Chapter 579: Stand with the Victor, Break the Formation, A Life-and-Death Struggle (III)

Pfft!

At the summit, Min Longyu suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. His face turned deathly pale.

The days spent controlling the grand formation had already consumed much of his strength. Today, it had endured blow after blow, and when the Withered Flame True Fiend seeped into it, the backlash tore into his spirit through their shared connection. Now, he was gravely injured. He reached into his storage pouch with difficulty, pulled out several pills, and swallowed them hastily.

"I cannot fall!" he muttered. "This formation must hold for as long as possible. I must buy time for the President. If I fail, the fate that destroyed the Min family a century ago will repeat itself."

While he muttered to himself, a gentle breeze stirred at his side. In the next heartbeat, a familiar figure appeared before him.

"You've done enough. Save your strength now, and prepare for tomorrow's battle."

"Tomorrow?" Min Longyu muttered blankly. He froze in disbelief.

The figure gave a slight nod and placed a hand on Min Longyu's head. A cool and gentle spirit power seeped into his body, soothing the wounds he had sustained over the past days from controlling the formation. It spread through him like spring rain soaking into the earth, quiet yet nourishing, mending his battered spirit.

Min Longyu closed his eyes and accepted the healing without resistance. In a faint murmur, he asked, "President, can we truly win this battle?"

"We can!"

Luo Chen, who had remained unseen before the public for a long time, was finally ready. His eyes shone with piercing brilliance as his gaze moved away from Min Longyu, passing through the stone walls as though it had locked onto the figure in the skies who longed to see him dead. His long sleeves stirred without wind, and his voice of unwavering confidence resounded through the chamber.

"Even if the losses are great, even if Danxia Peak itself crumbles, we will win this battle!"

***

Night fell, yet the commotion outside never ceased. The cultivators of the coalition to destroy the Luo Tian Society continued their assault, wearing down the Danxia Peak's grand formation in hopes of forcing its collapse.

Inside the Grand Hall, Luo Chen sat with a furrowed brow, studying the intelligence reports spread before him. Footsteps sounded beyond the doors, and soon Sima Huiniang entered to stand by his side.

"Are you truly going to open the formation early?" she asked.

Luo Chen set down the letter with a sigh. "Fairy Ruthless is nowhere to be seen. Rather than dragging this out, it's better to preserve Min Longyu's strength as a reserve."

Sima Huiniang's voice lowered. "But in a direct clash, they still have eight grand cultivators and sixteen other Initiates. Their top experts alone are enough to suppress the Luo Tian Society."

When she weighed their side against the enemy, the disparity left her uneasy. She spoke again, her tone soft. "Kang Dongyue may have drawn some rogue cultivators away for us, yet we remain surrounded by wolves."

Her words rang true. The power of the coalition posed one danger, while the opportunistic rogue cultivators posed another. If the Luo Tian Society faltered even slightly, they would face the fate of a collapsing wall pushed down by all. That was one of the reasons they had chosen to remain behind their defenses.

Luo Chen's voice dropped low. "What worries me is not those people."

Sima Huiniang looked at him closely. "You mean Qin Tairan?"

Luo Chen gave a faint nod. Qin Tairan was the Law Enforcement Elder of the Flame Alliance. He was infamous for his cruelty and severity. That nature alone would have been enough to cause unease, but what made him truly dangerous was his cultivation. He had already reached the fourth stage of Golden Core, and he was far stronger than Di Wanyun.

For the Luo Tian Society to pass through this crisis, Luo Chen would inevitably have to take action himself. Yet the moment he revealed his strength, Elder Qin would show no mercy. For the time being, Qin Tairan was holding back because he was uncertain whether Luo Chen was here or not, but when Luo Chen appeared, he would without a doubt take action.

Luo Chen's gaze darkened. "Tao Wan said she could persuade an elder of her sect to intervene on my behalf once. But Elder Long is only at the second stage of Golden Core. He is no match for Qin Tairan. As for the elder of Ailao Mountain, he is here as nothing more than a spectator. He is intentionally keeping his attitude ambiguous, and I have no certainty of his intentions. All things considered, if Fairy Ruthless does not appear, I will be in grave danger. Even with my physique, standing before a mid-stage Adept, I'm at a crushing disadvantage."

Luo Chen weighed things in silence. At last, when he saw the worry etched across Sima Huiniang's face, he spoke. "Go and rest. In tomorrow's battle, you will remain in the rear and command."

Sima Huiniang opened her mouth as though to protest, yet no words would come. A heavy helplessness settled in her chest. Only now was she realizing that no matter how expertly she managed an organization, it would never be enough for it to survive and thrive. Only by possessing true strength of her own could she hope to turn the tide.

