105: Breaking the Formation at Midnight

At midnight on the Flaming Mountain, the moonlight was obscured by heavy fire clouds, leaving only the dark red glow of the magma rolling in the volcano crater. The three hundred and sixty fire-patterned pillars of the Fen Tian Formation were currently at the low point of their energy tide. The flame runes on the pillars had dimmed considerably, and even the flame barrier shrouding the entire mountain range had thinned a bit.

"Now!" Dark Blade's voice echoed from the shadows, like a cold blade cutting through the silence. His figure flickered, and the black and white twin swords were drawn simultaneously. The left sword condensed frost, while the right sword blazed with fire, precisely his ultimate skill, 'Yin and Yang Twin Births'.

West Gate Blows Snow had long been poised for action. His profound ice sword suddenly unsheathed, and a ribbon of cold Qi shot directly towards the core of the underground fire in the volcano crater. The cold Qi collided with the heatwave, making a "sizzle" sound, instantly forming a thick layer of ice, temporarily sealing the gushing underground fire. Without its energy source, the fire-patterned pillars of the Fen Tian Formation immediately flickered, and the brightness of their runes dropped by another thirty percent.

"Move!" Dark Blade roared, taking the lead to rush towards the stone gate of the Fentian Palace Headquarters. The black and white twin swords danced into two streaks of light. Wherever they passed, the outer flame barrier shattered like thin paper. The Fentian Palace Disciples guarding the gate didn't even have time to react before they were swept by Sword Qi, instantly frozen into ice sculptures or burned to charcoal.

No Fate's figure was more elusive than a ghost. His Ghost Step weaved through the patrolling Disciples, his iron sword unsheathing as fast as lightning. Each sword swing precisely stabbed towards the opponent's wrist or throat, neither fatal nor allowing the opponent to lose combat effectiveness. His mission was to contain the outer guards, buying time for Dark Blade and West Gate Blows Snow. His movements were swift and decisive, never dragging.

[Name: No Fate

From: Gu Long's sentimental swordsman, ruthless sword

Realm: Late Stage Great Grandmaster

Martial Skill: Ghost Step (Shadowless and formless, fast as a ghost), Fast Sword (Unparalleled sword speed in the current era, a single strike seals the throat)

Trait: Calm and decisive, extremely sensitive to killing intent]

Inside the main hall behind the stone gate, Crimson Chain Squad was sitting cross-legged on the stone platform of the Formation core, fully guiding the underground fire to temper her Meridians, only one step away from the Heavenly Human Realm. Suddenly, she sharply opened her eyes, a flicker of panic in her crimson pupils—the energy fluctuations of the Fen Tian Formation were chaotic!

"What's going on?" She rose abruptly, the Crimson Chain Whip at her waist instantly in her hand, sparks

"Saintess! This is bad! Someone has broken into the Formation!" A Disciple covered in flames staggered in, collapsed to the ground after speaking, and turned into a fireball.

Crimson Chain Squad's eyes sharpened. Her Heaven Burning Art circulated at full power, and Three Flavors True Fire instantly ignited around her, pushing away the approaching heatwave. She rushed out of the main hall, just in time to see Dark Blade's black and white twin swords cleave through the last inner barrier, their momentum pointing directly towards the Formation core secret chamber.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass into my Fentian Palace!" Crimson Chain Squad roared, her Crimson Chain Whip, carrying raging flames, lashed out at Dark Blade. The Three Flavors True Fire at the whip's tip was enough to burn gold and stone, clearly indicating her genuine fury.

Dark Blade neither dodged nor avoided. His left sword, condensed with ice, blocked, while his right sword thrust forward. The collision of ice and fire instantly stirred up a sky full of white mist. "The Net is conducting business. Irrelevant personnel, die." His tone was cold, but his sword moves were merciless, each strike aimed at Crimson Chain Squad's vital points.

Just then, West Gate Blows Snow swept in like a green shadow. His profound ice sword horizontally swept, and the cold Qi instantly froze the flames of the Crimson Chain Whip, forcing her to retract the whip and defend. "Your opponent is me." West Gate Blows Snow's voice was colder than the moonlight, and his sword momentum was like a collapsing snow mountain, tightly entangling Crimson Chain Squad.

Crimson Chain Squad was both shocked and enraged. She hadn't expected the intruders to possess such strength. One used an ice sword to counter her flames, while the other wielded two swords simultaneously, each strike ruthless, making it difficult for her, a Peak Grandmaster Realm, to parry for a while. What alarmed her even more was that the screams from the periphery were getting closer, indicating that the guards could no longer hold them off.

