Volume 1, Chapter 19: Stone Statue Army Formation, A Desperate Bloody Path

The huge eye-like "lanterns" of blood, like two scarlet blood moons, hung from the dark dome deep within the cavern, indifferently overlooking the crowd below, who were as tiny as ants. That low, hoarse voice sounded like a ten-thousand-jin heavy hammer, striking everyone's Divine Soul with every word.

"Survive... walk before me... or... become a part of the Evil Qi..."

The moment the voice finished.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Heavy, rhythmic footsteps that seemed to shake the earth came from the dark end of the passage ahead, getting closer and louder! Every step was accompanied by the trembling of the cavern and the rustling of falling gravel.

"Defensive stance! Form up!" Despite the panic in his heart, Han Feiyu, as the team leader, forced himself to stay calm and shouted sternly. He quickly stuffed the jade box he had just obtained into his robe, and the azure longsword in his hand erupted with light, exuding a chilling cold. The two Foundation Establishment stewards also stood beside him with solemn expressions, their spiritual power surging.

Sun Miao hurriedly stowed away the ancient scroll and quickly gathered with Chen Feng, Su Qingyue, and other Disciples to form a defensive circular array. The Guest Elders and surviving Outer Sect Disciples also huddled together in a panic, but their Formation was loose, and desperation was etched on everyone's faces. Having just lost nearly half their numbers and now facing such an unknown and terrifying "trial," their morale was on the verge of collapse.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the surging blood and Qi within his body caused by his Evil Qi body refining, and gazed sharply ahead. The pressure brought by those heavy footsteps caused his martial instincts to slightly awaken, even faintly evoking a long-lost... excitement? He calmly took out a corner of the broken metal disc he had just obtained from his storage ring and touched it with his fingertips, attempting to perceive more information. The resonance between the disc and the fragment in his bosom grew stronger, and at the same time, an extremely faint, intermittent image surged into his mind again: countless figures standing silently, clad in simple stone armor... the firelight of a huge furnace... a blurred giant holding a giant axe, pointing into the distance...

These images flashed by, yet they gave Lin Xuan a vague guess about the upcoming "trial."

Just then, the darkness of the passage ahead was dispersed by a moving "wall."

It was not a real wall, but a tight phalanx composed of twenty stone statues, each two zhang tall, wearing rough stone armor and holding various stone weapons!

The appearance of the stone statues was closer to human form than the monster stone statues at the entrance, but their faces were blurred, with only a faint yet cold red light flickering in their eye sockets, originating from the same source as those blood-colored eyes. They moved in perfect unison, their steps heavy and steady, and their stone bodies rubbed against each other with a teeth-grinding "creaking" sound. The energy fluctuation emitted by each statue had steadily reached the level of Qi Refining Late Stage, and the four statues at the front of the Formation were even vaguely touching the threshold of Foundation Establishment!

Twenty Qi Refining Late Stage, four quasi-Foundation Establishment stone statues! Moreover, they had formed some kind of ancient yet murderous battle Formation, their auras connected, acting as one, bringing a pressure far exceeding an equal number of scattered Yao Beasts!

"Stone Statue Guards... Army Formation!" Sun Miao gasped, "To think that an ancient Body Cultivator training ground would still retain such complete defensive forces!"

"Kill our way through! Their movements seem heavy, so their turning must be inconvenient! Concentrate our power and tear through their Formation!" A flash of ruthlessness crossed Han Feiyu's eyes; he knew that retreating now meant certain death. He brandished his longsword, turning into an azure stream of light, and struck directly at the head of the quasi-Foundation Establishment stone statue on the right wing of the army Formation! Before the Sword Qi arrived, the biting cold had already formed white frost on the surface of the stone statue.

The two Foundation Establishment stewards also attacked simultaneously; one unleashed a sky full of golden fist shadows, roaring towards the other side; the other sacrificed a bronze mirror, shooting out a scorching white beam of light, attempting to interfere with the energy connection of the stone statue Formation.

