Chapter 786: Powerful Defense (II)

Terrifying booms continued to reverberate through the great formation. Its entire protective barrier began to thin as ripples spread across its energy.

Fang Mo's expression was exceedingly grim. "This is bad. The great formation is about to break! Damn it! That fellow hasn't even shown himself yet. Is Cao Hongchang alone really about to breach the island-protecting formation?"

Under Cao Hongchang's relentless assault, one flaw after another was breached. The island-protecting formation's power was declining at an astonishing rate. If this continued, it likely would not last fifteen minutes.

Fang Mo's illusory figure condensed once more above the great formation as he regarded Cao Hongchang with an icy expression. "Fellow Cao, are you truly determined to take this so far? If you push me too far, I can simply abandon Redcloud Island. I merely wonder whether the other cultivators of the Evilheart Sect will survive once I begin hunting them down."

Although Fang Mo had spent over a century painstakingly developing Redcloud Island and would deeply regret abandoning it, he knew what mattered most. If the situation became untenable, temporarily giving it up was not out of the question. A barefoot man had nothing to fear from one wearing shoes. At worst, he could simply abandon Redcloud Island, flee, and take revenge from the shadows.

"Withdraw from Redcloud Island and leave behind the mineral veins nearby. You may take everything else with you," Cao Hongchang said calmly. His figure flickered and vanished into the mist once more. Several puppet figures flashed past, simultaneously launching attacks elsewhere.

"Hmph!" Fang Mo snorted coldly. He controlled the formation to attack Cao Hongchang while calmly declaring, "Then we shall fight until both sides are destroyed! Even if Redcloud Island is lost, I will wipe the Evilheart Sect from the Chaotic Star Sea!"

In an instant, a vast surge of spiritual qi erupted from Redcloud Island, and the aura of the island-protecting formation soared wildly.

Lin Zheyu secretly transmitted. "Be careful. This fellow is preparing a desperate final strike. Follow the plan we agreed on!"

His figure shifted slightly as he silently crept toward Redcloud Island and slipped into Cao Hongchang's mist. Lin Zheyu wore magnificent purplish-black scale armor and stood about two meters tall. Streams of black mist poured from his body and merged with Cao Hongchang's.

Lin Zheyu had also cultivated the Demonic Flame Soul-Burning Crows secret art and had even refined and optimized it into the Myriad Dragons Godslaying Art, an art better suited to him. However, given his current form and his identity as the sect master of the Evilheart Sect, it was not appropriate for him to use the Myriad Dragons Godslaying Art. Fortunately, the Demonic Flame Soul-Burning Crows were also quite powerful.

Lin Zheyu's voice suddenly rang out. "Dodge!"

Cao Hongchang reacted in perfect coordination, his figure flickering as he swiftly moved away from his previous position. The instant he did so, a chill of mortal danger surged through his heart. The entire island-protecting formation shattered with a thunderous crash, and all its energy instantly condensed into a terrifying beam that shot toward the spot Cao Hongchang had just vacated. The beam radiated an astonishing aura, as though it could annihilate all things. Wherever it passed, it utterly annihilated every form of energy, whether demonic qi or spiritual qi.

"Hiss, he still had a move like that!" Cao Hongchang shuddered with lingering fear. Had that beam struck him, he would undoubtedly have been severely injured.

Fortunately, Fellow Xiao Zhe was extremely dependable and had warned him in advance.

"Damn it! He actually dodged it!"

Fang Mo's expression turned exceedingly ugly at the sight. That strike had been one of his greatest trump cards, powerful enough to threaten even a late-stage Nascent Soul realm expert!

"Go!" Without the slightest hesitation, Fang Mo decisively activated his Nascent Soul and vanished from the spot.

When he reappeared, he was already several kilometers away. However, that area was still shrouded in black mist.

"I will remember this grudge. Prepare to become a sect master without a single subordinate left!" Fang Mo's voice resounded between heaven and earth.

"You're not getting away! Stay right there!" Cao Hongchang snorted coldly and vanished as well.

Demonic Flame Soul-Burning Crows! At the same time, the secret art Cao Hongchang had prepared long ago was unleashed in an instant. Fire crows wreathed in black-blue flames condensed from the black mist. Just as Fang Mo was about to teleport a short distance again, the fire crows swarmed toward him like moths drawn to a flame.

A series of muffled pops rang out. Faced with the Demonic Flame Soul-Burning Crows' assault, Fang Mo remained expressionless as a golden energy barrier condensed around him, blocking every fire crow.

