Chapter 44: The Shuyuan Formation

These two persistent nuisances were actually chasing him relentlessly. Lu Xiaotian was furious. He had run for over ten miles through mountain paths, even evading other adventuring teams along the way. At one point, he had nearly encountered a second-order snake demon, which gave him quite a fright; otherwise, with a demon in front and pursuers behind, he truly would have died without a place to be buried.

"That damned Fan Qing, if I ever run into him again, I'll definitely give him what he deserves." While fleeing, Lu Xiaotian loathed Fan Qing to death. Had that fellow not deserted them at the critical moment, they might have actually stood a chance in battle. However, Fan Qing had also taught Lu Xiaotian a lesson. After experiencing the old man in black robes attempting to seize his body, he had come to understand the cruelty of the cultivation world and had developed a greater sense of vigilance toward other cultivators. He had thought that by keeping a secret watch on He Tuozi, he could neutralize the crisis facing the team. With their team's strength, they were more than capable of contending with others.

But Lu Xiaotian had not anticipated that Fan Qing, who seemed quite capable of shouldering responsibility at the start, would flee at the last moment. Perhaps Fan Qing's strength was too severely damaged and he felt there was no chance of victory, or perhaps he had already obtained the items required for the sect mission and saw no need to fight a life-and-death battle like the rest of them.

"Human hearts change, which is why Fan Qing ran. In the cultivation world, amidst the treacherous nature of human hearts and complex entanglements of interest, the only thing that remains constant and reliable is one's own strength," Lu Xiaotian thought to himself. Once he passed this ordeal, he would certainly have to be even more careful in the future.

However, the hurdle before him was not so easily overcome. In total, he had only been cultivating for three or four years, and he had learned spells even more recently. In contrast, the large-framed freak and the man in brocade clothes chasing him behind were rogue cultivators who had been practicing for nearly twenty years, were ruthless, and had taken at least several lives. Their proficiency with spells was by no means comparable to a newcomer like Lu Xiaotian.

Even though they were both using "Wind Riding Technique" and "Lightness Technique," the distance between them continued to close. Had he not been carrying several specialized escape talismans, he likely would have been caught by the two behind him long ago. Seeing the distance shrinking, Lu Xiaotian slapped a "God-Speed Talisman" onto himself, and his speed suddenly surged.

"You brat, you can't escape! Hand over the spiritual items in your storage bag obediently, and Grandpa Zou will grant you the mercy of sparing your life!"

Zou Xin was chasing from behind, exasperated and enraged. His cultivation was slightly inferior to the large-framed freak's, and he lacked the latter's profound mana. He could only continuously take spirit stones from his storage bag to replenish his essence, lest the upcoming battle be derailed by excessive exhaustion. Having gained no advantage while wasting several spirit stones, Zou Xin was naturally heartbroken.

The large-framed freak sneered, "Fellow Daoist Zou, there is no need to be anxious. This person is meticulous, and the fact that he carries so many specialized escape talismans shows he is indeed quite wealthy. As long as we take him down, what is there to fear regarding the loss of those spirit stones?"

"That is true. Once he uses up his God-Speed and Gale Talismans, I want to see where else he can run. He's already cost me several spirit stones; once we catch this fellow, I will skin him alive to vent my fury," Zou Xin said through gritted teeth.

A burst of fighting erupted ahead. Lu Xiaotian felt he had run out of options, only to hear the sounds of combat coming from the front. As he drew closer, he saw Wang Ping, wielding a black iron staff, locked in a fierce struggle with another fourth-level Qi Refinement cultivator wielding a spiritual saber.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, help me!"

Wang Ping's cultivation was lower than his opponent's. Having just fought a grueling battle with a Silver-Winged Centipede, his essence was not yet recovered, and he was currently being suppressed. Seeing Lu Xiaotian rushing toward him, he cried out in sudden joy, but upon seeing the large-framed freak and the man in brocade, Zou Xin, following close behind, Wang Ping immediately shut his mouth, cursing inwardly. He had thought a savior had arrived, only to realize the savior had turned into a harbinger of disaster.

With his own life at stake, Lu Xiaotian had no time to worry about Wang Ping. Disinclined to bother with this fellow who was also fleeing, Lu Xiaotian kept his head down and continued to run.

*Ah!* A scream rang out. Because Wang Ping had been momentarily distracted by the sight of Lu Xiaotian and the large-framed freak, he was slashed across the chest. Blood flowed profusely, and his flesh curled back to reveal the white bone beneath.

"Die!" The saber-wielding man pressed forward with glee. After Wang Ping raised his black iron staff to fend off several strikes, he was eventually overwhelmed due to his heavy injuries, and his iron staff was split in two by a single blow.

