Time was running out. The purple ring the Asura Great Emperor had summoned was his final killing move. If even this couldn't deal with those eight stone sculptures, then the Asura Great Emperor truly had no other recourse.
When he saw Jiang Chen withdraw the eight stone sculptures, the Asura Great Emperor's heart surged with wild joy. One way or another, he had finally broken through the first line of defense.
The Asura Great Emperor sneered inwardly. Without further hesitation, he brandished the Asura Demonic Blade and slashed toward the formation with overwhelming momentum.
With the eight stone sculptures no longer blocking his path on the periphery, the Asura Great Emperor could now face the Eight Desolations Stone Fortress Formation head-on.
Jiang Chen's expression was grave as he drew upon every ounce of his strength, channeling the energy from the Earth Treasury Origin Pearl in an unending stream into the formation.
Now that the eight stone sculptures were gone, there was nothing left to obstruct the Asura Great Emperor's assault but the formation itself. This meant the situation had grown decidedly unfavorable for Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen didn't hesitate. He checked the status of the Emperor's Descent Jade Armor Talisman. The one stroke of luck was that the talisman, having been active on his person the entire time, had seen very little consumption — he'd remained within the formation and hadn't directly participated in combat, so the talisman's defensive energy had barely been depleted. It would hold without any problem until the battle concluded.
Jiang Chen knew that at this stage, he had to prepare for the possibility that the Eight Desolations Stone Fortress Formation would be breached.
Once the formation fell, he would face the Asura Great Emperor directly and have no choice but to engage in bare-handed combat.
With the Emperor's Descent Jade Armor Talisman, even if he couldn't match the Asura Great Emperor in a direct confrontation, he wouldn't be entirely helpless.
Though the talisman could only elevate his defensive power to a level comparable to a Great Emperor's defense for a short time, combined with Jiang Chen's various other means, it would still be enough to hold his own against the Asura Great Emperor for a brief exchange.
Of course, that was only the final contingency.
As long as it wasn't the last resort, Jiang Chen was absolutely unwilling to face the Asura Great Emperor head-on. After all, he had only just entered the Sovereign realm — trading blows with a Great Emperor who had been famous for three thousand years was by far the least intelligent way to fight.
The blade light hung in the air like a river of crimson stars pouring down from the heavens, slamming into the Eight Desolations Stone Fortress Formation.
The edges of the formation shuddered.
The Eight Desolations Stone Fortress Formation was genuinely remarkable. If it had been a proper formation set up through formation bases and formation flags, with a true structural foundation, it might well have been able to withstand the Asura Great Emperor.
But this formation had ultimately been simulated by a formation disc. Formation-disc simulations had the advantage of speed and convenience. However, their most obvious drawback was a lack of structural foundation and insufficient power.
The Asura Great Emperor had assumed that once the eight stone sculptures were removed, this formation would pose no real challenge. To his surprise, each successive strike, while causing the formation to tremble, did not go nearly as smoothly as he'd expected.
With every blow, the defensive patterns along the formation's edge would be torn apart by the force of his blade. But by the time he had wound up for the next strike, the breach in the formation's defenses had nearly healed itself. The formation's recovery speed was so extraordinary that even the Asura Great Emperor was taken aback.
"How is this possible? There may be countless formations in the world, but none should possess such powerful regenerative ability! Once a formation develops a flaw, shouldn't it collapse entirely?"
The Asura Great Emperor was genuinely perplexed. He felt that this Zhen fellow was shrouded in strangeness at every turn.
Jiang Chen, meanwhile, was exerting himself to the absolute limit.
The reason the Eight Desolations Stone Fortress Formation possessed such formidable regenerative power was entirely due to the Earth Treasury Origin Pearl's unceasing energy supply.
Without it, a formation simulated by a disc, once breached, would have no margin for recovery whatsoever.
The accumulated Ling Shi alone would be far from sufficient to restore the formation at any meaningful speed.
"The Earth Treasury Origin Pearl truly lives up to its reputation as the supreme treasure of the ancient Earth Treasury Sect." Watching the energy flow from the Origin Pearl, it was the first time Jiang Chen fully grasped just how powerful the artifact truly was.
His current utilization of the Earth Treasury Origin Pearl was only scratching the surface. If he could fully fuse with it and unlock its entire potential, the treasure's power could reach truly inconceivable heights.
"Who would have thought I'd stumble upon such a supreme treasure by accident." With the Origin Pearl's immense energy guaranteeing his reserves, Jiang Chen felt a renewed surge of confidence.
In these circumstances, even without the eight stone sculptures blocking the Asura Great Emperor's attacks on the periphery, the Eight Desolations Stone Fortress Formation alone could hold for a good while.
As time continued to tick away, the battle entered its final critical phase.
Watching the hourglass drain, the members of the Asura Training Ground could no longer sit still. They rose one after another, their eyes fixed on the agonizing scene unfolding on the stage.
None of them had imagined it. The Asura Great Emperor had deployed technique after technique, trump card after trump card, and still he was being held outside the opponent's defensive system.
Just where exactly did the limits of Young Master Zhen of Peacock Sacred Mountain lie? Was this kid's defensive system truly impregnable?
There was no denying it — this kind of battle was torturing every spectator's nerves.
The Asura Great Emperor, too, was keenly aware that time was running out. He watched as the formation was cleaved open by his strikes, only to rapidly restore itself, then cleaved open again, and rapidly restored once more.
Even the Asura Great Emperor's iron nerves were beginning to fray under this relentless cycle, gnawing at his resolve.