The curtain of night had just fallen when a group of uninvited guests—nine cultivators from Yellow Maple Valley—appeared above the pitch-black imperial city.
Hovering above the dark city walls, the lead cultivator, Liu Jing, took one look at this so-called forbidden zone. After a moment of hesitation, he waved his hand with bold determination.
"Let's go!"
His voice was utterly decisive, without a trace of hesitation.
He then charged forward first.
Seeing this, the others naturally followed close behind, their fear of the Seven Sects' prohibition already forgotten.
Han Li did not rush to the front. Instead, he deliberately hung back, flying at the rear of the group.
This wasn't because Han Li had other intentions—he was silently sensing the "Inverted Five Elements Grand Formation" he had set up the previous night.
When they had flown to a spot several li from the palace, a mysterious smile faintly appeared at the corner of Han Li's lips.
Good! The formation was still perfectly intact. The spiritual energy markers he had secretly placed had not been damaged in the slightest, which made Han Li extremely delighted in his heart.
A moment later, the nine of them were hovering above the palace, looking down at everything within the imperial grounds.
"Listen up, everyone! This operation will follow our pre-planned strategy. We'll split into two groups. One group will head to the current emperor's sleeping quarters to rescue him from the Black Fiend Sect's grasp. Only in this way can we prevent the enemy from acting out of desperation and using the emperor as leverage against us. The other group will go directly to the Cold Palace where the Black Fiend Sect Master is staying. We'll concentrate our forces to eliminate those four Blood Attendants first. Then both groups will join together to deal with the Black Fiend Sect Master who is still in seclusion." Liu Jing solemnly repeated tonight's plan once more, and the others nodded repeatedly upon hearing it.
The personnel assignments had long been made. Two female cultivators, Chen Qiaoqian and Zhong Weiniang, would rescue the emperor. Liu Jing and the remaining members would charge directly at the Cold Palace guarded by the four Blood Attendants, with Han Li among them.
"Seventh Sister, Junior Sister Chen, be careful!" Before parting, Liu Jing specifically gave this instruction.
The two women acknowledged seriously and then flew off diagonally.
Soon after, they disappeared silently into the darkness.
"When we encounter other cultivators later, don't hold back. Anyone who can move freely within this palace is definitely from the Black Fiend Sect. Let's strike too! We can create some opportunities for the two junior sisters." After saying this coldly to everyone, Liu Jing immediately rode his artifact straight toward the Cold Palace Han Li had described.
Han Li and the others followed.
A moment later, their imposing descent from the sky was immediately noticed by the Black Fiend Sect disciples guarding the outer perimeter of the Cold Palace.
In an instant, after several piercing shrieks, various spells and artifacts erupted from hidden positions near the Cold Palace, coming down upon them like a tidal wave.
"A grain of light dares to compete with the bright moon!"
Liu Jing raised his hand, and a shimmering silkworm kerchief flew out, instantly transforming into a massive barrier that shielded his front. It even protected Han Li and the others behind him. His confidence in the power of this artifact was clearly considerable.
Indeed, as soon as the kerchief unfurled, those spells and artifacts all struck it simultaneously. But after emitting a dazzling white light, the kerchief remained completely undamaged. Instead, it deflected some of the spells directly back, sending the Black Fiend Sect members below into chaos and panic.
"Senior Brother Liu, impressive technique!"
Song Meng, who was charging down alongside Liu Jing, saw this and shouted his praise. Without hesitation, he also hurled the item in his hand.
A massive blue greatsword materialized in the night sky—this was Song Meng's favorite top-grade artifact, the "Blue Silk Sword."
"Go!"
Song Meng formed hand seals with both hands, and the blue greatsword emitted a long cry. It began spinning on its own like a wheel, which stunned the Black Fiend Sect disciples below who had been terrified by the sword's enormous appearance.
Seeing this, a cruel smile appeared on Song Meng's face.
He extended two fingers and pointed at the "Blue Silk Sword" that had transformed into a giant disc of light.
Instantly, the blue glow on the disc contracted and expanded, suddenly releasing countless slender blue threads that immediately enveloped the area below for dozens of zhang.
Seeing this scene, the Black Fiend Sect disciples below were horrified beyond belief. They hastily deployed various protective spells and artifacts, attempting to withstand this overwhelming assault.
A series of screams rang out in succession.
