[You can freely manipulate formations and talismans.]
The moment Chen Ping An saw this prompt,
a sinister grin gradually spread across his face.
As a paying player, wasn't the whole point to dominate bosses?
"Thunderfire Incineration Array, no need to hide anymore, let's light this shit up!"
In the Cangyun Realm.
A shout echoed above the hut:
"Thunderfire Incineration Array, activate!"
Buzzz—!
"What the hell is this?!" From Ye Fu Tian's perspective, within a hundred miles of the hut, the ground was etched with flowing purple formation runes. From these runes erupted thunder and flames, intertwining into a massive circle that trapped both him and the hut inside.
A sense of threat welled up in his heart, though not overwhelming.
Ye Fu Tian was a man of utmost caution; otherwise, he wouldn't have evaded righteous cultivators for so many years, escaping with grave injuries countless times, yet still emerging today to wreak havoc. Other demonic cultivators would have been dismembered long ago.
In the past, even a hint of threat would send him fleeing.
But today was different.
The temptation before him was simply too great.
A Supreme Dantian!
Owning this body would make the bottleneck that's troubled him for years irrelevant. Even if it meant restarting his cultivation from scratch, it would be worth it! The spiritual energy in the Cangyun Realm was dwindling, and rare treasures alone could no longer deliver a qualitative leap.
Fortune favors the bold.
Even if all the elders of Qingyun Sect were present today, he would take the risk!
"Humph! A mere formation thinks to stop me?"
Veiled in demonic aura, Ye Fu Tian's body was invisible, his presence announced only by his voice. The aura surged, and a blood-red demonic palm emerged, pressing down on the hut's roof with the weight of Mount Tai. The surrounding area was thrown into chaos—sand flew, vegetation bowed, and inside the hut, Fang Qingzhi felt a chilling dread creep into her heart, making breathing difficult.
BOOM—!
The demonic palm struck the formation, whose runes flickered but showed no sign of breaking.
"Whoa, what the heck?!" Chen Ping An, glued to his phone, jumped in surprise.
He was still figuring out how to activate the formation!
In the blink of an eye, the boss's attack had landed.
The old man had no honor!
"Then have a taste of these Immortal-grade Thunderfire talismans first!"
Chen Ping An's fingers tapped the screen, sending three talismans from the hut's door and walls soaring toward the demonic aura cloud.
Ye Fu Tian paid no mind to a mere three talismans. He was preoccupied—the formation had withstood his full-force palm strike. It was evidently of exceptional quality. The most enigmatic figures in the Cangyun Realm were formation masters, and if given a choice, he'd avoid clashing with one.
He readied a second, full-power palm strike, aiming to end the battle swiftly.
His Blood Cloud Palm technique was a Lower Earth-grade cultivation method. Every palm strike was certain to hit, and it possessed the eerie ability to corrode spiritual energy. Once struck, cultivators opposing him would grow weaker, their energy devoured by the demonic aura of the Blood Cloud Palm.
It was also effective against formations.
In the blink of an eye, the three talismans drew near. They blazed with golden light and thunderous roars.
"Something's wrong! These are Immortal-grade talismans!" Ye Fu Tian's scalp tingled, but it was too late to change his move.
The Immortal-grade Thunderfire talismans detonated in mid-air, unleashing thunder and fire that engulfed Ye Fu Tian's Blood Cloud.
Meanwhile, Chen Ping An had figured out how to activate the formation. A keyboard popped up on his phone, and following the sequence of English and Chinese characters displayed, each correct input activated the formation.
"Isn't this child's play for me?" Chen Ping An mused.
Previously, he wouldn't have dared to say so, but since mastering acupuncture, his hands had become quick and steady. If he were to enter a rhythm game competition now, he might just set a world record.
*Clack-clack-clack!*
Chen Ping An rapidly tapped the screen.
*[Come and go, come and go~]*
*Boom!*
Ye Fu Tian, who had just withstood the three Thunderfire talismans, was struck in the face by a lightning bolt from the formation before he could recover.
*[Yes and no, yes and no~]*
*[Say hello with 'hi,' hi hi, haha~]*
*Boom! Boom! Crackling!*
As Chen Ping An's speed increased, so did the rate of lightning bolts. Although the Thunderfire Incineration Array wasn't powerful enough to instantly kill Ye Fu Tian, the sheer volume was overwhelming! Soon, the black cloud composed of demonic aura thinned, revealing a black-robed elder, charred and tattered, with hair resembling dandelion fluff.
"AAH—! Enough! I'll kill you!!!"
Ye Fu Tian, over five hundred years old, had never endured such humiliation.
He abandoned all concealment, leaping onto the hut's roof. His cyanotic hands pressed forward, and a surge of demonic aura coalesced into a gigantic, blue-faced, fanged Dharma manifestation behind him. With a synchronized motion, the manifestation's maw opened wide and pressed forward.
