txolops Chapter 215 The Deadly Formation Surrounds Xiqi City
Chapter 215 The Deadly Formation Surrounds Xiqi City
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"No, the plague has been eradicated!"
Just as Lu Xiong was rejoicing at the end of the plague, the news from Qiu Shou Xian instantly extinguished his joy.
"General, they must have obtained the antidote from Shennong, the Earth God, which is how they broke the plague."
Lu Xiong took a deep breath, suppressing the agitation in his heart, and then revealed a resolute expression.
At this moment, the Xiqi soldiers have just recovered from their illnesses and their fighting strength is weakened, making it an opportune time to launch an attack.
He suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.
"Haha, that's good! Deng Jiugong, listen to my command, quickly assemble the army and attack Xiqi City immediately!"
"I implore you esteemed immortals to hold off the opposing cultivators for a quarter of an hour. I am confident that I can breach the gates of Xiqi within that time!"
"This subordinate obeys!"
With the plague eradicated, the army had no more worries, and those weak soldiers were no match for them.
Deng Jiugong, a seasoned general, agreed with the strategy and immediately drew his sword, ready to fight.
However, Qiu Shouxian suddenly shook his head, a look of worry on his face.
"General, this matter requires further consideration. Our three religions possess a supernatural power called 'Scattering Beans to Create Soldiers,' and the disciples of the Chan Sect are particularly skilled in this art."
This technique can transform beans into soldiers, and the soldiers produced are endless. Even if a massive army charges into battle, it will be difficult to shake them in the slightest.
If they are driven into a corner, countless unforeseen events may occur. Therefore, a rash and forceful attack is absolutely out of the question.
The ability to scatter beans to create soldiers is a supernatural power among the Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Gang, which can be practiced by cultivators of all three religions.
However, most disciples of the Jie Sect rely on blood offerings for cultivation and are burdened with karmic debts. They often regard this technique as useless and rarely study it.
Looking at the disciples of the Jie Sect, only those with such profound spiritual roots as the Golden Spirit Mother were willing to comprehend it.
The disciples of the Chan Sect, however, were different. They could not practice evil arts, so they devoted themselves to developing these supernatural powers, commanding thousands of troops with a wave of their hands, their power unfathomable.
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiong felt as if a huge stone had fallen on his heart, and he couldn't help but sigh heavily.
He turned around and slammed his hand on the chair, causing the sandalwood armrest to shatter and splinter.
"Alas! Esteemed immortals, what should we do now?"
After a moment of contemplation, Qiu Shouxian slowly glanced at the Ten Heavenly Lords who were standing quietly to the side.
The ten people, sharing a common understanding, looked at each other and nodded slightly.
Qin Wan, the leader of the Ten Heavenly Kings, stepped forward and bowed to Lu Xiong, saying:
"General, do not worry. My brothers and I have mastered ten ultimate formations, whose power can shake the heavens and the earth."
"Simply surround Xiqi, and within ten days they will run out of food and reinforcements, the city will fall, and their people will perish!"
After saying this, Qin Wan said no more and, along with the other Nine Heavenly Lords, transformed into ten streams of light and flew out of the military camp.
In an instant, the sky above Xiqi City changed color, and the clear sky suddenly darkened.
Ten immense pressures descended, each guarding one of the ten directions, encircling Xiqi City and the surrounding hundreds of miles of mountains and rivers like an iron barrel.
The mountains and rivers trembled, birds and beasts scattered in fright, and a desolate atmosphere descended upon the world.
Howling winds, freezing ice, golden light, blood transformation, raging flames, soul-destroying spells, red water, red sand... one after another, formidable formations unfolded, connecting the sky and the earth.
Ten deadly formations suddenly unfolded, connecting the sky and the earth, their malevolent aura spreading in all directions.
The protective array of Xiqi City trembled wildly, moaning under the impact of the baleful energy, and cracks began to appear.
The people in the city had just escaped the clutches of the plague, but when they saw this scene of annihilation, they cried out in despair and fled in panic, hiding in their houses and closing their doors tightly.
In just a short while, the once bustling streets were deserted, with only the howling wind whipping up dust and gravel.
In the silence, fear spread like a plague, seeping into every brick and stone.
Inside the Marquis of Xibo's residence, Ji Chang witnessed the celestial anomaly, his face turning deathly pale. He immediately ordered the summoning of all his subjects.
