The group arrived at a channel, where a barrier blocked their path above the dried riverbed.
"Fellow Daoists, according to ancient records, there is a hundred-mile canal within the Nation-Destroying Secret Realm, spanning the entire realm. Crossing this barrier leads to the core of the realm."
"Daoist Piao, how do we break this barrier? I just used half of my strength to strike it, yet it didn't even ripple."
The elder from the Wind and Moon Sect retracted his right hand.
Half the strength of a Void-Returning True Monarch could flatten mountains, yet it couldn't even cause a ripple on the barrier.
Piao Fangyuan seemed to have anticipated this, "The person who set up this barrier is more powerful than us. To break it, we must combine our strength; only then do we have a slight chance. Our Heavenly Mechanism Sect has a Seven-Star Formation that can gather the power of seven people, unleashing an attack as powerful as a deadly strike from an Integration stage expert."
"Really?"
The idea that seven Void-Returning stage cultivators could combine their power to match an Integration stage expert's strike was beyond imagination.
"Naturally."
Piao Fangyuan said confidently.
The calculation disc flew out again, landing at his feet. After some muttered incantations, the ground began to shift, even kicking up a cloud of dust.
The formation setup was swift. Lin Heng hadn't even seen Piao Fangyuan's hand movements before seven points appeared on the ground.
Piao Fangyuan stood behind the calculation disc and said, "Fellow Daoists, please stand at the positions I've marked. Daoist Hu and Daoist Fang, you two take the outer east and west points. Daoist Sun and Daoist Qiu, you two stand at the lower right corner. As for Daoist Meng, you stand behind me."
Piao Fangyuan assigned the positions without explaining which was the formation core.
Of course, Meng Yutong and the others were not skilled in formations, so they didn't understand the intricacies.
Meng Yutong glanced at her feet, frowning slightly.
She had just noticed a subtle exchange of glances between Piao Fangyuan and the Purple Void Sect's elder, Fang Zhen, as if they had reached a mutual understanding.
At their level of cultivation, even small actions were magnified.
Moreover, her investigation revealed that the Heavenly Mechanism Sect and the Purple Void Sect had multiple interactions before entering the Nation-Destroying Secret Realm.
It was impossible for them not to have conspired.
With these thoughts, Meng Yutong stood at the formation core.
Fortunately, she had prepared thoroughly before setting out, and with Lin Heng's reminder, she was confident she could remain unharmed, even as a tool.
"Everyone, do not hold back. Channel your power into the calculation disc!"
As Piao Fangyuan's voice fell, strong True Essence fluctuations erupted from the seven points.
The formation activated, drawing in spiritual energy from all around, forming a vortex that gathered into the calculation disc, then transformed into a beam of light.
The beam grew brighter, eventually becoming a blinding golden light that no one dared to look at directly.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
With the formation's roar, cracks began to appear where it was set up.
Everyone was surprised and retreated to avoid being caught in the aftermath.
"Crack..."
With a loud noise, a layer of the barrier collapsed.
At the same time, the backlash from the collision of the seven forces erupted.
Meng Yutong, at the formation core, bore the brunt. Even though she immediately activated her Protective Gang Qi, it was shattered in an instant.
After all, this was the backlash from seven Void-Returning True Monarchs, enough to obliterate a Divine Transformation stage cultivator.
Pfft!
"Master!"
"Daoist Meng!"
Ye Tian and the elder from the Centenary Sword Sect exclaimed.
"Cough, cough, I'm... fine..." Meng Yutong shook her head, forcing a smile to reassure everyone.
"Daoist Piao, why was the backlash so strong?"
Meng Yutong asked coldly, feigning ignorance.
The Centenary Sword Sect elder and the woman in white from the Ballad of the Clear Moon also looked at him questioningly.
"Heh." Piao Fangyuan chuckled, having prepared his explanation, "Fellow Daoists should know that most formations have a core. The Seven-Star Formation is no different. But unlike ordinary formations, any point in this formation can become the core."
"What? All can be cores? You mean anyone could suffer such severe backlash, so why not inform us beforehand? We weren't prepared at all."
The Centenary Sword Sect elder, Hu Rong, questioned.
"Daoist Hu, if I had explained the formation's risks, and one of you hesitated to exert full strength due to fear of backlash, wouldn't that have been a waste of effort?"
"I have healing pills here, Daoist Meng, please recover at ease. I will go ahead and scout the path for everyone."
After handing the elixir to Mu Liuxi, Piao Fangyuan led his disciples into the core of the secret realm.
The Purple Void Sect and other sects rushed in after them.
With the barrier broken, opportunities awaited inside. The sooner one entered, the more likely they were to gain.
"Daoist Hu, you go ahead. We'll follow shortly."
Meng Yutong said.
"Very well. Who knows what dangers lie ahead in the city, Daoist Meng, heal first!"
After Hu Rong led the Centenary Sword Sect away, Meng Yutong sat down to heal.
Ye Tian, Lin Heng, and the others could only stand guard silently.
[The tide cannot be reversed. Master is now severely injured, her strength halved.]
[If I remember correctly, later Ye Tian gets into a dangerous fight, and she, in her eagerness to save her disciple, will likely lose her cultivation completely.]
[The final result is that the disciple she protected turns around and betrays her!]
[Blame it on this woman's foolishness, unable to see her disciple's true nature after all these years...]
Everyone fell silent, though they were already silent.
Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi felt a mix of guilt and fear.
Guilt because they hesitated to warn Meng Yutong of the danger.
Fear because Lin Heng's words seemed prophetic, as if he could foresee their life's trajectory.
Could Ye Tian really betray his master?
Since Ye Tian joined the peak, from the master to the five senior sisters, everyone had cared for him meticulously.
And he had lived up to expectations, possessing a Void Spiritual Root with high cultivation talent, surpassing his peers in just three years.
Given a hundred years, he would surely become a great power in the cultivation world.
Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Though Meng Yutong had her eyes closed, her divine sense was focused on Ye Tian, wanting to see his reaction to her injury.
She noticed he wasn't his usual calm self, and there was even a hint of worry in his eyes.
This surprised her.
According to Lin Heng, he should have shown a hint of anticipation.
However, this didn't dispel her distrust of Ye Tian.
Meng Yutong glanced at her storage ring, where a layer of black fragments floated.
This was one of her trump cards, a Dao Bead, capable of blocking a lethal attack.
Now, she was merely playing along, pretending to be severely injured to test her disciples.
The last Dao Bead is used, but it helped me absorb seventy percent of the backlash. I want to see if things unfold as Lin Heng said, Tian'er, don't disappoint your master!
After all these years, she still didn't want to believe her beloved disciple would do such a thing.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan