Chapter 172: Blocking the Way – Part 1
“Yu Changlin, since when did Monster Hunters have such formidable Formation Masters? Why not let me meet them?” Qian Hong said coldly.
Elder Yu feigned ignorance, “What Formation Master? I haven’t seen any.”
Qian Hong’s eyelid twitched, “What is this that you’ve set up?”
Elder Yu replied, “How would I know? I was just passing by, I don’t know what’s on the ground.”
Qian Hong spoke angrily, “Elder Yu, don’t play the fool with me!”
Elder Yu’s face showed indifference, “Elder Qian, the tortoise, don’t put on airs with me!”
Qian Hong seethed inwardly, but he also knew that now was not the time to engage in a war of words with Yu Changlin.
Yu Changlin would be delighted to argue with him for a day and a night, by which time the Monster Hunters would have brought the spiritual mines into the city, and the Qian Family would be powerless to stop them.
The Earth Fire Formation was lethal to Cultivators in the Qi Refinement Realm, but its threat to those in the Foundation Establishment Stage was much smaller.
Given the urgency, and with no time to delay, Qian Hong had no choice but to proceed through the mountain path in front of him to find out the location of the Earth Fire Formation.
The moment Qian Hong took a step forward, he suddenly felt someone watching him with Divine Sense, seemingly intent on killing him.
Qian Hong felt an immediate sense of alarm and looked up, displeased, “What are you trying to do, Yu Changlin?”
Elder Yu’s gaze was sharp, but his voice remained indifferent, “Nothing in particular.”
Qian Hong’s gaze hardened, “Are you planning to make a move?”
Elder Yu spread his hands, pretending to be magnanimous, “Where did you see me make a move?”
Qian Hong ground his teeth in hatred, “You just watched me with killing intent in your Divine Sense.”
Yu Changlin said disdainfully, “That’s because you’re too cowardly. I always look at people ; if you’re scared, that’s your own problem.”
Qian Hong eyed Elder Yu’s cold gaze, but Elder Yu remained unfazed.
Qian Zhongxuan whispered, “This old coot is just stalling for time, Family Head, don’t fall for his tricks.”
How could Qian Hong not know this, yet he didn’t have a good solution.
Qian Zhongxuan continued, “Why not lead by example and locate the Earth Fire Formation yourself? I’ll cover for you.”
Qian Hong gave him a cold glance, “Why doesn’t Elder Qian lead by example and let me do the covering?”
Qian Zhongxuan’s face showed a hint of shame, “Family Head, have you forgotten? You’re fully in charge of this matter. I’ve suffered repeated defeats and heavy losses before, and I’ve lost the qualification to intervene anymore.”
Qian Hong cursed Qian Zhongxuan in his heart for being shameless.
He had no idea what trap Yu Changlin had set ahead, and if he went to investigate, a sneak attack could leave him dead or severely injured en route.
Then, if Qian Zhongxuan came to the rescue, not only would the merit be his, but Qian Hong would also owe him a favor.
Qian Zhongxuan, too, was hoping for Qian Hong to be sneak-attacked by Yu Changlin; death was not necessary, near-death would do, even serious injuries would suffice.
Both men had their calculations, and both were hesitating.
Just then, Qian Zhuang stepped forward and saluted, “May I be permitted to try?”
Qian Zhuang’s tone was respectful, but excitement could hardly be concealed in his expression.
His moment to shine had arrived!
He was well acquainted with the Earth Fire Formation; he had suffered a great loss from it, but he had also successfully breached it before.
Even though breaching the Earth Fire Formation last time had cost him dearly, to the point of being registered as a major demerit, this opportunity, if well grasped, could possibly turn that demerit into a great merit!
Qian Hong frowned, “Do you have a method?”
Qian Zhuang replied, “Reporting to the Family Head, this disciple has once broken through this Earth Fire Formation!”
“A Qi Refinement Cultivator can break it?”
Qian Hong was intrigued, “Let’s hear it.”
Qian Zhuang went on to describe his previous method of breaking the Earth Fire Formation. After listening, Qian Hong thought for a moment and nodded, “It does make some sense.”
Qian Zhuang’s expression brightened.
Qian Hong instructed, “I have a dozen or so sets of iron armor here. Select Cultivators with Earth Series Spiritual Roots, the faster the better. If this succeeds, I’ll credit you with a great merit!”
