"Do you think we would leak the Gold Master's information?" Their employer, who spent Spirit Stones lavishly, was referred to as the Gold Master.
Shadow Kill adhered to strict confidentiality, and if anyone leaked the Gold Master's information, the consequences would be more tragic than death.
Lu Fang knew the chances were slim, but he casually inquired, prompting everyone to quickly gather around.
A loud shout echoed, and everyone summoned their Spiritual Weapons, enclosing the twenty-three black-robed cultivators inside. These cultivators held small red flags, each two feet long and shaped like a triangle, as they took positions in different directions.
"Red Sun Separation Fire Formation! Be cautious!"
Lu Fang recognized the formation and loudly warned. The complete formation required the coordination of forty-nine cultivators at the Foundation Building stage or above. Such a formation could contend with Golden Core cultivators when fully activated.
However, there were only twenty-three individuals present, including thirteen at the Qi Cultivation level. Naturally, they couldn't unleash the full power equivalent to resisting Golden Core cultivators.
Moreover, they had only rehearsed this formation briefly just now, and their coordination was still unfamiliar, significantly reducing its effectiveness.
Initially, their small courtyard had a secret passage leading to another yard a hundred feet away, serving as a retreat in critical moments, eliminating the need for direct confrontation.
But ironically, just two days ago, another group accidentally connected their underground tunnel during some digging.
In the city of Azure Void, housing tens of thousands of cultivators, inevitably, some harbored secretive activities. Some created hidden chambers underground, while others dug tunnels, turning Azure Void into a maze of underground passageways.
Connecting all these tunnels would indeed form a massive labyrinth.
Wang Hong, alias Wang Kun, was no stranger to tunneling; he had dug a tunnel under the residence he impersonated and built underground cellars for his brewing workshop. Even his recently purchased mansion had an escape route underground.
Five yards below Azure Void City, there were protective formations linked to the city's Large Formation. As a result, everyone's tunnels could only be dug within this range.
This led to the frequent occurrence of two tunnels accidentally connecting.
Though Immortal Cultivators possessed Divine Sense for exploration, it had limited range underground. By the time they detected each other, it was often too late.
In such cases, both sides usually pretended not to notice the new neighbor, silently blocked the passage, and dug a new one.
Shadow Kill Organization was no exception. They had sealed off their tunnel, preparing to open a new one when, unbeknownst to them, the city lord's mansion sent ten teams to dig tunnels around their residence.
During this process, several tunnels passing through this area were discovered, and the owners could only silently lament their misfortune, unable to raise the matter.
It took ten teams two days to find Shadow Kill's underground passage.
With their escape route blocked, in a critical moment, the leading cultivator at the Foundation Building later stage brought out the Red Sun Separation Fire Formation.
Despite only rehearsing it once with twenty-three people, their unfamiliarity still made it more potent than facing the danger alone.
The twenty-three individuals infused Spiritual Energy and Spiritual Power into the small flags in their hands, causing them to emit a radiant red light. These twenty-three varying intensities of light converged in the air above them, forming a dazzling red flame.
Controlled by the cultivator at the Foundation Building later stage, the flame flew towards the front. The twenty-three Shadow Kill cultivators maintained the formation, following behind the flame, running while channeling Spiritual Power and Spiritual Energy into their formation flags.
Meanwhile, twenty-nine powerful Spiritual Weapons approached, aiming at the twenty-three cultivators. A Spirit Qi in the front collided with the fiery mass, igniting the Spiritual Weapon, which melted into a liquid after a moment.
The remaining twenty-eight Spiritual Weapons struck the red Light Screen in the air, causing it to dim slightly. The thirteen Qi Cultivation cultivators within the formation appeared pale, staggering as if they might collapse at any moment.
Wang Hong, seated on a distant rooftop, took a sip of Spirit Tea, his eyes fixed on the operation of the Red Sun Separation Fire Formation. If he could decipher ten percent of the runes on the protective formation before, he now found himself unable to comprehend even one percent of the current Red Sun Separation Fire Formation.
He forgot that his study of runes was for creating talismans, and he had only grasped Yin and Yang runes. Understanding one percent was already remarkable.
He only saw the Yin and Yang runes circulating, arranging into new patterns, which then gathered to form a more intricate and complex set of runes. Eventually, this complex arrangement gave birth to the formidable flame.
Taking another sip of Spirit Tea, his thoughts raced. After a while, his eyes lit up as if he had grasped something.
From his Storage Bag, he retrieved a piece of animal hide, dipped his finger in animal blood, and began to draw. He sketched three Yang runes connected to each other, forming a mysterious shape. He infused some Spiritual Power into it, hearing the collisions of Spiritual Power within the runes.
Suddenly, the three runes emitted a burst of heat, and a light smoke rose from the animal hide, carrying a burnt smell. Perhaps due to insufficient firepower, only the area where he drew the runes turned black.
Although unsuccessful, he felt he had found the right direction and planned to practice more when he got back.
While Wang Hong delved into rune research, the thirteen Qi Cultivation cultivators belonging to Shadow Kill had depleted their Spiritual Energy and collapsed on the ground. The remaining ten Foundation Building cultivators continued maintaining the Red Sun Separation Fire Formation, charging forward.
Just moments ago, two Qingxu Sect Foundation Building cultivators were hit by the flame. Along with their defensive Spiritual Weapons, they turned to ashes.
Lu Fang, wielding a two-yard-diameter shield, arrived at the forefront of Shadow Kill's attempt to break through. As the flame approached, his shield did not melt like the Spiritual Weapons before.
"A high-grade Spiritual Weapon! So, Fellow Daoist Lu has a high-grade Spiritual Weapon. Please, Fellow Daoist Lu, hold on for a moment. We'll break this Red Sun Separation Fire Formation," shouted the high-ranking cultivator.
At this point, the flame had diminished somewhat due to the loss of support from the thirteen Qi Cultivation cultivators.
Boom! At that moment, over twenty Spiritual Weapons simultaneously struck the Light Screen of the Red Sun Separation Fire Formation. The Light Screen shattered, turning into scattered starlight.
The ten Foundation Building cultivators maintaining the formation all spat out a mouthful of blood.
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]