Chapter 393: Formation of the Complete Heavens

The hole in the barrier outside the ancient draconic palace grew larger and larger. Roiling seawater rushed into the palace and flooded its interior, but no one was paying any attention at this point. Everyone was fighting intently.

The Immortals possessed overwhelming strength, but the cursed effigies were present in the greater number. They seemed to flood out of the palace in an endless stream.

"Kill them!" the Immortals roared.

The cursed slaves were all killed almost to the last, while the cultivators possessed by cursed effigies were forced to retreat, having suffered grievous injuries.

"Be careful. Some of the cursed effigies are taking over us Immortals!" one Immortal cried out.

The Immortals looked over to see an Immortal standing stock-still, large flashes of dragon-shaped light emitting from his mindscape. He was being possessed by not one, but many cursed effigies simultaneously.

"Junior Brother!" One Immortal rushed over.

The Immortal who had been possessed suddenly made a move. He slashed at the Immortal rushing his way. The Immortal fell back, one arm lost.

Just then, a group of cursed effigies shot toward the crippled Immortal, pressing him down and surging toward his mindscape.

"Kill them! They've both been taken over by cursed effigies. They're dead. Don't let them attack us!"

The fighting only grew more intense.

There were many cursed effigies present, but the majority of them had ill-fitting and poorly equipped bodies. Restricted by these considerations, they were quickly killed even if they had managed to possess an Immortal by chance.

"More of the possessed! Kill them all!"

"Kill them!" The Immortals were blinded by slaughter.

The cursed effigies' targets were quickly slain, their bodies chopped up into pieces. Not too long later, the army of cursed effigies fell back in defeat, the vast majority of them having lost their physical bodies once more.

Just then, deep within the draconic palace, a man in black brocade stepped forward, his eyes cold, his gaze infernal.

"King, we won't be able to hold out any longer. We had no choice but to rouse your attention!" one cursed effigy cried out.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The man in black brocade didn't criticize his subordinates. He looked coldly at the gathered Immortals.

"That's a cursed king. Be careful!" an Immortal shouted.

"These cursed effigies are particularly weak, so that cursed king can't be anyone strong, either. Kill him!" One Immortal brandished his sword and swung it at the man in black brocade.

The man reached out with his right hand and smirked. "A puny Earth Immortal dares make such a fuss?"

The Immortal sword was obliterated by the man's palm, which continued undeterred until he grabbed ahold of the Immortal's body.

"Sect Master!" a group of Immortals cried out.

They were all caught in the man's other palm.

"Possess them," the man in black brocade said.

"Understood, King!" the cursed effigies cried out in excitement.

Instantly, images of dragons flashed into the man's palm as the Immortals shrieked. When the man loosened his grip, the Immortals were all standing stock-still. They were quickly being possessed.

"The cursed king's a Heaven Immortal, a Heaven Immortal!" an Immortal cried out.

"Flee!" one of the Immortal leaders of the expedition shouted.

There were plenty of Immortals present, but the strongest among them were Earth Immortals. Against a Heaven Immortal, they would all simply be possessed.

"Isn't it too late to leave?" the man in black brocade demanded.

He shot into the air and slapped the surface of the sea. A huge palm strike descended, striking a group of Immortals and sealing their cultivation. Then, a large number of cursed effigies held them down as they possessed them en masse.

The other Immortals fled even more quickly, but the cursed effigies continued to chase after them. The man in black brocade was the fastest of all. He instantly caught up to another batch of cultivators and slapped them down into the sea.

The man continued to strike rapidly. Quickly, all the remaining Immortals fell and were caught by the waiting cursed effigies.

"I'm willing to serve you, Senior! Please spare my life!" one Immortal shouted.

"Unnecessary. I have enough subordinates for the moment; they simply lack physical bodies," the man replied.

"Cursed King, for scheming against our Immortal sects, you'll suffer retribution!" one Immortal cursed.

"Retribution? Ha! Even the heavens can't do anything against me!"

Just then, a beam of starlight shot down from the heavens and enveloped the man.

"What?" The man frowned and looked up at the heavens.

The sky lit up with 361 glowing stars, each shooting down a beam of starlight. The man was surrounded by a barrier formed by the intersection of those beams and found himself unable to break free.

"Who's there?!" the man in black brocade shouted.

"I am," a cold voice replied.

The man turned to see Mr. Wen and a group of his followers standing on an island.

"You dare?!" The cursed effigies present all shot toward Mr. Wen.

The Star Map of the Complete Heavens flashed into existence behind Mr. Wen. With a wave of his hand, more beams of starlight shot down and encapsulated the islands all around. Lit by the starlight, blue fog formed all around them. The cursed effigies within were all disoriented and lost their sense of direction.

Xiao Nanfeng and You Jiu were likewise trapped within the formation. They suddenly saw an amazing sight.

