Chapter 92

On the fifteenth of November, at the hour of the Snake.

The Dragon Tooth flying boat hovered above the exit of the Devil's Nose, its thirty-zhang-long hull looming over the area, exuding a menacing aura. The dragon head at the bow looked even more ferocious than usual.

"Have they arrived?"

Li Weimin, who had been waiting for a long time, suddenly stood up. He glanced around, steadying his mind.

Around him were thick gray clouds, each with a tall banner planted in it, totaling thirty-six in number.

This was not an array, but a magical treasure called the "Corpse Smoke Responsive Qi Banner" that the elders of his sect had refined for him. The banners were divided into main and secondary ones, with the main banner held by him and the other thirty-six being secondary banners.

Actually, this magical treasure was only half-refined. It could not yet be used to harm enemies, but it was more than enough for defense.

Li Weimin believed that today was not about deciding a winner with the cultivators of the Mingzang Sect. There was no need for a life-or-death struggle; a delay would suffice. As long as his elder brother Li Weide returned, dealing with these people would be as easy as turning over one's hand.

"However, it wouldn't hurt to see the caliber of these Mingzang Sect cultivators."

Li Weimin glanced upward, feeling that their momentum was a bit weak. He waved his hand, signaling two cultivators to go up and probe.

The two Blood Soul Sect cultivators immediately cast a spell, and above their heads, two faint shadows appeared, resembling real people but with their lower halves floating like mist, faintly supported by a foul, bloody aura.

These were the Blood Souls they had captured and refined using their own spirits. Normally, they could not only harm enemies but also consume their essence and energy to benefit themselves.

The two cultivators urged their Blood Souls forward, and the two Blood Souls transformed into blood shadows, rushing toward the Dragon Tooth flying boat.

Zhang Yan was standing on the third-story platform of the flying boat, where the view was wide, allowing him to see the entrance of the Devil's Nose clearly.

At that moment, the area was shrouded in thick, grayish-white smoke, completely obscuring the view.

It was obvious that the Blood Soul Sect disciples had done this.

At that moment, he noticed two Blood Souls rushing up, heading directly for Fang Zhen.

Looking at the direction from which the Blood Souls came, Zhang Yan's lips curled into a cold smile. He pointed forward, and a blue light shot out.

Fang Zhen also noticed the anomaly. He coldly snorted, lifted the Five Fire Divine Circle in his hand, and casually waved it in front of him. Two fireballs shot out, meeting the two Blood Souls. With a "sizzle," the Blood Souls were instantly reduced to ashes.

Seeing this, Li Weimin secretly praised the power of the Five Fire Divine Circle. However, he suddenly saw a blue light dart into the smoke array. His eyes blurred, and a disciple's head was severed. The sword pill hovered in the air for a moment before flying back.

"Powerful, powerful."

Li Weimin broke out in a cold sweat. No wonder his elder brother had warned him to be careful. A moment of carelessness had cost him a disciple. If they faced each other directly, without his elder brother here, he truly couldn't stop them.

Zhang Yan retracted the sword pill, glanced at the thick smoke and the banners around it, and after a moment of thought, walked a few steps to Xie Zongyuan's side. "Xie Senior Brother, it seems the Xuan Guang cultivator is not here. We can attack without restraint."

Xie Zongyuan's spirits were lifted. "Oh? How can you tell?"

Zhang Yan smiled. "If the Xuan Guang cultivator were here, there would be no need to set up this defensive formation."

This was a battle between cultivators, not an army. To defeat them, a single high-level cultivator would suffice; there was no need for such an elaborate formation.

"Reasonable!" Xie Zongyuan turned his head and bowed to Fang Zhen. "This smoke seems peculiar. Fang Senior Brother, we need your Five Fire Divine Circle to clear the way."

Fang Zhen grunted, walked a few steps to the bow of the boat, and waved his sleeve. "Protect me!"

Without waiting for a response, he raised the Five Fire Divine Circle, recited the spell, and the circle began to spin in the air. Purple flames appeared along the edges of the golden circle, gradually increasing in number. Fang Zhen's face showed signs of strain, and just as he was about to give up, he shouted, "Go!"

Instantly, a torrent of flames rained down on the smoke below.

The long banners on the ground emitted a buzzing sound, rising to block the flames. Upon contact, they exploded, and more than seven banners were instantly destroyed, turning into wisps of green smoke. Each damaged banner caused a corresponding cloud of smoke to dissipate.

Seeing this, Li Weimin hiding in the array chuckled and waved the main banner in his hand. The scattered smoke reformed, turning back into a banner and stabilizing.

He had buried a "Qi Gathering Jade Plate" under the sand, which continuously absorbed the surrounding qi to supply the magical treasure.

As long as the main banner was intact and someone controlled it, even if all the secondary banners were destroyed, he could recondense them at any time.

Initially, the people on the Dragon Tooth flying boat were overjoyed when the banners were broken, but they were surprised to see the banners quickly restore themselves, and the thick smoke was once again suppressed.

Everyone frowned. Without dispersing the thick smoke, no one dared to rashly enter, for who knew what traps lay inside?

As the time for the sea eye to open drew near, everyone grew anxious.

