Breaking the Formation

On the other side. Yaoguang's divine mind quickly transmitted another message to Tang Fenghua and the others. "These are the nodes you need to attack next. Several of them must be destroyed in the next wave of attacks." "Understood," Tang Fenghua acknowledged. Wang Feng, however, hesitated slightly. "First Seat, clashing head-on with a sky-patrol warship isn't wise. Backed by their warship, they can recover as they fight, whereas we..." "I know what I'm doing," Yaoguang said. "Just carry out your respective tasks." "Yes, sir," Wang Feng answered. Tang Fenghua was widely experienced. Looking at the targets Yaoguang had marked, he seemed to recognize something. As if clarifying things for Wang Feng and the others, yet also inquiring, he asked, "First Seat, the nodes you've asked us to strike seem to be the key points of the sword cultivator amplification formations? You... you can read them?" "Heh, you seem to have forgotten that I could even improve a rank-six Spirit Gathering Formation. So isn't it entirely reasonable that I could see through the nodes of these formations during your successive attacks?" Yaoguang said with a smile. Hearing this, Tang Fenghua and the others froze. News of Yaoguang improving the Spirit Gathering Formation had only circulated among a tiny circle of people. Tang Fenghua, who protected Yaoguang closely, naturally knew about it. It was just... Hadn't they said he only understood Spirit Gathering Formations? Why did it seem now that he understood amplification formations as well?! Furthermore... To discern the nodes and flaws of these formations after just a few attacks, his mastery of formations... was likely even higher than anyone had imagined. "Artifact Refining, formations, body cultivation, spirit cultivation... First Seat Yaoguang truly is an all-around genius," Tang Fenghua remarked with heartfelt admiration. "You flatter me," Yaoguang said, then got straight to business. "Alright, break the formations. Weaken the formations amplifying their sword cultivators, then inflict heavy damage on all their sword cultivators. Without its sword cultivators, this sky-patrol warship will be nothing more than a sitting duck to us." "That way, though, we won't have enough power left to break through the Chunyu's defensive formations," Tang Fenghua said regretfully. But immediately after, he seemed to realize something, and his pupils shrank abruptly. "Wait! First Seat, the Yin-Yang Dissociation Art you had the spell cultivators prepare in advance... was meant for this step?!" "While the Chunyu isn't an advanced sky-patrol warship, it's far better than the one the Myriad Beasts Sect sold us. With this sky-patrol warship as a reference, I believe it won't be long before our sect truly possesses the ability to forge sky-patrol warships," Yaoguang said. The reason he had chosen to take on the sky-patrol warship Chunyu instead of the Vajra... came down to capability. He had experienced the might of a third-generation sky-patrol warship of the Vajra's class; capturing one was definitely beyond their current abilities. Even against the Chunyu... he could only rely on catching them off guard. Once the enemy took precautions—for example, if they realized they couldn't overcome the Zhenhai Institute right now and beat a timely retreat—he would have had no better option. However, whenever the Great Sun Sword Sect faced the Nine Cauldrons Sect, they harbored envy, jealousy, and hatred. Unless they saw no hope whatsoever, they would never easily pull back. This provided Yaoguang the opportunity to capture the warship. "Alright. Break those formations amplifying their sword cultivators as quickly as possible, then severely wound every sword cultivator aboard the Chunyu—best if you shatter all their life-bound flying swords!" Yaoguang said. "Yes!" Tang Fenghua answered spiritedly. Having heard Yaoguang's explanation, the other leaders of the Zhenhai Institute were equally brimming with fighting spirit. One after another, they launched their swords again, charging toward the Chunyu under the guidance of the Eight-Nine Wind-Thunder Formation. The cultivators aboard the Chunyu were unwilling to let a sky-patrol warship's crew become a stepping stone for the Zhenhai Institute's rise to fame, and their resistance was fierce. Round after round of clashes was accompanied by severe damage to one life-bound flying sword after another. Many cultivators' life-bound flying swords were cleaved in two during the confrontations. However, the Great Cultivators of the Zhenhai Institute possessed life-bound flying swords imbued with the properties of the Myriad Spirit Sovereign. Even if heavily damaged, they could switch to another sword, nourish