Chapter 627: Forcibly Keeping Guests

The construction of the formations at Wu Family Fortress is finally complete.

When the grand defensive formation linking the dragon veins was completed and massive vein energy surged into the formation's core, with Wu Family Fortress as the center, the surrounding mountains, rivers, and valleys within roughly thirty thousand li were all enveloped by a tremendous force.

In the high sky, dozens of Heaven‑Scanning Crystal Mirrors hang aloft; to speak plainly, within the thirty‑thousand‑li radius, even an unverified mosquito flying through the forests would be instantly detected by the great formation, monitored, and even struck directly.

On the hilltops around Wu Family Fortress, the concealed artillery platforms meticulously designed and painstakingly crafted by the Ancient Arms Office are integrated with the grand formation; massive vein energy flows into the platforms, huge energy gathers and stores within them, ready to unleash devastatingly powerful attacks at any moment.

One attack formation after another lights up, then, under the controllers' manipulation, dims one by one, completely concealed.

In the sky near Wu Family Fortress, the high‑altitude clouds, under the grand formation's influence, become neatly aligned, losing their former carefree, ever‑changing, formless grace; the white clouds lie in neat blocks, as if cut by a knife into tofu.

Such a cloud layer naturally lacks any beauty, yet it gives people an inexplicable sense of pressure and security.

Outside the main gate of the Wu Family Manor at the heart of Wu Family Fortress, a square the size of five hundred mu is filled with six‑ten‑thousand formation masters standing in perfect order.

At the forefront, six elderly men clad in great black robes embroidered with gold and silver threads depicting the complex, mysterious Zhou Tian star chart, their aura restrained yet profound, are the six formation grandmasters of highest status and deepest expertise in the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom.

They belong to the Works Hall, responsible for constructing major projects such as large cities and imperial gardens; their status is lofty, on par with imperial patronage. Apart from the government's super‑large key projects, unless one has sufficient connections or can pay a price satisfactory to them, do not expect them to lay formations and restrictions for you.

Were it not for the urgent need of troops on two battlefronts, and were it not that Wu Tie had firmly grasped their weak point, Gongyang Sanlü would not have dispatched these six elders to help Wu Tie lay out the city's formations.

The sixty‑thousand formation masters stand there quietly and neatly, each face bearing an arrogant hue, as if proclaiming, "I am the heaven‑chosen prodigy, you are all worthless," their pride radiating from every hair on their bodies.

In this era, even a tattered book can become a family heirloom in the underground world.

Even in the surface world, among the Three Kingdoms, knowledge is an extremely precious resource; especially such profound and mysterious knowledge as formations, which is held by only a handful, secretly passed within a tiny circle, utterly inaccessible to ordinary people.

Each of the sixty‑thousand formation masters is a precious treasure of the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom; the knowledge they master and the abilities they possess are veritable national treasures and strategic assets.

Leaving aside other matters, just looking at the ages of these sixty‑thousand formation masters, the six elders are all over a thousand years old, and the youngest among those present is already over three hundred years old.

To master the classics with white hair, without sufficient years of accumulation, it is impossible to cultivate a qualified formation master.

And since Gongyang Sanlü this time has a request of Wu Tie, those he sent are naturally the true elite among the formation masters controlled by the authorities.

Therefore, no matter how arrogant they may be, they have the grounds for their arrogance; they possess knowledge far surpassing the mundane, and they are the tiny elite of this era who hold the spark of wisdom's transmission.

A formation grandmaster stepped forward two paces, slightly lifting his chin, drooping his eyelids, and with the corner of his eye swept over Wu Tie standing outside the main gate of the Wu Family Manor: "Prince An, the installation of all formations and restrictions at Wu Family Fortress has been completely finished. Adding the thirty‑five cities completed over the past few months, the total task of thirty‑six strongholds has been accomplished by us."

He thrust out his hand rudely and said to Wu Tie in an unhurried tone: "Please, Prince An, pay the promised remuneration in full, then send personnel to escort us back to Qingqiu City."

Gongyang Sanlü's dispatch of these formation masters to help Wu Tie build the city is certainly part of their exchange, but it is not unpaid.

These formation masters are priceless treasures; without sufficient pay, even an order from the heavenly king would be ignored by them. Thus, when Wu Tie and Gongyang Sanlü reached their cooperation agreement, they promised a huge remuneration.

Wu Tie silently watched the neatly ranked formation masters.

These people, they are all treasures.

The knowledge they command, in this era, possesses a value that is truly tempting.

"Elders, will you not consider the terms I proposed a few days ago with several of you?" Wu Tie descended the steps before the main gate with a bright smile, strode cheerfully to the outstretched hand of the formation grandmaster, and warmly clasped it.

