Chapter 358: Activate the Array

Yang Jiyong dared not engage Feng Xi head-on, so he struck once and retreated, provoking Feng Xi into rage and luring it away.

Feng Xi trudged clumsily, its massive body flattening forests, crushing rocks, and scattering the demonic beasts hidden deep in the mountains.

But as it moved, Feng Xi seemed to understand something, suppressing the hatred in its eyes, then crouched again to continue absorbing the blood qi.

Yang Jiyong once again channeled his spiritual energy and unleashed his spear technique, attacking Feng Xi.

Yet he had already expended most of his spiritual energy using the superior Dao art Radiant Golden Spear; now his energy was insufficient, the technique's power ordinary, and though spear tips rained down upon Feng Xi's body, Feng Xi paid no heed.

Feng Xi knew that once it finished absorbing the blood qi, it could descend the mountain to feed, and would not rashly act on momentary fury.

Yang Jiyong dared not attack further.

Once his spiritual energy was exhausted, the danger would be his own—if Feng Xi devoured him, not only would he die here, but this boar would gain another "blood-replenishing pill" of Foundation Establishment realm.

Yang Jiyong withdrew, and Zhang Lan stepped forward.

His entire body surged with spiritual energy; he pressed two fingers together, forming a pale blue giant sword, and pointed remotely—the sword qi slashed through the air, piercing directly into Feng Xi's head.

The flesh and blood of Feng Xi's head shattered, then gradually reformed.

This was Zhang Lan's utmost effort—a technique he had not yet learned from the Zhang family's superior Dao arts, for he had only just entered Foundation Establishment; yet its power was formidable enough to make Feng Xi wary.

Feng Xi was enraged again, struggling to rise, its pupils darting wildly before locking onto Zhang Lan, roaring, and charging at him.

Zhang Lan led Feng Xi further, exhausting his spiritual energy completely, unable to cast any significant technique to threaten Feng Xi.

At this moment, Yang Rong thrust his spear like a dragon, unleashing his full strength in one blow, then retreated immediately, luring Feng Xi once more.

When his spiritual energy waned, Elder Yu, Zhou Zhangsi, and Young Master An took turns stepping forward.

One attacked while the Dao weapon restrained; others rested and replenished their energy.

Then they rotated in sequence, step by step, luring Feng Xi into the former Great Heishan mountain fortress, now the Five Elements Demon-Slaying Array.

Two mountains embraced it; buildings stood densely; the array was stern and tightly sealed.

Feng Xi stepped into the great array and suddenly sensed danger, roaring and attempting to retreat.

Yang Jiyong immediately shouted: "Seal the gates!"

At the entrance of the array, embraced by the mountain contours, two massive iron gates swung shut, forming inner and outer iron barriers that sealed off the great demon's escape.

Feng Xi ignored everything, charging straight into the iron gates.

The gates, forged of refined iron and tempered by alchemists, shattered instantly under Feng Xi's impact—like mud sculptures, they twisted, dented, and collapsed in an instant.

Feng Xi's power was terrifying indeed!

Everyone drew a sharp breath.

As Feng Xi prepared to strike again, the second iron gate would surely shatter.

A flash of Jin Guang suddenly appeared upon the gates; array patterns glowed across every corner, reinforcing the entire structure.

Feng Xi charged again—this time colliding with the array.

The Jin Guang on the array trembled violently, dimmed gradually, and finally vanished—but the iron gates remained intact.

Blocked, the brief delay allowed Mo Hua to fix his gaze, swiftly communicating with the array's core via spiritual perception; the entire array's spiritual energy pathways, dense and interconnected, unfolded with perfect clarity within Mo Hua's mind.

Mo Hua's spiritual perception stirred slightly, controlling the array through its core, instantly activating all spiritual energy circuits.

Mo Hua coldly commanded:

"Five Elements Demon-Slaying Array—activate!"

In an instant, the array's core ignited; the spirit stones piled atop the Spirit Gathering Replenishment Array were instantly refined, transforming into vast spiritual energy that surged through the entire array.

Spiritual energy roared in rapid circulation; the array trembled, emitting a deafening hum.

Like a colossal cultivation machine straining to operate, or a giant demonic beast growling low.

An immensely powerful spiritual energy aura erupted instantly.

Simultaneously, all cultivators in Tongxiancheng were shaken to their cores; they all looked up, gazing toward Sun Dahei Mountain.

They saw five-colored light erupting into the sky beneath the rising sun.

Array patterns along the mountain flared one after another, linking into a vast expanse, weaving a colossal five-colored curtain; torrents of spiritual energy converged into rivers, swirling within the array.

The array radiated brilliant light, engulfing the deep mountains—magnificent and awe-inspiring, utterly suppressing the lingering stench of blood that had hung over the mountains for so long!

In that instant, every cultivator stood frozen, stunned beyond words, their hearts trembling with awe.

This was the grandeur of a great array…

The array they had built with all their strength…

The array's design seemed the manifestation of majestic Dao.

Powerful enough to strike dread, beautiful enough to stir longing.

This was the first—and perhaps the only—time all cultivators of Tongxiancheng would ever witness a fully activated Grade-One array in their lives.

