitation.
Yao Jue Wang and Ji Fanxin, however, could not act.
Given their identities and cultivation levels, they were surely key targets for surveillance by certain forces. If they acted, it would be difficult to conceal it from the Yin-Yang Hall and the power behind it.
If they failed to destroy the Yin-Yang Hall, it would bring great trouble to the Thousand Stamen Realm and the Hundred Flowers Palace.
Moments later, near the Yin-Yang Hall, Dan Ling Wang, having changed his appearance, sent a beam of sacred qi into the "Ten Thousand Lamps Illuminating the City Scroll."
In the Heavenly Capital Sacred Market, those major worlds with grudges against the Yin-Yang Hall, or cultivators whose friends or relatives had been captured by the hall, were also weighing the pros and cons, hesitating.
They calculated the chances of Zhang Ruochen destroying the Yin-Yang Hall.
They also calculated whether they could withstand the Yin-Yang Hall's frenzied retaliation if Zhang Ruochen failed.
Before long…
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
…
…
From the night of the Heavenly Capital Sacred Market, beam after beam of light shot forth, pouring into the "Ten Thousand Lamps Illuminating the City Scroll," causing the scroll's unleashed power to grow stronger and stronger.
The Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation operated at its peak, and all six Five-Yao Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifacts within the formation soared into the sky, barely managing to hold back the "Ten Thousand Lamps Illuminating the City Scroll."
Flame King was furious. "These cultivators are truly audacious, daring to oppose the Yin-Yang Hall!"
Flame King charged toward the outside of the formation, intending to drag out those cultivators hiding in the night one by one.
But the "Ten Thousand Lamps Illuminating the City Scroll" had enveloped the entire Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation, and Flame King could not get out.
Unable to leave the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation, Flame King's cultivation was suppressed to the Half-Step Saint King level, leaving him powerless against the cultivators outside the formation.
Lian Hou was slightly calmer. She let out a delicate snort. "The Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation is not just an attack formation; it is also a defensive formation. With their cultivation, even if they support a divine scroll, they cannot break through the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation. Unless… no, where is Zhang Ruochen?"
Lian Hou understood clearly that only by destroying the ten formation towers from within the formation could the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation be dismantled.
Now, the greatest threats to the Yin-Yang Hall were Zhang Ruochen and that owl. If they could be killed, the crisis facing the hall would be resolved immediately.
Realizing this, Lian Hou set out to track down Zhang Ruochen.
But to her shock, Zhang Ruochen had suddenly vanished without a trace, causing her heart to sink heavily.