"Follow Senior Brother Han and charge!" Chen Feng shouted, leading the elite Inner Sect Disciples of the Yunni Sect to form a sword array and follow closely behind Han Feiyu, attacking the front of the stone statue army Formation.

Sun Miao, Su Qingyue, and the others had no choice but to grit their teeth and follow, various Spell lights lighting up as they bombarded the stone statues.

The great battle erupted instantly!

However, the power of the stone statue army Formation far exceeded everyone's expectations.

Facing Han Feiyu's swift and ruthless sword light, the targeted quasi-Foundation Establishment stone statue did not dodge or evade, simply raising its huge stone shield. At the same time, the stone spears of the two ordinary stone statues beside it crossed, forming a simple triangular defense with the shield.

"Clang—!!!"

The azure sword light slashed fiercely against the defensive point formed by the stone shield and the crossed stone spears, emitting a deafening roar! Sparks flew, and stone chips scattered. A deep sword mark appeared on the stone shield, and the crossed stone spears were chipped, but the quasi-Foundation Establishment stone statue only swayed and retreated half a step before steadying itself. Han Feiyu, however, felt a massive recoil force from his sword, numbing his arm, and his Sword Qi had been mostly dispersed and neutralized by that strange triangular defense!

"Their defense is strange! Their power can be transferred and shared!" Han Feiyu's expression changed.

On the other side, the other Foundation Establishment steward's golden fist shadows landed in the middle of the stone statue Formation; although it sent several stone statues stumbling back and caused cracks on their bodies, they were quickly replaced by the stone statues behind, and the cracks were slowly repaired under the blood-colored faint light flowing through the Formation!

The stone statue army Formation was like a single entity, advancing and retreating in an orderly manner, integrating offense and defense. Their power seemed to be connected and shared through the ground beneath their feet and some kind of Formation; their defense was astonishing, and their recovery ability was not weak either. Moreover, they were not inanimate objects; their combat instincts were simple and effective, targeting vital points—they were built completely as war machines.

The attacks from the Yunni Sect Disciples landed on the stone statue Formation like tickling it; it often required several people working together to barely repel or damage one ordinary stone statue, while they themselves were constantly swept by the heavy weapons of the stone statues, their protective spiritual light shattered, and the screams of broken bones and tendons echoed one after another.

In just a few breaths, the few Inner Sect Disciples charging at the front were sent flying, vomiting blood, by the stone hammers and stone axes of the stone statues, their fates unknown. The frontline was instantly pushed back.

"Retreat! Contract the defense! Do not scatter!" Sun Miao was so anxious his eyes turned red, directing everyone to retreat while fighting towards a recess in the rock wall, attempting to use the terrain to reduce the area exposed to the enemy.

But the stone statue army Formation was like a tide, advancing steadily, compressing everyone's living space. The four quasi-Foundation Establishment stone statues were like the tip of an arrow, each impact making the defensive line teeter.

Lin Xuan, Wang Mang, Li Dali, and other Guest Elders were squeezed into the back of the Formation, where the pressure was relatively smaller, but the situation was equally critical.

"Brother Lin, these stone lumps are too hard! We can't break them!" Wang Mang roared, punching the leg of a stone statue, leaving only a shallow pit, and getting his fist hurt in return. He was almost pierced by a stone spear stabbing from the side, but luckily Li Dali sprinkled a handful of corrosive medicinal powder, temporarily forcing the stone statue back.

Lin Xuan's eyes were deep and calm; he did not rashly step forward to engage in a hard fight. The observation just now, combined with the blurred images from the metal disc in his mind, gave him a deeper understanding of these stone statues. These stone statue guards were not just inanimate objects; their core drive seemed to be a combination of the rich Earth Vein Evil Qi here and some kind of residual ancient Battle Intent. Their Formation was also vaguely related to some profound description of "Qi and Blood Resonance" and "Force Field Connection" in the "Ancient God Body Refining Technique."

