Golden Light Formation

“Will they abandon the island?” Qin Sang fell silent. This beast tide had arrived with abnormal resolve. They had besieged Yuheng Island for several days, yet their numbers showed no signs of diminishing. The great demon behind them seemed bent on nothing less than razing Yuheng Island to the ground. Compared to this, the beast tide Qin Sang had encountered at Wuyuan Island was like a drop in the ocean. “Let me take over. Hurry and regulate your breath,” Qin Sang called out, taking command of the formation plate. He channeled the formation's power to slaughter the approaching demon beasts. Not knowing how much longer the grand formation could hold out, he had no choice but to prepare for the worst. “It should be midday by now. The sun ought to be blazing high, and the scenery beautiful.” Qin Sang looked up. The sky was entirely blotted out by winged demon beasts, obscuring everything from view. Time trickled past, each moment an agonizing ordeal. Several more days went by. By now, Qin Sang had retreated into the city. The outer spirit formations had been shattered one after another, forcing the light barrier to contract inward. Many cultivators had failed to react in time when the barrier collapsed, getting swallowed by the beast tide. They soon went silent, their fates almost certainly grim. Even so, the light barrier remained relatively stable for now, as no Transformation stage great demon had yet intervened. Even when an unexpected breach occurred, the others could promptly mend it. “Why haven't the Transformation stage great demons shown themselves? What on earth are they waiting for?” Qin Sang grew suspicious. He was not the only one harboring such doubts. Late that night, Qin Sang handed the formation plate to someone else and immediately went into meditation to regulate his breath. Days of relentless rotation had left him profoundly exhausted. To his surprise, he had only just entered meditation when a voice transmission talisman darted through the air, landing straight in his lap. Startled awake, Qin Sang unsealed the talisman. His expression instantly shifted. The surrounding cultivators all turned to look at him. “The Island Master has decided to abandon the island and told us to flee for our lives,” Qin Sang said quietly, glancing around before passing the talisman down. The moment the words left his mouth, an uproar erupted. After days of grueling battle, everyone knew all too well how terrifying the beast tide was. The island-protecting grand formation was their sole hope; if they abandoned the island to break out, probably not even one in ten would survive. “Don't panic. Read the rest of the message,” Qin Sang reassured them. “The Island Master has made other arrangements. At the final moment, he will detonate the full power of the formation to carve open paths in all four directions...” The talisman explained that over the past few days, the Island Master had been searching for the Transformation stage great demons behind the beast tide, only to find nothing. As if sensing danger, those Transformation stage great demons had hidden themselves extraordinarily deep. Without them making a move, the spirit formation would not be breached anytime soon. But if this war of attrition dragged on until the island's spirit stones were exhausted, the cultivators would be completely drained. Weak and weary, they wouldn't stand a chance of fleeing even if they tried. The Island Master had originally intended to use the slaughter formation to grievously wound the Transformation stage great demons and disperse the beast tide, but now had to settle for second best. At the final moment, the Island Master would personally take control of the grand formation, doing his utmost to slay any great demons that showed themselves, while focusing the formation's power to punch paths through in all four cardinal directions. Taking advantage of the ensuing chaos in the beast tide, the cultivators could borrow that momentum to break out, significantly increasing their chances of survival. Acting with swift resolve, the Island Master set the breakout for midnight tonight—a mere two hours away! Only upon reading the contents of the slip did the crowd realize the island-protecting grand formation possessed such formidable capability. Their agitation subsided somewhat, though their brows remained knitted in deep worry. Breaking out independently meant leaving their lives to fate. Even the Island Master himself might be ambushed and slain by the Transformation stage great demons. Not long after receiving this talisman, a message from Jin Ying arrived as well, strongly urging Qin Sang to rendezvous with them so they could break out together. Qin Sang pondered for a short while, but ultimately chose not to join them. He would act alone! He knew his own strength was far from weak, and his flight speed far surpassed ordinary cultivators. Unless he ran into a Transformation stage great demon or was encircled by a pack of Demon Core stage great demons, the odds of him being trapped were slim. Another major consideration was the talisman's details: the Island Master would concentrate on targeting the great demons that exposed themselves and open escape corridors, which would greatly reduce the pressure during the breakout. Moving on his own would grant him far more agility, whereas joining the Business Alliance might only drag him down. Beyond that, Qin Sang harbored an underlying concern. As an outsider, who would be the first to be abandoned if a crisis struck? Qin Sang sent a reply declining the invitation. After a brief hesitation, he added a note at the end: if the two women were willing to join him instead, they could break out together. Escaping the beast tide did not guarantee safety; afterward, one still had to traverse the vast Demon Sea to locate a safe island. At such a time, having one more companion meant having one more ounce of strength. Unfortunately, a reply came back a short while later. The two women expressed regret over his refusal, having decided to stick with the Business Alliance's experts, and urged Qin Sang to take care of himself. With experts gathered like clouds in the Business Alliance, their choice was entirely reasonable. Qin Sang said no more, wishing them smooth sailing. Qin Sang had no idea that Madam Liu and Jin Ying had been utterly astonished by his decision. Seeing his counter-invitation, they had debated for a long time before reaching their conclusion. With less than two hours remaining, a heavy, suffocating silence hung over the city. Everyone's fate hung in the balance, none knowing whether they would live to see tomorrow's sun. Qin Sang prepared for the breakout, waiting for midnight to arrive. ... Midnight. Without any warning, the formation plate under Qin Sang's control flared with blinding brilliance. The next instant, a powerful pulling force surged out. The true essence in Qin Sang's body was siphoned away by the formation plate at an astonishing rate. His expression shifted slightly, but he did not resist, calling out to the others to remain calm. At that exact moment, at the formation's core, the spirit stones used to sustain the grand formation were drained dry as well, crumbling into fragments of gravel—among them no small number of top-grade spirit stones. *Crack!* The formation plate shattered before Qin Sang, and the suction ceased. Breathing a sigh of relief, Qin Sang turned his inner vision inward to examine his sea of qi, promptly swallowing several pills to recover his true essence. A ray of golden light sprang forth from the shattered plate, gave a slight shudder, and shot straight into the heavens. At the same time, golden lights manifested from every corner of the city. A sight that took everyone's breath away unfolded. Countless golden streams of light surged into the sky and merged, bathing the entire city in a radiant golden glow. Qin Sang tilted his head back, watching the golden light. Then, sensing something, his gaze shifted toward the protective barrier. As sword shadows materialized, the power within the barrier drained away, turning thin and dim. “Move!” Qin Sang barked in a low voice, his body darting toward the edge of the formation like an arrow loosed from a bow. Only then did the others snap to their senses. In an instant, countless streaks of light ignited from all directions. The demon beasts were briefly startled by the anomaly in the formation, hesitating for a fraction of a second. But upon sensing the weakening barrier, they let out ravenous howls and launched a frenzied assault, their greedy eyes locking onto the cultivators. The next moment, shrill screams rang out in succession. The golden light manifested by the spirit formation unleashed staggering might. Nearly every great demon that had shown itself suffered the brunt of the golden brilliance, leaving them either dead or grievously injured, sending ripples of chaos through the beast horde. Yet this was far from the end. Within the city, the rest of the golden light converged into four colossal torrents, like rivers of liquid gold. The moment the barrier shattered, they slammed straight into the beast tide in all four directions. The Golden Light Formation unleashed its final, dazzling brilliance, turning into a colossal meat grinder. In an instant, bloody paths were blown open through the beast tide, and cultivators swarmed out of the city in a desperate surge.