21: Closed formation

Facing Yu Shenghuo, who had erupted into his full peak state, Yano Takashi could only rely on the remaining power of the counterfeit yata no kagami in his hand to contend with him.

Down on the ground, because they held the advantage in numbers, the Fusang Dark Guards were actually pushing toward the formation's exit.

Fortunately, the examinees had mostly evacuated; of the original hundred thousand, only about five thousand remained.

Xu Yao and Wang Zi were among them, positioned at the end of the line, preparing to be the last to leave.

While most people were fleeing for their lives with even greater urgency under the threat of the Fusang Dark Guards, they still turned back from time to time to watch the battlefield slowly advancing toward them.

“Even the people from the Beast Tamer Association and Fusang have started to withdraw. Why hasn't Brother Su Ze come back yet?” Xu Yao said anxiously.

Wang Zi comforted her from the side, “It’s fine. The Great Xia Spirit Guards haven't returned yet either. Maybe Su Ze is with the Spirit Guards right now. Their Captain Guo seemed to think highly of him, so you don't need to worry.”

“I hope so...”

Looking back just like them was Lin Jiang, who was absentmindedly organizing the examinees' evacuation from within the Spirit Guard Reserve.

He hadn't seen Lin He among the Fusang Dark Guards, and he muttered to himself, “Xiao He isn't with them. Was he released? Or is it...”

Lin Jiang also knew the second possibility was more likely. After all, no one would carry an irrelevant burden while fleeing for their life.

Just then, accompanied by another violent shaking of the ground, a commotion suddenly broke out at the formation's exit.

“Is it just my imagination... the entrance seems to be shrinking. Is it about to close?!”

“Wait a minute, we haven't made it out yet!”

The news that the formation was about to close caused the experts of the Beast Tamer Association to waver for a moment; after all, they were not the Great Xia Spirit Guards.

The Fusang Dark Guards seized this opportunity. Driven by the will to survive, they erupted with staggering power and broke through the defensive line in one fell swoop.

They then became entangled in a melee with the examinees and Reserve Spirit Guards who had not yet evacuated from the front of the formation entrance.

Xu Yao and Wang Zi were no exception; because they were at the end of the line, they were the first to encounter the enemy.

In just a single exchange, Xu Yao and Wang Zi were sent flying, each clutching their heavily injured soul beasts.

Fortunately, having gone through multiple battles, this group of Fusang Dark Guards was already riddled with wounds and exhausted.

Although the examinees were far inferior in strength, they had the advantage of numbers and actually managed to hold them back.

The people from the Beast Tamer Association also seized this moment to fall back and defend. By now, they had steeled their resolve.

They shouted, “Remaining examinees, hurry and evacuate first! Leave as many as you can! We'll handle things here!”

But with a series of violent tremors, the closing speed of the formation accelerated once again.

As the entrance narrowed until it could only accommodate one person at a time, there were still nearly a thousand examinees inside the formation.

“The exit... is about to close completely!”

The examinees crowded at the exit all tried desperately to snatch that last spot.

It was unclear who finally managed to squeeze through by luck.

As the formation sealed completely, a deathly silence fell over the scene. Even the two warring sides paused temporarily.

In the air, Yano Takashi, after blocking another of Yu Shenghuo's attacks with the yata no kagami replica, said, “It seems you've been abandoned. Then come and be buried with me, haha!”

Amidst his laughter, the ground's tremors grew more violent, and a loud boom echoed from the volcanic crater.

People leaned against each other in despair.

“It’s over...”

...Outside the formation, Xu Yiming ran frantically to Xiao Xu, who was preparing to seal the formation, and questioned him: “Principal, there are still many examinees who haven't come out, including the Spirit Guard Army led by Captain Guo and the Beast Tamers led by Elder Yu. Is it really appropriate to seal the formation like this?!”

Xiao Xu glanced at him and said, “This formation should have been sealed long ago. I already gave Guo Linshan and the others plenty of time, but they still failed to stop the eruption of Tianyun Volcano.”

“This formation is the final line of defense, used to protect all the nearby cities.”

“If we don't seal the formation, what use would it be even if they all got out? Unless they are Beast Tamers above level fifty who can fly, they will still die before an erupting volcano!”

Xu Yiming also knew that what he said made sense, and as a single person of little influence, he couldn't change the overall situation.

He could only pray silently in his heart that his daughter, Xu Yao, and his late friend's son, Su Ze, had successfully evacuated.

After all, there were nearly a hundred thousand examinees this time, and since he had to stay here to maintain the formation, he didn't know if Su Ze and Xu Yao had made it out.

“That kid Su Ze has always been shrewd and cautious; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so suspiciously wary of me since he was little...” Xu Yiming gave a bitter smile. “He should have sensed the danger early on and escaped with Yao Yao, right?”