Zhang Yan, however, remained calm. After observing for a while, his eyes showed deep thought. After a moment, he turned to Fang Zhen and asked, "Fang Senior Brother, based on what we just saw, how many banners can you break with your full effort?"

Fang Zhen was taken aback, calculated for a moment, and said, "There are thirty-six banners. If I use my full strength, I should be able to break at least eighteen."

"That's half of them, then?" Zhang Yan nodded and smiled. "Enough."

Xie Zongyuan, sensing there was more to it, asked, "Senior Brother, do you have a plan?"

Zhang Yan pointed downward. "Xie Senior Brother, when the smoke was briefly split by Fang Senior Brother, I saw a person holding a large banner standing on a stone platform in the center, directing the formation. After he waved the banner, the smoke reformed. He must be the key to this array, and we need to find a way to kill him."

Fang Zhen's face showed a hint of mockery. "Zhang Senior Brother, this person is deep within the thick smoke. If we want to kill him, we must first break through the smoke. If we could do that, why would we still be standing here?"

Liu Tao, however, knew that Zhang Yan would not speak without a plan. "Zhang Senior Brother, do you have a method?"

Zhang Yan smiled and nodded. "Yes, I do. I observed that this smoke is not without a weakness. If Fang Senior Brother can break through it again, I can use the brief gap to enter and kill this person with my sword."

Fang Zhen was taken aback and then frowned. "Zhang Junior Brother, have you thought this through? If you fail, we won't be able to save you."

Zhang Yan smiled. "I have thought it through. The Xuan Guang cultivator is not here. If we don't take a bold step now, we might not have another chance when he returns."

Fang Zhen laughed. "Good! Since you have such courage, I, Fang Zhen, will not hold back. Today, I will show you the true power of my Five Fire Divine Circle!"

At that moment, a rumbling sound suddenly came from all directions, as if an army was charging overhead, and the ground shook like thunder, as if the entire Devil's Nose was trembling.

Everyone turned to see a river in the deep gorge suddenly rise like a living dragon, surging toward the entrance of the Devil's Nose, its momentum so powerful that even the thick smoke could not conceal it.

Xie Zongyuan stepped forward, leaning over the boat's edge and shouting, "The sea eye gate is open!"

Everyone on the Dragon Tooth flying boat was excited. Liu Tao suddenly said to Xie Zongyuan, "Xie Senior Brother, why don't you board the Sandalwood Boat first? Whatever Zhang Senior Brother is doing, he must be confident. Once the formation is broken, don't hesitate; charge into the water column with all your might!"

Xie Zongyuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly. "Alright!" He handed the Sea Calming Stele to Liu Tao. "Liu Senior Brother, this magical treasure is for you to use."

Liu Tao did not hesitate, taking it. "Senior Brother, remember, the opportunity is fleeting; do not hesitate!"

Xie Zongyuan bowed to everyone, then took out a token, released the Sandalwood Boat, and called Feng Ming to board it. The boat door closed, and they waited for the smoke to clear, ready to follow the surging water out of the Devil's Nose.

Zhang Yan looked at Fang Zhen. "Fang Senior Brother, prepare to act."

Fang Zhen grunted, stepped forward, and held the Five Fire Divine Circle, reciting the spell. In a moment, he raised the circle to the sky, which grew larger and larger, finally reaching ten zhang in size. The purple flames around the circle turned golden-red, and the circle itself was filled with roaring flames.

The circle bloomed in the sky like the sun, emitting a low, rumbling sound, its momentum extremely terrifying.

This power made Li Weimin below tense. He sat on the stone platform, fully concentrating on the banners to prepare for the attack.

Sweat was already streaming down Fang Zhen's forehead, but he gritted his teeth and, at the last moment, shouted, "Open!"

"Boom!"

A torrent of flames surged out of the Five Fire Divine Circle, forming a sea of fire.

Li Weimin also shouted, waving the main banner. The thirty-six banners trembled and rose to meet the flames.

However, like moths drawn to a flame, the banners were instantly reduced to smoke upon contact, and the thick smoke became thinner, showing signs of dispersing.

Li Weimin frantically waved the banner, and each time a banner was destroyed, he recondensed it. For a moment, he managed to hold them back, and the thinning smoke gradually reformed.

At that moment, Zhang Yan had not yet moved. After the smoke thinned, he focused on Li Weimin's figure, the sword pill hovering beside him, trembling as if ready to fly.

Almost as the smoke reformed, his eyes flashed, and he merged with the sword, shooting forward like a rainbow!

At the same moment, a streak of blood light appeared from the horizon, rushing toward them.

Liu Tao, seeing this, was startled. "Not good, the Xuan Guang cultivator is back!"

Li Weimin was waving the banner, about to close the smoke array, when he heard someone say, "Senior Brother Li has returned."

He turned and saw it was true, and he was overjoyed. "Elder Brother is back."

At that moment, no one noticed a long rainbow streak from the sky, instantly piercing the void and breaking through the smoke, rushing toward them.

Li Weimin suddenly sensed something, but in the moment he turned his head, a brilliant light flashed before his eyes!

A head flew into the air!