Chapter Forty-One: Breaking the Formation

For an entire day, the Liu Yan Sect occupied the Medicine Sect, yet they reaped nothing. Upon reaching the entrance marked on the map, they found only collapsed stone pillars, shattered steps, crumbling walls, and five incomplete patterns etched upon them. Aside from these, there was nothing else to be discovered.

"Elders, let us use our spiritual senses to search once more," Liu Qing said, unwilling to give up. This was not the first time they had employed their spiritual senses; they had already scoured beneath the ground, the broken ceiling, and even the remnants of the pillars and walls. The results, however, remained unsatisfactory.

While Liu Qing and the four elders of the Liu Yan Sect searched the great hall, Li Lie stormed out, cursing under his breath. Beyond the hall lay a path leading into the valley, guarded tightly by Liu Yan Sect disciples stationed every few paces.

"Elder Li," the disciples bowed as he passed. Li Lie waved his hand dismissively and strode toward the valley, head bowed.

*No matter what tricks the Red Leaf Valley plays,* Li Lie thought to himself, *as long as the Tiangang Barrier Formation stands, my Liu Yan Sect can rest easy in our occupation of the Medicine Sect.* He quickened his pace.

Upon reaching the valley, he was met with more bows from the stationed disciples. Li Lie waved them off and turned his gaze toward the Tiangang Barrier Formation. He nodded in satisfaction and expanded his spiritual sense, thinking, *Even a Nascent Soul stage expert would struggle to break this Tiangang Barrier, let alone you bunch of rotten potatoes and smelly eggs.*

"Move aside! Move aside!" A sharp, feminine voice rang out, instantly drawing everyone's attention. A group of women approached the formation, led by the Fairy of Flowers, dressed in white.

"Tsk, tsk. If I could become a cultivation partner with any one of them, I would die content," a rogue cultivator sighed as they walked past.

"Keep dreaming. Do you even know who they are?" an elderly man with a greasy face said disdainfully, continuing to chew on a pig's trotter. "They are from the Red Leaf Valley."

"The Red Leaf Valley?" The rogue cultivator’s expression changed. "You mean the ones who specialize in techniques that bewitch the mind?"

The old man ignored him, focused on his meal. However, the women of the Red Leaf Valley seemed far more alluring than the old man's words, and all eyes turned toward them.

Lei Yan frowned slightly, opening his eyes with a flicker of murderous intent.

"Kid, did you find a way to break the formation?" Gang Xing asked immediately. As for the arrival of the Fairy of Flowers, he merely glanced at them before looking away.

"How is it?" Seeing Gang Xing, Qi Da noticed Lei Yan had woken up and quickly tore his gaze from the women to ask.

Through a day of observation, Lei Yan had discovered that the energy of the Tiangang Barrier intersected every hour, and the point of intersection shifted every twelve hours. The strength of the formation lay in this; normally, one would have to destroy all thirty-six energy flows simultaneously, with the intersection point being the key. But since the intersection point changed every hour, how could it be broken?

It seemed impossible, yet Lei Yan refused to give up. Just before the Red Leaf Valley group arrived, he realized there were only twelve possible intersection points. The previous hour had returned to one of those twelve. This meant the formation likely only possessed these twelve points. While the first eleven were unpredictable, the last one could be deduced through elimination, much like tracking a sequence of numbers.

Having found the pattern, Lei Yan said nothing, merely wearing a confident smile.

Luo Na scoffed. "What could he possibly have found?" As the words left her lips, she felt a sense of bewilderment. *Why do I keep feeling like this guy can break the formation? And why can't I stand that confident look on his face?*

As Luo Na muttered to herself, the Red Leaf Valley group reached the barrier. Inside, Li Lie frowned. "The Red Leaf Valley, finally here? I'd like to see how you intend to break this."

Seeing Li Lie, the Fairy of Flowers made no effort to hide her murderous intent. "Li Lie, today is your death day."

"Hahaha!" Li Lie laughed. "Many have wanted my head, yet here I stand. Stop the chatter; break the formation if you have the skill." He turned to a disciple and ordered, "Go, bring me a chair. I want to see how these Red Leaf Valley hags break our sect's Tiangang Barrier."

"Li Lie!" the Fairy of Flowers hissed through gritted teeth.