On the remote Nanshan.

Mr. Zhuang also gazed wistfully at the vast array in the deep mountains, his expression tinged with nostalgia.

Behind him, the Puppet Elder stared blankly, his gaze slightly narrowed, murmuring softly:

"It truly… was completed…"

Meanwhile, Feng Xi sensed a lethal danger and began screaming frantically.

It used all four limbs, struggling desperately to break free from the array.

But once inside Mo Hua's array, escaping would not be so simple.

Mo Hua glanced at it casually, lifted a small hand, and the pattern at the array's core flashed.

The ground within the array suddenly turned to quicksand, swirling rapidly into a vortex that drew inward.

Five Elements Earth Binding Array—Quicksand Array!

Feng Xi's eyes blazed with fury, limbs thrashing—but the ground had become quicksand, offering no purchase; it could not escape, only dragged by the swirling vortex, its massive body pulled to the array's center.

And at the array's center lay the core of the Five Elements Demon-Slaying Array's trapping and killing mechanism:

The Five Elements Entrapment and Annihilation Array.

The Five Elements Entrapment and Annihilation Array uses a foundation of earth and stone, constructed by a craftsman, as its medium; it resembles a labyrinth of five-element loops, composed of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, arranged according to their five elemental directions.

The west belongs to Metal, the east to Wood, the north to Water, the south to Fire, and the center to Earth.

At each direction, a primary five-element base array, saturated with array patterns, is built according to its elemental attribute, forming the Five Elements Labyrinth.

Its fundamental principles are twofold: "Entrapment" and "Annihilation."

The Metal base array lies to the left, using the Metal Lock Array as the entrapment array; Metal generates Water, so the Water Sword Array serves as the annihilation array;

The Wood base array lies to the right, using the Wood Prison Array as the entrapment array; Wood generates Fire, so the Fire Rain Array serves as the annihilation array;

The Water base array lies above, using the Overwhelming Water Array as the entrapment array; Water generates Wood, so the Wood Poison Array serves as the annihilation array;

The Fire base array lies below, using the Crimson Fire Array as the entrapment array; Fire generates Earth, so the Earth Crack Array serves as the annihilation array;

The Earth base array lies at the center, using the Flowing Sand Array as the entrapment array; Earth generates Metal, so the Jin Guang Array serves as the annihilation array!

The Five Elements arrays are complete, interlocked in a cycle, endlessly renewing, forming a unified entrapment and annihilation system.

The entrapment arrays immobilize the Feng Xi, blocking its advance; the annihilation arrays drain its blood qi and destroy its life.

Simultaneously, the Five Elements' generative relationships are exploited: the attribute of the entrapment array amplifies the annihilation array, maximizing spiritual energy usage and enhancing the annihilation array's power.

The Five Elements base arrays, adjacent to one another, are connected and together form a labyrinth.

Around the labyrinth are sturdy earthen and wooden structures.

Upon these structures are reinforced arrays, primarily Earth and Wood, with auxiliary Metal arrays, interspersed with Water and Fire arrays, all sustained by the immense spiritual energy of the grand array—unbreakable.

The Feng Xi cannot break out; there is no escape. It must follow the Five Elements labyrinth, dashing left and right, traversing every entrapment and annihilation array in turn, cycling endlessly until its blood qi is exhausted and it dies.

The Five Elements flow in rotation, severing all life force—this is the Rank One, Eleven-Stripe Five Elements Demon-Slaying Array!

The Feng Xi was drawn into the array by the Flowing Sand Array and first appeared at the central Earth base array.

The surging spiritual energy of the grand array, and the roaring sound of its flowing energy, alerted the ferocious, foolish, and dull Feng Xi to grave danger.

It slammed its full strength against the labyrinth's walls.

Boom—the walls did not shatter, bolstered as they were by the array's spiritual energy; only the array's glow dimmed slightly, clearly having consumed considerable spiritual energy.

Mo Hua subtly shifted his intent, guiding his spiritual sense; in an instant, fresh spiritual energy flowed in to replenish the loss, and the array's glow on the stone walls returned to its original brilliance.

After repeated failed attempts to break the wall, the Feng Xi was forced to flee along the labyrinth.

But the Flowing Sand Array trapped it: the ground sank into quicksand, causing the Feng Xi to stagger, moving with extreme slowness.

Meanwhile, the Jin Guang arrays on both sides ignited one after another, coalescing into hundreds of thousands of golden sword rays, descending like a rainstorm, engulfing the Feng Xi instantly, shredding its blood qi again and again.

The immense spiritual energy and the ferocious, unmatched killing aura chilled the hearts of all Foundation Establishment cultivators outside the array.

"Is this the power of a Rank One entrapment and annihilation array…?"

Though the array is only Rank One and the individual arrays are Qi Refining level, the sheer number of arrays is terrifying!

When the annihilation arrays activate, it is as if thousands of cultivators cast spells simultaneously—dense as a downpour, with no place to hide, no defense possible.

Once trapped within such an array, even a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, forming a Dao Soldier formation, would surely perish without hope!

One more chapter, around eight o'clock.