Volume 2 - Chapter 60: The Shattered Formation, Ten Demon Kings, and a Dire Situation! - Part 1
Li Tiangang mobilized another forty thousand troops from the two-hundred-thousand-strong army, adding them to the ten thousand soldiers previously assigned to provide a continuous stream of energy for the Six-Phases Star Formation.
As the formation's demon spirits were reactivated, roars erupted from within, shaking the battlefield. The demon spirit that had previously merged into Li Tiangang's body had long since returned to the formation.
Now, having replenished its energy, it surged out again, accompanied by four other Undying Stage demon spirits.
These spirits charged into the advancing tide of demon creatures, aiming to slaughter the Three Immortals Stage great demons.
Empowered by the energy supplied by the formation, the demon spirits fought in their peak state, attacking with relentless ferocity and an utter disregard for death.
Before long, one of the Three Immortals Stage great demons was severely injured and forced to retreat to the rear of the demon horde, leaving its army to be led by Heaven-and-Man Realm demon commanders.
Wave after wave, these demon creatures rushed forward, but under the ferocious onslaught of the five Undying Stage demon spirits, countless perished in an instant.
Meanwhile, more Three Immortals Stage great demons formed defensive arrays, hunting down the lone demon spirits.
Within the formation, beyond these five Undying Stage demon spirits, there was also the soul of a Demon King.
At this moment, it roared out of the formation and charged toward a Demon King positioned farther away from the defensive line.
This particular Demon King was the Dragon Lord, acting as the vanguard dispatched by the Dragon Gate.
Bearing the burden of his crimes, the Dragon Lord saw this as an opportunity to prove himself to the Dragon Gate.
With every attack, he disrupted and damaged the formation, depleting its energy. Once the formation's energy was exhausted, it would naturally collapse.
As the Demon King's soul approached, the Dragon Lord revealed his true form, emitting a resounding dragon's roar as he engaged the soul in battle.
The entire defensive line across the vast Eastern Frontier had descended into all-out war.
The overwhelming tide of demon creatures seemed endless, with innumerable demons clashing against the countless border soldiers who rose to resist with unwavering resolve.
Arrows rained down upon the advancing horde like a storm, while flames illuminated the battlefield in a scene reminiscent of an epic myth.
Smoke signals soared into the sky, reporting military developments from various locations.
Li Tiangang hovered mid-air, his expression dark and severe as he oversaw the battle from within the formation, commanding the situation with precision.
He issued orders rapidly, directing troops to reinforce critical points in the defense.
Having spent years battling in Yanbei, Li Tiangang had honed his expertise in military strategy and gained a profound understanding of the formation's structure.
By drawing upon the support of the Yuan Battalion soldiers, he continuously replenished the formation's energy. Occasionally, he called back demon spirits that were under siege, using the formation's power to extricate them before sending them to attack another location, moving unpredictably across the battlefield.
Near the defensive line, the demon creatures were repeatedly struck down by the suddenly emerging demon spirits, suffering heavy casualties.
"Just a mere Six-Phases Star Formation, and you think it can stop us?"
"Li Tiangang, let’s see how long you can hold out!"
Outside the formation, four Demon Kings had gathered, including an elder at the Void Realm, a young Demon King, and two others from the Dragon Gate.
Elsewhere along the defensive line, two more Demon Kings had appeared, making a total of six present on the battlefield!
Boom!
The four Demon Kings attacked simultaneously, unleashing terrifying assaults that struck the formation and sent radiant divine energy scattering across the sky.
The golden glow of the formation flickered, with divine patterns flashing rapidly like afterimages, absorbing and deflecting their attacks.
Within the formation, each strike from the four Demon Kings caused the fifty thousand Yuan Battalion soldiers to tremble violently, their faces flushed red with exertion.
The soldiers, cloaked in radiant energy, poured all their strength into the formation, which absorbed their power to resist the attacks of the Demon Kings.
The Six-Phases Star Formation channeled their strength as a medium to draw upon the power of the stars, transforming it into the formation’s defensive might.
Without this celestial energy, the soldiers’ strength alone could not sustain the formation for even the duration of one incense stick.
"We must focus our attack on a single point!"
The Void Realm elder, a Vine Demon who had lived for millennia, spoke with a voice both dry and commanding. A fresh sprout emerged from his withered cheekbones, a symbol of his vitality.
Following his lead, the other three Demon Kings converged, targeting a single point on the formation.
