117: Chapter 117 Opportunity! Crisis!

“The power of the Soul Devouring Hall is not something you can contend with!”

Zhang Wen propped himself up with the spear shaft, blood hanging from the corner of his mouth, yet he smiled: “The gap? I haven't even used my full strength yet.”

He raised his head abruptly, Lightning Radiance surging in his Eye of Thunder Punishment as he drew out all the remaining Spiritual Qi in his body and the lingering force of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder hidden within the thunder lin kai.

The Lightning Radiance around his body was blinding, scorching the air until it warped.

“Profound Truth — Ninth Heaven Annihilation - Thunder Burial Great Heaven!”

Zhang Wen roared as he raised the spear, the tip condensing a thunder orb imbued with a destructive aura, within which the phantom of the Nine Heavens clouds churned.

The Cloaked Figure (soul fiend) turned pale, hurriedly holding the blood blade horizontally in front of its body, gathering all its black mist into a shield, not wanting to suffer another loss.

“Want to die together? It's not that easy!”

The moment the thunder orb collided with the black mist shield, a violent energy shockwave sent the surrounding rubble flying, causing the cliff walls to shed stones with a rustling sound.

Zhang Wen and the Cloaked Figure (soul fiend) were both knocked back; Zhang Wen’s Spiritual Qi was completely exhausted, and he slumped to the ground.

The Cloaked Figure (soul fiend)’s black mist shield was also covered in cracks, and black blood seeped from the corner of its mouth.

“You...”

The Cloaked Figure (soul fiend) just wanted to speak, when it suddenly discovered that the soul fiend power at its Dantian was in turmoil—the Tribulation Thunder power from the thunder orb just now had quietly seeped into its body!

Its expression changed drastically, and it hurriedly circulated its Spiritual Qi to suppress it.

But Zhang Wen had seized this moment, stumbling forward and stabbing the sky-splitting startling thunder spear fiercely toward its Dantian!

“No!”

The Cloaked Figure (soul fiend) roared and swung its blade to block, but it was a step too late; the spear tip pierced through the black mist and drove fiercely into its Dantian.

The soul fiend power instantly spiraled out of control, black mist surged wildly from its seven orifices, and it collapsed to the ground, twitching all over as the blood blade clattered to the ground.

Zhang Wen leaned on the spear shaft, gasping for breath, covered in blood, the thunder patterns on the thunder lin kai completely dimmed.

He looked at the Cloaked Figure (soul fiend) on the ground whose breath was fading, and just as he wanted to let out a sigh of relief, the opponent suddenly opened its eyes, a ghostly light surging within them.

“If I die... you won't live either! soul fiend · Explosion!”

“Boom!” A burst of black mist erupted.

When the black mist dissipated, the Cloaked Figure (soul fiend) lay flat on the ground, the last trace of evil fiend Qi dissipating from its seven orifices, and it was completely lifeless.

Zhang Wen leaned on the sky-splitting startling thunder spear, swaying as if completely exhausted, the thunder patterns on the thunder lin kai dim as ashes.

Blood from the wound on his left arm soaked through his armor, pooling into a small puddle of dark red on the ground.

“Hoo...”

He had just let out a sigh of relief when his Eye of Thunder Punishment suddenly caught several fleeing figures—it was Black Fiend and the others who had been knocked down by the lingering force and had been playing dead!

Seeing that the Cloaked Figure was dead, these people, taking advantage of the gap while Zhang Wen was talking to Zhao Meng, were crouching and sneaking toward the secret passage under the cliff.

Their movements were panicked but agile; clearly, they knew the escape routes of the Black Wind Stockade like the back of their hands.

“Want to run?”

Zhang Wen’s eyes sharpened; although his Spiritual Qi was exhausted, the remaining thunder force was enough to subdue the enemy.

He raised his hand and flicked his finger, shooting out three weak but precise arcs of lightning that struck the back of their knees.

Black Fiend and his two lackeys screamed and fell to the ground; just as they tried to scramble up, Zhao Meng had already returned with Lin Muer and the others, charging forward.

They pinned them firmly to the ground, and ropes instantly bound their limbs.

“Brother Zhang, it's a good thing you have sharp eyes!”

Zhao Meng kicked Black Fiend and shouted angrily, “Daring to escape right under our noses, are you tired of living?”

Black Fiend lay on the ground, his face as pale as paper, yet he still stubbornly retorted: “Don't get cocky... you will never know the secret of the Black Wind Stockade!”

“Secret?”

Zhang Wen caught his breath, walked up to Black Fiend, lifted his chin with his toe, and the Shimmer of the Eye of Thunder Punishment swept across his eyes.

“I have no interest in knowing your dirty business of burning, killing, and looting; I only want to ask you—is there a Formation in the Black Wind Stockade? What is hidden under the Formation?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Black Fiend’s pupils contracted suddenly, a trace of panic flashing in his eyes, but he still gritted his teeth and said.

“For...Formation...yes, but that is just for gathering Spiritual Qi, how could there be anything hidden underneath?”

“Still being stubborn?”

Zhang Wen sneered, condensing a wisp of weak Tribulation Thunder at his fingertip and gently tapping it on Black Fiend's wrist.

