Chapter 226: No One May Trespass Through My Master’s Formation 

“Protect His Highness!!” 

“Archers, nock your arrows—” 

The officers shouted among the ranks. Along the narrow mountain road, more than a thousand men were stretched across a distance of twenty to thirty zhang. Generals such as Yu Juluo, Shi Wansui, and Han Qinhu drew their weapons and spurred their horses toward the front. 

Someone shouted, “Escort His Highness to the rear!” 

Guarded at Yang Guang’s side as well, the Duke Qinghe, Yang Su, frowned as he looked toward the unidentified army ahead on the road. He could sense a current of spiritual qi flowing through the surrounding mountains. 

Neighhh— 

The yellow-pelt horse let out an uneasy whinny, tossing its mane as it carried Yang Guang. Under the escort of his guards, the young prince turned his horse around. Pulling on the reins, he glanced back and saw that Yang Su was still sitting calmly atop his horse. 

He shouted to him: “Duke Qinghe, why have you not withdrawn yet?!” 

“Your Highness, do not panic. This is likely a formation that Lu Liangsheng arranged here. It has merely been disturbed by the killing intent of our army.” 

The surrounding soldiers raised shields and formed ranks. Yang Su, seated upon his horse, lifted a hand slightly, his gaze narrowing. 

“Your Highness may not know this, but Daoist Friend Lu is highly skilled in the Dao of illusions. This formation is likely related to illusion arts as well…” 

Whoosh— 

A sharp sound tore through the air from afar. 

Yang Su stared directly at the black shadow flying toward him. Sitting motionless on horseback, he did not move an inch. A strand of hair beside his face was suddenly swept up. 

Behind him, a spray of blood burst into the air. 

“Aahhh!” 

A soldier clutched his shoulder and screamed as he fell to the ground. 

Yang Su turned and glanced at him before letting out a snort. 

“This is an illusion! It’s fake! The pain is not real.” 

“But, Duke of Qinghe, it really hurts! It hurts so much!” The soldier clutched the arrow lodged in his shoulder. Blood streamed through his fingers, staining his armor and robes crimson. 

Yang Su smacked his lips and frowned even more deeply. Turning back around, his expression became solemn. 

“Perhaps… I was mistaken.” 

He abruptly wheeled his horse around. 

“Hyah!” 

With a light shout, he urged the horse backward several zhang. Only after reaching what he felt was a safe distance did he stop. Then he cupped his hands toward the mountains and, using his spiritual power to carry his voice, called out loudly through the valleys: 

“Yang Su of Chang’an, together with His Highness the Prince Jin, pays respects to Lu Liangsheng of Qixia Mountain!!” 

The sound echoed through the mountains. 

Yang Guang straightened his back and looked about from within the circle of guards surrounding him. The birds still wheeled overhead. Though he could not see the spiritual radiance and streams of qi, a flash of light suddenly flickered atop a mountain ahead. The wind blowing toward them became even fiercer. His robe flapped wildly and plastered itself across his face. Hastily raising a hand to shield his face and neck, he shouted: “Duke Qinghe, why has it become like this?!” 

“Uh…” 

Yang Su did not know what was happening either. His voice became somewhat indistinct amid the gale. “Your Highness, Daoist Friend Lu may not be at home!” 

“Then withdraw first!” 

“We cannot leave. On our way here, we have likely already entered the illusion formation. The only option is to break the formation!” 

Before long, the sound of war drums rolled over. Yang Su gathered spiritual power into his eyes and looked across the mountains, forming hand seals as he searched for the crucial point needed to break the formation. 

Boom! 

Boom! 

Boom! 

With the wind blowing so fiercely, Yang Su’s words could no longer reach the front lines. Shi Wansui, Han Qinhu, Yu Juluo, and the other generals commanding the army had already arranged their battle formations. Across from them, the war drums sounded in steady succession. Dense ranks packed together like a long dragon advanced step by step, lowering their long spears as they pressed forward. Behind them were great crossbows and longbows, causing the generals’ scalps to tingle with alarm. 

“Crossbows and bows… how are we supposed to deal with that in such a narrow passage…?” “We’ll make do and fight. Who was it that said he hadn’t had his fill of killing earlier?” 

“Don’t look at me!” 

