87: A magical formation traps the demon! Enslaving the golden-backed mantis!

Chapter 87: Trapping the Demon with a Formation! Enslaving the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis!

Deep within Black Wind Ridge, beneath a cliff partially concealed by vines, the entrance to a deep, dark cave was faintly visible.

The cave entrance was small, only wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side. Looking inside, it was pitch black and seemingly bottomless.

On the ground near the entrance lay scattered remains and withered bones of wild beasts; some were still fresh, with blood yet to dry, and the air was thick with a faint, mixed scent of blood and rot.

Hiding his presence, Lu Qiu quietly arrived at a high ground a hundred yards away from the cave.

He focused his Divine Sense, cautiously probing toward the depths of the cave.

The cave's interior was winding and twisted. After his Divine Sense extended dozens of yards, a violent, fierce, and cold Demonic Qi faintly drifted over, like a Vicious Beast lurking in the darkness.

Although this aura was much weaker than what he had felt months ago in Jingzhou Prefecture, appearing somewhat listless, its essence remained unchanged; that heart-palpitating sharpness and killing intent were still clearly discernible.

“As expected, it is here.” Lu Qiu’s mind settled as he withdrew his Divine Sense.

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis was in poor condition, which was within his expectations.

Its master, a Yu Ling Sect Cultivator, had suffered a severe blow to his Primordial Spirit before the Possession, so the spiritual pet linked to his life would inevitably be affected. Coupled with the lack of careful feeding and conditioning from its master over these past months, a decline in strength was unavoidable.

But even so, this vicious insect, ranked seventy-third on the list of strange insects with adult strength comparable to Core Formation, was by no means an easy opponent.

Lu Qiu did not rush into the cave.

Engaging the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis in a narrow, dark cave would undoubtedly be like tying his own hands and feet, placing himself at a disadvantage.

His plan was—to lure the snake out of its hole and trap it with a Formation!

He moved quickly, beginning to set up the Formation on a relatively open patch of ground with few scattered rocks in front of the cave entrance.

First, he took out the set of Inverting Five Elements Array (Trial Version) Formation Flags and Formation Plate he had obtained from Xin Ruyin.

Five small flags of different colors, covered in miniature runes, were precisely driven deep into the ground according to the Five Elements positions. An octagonal Formation Plate was placed in the center, and several high-grade Spirit Stones were embedded into its grooves.

Lu Qiu's hands formed incantations while he muttered under his breath, striking one Spell after another into the Formation Flags and Plate.

“Buzz...”

Five-colored brilliance lit up from the flags, rapidly spreading and intertwining to form a colorful light barrier covering a thirty-yard radius. Runes flowed across the barrier's surface, and Five Elements spiritual power circulated endlessly, with the power of illusion and concealment hidden within.

“Inverting Five Elements Array, activate!”

The light barrier stabilized, but it did not become completely invisible. Instead, it took on a color and texture nearly identical to the surrounding mountain rocks and forest trees. Unless one investigated closely, it would be extremely difficult to notice anything unusual.

This was a result of Lu Qiu's deliberate control; he only needed to trap the enemy for now and didn't require total concealment yet.

Lu Qiu felt that just a single set of the trial version Inverting Five Elements Array was not secure enough.

He took out another set of Four Symbols Spirit Locking Array flags he had refined himself—this was a version he had improved based on the Heavenly Derivation Array Codex. While its power didn't match the Inverting Five Elements Array, it was still quite impressive.

Four main flags were stationed in the four directions, corresponding to the power of the four symbols: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. Once the flags were set, they faintly nested with and complemented the Inverting Five Elements Array's barrier, further reinforcing the trapping range and increasing the binding power of spiritual chains.

With the two Formations stacked, although he couldn't say he could trap the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis in its prime for long, Lu Qiu was confident it would be enough to trap it in its current poor state for a period, creating an opportunity for subsequent measures.

After completing the setup, Lu Qiu hid himself, retreating behind a large boulder with a good view at the edge of the Formation.

Next, he casually snatched several plump, foraging wild beasts from the forest, confined them with magic power, and dropped them in the most conspicuous spot at the center of the dual Formations.

The beasts trembled but could not move, becoming the most tempting bait.

Lu Qiu held his breath and focused, waiting patiently.

The fierce Demonic Qi inside the cave seemed to be stirred by the scent of fresh flesh at the entrance and began to grow restless.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed.

