Chapter 554

“Zimeng Domain really made a move.”

Feng Wanxing sat at the core of the most crucial formation and immediately sensed the chaos erupting in the city.

The aura fluctuations released by the hundreds of peak Dominance-rank puppets were impossible to ignore.

“If it weren't for the lord’s order to guard the formation core, would we be worried about a few hundred puppets?”

Feng Wanxing shook his head slightly.

Hundreds of peak Dominance-rank puppets weren't much of a threat.

But now, the strongest Dominance-rank experts in Qingfen City had all been ordered by the Qingfen Lord to guard the formation cores.

That was why these puppets had a chance to rampage.

Feng Wanxing understood the reasoning behind the Qingfen Lord's decision.

As long as the formation cores remained intact, Qingfen City would be unshakable.

As for the destruction caused by those puppets? It was negligible.

“The lord must’ve been held back by the Zimeng Marquis.”

Feng Wanxing’s thoughts churned.

With the Qingfen Lord’s strength, dealing with those puppets would take no more than a thought.

The only explanation for his continued inaction was that he had been pinned down.

“Would Zimeng Marquis go to all this trouble just to let those puppets run wild?”

Feng Wanxing thought carefully, faintly sensing something was off.

He didn’t care about the havoc wreaked by the puppets; the loss to Qingfen City was minimal.

Although he didn’t know how Zimeng Marquis managed to stall the Qingfen Lord, it surely came at a cost.

Would they pay that cost just to inflict such minor damage?

“I’ll bring this up once the lord is free.”

Feng Wanxing decided to save his doubts for when he could see the Qingfen Lord again.

“Each of the twelve formation cores in the city is being guarded.”

Feng Wanxing looked off in other directions.

So far, the other eleven formation cores hadn’t been attacked—everything seemed normal.

“And then there’s little junior brother.”

Feng Wanxing glanced toward Burning Heaven Courtyard again.

“He’s still staying in the courtyard.”

He knew very well how much the Qingfen Lord valued Lin Yuan.

If anything were to happen to little junior brother during this raid by Zimeng Domain...

The Qingfen Lord would go ballistic.

Fortunately, it looked like little junior brother was safe and sound.

He hadn’t left Burning Heaven Courtyard.

As long as he remained within it, his safety was practically guaranteed.

The defenses of Burning Heaven Courtyard were the strongest in Qingfen City—none of them could match it when it came to protecting little junior brother.

“As long as the twelve formation cores are fine, and little junior brother’s safe, let the puppets cause whatever chaos they want.”

Feng Wanxing turned his attention away from the chaos within the city.

The purple-haired woman and other powerful figures continued to transmigrate through the void, sweeping through every corner of Qingfen City.

The myriad formation crystal gave off a faint glow, replicating every formation within its range.

“Only two more formation cores left.”

The purple-haired woman felt delighted. The other experts with her also wore smiles.

So far, their presence hadn’t been detected.

All of the Qingfen Lord’s peak Dominance-rank disciples were guarding the formation cores, completely ignoring what was happening outside.

All they needed to do was get close enough to a formation core and use the myriad formation crystal to copy it from afar—then leave undetected.

“Hm?”

“Up ahead is Burning Heaven Courtyard. That’s where the Qingfen Lord’s prized new disciple is cultivating.”

At that moment, a thin man following the purple-haired woman suddenly spoke.

“Burning Heaven Courtyard?”

The purple-haired woman glanced over.

Burning Heaven Courtyard was also a vital node in the city’s grand formation. They needed to pass by it and replicate its formation with the myriad formation crystal.

Whoosh.

Soon, the group arrived near the courtyard.

Buzz buzz buzz.

The purple-haired woman used the myriad formation crystal to finish copying the formation around the courtyard and was about to leave.

But a hunched old woman beside her spoke up, “The Qingfen Lord treasures that little disciple so much. If we kill him, wouldn’t that be a great achievement?”

