Without that level of skill, it would have been impossible to break through the illusion formation in such a short time. Setting up a formation and breaking one were two entirely different matters—at the same level of formation mastery, one person might lay a formation while another broke it, and the latter was invariably far more difficult. Yet Luan Baifeng had managed to unravel the Nine Heavens' illusion formation in the time it took an incense stick to burn. Her attainments in the Dao of Formations were clearly extraordinary.
"Who is this woman?" Yang Kai murmured softly.
"She should be the Warden of Black Prison—Luan Baifeng!" Yue He's voice came from beside him.
Yang Kai turned his head. "Why are you up? Go tend to your injuries. There's a hard fight coming." Yue He and Mo Mei had rushed to the rescue, managing to retrieve the captured Lu Xue, Yun Xinghua, and the others, but nearly everyone had been injured on the way back. That was to say nothing of Yue He, whose Artifact had been destroyed and whose mind had been shaken. Yue He and the rest had been recovering from their injuries, which was why Yang Kai had Fan Wuxin lead those three hundred Open Heaven cultivators to the front lines.
Yue He shook her head gently. "It's nothing serious now. The spirit pills Master gifted us are very effective."
Yang Kai saw that she looked perfectly fine, so he didn't press the matter. To help Yue He and the others recover as quickly as possible, the spirit pills he had distributed this time were all brought out from the Blood Demon Divine Palace—pills that bore medicinal patterns, naturally of immense potency.
"The Warden of Black Prison?" Yang Kai's eyebrows rose slightly. He vaguely recalled that the Thirty Thousand Worlds had such a faction, but he knew little about Black Prison.
Yue He said, "The environment inside Black Prison is incredibly harsh, filled with countless natural restrictions and formations. Even High-Order Open Heaven cultivators would not dare venture deep into it lightly. Yet Luan Baifeng moves through it like a fish in water—she clearly has her own unique strengths." At first, Yue He hadn't recognized Luan Baifeng either, since they had never met before. But across the entire Thirty Thousand Worlds, there were very few female Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators of such strength. Combined with her attainments in the Dao of Formations, Yue He had immediately realized who she was.
Yang Kai nodded slightly and grinned. "Then we really have her to thank this time!"
As the two spoke, the Hundred Families Alliance had already pointed its forces toward Void Land. Over a hundred flying Artifacts, packed tightly together, swept forward in a grand assault across the void. Kong Feng stood on the deck, his eyes blazing with fury, and bellowed in a commanding voice: "Yang Kai, brat—your time has come!"
Yang Kai dropped his smile and said in an exasperated tone: "Old dog Kong Feng, my Void Land will never coexist with your Heavenly Sword Alliance!"
Kong Feng burst into hearty laughter. "A beaten dog still dares spout empty threats? Watch me crush your Void Land today!" With that, he swept his hand forward. "Kill!"
The Hundred Families Alliance's flying Artifacts dove straight toward Void Land. The cultivators who had survived the illusion formation returned to their respective flying Artifacts, their fury burning hot.
In an instant, the Hundred Families Alliance's momentum surged like a rainbow.
Yang Kai's face turned panicked. He gripped the grand formation jade token and roared: "Activate the formation!"
The moment the words left his lips, all of Void Land emitted a deep hum, and heaven and earth trembled for an instant. Then, an umbrella-shaped Artifact shot out from the depths of Void Land, swelling in the wind and transforming into half a canopy of sky that enveloped the entire territory.
The Nine Heavens' Grand Protective Formation! And Yang Kai had activated the formation's core—the Heaven Net Umbrella—from the very start!
The Heaven Net Umbrella had cost Yang Kai a fortune. The Shopkeeper had personally brought him to that troublesome Master to commission it, tailor-made for Void Land. Its defensive power was truly formidable. With the formation activated, Void Land instantly became as solid as a fortress. The barrier of light enveloping the territory was dense, substantial, and incredibly sturdy. The Hundred Families Alliance, caught off guard, slammed into it and was repelled one after another.
Kong Feng laughed coldly: "Even on the brink of death, you still cling stubbornly to resistance. Do you think a turtle shell will stop me? Break it!"
At Kong Feng's command, nearly ten thousand cultivators of the Hundred Families Alliance launched their attacks simultaneously, unleashing Artifacts and techniques against the barrier of light.
After the Nine Heavens' formation had been completed, Grandmaster Wuliang had explained its many wondrous uses to Yang Kai. He had personally stated that the protective formation was so sturdy that ten Mid-Order Open Heaven cultivators could attack it for ten days and ten nights without the slightest concern—a testament to how extraordinary the formation truly was.
Yet at this moment, the number of Mid-Order Open Heaven cultivators attacking it was far greater than ten!
The Hundred Families Alliance had lost three to four thousand people in the illusion formation and over a dozen Open Heaven cultivators had fallen, but their foundation remained intact. The moment they struck, their force was like thunder.
And while the cultivators below the Open Heaven Realm could not contribute much individually, their sheer numbers more than made up for it. Enough ants could take down an elephant. Their attacks might not play a decisive role, but they could slowly erode the formation's power bit by bit.
Radiant streaks of light filled the sky, transforming into sharp, violent assaults that crashed against the formation's barrier, sending layer upon layer of ripples spreading outward. The formation's glow rapidly dimmed, yet Void Land had no response to offer.
Kong Feng sneered repeatedly: "The boy has exhausted his tricks."
If it hadn't come to this, how would that kid surnamed Yang have activated his own protective formation? He had clearly been driven to a dead end. Kong Feng had harbored some worry that Void Land's formation might have other changes in store, but the moment he saw Yang Kai deploy the protective formation, his concerns vanished.
It seemed he had overestimated the formation's power. And glancing over, he saw Yang Kai with clenched fists, eyes bloodshot with fury, veins bulging on his forehead—the very picture of rage and anxiety—which only reinforced Kong Feng's judgment.
Luan Baifeng frowned slightly. "Alliance Master Kong, don't let your guard down."
Kong Feng raised his hand dismissively. "With the Hundred Families joining forces, what can this puny Void Land do to resist? We only suffered losses earlier because the boy exploited the terrain. Sister Luan, just wait for good news. Once the protective formation is broken, you may go capture your prisoners. Take as many as you wish—they're all yours."