“Shasha...”

A faint but rapid crawling sound came from the depths of the cave.

In the next moment, a dark gold shadow shot out of the cave like a bolt of lightning!

Its speed was so fast that it left a blurry afterimage in the air!

Lu Qiu finally saw the true appearance of this infamously fierce insect.

Its body was slightly smaller than an average adult human, covered entirely in a dark gold carapace with a cold metallic sheen. Its joints were sharply defined and full of a sense of power.

Most striking were its head and forelimbs.

The head was small and triangular, with a pair of fist-sized compound eyes flashing with a cold green light, conveying pure intent of slaughter and hunger.

And in front of its body grew two "forelimbs" that were highly disproportionate to its body size.

Those were not the walking legs of an ordinary insect at all, but two massive sickle-shaped blades, three feet long, pitch black as ink, with peerlessly sharp edges that flickered with a dim, cold light!

Fine serrations and barbs naturally grew upon the blade-arms. Even while perfectly still, they radiated a terrifying aura capable of cutting through everything.

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis!

It truly seemed famished. Those green compound eyes were locked onto the immobile wild rabbit in the center of the Formation. Without the slightest hesitation, it turned into a streak of dark gold light and pounced!

Just as it charged into the central area of the Formation's range—

“Formation, activate!”

With a thought from Lu Qiu, the two already prepared Formations were instantly triggered to their maximum!

“Buzz—!”

The five-colored brilliance and the phantoms of the four symbols flared up simultaneously!

The light barrier of the Inverting Five Elements Array suddenly solidified. Light within the space distorted, and the Five Elements spiritual power became chaotic, producing powerful forces of sluggishness and interference!

The Four Symbols Spirit Locking Array burst forth with countless thick spiritual chains that snaked out from the ground and the void with a "clatter," like living giant pythons coiling toward the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis!

Caught off guard, the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis slammed head-first into the suddenly manifesting Formation barrier!

“Bang!”

Amidst the dull thud, the light barrier shook violently but did not break.

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's forward momentum was blocked, and its body stalled slightly.

In that moment of stagnation, several spiritual chains had already coiled around its body and blade-arms!

“Screech—!”

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis let out a sharp, ear-piercing hiss, filled with the rage of being fooled!

Its green compound eyes exploded with fierce light, and the blade-arms wrapped in chains suddenly jolted!

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

Amidst the tooth-gritting sound of metal grinding against metal, those seemingly tough spiritual chains were actually easily sliced and shattered by its blade-arms!

Wherever the pitch-black blades passed, even the spiritual power of the Formation was sliced open and annihilated!

The terror of its attack power could be seen from this!

However, the broken chains quickly drew spiritual power from the Formation to regenerate, coiling back up again.

At the same time, the chaotic Five Elements force of the Inverting Five Elements Array constantly acted upon it, interfering with its judgment of direction and its mobilization of spiritual power.

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis was thoroughly enraged. It charged left and right within the Formation space, its two pitch-black blade-arms waving into a storm of death, frantically hacking at the Formation's light barrier and the constantly emerging chains.

“Boom boom boom!!”

The Formation's light barrier vibrated violently, flickering unsteadily, and fine cracks even began to appear at the edges!

The stacked dual Formations were actually faintly unable to withstand the frantic attacks of this vicious insect!

Lu Qiu's expression was grave, yet he was not flustered.

He knew well that the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's abilities were almost entirely focused on attack and speed; its defense was relatively weak, and a sustained outburst would consume a massive amount of physical and demonic energy.

“I can't let it keep attacking the Formation.”

With a thought from Lu Qiu, the gray spatial bead shimmered slightly.

Four black shadows were thrown into the Formation—they were exactly the four wolf-type Rank Two Puppets he had refined earlier!

These Puppets were made entirely of metal mixed with scarlet gold, with flexible joints and sharp claws. As soon as they appeared, they pounced from four different directions toward the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis without fear of death!

They were not meant to fight the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis head-on, but to execute the clear instructions Lu Qiu had issued through his Divine Sense—

Harass! Pin down! Deplete!

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis swung a blade-arm, a pitch-black blade-light flashed, and the closest wolf-type Puppet was sliced in half at the waist, its spiritual light dissipating.

But the other three Puppets had already closed in, their sharp metal claws and teeth fiercely tearing at the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's joints, eyes, and other relatively weak spots!

