601: Chapter 601: The louder the laughter before, the more miserable the tears now.

Boom!!!

The sound was so loud that the entire Cangwu Mountain shook.

The bluestone slabs in front of the mountain gate cracked simultaneously from the recoil, the Spirit Beast carriage slid back several feet, and the green ox was so startled it bucked, only to be held firmly by Wang Tie.

The golden pillar of light slammed into the pale green light screen, which vibrated violently like a lake surface struck by a stone, ripples spreading outward in circles.

The color of the light screen near the Formation Eye changed from pale green to deathly white, then from deathly white to transparent, and a tiny crack appeared at the very center.

The laughter inside the mountain gate vanished instantly.

Total silence.

One could hear a pin drop.

The smile on Elder Liu's face froze as if he had been slapped, before he even had time to pull it back.

Ma Ping's mouth hung open, his jaw nearly dislocated, his eyes staring fixedly at the crack on the light screen above that was still expanding.

He had never seen such a scene in his life—a Mountain Protection Array, one that could withstand the full-strength strike of a Saint Realm Peak, was blasted with a crack by a beam of golden light?

Sect Leader Qing Fengzi's face turned from green to white, then from white to gray.

His lips trembled, and it took a long time before he squeezed out a few words: "Im... impossible. How is this possible? How could the Mountain Protection Array be—"

He didn't finish his sentence.

"Zhao Tiezhu."

Xu Ruyu didn't even turn his head, his voice as calm as if he were ordering food.

"Present!"

Zhao Tiezhu stepped forward carrying the Thunder Roar Cannon, its muzzle aimed at the Formation Eye.

"Follow up with another shot. Aim for that crack."

Zhao Tiezhu gave a mischievous grin and pulled the trigger.

The Thunder Roar Cannon's shell trailed a long plume of flame, accurately slamming into the crack made by the City-Breaker Cannon.

With a thunderous boom, several more branches split from the crack, spreading in all directions from the center like a spiderweb.

The entire light screen was teetering, emitting an overwhelmed humming sound.

"Li Ergou, Zhou Daniu, all Chuanyang Guns and qi-breaking guns, focus fire on the Formation Eye."

"Yes!"

Li Ergou pulled the trigger, and the silver-white pillar of light fired from the Chuanyang Gun struck the center of the crack with precision.

Zhou Daniu held the qi-breaking gun, firing shot after shot, silver light orbs pelting the light screen like raindrops.

Behind them, the qi-breaking guns and Chuanyang Guns of the three hundred Disciples fired simultaneously. Three hundred beams of silver light merged into a silver torrent, frantically washing over the teetering light screen.

More and more cracks appeared on the light screen, growing denser as they spread from the center point. The entire Mountain Protection Array let out sharp wails of distress.

The Disciples of the Taixu Sect began to retreat.

Some dropped their swords, some tripped over their companions, some turned and ran, and some stood paralyzed, their legs shaking.

Sun Quan's face was as white as paper. He turned and ran toward the Main Hall, took a few steps, looked back at the worsening cracks on the light screen, and then ran even faster.

Elder Liu's laughter had completely vanished.

His face shifted from smugness to terror, then to despair, like a crumpled piece of paper that could not be smoothed out no matter how hard one tried.

He took two steps back, stumbled, and nearly fell.

He hurriedly grabbed a nearby stone pillar, his voice changing pitch, becoming sharp and trembling: "Hold steady! Hold steady! The Grand Array won't break! This is a formation personally laid by the Ancestral Master! It's impossible!"

But his voice was swallowed by the roar of the second City-Breaker Cannon shot.

The golden pillar of light slammed into the light screen for the second time.

This time, the light screen didn't hold. Under the impact of the golden pillar of light, the pale green light screen made a tooth-aching cracking sound, and then, with a crash, it shattered into countless fragments, flying in all directions like glass.

The fragments streaked through the air, reflecting the final glow of the setting sun before dissipating into the air, leaving nothing behind. The Mountain Protection Array was broken.

The mountain gate was exposed to the muzzle of the City-Breaker Cannon.

Xu Ruyu extended a finger and pointed at the Taixu Sect's mountain gate.