BOOM—!
Under the terrifying pressure, the entire Thunderfire Incineration Array materialized, its formation runes shattering inch by inch, struggling to hold.
"Whoa, did the BOSS enter phase three and unleash his ultimate move?!" Chen Ping An observed that Ye Fu Tian's health bar was still a third full. He chuckled appreciatively, "This BOSS is pretty impressive, with such cool skills."
With the package purchased, victory was assured, so he wasn't worried in the slightest. He even had time to admire the BOSS's design.
"Fang-phase condensation, coordinated attack—this is a Soul Transformation-stage demon cultivator, and definitely no ordinary one at that..." Inside the hut, Fang Qingzhi, clutching her garment, her face etched with anxiety, couldn't help but caution, "Senior, demon cultivators are treacherous. Be wary of any hidden cards the opponent might have!"
Having already engaged in battle, she knew her involvement would only be a hindrance. She could only silently pray that her senior would emerge unscathed from the fight with the demon cultivator. A deep sense of helplessness and guilt welled within her. Had it not been for her senior restoring her Dantian, would such a powerful demon sect cultivator have been attracted? If only she were stronger, she wouldn't have to cower like a rat, watching her senior risk their life while being utterly powerless.
The death of her parents had planted the seeds of vengeance in Fang Qingzhi's heart.
The bullying from her fellow disciples and the harsh realities of the world had forged her resilient spirit.
At this moment, a resolve to grow stronger began to take root within her.
The heavens are impartial to none; to protect what one cherishes, strength is eternally necessary!
BOOM—! The Thunderfire Incineration Array shattered with a thunderous roar.
Ye Fu Tian hovered above the hut, his Dharma manifestation crushing incoming talismans with ease. To it, the explosive thunderfire was but a mere itch.
"Kkkkk! What else have you got?! The Heavenly Demon Art cultivates the Four Corpse King Dharma manifestations. I've spent five hundred years perfecting the Ying manifestation, making it unbreakable and endlessly powerful. Raw power can crush all techniques—how can your intricate formation stand a chance?"
"Is that so?"
A cold snort echoed from within the hut.
As Chen Ping An deployed the last talisman, the dim night sky took on a rusty hue.
Inky clouds surged like waves, churning violently.
Purple lightning sliced through the air like swords.
The night resembled the eve of a storm.
Above Ye Fu Tian's head, the winds howled and clouds gathered, amassing into a dense thundercloud.
The Nine Yang Purple Thunder talisman floated amidst the clouds, faintly visible. Within the depths of the clouds, a formidable power coalesced.
Its might was as profound as an abyss, its momentum like a deluge.
The elemental energy of heaven and earth grew turbulent.
Ye Fu Tian glanced upward, a chill creeping down his spine as an ominous premonition stirred.
At Qingyun Sect, cultivators gazed at the celestial anomaly, their hearts shaken.
Within the Wanqing Mountains, the red-haired zombie that had been pressuring Lu Changtian and his group suddenly trembled, howled, and turned to flee, desperate to escape the thundercloud's reach.
While Thunderfire talismans, even of the Immortal grade, merely infused spiritual energy to generate thunder and fire,
the Nine Yang Purple Thunder talisman harnessed the very might of heaven and earth, summoning divine thunder to vanquish evil.
"Condense—!"
Following the game's instructions, Chen Ping An traced the strokes of the talisman with his fingers.
Heavenly wrath was formidable; to linger was certain death!
As long as he left this place, there would still be a chance to obtain a Supreme Dantian one day.
He merely needed to bide his time...
Ignoring Fang Qingzhi in the hut, Ye Fu Tian leaped to escape.
The next moment.
BOOM—!
A thunderous dragon descended from the skies, blinding the world in white.
The lightning split into two beams—one chasing Ye Fu Tian, the other striking east of Wanqing Mountain.
In that instant, the earth shook and mountains trembled.
On Chen Ping An's phone, the BOSS's health bar vanished in an instant.
He blew on his fingers and chuckled,
"Tut-tut, so much bark and no bite..."
"188 bucks and it's gone in a flash. What else is there to say?"
...
Within Qingyun Sect.
Sect Leader Wu Duantian gazed at the abnormal celestial phenomenon, sensing the intense spiritual energy fluctuations. A battle raged within the Wanqing Mountains, with one cultivator even drawing down heavenly thunder—a feat reminiscent of the mysterious cultivator who had previously refined a divine pill...
"Zhao Lingtian."
Weighing his options, a glimmer of hope ignited within him.
He turned to the pale, bedridden direct disciple and spoke gravely,
"This may be our last chance. We shall go together. If we can gain the aid of that senior, your Dantian may yet be saved!"