“Zhi!”

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis was forced to divert its attention, its blade-arms spinning to knock the three Puppets away.

However, the Formation chains coiled around it once more, and new Puppets were thrown in.

At the same time, Lu Qiu himself was not idle.

Hiding outside, he held several Intermediate Talismans in his hand—Fire Snake Talismans, ice cone talismans, Earth Prison Talismans...

Seizing the right moment, he activated a Talisman, which transformed into a Spell and struck into the Formation.

Fire Snakes scorched its carapace joints, Ice Cones interfered with its movements, and an earthen prison restricted its mobility... While these attacks couldn't inflict fatal damage on the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis, they were like a cancer clinging to its bones, constantly draining its Demonic Qi and disturbing its mind, preventing it from breaking the Formation with full force or gaining a moment's respite.

The battle turned into a brutal war of attrition.

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis was driven to a mad rage, charging frantically within the Formation; wherever its blade-arms struck, Puppets shattered, chains snapped, and Talisman Spells were easily cut down.

But its movements gradually lost their initial sharpness and speed.

On the dark-gold carapace, scorch marks, ice cracks, and shallow gashes from the Puppets' claws and teeth began to appear.

Though not deep, they signaled that it was not invincible.

In its shrill cries, the fury remained, but there was also an imperceptible trace of fatigue and anxiety.

Time passed amidst the intense offense and defense.

One day, two days, three days... Lu Qiu was extremely patient, like the most seasoned hunter, calmly controlling everything.

When the Formation was damaged, he repaired it immediately; when Puppets were lost, he replaced them in time.

He never faced the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis head-on, instead continuously draining, interfering with, and provoking it.

By the evening of the third day.

Within the Formation space, the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's movements had noticeably slowed.

Its dark-gold carapace was riddled with scars, many parts scorched and damaged, and a tiny crack had even appeared in one joint after repeated attacks.

Those fearsome pitch-black blade-arms were no longer impenetrable when swung, occasionally revealing openings.

The malevolent light in its green compound eyes remained, but deep down, it could no longer hide a profound exhaustion and lack of strength.

Three consecutive days of non-stop high-intensity combat, the frustration of being trapped and restrained, the irritability from constant harassment, and the already damaged Origin Qi after its master's fall... All these factors combined brought this fierce Vicious Beast to the end of its tether.

Lu Qiu knew the time had come.

He took a deep breath, and at his shenting acupoint, five Spirit Shocking Thorn were already poised and ready.

He seized the moment when the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's mind wavered slightly from the long battle.

“Spirit Shocking Thorn, go!”

Five invisible and intangible, yet matchlessly sharp Divine Sense spikes ignored physical defenses and Formation barriers, instantly crossing space to stab fiercely into the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's relatively weak Divine Soul!

“Screeech——!!!!!”

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis let out an unprecedented, shrill shriek filled with extreme pain and terror!

Its massive body suddenly stiffened and trembled violently; its two blade-arms hung down powerlessly, and the light in its green compound eyes instantly dimmed and became chaotic!

Its Divine Soul suffered a heavy blow, and already exhausted, it could no longer hold on. Its consciousness plunged into darkness, and its massive body fell with a 'boom' into the center of the Formation, kicking up a cloud of dust as it fell into a total coma.

Lu Qiu did not immediately withdraw the Formation.

He first carefully controlled the remaining Puppets, using specialized alloy chains mixed with sinking ironwood shavings to bind and fix the comatose Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's blade-arms, body, and vital joints layer by layer.

He then placed several enhanced Soul-Suppressing Talismans and spirit calming talismans on its head to further suppress any consciousness that might awaken.

Only after confirming this fierce insect was firmly restrained and temporarily lost its ability to resist did Lu Qiu breathe a long sigh of relief, waving his hand to withdraw the Inverting Five Elements Array and the Four Symbols Spirit Locking Array that had been maintained for three days.

He quickly set up new protective and concealment Formations in the surroundings, temporarily isolating the area.

Only after finishing all this did Lu Qiu walk up to the comatose Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis.

Looking at this dark-gold Vicious Beast that still radiated a fierce aura even in its coma, a flash of excitement and solemnity appeared in Lu Qiu's eyes.

He sat cross-legged three feet in front of the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's head, holding his breath and focusing his mind to adjust his state to its peak.

