Chapter 240: Breaking the Formation! The Blood Soul Banner! The Old Healer's Killing Intent!

"Healer Chen is indeed a powerful innate realm cultivator, and there are actually two more Innate realm cultivators with him!"

In the forest a few miles from Liuyun Town, the rotund middle-aged man standing on top of a tree was shocked to his core as he witnessed the old healer casually unleashing a vast wave of sword qi.

He had been unable to see through the old healer's strength in recent days, and now he realized that he was indeed a true Innate realm expert.

"It seems like Healer Chen and Lu Qing are trying to break through that bizarre light barrier. I wonder if they will succeed."

Due to the distance, the rotund man could not hear Lu Qing and the others' conversation.

But he finally understood why Lu Qing hadn't wanted him to come and help earlier. This matter involved a battle at the Innate realm level, which was far beyond his own Internal Organs realm cultivation.

Not only would he be of no help, but even a Martial Arts Master would only meet their death.

"However, what exactly is Lu Qing's cultivation level? He hasn't used his Innate true qi, so he's clearly not at the Innate realm, but when did a Post-Heaven cultivator become capable of facing an Innate realm cultivator head-on?"

The rotund middle-aged man had yet another question.

Lu Qing's mysteriousness only deepened in his eyes.

While the rotund man was filled with awe and shock, the figure in the black robe standing within the formation was having a hard time.

He never expected that Lu Qing, a mere youth, would also have knowledge of formations.

Moreover, with a single move, Lu Qing had destroyed two of the formation's nodes within the town.

Such a turn of events was something he had never anticipated.

"Junior Brother, why have two of the formation's nodes been destroyed? What happened?"

Just as the black-robed figure was feeling stumped, a voice sounded in his mind.

"Senior Brother, things are not looking good. The other party has someone knowledgeable about formations, and they are working together to break the formation. With just me here, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold them off."

The black-robed figure quickly replied.

"You must hold them off, no matter what. Because the nodes have been destroyed, my progress has been affected as well. I now need a quarter of an hour to complete the task.

If you want me to help you find the murderer of your great-grandson, you must help me repair the Blood Soul Banner. Hold on a little longer!"

After this sentence, the voice disappeared.

"Senior Brother!"

The black-robed figure called out anxiously.

However, this time, his Senior Brother did not respond, indicating that the situation within the town had also reached a critical juncture.

"Easy for you to say, but how am I supposed to stop them?"

The black-robed figure felt bitter.

The old man's sword qi was too terrifying. Each time he swung his sword, the black-robed figure had to exert all his strength and manipulate the power of the formation to defend.

But in doing so, the defensive light barrier in other areas would inevitably weaken, leaving it unable to block Lu Qing's powerful arrows.

It was an unsolvable situation, and he had no idea what to do.

Now, his only hope was that the old man wouldn't be able to sustain his fearsome sword qi for long, otherwise, the formation would undoubtedly be broken soon.

With this hope in mind, the black-robed figure gritted his teeth and persisted.

However, what he didn't expect was that the old healer's true qi was far more abundant than he had imagined.

Wave after wave of sword qi continued to surge toward the gray light barrier.

After each attack, Lu Qing would destroy another node of the formation.

Before long, nine nodes had been destroyed.

With nine nodes destroyed, the gray light barrier had become much dimmer and was on the verge of collapse.

"Master, Senior, one more strike! This formation has a total of eighteen nodes. Now that nine have been broken, if we destroy just one more, it will definitely be broken!"

Lu Qing drew another arrow.

The old healer and the swordsman naturally saw that the light barrier was almost devoid of light, and without hesitation, they once again urged their sword qi forward.

"Not good!"

Upon seeing this, the black-robed figure knew that the situation was beyond salvage.

He made a quick decision, waving the formation flags to manipulate the formation's power one last time, gathering it onto the light barrier in front of him. At the same time, he stepped back, retreating rapidly into the town.

Boom!

As the black-robed figure retreated, the sword qi and the light barrier clashed once more.

Lu Qing seized this momentary opportunity and fired an arrow, destroying the tenth node of the formation.

With this node destroyed, the already weakened light barrier could no longer hold and was slowly torn apart by the residual sword qi, gradually disappearing.

Unfortunately, by the time the light barrier was broken, the black-robed figure had already fled into the town and disappeared without a trace.

"The formation has truly been broken?"

The swordsman was overjoyed at the sight.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the gray light barrier vanished, Lu Qing did not stop.