"Who exactly are you? Why are you hostile to my Fentian Palace?" Crimson Chain Squad fiercely questioned while fending off the two-pronged attack, her Crimson Chain Whip dancing like a vortex of flames, attempting to force back her opponents.

Dark Blade didn't answer at all. His black and white twin swords attacked even more fiercely. The cold Qi from his left sword froze her movements, while the flames from his right sword spread along the whip, effectively using her own methods against her. West Gate Blows Snow's sword moves were simpler and more direct; each sword precisely pointed at her weaknesses, and the cold Qi of his profound ice sword continuously eroded her Meridians, making it difficult for her to circulate the Heaven Burning Art.

On the other side, No Fate had already dealt with all the outer guards and was leaning against a fire-patterned pillar, wiping blood from his iron sword. He glanced at the fierce battle in the main hall, a cold, sharp arc forming at the corner of his mouth—Dark Blade and West Gate Blows Snow were more than enough to deal with a Peak Grandmaster Realm.

In the study of the Tianwaitian Headquarters, Jun Xiaoyao was observing the battle on Flaming Mountain through a water mirror technique. In the water mirror, Crimson Chain Squad's figure was struggling amidst the black and white Sword Qi and icy Sword Qi. Although she resisted desperately, she was clearly at a disadvantage.

"Young Lord, Crimson Chain Squad's resilience is quite good. An ordinary Peak Grandmaster Realm would have already been defeated by now," Zhao Gao said in a low voice, standing beside him and looking at the water mirror.

Jun Xiaoyao lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, his gaze falling on the sachet embroidered with fire patterns on Crimson Chain Squad's waist—that was where the Heaven Burning Art was hidden. "No matter how good her resilience, she can't withstand Dark Blade and West Gate Blows Snow working together." He said calmly, "Tell No Fate to guard the entrance to the secret chamber and don't let anyone destroy the Formation eye."

"Yes." Zhao Gao immediately picked up a brush, wrote down the secret order, and sent it to No Fate via a message talisman.

In the water mirror, the battle indeed unfolded as Jun Xiaoyao had said. Crimson Chain Squad gradually ran out of strength, the Heaven Burning Art circulated slower and slower, and the Three Flavors True Fire on her body also dimmed considerably. She knew that if she continued to fight, she would undoubtedly lose. With a ruthless glint in her eyes, she suddenly bit her tongue, spitting a mouthful of vital blood onto the Crimson Chain Whip—

"Fen Tian Fury!"

In an instant, the Crimson Chain Whip surged several feet, and raging black flames ignited on its body. This was the 'Fen Tian Fury Flames', even more overbearing than the Three Flavors True Fire. Even West Gate Blows Snow's profound ice sword sizzled as it was burned, and the cold Qi was instantly dispelled.

"Trying to escape?" Dark Blade saw through her intention to break out. His left sword plunged into the ground, and a layer of ice spread along the ground, instantly freezing Crimson Chain Squad's feet. His right sword, carrying flames, thrust directly at the sachet in her hand.

Crimson Chain Squad cried out in alarm, instinctively protecting the sachet at her waist. In this moment of distraction, West Gate Blows Snow's profound ice sword was already at her throat.

"Surrender, or die." West Gate Blows Snow's voice had no warmth, and the cold Qi from the sword tip caused frost to appear on Crimson Chain Squad's skin.

Crimson Chain Squad looked at the sword at her throat, then at Dark Blade, who was pressing closer. Her eyes were filled with unwillingness and panic. She knew she had lost, utterly and completely.

Half an hour later, Flaming Mountain fell silent. The Fen Tian Formation was broken, more than half of the Core Disciples were dead or wounded, and the rest either surrendered or fled. Dark Blade carried Crimson Chain Squad, whose acupoints had been sealed, while West Gate Blows Snow held the fire-patterned sachet taken from her waist, preparing to return to Beyond Heaven.

No Fate stepped forward and handed a message talisman to Dark Blade: "The Young Lord's order: bring back the living captive and the sachet. There's no need to pursue the remaining forces of Fentian Palace; they still have a use."

Dark Blade nodded, glanced at Crimson Chain Squad, whose face was pale and eyes filled with resentment, and said coldly, "Take her away."

The three, escorting Crimson Chain Squad, disappeared into the night of Flaming Mountain, leaving behind the ravaged Fentian Palace Headquarters, which, in the red glow of the magma, recounted the fierce battle that had just taken place. Far away in Beyond Heaven, Jun Xiaoyao looked at the confiscated sachet in the water mirror, and a faint smile finally appeared at the corner of his mouth—with the Heaven Burning Art in hand, this trip to the Western Regions was not in vain.