Chapter 203: Chapter 200: The Might of the Array, Ning Jiang Takes the Stage

"Three first-tier experts."

Watching the three walk up, the members of the Yanyue Sect had looks of fighting spirit in their eyes.

"Be careful. Especially the one in the middle, Wang Heng. I’ve fought him before and lost in a single move," Tang Lin said with a grave expression.

"We will."

Zi Yunfei and Xiang Yinghao nodded grimly. Tang Lin was the strongest of the three of them, yet he had lost to Wang Heng. It was clear this was going to be a bitter fight.

"Let’s fight."

The three of them walked forward.

Three against three. Their fighting spirit clashed in the air.

Wang Heng, who had a scar on his face, grinned. "Tang Lin, you’re just a loser I’ve already beaten. You dare come up for another match?"

"Today, the one who loses will be you," Tang Lin said slowly.

"Attack!"

The three from the Fire Cloud Sect shot forward, one to the left, one to the right, and one down the middle, each choosing an opponent.

Their plan was simple: rely on raw power to defeat them individually.

’How arrogant.’

Tang Lin’s gaze was cold. Their opponents hadn’t even bothered with a formation, simply charging in to fight head-on. They clearly didn’t take them seriously.

The three were not provoked by the Fire Cloud Sect. They took a deep breath and, following the Three Talents Golden Lock Formation taught to them by Ning Jiang, met the Fire Cloud Sect’s attack.

The Three Talents Golden Lock Formation was all about coordination.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The air rippled like water. After dozens of moves, the members of the Fire Cloud Sect halted their assault.

’They’ve got some skill. I didn’t expect them to have cultivated a battle array.’

They realized that no matter how they attacked, the three of them stuck together, giving them no opportunity to be picked off one by one.

"Forget it. Let’s get serious."

Wang Heng said. The three exchanged a look, then nodded slightly, deciding not to waste any more time with them.

BOOM!

Raging fires erupted from their bodies, radiating an oppressive heat.

"The Fire Cloud Scripture." Tang Lin and the others’ gazes sharpened; they all recognized the cultivation technique their opponents were using.

Within the Fire Cloud Sect, the most famous cultivation technique was the Fire Cloud Scripture, from which the Sect had also taken its name.

This Fire Cloud Scripture was an incredibly domineering Fire Attribute Technique with overwhelming power.

Back in the day, the Fire Cloud Ancestor of the Fire Cloud Sect had used this technique to slay several experts at the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm.

For the three of them to activate this technique now meant they were finally getting serious and holding nothing back.

"Fire Cloud Array!"

The three of them let out a furious roar and stomped their feet hard on the ground. In an instant, the flames on their bodies surged forth, blanketing the sky.

The flames clustered together, resembling clouds of fire.

All three cultivated flame techniques. Now that their flames were merging, it was like a tsunami of fire, crashing down with overwhelming force.

"Even a young titan would have to be wary of the Fire Cloud Array’s power. Within my Sect, three second-tier disciples using the Fire Cloud Array could hold their own against a first-tier expert for some time," Cai Qingqiu said, extremely confident in the Fire Cloud Array.

"The Fire Cloud Array is certainly impressive, but compared to some of the sword arrays in my Sect, it’s merely a trifle," Shangguan Yang said nonchalantly.

As a member of the Star Sword Sect, he possessed an innate pride.

"The Star Sword Sect is the leader among the major sects of Qing Province and an Upper Grade Sect. It’s only natural that my Fire Cloud Sect is not its equal," Cai Qingqiu said, offering a compliment.

"Heh heh, if Miss Qingqiu were willing to marry into my Star Sword Sect, we would be willing to share some of our High Level Sword Arrays with the Fire Cloud Sect." A fiery look flashed in Shangguan Yang’s eyes.

He had been pursuing Cai Qingqiu for some time, but a woman like her, who lacked for neither looks nor status, was not easy to win over, even for him.

"Brother Shangguan, you jest."

Cai Qingqiu smiled faintly, neither refusing nor accepting.

She was a clever woman and knew that sometimes, keeping a man on the hook would only make him cherish her more.

On the other hand, if she were easily won over by Shangguan Yang, he would just see her as a cheap woman.

What you can’t have is always the most precious.

Cai Qingqiu understood this principle deeply.

’I wonder how they’ll handle this?’

In contrast to the relaxed, flirtatious atmosphere between those two, the expressions of the Yanyue Sect members were all a little tense.

Yuan Tao secretly glanced at Ning Jiang. ’The array Ning Jiang taught them last night should come in handy now, right?’

"Block it!"

The three disciples channeled their Spiritual Qi, forming a massive barrier in front of them to block the incoming attack of the fire clouds.

"Just blocking? It seems you have no other tricks up your sleeve," Wang Heng sneered.

’We’re going to lose if this keeps up, aren’t we?’

The expressions on the faces of the Yanyue Sect members were grim. ’Is this all there is to the array Ning Jiang taught them last night? Just blocking the enemy’s attacks?’

’If that’s the case, how are they supposed to beat the Fire Cloud Sect?’

"Let’s not waste any more time with them. Let’s end this quickly," Wang Heng said.

"My thoughts exactly."

The other two nodded, and the three of them shouted in unison, "Fire Cloud Earth-Splitting Slash!"

In an instant, all the flames converged high in the air. Three breaths later, a massive Flaming Giant Axe appeared before everyone’s eyes.

This Flaming Giant Axe was a hundred zhang long, wreathed in flames that coiled around it like countless fiery serpents.

