Chapter 94: The Expert of Four Symbols Peak
Chapter 94: The Expert of Four Symbols Peak
In the depths of night, Li Yan took a deep breath, his expression solemn. At this stage of the competition, only the truly powerful remained and “Four-Fundred-Five” was someone he remembered clearly, a cultivator at the peak of tenth level Qi Condensation from Four Symbols Peak.
Since the start of the tournament, Li Yan had faced three peak tenth level opponents. He only withstood one of them head-on, merely to test how long he could last before exhaustion led to defeat.
Against the other two, he had surrendered after just half a cup of tea’s time.
Now, facing this cultivator named Du Sanjiang, though also at the peak of the tenth level his reputation far exceeded those of the prior three.
Du Sanjiang had been at this realm for five years and was on the verge of establishing his Foundation. But upon hearing that the Wheel of Life and Death would open, he suppressed his breakthrough in hopes of obtaining treasures from it before making the leap.
Li Yan knew that facing Du Sanjiang meant he had no choice but to go all out. At this point in the tournament, the remaining participants were all top-tier; even if he won here, his next match could very well be against another peak tenth level opponent. There would be no room to retreat.
He had also observed many of Du Sanjiang’s matches. This man had already developed a rudimentary command of formation techniques. Rumor had it he was the most promising rising star on Four Symbols Peak since the famous Foundation Establishment stage brothers, Chu Weixiong and Chu Weili.
Though not yet able to merge fully into the Dao of Formation, he could already cast spells directly from arrays. It was said he had mastered nearly a hundred types of formations, large and small. He had only lost once in the entire tournament.
“Junior Brother, this match will be a tough one. You must give it your utmost focus. This is the final round for everyone, though the number of matches per person may vary. Win this one, and you’ll gain more chances.” Wei Chituo said gravely.
“Be cautious, yes, but don’t let it weigh you down,” Lin Daqiao added with a gentle smile. “If you can beat this one, and don’t draw another peak-level opponent next round, you’re basically in.”
Even Yun Chunque nodded silently in agreement.
“Be especially careful of his defenses. He likely won’t use protective aura that drains spiritual power. He’ll shield himself with formations. He’s already achieved spell execution through formations, and he can use spirit stones instead of his own power,” Gong Chenying said, standing elegantly, her gaze fixed on Li Yan.
“Thank you, senior brothers and sisters.”
After expressing his gratitude, Li Yan’s protective aura flared around him, and he shot into the sky, cutting a black arc beneath the brilliant moon.
Arriving at Platform Seventeen, he passed through the platform’s protective array in a flash of blue light. Just as he entered, his figure paused slightly, an even voice rang in his ears.
“Junior Brother, this opponent has mastered spell casting through formations. You must go all out.”
It was Eldest Senior Brother Li Wuyi’s voice. So, he was the overseer of this platform. Li Yan was momentarily surprised. He had expected they might cross paths during the tournament, but now so close to its end, they finally had.
“That’s all I can tell you. I won’t interfere.”
The voice came once more, then fell silent.
A warmth stirred in Li Yan’s heart. Steeling himself, he flew to the center of the platform.
Across from him stood a young man of moderate build, about twenty years old, with a square face and clean-shaven dark features. He wore a calm smile and sized up Li Yan with bright, measuring eyes.
“Meeting is indeed better than hearing, Junior Brother Li, you truly are a young prodigy.”
His voice was steady and honest, evoking a sense of righteousness and humility. Li Yan recognized him, this was Du Sanjiang. Like himself, Du Sanjiang was also a registered disciple under a Core Formation elder of Four Symbols Peak, so the “Junior Brother” title made sense.
Li Yan had watched his battles and knew that his character matched his face, genuinely upright and sincere. Most of his opponents had surrendered of their own accord, with no injuries inflicted, which only underscored how fearsome his power truly was.
To earn the voluntary surrender of such prideful cultivators without violence meant he possessed overwhelming, undeniable strength.
Faced with such courtesy, Li Yan naturally didn’t act arrogantly. He bowed respectfully in return.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Du. Please go easy on me.”
“Haha, Junior Brother, you flatter me. I’ve watched your battles, they’re truly unpredictable and awe-inspiring.”
Du Sanjiang stood firm, smiling still, without releasing any protective aura.
Li Yan scratched his head, unsure how to respond.
“Hehe… Shall we begin then, Junior Brother?” Du Sanjiang’s magnetic voice echoed.
Li Yan knew this was the other’s way of offering the first move. He didn’t hesitate, waving a hand a sandstorm surged into the air and swept down toward Du Sanjiang’s head. Meanwhile, Li Yan flew backward, rapidly widening the distance between them.