Under the piercing shower of countless blue threads, most of the Black Fiend Sect disciples were unable to withstand it. They either died miserably, riddled like sieges, or although they protected their vital points, their other body parts were pierced through, rendering them immediately combat-ineffective.
"What an excellent move—'Myriad Threads Under Heaven'! Junior Brother Song, this technique of yours has long been renowned. It truly lives up to its reputation."
One of Chen Qiaoqian's senior brothers, witnessing the power of this move, couldn't help but offer genuine praise, which brought a slight look of pride to Song Meng's face.
At this point, several members landed calmly before the main gate of the Cold Palace. The surviving Black Fiend Sect disciples no longer dared to strike randomly. They had already been reduced to a state of shock and despair.
"Activate the Four Fiends Formation. Trap them inside."
Just as the remaining Black Fiend Sect members were facing Liu Jing and his group in terror, an incomparably frigid voice came from within the Cold Palace.
Then a white figure, enveloped in hazy white frost, appeared at the gate in the blink of an eye. It was the "Ice Demon," who happened to be on duty again.
He had just issued that command through gritted teeth, and now he was looking at the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators with a mixture of shock and rage.
"Hmph! Evil demon, your life is forfeit!"
Upon hearing these words and seeing this person's cultivation level, Liu Jing immediately recognized him as one of the four Blood Attendants. With a cold snort, two streaks of silver light shot out from his body, slashing straight at the opponent's head.
Seeing this, the others also revealed their various artifacts, intending to immediately join forces to kill this newly appeared Black Fiend Sect expert. This wasn't a duel between sect brothers—they naturally wouldn't engage in single combat.
Han Li also released six streaks of golden light from his storage pouch.
To be able to kill this Blood Attendant right here and now, Han Li would naturally be very pleased!
But just at that moment, the scenery before Han Li and the others suddenly blurred, followed by a sensation of spinning world.
After being startled, they suddenly found themselves in a world of ice and snow.
All around was a vast whiteness. Cold winds whistled as huge snowflakes danced through the sky. Where was the white-robed figure?
Although Liu Jing and the others were inwardly shocked, they realized they had fallen into the Four Phases Formation. After a moment of panic, they quickly composed themselves.
After all, with so many Foundation Establishment cultivators here, what was there to fear about a small formation?
"Hehe! You've got quite the nerve, daring to harm our sect's disciples! You'll just have to stay in our sect's guardian formation for a while." That cold, sinister voice drifted erratically, as if coming from all directions simultaneously. The sheer presence was truly imposing.
"Four Phases Formation?"
"Does anyone here understand this formation? We should break out as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if those four Blood Attendants gather together, we'll be in serious trouble." Liu Jing ignored the Ice Demon's provocative words and asked the others with a calm expression.
When these words left his mouth, the others exchanged glances, and for a moment no one spoke.
"I do understand some formation theory, and I've heard of this Four Phases Formation. However, I haven't studied the specific methods to break it. This formation is considered rather obscure in the world of formations. Most people wouldn't bother studying it." The senior sister of Chen Qiaoqian, seeing the awkward silence, said hesitantly.
"This is a bit troublesome. Do we really have to use brute force to break the formation?" Liu Jing furrowed his brow slightly and muttered reluctantly.
Using brute force to break a formation was indeed simple and direct, but it would not only take considerable time but also consume everyone's spiritual energy in large quantities. This would naturally be extremely disadvantageous for the battle after breaking the formation. This was probably one of the enemy's purposes in deploying this formation!
Hearing this, the others also looked at each other, becoming somewhat worried.
Just then, a curious voice came through.
"Oh? Junior Brother Han, what are you doing?"
Song Meng knew nothing about formations, so he didn't need to rack his brain thinking about how to break it. While looking around, he happened to catch sight of Han Li's actions.
Han Li had taken out a crystal ball artifact and placed it before his eyes. Through it, he was gazing intently in a certain direction.
This peculiar behavior sparked Song Meng's curiosity, and he blurted out the question without thinking.
This remark drew the attention of Liu Jing and the others to Han Li, and they all looked at him with some puzzlement.
Han Li calmly lowered the crystal ball before turning to Liu Jing and saying:
"I may have found a flaw in the formation!"
"What? You found a flaw!"
Han Li's words brought expressions of surprise and delight to those watching him. Liu Jing looked particularly overjoyed.