410: Chapter 413 Untitled (Happy New Year)

The story proceeds along two paths.

The Lancang Li Family, a Golden Core Family that has stood in the Northern Border for thousands of years, is currently facing an unprecedented crisis.

The Family-protecting Formation "Canglan Sea-Overturning Formation" has been fully activated. Vast water-attribute Spiritual Qi, like a raging sea and stormy waves, condensed into layers of azure light barriers above the Family grounds. Rippling with light, countless water-attribute runes could be seen flowing within, evolving into the celestial phenomenon of rising and falling tides.

This quasi-fourth-rank Formation, inherited from the Family's peak period, displayed the Foundation and resilience that a blessed-land power should possess.

Under the reinforcement of the Formation, the Li Family's grounds were like a reef in the vast ocean; despite the wind and rain outside, they remained steadfast and unmoved.

However, when one's gaze crossed this azure light barrier and looked toward the more distant Void Realm, anyone would gasp in shock.

Outside the "Canglan Sea-Overturning Formation," there were three even more massive Formations standing!

These Formations were not the work of the Li Family, but were joint arrangements by the various attacking forces. Layered upon each other, they were like three invisible giant hands, tightly choking the Li Family's throat.

The innermost layer was called the "Spirit-Severing Pulse-Breaking Formation."

The viciousness of this Formation was appalling.

It didn't just isolate the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi; it directly penetrated deep into the earth veins, using Formation runes to forcibly cut off and imprison the energy exchange between the Li Family's ancestral Spiritual Vein and the outside world!

The current Li Family was like an isolated island surrounded by drained seawater, only able to rely on its own Spirit Stone reserves, Medicinal Pill inventory, and the Foundation accumulated at the Formation's core to maintain the operation of the "Canglan Sea-Overturning Formation."

Once these resources were exhausted, this once-impregnable turtle shell would become like water without a source and collapse on its own.

The middle layer was called the "Void-Locking Void-Forbidden Formation."

As the name suggests, this Formation was specifically designed to blockade space. Once the Formation was complete, the Void Realm for a hundred miles around was reinforced and locked; any attempt to tear through space and escape would face a violent backlash from the Formation's power.

Teleportation talismans failed, space-breaking talismans were ineffective, and even Void Realm cracks torn with all the strength of a Golden Core Cultivator would be instantly and forcibly closed by the Formation.

The outermost layer was called the "Ten-Thousand-Forest Sun-Obscuring Formation."

This layer of the Formation was not directed at the Li Family, but at the outside world.

Its core was to confuse audio-visuals and distort perception, "erasing" or "distorting" this area from the normal perception of the outside world.

Even if someone noticed it, it would be like looking at flowers through a fog, making it difficult to see clearly.

This was one of the reasons why the Li Family had been besieged for many days, and although there were rumors outside, no strong reinforcements had ever arrived.

Three layers of Formations, nested one within another like an inescapable net, trapped the Li Family firmly in the center.

The people of the Li Family looked up at the sky and could only see three layers of different-colored light barriers covering their sky like a nightmare. They were very clear about their situation.

Like a turtle in a jar, they had no way to escape!

Once upon a time, the Li Family was a prominent Golden Core Family in the blessed lands, with several Golden Core Cultivators in the clan and even the Golden Core Perfection Old Ancestor Li Xuandao presiding over it, shaking the region. How glorious was that? Which passing Cultivator wouldn't show them some respect?

"Hmph! If the Sovereign hadn't personally dealt with that old fellow Li Xuandao, then with this mob, even if you gave them ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to pluck the tiger's whiskers of the Li Family!" On a Spirit Boat, a voice suppressed with anger rang out.

This was a large Spirit Boat floating in the Void Realm at the edge of the battlefield, about a hundred zhang long. Its entire body was crafted from Deep-sea Profound Iron mixed with Thousand-year Ironwood, pitch-black as ink. Its surface was engraved with complex runes and Formation markings, emitting a steady and heavy aura.

