Chapter 198: Breaking the Formation

There was no trust between the two groups, not even the most basic level.

One of the swift and agile southern tribesmen swept his sleeve and flung out a cloud of multi-colored powder. A faint, fragrant scent quickly began to fill the air!

The three remaining disciples of the Longevity Sect turned pale and hurriedly backed away.

The Southern Regions were humid and rife with poisonous creatures and fierce beasts. Among the southern tribes, nearly everyone cultivated poison arts and

gu

techniques. For these people to have obtained jade fragments and entered the Blissful Land meant they were no ordinary warriors.

One of the southern tribesmen suddenly opened his mouth and spewed out a thick cloud of black smoke; it was clearly toxic miasma.

The southern tribes were known for their extreme resistance to poison, so battling in such a poisonous environment was like a fish taking to water.

Li Yanchu and Chen Yang couldn’t help but retreat several steps. True qi flowed outward from Chen Yang’s body, forming a protective barrier that kept the poisonous smoke at bay.

He clearly possessed solid martial cultivation; in fact, he was much like Li Yanchu: a cultivator of both Dao and martial arts.

Chen Yang did not participate in the clash between the two forces, nor did he try to seize the immortal apricot amid the chaos. He simply gripped his long spear and moved far to the side, keeping his distance.

As for Li Yanchu, the Plague-Dispelling Talisman he wore began to take effect, so none of the toxic mists could approach him.

His gaze grew sharp with caution. This kind of irrational aggression from both sides likely wasn’t a coincidence. It was probably linked to the White Tiger Battlefield Formation in the area.

White Tiger governed calamity and bloodshed. Excessive malevolent qi easily stirred up the killing intent hidden deep in the human heart!

“Ah!” The fiery-tempered young woman was hit squarely by the black smoke, and immediately felt dizzy and disoriented.

Black smoke filled the air around them, making visibility worse by the second.

But just then, the girl's body was suddenly pulled by an invisible force, dragging her straight toward the immortal apricot.

Her body abruptly went still, as if she had turned to stone.

Li Yanchu’s gaze turned sharp. He had seen clearly just now that it was Liu Dao’an who struck. He had palmed his own junior sister and sent her hurtling toward the immortal apricot!

“Junior Sister, watch out!” Liu Dao’an shouted, his voice full of concern.

But the girl didn’t move.

Crack!

Her head twisted violently a full one hundred and eighty degrees, and her neck snapped on the spot. Moments later, her flesh sloughed off her bones, just like before.

Li Yanchu’s eyes narrowed with a thoughtful look.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

That technique Liu Dao’an used... it looked suspiciously like a soul-calling or bewitchment method.

This kind of "soul-calling" wasn’t like the folk rituals where village shamans helped children recover lost souls after being frightened and helped bring down a fever.

What Liu Dao’an had used resembled something far darker. It was similar to the kidnapping tricks used by underworld thugs and rogues in the

jianghu

. All it took was someone calling your name from behind or tapping your shoulder, and you’d momentarily lose consciousness and be completely at their mercy.

He claims orthodoxy, yet walks the crooked path!

Li Yanchu sneered inwardly at the hypocrisy.

His gaze shifted once more to the immortal apricot. It still pulsed with a vigorous, radiant vitality, as if completely untouched by the chaos around it.

Li Yanchu couldn’t help but feel that something was ominous about that immortal apricot. After all, two people had already died beneath the tree. Both had ended up with their flesh reduced to pulp.

Flesh turned to pulp?

Li Yanchu’s expression subtly shifted.

Could that thing be some sort of evil tree, feeding on flesh and blood to grow stronger?

The thought crossed his mind like a cold wind.

If that were true, then the situation was far more sinister than it appeared on the surface.

Meanwhile, the members of Longevity Sect and the southern barbarian tribe had already descended into a frenzy, their eyes bloodshot and manic.

All sorts of arcane techniques and hidden weapons flew wildly. The fight was fierce to the extreme, and violent booms echoed through the area.

“You little brat! You’ve even gone so far as to use this kind of sinister magic!” the old southern tribal crone shouted in fury.

Moments ago, she had nearly been killed by one of Liu Dao’an’s evil arts! “You barbarian! What do you know? This is one of my Longevity Sect’s most refined Daoist techniques!”

Liu Dao’an bit his fingertip and took out a straw doll from his robes, stabbing it viciously.

