Chapter 539: The Sword of Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Lei Ting

The instant the image of the Eight Trigrams surged skyward, the surrounding void hummed and trembled, faint ripples appearing.

"This is…"

Bai Mei True Person and the other Jin Dan cultivators stared at the scene before them, suspecting they were hallucinating.

Space?

This is space, isn't it!!

Isn't this something only Nascent Soul ancestors can touch?

They, mere hundred-plus Jin Dan cultivators who had drilled the formation for half a month, had touched space this easily?

Naturally, no one attributed it to their own merit; their gazes turned to the ordinary-looking young man at the center of the Eight Trigrams formation, filled with awe.

Boom—!

At the same moment, sensing the threat, the formation of the Scripture Pavilion of the Luoxu Sect finally rumbled into operation. It was not a dead formation, passively defending against attack; it actively sent out rings of array ripples like yellow sand, shrouding an area of dozens of kilometers.

Everyone's vision went dark.

Jiang Ding murmured to himself.

This is already a Nascent Soul-level spell!

"It looks a bit like the terrain of the Spiritless Desert…"

When he opened his eyes again,

Most crucially, there was not a trace of spiritual Qi in the surroundings; no matter how he drew upon it, he could not mobilize the spiritual Qi between heaven and earth, as if it had completely vanished.

Beyond the power of human resistance.

Perhaps thirty thousand years ago, that desert was no different from the other lush, water-rich lands of the Northern Plains.

In the war of annihilation thirty thousand years ago, even the boundary walls were shattered; the Spiritless Desert of the Three Kingdoms' lands should have been created at that time by some heaven-reaching spell.

In the sect's history, there was no lack of large numbers of Nascent Soul cultivators, including peak Nascent Soul cultivators personally attacking, all of whom were ultimately repelled, preserving the sect's spark, while inflicting massive casualties on the enemy.

At this moment, having absorbed sufficient spiritual power, nine yellow sand storms blew toward them. The storms spun at extreme speed, the spirit sand within uneven and jagged, instantly possessing terrifying killing power; even the space around the storms was torn with black streaks.

Jiang Ding paid no heed to the fear and unease of the surrounding Jin Dan cultivators caused by the severance of spiritual Qi, and fell into thought as he surveyed the environment.

They did not doubt for a moment that if their Ben Ming Fa dared to be placed into the storm, it would instantly shatter into a few fragments, their bodies and bones utterly gone, with no power to resist at all.

"What kind of spell could permanently alter such a vast terrain? I really want it…"

Perhaps it is related to the Tianshenlei Sect.

The factors behind the formation of the Spiritless Desert should share common ground with the inheritance the Luoxu Sect obtained.

Ten thousand years ago, it was fearsome in name, burying the lives of countless Nascent Soul cultivators.

Often, once the yellow sand swept through, ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators would have their dharma bodies rupture and their infant treasures dim, able only to escape with their Nascent Souls, struggle on for a while longer, and then have their Nascent Souls shatter and perish.

Ten Thousand Li Yellow Sand Forbidden Grand Formation!

This is the formation of the Luoxu Sect's Scripture Pavilion, ranked at the peak of the fourth tier, one of the sect's most important foundations, playing a vital role in its rise.

This is a storm that tears space!

Bai Mei True Person and the other Jin Dan cultivators watched the approaching storm, then felt the confined spiritual Qi around them, and could not help but feel panic in their hearts, palms sweating, with no confidence at all.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh…

But they saw all around, yellow sand filling the sky, gale winds blowing, and even numerous hundred-zhang-tall tornado storms prowling outside, absorbing spiritual Qi to grow stronger, the threat they posed increasing with every passing moment.

For a time, everyone felt uneasy in their hearts. Though they still burned with desire for the Nascent Soul Gong Fa, they had not collapsed, yet they were already pondering retreat routes, and how to let those beside them go first while they themselves watched and waited.

More of their attention was fixed on the ordinary-looking young man at the center of the formation, watching him tensely.

As the yellow sand storm drew near, he finally began to act.

"Eight Trigrams, rise."

Jiang Ding formed hand seals, and with a flick of his fingers, eight streams of flowing light flew from his hand, landing in the eight formation positions of Senior Qian, Kun, Xun, Dui, Gen, Zhen, Kan, and Li, array patterns spreading.

Bai Mei True Person and the others were nervous in their hearts; each moved according to the formation rehearsed beforehand, shifting the positions of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, drawing in the formation's spiritual light.

Hum!

They saw eight formation flags rise, then rings of hazy Eight Trigrams light spread outward, forcibly smoothing out the yellow sand across dozens of kilometers of the Spiritless Desert, shattering the illusion and revealing the white jade stone-paved ground before the Scripture Pavilion.

Thus, the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth returned.

"The Spirit-Severing Dharma Domain is broken."

Bai Mei True Person and the other Jin Dan cultivators sensed the familiar aura of heaven and earth's spiritual Qi around them, took a deep breath, and looked toward the center of the formation as if witnessing a divine miracle, no longer daring to harbor any petty thoughts.

"Zhen formation, rise."

Jiang Ding looked at the nine high-speed rotating yellow sand tornado dragons coming toward him, and pointed casually.