In the past, Luo Chen had always stood above her, shielding her from the storm. Yet this time, even he, despite exhausting his every effort, found the struggle unbearably heavy. What could she do? Never in her life had she hated her own weakness more than she did in that moment.

"If I'd been at the late stage, I could at least share his burden," she whispered. "Even at the middle stage, I could fight at the front and clear some obstacles. But I am only an early-stage Initiate."

By the flickering lamplight, she walked out of the Grand Hall with a heart weighed down by sorrow.

Luo Chen no longer spared her a thought. His gaze remained fixed on the water mirror shimmering before him. Faint silhouettes flickered across its surface, though the higher figures were shrouded in haze, their true forms hidden from view.

With a flick of his wrist, a black bead appeared in his palm.

"A mid-stage Adept, huh? We'll see about that. When life and death are on the line, how much can you truly do? That guy from Ailao Mountain bears a grudge toward you. Do you think he will let such an opportunity pass?"

As he murmured to himself, Luo Chen carefully placed the Lightning Immortal Pearl in the most prominent, easily accessible corner of his storage pouch.

***

The next day arrived as the first light of dawn spread across the horizon.

A sudden cry rang out. "It's gone! The barrier has fallen!"

At once, countless gazes turned toward Danxia Peak. The seven-colored barrier that had cloaked the mountain for days finally collapsed at the break of dawn, fading as though unwilling yet powerless to resist.

Whoosh!

A figure soared into the air, drawing every eye to the heavens.

Zheng Xian's face lit with excitement. The barrier had collapsed even faster than the three days he had anticipated. In the end, this petty faction could never withstand the might of the Flame Alliance. Yet even so, he felt that the formation had still taken far too long to break.

"We must not give them time to prepare!" he shouted. "Everyone, prepare to attack!"

Zheng Xian's thunderous cry tore through the skies and echoed in every direction. At his command, squads of cultivators marched out from the spirit-gathering formation.

Tuoba Lingfei stepped out from his encampment and let out a long sigh. He turned to Xiang Zhonghe and said, "So the day has finally come. This is going to be troublesome."

Xiang Zhonghe shook his head with a wry smile. "Any force that compels a Flame Alliance elder to go to such lengths can't be underestimated."

Tuoba Lingfei exhaled slowly. "All the same, we should end this quickly and return to Skyfire Immortal City."

Not far away, Song Fengzi suddenly opened his eyes. Across from him, two grand cultivators had already gathered their strength, their auras rising in unison.

"My friends, the Luo Tian Society must fall today. The Core Formation secret art must be ours!" said Song Fengzi.

The two men inclined their heads. "We will follow your lead. Tell us how to act."

Song Fengzi's smile deepened. "The method is simple. Drive the Iron Sword Hall cultivators to charge at the front. The matter of casualties is not ours to consider. At worst, once it is done, we will retreat to the Medicine King Domain."

One of them replied, "Very well, we will follow your plan. You seem willing to cast aside the Iron Sword Hall rather easily, considering it cost you great effort to gain control over them."

Within the Xiahou family's encampment, Xiahou Kun had already stepped outside, his gaze fixed on Danxia Peak. Many of the family's elite Qi Refinement cultivators stood gathered around him, yet he still felt unbearably alone.

"Only by destroying the Luo Tian Society can I avenge our hatred!" he growled. "Only by seizing the Core Formation secret art can my family rise again. Otherwise, even if I make it back alive, Silver Gorge will no longer be a place where my family can survive. Zheng Xian..."

He took a deep breath, tugged at the patch over his eye, then swung his arm down.

With that gesture, the Xiahou family's Qi Refinement cultivators all moved out at once.

***

Beyond the coalition camp, the rogue cultivators who had lingered nearby began to notice the commotion. One after another, they rubbed their hands in anticipation, eager to swoop in and scavenge the spoils when the time came.

Some went further to send out voice transmissions, summoning companions who had departed days earlier to hurry back and join them.

Every cultivator understood the truth. The protracted battle that had drawn the eyes of Tianlan Immortal City for so long would finally reach its end today.

Would the Luo Tian Society, once dazzling in its dominance, continue to reign over Tianlan Immortal City? Or would the Zheng family, Iron Sword Hall, and the Xiahou family seize this chance to rise in their place? And would the Golden Core Adepts, despite their lofty pride, descend personally into the fight?

The outcome of everything would be revealed today.

Only one regret lingered among the crowd. "What a shame... Such a grand spectacle, and yet Dan Chenzi is nowhere to be seen."