315: Dragon Trapping Formation

At the edge of the stone Formation, there were scattered campfire ashes, gnawed beast bones, and several discarded Talismans—clearly traces of human activity.

"Zhang Bai!" Feng Ming stood on a rock, circulating his spiritual power, his voice carrying into the stone Formation. "Zhang Bai? Come out!"

After calling out seven or eight times, there was finally movement within the stone Formation.

A young man dressed in a white brocade robe walked slowly out from a crack in the rocks. His Face was handsome, but carried a hint of arrogance and hostility; it was indeed Zhang Bai.

Zhang Bai was startled for a moment when he saw Feng Ming, then let out a cold snort, his tone carrying unconcealed mockery. "Feng Ming? You actually dare to come to this Weak Water Pool to find me?"

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Feng Ming raised an eyebrow, his tone indifferent. "You've trapped Qianqian for half a month. I haven't even settled the score with you yet, and you're the one pulling a Face."

"Settle the score?" Zhang Bai acted as if he had heard a massive joke. He took a step forward, pointed at Feng Ming's nose, and said angrily, "I think you're shameless! For the sake of those few herbs, you actually used Family connections to get my Family to pressure me!"

Feng Ming frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled. "When did I ever get your Family to pressure you?"

"You still dare to quibble?" Zhang Bai's Face turned red with anger. "My Family said Qianqian likes you and told me to let her go, so I did! But what does your wife's pregnancy have to do with me, Zhang Bai?"

"You even had my Family persuade me to hand over the herbs. Don't you think you're being shameless? Relying on the Jiang Family's influence to bully others—what kind of hero is that!"

Hearing this, Feng Ming was stunned for a moment before it dawned on him. He couldn't help but laugh. "Little Zhang, your mind turns quite quickly, but it's turning in the wrong direction."

"Your Family's persuasion was their own decision; I never went to them. I can only say your Family is more sensible than you and knows the consequences of offending me."

"Consequences?" Zhang Bai sneered disdainfully. "In my eyes, what does the Jiang Family amount to? They're just relying on the shade of their ancestors! And you, Feng Ming, are nothing more than a gigolo living off women's support!"

"A gigolo?" Feng Ming's eyes turned cold, and the aura around him surged slightly. "It seems you won't give in until you're faced with the grim reality. Enough nonsense. I came today only for the herbs. Tell me, what will it take for you to hand them over?"

Zhang Bai see this, actually calmed down. He snorted and took out a cyan storage ring from his own storage ring, placing it on a nearby rock. "I can give you the herbs, but I, Zhang Bai, never owe favors, and I certainly won't bow to power!"

"Giving you the herbs today isn't because I'm afraid of you or because I'm inferior to you, but for the sake of my Family's Face!"

He paused, staring intently at Feng Ming with a provocative tone. "If you're truly a man, fight me fairly. Win or lose, I'll give you these herbs!"

"But I want everyone to know that my strength, Zhang Bai's strength, is far above yours. Giving you the herbs is giving Face to the Jiang Family, not because I respect your power. Do you dare to accept the challenge?"

Looking at the defiance and arrogance in his eyes, Feng Ming suddenly smiled. With a wave of his hand, he pulled the storage ring into his grasp. Sweeping his spiritual power over it, he confirmed it contained the Spirit-Nurturing Grass Madam Bai had mentioned. Only then did he look up at Zhang Bai.

"Isn't it just a fight? You should have said so earlier instead of taking such a long detour."

Zhang Bai was stunned, clearly not expecting Feng Ming to agree so readily. "You... you're really accepting my challenge?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Feng Ming spread his hands, his tone relaxed. "I also want you to see that I, Feng Ming, can get these herbs through my own strength, not some Jiang Family influence. It'll save you from wagging your tongue everywhere later, saying I used my status to bully you."

"Good! 'Through your own strength,' indeed!" Zhang Bai laughed, Battle Intent igniting in his eyes. "As expected of the man Qianqian took a fancy to, you do have some pride. I hope your strength matches your arrogance, so you don't go blaming the Jiang Family when you lose!"

"I'll return those words to you exactly as they were," Feng Ming said flatly.

"In that case, take this!" The pent-up anger and resentment in Zhang Bai's heart exploded instantly. Before his voice even faded, his hands quickly formed seals. As spiritual power surged, four curtains of light suddenly rose around Feng Ming, shooting straight toward the sky.

The light curtains were incredibly fast, converging above Feng Ming's head in an instant to form a massive Formation, completely enveloping him within.

Inside the Formation, mist swirled, obstructing vision, and nothing remained but the humming sound of the Formation in operation.

Standing in the center of the Formation, Feng Ming raised an eyebrow slightly. Through Feng Da, he had some understanding of the Zhang Family. He knew they had built their reputation on Formations and that their expertise in them was profound, making them one of the most troublesome families to deal with. Seeing it today, they truly lived up to their name.

He activated his Mental Energy, attempting to probe the reality of the Formation. However, as his Mental Energy spread out, it was like a clay ox entering the sea, blocked layer by layer by the Formation's power. He couldn't detect the Formation's range or attributes, nor could he even sense where the Formation eye was.

"Feng Ming, enjoy the 'Trapped Dragon Formation' I've prepared for you!" Zhang Bai's voice echoed from all directions within the Formation, tinged with smugness.

"This Formation is a secret of my Zhang Family. Even a Cultivator at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul Realm would find it hard to escape once caught. You'd better just surrender!"

Just as he finished speaking, Feng Ming heard several sounds of breaking air from all around. Following that, dozens of golden-red rings, like shooting stars, flew rapidly toward him from every direction.

The rings were extremely fast, yet they didn't emit very strong energy fluctuations.

Seeing this, Feng Ming sneered inwardly. With his current strength, bolstered by the feedback from the chaos tree, his Physical Body's toughness was comparable to an expert in the Middle Stage of the Mahayana Realm. Ordinary attacks couldn't harm him in the slightest.

He spotted the first ring to arrive and, without dodging, raised his hand and threw a punch.

His fist was wrapped in pale green spiritual power, carrying immense force as it smashed heavily against the ring.

"Bang!"

With a crisp crack, the golden-red ring instantly shattered, turning into a cloud of dust that dissipated into the mist.

But there were simply too many rings. Just as Feng Ming dealt with one, three or four more were already closing in. Two of them went straight for his ankles, instantly wrapping around them, while others flew toward his wrists, shoulders, and neck.

To Feng Ming's surprise, these rings were not offensive. After wrapping around him, they didn't tighten to bind him. Instead, countless red threads extended from the rings like living things, plunging toward the ground beneath his feet.

Only then did Feng Ming realize that the weak water within the Formation had long since vanished, replaced by hard ground. The red threads plunged into the soil and instantly took root, firmly pinning his feet to the spot, making him unable to move.

Immediately after, more rings arrived, wrapping around his arms, waist, and neck. The red threads continued to extend, pulling at his entire body and slowly pressing him toward the ground, as if to bury him completely underground.