Li Tiangang’s expression shifted slightly. Raising his divine blade, he stepped forward decisively, unleashing his Martial Dao essence with every stride.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With each step, his aura surged to even greater heights. He swung his divine blade, releasing a brilliant arc of crescent-shaped energy that shot through the formation toward the concentrated attacks of the Demon Kings.
The collision sent shockwaves of destructive energy rippling across the formation.
Although the Demon Kings’ combined attack did not directly strike the targeted point of the formation, the proximity and the uncontrolled energy from Li Tiangang's shattered blade also battered the formation, inflicting terrifying damage.
“Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!”
Inside the Yuan Battalion, soldiers spat out blood one after another.
Some of them wavered, struggling to stand. Even the squad leaders, who were at higher cultivation levels, turned ashen-faced, their strength nearly drained.
Yet, their gazes remained resolute as they stared down the Demon Kings outside the formation. Their eyes burned with an unyielding determination, filled with a death-defying aura.
This was the Li family’s most elite force, honed over centuries.
Even the lowest-ranking soldier of the Yuan Battalion was considered a peerless warrior among other armies.
Li Tiangang’s expression darkened as he surveyed the battlefield. To his left and right, the defensive lines were surrounded by an unending tide of blackened demon forces.
Such a colossal onslaught had only occurred a few rare times during his years fighting in Yanbei. Most of the time, the demon forces relied on probing skirmishes and cautious tactics to avoid heavy losses.
The master of the Sacred Palace clearly valued their own forces.
However, the Void Realm Demon Kings and the Dragon Gate seemed far more reckless and frenzied.
“Relay the order: open small breaches in the formations at the most dangerous nodes. Allow some demon creatures to enter and let the Law Battalion’s guards hunt them down. This will alleviate the formation’s strain!”
Li Tiangang swiftly issued commands.
Li Fu nodded and hurriedly transmitted the orders to all units.
At that moment, the four Demon Kings outside the formation launched another round of attacks.
They had realized that even though their strikes were dispersed by Li Tiangang’s interference, the sheer proximity of their assaults still inflicted considerable damage on the formation.
“How much longer can you hold out?”
One of the young Demon Kings from the Dragon Gate, who had curved horns like a bull on his head, sneered.
“This time, you won’t have the chance to rally the martial families of Liang Province.”
Li Tiangang’s heart sank. Among the many orders he had issued earlier, he had also called for reinforcements from the garrison troops in various cities and sought aid from the martial families in those regions.
After all, when the mountains and rivers are shattered, what use are noble families?
If the border fell and demons invaded, the martial families would not survive either.
“Activate the Nine Abysses Fiery Formation!”
Li Tiangang’s cold and commanding voice cut through the chaos, unaffected by the taunts of the Demon Kings. His tone was sharp and devoid of emotion, like an omniscient god issuing decrees.
His divine soul hovered above, overseeing the entire battlefront. In distant regions, he relied on the signals from smoke beacons and messages delivered by war hawks circling his position.
These hawks were demon creatures subdued and trained by the Li family. Although they lacked combat prowess, their incredible speed made them ideal for delivering precise battlefield intelligence that smoke signals could not convey.
Following his command, the Six-Phases Star Formation began to reverse its runes, activating another formation layered over it.
The combined operation of the two formations caused energy consumption to surge, but their fusion created a terrifying offensive capability.
In an instant, countless demon creatures that crashed against the formation were struck by scarlet flames radiating from it and were incinerated on the spot.
Even Heaven-and-Man Realm great demons, scorched by the flames of the Nine Abysses Fiery Formation, had to retreat, desperately trying to extinguish the fire.
The flames were devastating, capable of burning both flesh and soul. If left unchecked, even Heaven-and-Man Realm demons would be reduced to ash.
With the activation of the Nine Abysses Fiery Formation, the tide of demons attacking the formation slowed significantly, and their charge faltered.
Inside the defensive line, however, the tension reached its peak.
Soldiers stationed at each node supporting the formation poured their strength into it with all their might.
“Hmph!”
The four Demon Kings outside the formation scowled as their expressions darkened. With a cold snort, they launched another attack.
The scarlet flames spewing from the formation affected the Three Immortals Stage demons, but the Demon Kings remained largely unscathed. They effortlessly extinguished the flames and continued hammering the formation with their power.
Li Tiangang countered with intermittent slashes of his divine blade, but separated from them by the formation and facing four Demon Kings, the damage he inflicted was limited.