The moment she said this—

The other experts’ eyes lit up.

Though the Qingfen Lord had tens of thousands of disciples, even someone like Feng Wanxing still addressed him as ‘Lord.’

It was clear—even if Feng Wanxing died, the Qingfen Lord probably wouldn’t bat an eye.

But Lin Yuan? The lord had not only personally left Qingfen City for him, he even allowed him to call him ‘Master.’

Lately, the Qingfen Lord had catered to his every request, even giving up his personal retreat—Burning Heaven Courtyard—for him.

This made it obvious how much importance he placed on Lin Yuan.

It also showed just how monstrous Lin Yuan’s talent and potential must be to make such a top-tier powerhouse act so uncharacteristically.

“Senior sister, we’ve got plenty of time. Since the lord is being held back by Master, and those peak Dominance disciples are stuck guarding formation cores, why don’t we give it a try?”

The thin man looked tempted.

Given how much the Qingfen Lord valued Lin Yuan, under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t even be qualified to see him, let alone attack him.

But now, thanks to the conflict between Zimeng Domain and Qingfen Domain, they’d managed to get so close.

“I also think it’s worth trying.”

Another Zimeng Domain expert spoke.

In the short term, killing Lin Yuan would be a massive achievement, a tangible reward.

In the long term, with his terrifying talent, letting him grow unchecked would be a huge threat to Zimeng Domain.

Rather than wait for him to rise, it was better to strike early.

Even if they failed, it wasn’t a big loss—they still had plenty of time to finish copying the rest of the formations.

As for whether killing Lin Yuan would enrage the Qingfen Lord?

Zimeng Domain and Qingfen Domain were already enemies. Even if they didn’t kill Lin Yuan, did anyone think the Qingfen Lord would spare them?

“Let’s do it, then.”

The purple-haired woman made up her mind without hesitation.

She, too, wanted to see for herself what kind of person the Qingfen Lord had taken such pains to nurture.

Once the decision was made—

The group made no further delay and appeared before Burning Heaven Courtyard in an instant.

“This courtyard was one of the Qingfen Lord’s closed-door training spots, and now it’s home to his favored disciple. It’s definitely protected by a powerful formation. We have to strike fast. If we realize we can’t break it, we leave immediately.”

The purple-haired woman was clear about their main goal—copying all the city’s formations.

Killing the favored disciple? That was just a bonus. If they succeeded, great. If not, they couldn’t let it slow them down.

“Understood.”

The other experts nodded. They were all on the same page—it was worth a shot, no real downside.

Inside Burning Heaven Courtyard—

Lin Yuan looked outside.

In fact, the moment the purple-haired group had used the myriad formation crystal to copy the formations around the courtyard, Lin Yuan had sensed them.

But remembering the Qingfen Lord’s instructions, he hadn’t reacted—just continued cultivating.

Now, however, they had shown up directly in front of the courtyard.

“What are they trying to do?”

Lin Yuan stepped out from the pavilion—still within the formation’s protective range.

“So that’s the Qingfen Lord’s new little disciple?”

The purple-haired woman spotted Lin Yuan, but said nothing—just attacked.

In an instant—

A hazy purple force began to envelop Burning Heaven Courtyard.

The other Zimeng Domain experts all unleashed their own techniques with full force, seeking to kill Lin Yuan in the shortest time possible.

Their intel on Lin Yuan came from the Yu family. Before apprenticing to the Qingfen Lord, he had only been at Stage Eight.

Given their half-step Great Sovereign strength, even with a formation protecting him, as long as the slightest bit of power seeped through—

Lin Yuan was as good as dead.

Boom.

Terrifying auras slammed toward the courtyard.

Just then, an invisible barrier rose up from around Burning Heaven Courtyard.

The dozen or so half-step Great Sovereign attacks were all completely blocked by the barrier—

Their power dissipated silently, vanishing in an instant.

