Chapter 903: Fighting the Formation Beasts

The black-robed figures manipulating the formation all stopped and turned to Xiao Nanfeng and Xia Yu'er, who were slaughtering their enemies with unmatched ferocity.

"I've heard of how strong Xiao Nanfeng is—and the rumors seem to underestimate his abilities. He's using ordinary sword techniques to kill cultivators of the same realm with ease."

"Crown Princess, if this drags out any longer, Xiao Nanfeng will kill us all and prevent us from extracting the pure yang pillar!"

"Crown Princess, what do we do?"

The black-robed cultivators all looked toward their leader as they awaited further instructions.

The crown princess considered the situation for a moment. "In that case, we'll send Xiao Nanfeng within the pure yang pillar."

"What? Within it?" the cultivators exclaimed.

"Isn't he able to take down Golden Immortals easily? Let's see just how strong he really is, then. Each pure yang pillar contains a subspace. We'll send them in and have them die within."

"Crown Princess, do you plan to channel the pure yang energy within the pillar to incinerate Xiao Nanfeng? Won't that result in a delay in the extraction?"

"Not for long. Prepare the formation," the crown princess commanded.

"Understood!" everyone replied.

With a wave of their hands, the black-robed figures arranged countless golden runes together to form a thick golden fog that surged toward Xiao Nanfeng and Xia Yu'er.

"Nanfeng, we have to evade this fog!" Yu'er called out.

"It's too late. This is a formation. Come to me!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

Golden fog surged toward them from all directions, leaving no room for escape. Xiao Nanfeng abandoned his offensive against the black-robed figures and focused on protecting Yu'er.

The golden fog enveloped them, and the void began to tremble violently.

"Void teleportation? This is a complex array..." Xiao Nanfeng murmured, his face darkening.

He quickly stabilized their surroundings. Though Yu'er's curse prevented him from touching her, he could still create a protective barrier around her with his qi.

With a hum, the vibrations in the void subsided. Everything seemed to calm down.

Xiao Nanfeng waved a hand, dispersing the fog with a gust of wind. They had been transported into a vast, unfamiliar space.

"Where are we?" Xiao Nanfeng wondered warily, scanning his surroundings.

"Not far at all. You're within the pure yang pillar," a mocking voice said.

Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er turned toward the voice to see a group of black-robed cultivators watching them intently.

"And who might you be?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The leader of the group laughed. "You need not know my identity. You'll never live to find out, after all."

The crown princess waved her hand. A circular pattern emerged from the ground, inscribed with the twelve golden characters of the Earthly Branches. Each character radiated brilliant golden light and gave off immense energy.

With a bestial roar, the golden characters transformed into twelve massive beasts: a rat, an ox, a tiger, and so on. Each one corresponded to an Earthly Branch.

A ferocious aura surrounded all twelve beasts.

"What are these monsters? They're all Golden Immortals!" Yu'er exclaimed.

"These are the formation beasts corresponding to the twelve Earthly Branches. They manifest from certain formations. In an illusory realm, they can form from spiritual power; in reality, they can be created using other forms of energy. Only top-tier formations masters can manifest them, and their strength depends on the materials used in the formation," Xiao Nanfeng explained.

"Oh? You're quite knowledgeable," the crown princess said. "Consider yourself lucky. If not for the restrictions of the heavens present here, they would be far stronger than peak Golden Immortals." She turned to the beasts. "Now, attack!"

The twelve beasts shot straight toward Xiao Nanfeng.

Xiao Nanfeng eyed them coldly.

The golden ox took the lead, roaring and sending a wave of destructive sound toward him.

"Die!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted, his blade slashing down.

The golden ox roared, only to be cleaved in half. Its body exploded in a sea of flames.

"Die!" Xia Yu'er echoed, joining the fray.

Dozens of Yuqing purple blades shot out from her hands and pierced through the golden rat, though it wasn't quite dead. Yu'er waved her hands again and summoned a second wave of Yuqing swords to destroy it fully, causing it to explode into a sea of flames as well.

Xiao Nanfeng's blade was as fierce as ever. He killed one beast with every slash—the golden tiger, the golden rabbit, the golden horse, the golden dragon...

