The Azure Ox Saint, trapped within the formation, sensed his cultivation being suppressed. He could now only exert fifty percent of his original power. Conversely, the seven guards of the Big Dipper had their cultivation increased to their former Immortal Emperor realms. At this moment, a mist rose within the formation, and the dozen disciples of the Nine Heavens behind him vanished without a trace. They had been separated.
At this time, the positions of the Big Dipper Seven were: Yaoguang occupied by Feng Chu, Kaiyang by Bai Hong, Yuheng by Zhao Xiangzi, Tianquan by Zhao Yangzi, and Tianji by Qi Mo. This position was originally held by Tianjizi, but as he was not present, Qi Mo stepped up. Zhao Yangzi only managed to send a spiritual thought to Qi Mo. Tianxuan was occupied by Ye Ting, and Tianshu by Ye Jue.
Within the formation, these seven were the masters.
As soon as the Azure Ox Saint arrived, while Feng Chu was engaging him, Zhao Yangzi quickly made the decision to set up the formation. This formation required close coordination and mutual trust. Qi Mo was the least familiar with formations, but he had an advantage: his cultivation and combat strength led the opponent to misunderstand him, and his actual combat experience was the most formidable.
Zhao Yangzi flicked his finger. Feng Chu, standing at the Yaoguang position, unleashed a phoenix inferno towards the panicked dozen disciples of the Nine Heavens. The sudden phoenix fire instantly annihilated them. Those who narrowly escaped were torn apart by Bai Hong’s claws. Screams echoed one after another… With these troublesome dregs eliminated, dealing with the Azure Ox Saint was the next most challenging task.
Ye Jue and Ye Ting took the lead in the attack. From the moment Feng Chu initiated, the two of them combined their swords, channeling the power of several individuals into a sword qi that surged towards the Azure Ox Saint.
The Azure Ox Saint transformed his horsetail whisk into a colossal brush, drawing talismans in mid-air. Golden characters stacked upon each other, forming a defensive shield. The sword light met the golden shield and dissipated.
Qi Mo and Zhao Xiangzi coordinated. Qi Mo transformed into a golden dragon, opening his massive maw and spitting out a spherical lightning strike. Harnessing the power of the Lei Ju formation, it formed a thunder tribulation as thick as a water bucket, crashing down upon the Azure Ox Saint.
A circular, dense purple qi above the Azure Ox Saint’s head rapidly enveloped his entire body, neutralizing the lightning’s power. The Azure Ox Saint breathed a sigh of relief. The Big Dipper Seven formation was indeed extraordinary. Had it not been for his purple qi protecting him, anyone else would have been blasted into smithereens.
Meanwhile, the seven guards rapidly shifted their positions, quickly patching any weaknesses. Qi Mo’s combat strength was indeed the most potent. He swapped positions with Ye Jue, and Zhao Yangzi swapped positions with Ye Ting. These seven stars, with the four stars of the Big Dipper ladle as the main body, made the Azure Ox Saint’s defense so formidable.
Zhao Yangzi swiftly performed hand seals, his movements so rapid they left afterimages.
"Qingfeng Sword, Ninth Form, Borrowing Strength to Strike, Dragon Roars Across the Heavens!"
The Qingfeng Sword transformed into a dragon-shaped golden energy and merged into the body of Qi Mo, who had transformed into a golden dragon.
"Roar~~~~" Even the heavens trembled. The golden dragon’s body swelled tenfold, its strength amplified, and it lunged towards the Azure Ox Saint. The golden shield was shattered by a single sweep of the dragon’s tail. The Azure Ox Saint hurriedly bit his tongue, formed hand seals, and uttered true words. Countless auspicious symbols surged into the sky, attempting to ensnare the golden dragon.
Zhao Yangzi saw this and knew it was dire. Feng Chu even cursed loudly, "You old man, a venerable Daoist Saint, why are you learning Buddhism? Utterly unprofessional! Shameless!"
"Haha, as long as it saves my life, what does it matter what religion it is?" the Azure Ox Saint said, his breath slightly uneven. He cursed inwardly; these brats had almost forced him to his death, and they still had the nerve to speak.
"Alright, let's see how many more moves you can take," Zhao Yangzi replied. However, he knew clearly that these last two attacks had pooled the strength of all seven, and their spiritual power was severely depleted. The consequence of forcibly enhancing their cultivation was that their combat duration would be limited.
