Chapter 53: Stone Hall

The next day.

When everyone crawled out of their tents, the sky was still gray and hazy, shrouded in mist, impossible to tell whether it was dawn or dusk. However, after a night of rest, their spirits had clearly improved.

The people from the General Affairs Hall swiftly packed up the tents, the disciples of Tianyan Peak dismantled the warning formations, and the others checked their equipment and counted their supplies.

In less than an hour, the campsite had returned to an empty clearing, and everyone was ready to depart.

Lu Fengmian stood at the very front of the group and looked back.

“Let’s go,” he said.

They crossed the clearing and walked toward the towering stone wall.

The closer they approached, the more immense the stone gate appeared. The carvings on the doorframe were intricate and ancient, like some long-lost script. The seam between the doors was tightly shut; nothing could be seen inside.

Lu Fengmian stopped before the gate and pressed a hand against it.

There was no mechanism-based restriction; it was simply an ordinary door.

He pushed.

The stone gate slowly opened, emitting a deep rumbling sound.

The moment they stepped into the stone hall, a scent of dust rushed toward them.

The interior was far larger than he had imagined. The arched ceiling was so high that it was swallowed entirely by darkness, impossible to see.

The floor was paved with enormous stone slabs, their surfaces carved with dense and complex patterns.

At the center of the hall stood a gigantic stone statue, dozens of zhang tall, carved with lifelike detail.

It sat cross-legged, hands resting on its knees, head lowered, as if asleep—or as if looking down upon every person who entered.

Lu Fengmian’s gaze fell upon the statue.

His intuition told him this was not simple.

Behind him, the disciples entered one after another.

“Wow…”

“That statue is huge.”

“What’s carved on the floor?”

Their exclamations echoed through the empty hall.

Just then, the ground began to tremble.

The dim array patterns on the floor suddenly lit up. A ghostly blue light spread out from beneath their feet, instantly illuminating the entire hall.

“Defensive formation!”

Before Lu Fengmian’s voice had fully faded, figures appeared in the shadows along both sides of the hall.

Stone Spear Soldiers.

They stepped out from the walls, crawled up from cracks in the floor, and condensed from the darkness. Each stood as tall as two men, wielding massive stone spears, ghostly blue flames burning in their eye sockets.

One, two, ten, twenty…

In the blink of an eye, dozens of Stone Spear Soldiers surrounded them.

“Careful!”

The first row charged forward. Their stone spears swept through the air, producing a heavy, whistling roar.

The disciples of Wanren Peak immediately stepped forward to meet them, sword light flashing as it clashed against stone spears.

“Bang!”

One Stone Spear Soldier was shattered, rubble scattering across the ground.

Before they could celebrate, the fragments trembled and instantly reassembled, restoring it to its original form.

“What?!”

“They can’t be killed?!”

Panic spread.

More and more Stone Spear Soldiers appeared, their attacks growing fiercer. Someone was struck by a spear, groaned, and staggered back several steps. Others retreated step by step, nearly surrounded.

The disciples of Tianyan Peak reacted at once and began setting up formations.

Several flashes of spiritual light flickered through the crowd as a barrier unfolded, binding the more aggressive Stone Spear Soldiers in place. The glow of defensive formations enveloped the outermost disciples, helping them withstand wave after wave of attacks.

But the Stone Spear Soldiers were endless; once shattered, they reformed. They could not be destroyed completely.

“Don’t panic!”

Lu Fengmian’s voice pierced through the chaos and reached everyone’s ears.

Standing at the center of the crowd, he swept his gaze across the field and issued commands calmly.

“Wanren Peak disciples—groups of five, take turns attacking. Don’t let them gather.”

“Baicao Peak disciples—support those in front with spiritual energy. Don’t be stingy with pills.”

“Tianyan Peak disciples—continue setting trap formations. Hold the outer defensive line.”

His voice was like a stabilizing pillar, soothing the panicked crowd.

The Wanren Peak disciples followed his instructions, launching attacks in shifts—one group advancing while another retreated. Though the Stone Spear Soldiers could not be killed, they required time to reform after being shattered. Taking advantage of that gap, the disciples gradually stabilized their footing.

The Baicao Peak disciples wove through the crowd, distributing pills and channeling spiritual energy. Qi Heyang replenished someone’s energy while shouting, “Don’t clash head-on—just hold them back!”

The Tianyan Peak disciples maintained the traps and defensive formations, firmly blocking the Stone Spear Soldiers that attempted to charge in.

Lu Fengmian himself was far from idle.

With one hand, he controlled his qi, shaping it into a sword. Effortlessly, he cut down several charging Stone Spear Soldiers, all the while keeping his gaze fixed on the massive statue at the center of the hall.

Just then, the ground trembled violently again.

Two even more imposing figures slowly rose from beneath the earth.

Stone Hammer Warriors.

They were larger than the Stone Spear Soldiers, gripping enormous stone hammers. With each step they took, the ground shook. Instead of charging forward, they stood on either side of the hall and raised their hammers.

Boom!

The hammers smashed heavily into the ground, and a visible shockwave spread outward. Wherever it passed, the floor cracked, and unsteady disciples swayed. The outer defensive formations flickered violently, nearly shattered by the force.

Boom!

Another strike.

This time, stone walls rose from the four corners of the hall, restricting the group’s movement, shrinking their space further and further.

The Tianyan Peak disciples gritted their teeth, maintaining the defensive formations as spiritual light flickered under the hammer strikes.

“Senior Brother!”

Zhou Wu looked toward Lu Fengmian.

Lu Fengmian did not hesitate.

“You take the left. I’ll take the right,” he said.

They charged out simultaneously.

Lu Fengmian met the Stone Hammer Warrior on the right.

It was more than twice his height. When its hammer came crashing down, the wind alone was enough to make one suck in a sharp breath.

Lu Fengmian sidestepped and slashed at its arm.

Rubble flew, leaving behind a deep crack.

But the Stone Hammer Warrior paid no heed; its other arm had already swung over.

Instead of retreating, Lu Fengmian advanced, slipping beneath its armpit and driving his sword into its back.

His movements were too fast, too agile for the Stone Hammer Warrior to track. Slash after slash landed precisely on the same spot; the crack grew wider and wider, looking ready to break at any moment.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a disciple driven into a corner by Stone Spear Soldiers, the defensive formation’s light nearly unable to hold.

He raised a hand, and a streak of sword qi shot forth, shattering the Stone Spear Soldiers into fragments.

Just as that disciple let out a breath of relief, the Stone Hammer Warrior here slammed its hammer down once more.

Lu Fengmian dodged and continued slashing.

On the other side, Zhou Wu was also battling a Stone Hammer Warrior.

He did not possess Lu Fengmian’s sharp swordsmanship, but as the second-ranked elite, his spellcasting flowed smoothly.

A wall of fire blocked the Stone Hammer Warrior’s path, forcing it back. An icicle descended from above and pinned into its shoulder. Taking advantage of its slowed movement, he followed with a bolt of lightning that struck its knee.

Though not as fast as Lu Fengmian, he was steadily wearing it down.

Under the restraint of the two of them, the pressure on the other disciples greatly lessened.

The situation gradually began to tilt in Lingyun Sect’s favor.

The rate at which the Stone Spear Soldiers appeared slowed, and the endlessly emerging figures finally began to dwindle.

Yet Lu Fengmian’s brows never relaxed.

Even as he continued to entangle the Stone Hammer Warrior, he kept observing.