What was going on? Chu Feng had just moved forward without encountering any resistance whatsoever. So why was it that the moment it was their turn, they were instantly sealed?
But thinking back, Chu Feng had seemed to advance using some bizarre movement technique. At the time, they had dismissed it as him putting on an act, making a spectacle out of nothing.
But now that they reconsidered — could it be that Chu Feng had genuinely discovered something they had all missed, which was why he was able to proceed unimpeded?
The thought made the members of the Jie clan feel utterly stupid.
Especially when they looked at the formation trapping them, they wished they could slap themselves across the face.
Those columns of light were composed of multiple offensive formations layered together, incredibly complex, and now they functioned like a cage, locking them inside while steadily constricting.
The light columns were extremely dangerous — they absolutely could not be touched. Even the slightest contact meant certain death.
"Lord Jie Zhou, what do we do now?!"
Every member of the Jie clan turned toward Jie Zhou.
What they didn't know was that Jie Zhou himself was on the verge of wetting his pants from terror.
But despite his internal panic, Jie Zhou maintained a composed exterior on the surface.
"Don't panic. I'm here."
With that, Jie Zhou truly did not sit idle. He began arranging a formation.
"Formation, activate!"
Following his sharp command, the formation he had set up expanded outward, merging into the light columns in an attempt to slow their rate of constriction.
But the moment the formation integrated, the light columns trembled slightly — then constricted even faster.
"Lord Jie Zhou, what did you do?!"
Seeing this, the faces of every Jie clan member drained of color. If anyone other than Jie Zhou had been the one to deploy the formation, they would have cursed him out on the spot.
This wasn't breaking the formation — this was practically trying to get them killed faster!
Only now did everyone fully understand: Jie Zhou hadn't understood a single thing. He had been talking complete nonsense.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have led them into this trap, and he certainly wouldn't have accelerated their march toward death.
"Jie Zhou, didn't you say formations were made to be broken? What exactly did you just break?"
"Big Brother Chu Feng already told you — he told you to stay put and behave."
"But no, you just had to refuse to listen. You just had to shoulder the responsibility and fight for the honor of the Seven Realms Sacred Temple."
"Talk is cheap. In reality, you were just afraid that Big Brother Chu Feng would break through here and steal your credit."
"Well, congratulations — you've truly taken responsibility now. Because you've led all of these peers from the Seven Realms Sacred Temple straight to their deaths."
A mocking voice rang out — it was Bai Yunqing.
In truth, Bai Yunqing had been somewhat wary of Jie Zhou before. So aside from speaking up on Chu Feng's behalf when he was displeased, he had never said much directly.
But now things were different. He could see clearly that Jie Zhou and his group were as good as dead.
So he held back nothing, openly ridiculing them.
As it happened, Jie Zhou could barely save himself at this point. Bai Yunqing's barbs, though grating, left him with no energy to retort.
All of his attention was fixed on the rapidly constricting light-column formation, desperately searching for a flaw — but he simply could not find one.
"Miss, what should we do? We can't just stand by and watch them die, can we?" The members of the Ling clan turned to Ling Mo'er.
"That Frost Domain conceals countless offensive formations. What has trapped them is only a fraction of them."
"Who can guarantee that stepping inside wouldn't lead to being trapped as well?"
"And even if one were lucky enough not to be trapped — can any of you actually see through that formation? Can you break it?"
"I, for one, am powerless," Ling Mo'er said.
The moment she spoke, those who had asked fell silent. The offensive formation looked simple on the surface, but it was extraordinarily complex.
More complex, even, than the Ice Mountain Formation that Chu Feng had broken earlier.
This formation was truly beyond their ability to dismantle.
"Jie Zhou, hurry up and think of something! If you don't act now, we're all going to die."
Jie Yu, who rarely spoke, was now pressing Jie Zhou urgently — and his tone was far from polite.
"Stop rushing me. I'm observing," Jie Zhou replied.
"Observing my ass! If you don't break this formation, we're all dead!" Jie Yu actually erupted into a rare outburst of cursing directed at Jie Zhou.
"You dare?!" Jie Zhou glared at Jie Yu. He had never expected Jie Yu to dare speak to him this way.
Under normal circumstances, facing a look like that from Jie Zhou, Jie Yu would have been too terrified to even lift his head. But today was different.
He not only showed no fear — he glared right back.
"I dare? Am I wrong?"
"Jie Zhou, you don't understand this formation at all."
"All to protect your title as the Prophesied Child from being overshadowed by Chu Feng, you insisted on forcing your way in here."
"Forcing your way in would be one thing, but you dragged us all in with you, making us die alongside you. You're no Prophesied Child — you're just a vain, selfish man."
Jie Yu unleashed everything he had been holding back, pouring out all his frustration without restraint.
Under normal circumstances, Jie Zhou wouldn't even need to speak — his lackeys would never have let anyone talk to him like that. But right now, not a single person condemned Jie Yu for what he said.
Because wasn't everything Jie Yu had just said exactly what they were all thinking?
They used to fear Jie Zhou on a daily basis, but they didn't anymore. After all, they were all about to die.
"Jie Yu, so you were in cahoots with Chu Feng all along."