The old crone's face twisted in agony, and she instantly spat out a deep breath. At her age, her mastery of

gu

arts had reached terrifying heights.

This breath contained lethal poison, and even a whiff could kill.

But Liu Dao’an's gaze was full of twisted malice. Without hesitation, he grabbed the body of his junior martial sister by the small of her back and thrust her in front of him to block the poisonous breath. He was using a living person as a human shield.

The girl’s face instantly turned pale, and her body went stiff. Liu Dao’an casually flung her aside, and her corpse landed with a

thud

near the immortal apricot.

The immortal apricot tree had originally only possessed a soul-capturing ability, passively peeling away the flesh of living beings. But this time, it suddenly extended its roots from the ground, directly absorbing all the flesh and blood of the Longevity Sect girl.

In an instant, the white-robed maiden was reduced to a dried corpse, and then to rotted white bones that couldn’t even remain upright. They then collapsed and crumbled to pieces.

Liu Dao’an’s expression shifted slightly.

This wasn’t some sacred fruit protected by formation restrictions, this was a genuine piece of demonic wood!

He had a brief moment of clarity. But in the blink of an eye, the murderous qi surged back into his heart, clouding his mind once again.

Liu Dao’an’s eyes turned grim. “I’ll kill all you barbarian filth!”

He quickly formed a hand seal, fingers shaped like a sword. With a swift stroke across the saber, the sword in his hand burst into searing brilliance. Then, he thrust the sword with all his might.

Shing! Shing!

Two members of the southern tribe were stabbed clean through the heart, dropping dead on the spot.

Liu Dao’an moved swiftly and struck at the old crone next. She had no time to react; she was pierced by a single sword and killed instantly!

Liu Dao’an’s eyes were full of murderous intent as he turned to glare at Li Yanchu and Chen Yang. At that moment, Chen Yang suddenly moved.

“Found it!”

The long spear in his hand was sharp as a saber of divine light. Like a streak of white lightning, it exploded toward an empty patch of ground!

Boom!

A deep pit was blasted open, revealing a palm-sized bronze coffin buried beneath the earth.

This was the core of the White Tiger Battlefield Formation; it was the formation’s eye. Once the formation eye was located and destroyed, the entire feng shui formation could be broken!

Chen Yang thrust out his spear once more, and a sharp burst of energy blasted the bronze coffin to pieces.

Boom

! A muffled explosion echoed out.

As the bronze coffin was shattered, a nearly invisible stream of murderous qi began to leak out from within the Daoist temple.

The savage, twisted expression in Liu Dao’an’s eyes gradually faded, replaced by clarity. At that moment, a feng shui master stepped out with a smile.

“Impressive! You’re so young, yet so skilled in the art of fengshui and divination! If you weren’t of royal blood, I might’ve considered taking you as my disciple.”

Standing beside him was an old man with a blank stare and a powerful aura.

Seeing this, Li Yanchu was taken aback. That old man was Mr. Chen, the one who always accompanied Gongshu Peiyu.

But now, Mr. Chen showed none of the vitality of the living; he was lifeless, like a walking corpse.

Chen Yang gripped his spear tightly, his eyes sharp as sabers. “You’re a disciple of Mister Qingwu, aren’t you?”

The feng shui master paused, then smiled. “That’s right.”

Chen Yang nodded slightly. “Good. Then, go die.”

Boom!

He lunged forward with a powerful strike, and the spear truly shot forth like a dragon.

Faintly, the domineering sound of a dragon’s roar echoed from the spear. However,the feng shui master’s expression remained unchanged.

Suddenly, the blank-eyed Mr. Chen beside him lunged forward to kill.

Clang!

Mr. Chen actually took Chen Yang’s spear strike head-on. The spear bent into a terrifying arc from the impact, and it was shocking to behold.

The two clashed, locked in a fierce contest of strength. The ground beneath them shattered with a thunderous crack!

“Bronze corpse!” Chen Yang’s eyes narrowed sharply. “Daoist Master, cover me! Let me finish off this old bastard and settle a grudge that’s long overdue!”

Li Yanchu’s expression remained calm as he stepped forward lightly. “Alright!”

This feng shui master was clearly entangled with the Bare Body Sect, and might even be one of its surviving remnants.

Li Yanchu didn’t hesitate.

Whoever dares take on the Bare Body Sect, I, Li Yanchu, will back them to the end!