“A formation like this?”

The purple-haired woman’s expression grew grim and she immediately gave up on attacking.

She could tell—Burning Heaven Courtyard’s protective formation was unbelievably strong.

Even if a true Great Sovereign expert came, they wouldn’t be able to break it quickly.

“The Qingfen Lord really dotes on this disciple.”

The other Zimeng Domain experts were shaken. Burning Heaven Courtyard wasn’t even a formation core.

Yet its defenses exceeded even the formation cores themselves.

Was it really just because Lin Yuan lived there? The Qingfen Lord had adjusted the array coverage just for him?

“Let’s go.”

“No point wasting time here.”

The purple-haired woman prepared to leave.

The other Zimeng Domain experts followed suit.

“So that’s all they’ve got?”

Lin Yuan observed them from inside the courtyard.

Though their attacks had been blocked by the formation, Lin Yuan had still been able to estimate their strength.

With that in mind, Lin Yuan’s thoughts stirred—

A soul projection stepped out of his body and exited the formation’s protective boundary.

Since moving into the courtyard, Lin Yuan had been satisfied with the cultivation environment. He had also kept a close watch on the purple-haired woman’s group causing chaos in the city.

If he hadn’t understood their power, he would’ve stayed put, following the Qingfen Lord’s instructions.

But now?

Their strength was nothing special.

Lin Yuan suddenly felt like it was time to clean them up—for the Qingfen Lord.

Of course, just to be safe, he didn’t send out his true body—only a soul projection.

This way, even if something extreme happened, like the purple-haired woman hiding her true power, or if some nearby hidden Great Sovereign-level or even higher-tier experts revealed themselves, the worst-case scenario would be losing a soul projection—easy enough to recreate.

“Hm?”

The purple-haired group was just about to leave when they saw someone walk out of Burning Heaven Courtyard.

“Yu Yan?”

The purple-haired woman froze, staring at Lin Yuan in disbelief.

He wasn’t hiding safely in the courtyard—he walked out on his own?

“You’re from Zimeng Domain?” Lin Yuan looked at them. “Sneaking around here, clearly up to no good.”

“Attack!”

The thin man vanished, melting into space.

Lin Yuan walking out of the courtyard was, in his eyes, the perfect opportunity.

Sure, Yu Yan probably had some trump card—but didn’t he have his own?

“Hmph.”

A Zimeng Domain expert snorted coldly, unleashing a silent soul wave that enveloped Lin Yuan.

Not just the thin man—many of the others also struck instantly,

Not giving Lin Yuan even a moment to react.

“Hm?”

The one launching the soul attack frowned.

Soul attacks were nearly instant. His should’ve landed first.

But it gave him zero feedback, as if it vanished into a void.

“What’s going on?”

He grew uncertain.

Whoosh.

Numerous terrifying attacks followed, slamming toward Lin Yuan, stopping only a few feet from him.

“No formation activated?”

The purple-haired woman was stunned.

She had thought Lin Yuan stepped out because he was still within the formation.

But now that their attacks were about to land, there was still no sign of the array activating.

“That’s a clone of Yu Yan?” the hunched woman glanced toward the courtyard, speculating. “Clone or not, he’s dead for sure.”

Whoosh.

To Lin Yuan’s right, a figure materialized—it was the thin man. He reached out toward Lin Yuan.

The purple-haired woman turned away—

She didn’t even need to look to know Lin Yuan was done for. The thin man’s physical body was the strongest below Great Sovereign in Zimeng Domain, and could even survive several strikes from one.

Let alone Lin Yuan—she herself would flinch if he got this close.

“You call this strength good enough to sneak in?”

Lin Yuan glanced at the thin man’s incoming hand and casually waved his own.

Though only a soul projection had walked out, with the secret art

Illusion into Reality

, his soul had become a physical body. In terms of combat power, it wasn’t far off from his real one.

