First Immortal of the Sword

Before long, Mei Yanbai and his companions reached the valley.

“Everyone, please stop for a moment.” 

When they were still one thousand feet from the lotus pond, Mei Yanbai stopped in his tracks. He took a bronze, octagonal formation disk out of his sleeves. It was covered in runes, with a crouching toad carved at its center. 

Mei Yanbai’s fingers tapped the toad’s head.

Ksssh!

The toad’s mouth suddenly opened, and it breathed out misty blue light, illuminating the entire stretch of heaven and earth.

The scenery before them immediately changed. They now saw a curtain of light—a formation—floating a hundred feet away. It blotted out the sun and enveloped the lotus pond on all sides.

Runes circulated on its surface, and it glittered with radiant light.

“This…” The others were stunned.

Earlier, they’d used their divine senses to sense the area, but they didn’t discover that there was a formation covering the entire area.

“This formation has four functions: hiding one’s presence, invisibility, killing, and trapping. It’s comprised of sixty-four pieces spread across this area. Even someone like me would be caught off guard if I carelessly barged in,” said Mei Yanbai, the words just flowing out of him. “This Su Yi guy actually has some skill regarding talismans and formations. He’s far superior to the so-called experts of the mundane world.”

Qian Yun couldn’t help but exclaim, “Brother Mei, you really are the most talented scion of the Mei Family. I cannot help but sigh over your keen eyesight and breadth of knowledge.”

The black-robed, white-haired, murderous Nie Li said, “Brother Mei, this formation is extraordinary. Can you break it?”

Mei Yanbai stretched out his hand and casually wiggled his fingers. He said leisurely, “For me, breaking this formation will be no harder than turning over my hand.”

The group’s spirits soared. Qian Yun said, “If you please, Brother Mei!”

“Just a moment.” Mei Yanbai smiled faintly and waved his sleeves.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Twelve arcs streaked through the air, forming glittering golden hammers surrounded by flowing misty light.

“These are Formation-Breaking Hammers. Their forging method is unique, known only to the Mei Family. One attack is enough to burst a formation like the one before us,” said Mei Yanbai. A single sound, like a Daoist chant, left his lips. “Hah!”

His companions watched on in astonishment as the twelve little golden hammers got in a formation of their own. They attacked only once, but it was enough to shatter the formation blotting out the skies into nothingness.

“Amazing!” exclaimed his companions.

Mei Yanbei couldn’t help but break into a self-satisfied grin.

When it came to the Dao of Talismans and Formations, he’d never feared anyone!

“Now that his formation’s ruined, what else can Su Yi ambush us with?” Qian Yun laughed. 

If Su Yi attacks, he won’t need to rely on a formation like this, Feng Zidu muttered to himself.

He hadn’t told Mei Yanbei and company that Su Yi had killed monsters of the ancient era as mighty as Dongguo Yun and Ran Chong as easily as if he were squashing an ant. In truth, he’d only chosen to cooperate with this bunch because he thought highly of their various trump cards and killer moves. 

“Breaking the formation caused quite a disturbance. Logically speaking, Su Yi should have noticed it and revealed himself immediately. So why hasn’t he made an appearance yet?” Dou Kou seemed confused. “Isn’t he worried that we’ll run off the Yin-Yang Divine Fire Lotus?”

When they heard this, her companions were stunned.

“It’s simple; Su Yi’s placed more than one formation,” said Mei Yanbai, his eyes flashing with golden light. He continued eloquently, “Ordinarily speaking, when placing formations with the intent to kill, unless they’ve got a truly top-class, matchless killing formation, formations grandmasters will typically place multi-layered formations to form a complementary cycle. The layered onslaught is hard for opponents to defend against, as well as difficult to escape from.”

“Everyone, please look.” As he spoke, he tapped the formation disc’s toad on the head once more.

Whoosh!

The toad opened its mouth and breathed out yet another blue arc of light, which shot into the ground a hundred feet away.

That patch of ground shook on impact, scattering sand and dust. Silvery glyphs surged into the air, forming a restrictive energy fluctuation that rose into the sky, making the wind and clouds change color.

Murderous energy washed over them, making their pupils constrict and their bodies stiffen.

What a powerful murderous aura it has!

“This is a pure killing formation. It’s almost certainly Su Yi’s backup plan; had I gotten complacent and assumed I’d already successfully broken through his formation, the consequences would have been dire,” said Mei Yanbai calmly.

The way his companions looked at him changed; their gazes contained newfound respect.

“Brother Mei, had we tried to seize this stroke of good fortune without you, I’m afraid we would have fallen victim to Su Yi’s schemes!” sighed Qian Yun.

Even Feng Zidu couldn’t help but take another glance at Mei Yanbai. This guy isn’t simple!

“You exaggerate, Brother Qian. The Mei Family established itself through the Dao of Talismans and Formations. If I couldn’t see through one this simple, I’d be a laughingstock,” said Mei Yanbai. He sounded modest, but his expression was lively and utterly confident. He seemed to think himself quite the strategist.

“Brother Mei, please, break the formation,” said Nie Li murderously. “Who cares whether or not Su Yi dares show his face? So long as we break this formation, the Yin-Yang Divine Fire Lotus will be ours.”

Mei Yanbai nodded. “I was thinking the exact same thing.”

When Feng Zidu saw this, his heart clenched, and he warned them, “Please, stay on guard. We don’t want Su Yi to show up suddenly and catch us unaware.”

Everyone nodded. They silently circulated their cultivations and prepared for battle.

They naturally didn’t dare to underestimate someone as heaven-defying as Su Yi.

