Chapter 188: Could something have happened to this guardian’s brother?

Li Xuanfeng nodded.

Since Zhang Yan and Red Fire King had both fallen into his hands, the Black Fire Sect would most likely not let the matter rest easily.

Strong cultivators could descend upon Hundred Sword Mountain at any moment.

Waiting for enemies to come knocking wasn't Li Xuanfeng's style; he planned to proactively head to the Holy City.

However, Hundred Sword Mountain lacked a sufficiently powerful Formation to act as a shield. While he might not go to such lengths for ordinary Disciples, he couldn't disregard Luo Li and Wei Qingyan.

Even if they had to stay on Hundred Sword Mountain for now, this Formation was a must-complete.

Moreover, as the Sect Master, his Master couldn't possibly neglect the mountain-protecting Grand Formation.

"Let's begin!"

Lian Yue Zhou waved her Jade hand, and treasures flew in all directions, landing at various points on Hundred Sword Mountain in different orientations, serving as the cornerstones of the mountain-protecting Grand Formation.

Buzz!

Each treasure released a beam of energy that shot into the sky, converging into a giant birdcage in the high altitude.

This was the prototype of the mountain-protecting Grand Formation.

Lian Yue Zhou and Li Xuanfeng simultaneously drew in the Void Realm with both hands, rapidly outlining one Formation rune after another.

The runes merged into the energy beams, continuously reinforcing and perfecting them.

"Such terrifying energy fluctuations!"

"It feels like getting close would instantly turn one into dust!"

"It's the Sect Master and Senior Brother setting up the Formation!"

"Our Hundred Sword Mountain is truly too strong!"

"To be a member of Hundred Sword Mountain is truly the luckiest thing in this life!"

All the Elders and Disciples looked up in awe, gazing at the vast energy beams above the Sect.

The convergence of those terrifying energies gave them a feeling as if it could pierce through the world.

High above, the clouds shattered, and two figures, one male and one female, stood in the air. Formation runes continuously appeared at their fingertips, flying into the Formation.

Everyone's eyes were filled with deep reverence.

How strong Hundred Sword Mountain could be depended entirely on these two individuals.

"The Sect Master is peerlessly elegant, and Senior Brother is an unparalleled Prodigy. Why do I feel like they seem very well-matched?"

Some Disciples looked up, gazing at the two figures in the sky, and couldn't help but murmur to themselves.

Of course, they dared not voice such thoughts. No matter how well-matched they appeared, the two were still Master and Disciple.

Although in this world, situations where individuals were both Master and Disciple and Dao Companion were not unheard of, they were ultimately quite rare.

"I can't take it anymore, I feel like my Soul is about to crack!"

Many Disciples felt their heads splitting with pain after just a few glances at the runes, and quickly lowered their heads, daring not to look again.

Li Xuanfeng and Lian Yue Zhou were unaware of the Disciples' thoughts, their expressions entirely focused on inscribing the Formation patterns.

Although it was the Master and Disciple's first time working together to set up a Formation, their coordination was remarkably seamless.

However, what they were setting up was, after all, a Grand Formation capable of resisting King Realm Peak powerhouses. Furthermore, it had to be designed so that even the Harmony Realm strength of several Peak Lords, working together, could barely control it, which undoubtedly greatly increased the difficulty.

The sheer number of Formation runes to be inscribed would have to be in the hundreds of millions!

These runes also had to be arranged, connected, and combined in a special order, making it an extremely vast undertaking.

Fortunately, both possessed extensive theoretical knowledge, formidable strength, and high Comprehension Ability, so everything was proceeding smoothly.

Three days passed in a blink of an eye.

The Master and Disciple were still continuously inscribing Formation runes.

Over these three days, Li Xuanfeng discovered that Lian Yue Zhou's Formation attainments were indeed as exaggerated as he had imagined.

He felt that Lian Yue Zhou had a high probability of being able to share, or acquire a portion of the main body's memories.

Or perhaps, the Clone and the main body were simply controlled by the same Soul.

