115: Chapter 115 The Highlight (and Miserable Moment) of the Array Master

The spirit boat had just come to a steady halt in the small square of the outpost, and before the dust had even settled, Clan Leader jumped down in one stride. Having no time for pleasantries, he directly flashed the mission Jade Slip and shouted at the pale, blood-covered Azure Cloud Sect Disciple who came to meet them, "The Lin Family of Luoxia County has arrived for rescue by order! What is the current situation?"

The Azure Cloud Sect Disciple looked young, roughly in his early twenties, with a cultivation at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining. At this moment, he seemed to be grasping at a life-saving straw as he said urgently, "I am the outpost guard Disciple, Chen Feng! The energy of the defensive Formation is almost exhausted; it can hold for half a stick of incense at most! The attacks from those Yinkui Sect bastards outside are too fierce!"

Clan Leader's gaze swept across the area, seeing the thin light shield of the outpost fluctuating violently under the continuous barrage of attacks from outside, as if it would shatter like a bubble at any moment. He made a prompt decision: "We cannot sit and wait for death! Fellow Daoist Chen, please arrange manpower immediately. We will take the initiative to strike out, meeting the enemy with our backs to the Formation to reduce the pressure on it! Cangchen!"

"Present!" Lin Cangchen responded immediately.

"You must immediately attempt to repair and reinforce the Formation! Tell this Fellow Daoist Chen whatever Materials you need!" Clan Leader spoke at a rapid pace. "The rest of you, follow me out of the Formation to face the enemy! If you are injured, retreat immediately for healing, and take turns holding the line!"

Seeing Clan Leader's calm and decisive command, Chen Feng felt slightly more at ease. He immediately shouted to several likewise injured Azure Cloud Sect Disciples behind him, "Everyone, follow Clan Leader Lin's arrangements!"

"Yes!" those few Azure Cloud Sect Disciples replied without hesitation. In a moment of life and death, they could no longer afford the usual reserve of Sect Disciples.

"Lin Family Disciples, follow me into battle! Patriarch Liu, Zhao Family Ancestor, I trouble you two to lead your men to cover the flanks!" Clan Leader shouted loudly, taking the lead to rush toward the edge of the Formation's light shield.

"Let's go!"

"Charge out with Clan Leader Lin!"

The Lin Family members followed without hesitation. Liu Hanshan and the Zhao Family Ancestor also knew it was time to risk their lives. Leading their remaining capable Clan Members, they split into two groups and followed closely on the Lin Family's left and right.

The moment Clan Leader was the first to step out of the light shield, a dense barrage of Spells from outside came crashing down on them!

"Geng Metal Finger!"

"Melting Gold Palm!"

"Green Wood Barrier!"

Clan Leader (still in disguise), the Third Elder, the Grand Elder, and others each used their methods to instantly block the first wave of attacks. Immediately after, everyone surged out from the gap in the light shield like a flood breaking through a dam, engaging the demonic Cultivators outside in close quarters with their backs against the crumbling Formation!

"Kill!"

Instantly, the sounds of clashing Spells, colliding weapons, roars, and screams blended into one!

Lin Cangchen, meanwhile, hunched low and, under Chen Feng's guidance, rushed quickly toward the small stone house in the center of the outpost that housed the core Formation Plate controlling the array. Along the way, he saw damaged Formation Flags and fragments of exhausted Spirit Stones scattered on the ground. Clearly, the previous defense had drained the outpost's already meager Formation reserves.

Rushing into the stone house, he saw the light on a crude Formation Plate was dim. Several runic lines connecting the earth veins and energy nodes were already broken and scorched.

"Materials! All the Materials for repairing the Formation are right here!" Chen Feng pointed to a box in the corner, which held a messy pile of low-grade Ores, spirit wood, blank Formation Flags, and a few Low-Grade Spirit Stones. The quantity was small and the quality mediocre.

Lin Cangchen took one look and his heart sank. One cannot make bricks without straw! With just this little bit of stuff, wanting to fully repair and strengthen the original Formation was simply a pipe dream.

But with the sounds of battle shaking the heavens outside and the Formation's light shield flickering uncertainly—liable to collapse at any moment—there was no time for hesitation.

"Let's do this!" Lin Cangchen gritted his teeth and threw himself before the Formation Plate. His Mental Energy was highly concentrated as his hands moved rapidly. He first embedded several Low-Grade Spirit Stones into the energy slots to barely maintain the Formation and prevent it from collapsing immediately. Then, picking up a carving knife and Materials, he began repairing the broken runic lines. His movements were fast and steady, as if he had practiced them thousands of times; the knowledge from the First-Tier Complete Formation Inheritance was being fully integrated at this moment.

Outside, the battle was exceptionally tragic.

The Disciples of the Yinkui Sect were indeed difficult to deal with. Not only were their Spells sinister, but they also occasionally released low-level Puppets refined from the bones of Yao Beasts or humans. Although their combat power wasn't high, they were extremely annoying—impossible to kill off and hard to shake, severely interfering with everyone's Formation.

A Liu Family member failed to dodge in time and was grabbed by the leg by a skeleton Puppet. Immediately after, a bolt of Yin Lightning blasted into him, and he flew back into the light shield with a scream, his chest scorched black.