With a grin, the saber-wielding man took the opportunity to decapitate Wang Ping. The bloody head rolled several times on the ground.

"Well done! Quickly, help me intercept this kid," Zou Xin said, delighted. He had grown impatient from the chase, and having an extra hand was far more acceptable than continuing this tedious pursuit, even if he had to share some of the spoils.

"You got it!" The saber-wielding man picked up Wang Ping's storage bag and charged toward Lu Xiaotian from the front left.

Lu Xiaotian let out a cold snort and threw out several Lo-Smoke Fruits. As several puffs of black smoke rose, obscuring the vision of the pursuers, he slapped an "Earth Escape Talisman" on himself and dove into the ground.

"Where did he go?" Zou Xin asked, his expression grim.

"It's just an Earth Escape Talisman; he won't get far. Search the surroundings," the large-framed freak said with a dark face.

The three immediately dispersed to search, and soon the large-framed freak discovered Lu Xiaotian's trail.

Lu Xiaotian glanced back. The appearance of the saber-wielding man had changed his plan of pure flight. He was unfamiliar with the surrounding mountain paths and might encounter similar situations again. While he had temporarily escaped using the Earth Escape Talisman, the talismans would eventually run out. He had to find a suitable location to deal with this damned large-framed freak and the man in brocade. Of course, the prerequisite was to shake off the saber-wielding man, who had the lowest cultivation. Fighting two required careful planning; fighting three was a death sentence. He did not want to die.

Replacing his depleted spirit stones with fresh ones, Lu Xiaotian sprinted again, consecutively using several Earth Escape and Wood Escape Talismans. He managed to shake off the weaker saber-wielding man, leaving only the other two struggling to keep up.

After running nearly another twenty miles, Lu Xiaotian ducked into a small grove. Birds took flight behind him; needless to say, the large-framed freak had arrived.

A sharp glint flashed in Lu Xiaotian's eyes. These two were clinging to him like leeches, forcing him into a desperate counterattack.

Lu Xiaotian's gaze swept the area, settling on a relatively flat grassy clearing. He took several formation flags from his storage bag and planted them around the perimeter.

Sensing the approaching presence, Lu Xiaotian slapped a "Wood Escape Talisman" on himself and merged into the trunk of a nearby tree that was as thick as two men.

Whether it was an Earth, Wood, or Water Escape Talisman, if one remained stationary, the consumption of spiritual energy was relatively low, allowing for a longer duration. However, once in motion, they could not be maintained for long. Furthermore, these low-level talismans could not completely mask a person's aura. Consequently, once the large-framed freak and Zou Xin entered the small grove, they sensed something was amiss.

"What's going on? Has he stopped running?" Zou Xin whispered, his eyes darting around as he searched.

"Hmm, I can feel him nearby. Perhaps his talismans are running out and he knows he'll be caught sooner or later, so he's trying to hide in this grove. He's most likely used a talisman. But the spiritual energy in a talisman won't last long. I want to see what tricks he has left," the large-framed freak said with confidence, letting out a sigh of relief. "Once we find him, it will be his end."

"Exactly. After making this old master chase him for so long, let's see how he dies," Zou Xin sneered. The two moved one after the other, carefully searching for Lu Xiaotian's possible hiding spots. Soon, following the faint traces of spiritual energy leaked by the talisman, they arrived at the flat grassy clearing not far from Lu Xiaotian.

Lu Xiaotian secretly observed the approaching pair. The man in brocade was leading, with the large-framed freak following behind. This was slightly different from his plan; Lu Xiaotian had originally intended to use the Shuyuan Formation to trap the stronger large-framed freak. However, the power of the Wood Escape Talisman wouldn't last much longer, so he couldn't be too picky. As the man in brocade entered the range of the formation flags...

Lu Xiaotian whispered, "Shuyuan Formation, activate!"

*Hum!* The flags that had been hidden underground suddenly burst from the earth, fluttering and clattering in the wind without a breeze. The four flags were positioned in the four cardinal directions, their tips flashing with red, yellow, blue, and green light.

"Not good, an ambush!" The large-framed freak and Zou Xin cried out simultaneously. Their bodies shot backward; the large-framed freak flew several yards away, feeling somewhat relieved that he hadn't hit an obstacle. However, Zou Xin slammed into a green light shield. The intense impact made him cry out in pain. At that moment, four light shields descended, rotating between the four flags to form a mixed four-colored barrier, trapping Zou Xin within a radius of two or three yards.

"You think you can trap me with this little trick? In your dreams!"

Having been outmaneuvered by his prey and then knocked bruised and battered, Zou Xin was consumed by rage. He pulled a spiked mace from his storage bag and then slapped his spirit beast bag, causing a massive black ape to appear once more. He intended to break through this light shield as quickly as possible, charge out, and crush the man who had tricked him with a single blow!

