After speaking, Cao Yi pitched headfirst into Yunxiao Sea. His spiritual power was spent, and even his soul force was exhausted. He could no longer keep himself aloft.
Lin Keyang and Zhang Lingrui dived after him to catch him. They shouted, "Ran Xi, do not worry about us. We will take Cao Yi away."
"Hahaha! So you actually found that formation! Do you really think such a thing can slay this Lord?"
Seeing the Heavenly Gang North Star Demon-Slaying Array's core array blazing above Yunxiao Sea, Yunxi knew it was time. She swept her sleeve, dispersing the bloodline-tracking array, and said coolly,"This junior knows her limits. I never intended to slay you. I only mean to make the Divine Venerable sleep a while longer."
With that, she waved her sleeve and sent the Divine Transformation cultivators who had been helping her suppress the sealed ground out of Yunxiao Sea. Then she poured a vast surge of thunder spiritual power into the Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff to keep pressing the sealed place down. Her figure soared upward to the Big Dipper array's nexus point, where she sat cross-legged in the air.
"Xun Kun, Han Lian, Yun Chen, raise the array!"
"Raise the array!"
"Raise the array!"
"Raise the array!"
Once she heard their replies, Yunxi drove her soul force to shatter the Ten Hall Lord Yama pressure on her soul. Her Void Refining stage divine sense surged outward. Centered on the Big Dipper array beneath her, it linked swiftly to formations in all directions.
Holding their own sectors, Xun Kun, Han Lian, and Yun Chen likewise broke the suppression on their souls. Their powerful divine senses unfurled, joining every pre-laid formation. Across the entire Weiyu Realm, countless golden arrays flared up and slowly joined together, forming a complete Heavenly Gang North Star Demon-Slaying Array.
The four streams of divine sense speared into the sky to connect with the Big Dipper. Starlight poured down into the array. A blinding white radiance bloomed as the grand formation began to descend.
One supreme-grade spirit vein twined around Yunxi's arm ran dry, but she had already drawn down the power of the Seven Stars. The core array kept settling.
On the staff's shaft, seven star-points seemed to come alive, flashing ceaselessly. Under the stacking overlays of the formation, the Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff pressed the evil god's sealed ground downward, slow but inexorable.
"Ah! How dare you!"
The coarse voice rumbled up from the seabed again. The sealed ground bucked in a final struggle, straining against the Heavenly Gang North Star Demon-Slaying Array.
Yunxi drew a deep breath, formed a seal, and poured more spiritual power into the array. Her voice was iron. "Demon-slay."
Xun Kun, Han Lian, and Yun Chen shouted in unison, "Demon-slay!" and drove another tidal surge of power into the formation, dragging every linked array further down.
In the next instant, the four felt their dantians run dry again. Yunxi's state was only slightly better thanks to the last spirit vein she still held.
Xun Kun formed hand seals, drawing power from the Kunmo Sect's subterranean spirit veins. He sent a tense transmission, "Ran Xi, I am running out."
Han Lian stood amid piles of ten-thousand-year ice. Even so, her absorption could not keep pace with the formation's consumption. "So am I."
"Amitabha. My master and junior brothers are assisting me. I can barely hold," Yun Chen said.
Yunxi bit down and said, "Release the suppressive robes. Burn one layer of cultivation and force the grand formation down. Otherwise everything we have done goes to waste. At worst, we rebuild."
"Good."
"Agreed."
"We fight."
Without hesitation, all three answered. The four stripped off the robes that suppressed their realms and, with rapid seals, ignited a layer of their Out-of-Body cultivation, pouring power equal to an ascent to the Spirit Realm back into the formation.
A thunderous roar rolled across the Weiyu Realm. Every cultivator stared up at the vast array. If anyone still did not realize a calamity was underway, they were fools.
Hao Yi, Ming Jia, Mo Yuwan, Xian Yao, Xian Feng, Yun Ze, Han Yan, Linlang, Zhu Ye and other leaders from every sect stood suspended in the sky, eyes locked on the descending formation, and watched as the cultivation of the four controllers began to fall.
From Out-of-Body, they dropped to late Divine Transformation, then mid Divine Transformation, then early Divine Transformation. Just as they were about to plunge into the Nascent Soul realm, the Heavenly Gang North Star Demon-Slaying Array, empowered by the stars, erupted in a blaze of white. It finally sank into the earth and forced the evil god's sealed ground of Yunxiao Sea back into the depths.
"Ah! One day this Lord will rise, and you—"
The rest of the voice dissolved into the water. The surging waves gradually stilled, as if nothing had ever happened.
Yunxi's body plummeted. She was too drained to lift a finger. Seeing her own cultivation fall to mid Divine Transformation, she silently thanked the last spirit vein. Without it, she might have slipped into Nascent Soul.
Xun Kun and the others had each fallen back to early Divine Transformation. Fortunately, their sects' support prevented them from dropping to Nascent Soul.
As Yunxi fell, a black shadow streaked toward her, a dark gleam stabbing for her dantian.
A metallic shriek rang out. It felt like being hit by a freight cart. Yunxi had already closed her eyes in exhaustion, but the golden armor shimmer that rose over her body blocked the fatal strike and sent her flying.
Yu Ling's face went glacial. Someone had dared ambush Ran Xi right before his eyes. With a light flick of Binghan, he unfolded his Ice and Snow Purgatory domain, dragging the attacking Divine Transformation cultivator inside.
Ming Hong moved no slower. A stroke of Jinghong Sword cleaved into the assailant. The sneak attacker did not even have time to scream before being pulled into Yu Ling's domain.
In the next heartbeat, Yu Ling flashed to Ran Xi's side and swept his sleeve, drawing his disciple into its shelter.
Hao Yan and Shi Jun had just finished cutting down evil cultivators who tried to reinforce the fight and arrived at the shore of Yunxiao Sea with the sect's Nascent Soul disciples. They had seen the ambush from start to finish. Hao Yan narrowed her phoenix eyes. "Junior Brother Yu Ling, do not kill him. I want to know who gave him the gall to strike at Ran Xi."
Yu Ling's voice was cold. "Understood. I will return Ran Xi to the sect for treatment first. Guard Yunxiao Sea. I fear more changes may come."
"Go. Shi Jun and I will hold here."
With their confirmation, Yu Ling did not linger a moment. He ripped space open and returned straight to Haoran Sect.
Only then did the remaining Divine Transformation cultivators begin to whisper among themselves, though every strand of divine sense still circled over Yunxiao Sea, wary of sudden turns.
Across the Weiyu Realm, low-level cultivators celebrated having survived yet another calamity. Many more were asking what had happened, curious what could alarm the peak powers of all five regions.
Xun Kun, Han Lian, and Yun Chen had fared no better. Spent of strength, they each fainted.
Back at the sect, Yu Ling carried Yunxi directly to the Qingye Pool, the best place to restore spiritual power, and sat cross-legged at its edge to guard her.
Ran Xi, meanwhile, sank into a long, heavy dream.