Luo Chen entering the formation in person was an act of necessity, yet also an inevitability.
If he wanted to prevent the Hanging Temple powerhouses from disturbing Master Xuan Du's breakthrough, he had to keep them pinned down.
With the strength of one man, engaging thirty-six eminent monks!
The moment he stepped into the formation, Luo Chen swung his sword, unleashing rays of razor-sharp, cunning sword light.
The sword light was biting and fierce, striking from tricky angles yet sweeping with grand momentum. Yet each strike was like a stone sinking into the sea, vanishing without an echo.
Luo Chen was not surprised by this; in fact, he looked as though he had anticipated it all along.
"As expected!"
"Earlier, when an ordinary monk was able to block my full-powered sword strike, it truly wasn't an illusion."
"Linked by this Arhat Grand Formation, the thirty-six men appear arrayed in four quarters, but in truth they have coalesced into a single entity. They rise and fall as one; any single person's strike can be viewed as the combined strength of all thirty-six cultivation bodies."
"If that is the case..."
Luo Chen's eyes widened, his gaze darting at blinding speed as he frantically searched for potential flaws.
Suddenly!
The white-robed figure moved abruptly, striking toward the northeast corner with thunderous momentum.
His speed was astonishingly rapid, almost impossible to track.
Yet in the next moment, a deafening crash of metal on metal rang out.
A heavy monk's cleaver stood in the path of the Yuantu Sword.
It was the First Seat of the Discipline Court!
Luo Chen smiled faintly, drew back, and attacked another spot.
The First Seat of the Discipline Court glanced at the cleaver in his hand; a deep sword gouge was etched across the blade.
"What a demonic sword!"
Praise and fury mingled in his heart, yet he scoffed at Luo Chen's probing efforts.
Did he think breaking a whole from a single point would be that easy?
Sure enough!
Over the ensuing moments, no matter how elusive and ethereal Luo Chen's footwork became, or how agilely he moved like a soaring dragon, every single one of his strikes was personally intercepted by one of the First Seats of the Eight Courts—cultivators at the Great Cultivator level—shifting through the grand formation.
Of the First Seats of the Eight Courts, apart from those of Prajna Hall and the Bodhidharma Court who anchored the formation, the other six First Seats had personally integrated into it.
Though Luo Chen appeared to be seeking a breakthrough at a single point, in reality, every clash was a head-on collision against their strongest node.
Moreover, that node not only possessed the might of a Great Cultivator in its own right, but could also swiftly marshal the collective power of the Thirty-Six Arhat Grand Formation.
How difficult would it be for Luo Chen to break it?
Watching from outside, Dafan Tianzi could not help but shake his head in regret.
"Luo Chen is powerful indeed, but in the end, he is overly conceited."
Meanwhile, near the entrance, the old Nascent Soul eccentrics who had followed close behind were forced to suppress all the calculating schemes in their hearts upon witnessing the terrifying might of the Arhat Grand Formation.
Before such a top-tier formation, fishing in troubled waters to reap benefits was utterly out of the question.
Instead, they were rather astonished that Luo Chen remained completely unsuppressed inside the formation and was even striking repeatedly.
"That is Danzong Luo Chen?"
"I consider my own magic power plenty vast, yet facing an array linking dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators, I would surely sink into a quagmire. How can this Luo Chen appear as though he isn't restrained in the slightest?"
"Why still call him Danzong? Didn't you hear the eminent monks of the Hanging Temple call him Mara?"
"Mara? Does that mean a Luo Chen who has fallen into the demonic path, or an archfiend who seizes lives, destroys the Dharma, and throws merit and virtue into chaos?"
"Perhaps both!"
"What a pity that a titan of the demonic path will be suppressed before he even displays his demonic might."
None of the onlookers held much hope for Luo Chen, even though on the surface he had not yet fallen into a severe disadvantage.
Their judgment was not unfounded.
Once inside the Arhat Grand Formation, Luo Chen could not escape.
Furthermore, this formation had yet to turn at full capacity, its might had not reached its peak, and two of the First Seats of the Eight Courts had not even joined in.
At this moment, the First Seat of Prajna Hall, the fair-faced monk, cast a glance at the situation within the formation, his expression serenely calm.
"He can kick up no more waves. Senior Brother Huineng, prepare to join me in striking against Xuandu!"
The First Seat of the Bodhidharma Court nodded.
The two of them anchored the formation and also served as the primary force assigned to deal with Master Xuan Du.
Luo Chen's appearance had been an unexpected variable, yet remained within tolerable bounds.