it for a month or two, and regain their combat strength. The Great Sun Sword Sect, on the other hand... Those cultivators who lost their life-bound flying swords wouldn't recover for three to five years. The fierce clash lasted for more than ten minutes. Every sword cultivator spared no effort. The shockwaves generated by the battle tore apart the clouds across the firmament and even vaporized the sea's surface under the terrifying blasts. Continuous shockwaves generated tsunamis that swept across this stretch of ocean, drowning untold numbers of islands spanning thousands of li. Amid this battle, the number of sword cultivators each side could deploy steadily dwindled. Seventy, sixty-eight, sixty-five, sixty, fifty-four... Fewer and fewer sword cultivators from the Zhenhai Institute could still strike, and the same was true for the Chunyu. Especially once all the formations enhancing the sword cultivators' combat power aboard the Chunyu were destroyed, the rate at which Great Sun Sword Sect sword cultivators were severely wounded spiked dramatically. And at this moment, when a wave of twenty-six flying swords tore through the air toward the Chunyu, not a single flying sword emerged from within to intercept them. Even spell cultivators resisting with magic arts were few and far between. Yet instead of retreating, the warship continued to close in on the group. Clearly, they intended to hold out with their defensive formations, exhausting the Zhenhai Institute's sword cultivators while preventing them from fleeing once they realized breaking the formations was futile. "First Seat!" Wang Feng said exhilaratedly. "All the sword cultivators aboard the Chunyu have been heavily wounded and stripped of their combat strength!" "You have done well," Yaoguang replied. Sensing that the spell cultivators' Yin-Yang Dissociation Art was fully prepared, he said, "It is time." He turned directly to Tang Fenghua and the others, who had deliberately conserved a portion of their strength. "Close to within a hundred li! Prepare to board and seize the vessel! Kill anyone who resists!" "Yes!" Receiving their orders, Wang Feng, Tang Fenghua, and the others swiftly surged toward the Chunyu. Unlike before, when any approach provoked an immediate counterattack from the Chunyu's sword cultivators, the cultivators aboard the vessel now merely wore sullen expressions without making a move, seizing every second to recover their true essence. A sky-patrol warship was equivalent to a mobile sect mountain, and the most crucial attribute of a sect mountain was its defense. The same held true for a sky-patrol warship. Although a second-generation warship's defenses could not compare to those of a third-generation vessel, its twelve defensive formations, layered and interlocked, still provided enough defense to withstand over a dozen rounds of all-out assaults from a hundred sword cultivators. Do not underestimate the number "a dozen rounds." An all-out attack by a sword cultivator at their peak would only last for a dozen or so volleys. Once those volleys were spent, they would have to spend time replenishing their true essence before they could attack again. This recovery process, depending on the pills and spirit stones used, often took an hour, several hours, or even more than ten hours. And while they were recovering, the Great Sun Sword Sect's cultivators would be recovering as well. Added to that, the enemy could call for reinforcements or make emergency repairs to their formations; in such a war of attrition, breaking a sky-patrol warship became virtually impossible. That was why, even though the Chunyu currently lacked the capability to strike back, the Great Sun Sword Sect had not retreated, but instead continued to press closer. They were just waiting for the Zhenhai Institute's sword cultivators to exhaust their energy and need recovery, at which point they would launch a thunderous counterattack to turn the tables. ... "The Zhenhai Institute is indeed formidable, but ultimate victory will undoubtedly belong to us," Zuo Chuan said coldly. He turned to his deputy. "How is the recovery of the first batch of sword cultivators?" "The first batch of twelve sword cultivators can barely join combat now." "Good. Have them stand ready. The moment the Zhenhai Institute's sword cultivators run out of steam, attack and pursue them immediately!" Zuo Chuan commanded. Right then, the adjutant in charge of Origin Spirit reconnaissance suddenly spoke up: "Captain, several cultivators who specialize in Awareness arts have advised me that they are experiencing premonitions. Furthermore, we still haven't figured out what the Zhenhai Institute's spell cultivators are up to. They might be