Qian Zhuang was overjoyed and said, “Yes!”
Very quickly, a dozen cultivators of the Qi Refining Ninth Level, with Earth Series Spiritual Roots and skilled in Body Refinement, thick-skinned and robust, were selected from the Qian Family’s cultivators.
They donned iron armor and began to spread out as instructed by Qian Zhuang, moving forward bit by bit, attempting to trigger and clear all the Earth Fire Formations within the mountain path.
Qian Zhuang was brimming with confidence, as he had tested this method before with a ninety percent success rate, certain that nothing would go wrong.
As long as they cleared all the Earth Fire Formations, the path ahead would be open. The Monster Hunters would be trapped with no way out, and this would be his great achievement.
That’s what Qian Zhuang was thinking.
However, as soon as the first Earth Fire Formation exploded, Qian Zhuang’s plan fell to pieces.
Accompanied by a loud explosion, scarlet flames flickered, and charred smoke billowed, with intense Spiritual Power reverberating.
The iron-armored Qian Family cultivator was engulfed by the flames and then catapulted by the surging Spiritual Power, tumbling to the ground, curled up in agony.
Half of his body was charred black and soaked in blood, his iron armor riddled with cracks!
Everyone gasped, and Qian Zhuang was stunned.
How had the power increased so much?!
This wasn’t the Earth Fire Formation he had broken through before!
Qian Hong glanced at the cultivator injured by the Earth Fire Formation and then coldly at Qian Zhuang, his eyes as icy as if he were looking at a dead fish.
Qian Zhuang’s entire back was drenched in cold sweat as he thought to himself that it was all over.
Had he not sought this limelight, it would have been fine, but now his eagerness for credit had led him to disaster.
Originally, he wanted to impress the Family Head and turn his previous major fault into a major merit. Now, not only was there no great achievement, but his fault had also been doubled.
Qian Zhongxuan also gave Qian Zhuang a cold look before turning his head and saying to Qian Hong,
“Family Head, our only option now is to charge through.”
Qian Hong glanced at Qian Zhongxuan and said, “How can we charge through? You’ve seen the power of this formation. Even if a cultivator in the later stage of Qi Refinement charges through, they won’t die but will certainly be severely injured.”
Qian Zhongxuan’s eyes flickered slightly, “The mountain path isn’t very wide. We only need a hundred or two cultivators to take the risk and trigger all the Earth Fire Formations, then the following cultivators will face no obstacles.”
Qian Hong felt a chill in his heart, and his gaze towards Qian Zhongxuan became even more unfriendly.
He was being forced into playing the villain.
Out of nearly two thousand people, only one or two hundred were needed to break through these Earth Fire Formations.
The problem was, how should these one or two hundred be chosen?
Or rather, who should be sent to their deaths?
If this had been done secretly, it would be one thing, but now with so many Qian Family disciples watching, if he dared do such a thing, he could pretty much forget about maintaining his position as Family Head.
Qian Hong gritted his teeth and said, “As Family Head, I must lead by example. I will break through this Earth Fire Formation myself, and I ask Elder Qian to fight by my side to guard against any treacherous assaults from the old scoundrel Yu Changlin.”
Qian Zhongxuan feigned hesitation to decline.
Qian Hong immediately said, “The fault of the Elder this time, can be completely dismissed.”
Qian Zhongxuan raised an eyebrow, “Really?”
Qian Zhongxuan respectfully said, “As an Elder of the Qian Family, I shall stand with the Family Head through thick and thin!”
Qian Hong inwardly snorted in disdain, but outwardly he showed relief, “There’s no time to delay. We must act now, but we must be wary of Yu Changlin’s sneak attacks.”
Hence, Qian Hong and Qian Zhongxuan, two Foundation Establishment Elders, joined forces, using their movement techniques to personally trigger the Earth Fire Formations in the mountain path.
Two figures dashed tirelessly through the mountain roads, setting off explosions of fire and waves of surging Spiritual Power.
After the explosion sounds gradually subsided, the fire faded, and the smoke dissipated, they finally stopped.
By then, both men were in a sorry state, their clothes torn, their faces sooty. While there were no bloodstains on their bodies, their internal organs ached from the Spiritual Power vibrations, and they had to forcefully suppress the urge to vomit blood.
Even for Foundation Building Cultivators, bathing in a first-grade Earth Fire Formation was too much to handle.