Yet in the very next instant, the fair-faced monk's expression shifted.
Inside the formation, a sudden shift erupted!
Luo Chen, who was attacking the First Seat of Arhat Hall, suddenly dissolved into sparks of fire, reappeared on the opposite flank, and thrust his sword toward the First Seat of the Mind Chan Court.
As their attacks met, Luo Chen's footwork shifted unnaturally, and he abruptly vanished again, reappearing before an early Nascent Soul monk and blasting out a heavy, crushing palm strike.
Such rapid transitions in quick succession, unfolding like a swooping falcon and bolting hare, left no time to react.
If he truly succeeded, a fatal flaw would open up within the Thirty-Six Arhat Grand Formation in an instant.
A figure abruptly blocked Luo Chen's way, pushing forward with an open palm.
Boom!
Palms collided, kicking up gale-force winds and forcibly driving Luo Chen back.
The First Seat of the Bodhidharma Court had personally entered the formation!
His half-draped monk's robes fluttered violently, and his withdrawn right hand gleamed like brilliant gold.
Chi! Chi! Chi!
In the void, three afterimages gradually faded, finally converging into Luo Chen's true body.
With his sword held in a reverse grip in his left hand, his right hand pressed down against the empty air, quelling the fierce gusts of palm wind.
Looking up at the broad-faced, large-eared monk and the other fair-faced monk, the corners of his lips curved slightly.
"If you don't go all out, this grand formation of yours won't be able to trap me!"
The First Seat of Prajna Hall looked somewhat grim.
He had not expected Luo Chen's attainments in formations to be so profound, nor his combat instincts so sharp.
The Arhat Grand Formation, originally devoid of flaws, had been forced by his three consecutive strikes to reveal an opening that should never have existed.
Beside him, the First Seat of the Bodhidharma Court remarked, "Formations are rigid, but people are fluid. By feigning attacks, he forced the formation's power to shift repeatedly, and during that transfer, flaws emerged. Relying on the six First Seats alone was not enough to react in time."
Suspended in midair, Luo Chen could not help but look upon this old monk of the Bodhidharma Court with a touch more respect upon hearing those words.
Indeed, that was precisely what he had done.
Gathering the formation's power at a single focal point was truly the greatest advantage of the Arhat Grand Formation, but it was also its greatest vulnerability.
So long as his attacks were sufficiently powerful and swift, he could force the formation to continually transfer its power according to his moves.
In that manner, openings would appear everywhere!
Of course, that was no longer the case.
With the remaining two First Seats entering the array, its operation grew far smoother; creating an opening like that again would be exceedingly difficult.
"So, do you still intend to hold back?" Luo Chen asked with a smile, as if catching up with old friends.
Yet in the eyes of the others, his demeanor was the epitome of arrogance and defiance.
It was as though the monks of the Hanging Temple not going all out against him was an insult.
The fair-faced monk pinched the prayer beads in his hand and said coldly, "This fiend is obstinate and cannot be converted. Grind him to dust first, then stop Xuandu!"
As he spoke, both he and the First Seat of the Bodhidharma Court thoroughly merged into the formation.
And so, the Thirty-Six Arhat Grand Formation began to transform.
In its flow, it was seamless as drifting clouds and flowing water.
When stationary, it stood heavy as towering mountains.
The interconnected spiritual pressure became like a colossal millstone, set to grind everything within to dust.
Encompassed within its depths, Luo Chen found his peerless speed heavily stifled; even his fire evasion arts became difficult to cast.
His smile gradually faded, and he scanned his surroundings with a calm, watchful expression.
Was this the true Thirty-Six Arhat Grand Formation?
Its power was still steadily climbing!
Suddenly!
A monk draped in a kapok kasaya materialized abruptly, raising a zen staff high to smash it down toward Luo Chen.
Luo Chen swept his sword in a backhand parry, deflecting a thousand jin with four liang, flicking the staff aside.
"First Seat of the Mind Chan Court?"
Above, saber qi sheared through the air, threatening to split mountains and shatter boulders.
Luo Chen overturned the heavens with a single hand, using his bare palm to smack away the familiar cleaver.
"First Seat of the Arhat Hall!"
Thunder roared without warning, evolving into boundless Buddhist mantras.
"Om! Mani! Padme! Hum!"
As the sacred chants resonated, one felt cast down into a mundane hell of mortal dust.
Yet bizarrely, Luo Chen stood resolute within it, appearing completely unaffected. Instead, his eyes blazed with dazzling brilliance, conjuring the illusions of Mirror Flower, Water Moon.
