Chapter 993: Each Has His Own Strengths
Overall, the chaotic spiritual energy turbulence in the internal world of the Crucible of the Divine Lands was tending towards calm.
However, in limited areas, they would still cause massive waves from time to time that did not lack in destructive power.
Right now, the huge tide crashing towards Han Yang and the others was rather violent. Seeing this, Dan Xiang and the other three appeared solemn as well; this tide was far more ferocious than the spiritual energy turbulence that trapped them just now, to the extent that even many Immortal Soul cultivators would not be able to withstand it.
Rather, it could match up to the previous tide that led to them being separated from Cai Fengzhou and the others.
Fortunately, Han Yang and the rest were now inside the Four Appearances Sky Formation set up by Zhu Yi and co. Zhu Yi and the other three will control the power of the formation to shield against the impact of the tide.
Immediately, Han Yang stowed his sword. In this sort of conditions, he obviously could not continue to clear the path forward; otherwise, if he were to destabilize the formation, the consequences were immediate and fatal.
However, even so, under the impact of the spiritual energy tide, the formation started to shake violently.
The ground under the feet of the younger-generation disciples trembled incessantly. After all, they were at the periphery of the formation, in addition to being inside a newly cleared passage; inevitably, the protective power of the formation would be slightly weaker.
Cracks appeared in the Void in front of their eyes as uncontrolled spiritual energy burst in like sharp blades, charging at the party.
The Celestial Sect of Wonders disciples, walking at the front, instantly faced this sudden danger heads-on.
However, they did not panic. Yang Tie, who was standing at Han Yang's side, took a step forward and stood in front of Han Yang. With a flick of the wrist, a small shield appeared on his palm.
Activated by Yang Tie, the small shield met the wind and grew in size, instantly becoming a square-shaped shield measuring a meter across.
The shield lit up with a glow that extended to the four sides, coalescing into four corners that flashed with white light and causing the entire shield to resemble an upright square.
And then, another layer of light covered the shield and continued to extend outwards, forming an even larger upright square.
As this went on, the glow expanded constantly, causing the shield to become larger and larger, protecting Yang Tie and the others behind it.
This was the Nascent Soul magic item that Zhu Yi granted to Yang Tie due to his position as the First Disciple of the Heavenly Temple - the Shield of Turning Heaven's Will, one of the best in terms of defense among Nascent Soul magic items.
After Yang Tie raised the Shield of Turning Heaven's Will, beside him, Tang Jun made an arcane gesture with both his hands. A white halo appeared.
This halo was composed of runes, flashing with white light and forming a circle. It encircled everyone present as the runes flowed constantly, and as a result, the halo rotated and turned constantly as well. From it, a power concept of wholeness flowed, forming a strong defense.
This spell, named the World Spell of Turning Heaven's Will, was a mantra most Celestial Sect of Wonders disciples studied and used specifically for defense.
Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi, and co. were all men of incredible talent and abilities; none of their personalities favored passive defense. However, as Masters, they must teach students according to their individual aptitude and needs; they cannot expect that every single disciple will be identical to his Master.
Particularly since when younger-generation disciples ventured outside, it was inevitable that they would meet unknown dangers. Therefore, in the interest of caution, when compiling the basic spells and Mantras of the Sect, Xiao Yan and the others specifically created this World Spell of Turning Heaven's Will.
As one of the few dedicated defensive spells of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, this spell was exceedingly reliable where defense was concerned.
The power concept of Yang Tie's Shield of Turning Heaven's Will hailed from the same source as this spell.
Not only did Tang Jun cast the World Spell of Turning Heaven's Will immediately, the others from the Celestial Sect of Wonders also knew that now was a crucial moment.
Therefore, not only did Liu Xiafeng and Li Xingfei cast the World Spell of Turning Heaven's Will together as well, even Han Yang and Zhou Yuncong did the same.
The fighting styles of the two of them were tilted towards aggressive attack as well, and they were not particularly passionate about defense. However, under the guidance of Luo Qingwu and Yang Qing, they have a good command of the World Spell of Turning Heaven's Will as well.