The officials rushed over in a panic and gathered in the hall. They were all terrified and at a loss, their clothes soaked with sweat.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Ji Chang could only look at Jiang Ziya, his voice trembling:
"Prime Minister, what... what exactly has happened?"
Jiang Ziya looked up at the celestial phenomena, sighed deeply, and his fingers trembled slightly in his sleeve.
"This is the Ten Deadly Formations of the Ten Heavenly Kings of the Jie Sect. It is extremely dangerous and has the power to shatter the heavens and split the earth."
Now they have surrounded the city with their formation, intending to trap and kill us, cutting off our escape route. If they unleash their full power, Xiqi will fall in the blink of an eye.
The hall erupted in uproar, with the officials whispering amongst themselves, their faces filled with despair.
Ji Chang staggered half a step, steadied himself on the table, and said urgently:
"Does the Prime Minister have a solution?"
Jiang Ziya shook his head and smiled bitterly, turning his gaze to Manjushri Bodhisattva and Jade Cauldron Immortal sitting to the side.
Manjushri, the Heavenly Venerable of Vast Dharma, understood, straightened his robes, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully, saying:
"My lord, Fellow Daoist Yuan Hong possesses profound cultivation and great supernatural powers, and is further protected by the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts. We can send him ahead to probe the formation and ascertain its true strength."
My fellow disciple Yu Ding and I will be on the perimeter, ready to provide backup as needed. This should ensure our safety. What does Your Excellency think?
Yuan Hong stood at the corner of the hall, and upon hearing these words, his brows immediately furrowed.
Although he was born in Meishan and was a wandering immortal, he cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, had extensive knowledge, and had long heard of the infamous reputation of the Ten Deadly Formations.
Manjushri, the Heavenly Venerable of Vast Dharma, clearly used this statement to send him as a pawn to test the tiger's mouth.
At first, he joined Xiqi, intending to help Ji Chang achieve great things, share in the fortune of the human race, and attain enlightenment.
But now the situation is chaotic, with bloodshed everywhere, and the outcome for Xiqi is uncertain.
Yuan Hong had long been estranged from him, and his daily actions were merely perfunctory.
At this moment, Manjushri Bodhisattva is forcing him to die in front of everyone. How could he willingly submit?
"Fellow Daoist, do you perhaps consider me a fool? The reason why the Ten Deadly Formations are so infamous is entirely due to the malevolent energy accumulated within them."
However, this formation has a fatal flaw: every time a cultivator dies in the formation, their malevolent energy is diminished, and the formation's power is weakened accordingly.
"This method of breaking the formation by sacrificing one's life, yet you invite me to go? Do you think I don't understand, or do you hope I'll go and die?"
Upon hearing this, Manjushri, the Heavenly Venerable of Vast Dharma, couldn't help but curse inwardly.
He did not expect that Yuan Hong knew the key to this formation in great detail, and even revealed the secrets in front of everyone.
In this way, everyone present understood the cruel price of breaking the formation, and it would be even more difficult to get people like Yang Ren to enter the formation to explore the way.
However, he could not show it on his face, otherwise the stigma of being narrow-minded and scheming against his comrades would be confirmed.
He frowned, a look of doubt and difficulty on his face, and asked in return:
"Fellow Daoist, is what you say true? This Ten Deadly Formations... requires this method to break? This, this..."
Seeing his behavior, Yuan Hong felt even more disgusted. He let out a cold snort, turned around, and walked out of the Marquis's residence, leaving behind only a chilling remark:
"Hmph, you know perfectly well whether it's true or false. This pretentious act is truly disgusting!"
"Yuan Hong, how could you do this..."
Manjushri's expression stiffened, as if he was about to refute.
"That's enough!"
Ji Chang, seated at the head of the table, finally spoke, his voice heavy and filled with deep anxiety:
"Esteemed immortals, the most urgent task at hand is to discuss a strategy to break the formation."
The Ten Deadly Formations hang outside the city; every moment of delay increases the danger of Xiqi's collapse. Let us set aside our verbal disputes for now and devise a better strategy together.
Ji Chang spoke, and the hall immediately fell silent.
However, although everyone sat down again, for a long time afterwards, only a suppressed silence and flickering eyes remained in the hall.
The proposals were discussed for a long time, but no one could come up with a feasible solution.
Everyone understands the logic; Yuan Hong has already made it clear:
Breaking the formation requires sacrificing lives; if anyone were to suggest it now, it would be tantamount to naming and shooing someone to their death.
In this delicate stalemate, no one was willing to speak up, and no one was willing to take the initiative.