"Let me lead my many disciples and descendants to serve Prince An?" The elder smiled reservedly, shook his head, and forcefully pulled his hand from Wu Tie's palm.

Squinting his eyes, the formation grandmaster Pang Xuan, whose seniority is extremely high and whose formation expertise is profound, the eldest among the six, already nearing twelve thousand years old, repeatedly smiled and shook his head, eyes narrowed as he surveyed Wu Tie: "Indeed… it is not that I hold any opinion of Prince An; it is simply that the modest state of An cannot support us."

"Cannot support?" Wu Tie stared at Pang Xuan in astonishment: "With the ten most fertile provinces of the world…"

Pang Xuan shook his head ever more vigorously: "Not merely food, drink, servants, and maidservants—what meaning do these external things hold for us? What we need is knowledge, inheritance, ancient texts, secret scrolls… Moreover, our kin, our disciples and descendants, they need to rise above others, they need illustrious fame, they need to be renowned throughout the world, and these you cannot provide."

"I cannot provide?" Wu Tie furrowed his brow.

In the vast knowledge legacy of Old Iron, there are countless formation teachings.

But manpower is limited; these past years, Wu Tie has been busy raising his own cultivation and combat power just to stay alive, leaving no mood to devote time and energy to such miscellaneous studies.

Therefore, knowledge transmission, Wu Tie can provide.

But as for those other things… "Your Majesty truly cannot provide them?"

Pang Xuan narrowed his eyes, his gaze deep as he looked at Wu Tie: "Not only you, a single prince, wishes to win us over; but merely a princely title truly cannot give us what we need. A petty fiefdom is too small a stage; we have a divine kingdom where we may take and seek as we please—why would we hang ourselves on a tiny sapling?"

Wu Tie let out a sigh, looking helplessly at Pang Xuan: "So you are preparing to lead your people back to Qingqiu City… I truly cannot have you serve me, can I?"

Pang Xuan laughed, and the five formation grandmasters behind him laughed together, Pang Xuan nodding as he smiled: "Back then, the present Divine Emperor once asked me the same; I refused him then, but now am I not serving him?"

Wu Tie spread his hands, looking at Pang Xuan with a smile: "Those words border on treason; may I understand them as you inciting me to raise troops, rebel, and contend for the throne?"

Pang Xuan's expression suddenly tightened; he stared sternly at Wu Tie and said: "I harbor no such intention, Prince An—do not frame me. Well, enough idle talk; please, Prince An, pay the promised remuneration."

Pang Xuan once again extended his hand toward Wu Tie.

Wu Tie fell silent for a moment, then heaved a deep, profound sigh: "In an hour, I will send an urgent dispatch to the Grand Tutor… the fleet I sent to escort the masters back to Qingqiu City was ambushed at the border of my fiefdom, the entire force annihilated, none survived."

"And, masters… unfortunately, you… along with the destroyed fleet, your whereabouts are unknown."

Wu Tie clapped his hands, speaking lightly: "What terrible news, and moreover, this is also my responsibility—my failure to protect, my responsibility… therefore, I will personally submit a petition of guilt to His Majesty and voluntarily request a ten‑year salary reduction."

Spreading his hands, Wu Tie smiled at Pang Xuan: "My Prince An fief does still yield some stipend each year; especially since I also hold the post of Vice Hall Master of the Demon‑Suppressing Hall, its stipend is a hundred times greater than that of my fief."

"A ten‑year salary cut is no small figure." Wu Tie smiled, his eyes narrowing to slits.

Pang Xuan swiftly stepped back a few paces; he and the other formation grandmasters are seasoned veterans of the jianghu, and hearing Wu Tie's words, he shouted sternly: "Prince An, you have gall! Do you think anyone would believe your words?"

Wu Tie glared, coldly chuckling: "I care not whether they believe it; I myself believe it. Come, someone—please have the masters return to the inn to rest; later, send them to a safe, secluded place… masters, rest assured, I will support you for the rest of your lives."

"You need not worry about your kin either; if you want women, I'll give you women; if you want men, I'll give you men. In short, I will take charge of rebuilding your households and families, guaranteeing you'll be served in comfort… just treat those relatives you have in Qingqiu City as a dream."

Around them came the sound of heavy footsteps, the clashing of metal armor ringing like thunder, shaking the ears until they ached.

Pang Xuan bellowed hoarsely: "Prince An Huo Xiong, you have gall!"

Wu Tie stared expressionlessly at Pang Xuan: "My courage has always been great; you didn't know that?"

On the wide avenues surrounding the square, large groups of heavily armored invincible soldiers kept pouring out, forming small battle arrays that continually pressed toward the formation masters on the square.

