Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

The arrival of the three from Qingyun Sect did not cause much of a stir; only a few cold gazes swept over them, filled with scrutiny and apprehension. Clearly, Su Xiao's previous use of the Flowing Cloud Illusion had made various forces regard them as formidable competitors.

"Damn it... this thing looks even more sinister than those three luminous figures outside!" Shi Tie clicked his tongue, feeling the terrifying pressure emanating from the light barrier. He felt his scalp tingle and his blood and qi stagnate. This formation felt to him like facing an unshakeable divine mountain.

Wang Hu's face turned pale, and he struggled to breathe. He asked in a low voice, "Senior Sister Su, this formation... can we get through it?"

Su Xiao did not answer. She was intently observing the flow of spiritual light on the light screen, trying to find a pattern. However, the trajectory was profound and ever-changing. With her cultivation of array formations, she could not see any clue at all. She only felt dizzy and her mind was stinging.

She felt a chill run down her spine; this formation was definitely not something that could be broken by brute force or ordinary techniques.

Just then, the chief disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect snorted coldly and stepped forward. His expression was still unpleasant, clearly still resentful that the Azure Cloud Sect had seized the initiative earlier.

A surge of sword energy erupted from his body, making him resemble a drawn sword. He declared loudly, "Master Liuyun is a highly accomplished senior; the formation he set up must be profound. But the sword path of our Heavenly Sword Sect is unstoppable; we can certainly give it a try! Fellow disciples, assist me!"

"Yes, Senior Brother!" The other four elite disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect responded in unison, quickly taking their positions and forming sword incantations. Five incomparably sharp sword energies soared into the sky, intertwining in the air and transforming into a giant sword phantom ten zhang long and solid as a physical object! The sword intent was chilling, cutting through the air and emitting a piercing shriek!

"Heavenly Sword Secret Technique - Void-Piercing Slash! Open for me!" The chief disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect pointed his fingers like a sword and slashed forward fiercely!

The giant sword phantom, carrying an aura that seemed to tear everything apart, slashed fiercely at the light barrier of the "Myriad Streams Returning to Clouds Formation"!

"Buzz—!"

The giant sword struck the light screen, but instead of making a deafening noise, it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea. The spiritual light flowing on the light screen only paused slightly, creating a ripple, before returning to normal.

The giant sword phantom, which embodied the sword intent of five elite disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, shattered into pieces the moment it touched the light barrier, turning into pure spiritual energy that was instantly absorbed by the light barrier!

"puff!"

The five Heavenly Sword Sect disciples were struck as if by a severe attack, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Their faces turned deathly pale, and they staggered backward. The leader of the disciples was particularly weak, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief!

"How is this possible?!" The crowd was in uproar! The combined attack of the Heavenly Sword Sect was comparable to the full power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet it couldn't even make the formation tremble? Instead, it was absorbed by the formation's backlash?

"Fool!" A cultivator from the Xuan Yin Sect camp, shrouded in thick black mist with only his pale green eyes visible, spoke in a hoarse voice. He was none other than the young master of the Xuan Yin Sect!

His tone was mocking: "All streams flow into the clouds, the sea accepts all rivers! Your sword energy, though sharp, is still a kind of 'flow.' To think you can break 'return' with 'flow' is simply courting death. This formation is a Daoist formation, not something that can be broken by brute force!"

Upon hearing this, the members of the Heavenly Sword Sect were both ashamed and angry, yet unable to refute it.

"Oh? It seems the fellow Daoists of the Xuan Yin Sect already have a good plan?" The beautiful chief female cultivator from Hundred Flowers Valley chuckled, her lovely eyes sparkling.

The young master of the Xuan Yin Sect gave a sinister smile, but did not answer. Instead, he stepped forward. He formed a hand seal, and black energy surged around him, transforming into twisted ghostly runes. A cold, corrosive, and filthy aura spread out.