Five bright white halos appeared together, enclosing the party and the Shield of Turning Heaven's Will. As the runes, glowing white, rotated, they resonated with the power of the Shield of Turning Heaven's Will, supplementing each other and fortifying the defense even further.
Meanwhile, the owner of the Shield of Turning Heaven's Will, Yang Tie, did not cast the World Spell of Turning Heaven's Will. Instead, his gestures switched rapidly; a yellowish-brown light appeared on his left hand, while an azure-blue drop of water appeared on his right.
In the yellowish-brown light was a mighty power concept of the heavy earth. Silent and heavy; appearing ordinary, but exceedingly vast, as if it could bear everything and hold infinity.
None other than the Central Wutu Divine Light.
As for the azure-blue drop of water, although it was suspended in mid-air, but every single person can feel its impossible weight - as if that tiny drop weighed tons.
One of the Six Great Primordial Waters of the universe - Great Chaos Primordial Water.
The Six Great Primordial Waters each had its own unique capabilities. The River Styx Primordial Water purified all; the Blood River Primordial Water was the ultimate of unholy; the One Heavenly Primordial Water merged all; the Xuanming Primordial Water was the ultimate of coldness and freeze; the Grand Moon Primordial Water was the ultimate of Yin, being able to command water with water.
The distinguishing attribute of the Great Chaos Primordial Water, meanwhile, was its incredible density and weight. After forming Mana, it was vast yet intricate, boundless and endless, torrential, with world-flooding momentum and potential.
The Great Void Sect disciples, looking at Yang Tie, appeared solemn. "First Disciple of the Heavenly Temple, the Celestial Sect of Wonders - Yang Tie. Exceptional indeed."
These years, Celestial Sect of Wonders disciples have often ventured out on experiential adventures; many of them have already gained considerable reputations.
Yang Zhao was expressionless as his gaze swept past Tang Jun, Han Yang, and Zhou Yuncong. "People say that among the second-generation disciples of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, at the same level of cultivation, the three strongest are the First Disciple of the Inferno Precipice, Tang Jun; the First Disciple of the Qingwu Pavilion, Han Yang; and the First Disciple of the Nirvana World, Zhou Yuncong."
"But from the looks of it now, this Yang Tie is not one to be trifled with either."
He was speaking to his fellow Great Void Sect disciples with Mana voice projection, so Dan Xiang replied with Mana voice projection as well. "The water should be Great Chaos Primordial Water. As for that yellow light, although I don't know the details, but it contains the true concept of the earth and the soil."
"This man, his character is steady and stolid. His mantras and Mana also tend towards defense; in spite of his passiveness, in terms of the vastness of the total Mana reserves, he probably exceeds even Tang Jun and the other two. Although he might be lacking in offensive ability, it would be extremely hard for someone to defeat him too."
There was something else that Dan Xiang did not say. If they were comparing total size of Mana reserves, even him, the Intermediate Nascent Soul Great Void Sect disciple, did not dare say he can defeat Yang Tie, who cultivated the Great Chaos Primordial Water and the Central Wutu Divine Light.
However, having been selected to be brought into the Ancient Desolate Galaxy by Cai Fengzhou, Zhao Mingxiu, Yang Zhao, and Wan Zhenglun were also elite, talented disciples carefully nurtured by the Great Void Sect. Naturally, they possessed good judgment too.
This induced them to recall some rumors about Yang Tie.
All major powers of the Divine Lands paid much attention to the outstanding younger-generation disciples of the Celestial Sect of Wonders.
Compared to Tang Jun, Han Yang, and Zhou Yuncong, who were quick and merciless with the sword, Yang Tie's reputation was slightly more subdued, but now, his name had already been spread through the Divine Lands as well.
Every single cultivator similar to Yang Tie's cultivation level, who had fought him previously, said that it was absolute torture to battle him. It was as if they could never hope to see the possibility of victory; in the end, almost all of them were grinded down and defeated by Yang Tie through attrition. It was slightly better if his opponent was willing to throw in the towel; if not, when they fought to the end, the results were particularly aggrieved.
Yang Tie's face was still expressionless; his gaze contained only coldness. Meanwhile, Wan Zhenglun's expression was slightly peculiar, and his gaze was unsteady, as if he was daydreaming. It was only when it landed on Liu Xiafeng did Wan Zhenglun's gaze become focused again.