preparing some lethal spell... I suggest a temporary withdrawal!" "A lethal spell?" Zuo Chuan's eyes flickered. "According to our intelligence, the Zhenhai Institute has thirty-six spell cultivators in total. There are only so many spells that thirty-six spell cultivators could prepare in a dozen minutes, and not a single one of those spells can crush twelve rank-six defensive formations in one go." With that, he looked at the adjutant. "We are now less than six thousand li from those spell cultivators. Bolstered by the divine mind amplification formations, can you still not detect what those spell cultivators are plotting?" "The enemy's strength is far greater than we anticipated! I can swear that their leader must be a rank-five Origin Spirit cultivator who has undergone dozens of temperings by the Zixiao Divine Lightning!" The adjutant declared solemnly, "Short of a rank-five Origin Spirit cultivator, I cannot explain who could possess such methods—to completely suppress over a dozen of us even when we are bolstered by divine mind amplification..." Before he could finish, his divine mind fluctuations suddenly stalled. The next moment, a voice filled with gravity—and even a hint of panic—rang out: "Captain, the Nine Cauldrons Sect Zhenhai Institute's spell cultivators have revealed their trump card! It's the Yin-Yang Dissociation Art!" "The Yin-Yang Dissociation Art?!" Zuo Chuan instantly grasped the Zhenhai Institute's intention. "They want to dismantle our warship's defensive formations in one blow? Completing this art in just a dozen minutes is indeed impressive, but... my Chunyu has twelve defensive formations! Unless they mobilize over a hundred spell cultivators to unleash this art together, they can forget about shaking the Chunyu!" With that, he immediately commanded, "Interfere with the Yin-Yang Dissociation Art with everything you have! This is our home ground! Everyone else... maintain the defensive formations!" "Understood!" The cultivators acknowledged the order. Before long, a dense rain of deep blue light appeared on the horizon of the Chunyu cultivators' vision. This was none other than the Yin-Yang Dissociation Art, renowned as the bane of all defensive formations! Almost simultaneously, under Yaoguang's command, twenty-six sword cultivators of the Nine Cauldrons Sect struck together. Sharp sword lights carrying void-tearing sharpness slashed fiercely toward the twelve shimmering defensive formations. "Full interference! Sword cultivators, intercept!" Zuo Chuan roared. Boosted by multiple divine mind formations, the divine minds of more than a dozen Origin Spirit cultivators on the warship erupted in unison. Unlike earlier, when they had to operate across several thousands of li, this time the eruption occurred less than three hundred li from their warship—well within the range where their divine mind interference could operate at peak efficiency. Yet... it was useless. Vaguely, an information black zone seemed to manifest before them, reducing the divine mind power of all the Origin Spirit cultivators to nothingness, failing to exert the slightest influence on the Yin-Yang Dissociation Art that shot toward them like streaming light. As for the flying swords launched by the twelve sword cultivators who had just caught their breath, twelve of the incoming twenty-six flying swords intercepted them with pinpoint accuracy. The remaining fourteen... hammered fiercely into the twelve defensive formations. Radiance erupted. Among the twelve defensive formations, the strongest—a rank-six third-generation defensive formation—was struck by three flying swords and shuddered violently. As ripples spread from the impact, the luminous rain of the Yin-Yang Dissociation Art fell upon those very ripples. Riding the rippling waves, each beam of light rain dissolved the most critical nodes with extreme precision. Under this unraveling and corrosion, the formation that had just rippled outward rapidly dimmed. "Hold it! Hold the line!" Zuo Chuan and everyone aboard the Chunyu roared in their hearts. Yet the light rain of the Yin-Yang Dissociation Art would not cease its erosion simply because of their silent screams. Crack! A faint sound seemed to echo. Eroded to its limit, the strongest rank-six third-generation formation collapsed. The moment this formation shattered, like a chain reaction set in motion, holes were eaten into the remaining eleven formations at an even faster pace. Under the barrage of luminous rain from the Yin-Yang Dissociation Art, vast swathes began to crumble and disintegrate. This sight caused the expressions of Zuo Chuan and the others—who had possessed absolute confidence in the sky-patrol warship's defenses—to instantly freeze.