Buddha heads tumbled down; celestial maidens shed their robes.
Wine, meat, sensuality, sound, the worldly desires of sentient beings—all paraded forth.
Pitting spirit eye illusions against a mantra dreamscape was the most extreme and treacherous of clashes; a single slip would plunge one into eternal oblivion.
Yet the outcome was decided in an instant.
An elderly monk with a compassionate visage retreated back into the formation, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, lingering bewilderment in his eyes.
"His soul foundation is too immense; he cannot be swayed!"
Under the protection of his Prison Suppression soul technique, Luo Chen had indeed suffered little impact. But just as he broke free from the mantra illusion, a colossal palm print struck from behind.
Unable to turn in time, Luo Chen thrust his sword backward in response.
Clang!
The killing move of the Prajna Hall's First Seat was thwarted, and a surge of wrath surfaced on his fair face.
"Wrath manifest in deep practice, Vajra Prajna!"
Another palm struck forth, its might compounding.
Luo Chen likewise pushed out a palm, yet this time he failed to hold his ground.
Boom!
Under the collision of palms, Luo Chen flew backward.
Within the formation, attacks rained down in an unbroken torrent, all manner of spells and magical treasures bombarding him relentlessly.
His entire figure was submerged within the boundless ocean of Buddhist qi.
Outside the grand formation, onlookers watched with chilled hearts.
Luo Chen's sudden explosion of force had almost broken the legendary Arhat Grand Formation, a feat that astounded them.
Could a single man's power truly be so formidable?
Yet the Arhat Grand Formation, now made whole by all Eight First Seats, shook them to the core.
Its attacks were ever-changing and dazzling, and as it churned incessantly, its destructive power compounded frantically.
Could there truly exist any Nascent Soul cultivator in this world capable of contending against this peerless array?
"Luo Chen is in mortal peril!" After some discussion, the group of old Nascent Soul monsters by the entrance arrived at a conclusion.
Dafan Tianzi had originally agreed with this assessment, but recalling his first sight of Luo Chen, he felt uncertain.
In particular, when his gaze drifted toward that bamboo sea, he found it even harder to make a definitive judgment.
"The outcome remains yet to be known."
Beside him, Tapo was puzzled, but she too soon recalled that fleeting, breathtaking spectacle from earlier, a look of uncertain dread creeping onto her charming face.
"Can that technique contend with the Arhat Grand Formation?"
As if to validate their conjecture,
Luo Chen, having sustained successive blows inside the formation, concealed his trump cards no longer.
With a long, piercing roar, a thousand-zhang true body rose up from the earth.
Three ferocious heads: a fair face, a crimson face, and a wrathful yaksha visage.
Six bizarre arms stirred the winds and clouds, throwing the grand formation into turmoil.
Unlike earlier when all six arms were empty, this time several magical treasures were held firmly in those hands.
One hand wielded a sword, two hands gripped a cudgel, and two arms bore the Life-Snatching Golden Plumes.
Only a single hand was left empty.
At this sight, the monks of the Hanging Temple were shaken to a man.
Three Heads and Six Arms was a Buddhist divine ability!
"Senior Brother Xuandu! The Dharma is not to be whispered into unworthy ears. How could you lightly bestow such a divine ability?"
The First Seat of Prajna Hall recognized the essence of Luo Chen's transformation at first glance; he shouted his accusation, yet received no reply.
He grew all the more furious!
"Monks, subdue the demon with me!"
Within the formation, crimson shackles manifested and crashed down from the sky, hurtling toward Luo Chen's thousand-zhang true body.
To this, Luo Chen remained utterly fearless, tapping a finger against the purple mansion at his chest.
Clatter! Clatter!
Clatter! Clatter!
Chains of fiery crimson surged from his body, sweeping through the void to swat aside each falling shackle.
Rolling his limbs slightly, Luo Chen's three pairs of eyes glared in all directions, burning with ferocity.
"Now, it's my turn!"
Sword light from the Yuantu Sword poured down like rain.
The Huntian Cudgel churned rivers and overturned seas.
The two Life-Snatching Golden Plumes pierced unceasingly, darting in and out like phantoms.
Unleashed in unison, they dragged the entire formation along in their wake.
It was as though a colossal vortex had formed in a boundless ocean, churning the waters and raising waves that blotted out the sky.
Such a spectacle truly terrified the watching powerhouses.