“Eh? Have any of you noticed that their armor looks somewhat different?” “That’s right. The armor isn’t from Chen either. And I’ve never heard of a Chen general surnamed Bai. There are at least ten thousand troops here. They can’t possibly be nobodies.” 

The generals had experienced many campaigns. A glance at the enemy’s clothing and banners immediately revealed several suspicious details. However, none of them dared act carelessly. They promptly completed their battle formations. 

Possessing immense strength, Yu Juluo hefted his great saber and looked back. “I’ll take a hundred men and test the enemy’s strength. Hold this position. If things go poorly, there’s no need to come rescue me. Just focus on protecting His Highness!” 

“Be careful. If the situation turns unfavorable, return immediately!” Shi Wansui cautioned. Then he beckoned a messenger soldier over. “Go at once and ask Duke Qinghe what we should do next!” 

“Yes, sir!” 

As the messenger spurred his horse away, Yu Juluo had already selected one hundred and twenty soldiers. Tightening his grip on the saber hilt, he raised the blade with a sweep of his arm and shouted loudly: 

“Follow me!” 

His heels pressed into the horse’s flanks, and he suddenly charged forward with the more than one hundred somewhat apprehensive soldiers, thundering down the mountain road that stretched for a full li. 

“KILL!!” 

The instant the fierce shout burst from his mouth, the distance of a li was crossed in the blink of an eye. 

Above the pounding hooves, Yu Juluo raised his saber in one hand. 

“I am Yu of Great Sui—” 

His gaze fixed on the enemy ahead. The general standing atop the war chariot remained expressionless. He merely lifted an arm and slowly clenched his outstretched hand into a fist. 

The spearmen behind him shifted aside to either flank, revealing row upon row of half-crouching figures holding crossbows aimed in their direction. 

“Loose!” General Bai atop the chariot shouted as he clenched his fist. 

In the next moment came a unified clatter as crossbow bolts were set in place and raised from the soldiers’ hands; Yu Juluo and the hundred-odd soldiers charging forward widened their eyes, the fury on their faces freezing in place, while reflected in their pupils was a line of dark shapes accompanied by the sharp thrum-thrum of bowstrings as they shot straight toward them… 

Neighhh!! 

The charging warhorses reared up as several bolts punched into flesh and buried themselves deep in their bodies. The beasts tilted sideways and crashed to the ground, Yu Juluo being thrown directly from his mount, while the soldiers to either side of him collapsed one after another along the charging mountain road, each struck by multiple bolts and rolling on the ground in agony. 

“Old Yu!” “Don’t go over there—!” 

Han Qinhu shouted anxiously from the rear, but Shi Wansui grabbed him and held him back. Amid the howling wind, he also shouted toward Yang Su behind them: “Duke Qinghe, think of something quickly!!” 

Behind the rows of shields, sweat beaded across Yang Su’s face. At this moment, he had already found a method to break the formation, but the formation was exceedingly difficult to comprehend, not only conforming to the natural momentum of mountains and rivers, but also drawing upon the qi of Heaven, Earth, and Man. 

As expected, when scholars cultivate the Dao, they’re a damned headache to deal with; everything is twists and turns… 

Guiding his spiritual power into the formation’s critical nodes, he silently cursed Lu Liangsheng several times as well. Even as the thought flashed through his mind, his hands never slowed. Biting his fingertip until it bled, he flicked the blood into the air, where it vanished without a trace. 

Then a faint click sounded in his ears, and the fierce winds around them abruptly ceased. 

“Success!” 

Yang Su was overjoyed inwardly, though his expression remained solemn. He nodded slightly, turned his head toward Prince Jin, stroked his beard, and said, “The formation has been broken. Your Highness may accompany me now.” 

Hoo… 

Yang Guang also let out a sigh of relief. Urging his horse forward, the two finally arrived at the front lines, only to see the mysterious army ahead gradually dissolving before their eyes as though scattered by the wind, transforming into countless points of starlight that drifted away. 

More than a hundred heads protruded from the earth. Yu Juluo looked toward Shi Wansui and the others in terror and shouted: “What are you all standing around for? Dig us out! We can barely breathe!” 

Even the soldiers who had previously been struck by arrows were not dead. There were not even any wounds on their bodies, yet the tearing pain remained as vivid as ever, leaving them unable to walk and forcing their comrades to help them over to the roadside to rest. 