Knowing his opponent was a master of formations, he opted for a probing attack followed by evasive maneuvering, hoping to find a weakness. He never expected this strike to land.
As for a direct clash, Li Yan didn’t even consider it. Du Sanjiang was a peak tenth level cultivator. He would likely welcome a head-on battle.
Seeing Li Yan’s caution, Du Sanjiang simply smiled. A soft yellow glow shimmered around him as he calmly stepped forward into the oncoming sandstorm.
The next moment, as the sands fell, the golden light around Du Sanjiang formed a faint halo, shielding his body.
The sand struck the halo with a hissing chorus, like rain pelting dry earth. Yet Du Sanjiang strolled through it unhurried, like a man walking through a garden.
From just this first exchange, Li Yan was already shocked. Though he hadn’t expected much from the sandstorm attack, he’d still laced it with one of the Twelve Fractured Poisons, a vicious toxin with searing corrosive power.
But it had no effect whatsoever.
He now realized the golden halo was not protective aura but a miniature formation. It required only minimal spiritual power to maintain.
Its strength came from the array’s engraved runes, which could draw on the forces of heaven and earth to function, attack, and defend. Du Sanjiang could even place formation nodes nearby and use spirit stones in place of his own energy.
As Du Sanjiang advanced step by step, Li Yan had no choice but to circle and retreat, attacking as he moved. He suspected Du Sanjiang might be setting up formations as he moved, ones he simply couldn’t detect.
But there was nothing Li Yan could do. Allowing Du Sanjiang to draw close would be even more dangerous.
Du Sanjiang continued pressing in on Li Yan at a steady, unhurried pace. Wherever Li Yan moved, he followed without hesitation, showing no fear of any traps that might have been laid in his path.
Moreover, he unleashed wave after wave of attacks as he moved. His earth-elemental techniques Sandstorm, Giant Boulder, Dust Seal Techniques far outclassed Li Yan's. After all, he was a true cultivator of the earth element.
From time to time, he also used Earthen Wall Technique to surround Li Yan from all directions, steadily shrinking the space in which Li Yan could maneuver. Most of Li Yan’s counterattacks were taken head-on by Du Sanjiang without flinching.
At that moment, the murmurs among the spectators below the platform grew louder.
"That Martial Uncle Li is finished. He’s nearly cornered."
"Bad luck to face Martial Uncle Du. His previous victories were all pure chance. If he had drawn more top-tier opponents like Martial Uncle Du, he would’ve lost long ago. After all, you can’t rely on traps alone when facing true power."
"That’s not entirely fair. While there are plenty of strong cultivators like Uncle Du, how many of them can withstand enemy spells head-on without relying on defensive light shields and without fearing poison?"
"That’s true, I suppose. When he fought disciples from Four Symbols Peak earlier, they couldn’t conjure formations on the fly to protect themselves. Without that, and relying solely on their spiritual power, they couldn’t last long. But with Martial Uncle Du in his current state, his chances of victory are very high..."
…
Gong Chenying stood with arms crossed over her chest, her figure drawing eyes like waves upon a sea. Though she had sparred with Li Yan before, she now realized that he hadn’t gone all out then. Even back in those mock battles, he had already begun honing his adaptive ability, never revealing the trump cards he had kept in reserve.
Back then, she hadn't thought much of him but after watching him battle for days and nights without rest, he had begun to feel more and more enigmatic. His cultivation was clearly only at the mid seventh level of the Qi Condensation Realm, yet he could fight head-on against cultivators at the ninth level without falling behind.
Even when facing someone at the tenth level, as long as he adopted a evasive fighting style, he could hold out for quite some time. And then there was that bizarre invisible poison, no one had managed to force him to reveal its full strength. Even during the mock battles, he'd only shown a fraction of it, using just one or two variations.
These past few days, Li Yan's performance had truly become something to look forward to. Gong Chenying hadn’t been optimistic about today’s fight, yet she still harbored some anticipation. But now, only a short while into the match, Li Yan had already been beaten into such a sorry state, it was clear he stood no chance. Du Sanjiang was simply too powerful.
Of course, she could see what Du Sanjiang intended: to trap Li Yan in a confined space and then cast a formation. It wasn’t that Du Sanjiang couldn’t cast formations now, it was that doing so required time. If he attempted it too soon, Li Yan would have the chance to escape and even locate the array’s core.
Du Sanjiang hadn’t reached the level of the Chu brothers, who could unleash formations seamlessly in battle with spells and formation as one.
"Still, he’s got impressive tenacity," Gong Chenying murmured, the corners of her lips lifting into a faint smile. "He’s enduring all this just to learn more from his opponent. Even if he loses today, he still has another chance."