If earlier had been a peerless grand formation besieging a puny Luo Chen, now it was a thousand-zhang giant violently clashing against the formation itself.
Luo Chen, who had been pushed to the disadvantage, once again seized the initiative.
Of course, the Hanging Temple's sect-protecting grand formation, famed across millennia, was by no means an empty reputation.
Though driven into perilous straits by Luo Chen, the array continued to function and grew increasingly potent.
Wave after wave of attacks pounded out, inflicting heavy damage on Luo Chen's massive, cumbersome form.
In particular, the grotesque yaksha head roiled with demonic qi, and each time it took a hit imbued with Buddhist power, it withered noticeably.
Buddha and Mara countered each other.
Where Buddha waxes, Mara wanes; where Mara swells, Buddha fades.
Between them, it was solely a matter of strength.
Unfortunately, the demonic power within Luo Chen was far too meager, consisting only of what had been converted from the Yuantu Sword.
In the protracted stalemate, it was gradually suppressed and targeted relentlessly by the formation.
Luo Chen realized this soon enough.
"This form still has flaws!"
At that thought, the Yuantu Sword in Luo Chen's hand grew all the more furious, spraying out boundless sword light with reckless abandon.
Meanwhile, his remaining free arm began forming hand seals.
In the void above, the ocean of origin qi drawn down by Master Xuan Du was stirred, sending down a massive torrent of heaven-and-earth origin qi.
Luo Chen pointed a finger forward.
Divine ability—Wither-Bloom Dao Finger!
Verdant light diffused; deathly aura surged.
Under this finger strike, the smoothly revolving Arhat Grand Formation suddenly stiffened, losing its earlier fluidity.
Some of the monks even sprouted aged wrinkles, their beards and hair turning white.
Confronted with this, an old monk stepped forward and thrust a finger out in kind.
"Amitabha!"
Beneath his finger, the bleak, deathly qi was actually deflected back upon Luo Chen, causing his fleshly form to wither.
Yet in a flash, as source power circulated, his physical body restored itself completely.
Luo Chen took a long look at that old monk from the Bodhidharma Court, understanding dawning in his heart.
Among Buddhists, there were also those versed in the Dao of Wither-Bloom!
Meanwhile, a nun from the Medicine King Court lightly flicked the willow branch in her hand. Imparting restorative dew evenly across the ranks, the monks who had been affected by Luo Chen's Wither-Bloom Dao Finger began to recover rapidly.
Once fully set in motion, this formation truly had no weaknesses!
No matter what moves Luo Chen pulled, the enemy always had an answer.
In the end, it was still missing something.
Luo Chen knew well that to break the formation, he had to possess overwhelming force that crushed everything.
And upon his person, only one thing remained.
"Come forth!"
Luo Chen roared to the heavens. A towering azure fire tree branched forth, its boughs spreading in every direction as if merging into the void.
A Rank 5 divine fire!
Facing this technique, the monks in the Arhat Grand Formation were astonished, yet did not panic.
All thirty-six monks opened their mouths and exhaled in unison.
Sarira True Fire surged and spread, intertwining in an instant into a singular torrent that pounced upon the azure fire tree.
As the two collided, ripples tore through the void, threatening to incinerate everything in existence.
Luo Chen was equally startled, but on second thought, how could an array designed to combat Soul Formation luminaries lack the means to counter the true fire of a Soul Formation powerhouse?
His eyes flickered as he assessed the contest between the two flames.
The Wither-Bloom Divine Fire had the upper hand!
Its quality was superior after all.
Yet that advantage was not overwhelming.
The volume of Sarira True Fire was simply too vast.
As time passed, the momentum would reverse, the east wind overpowering the west wind.
After all, Luo Chen was pitting the magical power of a single man against thirty-six eminent monks empowered by an ancient formation.
"Can the Nirvana Holy Fire break the deadlock?"
Just as Luo Chen's thoughts raced, his gaze suddenly locked.
Where the void rippled and surged, a pale white fist emerged.
Bang!
With a single punch, a rift abruptly tore open in the formation that had already been strained to rigidity.
Seizing the opening, Luo Chen slashed out with the Yuantu Sword.
A magnificent torrent of sword light surged forward like a galaxy, carving a bloody path along the rupture.
Boom!
As the void shuddered, the Arhat Grand Formation shattered!
Dozens of figures were thrown backward in disarray, scattering in all directions.
Shocked and enraged, the First Seats of the Eight Courts looked up.
A tall, slender figure was stepping out of the void, descending gently onto the shoulder of the thousand-zhang giant.
Chapter 991