The speaker was none other than Murong Jingyang, who stood on the deck with his hands behind his back, looking at the distant battlefield.

He wore luxurious clothing, and his dignified face carried a hint of gloom. Although he didn't intentionally release his Late Golden Core Stage aura, it already made the surrounding air slightly stagnant.

His gaze penetrated the layers of Formation light barriers and fell upon the Li Family's gradually dimming Family-protecting Formation, his eyes full of unwillingness and resentment.

In his view, these people were merely taking advantage of a crisis!

The one who truly pushed the Li Family into a desperate situation was he, Murong Jingyang.

And the one who truly crushed the Li Family was also the Sovereign!

But now, these vultures who had come smelling blood had grandly formed some "Li-Slaying Alliance," and instead subtly excluded them.

Hearing Murong Jingyang's words, the figure in the dark-green Daoist robe in front of him showed no sign of anger. A faint smile played on his handsome face.

His aura was restrained to the point of being almost non-existent; it was precisely Lu Ming's dharma body left here.

Lu Ming didn't turn around, only the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

He looked at the Li Family's ancestral grounds in the distance, shrouded by the three layers of light barriers like a trapped beast, his tone calm with a hint of playfulness.

"No, no, you need to broaden your perspective."

He raised a finger and pointed at the various Cultivators in the distance who were adjusting their Formations and preparing to launch a new round of attacks, his voice leisurely.

"Look, isn't it good to let these people charge into battle for us? They're just a bunch of free labor.

Lu Ming turned around, his gaze falling on Murong Jingyang. That gaze was as calm as water, yet it made Murong Jingyang subconsciously lower his head slightly.

"The Li Family is, after all, a thousand-year-old blessed-land Family with a deep Foundation. You've also seen the power of that 'Canglan Sea-Overturning Formation.'

With the Foundation of your Tianli Cult, even if you used all your trump cards to forcibly break the Formation, you would have to pay a significant price and might even attract unnecessary variables."

He turned toward the battlefield again, his tone carrying a sense of composure.

"But these people are different. They have Cultivators and war Spirit Boats. Let them attack, let them consume, and let them force out the Li Family's true Foundation. When the Formation is about to break but hasn't yet, when the Li Family has used all its trump cards, and when everyone is at their most relaxed..."

He didn't continue, but the smile at the corners of his lips deepened.

Murong Jingyang was slightly stunned, then came to a realization, and the resentment in his heart mostly dissipated.

Indeed, when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits.

It wasn't that he didn't understand this logic, but being in the thick of it, he was inevitably tempted by the small gains before him.

However, he was still somewhat worried and lowered his voice, saying, "Even so, Sovereign, the strength of that so-called 'Li-Slaying Alliance' cannot be underestimated.

According to my observations, there are already thirteen Late Golden Core Stages on the surface of the Alliance, and secretly, it's said there are even Golden Core Perfection existences eyeing the situation.

My Tianli Cult's Foundation is, after all, still shallow, and currently I am the only Late Golden Core Stage. If, when it comes time to share the profits, these people use their power to bully us, I'm afraid..."

"Afraid we won't get much of a bargain?" Lu Ming took over the conversation, his tone still unhurried. "That... might not be the case."

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly looking through the Void Realm to fall upon the karma golden book floating quietly within his Sea of Consciousness.

On the pages of the book at this moment, a name was faintly flickering with light.

[Zhuge Xuanji]

"Indeed, just as I expected!"

He wasn't surprised at all that Zhuge Xuanji was targeting him.

For no other reason than after Yun Chenzi knew he might be targeted by the dao-obstructing person, he would definitely find a way to perform a calculation.

But with his meager deduction methods, it was simply not enough to clearly calculate who the person behind the scenes was.

Therefore, he would surely target the Zhuge Family, who were most skilled in the Heavenly Secret Arts in the Profound Spirit Domain.

(No stockpile of chapters, and busy with the New Year, so I'm just writing whatever for now. If you think it's filler, save it for later. Regardless, I wish everyone a Happy New Year, may all your wishes come true and may you strike it rich!!!)