In the sky, warships gathered, and furthermore, the featherfolk warriors purchased by Wu Tie from Demon‑Suppressing City flapped their wings, bearing long bows and spears, forming arrays in the air.

Pang Xuan and company gazed grimly at the surroundings; Pang Xuan suddenly burst into loud laughter: "Prince An, Prince An, what a fine Prince An… we have refused countless officials' deliberate courting, even if they were as tyrannical as the Xiang clan, they only issued verbal threats, never any substantive action."

Pang Xuan kept shaking his head with a cold sneer: "In my whole life, this is the first time I have encountered such a thing—truly someone dares, relying on that paltry bit of power in hand, to move against us."

Wu Tie gave Pang Xuan a cold look: "If you want to do it, do it; since you are useful to me, I have expended such effort to retain you… but since you refuse to stay, I cannot be blamed for using force."

Wu Tie bellowed the order: "Hurry up, please have the masters go rest."

Pang Xuan suddenly heaved a deep sigh, looking at Wu Tie with a hint of pride and a hint of pity: "Prince An, have you forgotten something? This place is Wu Family Fortress, which we built for you with all our might, painstakingly constructing its formations… every formation here, every pattern, every restriction, was laid by our own hands."

Wu Tie raised his eyebrows: "Master, what do you mean?"

Pang Xuan's face suddenly turned extremely gloomy, even carrying a hint of killing intent: "Let this old man give Prince An a lesson—never fight against a formation master in a place densely covered with formations and restrictions; that's courting death."

Pang Xuan raised his right hand, forming a seal with his five fingers.

The five formation grandmasters behind him, the sixty thousand formation masters, all simultaneously formed seals with both hands and chanted a spell.

The entire Wu family fortress trembled slightly, and from all directions huge streams of light rose from the earth, like giant dragons gathering toward the Wu family fortress.

In an instant, the entire Wu family fortress was completely enveloped by a thick light curtain spanning several li; a terrifying heavenly pressure crushed down from above, the invincible soldiers encircling from all directions clang clang fell to the ground, the feathered warriors spinning in the air screamed and fell headfirst from the sky.

Fortunately, these feathered warriors' bodies were exceptionally slender and light, with large wings behind them that had a gliding function; even falling from a height, they only suffered bruised arms and legs, no serious harm.

Even the warships gathering in the air had their energy furnaces directly extinguished by the terrifying heavenly pressure; the light on their hulls quickly dimmed, and huge warships kept descending from the air, about to crush the newly built pavilions of the Wu family fortress.

Pang Xuan laughed loudly: "Never fight against a formation master in a place densely covered with formations and restrictions!"

Wu Tie tilted his head looking at Pang Xuan: "The grand formation activated? The aura is blocked? Oh, thanks!"

Pang Xuan's face suddenly changed; in the next moment, a Yin-Yang Daoist appeared out of thin air beside Wu Tie, a Yin-Yang Two-Qi bottle sprayed from his head, thereafter the Yin-Yang Two-Qi, carrying specks of spiritual light, shot up hundreds of zhang high, and towering figures with extremely terrifying aura continuously emerged from the Yin-Yang Two-Qi.

The Yin-Yang Daoist brought from the Wu domain the three-corpse incarnations severed by dozens of old monsters of the Wu family, which arrived.

These old monsters each unscrupulously released the pressure of their Divine Realm cultivation; Pang Xuan and the others all turned pale, the sixty thousand formation masters almost simultaneously fainted, and no one could withstand the pressure from so many Divine Realm experts released at such close range.

Pang Xuan and the others, whose cultivation was slightly higher and who also had protective secret treasures, trembled as they looked at the dozens of god-like, demonic terrifying existences standing in the air, each letting out a despairing wail.

If these old monsters were outside the grand formation, they could still rely on the formation to effectively resist their attacks, at least buying half a day's time; that time would be enough for them to send a signal, summoning heavy reinforcements from Qingqiu City.

But now, these old monsters are inside the grand formation…

Formation masters are not skilled in frontal combat; in frontal combat their battle power is nearly zero. Facing these Wu family old monsters who have spent their lives fighting… they are like chicks beside a tiger's mouth, with no chance to resist.

"Prince An… we can negotiate, we can negotiate!"

Pang Xuan's state of mind became greatly disturbed, and he screamed hoarsely: "Everything can be negotiated… if we, this old man, serve Prince An, that's fine, but…"

Wu Tie lightly shook his head, coldly said: "At this point, do you still have room to negotiate terms? You've already seen my trump card… one of them… hehe, do you still have any chance to negotiate?"

Raising his hand, he cupped his fists toward the old monsters in the sky, Wu Tie coldly said: "Please, esteemed ancestors, personally act to bind these people using your most proud and vicious methods… they are all precious treasures, must not be harmed."