All kinds of physical techniques, the Thirteenth-Rank legacy

Infinite Void

, and even the Blazing Sun Divine Body—his soul body could use them all.

Buzz!!

As Lin Yuan waved his hand—

The thin man’s face twisted in horror. He coughed up blood, his body and soul cracking. Only a faint green glow from a life-saving treasure kept him from dying as he retreated rapidly.

The scene stunned the purple-haired woman and the rest of the onlookers.

“Junior brother Kuangzhen...” the purple-haired woman couldn’t believe it. “He got wrecked? If not for Master’s life-saving tear, he’d already be dead?”

Kuangzhen’s physical body dominated Zimeng Domain—he could survive even a Great Sovereign blow.

But Lin Yuan had just waved his hand and nearly killed him?

This didn’t make sense. She thought Lin Yuan had hidden cards to

defend

himself—not to launch overwhelming attacks.

And now?

Boom!

Just then, the rest of the attacks landed—but the moment they touched Lin Yuan’s clothing, they all ignited and disintegrated.

“Run! He’s Great Sovereign! He’s Great Sovereign!!”

Kuangzhen shouted a desperate warning, fleeing without a second glance.

If not for the life-saving tear, he would’ve been annihilated.

To injure him that easily—only a Great Sovereign could do that.

All he could think about now was escape.

Why the Qingfen Lord’s disciple was Great Sovereign? Who cared.

“Great Sovereign?”

The purple-haired woman’s pupils shrank. She tried to flee too.

Buzz!

Time and space condensed like amber, trapping all of them.

“Trying to run? Hehe”

Lin Yuan took a step and appeared behind Kuangzhen, pressing down with his palm.

Kuangzhen’s body crumbled again—this time, there was no life-saving tear.

Only a shred of his soul remained before Lin Yuan suppressed and sealed it.

Whoosh.

Lin Yuan waved his hand again.

Of the remaining dozen Zimeng Domain experts, nine burst into flames—

Unstoppable, consuming fire that reduced them to ash in moments.

From the moment Lin Yuan stepped out to now, he had made only a few moves, yet most of the half-step Great Sovereign intruders were dead.

Only the purple-haired woman and a few others had survived—barely—by using all their life-saving treasures.

Even so, their faces were filled with terror.

Before Lin Yuan, they couldn’t resist. They were as fragile as ants.

“That’s the Blazing Sun Divine Flame? Who are you really?”

The purple-haired woman’s face turned pale.

Blazing Sun Divine Flame of the Liyang Ancient Kingdom—only those who had fully awakened the Blazing Sun Divine Body could wield it.

To do that? You had to at least reach peak Dominance—and be freakishly talented.

Someone like Lin Yuan, killing half-step Great Sovereigns like chickens, could only be a Great Sovereign himself.

A Great Sovereign with a fully awakened Blazing Sun Divine Body?

Not every Great Sovereign had that body—but anyone who did... was terrifying.

“Too much talk. Die”

Lin Yuan reached out again toward the survivors.

Boom!

His arm swelled, piercing the void, appearing before them.

They were trapped in Lin Yuan’s time-space prison, their speed greatly reduced.

After exhausting all their life-saving tools, they could only watch as their bodies were pierced—

Their souls suppressed and taken away.

Buzz!

The purple-haired woman also faced the same attack.

On the surface, Lin Yuan’s grab looked plain—even slow.

But to her, it encompassed all time and space.

No matter how she dodged or blocked, it was meaningless.

She knew this grab would pierce her no matter what.

At the core of Qingfen City’s main formation—

Feng Wanxing sat cross-legged, strictly obeying the Qingfen Lord’s orders.

“Hm?”

“There?”

Feng Wanxing suddenly looked up, sensing a fierce space-time ripple—

Coming from the direction of Burning Heaven Courtyard.

“Oh no!” Feng Wanxing panicked.

“Little junior brother’s in danger!”

...

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