"Is this the true strength of the formation? That's impossible..." You Jiu breathed out.

Everything around them had vanished—the islands, the seawater, and even heaven and earth. The two of them seemed to be situated within the desolation of space, in silence and overwhelming solitude.

"The Formation of the Complete Heavens is truly impressive. This intersection between reality and illusion—no wonder it was the premier formation of the spirits' Imperial Court. Being trapped by the illusion is like being trapped in the firmament," Xiao Nanfeng whispered.

"Your Majesty, we've been trapped by the formation as well. Considering how arcane it is, will it be a danger to us?" You Jiu worried.

"It doesn't matter. Mr. Wen didn't deploy the formation with much strength. As long as you don't run around, the formation will only entrap you without doing any damage. Wait here for me."

"You can leave the formation, Your Majesty?"

"I'm aware of how the formation operates, so I can naturally leave it." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

He stepped forward and vanished from sight, causing You Jiu to gape at him.

By that point, the formation had trapped all the cursed effigies around. Only the man in black brocade floated in the air, still trapped within the starlit barrier. He looked toward Mr. Wen, his eyes cold. "Who are you? You seem familiar. Ah, is it you, Mr. Wen? You've changed your appearance?"

Mr. Wen flew up into the air, the Star Map of the Complete Heavens to his back. His face was cold. "Dragon Yanluo, it's been a hundred years. Your strength has only diminished. You haven't fully healed from your injuries, have you?"

"Mr. Wen, I gave you a chance to be my follower, but you challenged me time and time again. You foiled my plans a hundred years ago; do you think I would let you do so again? Do you think a meager relic can take me down?" the Dragon Yanluo demanded.

"This Star Map of the Complete Heavens is no mere relic. By commanding the strength of the very heavens, it perfectly counters a demon from hell like you. Now, die!" Mr. Wen shouted.

The Star Map of the Complete Heavens to his back trembled violently as the stars above began to shine with brilliant light. The beams passed straight through the starlit barrier and toward the Dragon Yanluo.

"What?" The Dragon Yanluo frowned, punching at the starlit radiance.

A tempest formed around him.

When the explosion dissipated, the Dragon Yanluo found a streak of blood across his arm. His face was cold. "Command over natural law. You have a relic that controls natural law itself?!"

"You aren't a Heaven Immortal?" Mr. Wen cried out.

"Do you think I've only recovered to the level of a Human Immortal after a hundred years? Mr. Wen, it looks like I've underestimated you again—but so have you underestimated me."

The Dragon Yanluo punched at the starlit barrier around him, which shook violently. It almost collapsed, causing Mr. Wen to blanch.

"Again, starlit blades!" Mr. Wen cried out.

Another series of starlit beams descended from the heavens. The Dragon Yanluo punched at them once again, forming yet another tempest as the two attacks clashed. Mr. Wen frowned.

"Such treasures should possess far more strength. It looks like you don't have what it takes to control a treasure of this magnitude, haha!" the Dragon Yanluo roared in laughter.

He punched at the barrier once again, causing it to shake and tremble. It resonated with the Star Map of the Complete Heavens itself; Mr. Wen spat out a mouthful of blood.

"As expected, you can't control such a treasure perfectly. For handing me something so valuable, I'll grant you a clean death." The Dragon Yanluo laughed again.

"Starlit blades, again!" Mr. Wen cried out, gritting his teeth against the pain.

Another series of starlit beams shot down from the heavens toward the Dragon Yanluo.

"Heavens above, the Yanluo Lords below!" the Dragon Yanluo shouted, punching at the beams.

A tempest of incredible proportions formed around him as the starlit beams shattered. Huge cracks spiderwebbed from the barrier, and the resonance caused the star map to Mr. Wen's back to shake violently. He was flung backwards in an explosion of blood.

A hand caught Mr. Wen—Xiao Nanfeng stepped out of the formation just in time to save him.

"Xiao Nanfeng? You can escape from this formation?" Mr. Wen exclaimed, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Mr. Wen, this isn't how you're supposed to use the formation." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

He reached out and threw the star map toward a black-robed man close by.

"Blue Lantern, I'm counting on you!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

The black-robed man was naturally none other than Blue Lantern. He caught the star map and activated it. Instantly, the 361 stars blazed with ten times the resplendent light, and the starlit beams that shot toward the Dragon Yanluo likewise redoubled in intensity. The starlit barrier that seemed about to break was repaired in full.

"What an incredible treasure!" Blue Lantern exclaimed.

"To be able to draw out such strength..." Mr. Wen murmured. He seemed to have expected that Blue Lantern would be nearby. "As expected of an expert that can corral even draconic veins."

"Mr. Wen, let's watch the show unfold." Xiao Nanfeng pulled Mr. Wen to the side as they departed the battlefield, leaving Blue Lantern to contend with the Dragon Yanluo.