Seeing this scene, Yang Guang’s eyes widened. He clenched his robes excitedly. Though he did not understand such things, he could still perceive the terrifying power contained within the illusion formation. 

Sure enough, this is what true immortal magic looks like. Back on the streets of Chang’an, I could already tell that Mister Lu was no ordinary cultivator. Not only can he wield an immortal sword to slay demons and exterminate evil, but he can also set up an illusion formation capable of manifesting thousands upon thousands of soldiers. 

No, today I must see Mister Lu no matter what! 

Over there, Yu Juluo had already been dug out by the soldiers and helped back. Somewhat dejected, he lowered his head and cupped his hands toward Yang Guang. 

“This general has embarrassed himself before Your Highness. I ask to be punished.” 

From atop his horse, Yang Guang waved a hand and motioned for him to rise. “There is no need. Your opponent was Mister Lu. His Daoist cultivation is profound beyond measure; ordinary men like us could never compare.” 

Yu Juluo, having risen from the ground, curled his lips. He still felt somewhat unconvinced, but in the end said nothing. Instead, he turned toward Yang Su at the side and cupped his hands. 

“Many thanks to Duke Qinghe for breaking the demonic art in time.” 

“It is nothing. Since the formation has now been broken, General, continue leading the way ahead.” 

The mountain column once more stretched out into a long dragon. Yang Su resumed command and was just about to issue orders when the wind, which had only recently subsided, suddenly began howling again. 

The forests along the mountain slopes swayed even more violently than before. Pebbles on the ground rolled about, then were lifted directly into the air by the gale and hurled against people’s faces. The warhorses beneath the cavalry stamped their hooves and neighed in terror. Had the riders not been gripping the reins with all their strength, the horses would have already turned and fled. 

“Duke Qinghe, what’s happening now?!” “That’s right! Wasn’t the demonic art already broken?!” 

Yu Juluo, Shi Wansui, and the other generals shouted uneasily. The wind forced their eyes nearly shut as they struggled to calm their mounts. Even Yang Su, who was being questioned, wore a bewildered expression. He had indeed broken the formation with his own hands just moments ago, so why had this change occurred? Even he could not understand it. 

Could it be… that there is another formation hidden within the formation…? 

Yang Su frowned as he pondered a countermeasure when suddenly a voice in the ranks cried out: “What is that?!” 

Yang Guang, along with the officers and soldiers nearby, followed the shout and looked over. On a nearby mountainside, countless boulders and slabs of rock came crashing down, rumbling into the middle of the road. 

Upon the sunlit peak, an enormous serpentine body pressed against the mountaintop, rolling and slithering across it. It flashed through the sight of the crowd for but an instant. Scales as large as houses reflected the sunlight, glittering ceaselessly as the immense body moved. 

The colossal form coiled and undulated along the mountain range, producing thunderous rumbles that echoed through the valleys. Then, at a certain moment, it suddenly stopped. Even the wind battering their faces changed direction in an instant. The gigantic body began slowly rising upward. The head, which had remained hidden until now, lifted high from the far side of the mountain. Beneath the gaze of more than a thousand people, the sunlight illuminating the earth suddenly dimmed. 

“Ah—!” 

Yang Guang was so frightened that he nearly tumbled from his horse. Clutching the horse’s neck, he flattened himself against its back and squeezed his eyes shut. Around him, the officers and soldiers were no better. Even men such as Yu Juluo and Han Qinhu wore expressions of outright terror. 

Atop that immense serpentine body were nine heads joined together. Each face bore a different appearance and expression. Their eyes flashed like lightning as they flicked their forked tongues and looked down upon the “ants” gathered below the mountain. 

Gulp. 

Yang Su could not help swallowing. 

He clenched his Daoist robe tightly. 

Fake, fake. It’s an illusion. This is an illusion. Don’t be afraid! 

Daoist Friend Lu, I’m not here seeking the Dao or challenging your formation. Is it really necessary to make things so difficult for me? 

At this moment, he felt utterly miserable. 

“Who are you people? You should leave quickly! My master’s formation is very powerful! You mustn’t barge into it!” 

Suddenly, a childish voice rang out from a broken cliff not far ahead.