The ninth-rank Cloud Beasts were formidable, but neither
If not for their wariness of the Light-Splitting Cloud Sea Formation's bizarre nature and its numerous variations, the two could have slain that ninth-rank Cloud Beast in short order.
Seeing how effortlessly the two Saint King cultivators handled themselves, Fei Zhitu and the others were overjoyed and felt somewhat reassured. Having witnessed how the Cloud Beasts were generated, they also understood that within this formation, the only viable strategy was to buy time. They immediately adjusted their approach—no longer seeking to kill the Cloud Beasts, only to stall them.
With this shift, the pressure on the group dropped dramatically, and they found themselves handling things with ease.
During this time,
Though the situation currently appeared stable—both the two Saint King cultivators, Yang Kai and Lian Guang, and the three Void Returning Stage experts, Fei Zhitu and the others, were managing with ease—if this dragged on, complications were inevitable. Who knew whether more Cloud Beasts might appear within this formation?
So the two pushed themselves to their limits, deploying everything they had ever learned, ceaselessly calculating the formation's myriad variations.
One incense stick's worth of time passed...
Half a shichen passed...
A full shichen passed...
For Yang Kai, the main contributor to this battle was still the Artifact Spirit Fire Bird. He was merely idly deploying his Nine Heavens Divine Art from the sidelines, keeping the ninth-rank Cloud Beast occupied. Given the Saint Yuan reserves within his body, the drain was negligible. As for Lian Guang, he was commanding his puppets to engage the enemy—though his Divine Sense consumption was enormous, after taking some pills to replenish his spiritual sense, he remained calm and composed, his expression normal.
But after such prolonged combat, Fei Zhitu and the others were beginning to feel the strain. Their Saint Yuan was being consumed at a staggering rate, and if this continued, the situation would grow dire. Fei Zhitu couldn't help but grow anxious, repeatedly casting his gaze toward Cai He and Du Sisi, hoping to gauge their progress.
Seeing this, Wen Feichen had no choice but to urge Cai He and Du Sisi along. The two did not disappoint—after an hour of calculation, they finally discovered a flaw.
A beam of mystic light suddenly shot forth from among the countless formation plates and bases, circled twice in place, then darted off into the distance.
In the blink of an eye, the mystic light struck a floating, fiery-red cloud. After being hit, the cloud—which had been drifting moments before—suddenly froze in place.
Du Sisi's lovely face lit up with joy, and she immediately cried out, "The formation eye is there! Destroy it and we can break the Light-Splitting Cloud Sea Formation!"
Hearing her shout, everyone's faces broke into smiles. Though after entering the formation, they had all vaguely suspected that the formation eye or gate might be hidden among the countless clouds, none of them had dared to casually touch those clouds, fearing dire consequences. Now that the formation eye had been found, that concern was naturally dispelled.
"Brother Wen!" Fei Zhitu suddenly called out in a low voice.
"Leave it to me!" A cold, sharp expression appeared on Wen Feichen's face as he fixed his gaze on the cloud struck by the mystic light. He flipped his wrist, and a golden needle roughly half a foot long materialized between his fingers. He then channeled Saint Yuan into it. As brilliant golden light erupted, he muttered under his breath, "Go!"
His words had barely left his lips when he flicked his hand. The golden light shot straight toward the cloud. In midair, it seemed to transform into a fanged spirit serpent, its massive jaws gaping wide, brimming with imposing might.
Just as the golden light was about to strike the cloud, something astonishing happened.
The cloud squirmed and shifted, suddenly transforming into a small, fiery-red beast that resembled a squirrel. The creature's eyes darted around, wearing an expression of utter contempt, and with a slight sway of its body, it vanished mysteriously from the spot.
The spirit serpent formed from the golden light lunged forward, only to strike empty air.
Wen Feichen's face darkened, his expression turning grim. He had known the cloud would surely undergo further transformations, but he never expected the cloud beast it became to simply disappear like that. He extended his spiritual sense but could detect no trace of any presence.
Just as he was seething with frustration, he saw Yang Kai move like a gust of wind, dashing directly to the spot where the small beast had vanished. With a cold expression, Yang Kai opened his palm and grabbed at the empty air.
*Squelch*...
Yang Kai's hand seemed to catch hold of something, but no matter how hard Wen Feichen peered, he couldn't see a thing. Instead, a series of squeaking sounds came from that spot.
Then, a flurry of light flickered, and the small beast that had vanished earlier suddenly reappeared in a mysterious flash. At this moment, it was clutched firmly in Yang Kai's palm.
It hadn't actually left—it had used some unknown method to conceal its body, a method sophisticated enough to fool Wen Feichen's spiritual sense!
*How did this kid figure it out?* Wen Feichen stared at Yang Kai in bewildered wonder, unable to fathom whether this was a lucky stroke or genuine perception.
While his mind raced, a mass of pitch-black Demonic Flame had already surfaced on Yang Kai's palm, ruthlessly burning the small beast.