Onstage, Li Yan’s expression was grim. He had already been boxed in multiple times by Du Sanjiang’s Earthen Wall Technique, escaping by the narrowest of margins each time. Finding a moment of respite, he glanced up at the sky. The great moon had already climbed toward its zenith, casting a silvery brilliance over the battle platform.
Du Sanjiang, though his expression remained unchanged, was starting to grow frustrated. The poison hidden within Li Yan’s water curtain was truly troublesome. His attacks felt as though they were mired in mud. Three of his spirit weapons had already been ruined, yet they’d achieved little effect.
Those three artifacts now lay on the ground, reduced to gray, lumpy husks. The loss stung, prompting him to switch tactics and rely solely on spells.
Li Yan’s slipperiness had so far denied him the chance to properly deploy a formation. Half an hour had already passed, and while the other battles had long since ended, their match was still locked in a stalemate.
But Du Sanjiang was now confident. After this extended struggle, Li Yan had clearly burned through several times more spiritual energy than he had between the water curtain, his protective aura, and occasional counterattacks.
He estimated that Li Yan had less than half his spiritual power remaining. After all, Li Yan was several minor realms below him in cultivation. No matter how refined his techniques, his spiritual reserves were his greatest weakness. Moreover, Du Sanjiang had observed Li Yan’s previous matches.
Time ticked on, and by now most of the spectators had turned their eyes toward this platform. While admiring Du Sanjiang’s dominance, they also couldn't help but marvel at Li Yan’s sheer resilience.
Li Yan looked pale and drenched, no longer even able to counterattack. He had withdrawn his protective aura altogether, channeling all his remaining power into sustaining the water curtain and escaping.
Exhausted, he again glanced toward the sky. He knew he couldn’t hold on much longer. Every dodge left his chest heaving with nausea and his vision swimming, clear signs of spiritual energy depletion.
Du Sanjiang’s lips curved into a smile. After half an hour of pressure, he had forced Li Yan into a corner of the platform, an area barely a hundred zhang across. He calculated that this space would be just enough for him to set up a formation.
With focused intent, he summoned a powerful technique. In an instant, a towering tornado pillar burst forth, ten zhang high and five zhang wide. As it emerged, the platform erupted with howling winds and flying stones, the vortex pulling directly toward Li Yan.
At the same time, Du Sanjiang slapped his waist pouch, sending several spirit stones flying into the air. They swiftly scattered and landed in a precise formation, marking the corners of an irregular, hundred-zhang-wide area.
Then, with dazzling hand seals, countless golden runes ancient, archaic, and glowing rained down from the sky like golden drops. They sank into the earth upon contact, and the space around the marked area began to ripple and warp. After a dozen breaths, the turbulence ceased, and the ground appeared calm once more.
Meanwhile, Li Yan was struggling desperately against the pull of the tornado pillar. Half his body had already been sucked in. Seeing this, Du Sanjiang grinned and pointed with both hands. The pillar howled louder, and its suction force instantly doubled.
Li Yan could only resist for one more breath before being dragged in entirely. Under Du Sanjiang’s control, the tornado began to drift toward the bounded formation area. Clearly, maintaining this technique was taxing even for him.
"It’s done! The array is set! Martial Uncle Li is about to be trapped inside!"
Cries erupted from the audience.
A few breaths later, Li Yan realized he was now standing in a vast expanse of shimmering gold. He couldn’t tell where he was or how large the space was.
He took a few cautious steps, finding nothing amiss, but still released a faint aura of spiritual light as a shield.
Du Sanjiang, having just dismissed the tornado pillar, stared at the formation. That technique had drained him significantly; he could barely maintain it at his current level. Seeing Li Yan still cautiously maintaining his protective aura even after being trapped, he couldn’t help but feel a reluctant admiration.
For someone to remain this vigilant under such pressure, he truly wouldn’t turn back until he hit a wall.
Back in the stands, the crowd could now see Li Yan wandering aimlessly within the glowing formation, pacing in circles within its irregular bounds. Some viewers grew impatient.
"There’s no hope left, why waste time? He should just admit defeat. There’s no way his poison can breach the formation. Even if it could, how would he break through Martial Uncle Du’s body defensive array?"
"Just wait. He probably doesn’t have much energy left anyway. Look at his protective aura, it’s already flickering."
…
Onstage, Du Sanjiang wasn’t willing to wait any longer. After observing for several breaths and confirming that Li Yan’s power was nearly exhausted, he concluded that Li Yan could no longer withstand the array’s assault.
With a final hand seal, the formation flared to life. Blinding light surged, accompanied by a deafening hum.
Just as Li Yan was carefully probing his surroundings, the entire sky suddenly twisted and distorted, then from all directions, countless golden war spears came hurtling toward him!
(Chapter End)