Great Demon Sun Wukong

As Xi Zhao and Ling Weiyang attacked without a second word, Sun Wukong didn't show the slightest bit of concern; instead, a faint smile appeared on his lips. Rogue Heart Sword Hero and Yi Xuan noticed this as well, but each of them let out a sigh of relief. The disparity in strength was fully exposed at this moment. Flame God and Ye Wu, on the other hand, had their faces turn deathly pale in an instant—especially Ye Wu and the Nine Decisions Vajra Ape, who had been targeted by the attack. Feeling the mightiness of the attack, they looked ashen. The Nine Decisions Vajra Ape, inherently fierce, was set on abandoning the support of the Great Formation and prepared to counterattack the moment it saw Ling Weiyang's assault approaching.

Just as the Nine Decisions Vajra Ape was about to act on this thought, Sun Wukong's voice suddenly appeared in its mind: "Don't attack; Ling Weiyang means no harm. Cease your resistance!" The Nine Decisions Vajra Ape was stunned by Sun Wukong's words and turned to look at him; Wukong nodded in confirmation. To the Nine Decisions Vajra Ape, or rather, to Wu Zhiqi, Wukong's complete trust was unquestionable. Although in its view, abandoning defense was tantamount to suicide, if that was what Wukong wished, then so be it, even if it meant death.

However, when Ling Weiyang's purple Kirin orb hit the Nine Decisions Vajra Ape, Wu Zhiqi didn't feel any discomfort in his body. Instead, he was pushed out by the gentle power within the Kirin orb. Then, the Kirin orb turned into several beams of energy that poured into the formation patterns on the ground. As this energy began to fade, Ling Weiyang had already taken the spot where the Nine Decisions Vajra Ape had been standing, and a massive stream of purple-gold energy continuously infused into the formation patterns beneath his feet.

On the other side, Ye Wu was struck pale and sent flying by a black energy body taking the shape of the Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent. Then, the serpent, too, transformed into energy and infused into the formation, with Xi Zhao following closely to take Ye Wu's place. It was indeed a clever move by Xi Zhao and Ling Weiyang. It was a great taboo to rashly replace the anchors and magic treasures of a Great Formation during its operation, and if one wasn't extremely well-versed in the formation or wasn't the original array setter, the formation would surely collapse instantly.

Yet, Xi Zhao and Ling Weiyang had managed to replace themselves with the original participants in this unfamiliar Sealing Grand Formation, causing onlookers to exclaim in astonishment. But what was even more surprising were their actions at that moment. Who would have thought that they, who were just now fighting Sun Wukong and others to the death—even with Ling Weiyang apparently killed by a single slash from Rogue Heart Sword Hero—would now be helping them maintain the Great Formation to seal the Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent.

Of course, some did question their motives, such as Flame God, who initially suspected that Xi Zhao and Ling Weiyang intended to sabotage the formation through this method. But when he witnessed the formation patterns lighting up and merging at a surprisingly increased speed, he dismissed the thought. If they had harbored ill intentions, not to mention Wukong and Yi Xuan's detection, but they could have easily done away with Ye Wu and the Nine Decisions Vajra Ape outright, and a collapse of the formation would harm them as well.

Had Xi Zhao and Ling Weiyang chosen to harm them, it would have been effortless.

However, since Xi Zhao and Ling Weiyang had not done so but instead were vigorously channeling their spiritual power to maintain the operation of the formation, Flame God couldn't help but acknowledge the fact that they were sincerely lending their aid. With the addition of these two—one a Heavenly Venerate and the other a Half-step Heavenly Venerate-level powerhouse—the speed at which the formation patterns lit up dramatically increased. Soon, all the patterns were illuminated, forming an extremely mysterious pattern on the ground. The moment this pattern materialized, everyone felt a momentary stall in their spiritual power. Thankfully, it was fleeting and didn't cause much disturbance, but it was enough to send a shiver down everyone's spine.

Just the aura it emitted made them feel as if they were about to be sealed—how powerful would the actual sealing force be at the center of the Great Formation? And Sun Wukong, sensitive to the aura emitted by the formation due to his cultivation of the Genesis Divine Nation's Seal Heavenly Stamp, felt that if he could sense it a moment longer, his own Seal Heavenly Stamp could evolve. Meanwhile, the Spirit Controller, locked in fierce battle with the Chi Ghost, shuddered, abruptly turning towards the direction of the formation.

