Chapter 1176: Preparing a Backup

Releasing poison does take some time, but the number of beasts is low now, and the formation can still hold.

Ye Liuyun and the others kept at it like that for a whole day, and his clone went down to release poisonous gas three times.

"If this keeps going, the poison source will run out!"

The clone reminded Ye Liuyun.

Releasing poisonous gas over such a large area also consumes a lot of poison source; the clone's reserves are about to be completely exhausted.

Ye Liuyun immediately informed the others, giving them a mental heads‑up.

When the last wave of poisonous gas is spent, they will have to rely entirely on the formation to block.

Everyone heard this and felt very downcast; some complained that Ye Liuyun's preparation was insufficient.

Ye Liuyun knew they were in a bad mood and did not argue with them.

"We've held out long enough; it's far longer than we expected!"

Zhuge Feiyu was actually quite satisfied with the outcome.

He knew that at this moment Ye Liuyun would certainly give his all and not hold back. Such a thing could never be blamed on Ye Liuyun.

The main defensive force now is all Ye Liuyun's.

Without Ye Liuyun, they would probably have given up long ago.

Ye Liuyun is now considering whether to use the Black Tower teleportation to return to Yi Cheng and redeploy troops.

He scanned the surroundings inside the stone city and found several stone structures that could allow them to continue defending.

After thinking, he dismissed the idea of seeking outside help, deciding to rely on his own strength to face the crisis.

"Zhu Youfu, go set up the Defense Array Plate!"

Ye Liuyun pointed to a relatively spacious stone house, sending Zhu Youfu to arrange the Defense Array Plate.

Everyone immediately understood that Ye Liuyun was preparing a fallback.

"My Formation Plate probably can't even hold for a single hour!" Zhu Youfu said with some worry.

"Then set up as much as you can; each extra moment we hold is a moment gained," Ye Liuyun said firmly.

"Alright!"

Zhu Youfu immediately ran over and began the arrangement.

Ye Liuyun also ordered the Skeleton Puppet to release all the collected Yin Souls of the beasts without leaving any behind, to attack the beasts outside.

Everyone mentally prepared for battle; whether they could survive was left to luck.

Several princes were wholly focused on following Ye Liuyun, fully obeying his orders.

They all understood that if Ye Liuyun couldn't save them, they would have no chance of survival.

Some Martial Cultivators also entertained thoughts of fleeing. If even the city walls couldn't stop the beasts, a single stone house and a few Formation Plates certainly couldn't block the beasts' assault.

But at this moment beasts surrounded them on all sides, so they couldn't escape; they could only wait for the city to be breached and then look for a chance.

Meanwhile, Emperor Xia and his entourage, who were observing the situation inside the palace, wore smiles and showed no sign of tension.

It seemed they had known this scene would unfold long ago.

"The princes are still very united; that's a blessing for our dynasty!"

"Indeed! Moreover, the princes have been brave, fighting continuously. Holding out this long is already quite a feat!"

"Previous princes never lasted until the final day!"

The ministers chattered, discussing the princes' performance.

Emperor Xia was also very pleased with their performance this time.

But the one he favored even more was Ye Liuyun.

Although none of the ministers evaluated Ye Liuyun, he was not blind; the entire battle was orchestrated and commanded solely by Ye Liuyun.

Moreover, Ye Liuyun faced the siege of so many beasts without any panic, displaying true general's bearing.

He was also contemplating whether to cultivate Ye Liuyun, provide resources for him to quickly advance his realm, then send him to the southern front to repel the Foreign Tribe's assault, buying the dynasty more preparation time.

He believed that with Ye Liuyun's abilities, achievements were certain.

However, given Ye Liuyun's current realm, going to the southern battlefield is indeed a bit low.

And how to mobilize Ye Liuyun's army so he would willingly go, while also cultivating the princes, still required careful thought.

Inside the city, Zhu Youfu quickly completed the Formation Plate setup and returned to report to Ye Liuyun.

"I've set up ten layers of Defense Array Plate; I can't say how long it will hold. If the beasts are of Di Zun First Rank or Tianzun Realm, it might not even last a single hour."

"Don't worry! After we retreat into the Formation Plate, you also get ready for combat and go out to spar with the beasts!"

Ye Liuyun calmly said to Zhu Youfu.

"Alright, I should get moving too! Since entering this Secret Realm I haven't really fought anyone. I thought I'd be able to dodge it, but turns out I can't avoid it!"

Zhu Youfu said self‑deprecatingly.

He saw Ye Liuyun remain relatively calm, so his own mindset improved a lot.

He doesn't trust others, but absolutely trusts that Ye Liuyun won't have any mishap.

And if Ye Liuyun doesn't encounter trouble, he won't either.

During combat, Ye Liuyun and his clone continuously practiced the Primordial Spirit Secret Technique, using the beasts below as sparring partners, instantly blasting their core elixirs.

After more than two days of nonstop fighting, their Primordial Spirit Secret Technique improved, allowing them to directly tear open the core elixirs of beasts of the Eightfold Creation—a surprising bonus!

When the final poisonous gas was exhausted, Ye Liuyun and his clone entered the formation, battling the beasts, practicing the blade intent and Qiankun Palm, while devouring the beasts' Divine Soul Power to strengthen themselves.

His master Li Yuanlang had told him that blade intent and Qiankun Palm could be refined later when the opportunity arose. He didn't expect to encounter it so soon.

The others couldn't control the formation, unlike him who could move freely within it; they could only watch him fight incessantly below.

"Ye Liuyun's personal strength isn't weak at all! I think he's on par with our Di Zun First Rank realm!"

"Indeed, especially his blade intent; I don't think anyone in the Daxia Chao can surpass him."

"His palm strength is also far stronger than that of Martial Cultivators of the same level!"

For a moment, everyone began observing Ye Liuyun's strength.

However, Ye Liuyun only focused on practicing these two; his other abilities he did not reveal.

"Boss is mighty!" Zhu Youfu on the city wall also from time to time cheered Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun exhausted his True Essence, then immediately returned to replenish his Mysterious Origin with Storage Yuan Stones. Afterwards, he and his clone took turns returning to the Xuan Kong Shi to cultivate, filling the Mysterious Origin inside the Storage Yuan Stones.

On the final day, they relied entirely on the Formation for support. Inside the Formation, the Five Elements attacks were continuously unleashed—Fire Attack, Earth Attack, … taking turns assaulting the ferocious beasts.

Spirit Stones needed to be replenished almost every two hours.

In the end, the Seventh Prince and his companions obtained Spirit Stones in the Secret Realm, and they almost all fed them to the Formation.