In the brief moment that the Demonic Flame Soul-Burning Crows delayed Fang Mo, Cao Hongchang caught up and sent his enormous fist hurtling toward him. This blow contained the full extent of Cao Hongchang's strength. His fist crashed into the golden energy barrier surrounding Fang Mo, covering it in a dense web of cracks.

"You cannot stop me!" Fang Mo said calmly.

Nascent Soul Origin Force surged as his body gradually faded into the void, preparing to teleport once more. At that critical moment, a terrifying saber light slashed out from the black mist. It resembled a strike that could split heaven from earth, annihilate the gods and devils of the myriad heavens, and cleave open the primordial chaos to create a world. Everything paled before its radiance.

Fang Mo's expression was cold as he shouted, "You have finally made your move. I have been waiting for you!"

Faced with this sudden and terrifying saber strike, he sensed unprecedented danger, and his eyes grew exceedingly grave, yet he showed not the slightest panic. Fang Mo immediately abandoned his teleportation attempt.

Amid such violent energy fluctuations and under such a terrifying attack, the consequences of forcibly teleporting were impossible to predict. With a thought, the energy projection of an enormous shell condensed around him and snapped shut, shielding him within.

I refuse to believe you can unleash such a powerful attack twice in quick succession. If you could, you wouldn't be merely at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, Fang Mo thought.

Although the situation was somewhat troublesome, he did not panic. Everything remained under control. As long as he blocked the attacks from Cao Hongchang and Xiao Zhe, he could teleport away. There was no need to panic...

As if! The saber light descended and struck the shell surrounding Fang Mo. Cracks spread densely across it with overwhelming force. A sharp crack followed, and the entire shell-shaped dharma treasure shattered with a thunderous crash.

Fang Mo's expression changed drastically. He rapidly retreated while hastily slashing out a streak of sword light to block the remaining force of the terrifying saber light.

Demonic Flame Soul-Burning Crows!

Demonic Flame Soul-Burning Crows!

Lin Zheyu and Cao Hongchang acted simultaneously, both unleashing the Demonic Flame Soul-Burning Crows secret art.

Even more fire crows than before condensed from the mist. Cawing noisily, they swarmed toward Fang Mo. Already struggling to withstand Lin Zheyu's assault, Fang Mo could not spare any attention to defend against this secret art. One fire crow after another, each wreathed in black-blue flames, slammed into his body with muffled thuds.

Under the effects of the secret art, the terrifying yao will and demonic qi contained within the fire crows seeped into Fang Mo's body and surged toward his sea of consciousness. Caught completely off guard, Fang Mo could only watch as the vast yao will forcibly breached his sea of consciousness and struck his soul.

"Argh!" Fang Mo screamed as his body abruptly froze.

This yao secret art was particularly effective against orthodox cultivators like Fang Mo.

"It's over!" Lin Zheyu murmured as he raised his saber and brought it down.

A flash of silver saber light swept past, and the scream abruptly ceased. Fang Mo's eyes were filled with resentment and venom, along with astonishing hatred and madness. Lin Zheyu narrowed his eyes and immediately used the Ten-Thousand-Miles Divine Travel Art to speed away. Cao Hongchang needed no warning from Lin Zheyu and teleported away at once.

A terrifying explosion erupted as the Nascent Soul within Fang Mo detonated. Terrifying waves of energy swept outward. Before Lin Zheyu could get very far, he felt the astonishing energy slam into him.

Wave after wave of violent energy struck his magnificent scale armor, corroding it like sulfuric acid. At the same time, vast energy surged from Lin Zheyu's body, restoring the scales corroded by the aftermath at an astonishing rate. Eventually, the rate of corrosion and recovery reached an equilibrium.

Lin Zheyu stopped and exhaled softly. "I thought it would be far more powerful, but it was nothing special."

This was his first time encountering the self-detonation of a Nascent Soul. Lin Zheyu had expected it to be terrifyingly powerful, but to his surprise, it could not even break through his scale armor's defenses.

Having fled into the distance, Cao Hongchang stared with wide eyes and said in disbelief, "What terrifying defenses! No wonder he did not expend his origin to teleport. With defenses this powerful, there was not even any need to evade it."

At the heart of the explosion, the force of Fang Mo's Nascent Soul self-detonation had nearly rivaled a strike from a peak Nascent Soul realm expert. Although Fellow Xiao had fled in advance and put some distance between himself and the center, the blast at his position still possessed power comparable to at least the late-stage Nascent Soul realm.

Just what is this fellow's background? What kind of demon art does he cultivate to possess such monstrous defenses? Cao Hongchang muttered inwardly, his expression complicated.