90: Chapter 91 Four Symbol Array

The water patterns to the east, south, west, and north closed in simultaneously, trapping Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi and his group at the edge of the fields at Luoxi Mouth.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi's footsteps came to a sudden halt.

His expression finally changed.

Jiang Chengning remained standing in the distance, not stepping a single inch closer.

He raised his hand, and a thin glimmer of spiritual light flew from his sleeve, merely probing the protective spiritual light around Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi from afar.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi forcibly suppressed the shock and anger in his heart, sneering, "Jiang Chengning, you are certainly cautious."

Jiang Chengning did not answer.

Looking at the formation light rising all around him, Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi finally dropped all pretenses.

"Good, good, good."

"So what if you have calculated every step clearly?"

The aura of his Peak fifth level of Qi Refining suddenly pressed outward, and his protective spiritual light shimmered with a dark cyan hue.

"Having a cultivation level one stage higher than yours means I can suppress you."

"I shall see today if you, Jiang Chengning, can hide behind these formation lights and Talismans for your entire life!"

Qian Zhonghuai also shouted angrily, and the water Evil Qi in his palm condensed once more into a long blade, slashing fiercely toward the Sanyuan Wind-Listening Plaque.

Wen Zhibai's face turned slightly pale, and the three wooden plaques trembled simultaneously.

Old Crow Chen activated the ancient mirror, causing Evil Qi to surge, yet it could only suppress a few low-level Cultivators of the Qian Clan and struggled to truly force back the two at the fifth level.

Just at this moment, several auras suddenly rose in the distance outside the formation.

Jiang Chengning looked up.

From the reed marsh outside Luoxi Mouth, another group of Cultivators emerged.

The two leaders were also at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining.

One was short and stout, wearing a yellowish-brown short robe and holding a black wooden staff, with a cultivation level at the fourth level.

The other had a gaunt, sinister face and wore three beast-tooth Talismans at his waist, with a cultivation level at the fifth level.

Sun Jingxiu's expression darkened.

"The Hedong Du Family."

The second vassal family under the Han Family.

The Qian Clan was breaking the formation from the front, while the Du Family provided support from the rear.

The two clans had clearly agreed long ago to work from the inside and outside, taking advantage of Jiang Yuhe's absence to smash through the Luoxi Mouth great formation in one fell swoop.

Seeing the two from the Du Family appear, a smile returned to Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi's face.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang."

He raised his hand to wipe a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, his tone cold and grim.

"You were waiting for me to commit evil."

"And was I not also waiting for you to call everyone out?"

The short, stout Cultivator from the Du Family raised his wooden staff and struck the ground heavily, causing black mud to surge.

A turbid, earthy, watery Evil Qi slithered along the hidden patterns of the Luoxi Mouth outer formation, attempting to corrupt the Four-Talisman Formation that Wen Zhibai had just propped up from the outside.

The other gaunt Cultivator unhooked the beast-tooth Talismans from his waist. The three beast teeth lit up with a ghostly glow simultaneously, transforming into three sharp black shadows that shot straight toward the great formation.

The formation was under attack from both inside and outside.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi, who had been trapped back inside the formation and had an extremely ugly expression, finally looked a little relieved now that he saw the two from the Du Family taking action from the outside.

He immediately shouted, "Gather together, break the formation first!"

Hearing this, the Qian Clan Cultivators gathered behind Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi and Qian Zhonghuai. The few low-level Cultivators no longer charged and attacked separately, but instead took out Talismans and cast spells, striking together at the weak points of the formation patterns.

The Four-Talisman Formation had just closed, and it had relied on the momentum of the residual formation at Luoxi Mouth.

Now under attack from both sides, the formation light began to flicker.

Wen Zhibai's Wind-Listening Plaque was a defensive Magical Artifact, and while the Evil Qi surging from Old Crow Chen's ancient mirror was fierce, it was primarily used to suppress the low-level Qian Clan Cultivators.

If this Evil Qi were to truly face Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi and Qian Zhonghuai, the two fifth-level Cultivators, it could only serve as a distraction.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi clearly saw this as well.

He and Qian Zhonghuai blocked the interference from Wen Zhibai and Old Crow Chen from the left and right, protecting the Qian Clan Cultivators behind them as they continuously bombarded the formation patterns.

Break through the Luoxi Mouth great formation, smash through the Jiang Family's setup here, and let everyone know that Jiang Yuhe is not here, and that the Jiang Family is not as terrifying as imagined.

As long as this point was achieved, the Han and Lu families would have countless ways to exert pressure later.

Jiang Chengning stood in the formation, his expression still calm and composed.

He was thinking rapidly.

If it were only the Qian Clan today, relying on the Luoxi Mouth great formation, Wen Zhibai's Sanyuan Wind-Listening Plaque, Old Crow Chen's ancient mirror, and the Four-Talisman Formation he had ordered Wen Zhibai to bury in advance, he could slowly drag the Qian Clan to their deaths within the formation.

Even if they couldn't kill them all, it would be enough to severely damage the Qian Clan, making it difficult for them to reach out for a few years.

But the Qian Clan did not come alone.

The two major vassal families under the Han Family: the Qian Clan was in the open, and the Du Family was in the shadows.

The other side had also prepared a second move.

If the Qian Clan succeeded, they would break the formation and kill.

If the Qian Clan failed, the Du Family would provide support from the outside, working from the inside and outside to break the surrounding formation; even if the Jiang Family had outside help, they could at least rescue the Qian Clan.

The Han and Lu families were likely watching as well.