Meanwhile, near the volcanic crater, Su Ze actually sneezed.

He muttered to himself, “Strange, can I really catch a cold in a place this hot?”

In front of Su Ze, Guo Linshan had tried various methods, all of which ended in failure.

“Everyone, it is now time for us to fulfill our original oath! As Great Xia Spirit Guards, we must stand before the ordinary people of Great Xia, using our bodies to shield them from pain and harm. This is the meaning of being those who die first!”

Before Su Ze could understand what his words meant, he saw all the Great Xia Spirit Guards march toward the volcanic crater together, leaving him behind.

They braved the incredibly intense heat of the crater, enduring the scorching of their bodies by the magma.

They used the purest Spiritual Power of a Beast Tamer to lock down the crater, attempting to suppress the energy within the volcano.

The Spiritual Power of hundreds of Beast Tamers condensed together, becoming almost tangible.

Su Ze faintly saw a translucent dome covering the volcanic crater.

As they continued to step forward, the protective shield formed by Spiritual Power also continued to shrink and condense, becoming even more solid.

But at the same time, they were approaching the volcano step by step. Guo Linshan, at the very front, was only one step away from falling into the magma.

Su Ze really wanted to speak up and warn them, but judging from their expressions, even if they really fell into the magma, it wouldn't stop their progress.

Fortunately, the volcano seemed to have truly yielded this time, gradually stabilizing, and the churning magma within the crater slowly calmed down.

“Phew... did we finally succeed?”

Guo Linshan breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't afraid of death, but he was afraid of a meaningless death.

Even if they had to use their bodies to fill the volcano's gap, he would be willing as long as it could stop the eruption. What he feared was sacrificing their lives for absolutely no effect.

Suddenly, another surge of powerful energy emerged from within the volcano. The surging magma slammed violently into the barrier condensed from Spiritual Power. Wave after wave, it soon struck out cracks.

Guo Linshan led the Great Xia Spirit Guards, wanting to continue forward and use their bodies to fill the cracks.

But as an irresistible, massive force swept in, it completely blasted open the barrier formed by their Spiritual Power.

“Not good!”

The crowd simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

“It’s over... everything is finished... did we fail in the end...”

The volcano became completely active. Feeling the earth trembling beneath him, Guo Linshan's eyes dimmed as he looked up at the shimmering formation barrier above and said, “It’s up to you now. You must hold on!”

At the same time, the volcano, having broken free from suppression, shook violently, causing the nearby ground to vibrate continuously.

Whether inside or outside the formation, everyone felt the violent shaking beneath their feet.

People couldn't help but look toward the volcano, watching in fear at this natural force that was about to take their lives.

Xiao Xu also stood ready with a serious expression, preparing to meet the impact of the volcanic eruption on the formation.

Only Su Ze appeared calm and composed. This look of remaining unfazed even as a volcano collapsed before him earned great admiration from Guo Linshan, who kept saying in his heart what a pity it was.

Yano Takashi, on the other hand, looked forward with anticipation to the living hell about to be born, a hell he had created single-handedly.

“Haha, all of you, go to hell!”

People could see with the naked eye that the volcano had reached its limit. The scorching magma seemed about to burst forth violently, and everyone's hearts rose into their throats.

Finally, a blast of fiery air erupted from the crater first, accompanied by a thunderous explosion.

This was the scorching gas from within the volcano, the deadly prelude to its eruption.

Reasonably, the lava should have erupted surgeingly immediately following the volcanic gases.

People's faces were ashen, their expressions terrified as they waited with bated breath, looking toward the volcano, wanting to witness their own deaths.

But strangely, after waiting for a long time, the volcano seemed to gradually calm down, and the earth stopped shaking.

“What's the situation? Do volcanoes have duds too?”

People looked baffled, feeling like they had been on edge for so long only to be played. They felt a sense of emptiness, but it was ultimately a good thing that the volcano didn't erupt.

Guo Linshan, beside the crater, was also confused. He had been prepared to be the first to meet death and had kept his original oath.

As a result, his heroic ambition and hot-blooded resolve were all ready, only for death not to show up when he was prepared to welcome it.

Guo Linshan was momentarily lost, not understanding what he had just been fighting so hard for.

Even Yano Takashi's cruel smile froze on his face.

This feeling was like taking a laxative and holding it in for ages while unable to find a toilet, only to find it was just a fart when you were about to give up and let it go in your pants—a false alarm.

And Yano Takashi was the one who had administered the laxative; at this moment, he surely felt he had bought fake medicine.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a fiery red stream of light suddenly flew out.

Like a reverse-flying meteor, it shot straight into the sky, striking the formation's light screen.

The formation only held for a moment before being completely shattered by that stream of light.

A golden-red Phoenix Bird, its body entwined with flames and possessing long tail feathers, stretched its form to its heart's content in the air and let out a loud, clear cry!