Chapter: The Broken Formation

Lu Qing unleashed a rapid volley of arrows, firing eight more shots that completely obliterated the remaining eight nodes of the formation, before finally pausing.

Although the information gleaned from his ability indicated that destroying more than nine nodes would break the Blood and Flesh Soul Refining Formation, he wanted to be absolutely certain and decided to destroy them all.

After all, he had an abundance of Thousand Refinement-level arrows.

Over the past two years, while he had spent most of his time cultivating in the village, he had also made occasional trips to the county seat.

Especially after obtaining this precious bow, he had stayed in the Casting Heart Forge for a while, crafting a thousand Thousand Refinement-level arrows, depleting the forge's stock of fine iron.

"All the nodes of the formation have been destroyed!"

The figure in the black robe, who was fleeing, sensed through the formation flags that all the nodes within the town had been annihilated, and the Blood and Flesh Soul Refining Formation had been utterly broken.

"Just who are these old man and young boy? The old man's innate true qi is incredibly robust, his cultivation is unfathomable. And that young man is extraordinarily knowledgeable about the Blood and Flesh Soul Refining Formation, clearly understanding that there are a total of eighteen nodes. This is bewildering!"

The figure in black felt a mix of pain and confusion.

The Blood and Flesh Soul Refining Formation was something he and his senior brother had obtained in their youth while exploring a mysterious cave.

Over the years, as they studied the formation diagram, they also compelled their sect's disciples to plunder and gather the necessary materials for its deployment.

After decades of research and preparation, they had barely managed to set up two formations, and now, the first time they used one, it had been destroyed. How could he not feel distressed?

More importantly, this formation had required an immense amount of effort from him and his senior brother to establish. How could this young man know how to break it?

Filled with endless questions, the figure in black swiftly flew toward the inn.

The old man's strength was too formidable.

He had taken a hit from the sword qi earlier, sustaining serious injuries. Although the formation's power had helped heal him, he was not fully recovered.

At this moment, only by joining forces with his senior brother did they have a chance to withstand the old man.

"Who dares to destroy my formation!"

However, before the figure in black could reach the inn, a violent aura suddenly rose from up ahead, accompanied by an angry roar.

"Senior Brother!"

The figure in black rushed into the inn, only to be stunned by the scene within.

He saw that many people had fallen inside the inn.

Nearly half of them had turned into mummified corpses, and the rest didn't fare much better. Their bodies had shriveled, their faces were gaunt and devoid of blood, making them look a decade older, a terrifying sight.

Most crucially, among those who had turned into mummified corpses, he recognized disciples of their Flowing Cloud Sect.

"Grandfather! You're injured?"

Mo Zhen saw the mottled bloodstains and the not-yet-fully-healed wounds on the black-robed figure and exclaimed in shock.

How could his grandfather, a Precelestial cultivator, be so badly wounded? What had happened outside the town?

Due to the obstruction of the formation, no one inside the town, except for the eagle-nosed old man, knew what had transpired outside.

"Another Precelestial!"

Among the survivors was the master of the Silver Moon Sect.

At this moment, he looked miserable. The eagle-nosed old man had previously used an evil art to absorb most of his vital energy, leaving him in a pitiful state.

Because of the obstruction of the formation and his wholehearted focus on resisting the eagle-nosed old man's vital energy absorption, he, too, had not sensed what was happening outside the town.

Seeing the figure in black enter and sensing the power emanating from him, the Silver Moon Sect Master felt utterly hopeless.

One eagle-nosed old man had already reduced them to this state. Now, another Precelestial cultivator had arrived, and he even addressed the eagle-nosed old man as Senior Brother.

Could it be that they were all going to perish here this time?

Where was their Sect Master?

The Silver Moon Sect Master's face was ashen.

"What were you doing, Junior Brother? I was just about to refine the vital energy, soul, and flesh of these people into the Blood Soul Banner. We were so close to success, and now you've let someone break the formation?" The eagle-nosed old man's face turned icy.

"Senior Brother, it's not my fault. The people who came are too strong, and they seem to be extremely familiar with the Blood and Flesh Soul Refining Formation, knowing exactly where each node is. In an instant, they destroyed the nodes, and I couldn't stop them!" The figure in black lamented.

"How is that possible!" The eagle-nosed old man was shocked. "The Blood and Flesh Soul Refining Formation is something you and I spent decades comprehending. Besides us, there shouldn't be a third person who understands it. How could it be broken so easily?"