“Hah!” With another invocation, Mei Yanbai’s twelve Formation-Breaking Hammers took to the skies and slammed ruthlessly down once more.

Rumble~~Rumble~~

The formation before them churned and fluctuated violently. In just a few breaths of time, it burst and fell apart. Flecks of light scattered like rain. 

The group exclaimed once more.

Were it up to them to break such a formation, they’d have had to call upon some of their trump cards.

“Everyone, the hard part’s already over. The Yin-Yang Divine Fire Lotus is ours!” Mei Yanbai smiled. He’d sensed the perimeter with a secret art, but he hadn’t discovered any other hidden restrictions.

“We broke his grand formation, but Su Yi still hasn’t shown himself. Don’t tell me he sensed the danger and is too afraid to show himself?” Qian Yun teased.

Feng Zidu, however, felt a bit alarmed and uncertain. For some reason, something didn’t quite seem right here. How could someone like Su Yi shrink back in terror just because his formation had been shattered?

“Hm? What’s going on?” Nie Li suddenly asked in confusion. He saw the thick ice around the lotus pond melt suddenly, and a current of searing heat started spreading throughout the air.

“Look!” Dou Kou looked into the dome of heaven, alarm written all over her delicate face.

Her companions followed her gaze and saw that the auspicious clouds hovering overhead were now red as flame, as if they were clouds of pure fire. They were bright, dazzling red.

This…

They suddenly felt a hint of foreboding.

“Something’s not right here. The surrounding mountains seem to be moving.” Feng Zidu’s eyelids twitched.

The others looked, and indeed, it was as if the mountains surrounding the valley on all sides had come to life, shifting silently and without a trace.

At that moment, they felt dizzier than ever before.

“This is bad! We fell into a trap. Hurry up and run!” Mei Yanbai’s expression changed dramatically. He now looked somber, and his confidence and contemptuousness instantly disappeared. 

As he spoke, he turned and fled. How could his companions dare to hesitate? All of them followed suit.

Boom!

The ground suddenly split. Countless cracks opened up, and purple flames shot forth, forming a boundless blazing sea. It swept toward Mei Yanbai and his companions from all sides.

At the same time, a rain of fire suddenly poured from the fiery-red auspicious clouds hovering overhead, like a wildfire breaking through a dam.

The destructive waves of fire made their expressions change dramatically.

“Don’t panic, everyone! It’s just a formation!” Mei Yanbai said gravely. 

As he spoke, he took out a little apricot-yellow pennant and waved in gently.

Boom!

A beam of earthy light shot forth, forcefully clearing a path to life in the descending sea of purple flame.

Mei Yanbai and company immediately charged through it.

But even so, the relentless, blazing flood brought them enormous trouble. It left them with no choice but to fight back with everything they had.

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Shortly afterward.

Under Mei Yanbai’s leadership, they fled the bounds of the formation producing the terrifying sea of flames and arrived near a gorge.

However, all of them cut sorry figures. Their hair was disheveled, their clothes were in tatters, and all of them were singed. Even their faces were charred black.

“Dammit!!” 

“How is this possible!?”

Everyone’s expressions soured, and they alternated between rage and alarm. They couldn’t help but look at Mei Yanbai.

“I got complacent. I wouldn’t have guessed that Su Yi would use the surrounding mountains to place a formation. In truth, we fell into his trap the moment we entered the valley,” said Mei Yanbai, his face ashen.

Earlier, he’d been full of confidence, like a master strategist.

But after everything that had just happened, he felt as if an invisible hand had slapped him ruthlessly across the face, leaving his cheeks stinging. An indescribable sense of humiliation welled within his heart.

He was better at the Dao of Talismans and Formations than anything else, yet it was in his area of expertise that he’d fallen flat on his face. He’d really made a fool out of himself this time…

“But rest assured. We’ve already escaped the killing formation.” Mei Yanbai took a deep breath, then scanned the surrounding area and burst into laughter. 

“Why are you laughing, Brother Mei?” Qian Yun furrowed his brow.

Mei Yanbai seemed to have recovered his confidence. He pointed at the gorge and laughed, “I’m laughing because Su Yi isn’t that clever after all; if it were me, I’d have a grand formation lying in ambush here too. That way, just as we escaped our earlier predicament, we’d face yet another calamity. If that happened, it’s hard to say whether we’d get out alive.”

As soon as he said this—

Boom!

Both sides of the gorge rumbled like lightning as the terrifying energy fluctuations of a formation enveloped the entire area.

Mei Yanbai’s laughter came to an abrupt halt, as if he’d been struck by lightning. His eyes widened.

“....”

How was this any different from a slap in Mei Yanbai’s face?

“Hurry up and run!” Mei Yanbai bellowed as he activated the talismans and formations he had on him. He was doing everything he could to escape with his companions. 

Shortly afterward.

By the time they’d finally escaped the gorge’s grand formation, they were covered in wounds. 

Although their injuries weren’t severe, the feeling of awkwardly scrambling for their lives left them enraged, and all of them had ashen looks on their faces.

But it was then that Mei Yanbai laughed again.

“Why are you laughing at a time like this, Brother Mei?” Qian Yun couldn’t help but ask.

Mei Yanbai seemed desperate to recover from his earlier loss of face. He took a deep breath and said with assurance, “I’m just laughing because Su Yi ultimately isn’t a grandmaster of talismans and formations after all. Had I been the one to place a killing formation here, we’d have surely faced inescapable calamity.”

As soon as he said this—

Boom!

The earth-shaking rumbling of a formation reverberated throughout the area once more. 

“....” Mei Yanbai fell silent.

His companions, however, were baffled. “?????”