Each slash left destruction in its wake. Fire and heat surging through the void. Though Xia Yu'er was less formidable, she too contributed to a significant extent.

When Xiao Nanfeng killed the last of the twelve beasts, another series of roars erupted. Twelve more beasts began to emerge from the ground.

This time, the formation expanded like a compass, with countless Earthly Branches characters arranged in concentric circles. Each character emitted golden energy and summoned its corresponding formation beast.

Twelve beasts—no, there were a hundred and twenty, and the number was still growing.

"How can there be so many of them? Nanfeng, didn't you say that they needed a massive amount of energy for this formation?" Yu'er asked anxiously.

"They must be drawing from the pure yang pillar," Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

"Indeed," the crown princess said, sneering. "Xiao Nanfeng, didn't you boast about cutting down Golden Immortals readily? Go ahead—keep destroying them. I'll enjoy watching you exhaust yourself.

With a roar, another set of twelve beasts charged forward.

Xiao Nanfeng's eyes grew cold as he released his ten golden crows.

The resulting shockwave knocked down the formation beasts and sent them flying.

The fierce crows roared and attacked, tearing into the beasts with claws as sharp as spears and feathers like blades.

The beasts were swiftly reduced to nothing more than debris.

The black-robed cultivators watching from afar gasped in disbelief.

"Sky of Ten Suns? How can Xiao Nanfeng's golden crows be this strong?"

"He must have been deliberately hiding his strength! It's more terrifying than we imagined!"

"How has he managed to hide his power to this extent?"

Even Yu'er was astonished by Xiao Nanfeng's prowess.

She stood by his side, watching as his ten golden crows obliterated wave after wave of beasts.

"Without sunlight to empower his ten golden crows, he'll eventually run out of strength. He won't last long," the crown princess said coldly.

Xiao Nanfeng smirked. "We'll see whether I run out of strength or your formation runs out of energy first."

The battle raged on as more beasts swarmed toward Xiao Nanfeng. His ten golden crows continued their relentless assault. The intense flames turned the realm into a furnace, one that was unbearable even for the black-robed figures.

"I can't take it anymore! There are too many pure yang flames in the vicinity. I'm going to melt!"

"Me too! I can't bear it any longer!"

"The flames are too intense!"

"Even a Boundless Immortal would be forced to avoid these flames, surely?"

The black-robed cultivators fretted anxiously. Some of their robes were already starting to burn.

The crown princess frowned. "Very well. Let's go. We'll control the formation from the outside."

"Understood!" the others replied.

"Hold it!" Xiao Nanfeng shouted, rushing over.

However, a group of beasts rushed toward him, blocking his way. The black-robed cultivators vanished in a cloud of golden fog.

Only Xiao Nanfeng and Xia Yu'er remained within the realm.

"Nanfeng, now that they're gone, can we escape as well?" Yu'er asked.

"I'm worried about where we are. If I use my candleflame powers at will, we might end up somewhere even more dangerous," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"What should we do, then?" Yu'er asked, worried.

"It's not a problem. Leave it to me," Xiao Nanfeng said, smiling.

"What?" Yu'er was confused.

"Hide in the Divine Seal of Dazheng. I'll absorb these pure yang flames."

"You're... going to cultivate?" Yu'er exclaimed in shock.

"I will. I can absorb these pure yang flames, and might even be able to take advantage of the opportunity to break through."

"Really? That's wonderful. Let me help guard you," Yu'er offered.

"There's no need. It's too hot, and I'm afraid you won't be able to stand it."

"I'm fine. The Yuqing yin pillar is a source of extreme cold. I can bear the heat—I don't even sense it at present."

"Really?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

"Of course," Yu'er replied confidently.

"Got it. Please guard me, then," Xiao Nanfeng said with a nod.

He sat down cross-legged and began to absorb the flames, swallowing them into his mouth. His ten golden crows did the same even as they continued to fight.

Xiao Nanfeng and his ten golden crows looked like whirlpools of flame, devouring all the heat and fire that was in their vicinity.

Although the ten golden crows were unable to replenish their energy from the sun, these pure yang flames served a similar purpose as sunlight. This realm was a haven for Xiao Nanfeng.