He had long ago ordered people to invite Luo Qitang and the remaining Luo Family Cultivators.

The Luo Family had now joined the Jiang Family, and judging by the distance, they should be arriving soon.

Besides that, he had also sent people to deliver a message to the Gu Clan at Qingwu Terrace.

The Jiang Family was nominally a vassal of the Gu Clan. With a Han Family vassal having a large-scale conflict with the Jiang Family at Luoxi Mouth, the Gu Clan should have come forward to mediate regardless.

Even if the Gu Clan did not want to truly intervene for the Jiang Family, as long as they sent someone to say "That is enough," the Han and Lu families would have to pause their follow-up actions.

As long as they could drag it out for a season, until Jiang Yuhe returned from the southern borders of Yanque, the situation would have room for a turnaround.

But the Gu Clan did not come.

Jiang Chengning looked up toward the direction of Qingwu Terrace in the distance; there was no sign of any Gu Clan Cultivators appearing.

His heart sank bit by bit.

Normally, the Gu Clan should have arrived by now.

Even if just to put on a show, someone should have come forward.

The Luoxi Mouth formation light shook once more.

The short, stout Du Family Cultivator struck the ground with his wooden staff again, and the black mud Evil Qi burrowed along the water channel, almost completely corrupting a Formation Flag on the east side.

Wen Zhibai gave a muffled groan as the second copper plaque spun down rapidly, suppressing that streak of black mud Evil Qi.

Qian Zhonghuai seized the opportunity to slash with a blade of water Evil Qi, sending the first copper plaque flying back several feet.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi laughed loudly.

"Jiang Chengning! How much longer do you intend to hide?"

Jiang Chengning ignored him.

He looked at Sun Jingxiu.

Sun Jingxiu's expression changed slightly, but he remained guarding Jiang Chengning's side.

Jiang Chengning said, "Guard my back."

Sun Jingxiu nodded immediately.

"Yes."

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind Luoxi Mouth.

Luo Qitang had arrived.

He brought several Luo Family Cultivators and rushed in quickly through the inner formation gate. Luo Qitang looked much older, but his aura at the Peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining was becoming increasingly profound.

As soon as he entered the formation, he first saw the Qian Clan inside the formation, then the Du Family outside, and bloodshot colors immediately welled up in his eyes.

"Good, good!"

Luo Qitang's voice was hoarse.

"When disaster struck Luoxi Mouth back then, how could you vassal families in Hedong have no reaction, just watching from the shore?"

"And today, you dare to come and divide the Luo Family's water!"

Luo Qitang raised his hand and offered up a black short nail.

The short nail brought out a line of cold, watery light, shooting straight toward the low-level Qian Clan Cultivators.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi had to distract himself by waving his sleeve to block it.

The remaining Luo Family Cultivators also entered the formation one after another, engaging in a bloody battle.

The situation changed instantly.

The Qian Clan had originally intended to concentrate their manpower to break the formation from the inside, but now that they were charged by Luo Qitang, who was at the Peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining, the low-level Cultivators immediately fell into disarray.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi and Qian Zhonghuai had to block Wen Zhibai, protect the Qian Clan members, and assist in breaking the formation from within, so the pressure suddenly increased significantly.

Wen Zhibai seized the opportunity, and the three dark cyan copper plaques suddenly lit up together.

The sound of wind passed through the water mouth.

The star patterns on the plaques seemed to hear something; they turned slightly and actually diverted the water Evil Qi in Qian Zhonghuai's palm to one side, causing it to crash into several Talisman fires cast by the Qian Clan themselves.

"Boom!"

The Talisman fires exploded, and two low-level Qian Clan Cultivators retreated in a sorry state.

Old Crow Chen took the opportunity to activate the ancient mirror.

The gray-black Evil Qi surged out like a wave, wrapping around one person's ankle. The Cultivator screamed, his protective spiritual light sizzling as it was corroded by the Evil Qi.

Qian Zhonghuai roared, slashed through the Evil Qi with his blade, and dragged the person back behind him.

"Clan Chief!"

Qian Zhonghuai's voice was extremely low.

"We cannot drag this out any longer!"

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi naturally knew they could not drag this out any longer.

But the Du Family outside the formation had not been able to immediately smash through the Four-Talisman Formation.

Wen Zhibai's three copper plaques were too annoying, Luo Qitang had arrived too quickly, and Jiang Chengning never came close from start to finish, only restraining and delaying from afar with low-level spells, not giving him any chance to risk his life for a breakthrough.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi was irritable, but he also knew that today, he was riding a tiger and could not get off.

If he just retreated like this, the charge of the Qian Clan breaking the formation and attacking would be confirmed, yet Luoxi Mouth would not have been taken.

When the time came, if the Gu Clan or the Chengtian Sect wanted to hold them accountable, the Qian Clan would be pushed out as the scapegoat.

If they continued to fight, the Jiang Family seemed to have another hand to play.

He swept his gaze over everyone in the formation and suddenly said coldly, "Jiang Chengning, do you really think that with one extra Luo Qitang, you can keep my Qian Clan here?"

Jiang Chengning still did not answer.

He raised his hand and released a water arrow.

That water arrow spell was just a common low-level Qi Refining technique; it landed on Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi's protective spiritual light, only causing a layer of fine ripples to spread.

Clan Leader Qian Zhongshi was provoked by his unhurried probing, and his anger grew even stronger.

"With your meager cultivation, you dare to put on airs in front of me?"

He suddenly took a step forward, and the Qi of his Peak fifth level of Qi Refining pressed out completely.