As his gaze swept across the battle lines, his expression grew heavier.
At this rate, the formation could hold for at most half a day before collapsing. Once the defensive line broke, the demon tide would become unstoppable.
If it were only the demon tide, the formation’s power and his command could mitigate the damage and drag the conflict into a prolonged battle, much like the Yanbei campaign.
However, the Demon Kings’ concentrated assaults on the formation inflicted far more damage than the demon horde ever could.
Every strike they unleashed carried the force of an entire army, focused and precise, forcing the formation to expend massive amounts of energy to repair itself.
Watching the relentless attacks of the four Demon Kings, Li Tiangang’s gaze turned icy.
If their concentrated attacks were not stopped, the formation would not survive many more strikes.
He was bound to the formation and unable to assist elsewhere on the battlefield.
“If you insist on attacking, then you’ll all die!”
Raging killing intent erupted in Li Tiangang’s heart.
Fixing his gaze on the Demon Kings, he let out a roar and, as though driven to desperation, leaped out of the formation with his divine blade in hand.
The four Demon Kings smirked coldly. This was the moment they had been waiting for. If the formation shattered, the demon tide would pour through unchecked.
“How bold of you to step out. You’re courting death!”
Seizing the opportunity, the Demon Kings attacked Li Tiangang with full force.
Li Tiangang took eight steps forward, wielding his divine blade as he stood alone against the four Demon Kings.
Among them, two were Reverse Fate Realm, while the other two were Dao Heart Realm. Despite the odds, Li Tiangang’s eyes shone with an imperious brilliance, devoid of any fear.
“You’re nothing but beasts. Is ambush all you’re capable of?!”
His mocking words dripped with disdain, but his divine blade slashed out mercilessly.
The four Demon Kings joined forces to block his strike. Feeling the terrifying power behind it, they were secretly shocked.
No wonder Li Tiangang had managed to slay Feng Shanjun. His combat strength was indeed terrifying, unmatched within the same realm.
“The Li family’s True Dragon is no exaggeration. I’ll make sure you die swiftly!”
The Vine Demon elder sneered.
“Make me die? You think yourself worthy?!”
Li Tiangang roared in fury, charging at the Vine Demon elder.
The Vine Demon smirked coldly, revealing his true form. His feet rooted into the ground, giving him a connection to both heaven and earth. Countless shriveled vines extended from his arms, lashing toward Li Tiangang like divine weapons.
Even more vines wove into a massive web, aiming to ensnare him and limit his movements.
Li Tiangang’s divine soul suddenly emerged behind him.
Clasping its hands together, it unleashed a massive fiery palm imbued with divine might. The palm slammed into the Vine Demon’s tendrils, igniting them instantly.
“Great Yan Luo Hand!”
Li Tiangang bellowed as he unleashed one fiery palm after another. The divine energy rippled through the battlefield as he faced the combined assault of four Demon Kings without showing any signs of retreat.
The four Demon Kings grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed.
The rumors that Li Tiangang had single-handedly fought over a dozen Three Immortals Stage great demons in the Yanbei campaign, slaying more than half of them, were clearly not exaggerated.
Now that he had stepped into the Fourth Pillar Realm, specifically the Dao Heart Realm, he exuded an aura of unparalleled dominance. Even the two Reverse Fate Realm Demon Kings among them felt suppressed by his overwhelming power.
Yet, they noticed that he had activated his Undying Force, allowing him to unleash boundless energy. However, they also knew that such a state was unsustainable.
For Li Tiangang to employ the Undying Force so early in the battle suggested he was banking on the protection of the formation to recuperate later.
“Kill him now! Don’t let him return to the formation!”
The Vine Demon elder roared, spitting out a misty gray demonic aura to envelop Li Tiangang.
Although this technique had been countered earlier, it still had a chance to disrupt him.
Meanwhile, two of the Demon Kings circled around toward the formation, sealing off Li Tiangang’s retreat path.
At this moment, Li Tiangang resembled a lion charging out of its den, roaring defiantly with an aura of unmatched ferocity. Yet, once his Undying Force waned, his demise would be inevitable.
Another Demon King from the Dragon Gate, one at the Reverse Fate Realm, began to channel his full power.
Revealing his true form, the Dragon Gate Demon King’s small curved horns on his head grew into massive, sinisterly curved spikes.
Though he bore a resemblance to a true dragon, he was not one. A long, serrated dorsal fin-like spine extended down his back, sharp and jagged.
“Roar!”