Within Congyun Immortal City, the cultivators broke into an uproar at the sight.
Fortunately, ever since Wanxian Island was raided and seized by the Five Elders Association, the defense level of the rebuilt Congyun City was higher than that of ordinary province-level immortal cities, comparable to those of the central provinces. As radiance flowed across the surface of the protective grand formation, the fissure dissolved and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, a second streak of flowing fire slammed into the protective barrier. The collision was even more violent than the first; the skybound city shook slightly, appearing as if it might plummet from the heavens at any second.
What terrified the crowd even more was that after detonating, this streak of black fire did not fully dissipate. Instead, it left behind a viscous, tar-like black substance that writhed and corroded the defensive grand formation. Sizzling sounds could be heard from the formation's outer perimeter even from a great distance.
"The Congyun City Tianyuan Creation Formation is formidable, but it won't hold out for long," Li Fan quickly judged from his perspective as a formation master.
While the formation remained locked in a stalemate with the black sludge, countless more black streaks rained continuously toward Congyun Immortal City. Rays of purple light shot out from the Heavenly Venerable statue to shoot down some of the incoming fire, but far more struck Congyun City with unstoppable force.
In an instant, Congyun Immortal City resembled a leaf tossed in a tempest, precariously dangling on the edge of destruction.
Just then, Immortal Lord Hongxi finally displayed the resolve befitting the head of a province.
Transforming into a colossus that reached from heaven to earth, he intercepted countless streaks of black fire with his hands while commanding in a cold voice, "Activate the Creation Grand Formation across the entire Congyun Sea! Draw fully upon the surrounding nodes to ensure Congyun City remains at peak operational strength!"
As he spoke, he sent an incantation seal flying toward the highest point of Congyun City.
At these words, Congyun City suddenly fell dead silent for a moment. Most cultivators still did not understand what Immortal Lord Hongxi meant, but the few who did turned stark pale that very instant.
Li Fan also narrowed his eyes, looking at the resolute Hongxi, and praised inwardly, "What boldness!"
Having studied formations diligently across several lifetimes, Li Fan was thoroughly familiar with the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' general defense network. Protective formations were erected for every garrison city. Within a single province, with the central floating sky city as the core, over a hundred such small-scale protective formations combined to form a medium-scale formation spanning the entire province.
And across the territories of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, linking all these medium-scale formations together formed a terrifyingly colossal formation covering nearly half the Xuanhuang Realm.
Layer upon layer, infinite in might!
The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals rotated the type of protective formation used every five hundred years. On a sunken island previously, Li Fan had encountered the Ten-Thousand-Li Mountains and Rivers Formation used in the past. At present, the alliance utilized the Tianyuan Creation Formation.
Though its defensive capabilities were somewhat weaker than those of the Ten-Thousand-Li Mountains and Rivers Formation, it possessed an irreplaceable function.
Namely, absorbing the vital essence of living beings within the formation to enhance the formation's potency!
Therefore, Immortal Lord Hongxi's meaning was crystal clear.
Run the Tianyuan Creation Formation at full capacity to drain the vital essence of the living beings on the surviving islands across the Congyun Sea, thereby sustaining the integrity of Congyun Immortal City's defense formation.
Rationally speaking, there was nothing wrong with this choice. In the face of this cataclysm, aside from Congyun City barely managing to hold out, all other islands were destined to turn to ash in an instant. Sacrificing the lives of those already doomed to die to reinforce the formation might win a slim chance of survival for the cultivators within Congyun City.
However...
Being slaughtered by an anima of Heaven and Earth and being butchered by one's own people in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals were two entirely different matters.
Not everyone had the cold ruthlessness to treat the lives of their fellow men as nothing.
Thus, even as Immortal Lord Hongxi's voice echoed across the city, the cultivators of the Formation Planning Hall remained silent, not making a move.
And Hongxi himself seemed to lack the nerve to repeat the order. Staring somberly at the fractured protective barrier, he did not issue the command again.
"Allow me to lend you a hand."
A glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes. His avatar flew into midair and shouted, "What are you dallying for? In this moment of life and death, you need only carry out the order! Lord Hongxi and I will bear all the consequences!"
Hongxi cast Li Fan a surprised glance.
The cultivators of the Formation Planning Hall looked at one another, gritted their teeth, and finally forced themselves to make the decision.
Stream after stream of incantation seals flew toward each node of the Tianyuan Creation Formation, and the light on the protective barrier flared brilliantly.
It seemed as if time had abruptly stopped. In the next instant, boundless vital essence surged in from all directions. Within moments, the purple barrier turned nearly solid, easily repelling the impacts of the black fire.
Violent tremors ceased, replaced by a steady sequence of muffled thuds.
The crisis was temporarily averted, but little joy showed on the faces of the surviving cultivators in Congyun City. For accompanying the massive empowerment of the Tianyuan Creation Formation were the rising and falling wails and curses echoing across the light screen, along with the dimly visible, horrifying scenes of humans drained of their essence in an instant, reduced to skeletons.
It was truly a living hell on earth, chilling the heart and soul.
"Though this buys us temporary safety, it is no long-term solution. All contact with headquarters has been completely severed; staying here is merely waiting for death.
"I intend to head out and face this anima of Heaven and Earth. I leave this place to you!" Ignoring the terrifying sights across the sky, Immortal Lord Hongxi sent a divine sense transmission to Li Fan.
Looking far toward the crash site of the black meteorite, he took a step forward.
His figure flickered repeatedly, vanishing from everyone's sight in an instant.
Immortal Lord Hongxi's departure once again left the newly settled cultivators anxious and terrified. Fortunately, the Secret Emissary remained, offering them a small measure of reassurance.
With a cold expression, Li Fan stared intently toward the center of the Congyun Sea, waiting patiently.
Time crept by. Once the initial wave of black fire was completely repelled, the apocalyptic crisis appeared to have passed. The waves of the Congyun Sea gradually subsided, leaving only the viscous black sludge clinging to the protective barrier as evidence of the calamity that had struck.
This unnatural calm carried the distinct omen of a gathering storm.
Li Fan also sensed that something was amiss.
"The Black Flame isn't there?" Sensing the aura of Immortal Lord Hongxi's rapid return, Li Fan swept his gaze across the firmament, then down toward the deep sea.
In the depths of the ocean, a terrifying disaster seemed to be brewing.
Pop!
A bubble suddenly surfaced on the water. Following it, the belly-up carcass of a fish, seemingly boiled through, drifted upward.
Then, in an instant, the entire Congyun Sea appeared to boil.
Countless bubbles churned incessantly, accompanied by the innumerable corpses of marine life.
Chapter 643