345: procrastination

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

As a massive phantom sun slowly coalesced in the northern sky, a golden halo spread across the heavens like a tide, dyeing half the sky in a dazzling golden-red. Chu Haotian and the others grew increasingly solemn, not daring to slacken in the slightest; their spiritual power was already secretly gathering as they stood ready for battle.

"They're here!"

As the words fell, four figures carrying powerful auras streaked across the eastern horizon. The sound of them breaking through the air was sharp and piercing; they were the four Demon Race Cultivators who had sensed the disturbance in the Formation.

The leader was a man as burly as an iron tower with a square face. His bronze skin glinted coldly under the golden-red light of the sky, and his tight-fitting martial attire perfectly outlined his knotted muscles. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's as he locked onto Chen Xuan and the other two in the clouds, growling, "So those heavenly anomalies were actually the work of you rats! Go quickly and inform Lady Qing Li!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a thin, sinister-looking man on the left immediately turned and transformed into a gray shadow, racing toward Yaoshi City.

The burly man and the two remaining black-robed men exchanged glances, a fierce light flashing in their eyes simultaneously. They then lunged forward in unison, their overwhelming pressure of the Void Refining Realm crushing down like something physical, making the surrounding air stagnant and heavy.

"You're looking for death!"

Chu Haotian let out a roar of fury as the spiritual power within him erupted. Behind him, a Golden Lion Shadow dozens of feet tall suddenly emerged, its head ferocious and its mane flying, radiating majestic Divine Might.

*Bang!*

The Golden Lion Shadow's claw collided violently with the burly man's iron fist, sending a terrifying shockwave sweeping outward and instantly dispersing the surrounding clouds. Chu Haotian felt a massive, peerless force surge through his arms; his blood and Qi churned restlessly, and he was forced back three steps before he could barely steady himself.

The burly man did not pause for a moment. Stepping onto the Void Realm, he lunged forward like a cannonball, his fists striking in rapid succession like meteors chasing the moon. Every punch carried a chilling Demonic Power, making the air crackle and creating faint black ripples. Chu Haotian's eyes narrowed as the lion shadow behind him let out a deafening roar. Golden spiritual power flowed through his limbs and into the shadow. In a flash, the Golden Lion Shadow's claws and the iron fists collided repeatedly, producing a series of muffled, thunderous booms.

To avoid affecting Senior Chen's Formation, Chu Haotian fought back while intentionally guiding the battlefield away, maintaining a delicate distance—far enough to move freely and fight his opponent to his heart's content, yet close enough to provide support if needed.

Meanwhile, the two black-robed men glided toward the white-clad Chen Xuan like ghosts. Eerie green light flared from their fingertips, transforming into several hair-thin poisonous needles that shot toward Chen Xuan's vital points with a deadly, cold glint.

Master Qing Xuan remained calm. He tapped his White Jade Brush in mid-air and shouted softly, "Formation, Rise!"

In an instant, countless profound runes emerged from the Void Realm, weaving into a translucent light shield in front of Chen Xuan. The poisonous needles slammed into the shield with a sizzling corrosive sound as the eerie green Demonic Power and the runic light collided intensely, sending out layers of ripples. Master Qing Xuan's wrist moved rapidly, his White Jade Brush flying across the air like a dragon. Runes seemed to come alive, transforming into chains, blade-wheels, and pillars of light that swept toward the two black-robed men like an overwhelming tide.

"Paltry tricks!"

One of the black-robed men snorted coldly and quickly formed hand seals. A pitch-black demonic shield instantly appeared before him, blocking all the incoming runes. His figure blurred into a shadow as he bypassed the light shield and lunged straight for Master Qing Xuan, the poisonous needles on his fingertips extending several feet more, aimed directly at his forehead.

Master Qing Xuan was well-prepared. His footwork was unpredictable, his body drifting like willow catkins. At the same time, he drew a peculiar rune in the air with his White Jade Brush. "Bind!" Following his low shout, the rune suddenly expanded, transforming into a circular barrier that enveloped the black-robed man.

