198: Chapter 197 The Core of the Formation

The rain fell in torrents, crashing onto the barrier's light shield with a deafening, chaotic rattle that grated on the nerves.

Chen Zilong wiped his face roughly. Rainwater mixed with sweat, making his eyes sting.

Squinting, he stared at the churning, baleful energy at the center of the formation ahead and cursed inwardly:

"Damn it, this Profound Yin Earth Fiend Formation is a real pain in the ass!"

Spells flew back and forth between the two sides, spiritual lights flashing wildly. In the blink of an eye, over a hundred exchanges had passed.

One moment, Chen Zilong condensed a crackling thunder spear to stab and thrust fiercely; the next, a soft yet resilient Buddhist light radiated from his body to protect himself.

He wasn't above trying to focus fire and take one of them down first.

But every time he was on the verge of shattering an opponent's physical body, that churning, pitch-black baleful qi would swirl, and the bastard would bounce right back up, alive and kicking. It was enough to make anyone's teeth itch with frustration.

"Can't keep this up... I'll be dragged to death..."

Chen Zilong's mind raced. His peripheral vision swept over various parts of the formation, while his spiritual sense spread out like invisible quicksilver, silently and meticulously sensing every fluctuation within the barrier.

This probing actually yielded a clue.

Infinite resurrection, my ass!

They're just burning through their mana pool to tough it out!

This lousy formation relies on the desperate mana output of the thirty-six Nascent Soul, seventy-two Golden Core, and one hundred and eight Foundation Establishment small fries below to maintain the repeated 'resurrections' of these four guys up here.

Plainly speaking, it's a battle of attrition to see who runs dry first!

But the problem is...

The corner of Chen Zilong's mouth twitched, revealing a wry, helpless smile.

His own situation wasn't much better.

Although the five thunders heavenly heart armor he wore was powerful, continuously providing him with mana and allowing him, at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, to stand up to a Great Perfection cultivator, it couldn't withstand the enemy's numbers and their war of attrition.

What's more...

He keenly noticed that the woman named Wang Lin was starting to look off.

Although her physical body shattered each time only to immediately reform.

Her face grew paler with each iteration, as if coated in white powder, and her aura grew weaker and weaker, like a broken bellows.

"Heh, looks like these resurrection tickets aren't free to use."

A flash of understanding crossed Chen Zilong's eyes. "Their physical bodies can't withstand this repeated abuse!"

This discovery invigorated him, as if he had grasped a sliver of light in the darkness.

The three old fogies—Earth Yin, No Yin, and Extreme Yin—still hadn't realized their secrets were laid bare. They continued diligently channeling the Profound Yin Demonic Fire, conjuring various ferocious beast forms that bared fangs and brandished claws, taking turns pouncing to cause trouble.

Now that Chen Zilong had a grasp of the situation, he dealt with them more calmly.

Buddhist divine abilities came to him effortlessly, and he aimed them with brutal precision.

"Take this finger, Great Strength Vajra Finger!"

With a low shout, a golden finger shadow shot out like lightning. With a *thud*, it pierced clean through Elder Earth Yin's chest.

"Prajna Palm!"

The palm wind howled. A massive golden palm print, like a small mountain, slammed down, sending Elder No Yin flying. He exploded into a cloud of blood mist mid-air before he could even land.

"And you, Vajra Fist!"

Fist shadows piled up like mountains and crashed down. Before Elder Extreme Yin could even grunt properly, the sickening sound of his bones and tendons shattering rang out.

However, with each grievous injury, the three would be enveloped in the black baleful qi and rapidly restored.

But Chen Zilong saw it clearly. Their recovery speed slowed with each iteration, and the spiritual pressure fluctuations from their bodies grew weaker and weaker after each resurrection.

"Seems like you lot are almost spent too."

Chen Zilong suddenly sneered, his tone laced with mockery.

Elder Earth Yin's face changed slightly, but he forced himself to shout:

"So what if you've seen through it? What can you do about it?"

"The four of you are the Formation Eyes of this formation, right?"

Chen Zilong said slowly, as if making small talk. "Which means, as long as I send all four of you packing together, the formation will naturally break."

Elder No Yin sneered as if he had heard the biggest joke:

"That's the theory!"

"But Chen Zilong, wanting to take down all four of us at once?"

"Dream on!"

"This old man doesn't believe you have the skill!"

"Hmph, let's test that then!"

Without further ado, light flashed from Chen Zilong's storage ring. A three-zhang tall, pitch-black Vajra Giant Puppet with bulging muscles landed with a earth-shaking crash, radiating baleful energy.

It was one of his trump cards—the Vajra Puppet!

"Pummel them to death!"

At his command, the Vajra Puppet charged at the four like an unleashed wild beast, roaring.

It possessed immense strength, its fists swinging with air-rending shrieks. Combined with its thick skin and rough flesh, it fought with a completely reckless, life-for-a-life style, instantly throwing the four into disarray.

"Be careful! This damned thing is tough!"

Wang Lin urgently warned, her voice already hoarse beyond recognition.

Seizing the precious moment while the fearless Vajra Puppet entangled the four, Chen Zilong focused his mind. A simple, heavy, ancient cauldron exuding a primordial aura materialized in his palm.

It was his Lifebound Treasure—the overlord cauldron!

He took a deep breath. The three true methods within his body circulated at an unprecedented, frenzied speed. His lifelong cultivation poured into the cauldron like a bursting river dam, holding nothing back.

The overlord cauldron immediately buzzed and trembled. Dao rhythms flowed across its body, and the Kunpeng phantom conjured by its artifact spirit circled and swam around it, radiating a heart-palpitating oppressive pressure.

He only had one chance! He had to kill with a single strike, wiping out all four Formation Eyes simultaneously!

At that moment, under the combined counterattack of the four, the Vajra Puppet was finally sent flying back. Multiple parts of its torso were damaged, its spiritual light dim.

Wang Lin and the other three were also panting heavily. They seized the chance to desperately absorb the baleful qi permeating the barrier, preparing to gather their strength for one final, desperate strike.