"Eldest Sister, have you forgotten Master's orders?" whispered Zi Huan, standing behind her.

"I haven't," the Fairy replied coldly. As she pulled her gaze away, she caught a familiar stare. She whipped her head around to find a man in a blood-red robe watching her. Already brimming with suppressed rage, she snapped, "What are you looking at? Do you want me to gouge your eyes out?"

"Sigh..." Lei Yan clutched his chest with a pained expression. "They say the women of the Red Leaf Valley are all beautiful as fairies. How could one be so ugly? And it's not just her appearance—her heart is uglier than words can describe."

"You... you... you're courting death!" Shaking with rage, the Fairy of Flowers lashed out, sending a fierce gale toward Lei Yan.

Lei Yan dodged behind Gang Xing, his intention clear: to incite a fight between them, and the madman Gang Xing was the perfect tool.

*Boom.*

"Damn it!" Gang Xing cursed as the gale hit. He threw a punch, a burst of light erupting from his fist to shatter the wind. "You stinking hag, are you looking to die? You dare attack me?" Gang Xing moved to charge, and Lei Yan felt a surge of secret delight.

"What did you say?" The Fairy of Flowers was incensed, but Zi Huan held her back, stepping forward to bow apologetically. "Kind sir, my Eldest Sister is in a foul mood. Please forgive her, little Huan apologizes." She looked at Gang Xing with teary eyes, as if they would spill the moment he moved.

"Being in a bad mood justifies attacking people? I'm in a bad mood, too!" Gang Xing roared, unmoved.

"Wuwu... kind sir, if you must hit someone, hit me instead. It's all my fault for not stopping her." Zi Huan’s tears flowed.

"Damn it, are you even human? If you want to fight, I'll fight you!" A rogue cultivator stepped in front of Zi Huan, shouting at Gang Xing. "Miss Huan, don't be afraid. I can't stand bullies."

"Exactly! What kind of man bullies a woman?" Another joined in. Soon, shouts of condemnation filled the air.

Qi Da shook his head and restrained Gang Xing, who was ready to brawl. "Gang Xing, have you forgotten the Deacon's orders? The mission comes first." He smiled at the white knights. "Everyone, both sides are at fault here. Let's just let it go."

*Zi Huan is truly something,* the Fairy of Flowers thought, finally calming down. With one display of feigned vulnerability, she had ended the conflict without using an ounce of spiritual energy. The other women looked at Zi Huan with even greater admiration.

Zi Huan, seeing the moment to stop, sobbed, "Thank you all for your help."

"It's nothing... I hate men who hit women..."

"What is your name, miss..."

As soon as the fighting stopped, the rogue cultivators swarmed Zi Huan. She handled the attention with ease, though her eyes kept drifting toward Lei Yan, who was still hiding behind Gang Xing.

*Damn it, are these cultivators brainless?* Lei Yan thought angrily. *Do they think they'd be here if they were nobodies? She doesn't need you idiots to protect her! I have to find a way to separate them.*

"Duan Hong, Duan Hong..." Qi Da called several times. Lei Yan didn't respond, so Qi Da tapped his shoulder. "I'm calling you. What are you thinking about?"

"Ah, I was thinking about how to break the formation," Lei Yan replied, sighing inwardly. *Sigh... I still haven't adapted to this new identity.*

"Did you think of something?" Gang Xing asked, as if he had already forgotten the previous scuffle.

"I have a method. Now, I just need to wait," Lei Yan said, preoccupied with how to disperse the crowd.

"Hmph, you've got nothing," Luo Na interjected, taking pleasure in belittling him.

Qi Da looked at Luo Na with an unfriendly gaze, causing her to glare back. *What is wrong with me? Could it be...* She didn't dare finish the thought and turned her eyes to the sky, where she spotted several shadows approaching the valley at high speed.

"Look," she pointed. Three women on flying swords appeared, led by a woman in colorful robes. In an instant, they arrived above the Tiangang Barrier.

"Welcome, Master, Elders," the Red Leaf Valley women knelt.

The woman in colorful robes was Li Hong, the Valley Master. She landed with her two elders. "Stand up," she commanded.

"Master, the Liu Yan Sect is despicable. They’ve set up a Tiangang Barrier," the Fairy of Flowers said angrily.