Zou Xin swung the spiked mace and slammed it against the shield.

*Bang!* The mace struck the shield as if hitting a wall of bronze and iron, and it was bounced back.

Zou Xin's face changed as his hands went numb from the vibration. He had just used fifty percent of his strength, yet the shield had not moved an inch.

Refusing to believe it, Zou Xin increased his strength and swung twice more. The black ape also swung its massive, fan-like hands in an attempt to strike. They couldn't break it by striking, so they tried ramming it with their bodies. After trying everything, the man and the beast were panting heavily, yet the Shuyuan Formation remained unmoved.

Lu Xiaotian sneered. The Shuyuan Formation could trap a cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refinement stage. The man in brocade was only at the fifth level of Qi Refinement; even with a black ape, it was no match.

The large-framed freak was on high alert, making a sneak attack impossible. Lu Xiaotian secretly popped a medicinal pill into his mouth and stepped out from his hidden tree trunk.

"I wondered where you got the courage to do this—it turns out you have a formation. But your formation is spent. If you have no other means, I think you can die now."

The large-framed freak gave a cold laugh. A fifth-level Qi Refinement cultivator, even an alchemist, had used so many talismans. He had ambushed He Tuozi and now used a formation to trap Zou Xin. He did not believe that in a fair fight, Lu Xiaotian would be his match. Even if the boy was an alchemist, that only meant he was wealthier; it didn't provide much advantage in combat. The freak had led his team to kill dozens of cultivators and looted their storage bags; in terms of wealth, he was not weak either. If that formation could easily trap someone as strong as Zou Xin, then once Lu Xiaotian was dead, the formation would belong to him.

At this thought, greed flashed across the large-framed freak's face. He reached for his waist and drew a black meteor hairpin. Simultaneously, a swarm of Shadow Ants buzzed out.

"You think these low-level Shadow Ants can stop me? In your dreams!" Lu Xiaotian said with disdain. He activated a Vajra Talisman to protect himself, gripped his spiritual sword, and charged toward the large-framed freak.

"I'll show you my prowess in a moment!"

The large-framed freak sneered. The boy was relying on nothing more than a Vajra shield and perhaps some other defensive talismans. Once those were consumed and the shield was gone, he wanted to see what the boy could do to stop his ant swarm. If not for his cultivation limiting his divine sense, he could command more than seven squads of Shadow Ants. If he had three or four more squads, he would have the confidence to fight even a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. Sixty or seventy Shadow Ants were more than enough to deal with Lu Xiaotian, whose cultivation was lower than his own.

Led by seven leader ants, the Shadow Ants split into seven squads and converged on Lu Xiaotian from different directions.

Lu Xiaotian successively unleashed a dozen spells, including Wind Blade, Fireball, and Ice Arrow techniques. Several were blocked by the leader ants. The defensive power of the leader ants was clearly greater than that of the ordinary Shadow Ants; although they were hit by low-level spells and wobbled through the air as if drunk, the hits were not fatal.

At this point, the large-framed freak snorted and called up other Shadow Ant squads to replace the injured ones led by the leader ants, maintaining the intensity of the attack on Lu Xiaotian.

Soon, one squad of Shadow Ants found a gap in Lu Xiaotian's attacks and latched onto the Vajra shield, biting it ferociously.

Lu Xiaotian's expression shifted slightly. He used a "Whirlwind Technique" to blow several away, but immediately, another squad of Shadow Ants flew in from a different direction to join the army gnawing at the Vajra shield.

"Frost Technique!"

"Fire Rocket Technique!"

After a layer of frost, a dozen fire rockets shot out, causing four or five Shadow Ants to fall to the ground, smelling of burnt flesh.

"It's useless. As long as you can't kill all the Shadow Ants, I can wear you down to death," the large-framed freak laughed wickedly. He had worn down at least three or four people this way; he was well-practiced in this method.

"Impossible! I will kill every last one of these damned insects!" Under the biting of dozens of Shadow Ants, the Vajra shield began to shake, then shattered like glass. Lu Xiaotian hurriedly activated another Vajra Talisman to protect himself and continued killing the ants.

However, the large-framed freak protected the leader ants very strictly. Once a leader ant was injured, another would immediately take its place to fill the gap in the attack. And when the Shadow Ants died, the large-framed freak would merely chuckle and tap the gourd at his waist, sending more ants flying out.

Although Lu Xiaotian had killed nearly thirty ants, the number of ants attacking him never decreased thanks to the large-framed freak's reinforcements.

After the third Vajra shield was bitten apart by the ants, Lu Xiaotian activated another talisman, but this time he switched to an Earth Spirit Shield. Its defensive power was slightly inferior to that of the Vajra Talisman.