"All streams return to the clouds? Hmph! This young master will use my Profound Yin Qi to taint your spiritual light and corrode your Dao essence! Let's see how you 'return to the clouds' then! Profound Yin Spirit-Corroding Curse, go!"

A jet-black, foul-smelling beam of evil light shot towards the light screen like a venomous snake!

However, a strange scene unfolded. When the evil light touched the light barrier, the spiritual light flowing on the barrier paused slightly again. But this time, it did not absorb it. Instead, as if it had been enraged, several pure white spiritual lights suddenly shone, emitting an extremely yang and powerful aura, like the blazing sun shining on snow, instantly purifying the dark yin evil energy completely!

The pure yang energy even rebounded back from the source of the evil light!

"Pfft!" The young master of the Xuan Yin Sect groaned, the black aura around him dissipating to reveal a pale, distorted young face. He staggered back several steps, a trickle of black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with shock and rage: "Pure Yang Daoist Rhyme?! Damn it!"

The successive attacks of the two major powers' prodigies ended in crushing defeats, and so decisively that they didn't even scratch the surface of the formation! The hearts of everyone present sank. This "Myriad Streams Returning to Clouds Formation" was like an insurmountable chasm, filling them with despair.

"Let me try!" a deep, resonant voice rang out. The burly, scarred man from Black Wind Stronghold stepped forward, taking out a yellowish-brown seal-like magical artifact radiating a heavy aura.

"Break through all laws! Suppress it!" He raised the seal, which grew in the wind, transforming into the size of a small mountain, carrying immense earth elemental power, and slammed it fiercely into the light barrier! He intended to use absolute power to forcibly suppress the changes in the formation.

The result was a foregone conclusion. The seal struck the light barrier, but the barrier remained unmoved. The immense earth-elemental energy, like rivers flowing into the sea, was instantly absorbed by the formation. The seal itself dimmed and flew back, while the scarred man was so shaken that his blood churned, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

Next, several self-proclaimed experts in formations and leaders of small factions stepped forward to try. Some used the principles of mutual generation and restraint of the five elements, some used formation-breaking talismans, and some even brought out rare and precious treasures, but without exception, they all failed.

The "Myriad Streams Returning to Clouds Formation" seemed to encompass everything while simultaneously repelling everything. Any external force that approached was either assimilated and absorbed or backfired by the pure Daoist essence, leaving no flaws to be found.

The situation reached a stalemate once again, and a sense of powerless despair spread through the crowd. The treasure and opportunity were right before their eyes, yet they were firmly blocked by this damned formation. This feeling of seeing it but not being able to touch it was almost maddening.

The various factions stared at each other warily, the atmosphere tense.

"Junior Sister Su, this formation is too strange! Do we... have any way to deal with it?" Shi Tie leaned close to Su Xiao and asked in a low voice, his face full of worry. Even the people from the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Profound Yin Sect had suffered heavy losses, so he really had no idea what to do.

Wang Hu also looked at Su Xiao nervously.

Su Xiao frowned, his mind racing. The sect leader's jade slip contained very little information about this formation, only mentioning the eight words: "It cannot be broken by force; one must follow its rhythm."

Rhythm? Daoist rhythm? Could it be that the key to unlocking this lies not in strength or skill, but in... harmony?

She turned her gaze once more to the ever-flowing light screen. All streams converge into clouds… Is the Dao of the Flowing Cloud Immortal all-encompassing? Is it oneness?

Or... the description of spiritual energy flowing like clouds and water in the "Basic Breathing Method Optimization Chapter" and the ethereal and formless meaning of "Flowing Cloud Dao Body" resurfaced in her mind.

Flowing Clouds... Flowing Clouds... Why does this formation name, this artistic conception, fit so perfectly with the cultivation technique taught by the sect leader?

A bolder, even somewhat absurd, idea sprouted in her mind: Could it be that breaking this formation doesn't require attacking or using tricks, but simply... displaying the Daoist charm of "Flowing Clouds" that shares the same origin?

But how could she demonstrate it? Her cultivation level was low, and her understanding of Daoist principles was even more superficial.