"Yes!"

Bai Mei True Person and the cultivators who specialized in Lei Fa responded with a thunderous affirmation, acting according to the formation rehearsed beforehand. Magic power and divine sense surged into the Zhen command flag before them, while the cultivators of the other seven trigrams also gathered heaven and earth's spiritual Qi, channeling it into the Zhen formation to coordinate.

Boom—!

In an instant, as heaven and earth's spiritual Qi gathered, boundless Lei Chong Guang converged, lightning serpents leaping everywhere, rumbling thunderously, and within a breath, a terrifying blue-purple Lei Ting formed, coiling and leaping.

"Lord Master Tushan!"

Bai Mei True Person watched this scene in terror, premonitions of life-and-death crisis from his divine soul assailing him without cease.

Over a hundred Jin Dan cultivators, drawing heaven and earth's spiritual Qi through the formation, had gathered such a vast power of Lei Ting—

He could not control it at all!

If delayed any longer, the entire Zhen formation would be ground to dust beneath the Lei Chong Guang, nothing remaining.

"Lei, come."

Jiang Ding beckoned casually.

The boundless Lei Chong Guang condensed by the Zhen formation flew into his hand. The violent, chaotic power of Lei Ting, on the verge of disintegrating and exploding, instantly became utterly docile; Lei Chong Guang flickered, obediently condensing into the shape of a Lei sword.

This Lei sword was awe-inspiring in bearing, its internal structure orderly and stable, with the intent of destruction sitting at its center in command—it was not merely a shell of its form.

This looks like a Natal Flying Sword of a Nascent Soul stage Lei Ting Sword Cultivator!

"Sword, go!"

Jiang Ding points again.

Boom!

Lightning exploded, the Lei Ting Flying Sword tore through space and vanished, beyond the observation of Jin Dan stage divine sense.

The next instant, the Lei Ting Flying Sword arrived before nine yellow-sand tornado storms tearing through space, slicing cleanly through the middle of the nine tornadoes, and the Lei Ting sword-light shattered, dissipating into nothing.

The nine yellow-sand tornadoes faltered.

In the span of a breath, the space-tearing tornadoes crumbled into nothing as gently as a breeze brushing one's face, the storm vanished, countless Ling Sand lost the force driving it and drifted down slowly, kicking up clouds of dust on the ground.

Whoosh, whoosh…

The instant the attack was broken, the enemy within the ten-thousand-li yellow sand raised a wild wind anew, tornadoes forming one after another, roaring, dozens upon hundreds of them pouncing toward this place, leaving not the slightest gap.

Every inch of space around them was torn apart, black lines crisscrossing, a death zone for the living.

"Li Formation!"

Jiang Ding pointed a finger, the many Jin Dan cultivators' Xiu Shi Fa shifted, changing positions, the Eight Trigrams Formation-Breaking Array rumbled into operation, countless flames gathered, and another sword of Southern Ming Li Fire was born, fire-light filling the sky, shattering a swath of yellow-sand storm.

Strands of inextinguishable flame spread all around, able to ignite even the yellow-sand storm, the tornado storms teetering, no longer possessing the power to tear space.

"Kan Formation!"

"Gen Formation!"

"Senior Qian Formation…"

Jiang Ding controlled the Eight Trigrams Formation-Breaking Array, gathering the power of many Jin Dan cultivators, condensing numerous flying swords to cleave the Ten-Thousand-Li Yellow Sand Forbidden Annihilation Array, casually facing the yellow-sand tornado storms, the invasion of yellow-sand yin wind and poisonous fog, and the continual assault of spatial flying blades.

He struck out sword after sword, destroying everything before him.

The Kan Earth Sword, moistening all things, struck out, myriad yin rain sprang forth, and before the yellow-sand yin fog could gather momentum, it wailed once, the yin wind transforming into a breeze brushing one's face.

The Gen Earth Sword, thick and heavy as a wall, smashed down, swathes of spatial flying blades turning to dust, space restored to its original state.

The Xun Wind Sword, blotting out the sky, the overwhelming sandstorm was instead suppressed, unable to form again; the Dui Marsh Sword, ten-thousand-li marshland…

The surrounding ten-thousand-li yellow sand was constantly shattering, the four elements of earth, fire, wind, and water in flux; watching from the start with hearts pounding in terror, the Jin Dan cultivators such as Bai Mei True Person gradually adapted, the efficiency of controlling the formation growing ever higher, the Eight Trigrams Formation-Breaking Array wielded with flawless harmony.

The aura of the ten-thousand-li yellow sand gradually weakened.

Until at last, the surrounding yellow-sand terrain became transparent and hazy, barely able to maintain the domain of space.

The final Senior Qian Heaven Sword, the Senior Qian and Kun formations serving as yin and yang to each other, united the power of all present, condensing into a terrifying yin-yang black-and-white sword that slashed toward the seemingly empty sky.

Rumble!

Only a crisp sound was heard, and the Ten-Thousand-Li Yellow Sand Forbidden Annihilation Grand Array shattered with a rumble, revealing the Scripture Pavilion within, now without any protection.