"Their weakness might not be in the individuals, but in the Formation nodes connecting them, or... the Evil Qi core driving them." Lin Xuan thought rapidly, "My [Source Martial Spiritual Energy] and the blood and Qi of the 'Ancient God Body Refining Technique' seem to have a special influence on the Evil Qi here..."

He tried to condense a wisp of [Source Martial Spiritual Energy] fused with the blood Evil Qi of this place at his fingertips, and with a flick of his finger, it turned into an imperceptible dark golden thread, shooting towards a texture node on the chest of an ordinary stone statue that was raising its shield and moving forward.

"Swoosh!"

The thread sank into the stone statue's chest, the texture node brightened slightly, then dimmed. The stone statue's movements experienced an extremely short, almost imperceptible stagnation, and the blood-colored faint light flowing on its body also became chaotic for an instant.

It was effective! But the effect was too weak to paralyze the stone statue.

He needed stronger interference, or... to find the Formation core, or the hub of the Evil Qi supply!

Just then, the defensive line on the left side of the team finally collapsed under the fierce attack of the four quasi-Foundation Establishment stone statues!

"Ah—!" Amidst the screams, two Outer Sect Disciples were cut in half by the stone axes of the stone statues! Blood splashed! A gap appeared in the defensive line, and several ordinary stone statues immediately surged in like sharks smelling blood, rushing straight towards the relatively fragile Alchemists, Formation Masters, and injured Disciples in the center of the Formation!

"Block them!" Chen Feng's eyes were about to split, he swung his sword to fill the gap, but was fiercely knocked away by the stone shield of a quasi-Foundation Establishment stone statue, spitting blood from his mouth.

Su Qingyue gritted her teeth and let out a sharp cry, her longsword turning into an ice-blue streak, slashing at one of the stone statues rushing at the front, temporarily freezing and delaying it, but she herself was grazed on the arm by the stone spear of another stone statue, drawing a trail of blood, and she retreated with a muffled groan.

Seeing that the Formation was about to be completely broken and a massacre was imminent.

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Han Feiyu's eyes, and he suddenly slapped the Storage Pouch at his waist; a Medicinal Pill the size of a dragon's eye, entirely crimson and covered with fine thunder patterns, appeared in his hand—the "Violent Blood Thunder Evil Pill"! This was one of the trump cards bestowed by the Sect for saving his life. After taking it, one could burn essence and blood in a short time to stimulate potential, greatly increasing the explosion of spiritual power and attack intensity, and it came with the power of Thunder Evil, but it caused great damage to the Foundation, and after it was over, one would inevitably be seriously injured, or even risk falling in Realm.

He glanced at the precarious defensive line, then at the two cold blood-colored "lanterns" in the depths, and finally stopped hesitating, tilting his head back to swallow the Medicinal Pill!

"Boom!"

A violent, scorching aura, mixed with blood-colored thunder light, suddenly erupted from Han Feiyu's body! His eyes were instantly bloodshot, blue veins bulged under his skin, his moon-white brocade robe fluttered without wind, snapping loudly, and his cultivation aura actually skyrocketed temporarily, infinitely close to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage!

"Vile creatures! Get out of my way!" Han Feiyu roared, the azure longsword in his hand erupted with several times more light, turning into a huge ice-blue sword gang wrapped in blood-colored thunder light, carrying an unstoppable, terrifying momentum that tore through everything, sweeping towards the several stone statues that had rushed into the gap, and the quasi-Foundation Establishment stone statue that followed closely behind!

The power of this sword was far beyond before!

"Crack! Rumble—!"

Wherever the sword gang passed, the hard bodies of the stone statues were cut open and shattered like paper! The four ordinary stone statues that rushed into the gap were instantly slashed into sky-filling gravel! The quasi-Foundation Establishment stone statue raised its stone shield to resist, but the stone shield and half of its body were blown to pieces by the violent sword gang and Thunder Evil power, the red light in its eyes suddenly extinguished, and it collapsed to the ground with a bang!