A terrifying heatwave spread out in all directions, causing the onlookers’ faces to pale as they scrambled to retreat further away.

"Three first-tier experts, joining forces to activate the ultimate mystery of the Fire Cloud Array. The power of this Fire Cloud Earth-Splitting Slash alone is already comparable to that of a young titan," Cai Qingqiu commented.

"The aura of this attack is indeed terrifying. Only a young titan could possibly receive such a blow."

Shangguan Yang deeply agreed. As arrogant as he was, even he had to admit the attack was fearsome.

"Slash!"

The massive Flaming Giant Axe looked as if it would split the very earth and incinerate everything in its path as it fell with the speed of a thunderbolt.

At that moment, the hearts of everyone in the Yanyue Sect leaped into their throats.

"Now’s the time."

A light flashed in the eyes of Tang Lin and the others. They roared, "Golden Lock, appear!"

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Following the sound of clanking chains, an immense golden chain appeared in the air. Like a giant python, it coiled around the Flaming Giant Axe, locking it tightly in place.

For the Three Talents Golden Lock Formation, this Golden Lock was its true ultimate mystery.

"Break!"

The chain, like a python constricting its prey, squeezed hard, and the entire Flaming Giant Axe shattered in an instant.

"How is that possible?"

The three from the Fire Cloud Sect stared at the scene in disbelief. An attack powerful enough to rival a young titan was broken just like that?

"Go!"

The massive Golden Lock then whipped toward the three of them.

"Break! Break! Break!"

The three of them launched their attacks, striking the Golden Lock with all their might, but they only managed to create a few sparks. They couldn’t sever it at all.

"This array fuses the Spiritual Qi of all three of them together! That’s why it can’t be broken!"

Cai Qingqiu was shocked, having seen through the trick.

It was simple. The Golden Lock was formed from the fused Spiritual Qi of Tang Lin and his two companions, while the attacks from Wang Heng’s group were separate. How could they possibly sever the Golden Lock like that?

"How does the Yanyue Sect have such a High Level Array?"

Shangguan Yang frowned in thought. An array capable of fusing the Spiritual Qi of three people into a single force was considered a High Level Array; even the Star Sword Sect didn’t have many of them.

The Fire Cloud Earth-Splitting Slash, for instance, only gathered their attacks together; it didn’t fuse them.

PSHFFT!

The massive Golden Lock, like a giant python, whipped out viciously, sending the three of them flying backward, vomiting blood and heavily injured.

’I really want to kill them,’ Zi Yunfei and the others thought with regret. Killing wasn’t allowed in this kind of match; otherwise, they wouldn’t have minded finishing off the three of them on the spot.

After all, the two sects were mortal enemies. A few more debts wouldn’t make a difference.

"We only won thanks to the Ninth Elder’s array." Yuan Tao and the others were thrilled, their reverence for Ning Jiang growing even deeper.

"I didn’t expect you to win the second match. But that’s fine. I was hoping to stretch my legs a bit anyway."

A tall youth walked out from the Fire Cloud Sect. He was powerfully built, with the back of a tiger and the waist of a bear. His neck was thick, and his arms were thicker than an average person’s thighs. He was clearly a being of immense physical prowess.

A scorching aura rose from his body, making him look like a man of fire. His presence was terrifying.

"It’s Guo Jiang! That bastard!"

Upon seeing this man, the eyes of everyone from the Yanyue Sect filled with hatred.

"Who is he?" Ning Jiang asked.

"Many of our Yanyue Sect disciples have died at his hands! Just over a month ago, he killed two of our first-tier fellow disciples!"

Zi Yunfei said through gritted teeth. The two who were killed had both been Core Disciples, and she had been very close to them. She wished for nothing more than to kill Guo Jiang and avenge them.

"Ninth Elder, you must be extremely careful with this man. Among the first-tier, his strength is among the very top. A young titan once commented on him, saying he was one of the first-tier disciples with the most potential to become a new titan," Zi Yunfei warned.

Without a doubt, this was a fearsome enemy. Even two first-tier experts had died at his hands; he had to be treated with extreme caution.

"I understand." Ning Jiang nodded and walked out.

’The Ninth Elder will definitely win,’ the crowd thought, full of hope.

"What a pity. Killing isn’t allowed in the match. Otherwise, I’d love to see what it feels like to kill an Elder from the Yanyue Sect," Guo Jiang sneered, his face vicious.

"How about this? I have a suggestion. Let’s change our match to a fight to the death. What do you say?" Ning Jiang said coolly.

"Oh?" Guo Jiang’s gaze sharpened.

At this moment, Shangguan Yang, who was on the side, said, "If an agreement is made before the match, that is indeed permissible."

"Then there’s no problem." Guo Jiang licked his lips, his eyes like those of a man-eating Fierce Beast. "Zi Yunfei just told you to be careful of me, but there’s one thing she didn’t tell you. Those two first-tier disciples from your Yanyue Sect? I tortured them both to death. And I’ll give you the same treatment."

Hearing his words, grief filled the eyes of Zi Yunfei and the others.

When they had discovered the bodies of their two fellow disciples, their corpses had been mangled beyond recognition. They had suffered inhuman torture before their deaths.

It was precisely because of this that Yue Wenfu had been unable to restrain himself and had charged into the Fire Cloud Sect, demanding justice.

"On the Path of the Yellow Springs, they are waiting for you. I will send you to meet them." A murderous intent erupted from Ning Jiang’s cold voice.