Although faint, both the Spirit Controller and the Chi Ghost felt the emitted aura—one shocked, the other overjoyed, particularly the Spirit Controller, whose heart was swept by a tidal wave of dread. The fleeting aura was still clear to him, and it was precisely because of that aura that his fear surged. If his memory served correctly, that was the same aura as the sealing skill used by the Pioneer to seal the Underworld Venerate, but compared to the Sealing Grand Formation with nine World Suppressing Steles as the Formation Eyes that the Spirit Controller used back then, it was much weaker. This time it was a Seven Extremes Heavenly Banishment Formation set up by seven people, whereas that time it was a Nine Realms God-Sealing Array created using nine World Suppressing Steles.

At the same time, the Spirit Controller finally understood why, since the Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent had awakened, such a long time had passed without it starting the apocalypse. At first, he had secretly rejoiced at this, as it gave him enough time to defeat the Chi Ghost and seize his soul. Now, he felt like crying but didn't even have time for that. If that Great Formation truly activated and successfully sealed the Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent, then all his efforts would have been in vain. He couldn't accept that, he couldn't tolerate such an event occurring. Success was right before his eyes; he was about to become the sole ruler of this Fang Universe.

Therefore, the Spirit Controller's first reaction was to destroy the Great Formation and then immediately flee the Patrolling Celestial World. At this moment, he couldn't care less about the Chi Ghost, the Crimson Army, or any third-party forces; nothing was more important than eliminating the other Law Enforcers. However, the Spirit Controller, as much as he had it all planned out, had forgotten that there was someone else behind him, even though this person had been suppressed by him in the battle just now.

Feeling the aura of the Sealing Grand Formation, the Chi Ghost finally breathed a sigh of relief. In the fight just now, he had indeed given it his all. The souls summoned by the Spirit Controller were truly powerful, leaving him practically powerless to fight back. However, what happened just now was in the past, and being beaten miserably by the Spirit Controller then did not mean he couldn't be an opponent to the Spirit Controller. Otherwise, why would the Crimson Army assign him the critical task of holding the Spirit Controller back? Without the strength to contend with the Spirit Controller, he would be nothing more than a sacrificial lamb.

In fact, the order he had received at the outset was to unleash his strongest power and fight the Spirit Controller to the death from the beginning, in order to hold the Spirit Controller back and allow Yi Xuan to successfully complete the Great Formation and seal the Annihilation Nine-Headed Serpent. But how could the Chi Ghost be content with just holding back the Spirit Controller? He aimed to, if not defeat him, at least inflict serious injury. But his strength was similar to the Spirit Controller's, and even more overpowering once the Spirit Controller summoned the soul of a Heavenly Venerable Mid Grade, making it extremely difficult to cause him substantial harm. Consequently, the Chi Ghost thought to outwit the Spirit Controller once.

Then, in the battle that followed, he was continuously pressed by the Spirit Controller, all to make the Spirit Controller underestimate him. Until now, when the aura emitted at the moment of activation of the Seven Extremes Heavenly Banishment Formation disconcerted the Spirit Controller, the opportunity the Chi Ghost had been waiting for finally arrived.

Just as the Spirit Controller was about to turn and leave to destroy the Formation, the Chi Ghost's Heavenly Punishment Flame Spirit Lance was suddenly hurled, aiming straight for the Spirit Controller's back, and at the same time, a shadow suddenly appeared within the Chi Ghost's body. This shadow was identical to the Chi Ghost, and after its emergence, the Chi Ghost's figure surged forward. Mid-charge, the shadow abruptly merged back into him, uniting with the Chi Ghost's main body once again.

After the shadow merged back into the Chi Ghost, there was no slight change in the Chi Ghost's aura, but now he possessed the strength of a Heavenly Venerable Mid Grade. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Punishment Flame Spirit Lance that the Chi Ghost had thrown was already blocked and deflected by two Heavenly Venerate souls behind the Spirit Controller, but the deflected lance did not return to the Chi Ghost's hand; instead, it turned into a wisp of flame and disappeared.

Simultaneously, the Chi Ghost's punch also arrived, but of course, it was still firmly blocked by another three souls standing close behind the Spirit Controller.

With a punch thrown, the Chi Ghost swiftly retreated, and as he did so, he whispered, "Heavenly Punishment descends, Nine Heavens Cleansing Fire Tribulation, three layers!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Starting Point (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and Monthly Pass, Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)