This also explained why others were extremely cautious when refining a Clone Jade Slip, yet Lian Yue Zhou distributed them like wholesale goods, one for each Disciple.

After Li Xuanfeng used his, she could even reward him with another one.

Only an extremely powerful Soul would dare to be so capricious.

"If both the main body and the Clone are controlled by the same Soul, then when I speak to Master's Clone, it's essentially like speaking directly to the main body?"

"I wonder how strong Master's main body is, and where is she now?"

Thinking of this while inscribing runes, Li Xuanfeng couldn't help but glance at his Master opposite him.

Unexpectedly, his Master's gaze happened to look over at that very moment.

Their eyes instantly met in the Void Realm.

"Rebellious Disciple, why are you peeking at me?"

"You truly have ideas about me!"

Lian Yue Zhou's voice resonated directly in his mind.

"If Master wasn't looking at this Disciple, how would Master know this Disciple was looking at Master?"

Li Xuanfeng replied via Soul transmission.

"Hmph, I was merely checking if there were any errors in your inscription of the Formation patterns, so I could correct them at any time!"

Lian Yue Zhou lightly snorted.

Seeing his Master, who was outwardly noble and aloof but inwardly completely like another person, Li Xuanfeng found this contrast quite wondrous.

However, this time, he didn't respond to his Master's words, continuing to inscribe the Formation runes on his own.

While Li Xuanfeng was thinking about Lian Yue Zhou, Lian Yue Zhou was actually thinking about Li Xuanfeng.

Her Disciple's talent in both cultivation and Formation was so exaggerated that it made her unable to help but marvel.

She had originally thought that with the advantage of being the main body, she should be unmatched in all aspects, but she hadn't expected to be surpassed by her Disciple.

This sparked a strong curiosity in her towards Li Xuanfeng.

This curiosity was like a cat scratching her heart, and she subconsciously looked at him, just as her gaze met her Disciple's… While Li Xuanfeng and Lian Yue Zhou were working together to set up the mountain-protecting Grand Formation.

Holy City.

Black Fire Domain.

Lijiang Branch of the Black Fire Sect.

On a ten-thousand-zhang-tall peak.

Rumble!

A massive stone gate swung open, and a man in a fiery red robe stepped out.

"Congratulations, Protector! Heartfelt congratulations, Protector!"

"Congratulations to Left Guardian for breaking through his Bottleneck and advancing to King Realm Late Stage! Our Lijiang Branch gains another top-tier powerhouse, hahaha!"

As soon as the man emerged, a majestic voice, carried by spiritual energy, echoed in the high heavens, spreading to every corner of the Branch.

"Congratulations, Left Guardian! Heartfelt congratulations, Left Guardian!"

"Congratulations, Left Guardian! Heartfelt congratulations, Left Guardian!"

…As the voice carried by spiritual energy spread, deafening cheers from the Disciples simultaneously erupted from all parts of the Branch, like a torrent, shattering the clouds.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Several figures broke through the air and landed on the ten-thousand-zhang-tall peak.

"Congratulations to Left Guardian for successfully advancing to King Realm Late Stage!"

"Congratulations, Brother Zuo!"

"Congratulations, congratulations!"

The newcomers all smiled and congratulated the man.

"Thank you, everyone!"

However, Left Guardian merely offered a simple cupped-fist salute with a smile, seemingly not overly pleased about the Breakthrough.

"I was in secluded cultivation for a hundred years without any incidents, but as I was about to emerge, I felt a sense of unease, almost failing my Breakthrough."

"Has something major happened within the Branch?"

Left Guardian's gaze swept over the crowd.

"This…"

Everyone exchanged glances, hesitant to speak.

"Could it be that something has happened to my brother?"

Seeing their expressions, Left Guardian's face instantly darkened, and a terrifying, invisible pressure brewed, causing faint cracks to appear in the surrounding space.

"Red Fire King… he has fallen!"

An Elder hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Boom!

Crack!

In an instant, the space around Left Guardian shattered into pieces.

"Who did it?!"