Li Hong nodded and turned to the barrier. "Li Lie, do you really think this formation can stop us?"

"Even the Valley Master is here? I know you've reached the Nascent Soul stage, but break it if you can! Hahaha!" Li Lie laughed, though he felt a pang of anxiety. *Can this formation really hold them?*

"Nascent Soul! It's a Nascent Soul expert!" The valley erupted in excitement.

"Sisters, let us join forces to break this," Li Hong called out. The three of them spun into the air, aligned in a straight line. "Break!" They struck simultaneously, sending waves of energy into the barrier.

*Crack.*

A spirit stone in a Liu Yan disciple's hand turned to dust, and a crack appeared in the barrier.

Li Hong smiled. "Li Lie, your formation isn't so strong after all."

Another stone shattered, and the crack widened. Within moments, five stones had broken. Seeing this, the cultivators cheered.

"It's working!"

"I don't know," another skeptic muttered. "Last time we attacked, we broke a dozen stones."

"Right, why aren't they replacing them? Are they out of spirit stones?"

Li Lie laughed. "Hahaha! You’ve broken five stones? Six? How impressive." His anxiety vanished. "Replace them! Every time one breaks, swap it out!"

The disciples obeyed, and the barrier healed instantly, flashing with intense light. The three women were repelled by the backlash.

"Impossible," Li Hong stared, stunned.

"Sisters, we must use our full strength," Li Hong said, her face hardening. She summoned a small red sword from within her body, and the two elders followed suit. Thousands of sword images filled the air, hammering against the barrier.

Li Lie’s expression finally shifted. The barrier was cracking faster than they could replace the stones. "Bring out the reserve stones! Call eighteen more disciples!" He stood up and took the place of one of his men. "Get down, I’ll take over! Listen up: pour your spiritual energy into the stones!"

The barrier repaired itself instantly.

"What?" Li Hong gasped. They were trapped by the sheer power of the stones.

Li Lie mocked them. "How is that? You thought reaching the Nascent Soul stage was enough? We have plenty of stones. This is exactly what we prepared for!"

"Impressive. Truly a powerful formation," Lei Yan sighed. He raised his voice. "The three of you, stop wasting your effort. This formation cannot be broken that way."

Li Hong snorted and recalled her sword, as did the others. Exhausted, they collapsed to the ground, supported by their disciples.

"Li Lie, I alone can break this formation," Lei Yan declared.

"You? Relying on you?" Li Lie roared with laughter. "Three Nascent Soul experts couldn't do it, and you, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, think you can? Hahaha!"

"Don't believe me? No matter. I will break it for you tonight," Lei Yan said confidently.

"That idiot is talking in his sleep again," someone shouted.

"A madman!"

"A fool!"

Lei Yan ignored the insults and returned to his group. "I will break the formation tonight. It will be bloody, and with so many people and Nascent Soul experts here, we should report this to the Deacon. It would be best to have Nascent Soul experts sent to assist."

Gang Xing snorted. "I’ve never been afraid. I’ll kill as many as come."

Qi Da remained silent for a moment. "You're right. I will handle this. Stay here and do nothing rash." He left on his flying sword.

Time flew, and night fell. Lei Yan opened his eyes. The final intersection point was approaching. He rose, his body floating like a willow leaf as he drifted to the specific location.

"That idiot is going to break the formation!" someone shouted. The valley grew rowdy, but most remained skeptical. Even Li Lie opened his eyes, though he doubted the youth could succeed.

Lei Yan closed his eyes, focusing entirely. The energy intersection lasted only a split second. Missing it meant waiting another day.

*It's coming...* His extrasensory perception felt the thirty-six energy flows converging. *Now!* He swung his right hand, a beam of red light shooting into the barrier.

"Explode!"

At his low command, the barrier shattered like glass.

Li Lie sat frozen, unable to comprehend that the barrier, which had withstood Nascent Soul experts, had been destroyed so easily by a single punch.

"He broke it... he actually broke it!" Luo Na stared at Lei Yan, her expression transformed.

"That kid wasn't a madman!"

"Damn, is he really only at the Foundation Establishment stage?"

"Is this a trick by the Liu Yan Sect?"

The entire valley was in an uproar.