"Everyone—fire."

The third shell from the City-Breaker Cannon slammed directly into the Taixu Sect's mountain gate archway.

The gold-lacquered plaque with the three characters for "Taixu Sect" was blown to pieces. Broken stones flew everywhere, and dust filled the sky.

Zhao Tiezhu's Thunder Roar Cannon followed closely behind, blasting through the stone pillar on the right side of the mountain gate. The pillar snapped in the middle, and the top half collapsed with a crash, kicking up dust over ten feet high.

Li Ergou shot off the door knocker on the mountain gate with one shot, and Zhou Daniu shattered the stone lion on the left with another.

The firepower of the three hundred Disciples poured onto the mountain gate. Slabs cracked, stone chips flew, and the entire mountain gate shook violently under the bombardment.

The dust gradually cleared.

Of the Taixu Sect's mountain gate, which had been passed down for six generations, only a few broken stone pillars and a pile of rubble remained.

The plaque was gone, the door panels were gone, even the door frame had been blasted to dust.

Through the ruins, the halls and pavilions inside the Taixu Sect could be seen, along with the panicked Taixu Sect Disciples fleeing in all directions through the dust. Some fell, some collided, and some ran toward the mountain crying.

Sect Leader Qing Fengzi stood behind the ruins, trembling all over.

His Daoist robe was covered in lime, his face stained with stone chips, and his forehead had a gash from a flying stone fragment, with blood trickling down his cheek.

He wanted to speak, but his lips trembled for a long time without a single word coming out.

He looked at the ruins before him, at the mountain gate passed down for six generations turned into a pile of broken stones, his mind a complete blank.

Master Qingxu walked out at some point as well.

This Sect Head of the Taixu Sect and Master of Lu Yao had been claiming illness and staying inside ever since he was ransomed back from the Hehuan Sect, leaving all the mess to Sect Leader Qing Fengzi.

Now he stood by the ruins, his face ashen and his eyes hollow, like a stone statue.

He looked at Xu Ruyu, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

Elder Liu slumped on the ground, his legs shaking like sieves.

He looked at the empty sky above—the Mountain Protection Array was gone. The turtle shell he took pride in had been shattered by three cannon shots.

His lips trembled as he repeated the same sentence over and over, so quietly that no one could hear him clearly; only he knew what he was saying: "This is impossible... This is a formation personally laid by the Ancestral Master... This is impossible..."

Ma Ping had run over thirty yards away, hiding behind a large rock and peeking back with half his head.

His face was terrifyingly pale, and his teeth were chattering with a clicking sound.

He remembered the words he had said while standing inside the formation mocking Li Ergou—"Who could you hit with that iron pipe? Do you want me to step forward a few paces so you can hit me?" Now he wished he could sew his own mouth shut.

That iron pipe could not only hit people, it could also shatter the Mountain Protection Array. If he hadn't run, there probably wouldn't even be scraps left of him now.

Sun Quan had run even further, already halfway up the mountain.

He looked back as he ran, and the moment he saw the mountain gate blown to ruins, his legs gave way, and he fell flat on his face.

He lay on the ground, mouth full of dirt, all the strength drained from his body.

He remembered how he had just been mocking the Hehuan Sect's weapons as "iron lumps," and now those "iron lumps" had blasted the mountain gate he had considered an impregnable wall since childhood into rubble.

He suddenly felt that he was very ridiculous—no, not ridiculous, but stupid. Stupid to the bone.

As the dust settled, Xu Ruyu stood before the ruins, his outer robe flapping loudly in the air currents.

He He patted the dust off his shoulders., turned and glanced back at the Disciples holding their guns. Everyone stood ramrod straight, their muzzles still pointed forward, maintaining a posture ready to fire again at any moment.

"Now, can someone tell me," his voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear over the dead silence of the Taixu Sect ruins, "where is Lu Yao being held?"

The people of the Taixu Sect looked at each other, but no one dared to speak.

Xu Ruyu smiled, a smile so gentle it was hair-raising.

"It's alright. If you won't say, I'll blast the halls one by one until someone tells me."