Hmph. If it were in the past, with the Big Dipper Seven formation arrayed, this Azure Ox old fellow would have fled at the mere sight of them.
Bai Hong was the weakest among them. His injuries had not fully healed, and his realm had dropped after suppressing the poison. Furthermore, Qi Mo could not yet use the formation skillfully. If Tianji were present, he could calculate the optimal positions and find the opponent's weak points. What a pity.
The golden dragon, unable to break through the auspicious symbols, had to return to the formation. Both sides were under extreme tension. The Azure Ox Saint dared not lower his defense, and the Big Dipper Seven’s several attacks were ineffective. Zhao Yangzi’s brow furrowed, his breathing also becoming unstable. Looking at the others, their faces were pale, a sign of depleted immortal spiritual power. If this continued, they were bound to lose, as the opponent’s cultivation was far superior.
Zhao Yangzi communicated with the other seven telepathically. They all knew the opponent possessed fire thunder. They had no other choice but to go all out. Only Bai Hong did not have it, and there was no time now.
After three breaths, the Azure Ox Saint saw no movement in the mist and could not sense anything with his divine consciousness. He inwardly became wary!
As expected, three hidden weapons flew towards him. The Azure Ox Saint chuckled.
"My friends, have you run out of immortal power? What can these meager hidden weapons do to me?" As soon as he finished speaking, the three black, spherical stones exploded. The golden defensive shield merely flickered slightly.
"Hahaha! I already said it's useless. Why don't you all withdraw your formation and surrender obediently? For the sake of your Honored One, I won't make things difficult for you. I will hand you over to the Nine Heavens for handling."
"Oh, is that so? What if there were more?" Initially, it was a probing attack, and he saw that the newly developed Thunderclap Bombs were still effective. Zhao Yangzi curled his lips and snapped his fingers.
Instantly, over a hundred Thunderclap Bombs simultaneously struck the Azure Ox Saint. This physical explosion was an indiscriminate attack. Even the most powerful defenses could not withstand such continuous bombardment. As expected, the golden shield was blown apart, and the purple qi above his head only automatically protected him during spiritual energy attacks. These Thunderclap Bombs contained no spiritual energy, so the purple qi remained completely unaffected. Although they caused no substantial damage to the Azure Ox Saint, he was still blasted into a state of disarray, losing all his dignity.
At this moment, the Azure Ox Saint finally discovered that the Big Dipper Seven had escaped at some unknown time. Enraged, he seethed with anger! He had never suffered such humiliation in a million years!
"Hahaha!" Suddenly, Ye Ming’s laughter echoed through the air. He had merely sensed the convergence of the Big Dipper and calculated that they were in danger. He rushed over to find these youngsters surrounding and attacking the Azure Ox Saint. Although at a disadvantage, they were managing to fight him to a standstill. Even so, in the long run, they were bound to lose. He hadn’t expected these youngsters to become cunning, knowing when to flee if they couldn’t win.
"Ye Ming, your disciples are well-taught, hmph!"
"Azure Ox old fellow, my disciples are naturally good, but your disciple is currently undergoing reincarnation, how pitiful!" Ye Ming hit where it hurt.
"You still have the nerve to say that! You personally sent them, otherwise, how would they have to endure the suffering of reincarnation?"
"Hmph! You should be grateful I didn’t kill them. You have the audacity, a dignified Saint, to bully the young!" Ye Ming’s expression suddenly changed.
"Come, I’ll take you to see a good show." Ye Ming flicked his spiritual energy whip, bound the Azure Ox Saint, and tore through the void, entering the Underworld.
Only half an hour had passed in the Underworld. The time flow in the Immortal Realm was faster than in the Underworld. Thus, upon entering the Underworld, they saw a scene of devastation. A colossal nine-headed bird was engaged in battle with a golden dragon!
"Is that… Nine Heavens?" The Azure Ox Saint sensed a familiar aura on the nine-headed bird.
"Isn't that your friend, Divine Monarch Nine Heavens? I never expected that this Nine Heavens was actually a clone of the Underworld Emperor, and the Underworld Emperor’s true form is the nine-headed bird!" Ye Ming looked at the greatly shocked Azure Ox Saint, secretly smug. Serves you right for abetting evil and being deceived.