Though the distance was still great, the terrifying scene sent chills through everyone's hearts, their expressions fraught with intense tension.
Only Core Formation stage cultivators could unleash such horrific destructive power.
Qin Sang raised his head and gazed directly upward, his thoughts churning.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sized up their battle formation. Fortunately, their squad had been assigned to the rear half of the left wing; if things went awry, they could disengage as quickly as possible.
With Mu Yifeng by his side to assist him, and other sect fellows not far off who could lend a hand at a moment's notice, he didn't need to worry about falling inexplicably.
Even so, unless there was a total rout, no one would dare flee the field; deserters would be executed on the spot.
With the Lesser Cold Domain's current strength, they had no reason to fear the Heaven-Traversing Alliance. They would not collapse at the first blow, so this battle still had a long way to go.
Qin Sang deftly summoned his magic tools. The Cold Metal sword drifted around his body, one hand gripped the Yin-Yang Compass, and with the other he retrieved an iron-chain-shaped magic tool.
After countless battles, the magic tools on Qin Sang had been replaced several times over, but the Yin-Yang Compass and the Cold Metal sword remained in use because they were the most handy for him.
However, the Cold Metal sword looked drastically different from three years ago. Whenever Qin Sang obtained suitable spirit materials, he fired up the furnace to reforge it. Its power had soared, firmly ranking it among the very finest top-grade magic tools.
Having never taken part in such a grand clash, Mu Yifeng was somewhat uneasy and sent a voice transmission: “Junior Brother Qin, you're experienced. Give your senior brother some pointers—what should I do once things start?”
Qin Sang comforted him, “Senior Brother Mu, with your cultivation, there is no need to worry too much. No matter what happens, you must stay calm! Remember above all never to rush forward in greed for merit or break away from the battle formation...”
Qin Sang gave the same admonition to the squad's other members.
This insight was the very reason he was still alive and kicking.
Mu Yifeng exhaled slowly, making up his mind. “In a moment, I will stick right behind you...”
In the blink of an eye, they drew closer and closer to the battlefield.
Qin Sang and Mu Yifeng no longer had the heart to talk, fixing their eyes upon the dark clouds in the distance as if facing a mortal enemy.
Amid the storm clouds, the naked eye could not tell in the least which side held the upper hand; one could only make out towering figures like fiendgods.
With every clash of magic treasures, a flash of rainbow light flared out, the mere shockwaves kicking up monstrous waves across the waters.
This was not the first time Qin Sang had observed a battle between Core Formation stage cultivators, yet every time he witnessed it, he felt the same awe—and yearning.
This battle was more ferocious than any Qin Sang had seen before.
All of the Core Formation cultivators from both sides had been deployed. Vice Island Master Xiao had merely left behind a hurried instruction before his sword transformed into a soaring rainbow, joining the battlefield at top speed.
Murmurs of unrest rippled through the ranks.
True composure showed in the face of great peril. Qin Sang maintained a calm expression, sweeping his gaze across the storm clouds and lightning. He saw none of the Heaven-Traversing Alliance's Foundation Establishment cultivators. Could it be they had not yet arrived?
Just then, Qin Sang's gaze abruptly froze. He noticed something unusual within the storm clouds.
Beside him, Mu Yifeng noticed it too and pointed it out via voice transmission, “Junior Brother Qin, look at that beam of light!”
Mu Yifeng was pointing right into the depths of the clouds.
Even the sky full of dark clouds could not blot out that beam. It was not glaringly bright—unable to rival the lightning galloping around it, soft like moonlight—yet even from so far away, it remained distinctly visible.
Plunging from the sky like a sword, the beam pierced straight through the storm clouds.
Above, it connected to the river of stars; below, it rested upon the marsh waters.
The light within the beam carried a rhythm, as though an extraordinary power was coursing through it.
Qin Sang strained his neck upward, but could only see the beam vanish into the depths of the starry expanse, its end beyond sight. He had no choice but to look down toward the boundless waters to search for its source.
The beam landed upon the water.
That expanse of water had been roiled by the great battle, winds whipping up surging waves.
Yet right where it met the beam, a small patch of the surface gleamed with a mercurial sheen, smooth as a mirror and eerily calm. No matter how large the waves were, the moment they approached, they were silently swallowed by the light.
“This is...”
Qin Sang noticed that the beam landed squarely in the center of the battlefield. His heart stirred, and he murmured, staring fixedly at that stretch of water, “Is Heaven-Pointing Peak inside that mirror?”
Immediately after, Qin Sang detected faint fluctuations of a restriction within the mirror's sheen. Yet it was a restriction unlike any Qin Sang had seen before. Just like the beam of light, he could make no sense of it.
He could only guess from experience that the mirror restriction might be capable of channeling the power of the stars, so it was certainly extraordinary.
More and more people noticed the beam of light, filled with marvel.
However, they soon lost all desire to discuss it.
Due south, a vast expanse of iridescent light formed by countless streaks of escaping light entered their view, matching their own in scale. Their adversaries had indeed arrived as well.
When bitter foes meet, their eyes blaze with hatred.
Displaying an unspoken understanding, both sides shifted direction in unison, steering clear of the Core Formation cultivators' battlefield.
As the distance between them closed, under the canopy of starlight, one could already see the ferocious expressions of the approaching enemies.
“Raise the formation!” Qin Sang shouted.
There were many formation cores within the battle formation, manned by renowned experts like Qin Sang and Senior Brother Rong. Each of them commanded an area, gathering the power of the surrounding cultivators to confront the enemy.
Although Qin Sang's cultivation fell slightly behind, the name of his Shadowless Sword carried ample weight, and having never missed a major battle, he possessed abundant experience.
The rest of the cultivators remained silent as graves, only these experts maintaining a constant stream of voice transmissions.
The moment had arrived, and they issued the order simultaneously.
At Qin Sang's command, all the cultivators arrayed around him shouted in unison, driving their spiritual power forth to converge upon Qin Sang at their center.
Holding both hands high, Qin Sang fused their spiritual power into a dazzling orb of light atop his palms. To the surrounding onlookers, it was in no way inferior to the bright moon hanging in the sky.
With an endless torrent of spiritual power surging in, merely keeping it under control took tremendous effort. Veins bulged along Qin Sang's arms, and his entire body trembled slightly.
The crowd united into a single force, but powerful though the battle formation was, its strength could not be stacked without limit; otherwise, Qin Sang would surely burst and die.
Now, it had reached the limit.
Mu Yifeng and the others guarded Qin Sang to prevent any mishap.
“Condense!”
When the orb of light was condensed to its utmost, Qin Sang gritted his teeth and rapidly formed intricate hand seals. With each shift of the seal, the orb shifted rapidly as well, gradually giving birth to the rudimentary form of a blade of qi.
The qi blade was merely a foot long, slender and gleaming like jade, its tip curling slightly upward, appearing exceptionally compact and exquisite.
Yet having gathered the might of so many Foundation Establishment experts, no one dared underestimate it.
A cold glint shimmered along the edge. Merely looking upon the qi blade gave one the illusion of being sliced apart.
Alongside Qin Sang, Senior Brother Rong and the other leaders executed the same movements.
Blades of qi of similar shape took form above the battle formation, and under the control of Qin Sang and the others, they flew toward the front of their lines in unison.
A row of qi blades pointed toward the Heaven-Traversing Alliance's battle formation from afar.
At the same time, the enemy across from them refused to be outdone, having formed a wind formation.
A hurricane swept toward them, carrying countless chilling wind blades in its wake.
Chapter 450