"I'm equally baffled. Moreover, the one who broke the formation is a young man I've never seen before.

"The figure in the black robe asked in confusion.

"Senior Brother, I think they've already entered the town. There's an old man with unfathomable cultivation among them. Even with the protection of my formation power, I was injured by his sword. Should we retreat?"

"Retreat? After I went through so much trouble to set up this formation, I want to see who dares to be so reckless!"

The eagle-nosed old man coldly harrumphed, his face turning grim.

"Perfect. My Blood Soul Banner still needs a main soul from an Innate realm cultivator. Let's use them as sacrifices to refine it!"

"Senior Brother, can the Blood Soul Banner be used now?" The black-robed figure asked excitedly.

"Although the formation was broken and not fully repaired, it has regained much of its power. Moreover, now that the spiritual energy has recovered, it's time to let the world see the might of this ancient artifact!"

"Since the Blood Soul Banner can be used, then we have nothing to fear from those who come!"

Hearing that the Blood Soul Banner could be utilized, the black-robed figure's confidence returned.

He and his Senior Brother had discovered the cave together, so he naturally knew how powerful the Blood Soul Banner was.

Even that old man wouldn't be a match for this ancient artifact.

"Let's go. I've already sensed their location, and we'll go meet them now."

The eagle-nosed old man said coldly as he walked out of the inn.

"Supreme Elder, Grandfather, what should we do with these people?"

Seeing that the eagle-nosed old man and his grandfather were about to leave, Mo Zhen quickly asked.

The surviving Silver Moon Sect Master and the others paled upon hearing this.

They had overheard the conversation between the two Innate realm cultivators and knew that mysterious experts had come to rescue them.

A glimmer of hope had ignited in their hearts, but would it be extinguished again?

"Keep them here for now. Their qi and blood power are still of some use to me. You just need to watch them. Anyway, they've already been crippled and can't cause any more trouble."

The eagle-nosed old man glanced coldly at the Silver Moon Sect Master and the others, his gaze as if looking at a group of livestock, not considering them human at all.

"Yes, Supreme Elder."

Although Mo Zhen was reluctant, he could only respectfully agree.

At the same time, on the streets of the Flowing Cloud Sect, Lu Qing and the other two looked at the bloodstains on the ground, their faces grim.

They all knew that each bloodstain represented a life lost.

Fortunately, they could sense that many townspeople were still alive.

The black qi generated by the formation could corrode and devour human flesh and blood, but it didn't seem to have much power over inanimate objects like bricks, stones, and wood.

Many townspeople had survived by hiding inside their homes.

"Those Mo brothers from the Ink Fox Clan are truly heartless and cruel. Many townspeople are related to the disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect, yet they could still bear to do this. They're demons!"

The swordsman saw the tragic state of the streets and exclaimed in anger.

Although he didn't like the Flowing Cloud Sect, he never expected the Mo brothers to be so ruthless and vicious.

"Master, someone is coming."

At that moment, Lu Qing spoke softly.

"Mhm."

The old healer nodded, his face turning cold.

Lu Qing knew that his master was truly angry.

The cruelty of the Flowing Cloud Sect had truly stirred the old healer's wrath.

"Hahahaha..."

The swordsman was about to ask a question, as he hadn't sensed anything.

But then, he heard arrogant laughter echoing through the air, and two figures appeared on a rooftop, exuding powerful auras.

Who else could they be but the Mo brothers?

The swordsman looked at Lu Qing in surprise.

He found the youth truly mysterious. He, an Innate realm cultivator, hadn't been able to sense the Mo brothers' presence, yet Lu Qing had.

More crucially, he couldn't see through Lu Qing's cultivation level either.

Could it be that this youth's cultivation was even higher than his?

The swordsman had a ridiculous thought.

"You two are the Supreme Elders of the Flowing Cloud Sect?"

The old healer looked up at the two figures on the rooftop.

"Indeed. Old man, it was you who destroyed the formation I painstakingly set up, wasn't it? Do you know that you've committed a capital offense?"

The eagle-nosed old man said coldly.

"Since we've found the right people, that's good." The old healer said softly.

The eagle-nosed old man was about to say something when he felt his vision blur, and two extremely sharp sword auras slashed towards him and his junior.

The peerless sword intent on the sword auras made him feel an unprecedented danger in an instant.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end