Then, he closed his eyes and sank his mind into his Sea of Consciousness.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, his vast Divine Sense power began to rapidly circulate and condense according to the profound methods of the Dragon Imprisonment Seal!

At his shenting acupoint, the golden Dragon Imprisonment Seal Mark, which he had already mastered and was now even more solid, suddenly lit up, radiating a domineering and absolute will of imprisonment and control!

“Dragon Imprisonment Seal, condense!”

Lu Qiu shouted inwardly, his hands forming a complex and ancient hand seal.

The golden seal mark in his Sea of Consciousness was suddenly projected out, condensing in the void in front of Lu Qiu's forehead into a palm-sized, golden, and brilliantly radiant three-dimensional Talisman seal with extremely intricate patterns, as if it contained the principles of heaven and earth and supreme majesty!

The Talisman seal rotated slowly, emitting a pressure that made the Divine Souls of living beings tremble.

Lu Qiu opened his eyes, his gaze like lightning as he locked onto the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's head.

He pointed his fingers like a sword and tapped lightly on the golden Talisman seal.

“Go!”

The golden Talisman seal turned into a streak of light, instantly sinking into the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's forehead and reaching deep into its Divine Soul Origin!

The moment the Talisman seal invaded——

Even under the state of coma and Talisman suppression, the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's instinctively unruly and fierce soul still put up a violent resistance!

A violent, chaotic Divine Soul power, filled with the intent to cut and destroy, crashed frantically within its Sea of Consciousness, attempting to expel and shred the intruder's golden Talisman seal!

“Hmph! A cornered beast still fights!”

Lu Qiu let out a muffled groan, his face turning slightly pale.

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's Divine Soul resistance was far more violent than he had estimated.

Even as weak as it was, the essence of its Primordial Spirit was still powerful, carrying the unique ferocity and stubbornness of a strange insect.

He dared not be careless and fully operated the Great Evolution Art!

Within his Sea of Consciousness, Divine Sense power as vast as the sea surged out, continuously bolstering that Dragon Imprisonment Seal!

The golden Talisman seal shone brightly, its patterns becoming clearer and more solid, emitting an even more domineering and irresistible will of suppression!

Like a golden divine mountain, it slowly pressed down!

Suppressing that violent, fierce soul!

Imprinting that inviolable master-servant contract!

The remnant soul of the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis let out silent roars, struggles, and collisions... But before the powerful Divine Sense Foundation provided by the second level of the Great Evolution Art and the domineering characteristics of the ancient secret technique, the Dragon Imprisonment Seal, its resistance was like waves crashing against a reef, being shattered and suppressed time and again.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on Lu Qiu's forehead, and his body trembled slightly.

This was a direct confrontation of Divine Sense and will, exceptionally dangerous.

But his eyes were firm, without any intention of backing down.

Time passed bit by bit.

Under Lu Qiu's continuous infusion and control of Divine Sense, the golden Talisman seal gradually overcame the resistance, slowly taking root, spreading, and imprinting deep within the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's Divine Soul Origin... Finally, it completely enveloped and imprisoned its fierce soul, marking it with an eternal seal of absolute loyalty, its life and death controlled by him!

“Buzz...”

When the final pattern of the imprint was completed, the golden Talisman seal merged completely with the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's Divine Soul and disappeared.

In its place, a clear and closely linked master-servant Divine Soul connection was established between Lu Qiu and the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis.

Lu Qiu took a long, complete breath of relief, his face showing a mixture of uncontrollable wild joy and exhaustion.

It was done!

Dragon Imprisonment Seal——Enslavement successful!

From this moment on, this famously fierce Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis with limitless potential would become his most loyal and powerful spirit pet and combat partner!

With a slight thought, the chains and Talismans binding the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis all fell away.

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's massive body moved slightly, and it slowly opened its green compound eyes.

The violence and malevolent light in its eyes had disappeared, replaced by absolute obedience and a hint of newborn confusion.

It struggled to stand up, but stumbled a bit due to its injuries and weakness.

Lu Qiu walked to its side and reached out, gently stroking its cold and hard dark-gold carapace.

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis lowered its head slightly, rubbing its small head against Lu Qiu's palm, letting out a faint, submissive “hissing” sound.

Feeling the clear sense of control deep within his Divine Soul and looking at the peerless Vicious Beast before him that had surrendered, a surge of pride rose in Lu Qiu's heart.