A faint azure spiritual light shimmered on the barrier's walls. Strangely, when the black-robed man tried to ram through it, he instantly appeared dozens of steps behind the barrier—it was as if every part of this circular barrier was embedded with a spatial teleportation Formation that would trigger upon contact, trapping him in an infinite loop of being sent back, unable to get even a step closer.

The strategy of Master Qing Xuan and Chu Haotian was very clear: this time, they weren't trying to kill these Demon Race Cultivators. Their sole objective was to "stall"—the longer they stalled, the more stable Senior Chen's Formation would become, and the greater their chances of victory! Therefore, the Formations Master Qing Xuan had secretly laid out beforehand were all entrapment and Defensive Formations; not a single one was a Killing Formation meant for active offense.

*Bang!*

Time slipped away during the fierce battle. The phantom sun in the northern sky grew increasingly solid, and soon, the first complete phantom sun was formed. Chen Xuan was now operating at full power, continuously pouring spiritual power into the Formation. Having the experience from the previous setups, his technique had become even more proficient.

Although Chu Haotian and Master Qing Xuan never intended to fight these demons to the death, after several consecutive fierce battles, the two had almost no time to rest and recover. Since their encounter with Daoist Fu Nian, they had been maintaining a high-intensity combat state, and they had been significantly injured back at Yan Shu's place—even though they had taken healing Medicinal Pills afterward, the time for rest and recuperation was simply too short for their injuries to fully heal.

Under such a prolonged battle, the two quickly went from composed maneuvering to a state of passive, desperate defense.

*Bang!*

Yet another collision occurred between a lion claw shadow and an iron fist. That burly Demon Cultivator specialized in brute force; every punch he threw carried the power to shatter mountains and crack stones. Chu Haotian felt his blood and Qi surge like a tide, and a metallic sweetness rose in his throat. Before he could recover, the burly Demon Cultivator struck again with a fist from above, slamming it hard onto the head of the lion shadow!

*Boom!*

After a loud explosion, Chu Haotian plummeted like a kite with a broken string. The Golden Lion Shadow behind him dimmed significantly, and spiderweb-like cracks, as if on shattered porcelain, appeared on the lion's head.

The burly Demon Cultivator pressed his advantage, his feet shattering the Void Realm as he pursued like a cannonball. His fists struck alternately, weaving a dense black net of wind that blocked all of Chu Haotian's paths of evasion. "With only this much ability, you dare come here to seek death?" the Demon Cultivator sneered, his left fist turning into a heavy hammer that smashed toward Chu Haotian's face with a whistling wind, while his right fist held hidden power, aimed straight at his heart.

Chu Haotian's eyes sharpened as the lion shadow behind him let out an unwilling roar. All his golden spiritual power gathered in his arms as he crossed them to block. Simultaneously, he twisted his waist violently, using the momentum of the opponent's punch to roll sideways, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow to his heart. But even so, his left arm was struck by the wind of the punch. With a crisp "crack," the bone fractured, and the golden spiritual light on his body's surface mostly dissipated instantly.

He endured the searing pain, using the momentum of his roll to put some distance between them. The lion shadow behind him lunged forward, its phantom fangs snapping toward the Demon Cultivator's neck in an attempt to force him back. But the burly Demon Cultivator was already prepared; he dropped his shoulder, and black Demonic Power instantly condensed into a solid shield, blocking the lion's bite. At the same time, he delivered a swift, powerful flying kick right into the lion shadow's abdomen.

*Awooo—*

The lion shadow let out a shrill cry of misery, its light growing even dimmer.

Chu Haotian himself was affected by the connection; his blood and Qi flowed in reverse, and he violently spat out a mouthful of blood, his face as pale as paper. He forced his fading consciousness to hold on, his eyes instinctively glancing toward the horizon—the second phantom sun had already taken shape amidst the golden-red glow!