Zhao Kai, prepared for such an encounter, reacted swiftly, summoning a flying dagger and a set of flying swords to strike at once. His body surged with spiritual qi, releasing a blinding burst of golden light. He had been waiting for this moment, ready to confront the hidden cultivator from the Heaven Shaking Divine Sect.
Just as Shi Juntian managed to break through Jingkong's spell, he was greeted by a barrage of flying daggers, flying swords, and the golden light. His expression soured, but he had no choice but to engage in battle with Zhao Kai. By initiating the attack, he knew he would be at a disadvantage, yet he was compelled to act. With only a few demonic cultivators in Northern Cold, losing even one would be a significant setback.
The air was filled with the sounds of clashing magic treasures as the two Nascent Soul Level Six cultivators, far surpassing any others present, battled. The fallout from their fight was intense, deterring anyone from coming close.
Chu Xuan remained composed, seated as if he were merely a Golden Core cultivator observing the chaos.
"Although Zhao Kai and his group have the upper hand, it's not an overwhelming advantage," he thought. "This person must have something up his sleeve. It's better to wait for him to reveal his trump cards before I make my move. If Shi Juntian can't force Zhao Kai's hand, it suggests the Heaven Shaking Divine Sect isn't much of a threat."
Chu Xuan continued to watch the battle intently. The outcome of the fight between Shi Juntian and Zhao Kai wasn't clear yet, but Wan Hun was steadily being overpowered by Jingkong. Wei Ji, fighting two against one, was also beginning to falter.
However, both managed to retreat back into the formation to consume medicinal pills and recuperate, allowing them to rejoin the fight after a brief recovery. This strategic use of the formation prevented any fatalities and demonstrated the strength and sophistication of their tactics. By relying on the formation, the disadvantaged side could continue to hold out for an opportunity.
Jingkong, Jinghui, and Jingxuan exchanged glances, seemingly reaching a silent agreement. When Wan Hun and Wei Ji, somewhat restored, charged out of the formation again, Jingkong and Jinghui met them head-on. Meanwhile, Jingxuan made a beeline for the formation itself.
Wei Ji, undeterred, immediately released two wooden puppets to block Jingxuan. The previous battle had shown that he could just manage to hold off Jingxuan using his array of wooden puppets, maintaining a precarious balance in the two-on-one fight.
As Jingxuan hurled a wooden fish into the air, it suspended mid-flight, emanating intense golden light. The surface of the wooden fish rapidly lost its luster as the light spread, shining down on the wooden puppets. Inside them, agonizing wails could be heard—sounds of the souls being damaged.
Wei Ji's expression shifted subtly. During the fight, the wooden fish had proven its worth repeatedly, clearly one of Jingxuan's powerful magical treasures. Now, to target his wooden puppets, Jingxuan was willing to sacrifice this potent item. Such use would inevitably degrade the treasure's power severely. After this encounter, the wooden fish might no longer be usable.
Wei Ji attempted to turn back and stop Jingxuan. However, Jinghui intervened, chanting a mantra, "Benefactor, focus on me. Do not be distracted."
"Cursed monk, you deserve death!" Wei Ji cursed under his breath, forced to watch as Jingxuan advanced towards the formation.
"Breaking Restriction Talismans, go!" Jingxuan activated the talismans, channeling his spiritual qi into them and launching a concentrated attack on a single point of the formation.
The three talismans, focusing their power, were meant to breach the formation decisively. Breaking the formation would prevent Wei Ji and Wan Hun from using it to recover, inevitably leading to their defeat.
Yet, just as the talismans were about to strike, a four-armed ghost king burst forth, grasping two of the talismans in its massive hands and crushing them with a crisp snap. Only one talisman managed to hit its target.
A breach appeared in the formation's dark energy, creating a large gap, but it was quickly replenished as the formation's energy flowed back to seal it.
The ghost king launched a sudden assault, swinging four ghostly weapons in rapid succession. Jingxuan, caught off guard by the unexpected appearance of the ghost king, was pummeled backward, struggling with the turmoil inside him.
"A ghost king?!" Jingxuan exclaimed furiously, "Well played, Wan Hun, hiding a ghost king for a stealth attack! Such demonic tactics are truly shameful!"
Wan Hun, bewildered, thought, "I hid a ghost king? News to me." He scanned Golden Thunder Mountain subtly, then chuckled coldly, "Heh, now you see what I'm capable of."
The battle reverted to a stalemate, with Jingkong, Jinghui, and Jingxuan unable to decisively defeat Wei Ji and Wan Hun.
As Wan Hun continually retreated into the formation for rapid healing after each heavy blow, Jingkong and his comrades were left depleted and deeply frustrated. Despite their superior skills, the enemy's tactics of hitting and running were infuriating. "Is there no honor in combat anymore?" they lamented.
Meanwhile, everyone occasionally glanced over at the intense duel between Shi Juntian and Zhao Kai. The outcome of that battle would undoubtedly influence the dynamics on their end.
Suddenly, the sky was lit with a ghastly crimson light. A burst of blood-red energy sent Zhao Kai flying dozens of yards. The blood turned into numerous skeletal hands that clung to him tightly, rendering even his Nascent Soul essence shift ineffective as if the hands were maggots gnawing at his bones.
Shi Juntian sneered, "Zhao Kai, you're still too inexperienced to challenge me. Prepare to meet your end!" He expelled a breath of Nascent Soul essence, which coalesced into a grotesque, massive axe, and swung it down furiously at Zhao Kai.
Cursing under his breath, Zhao Kai urgently slapped his puppet bag—a special storage designed solely for the colossal puppet beast it housed.
With a thunderous roar, a huge dark silhouette emerged. The terrifying blood-axe struck it, only to leave a shallow mark before shattering into countless fragments of blood light, dissipating into nothing. The shallow cut on the puppet quickly sprouted new flesh and healed within moments as if never wounded.
Shi Juntian's expression froze as he got a clear view of the massive creature. It was a fearsome Dryland Earth Dragon, a creature with a trace of true dragon lineage. Even a newly born Dryland Earth Dragon cub could be classified as a Foundation Establishment stage demonic beast.
These creatures faced almost no barriers in their cultivation; merely eating and sleeping could advance them to the Golden Core stage within three hundred years. Given a millennium, they could step into the Nascent Soul stage.
Dryland Earth Dragons boasted scales as hard as steel, capable of withstanding strikes from superior magic treasures without sustaining any damage. They could also breathe fire hot enough to melt mid-grade magic treasures and below. Additionally, these dragons were favored as mounts by many Deity Transformation cultivators due to their impressive speed.
However, the Dryland Earth Dragon before them had hollow, lifeless eyes and a somewhat rigid posture, revealing that it was not a living beast but a puppet crafted from the corpse of a Dryland Earth Dragon.