Chapter 55 The Power of the Formation

"Quick! Take the chance!" With the threat from the air removed, Captain Zeng Fu and the others could finally go all out against the Fate-Fallen Demon Monster.

The Demon Monster saw that things were going south and, dragging its injured leg, tried to flee back to its cave, but how could Yun Bai and Captain Zeng Fu let it have its way? The two exchanged a look and sealed off its retreat from the left and right.

The Demon Monster let out a roar of frustration and rage, dark green toxic saliva dripping from its massive maw, sizzling as it corroded the ground.

"Old Du, how much longer?" Captain Zeng Fu shouted. His long saber had already developed cracks and was nearing its limit.

Du San turned a deaf ear to Captain Zeng Fu's shouts; his world had narrowed down to only the Formation before him.

Sweat mixed with blood and dirt streamed down his face. He was fully focused, like the most precise instrument, as he slammed the last Xuan Iron Formation Flag, engraved with complex patterns, into the predetermined earth vein node.

Immediately, his hands moved with lightning speed, forming seals like a butterfly flitting through flowers, and he chanted incantations under his breath. Each syllable caused the sparse Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the surroundings to fluctuate violently.

Following his incantation, the fifty-seven Formation Flags stuck in the ground lit up with black light simultaneously. This light moved across the ground like a living thing, quickly forming a complex and profound pattern.

"Formation, rise!" Du San roared, slamming both hands onto the ground.

The entire valley shook. Pillars of light shot into the sky from nineteen locations, weaving together in the air to form a massive cage, trapping the Fate-Fallen Demon Monster within. The Demon Monster frantically rammed against the cage, but every contact triggered a burst of electric light, scorching large patches of its scales.

Yun Bai watched this scene in shock. He had been learning about Formations from Du San for many days, but this was the first time he had seen a Formation of this scale activated with his own eyes. The cage not only locked down all the Demon Monster's room to maneuver, but it also acted like a giant vortex, frantically draining the already scarce Spiritual Qi in the valley.

"So this is the power of a Formation..." Yun Bai was awestruck.

Du San seemed like a different person now. He stood tall at the core of the Formation, his previously slightly hunched body straightened, and his tattered robes fluttered without wind, snapping loudly.

Only when dealing with Formations was Du San ever this serious.

His ten fingers flew, changing hand seals and directing the operation of the Formation.

Under his control, the space inside the cage suddenly distorted, and countless tiny light blades formed from pure black-gold light manifested out of thin air!

These light blades seemed to possess a sentience of their own, like a school of piranhas smelling blood. They precisely avoided the Demon Monster's relatively intact parts and frantically slashed and shot towards the leg joints Yun Bai had slashed, the cracks in its chest armor that Captain Zeng Fu had split open, and the craters blasted out by the Spirit Gun!

The Demon Monster felt as if a great mountain had been pressed upon it; its whole body trembled, growing weaker, and it was gradually forced down to the ground.

"Everyone, quick!" Du San urged.

Captain Zeng Fu, Yun Bai, Li Ying, and Fu Lianchuan immediately pulled back, wishing they could get as far away from the Demon Monster as possible.

They took out countless Explosion Talismans and Palm Thunder Talismans from their Storage Pouch... and dumped them all onto the Demon Monster!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

It was impossible to tell how many explosions were layered on top of each other.

Unsurprisingly, these explosions ignited the marsh gas.

Explosions! Chain explosions! The deafening sound of explosions merged into one, like thunder from the Nine Heavens roaring wildly in the valley! Blazing fire, violent shockwaves, and rampaging arcs of electricity...

The swamp at the center of the Formation churned up massive waves several zhang high.

Even the poisonous mist was blasted open.

However, these explosions couldn't touch Yun Bai and the others in the slightest, because all the impact was tightly confined within Du San's "Moshou Luogu Formation"!

"Old Du's Moshou Luogu Formation is truly an unkillable turtle; it won't even break from this," Fu Lianchuan clicked his tongue.

Unfortunately, Du San didn't hear him at this moment, nor did he have the time to pay him any mind.

After who knows how long, the explosions finally subsided.

The Demon Monster finally couldn't hold on and lay on the ground, unable to move.

"Use the Spirit Gun! The heavy crossbows! Aim for the hole in front of its forehead and the indentation on its waist! Those are its eyes, nose, and asshole!" Du San said, struggling to maintain the stability of the Formation, shouting immediately upon seeing this.

Before his voice had even faded, the others' bullets had already greeted it.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Fate-Fallen Demon Monster let out a shrill scream; its scales were peeled off piece by piece, and dark green blood rained down. But it still didn't give up resistance; it suddenly opened its massive maw, and a dark green spherical object slowly flew out.

"Careful! It's going to detonate its poison sac!" Captain Zeng Fu's expression changed drastically.

Du San, however, sneered: "In my Formation, it doesn't even have the qualification to self-destruct!" He slammed his hands together, and three black-gold chains suddenly extended from the Formation, wrapping around the poison sac like lightning and forcibly pressing it back into the Demon Monster's body.

The Demon Monster struggled in despair, but the Formation had fully activated.

With a loud "boom," the entire valley was filled with blinding white light. When the light faded, only a charred deep pit and a few broken scales remained where the Fate-Fallen Demon Monster had been.

"Huu, huu... is it over?" Fu Lianchuan asked, panting heavily.

Du San let out a long sigh of relief and collapsed onto the ground, his face as pale as paper. The Formation dissipated, and the fifty-seven Formation Flags simultaneously turned to ash.

"It's over." Captain Zeng Fu put away his long saber, walked over to Yun Bai, and patted his shoulder. "Well done, especially that feint."

Yun Bai shook his head and looked at Du San: "If it weren't for Old Du's Formation today, we would likely have been in grave danger."

Du San smiled weakly: "No matter how strong a Formation is, it still needs you all to buy time. Teamwork is indispensable. Cough, cough, cough..."

In the sky, the flying boat of Team A-3 slowly descended. Its massive shadow cast down, bringing a reassuring sense of safety.

The Confucian Cultivator at the bow of the ship stood poised as ever. He bowed solemnly to the scarred group below, his voice clear and resonant: "You have worked hard. Eliminating demons to protect the Dao is of boundless Karma. Do you need a ride on the flying boat back to the city to rest?"

Captain Zeng Fu looked at his battered teammates and nodded: "Then many thanks."

As the flying boat ascended, Yun Bai looked down at the receding valley, filled with deep emotion.

He had once thought that most Cultivators valued individual martial strength and focused on Cultivating themselves. But today's battle made him realize that true power still came from the cooperation of team members with different strengths, and from Daoist arts like Formations that condensed collective wisdom.

This was surprisingly similar to the core spirit of his past life in another Universe, that Blue Star civilization which conquered the sea of stars through reason, collaboration, and technology—no matter how strong an individual is, there are always limits; only through collaboration and wisdom can one transcend them.

Unknowingly, he recalled the words of Captain Zhang Qiming on the "universe shuttle" from his past life: "Yun Bai, remember, there is no individual heroism in space. We are a team, living and dying together."

The flying boat cut through the clouds, flying towards the direction of the rising sun, leaving that valley filled with poisonous mist behind forever.

Yun Bai looked down at the valley.

He seemed to see the ink-black "suppression object" stone pillar still standing quietly in the swamp.