The thunder force seeped into his Meridians, and Black Fiend instantly convulsed in pain, cold sweat soaking his clothes.

“Ah! It hurts... I'll talk! I'll talk!”

Zhang Wen retracted the lightning arc and signaled Zhao Meng to release his chin.

Black Fiend gasped for breath, his eyes dodging: “This Formation is called the Spirit Gathering Formation; it was discovered quietly by the former stockade leader, who said there was a treasure beneath it, and established the Black Wind Stockade based on this.”

“It's a pity that before he could wait for the treasure, he passed away half a year ago!”

“But I once heard that person in the cloak mention it to the former stockade leader, saying it was a ‘treasure that could change a person's life’.”

“What exactly it is, or how to get it, the former stockade leader didn't tell me; I really don't know!”

“A treasure that could change a person's life?”

Zhang Wen’s heart jumped—this description matched the “Opportunity” hinted at by the System perfectly!

He pressed: “Where is the Spirit Gathering Formation? How can I get inside?”

Black Fiend swallowed, his voice trembling.

“It's in the stone house on the back mountain! The Formation has two layers of protection; the outer layer is an ordinary Spiritual Qi barrier, and the inner layer... the inner layer has strange runes.”

“I've seen the Cloaked Figure try it; if you force your way in, you'll be bounced back.”

Just as Zhang Wen wanted to ask more, the sound of hoofbeats in the distance suddenly became clear, mixed with the shouts of soldiers: “Surround the Black Wind Stockade! Do not let anyone escape!”

Zhao Meng’s expression changed drastically; he ran to the edge of the cliff and saw the dense Zhenxi Army rushing up the mountain below, the reflection of their armor dazzling in the sunlight.

“Damn it! It's the main force of the Zhenxi Army! How did they find this place?”

Zhang Wen clenched his fists, his suspicions deepening—the Cloaked Figure wanting to set up a Formation, the Zhenxi Army suddenly besieging, and the Opportunity under the Spirit Gathering Formation; these three could not possibly be a coincidence.

He looked at the bound Black Fiend, his eyes cooling slightly: “What connection did your former stockade leader have with the Zhenxi Army and the Soul Devouring Hall?”

Black Fiend trembled all over, his eyes full of fear: “The Soul Devouring Hall... the former stockade leader did indeed meet with the Cloaked Figure several times half a year ago.”

“Every time they talked behind closed doors, and afterward, they forced us to expand the Spirit Gathering Formation.”

“As for the Zhenxi Army, the stockade leader sent gold and silver every month, saying it was to ‘buy peace’, but everything was fine yesterday, why did they come to besiege us today? I really don't know!”

“It seems the Zhenxi Army is here for the Spirit Gathering Formation.”

Zhang Wen understood, turned, and said to Zhao Meng.

“Captain, take the brothers and Muer and hide in a nearby concealed cave first; keep an eye on Black Fiend and the other two, and don't let them play any tricks.”

“I'm going to the stone house to break the Formation; as for the Zhenxi Army... I'll deal with them after I get the Opportunity!”

“But you are injured like this, and you still want to break the Formation?”

Zhao Meng looked at his injuries, his face full of worry. Lin Muer also stepped forward and handed over a bottle of healing medicine.

“Zhang Wen, apply the medicine first; I'll go with you, I can help you out!”

Zhang Wen took the medicine bottle, quickly sprinkled the herbs on his wounds, and smiled at Lin Muer.

“Don't worry, breaking a Formation relies on insight, not brute force.”

“It's more dangerous if you follow; wait here for me, I'll be back soon.”

He gripped the sky-splitting startling thunder spear firmly, “Remember, no matter what noise you hear, don't come out!”

After giving instructions, Zhang Wen did not delay any further; using the Eye of Thunder Punishment to avoid the chaotic paths of the Black Wind Stockade, he rushed straight toward the stone house on the back mountain.

Just as he arrived at the cave entrance, he felt the dense Spiritual Qi coming from the Spirit Gathering Formation.

The Spiritual Qi at the formation eye had almost condensed into a solid substance, and the runes on that protective barrier were emitting an eerie dark light.

He took a deep breath and slowly injected his remaining Spiritual Qi into the copper key; the stone door of the black stone cave opened slowly with a “rumble”. The Spiritual Qi inside rushed toward him.

Zhang Wen gripped the sky-splitting startling thunder spear, his Eye of Thunder Punishment fixed on the Spirit Gathering Formation barrier ahead, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

“A treasure that could change a person's life... today, I want to see what it is!”

As his voice fell, he raised his hand, condensed a wisp of lightning arc, and touched the barrier lightly.

The moment the lightning arc touched the runes, the barrier instantly lit up, a rebounding force struck, and Zhang Wen staggered back a step, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

But he didn't panic; the Eye of Thunder Punishment had already captured the pattern of the runes.

“So that's it; these runes are arranged in the order of ‘Heaven, Earth, Profound, Yellow’; as long as I find the gap and use the thunder force to detonate the weak point, it will work!”

He stepped forward again, the Eye of Thunder Punishment locking onto a Shimmer in the gap between the runes, drawing out the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder and condensing it at his fingertips.

He precisely pointed at that gap—with a soft “crack”, the outer barrier of the Spirit Gathering Formation actually cracked open!