Zhao Mingxiu turned and looked at Dan Xiang. "Senior Dan, should we lend a hand?"
Dan Xiang hesitated, in thought, while Yang Zhao said quietly, "They did not seem to be requesting our help; then, let us see what they have in store."
Zhao Mingxiu frowned, but the scene in front of her eyes quickly attracted her attention.
Yang Tie suddenly brought his hands together; the Central Wutu Divine Light on his left hand and the Great Chaos Primordial Water on his right abruptly merged into one.
Seeing this, the eyes of Zhao Mingxiu, Dan Xiang, and the other two glowed as they saw the yellowish-brown light merge with the countless drops of Great Chaos Primordial Water, finally coalescing into one and forming an exceedingly vast and heavy power.
This power formed an ocean of radiance, expanding outwards, but was constrained to within the radius of Tang Jun and the other four's World Spell of Turning Heaven's Will. The radiance glowed brighter and brighter, adding itself to the Shield of Turning Heaven's Will and the World Spell of Turning Heaven's Will, forming a sphere of light.
The spell that Yang Tie realized from studying the Heavenly Classic of the Way's Virtues - the Central Chaotic Heavens Sealing World Spell!
The strongest defensive spell among the original mantras created by second-generation disciples.
The immense defensive strength caused Dan Xiang's gaze to stiffen as his heart felt heavy.
As Great Void Sect disciples, they have reason to be proud. With intricate mantras and astonishing Abhijnas, they enjoy enormous advantages against disciples from other Sects and rarely encounter strong enemies at the same cultivation level - and it was definitely not impossible to slay enemies of higher level either.
However, at this moment, gazing at that giant sphere of light, the Intermediate Nascent Soul Dan Xiang had no confidence at all that he could penetrate its defense. Deep down, in his heart, he even doubted that even if he advanced to Advanced Nascent Soul and attained Cosmic Form, he would be able to do anything to him.
This realization filled Dan Xiang's heart with heaviness. "And this is only the second-generation disciples of the Celestial Sect of Wonders...they are only Aurous Core cultivation...they are already like this, then, the Nascent Soul Yue Hongyan would be even more unimaginable...it looks like it would be difficult, difficult indeed to get even for that arrow, that day..."
This was still the result of the Great Void Sect disciples having arrived late previously. Dan Xiang had not seen the scene of Yue Hongyan, Luo Qingwu, and Li Yuanfang cooperating to slay the Blood Mane Grand Sage; or else, there would be even more anguish in his heart right now.
Although this type of violent tide appeared powerful and terrifying, it came fast and went fast. The power of the Four Appearances Sky Formation flowed, swiftly patching up the cracks.
Later, when they met with similar events, Yang Tie and the other disciples coordinated smoothly, and they did not meet with any real danger.
As time progressed, the spiritual energy turbulence outside gradually returned to a complete calm, and they no longer posed any real threat. The Four Appearances Sky Formation that enclosed them was gradually removed as well.
The party continued to move forward. Dan Xiang and the others did not part ways with them either, but there was still little interaction between the two sides.
However, at this instant, another intense spiritual energy turbulence storm assailed them abruptly. Yang Tie and co. did not lose their nerves and still blocked it with smooth coordination.
Although this spiritual energy tide was not as violent as the previous ones, it was still not the sort that ordinary cultivators below Immortal Soul could defend against. Now, having left the protection of the Four Appearances Sky Formation, Yang Tie and co. needed to concentrate fully as well.
With the joint defense of the Shield of Turning Heaven's Will, the five layers of the World Spell of Turning Heaven's Will, and the Central Chaotic Heavens Sealing World Spell, some cracks appeared on the sphere of light as well, but were swiftly patched by the flowing radiance. However, in every single place, new cracks surfaced constantly.
For a moment, the two sides were locked in a stalemate, both checking each other.
This kind of violent spiritual energy storm could not last for long, and would die down swiftly.
However, at this instant, Wan Zhenglun, with an obviously distracted look on his face, took a step forward seemingly innocuously - or not? As his Mana fluctuated, it unexpected touched one of the cracks!