To cover Lin Lingyun, Lin Lingshi's shoulder was slashed by a poisoned bone spike. His entire arm instantly turned pitch black, scaring him into swallowing a detoxification Medicinal Pill and retreating.

The Zhao Family Ancestor was pushing his old life to the limit, his sword light crisscrossing as he desperately protected several of his family's juniors. However, his Realm had already fallen, and his aura became increasingly erratic after prolonged fighting.

Clan Leader faced the greatest pressure. He not only had to deal with the fierce attacks of two Ninth Layer Qi Refining demonic Cultivators head-on but also had to constantly monitor the entire field and direct movements. Several times he almost couldn't resist using his Foundation Establishment Stage strength, but he ultimately forced himself to hold back, maneuvering only with an exquisite "Qi Refining Perfection" cultivation, which made the Third Elder and others' hearts jump in fear.

"Retreat! Take turns retreating to heal!" Clan Leader roared immediately upon seeing more people get injured.

The injured stumbled back into the light shield, where Cultivators with some medical knowledge immediately stepped forward for simple treatment and to administer Medicinal Pills. After catching their breath slightly, they gritted their teeth and rushed back out of the light shield to continue fighting.

Inside the stone house, Lin Cangchen's forehead was covered in sweat, and his Mental Energy was being consumed like a floodgate left open. He not only had to repair but also perform limited reinforcement on the original Foundation, squeezing the effectiveness of the Materials to the absolute limit. As time passed minute by minute, the booms and screams from outside continued to reach him, making him anxious as if his heart were on fire.

Half an hour felt as long as half a century.

Finally!

"Buzz—!"

A hum several times louder than before rang out. The previously dim light shield around the outpost suddenly brightened, its thickness and solidity significantly improved! A faint, earthy yellow halo—something that wasn't there before—even began to flow across its surface, greatly increasing its defensive power!

"The Formation is repaired! And it's been reinforced!" Chen Feng shouted in surprise from outside.

"Retreat! Everyone retreat into the Formation!" Clan Leader ordered immediately.

The people who had been struggling to hold on felt as if they had received a great pardon. They forced back their opponents and quickly withdrew into the light shield.

Outside, the Qi Refining Perfection Yinkui Sect squad leader looked at the suddenly stabilized Formation, his face so dark it could drip ink. He tried directing his subordinates to attack fiercely several times, only to find the Formation was several times stronger than before, making it impossible to break in a short time.

"Hmph! A struggle of trapped beasts! Let's see how long you can hold out! Rest and reorganize on the spot. Attack in shifts and wear them to death!" He snorted coldly and ordered the demonic Cultivator team to retreat to a safe distance, surrounding the outpost. They neither launched a full assault nor left.

Inside the Formation, the survivors collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. They took the time to treat their wounds and recover their spiritual power. The air was thick with the heavy scent of blood and the aroma of Medicinal Pills.

Only then did everyone breathe a slight sigh of relief and find the time to say a few words.

Liu Hanshan winced as he let his Clan Members bandage the wound on his arm, saying with a bitter smile to Clan Leader, "Clan Leader Lin, do you feel like our luck is 'too good,' always running into rescue missions?"

Clan Leader raised an eyebrow but didn't speak.

The Zhao Family Ancestor caught his breath and took over the conversation, his voice carrying weariness and a hint of numbness. "Clan Leader Lin, it's not that your luck is 'good,' it's just... this is how things are here. Our Zhao Family hasn't even been at Qingyan Pass for two months, and we've already lost two promising youngsters..." A flash of pain crossed his eyes, but he immediately added, "However, the gains for those who survive are indeed great. Cultivation and combat experience are much stronger than closed-door cultivation back in the clan."

He paused, a rare glint appearing in his cloudy old eyes. "Moreover, I saw something in the Merit Hall—[Vein-Sustaining Spirit Glue]. It can completely repair my damaged Foundation! Although it costs two thousand merits... at least there's something to look forward to!"

Upon hearing this, Clan Leader and the others finally understood. It wasn't that their Lin Family had bad luck; it was that the daily life at this Grade B Base was just this exciting and cruel. Merits were plentiful, but they were all won by gambling with one's life.

"Fellow Daoist Chen," Clan Leader turned to the guard Disciple Chen Feng, "Are there any more Formation Materials in the outpost? Just maintaining the status quo probably isn't enough. We need to further strengthen the defense, and it would be best if we could set up some auxiliary small-scale Formations."

Chen Feng nodded hurriedly. "Yes! There are some spares, originally intended for daily maintenance. I'll go get them right now!" At this moment, his admiration for the Lin Family—especially for that young but experienced Formation Master Lin Cangchen—was absolute.

Soon, Chen Feng brought over another box. The Materials inside were slightly more abundant than the previous one.

Clan Leader looked at Lin Cangchen, who had just recovered his breath and whose face was still a bit pale. "Cangchen, can you keep going?"

Lin Cangchen took a deep breath, looked at the demonic Cultivators watching them like tigers outside, and nodded heavily. "I can!"

He knew that the current respite was only temporary. If he didn't turn the outpost into a temporary "iron hedgehog," the next wave of attacks would be even harder to endure once the demonic Cultivators had finished resting.

He walked toward the crude stone house once again. Looking at the newly acquired Materials, his gaze became sharp.

"Come on then. Let's see if your fists are harder, or if this young master's Formation is more resilient!"