The power of one sword was actually this terrifying! It temporarily choked the fierce offensive of the stone statue army Formation.

"Senior Brother Han has Divine Might!" The surviving Disciples were invigorated, seeing a glimmer of hope in the desperate situation.

However, Han Feiyu himself swayed, an unnatural flush appeared on his face, a wisp of black blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth, and his aura began to become unstable. Obviously, the backlash of the Medicinal Pill had already begun.

And the stone statue army Formation only paused briefly. Behind, more stone statues stepped silently on the gravel of their companions and continued to advance. That broken gap did not cause them to feel any fear. The blood-colored eyes deep in the dome still looked down coldly, as if enjoying the struggle of the ants.

Hope was just a flash in the pan.

Lin Xuan knew he couldn't wait any longer. Han Feiyu's outburst bought precious time, but it couldn't last. He had to find the key to breaking the situation.

His gaze suddenly turned to the rear of the stone statue army Formation, deeper into the passage. The concentration of Evil Qi there was astonishingly high, vaguely forming some kind of vortex-like flow. And in his perception, the resonance of the metal disc in his bosom was pointing in that direction!

"Wang Mang, Li Dali, follow me!" Lin Xuan shouted, no longer holding back, the eight hundred wisps of [Source Martial Spiritual Energy] in his body erupted fully, his blood and Qi roared like a dragon, and the affinity with the Evil Qi here brought by the "Ancient God Body Refining Technique" was pushed to the limit. He moved, no longer charging head-on into the stone statue army Formation, but like a ghost, sticking to the steep rock wall on the edge of the cavern, with astonishing speed and agility, bypassing the frontal battlefield and rushing towards the direction of the Evil Qi vortex behind the stone statue army Formation!

He wanted to go straight to the heart, looking for the energy core of this stone statue army Formation, or... another possibility for the trial!

Although Wang Mang and Li Dali didn't understand what Lin Xuan was going to do, out of trust and instinct in the desperate situation, they gritted their teeth and erupted with all their potential, following closely behind Lin Xuan, dangerously avoiding the attack range of the stone statues along the rock wall, and rushing into the depths.

"Lin Xuan! What are you doing?!" Han Feiyu saw this, shocked and angry, thinking Lin Xuan was going to escape alone or seek other Opportunities.

Lin Xuan did not look back, his voice, blessed by spiritual energy, clearly reached everyone's ears behind him, with a strange calmness:

"Their power comes from the Evil Qi and the Formation. I'm going to cut off their source! You guys, hold on!"

Before the words fell, his figure had already plunged into the churning dark red Evil Qi in the depths of the passage.

Leaving behind his companions, who were in despair but held a glimmer of hope, and the cold stone statue army Formation, which was slowly closing in again like a tide of death.

The blood-colored eyes turned slightly, as if for the first time, truly casting a glance at the tiny figure who dared to break away from the "script" and head straight for the "backstage."

(End of Volume 1, Chapter 19)

[Next Chapter Preview]: Straight to the core, the Evil Qi vortex! Lin Xuan leaves the main battlefield, venturing deep behind the stone statue army Formation, looking for the key to breaking the situation. Within that Evil Qi vortex, is there really the energy core of the stone statue army Formation hidden, or an even more terrifying test? Can Han Feiyu and the others hold on against the increasingly strong siege of the stone statue army Formation before Lin Xuan succeeds? Looking at the direction Lin Xuan disappeared, what are Su Qingyue's thoughts? And how will the ancient existence that awakened deep in the Forbidden Ground react to Lin Xuan's "transgression"? Next Chapter: Deep in the Vortex, The Core of Power! Lin Xuan: "Rules? Trials? I don't like following someone else's script."