In no time, Lin Xiao and the group rushed to the front of the Jin family’s main hall.
According to Zi Huang, the Sky-Stealing Furnace was located beneath the hall.
Without hesitation, the Zi family’s Second Elder thrust out a palm, unleashing a mountain-toppling force that blasted towards the Jin family’s main hall.
“Boom!”
A deafening explosion shook the ground, and the massive Jin family hall was shattered into ruins, leaving only debris and swirling clouds of dust.
Even the sturdiest hall couldn’t withstand a single strike from a peak ninth-level Martial Monarch, nearly at Half-Step Martial Emperor strength.
The solid ground had also cracked under the impact.
“Blast open the ground!” the Second Elder shouted. The Zi family elders acted in unison, their terrifying ninth-level Martial Monarch forces pounding a hundred-metre radius of the ground.
“Rumble!”
A series of earth-shaking explosions followed, and the ground trembled violently, collapsing inward by over ten metres.
At the same time, a brilliant golden light shone from below.
With a wave of the Second Elder’s hand, the swirling dust cleared, revealing an underground hall. In the centre stood a platform, raised a metre above the hall’s floor.
The platform was enveloped in dazzling golden light, forming an impregnable barrier.
At the centre of the platform stood a golden three-legged cauldron, about two metres wide and one metre tall, inscribed with intricate and mysterious symbols.
“Is that the Sky-Stealing Furnace?” Lin Xiao said, slightly shocked. The cauldron looked extraordinary at first glance.
“Father!” Ling Hu’s eyes reddened as he stared at the furnace, seething with rage.
“Quick, break that defensive formation!” the Second Elder roared.
Before he could finish, Ling Hu had already acted. His arm transformed into a beastly form, exuding a primal aura. He thrust out a palm, and a blood-red, five-fingered claw, brimming with terrifying power, shot down from the air, grasping at the golden defensive light.
“Boom!”
A searing explosion rang out, but Ling Hu’s attack was completely blocked.
His brows furrowed.
At that moment, Mei Tianmo, the fourteen Zi family ninth-level Martial Monarchs, and Lin Xiao all attacked. Their overwhelming forces surged towards the golden formation.
“Rumble!” “Rumble!”…
The power of one Half-Step Martial Emperor and over a dozen Martial Monarchs was immense, as if the entire space might collapse. The ground trembled violently, and piercing explosions echoed relentlessly.
Of course, compared to the Half-Step Martial Emperor and the fourteen Martial Monarchs, Lin Xiao’s strength was negligible.
Yet, despite the terrifying force of these dozens of powerhouses, the formation remained unbroken. Through the dust, the impregnable barrier was still visible.
“Could this formation withstand even a few strikes from a Martial Emperor?” Lin Xiao frowned, immediately tossing out the Blue Corpse Puppet.
The Blue Corpse Puppet’s combat power was comparable to a Half-Step Martial Emperor.
He refused to believe that two Half-Step Martial Emperors and fourteen ninth-level Martial Monarchs couldn’t break this formation.
“Keep blasting!” Zi Jinchen shouted, and the group attacked again. The Blue Corpse Puppet shot five beams of light from its fingers, each brimming with devastating power, as if capable of piercing anything, striking the formation.
“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!”…
Explosions rang out again as the group relentlessly bombarded the formation. The ground trembled, and clouds of dust swirled around them.
For one, the Sky-Stealing Furnace’s vein-refining process had reached a critical stage, leaving them with only the time of one incense stick.
For another, although Xu Tianwangyue had Half-Step Martial Emperor strength, he likely couldn’t fully restrain those top-tier Martial Monarchs.
“You’ve got some nerve!” Sure enough, after a short while, a furious shout echoed towards them.
Immediately after, figures rushed towards them.
There were nineteen in total.
Each figure radiated the terrifying aura of a ninth-level Martial Monarch.
“Damn it, that spirit beast couldn’t fully control them!” The Second Elder’s brows furrowed as he shouted, “Form the Guardian Battle Array!”
At his command, the Zi family elders stopped attacking the formation below and instantly positioned themselves around the platform’s formation, preparing to fend off external attacks.
“There are too many of them. Miss Mei, please help!” the Second Elder said.
“I’ll take them down one by one!” Mei Tianmo nodded. Torrents of black energy surged from her, and a pair of steel-like black wings unfurled. A razor-sharp poisonous stinger rose, and a chanting-like sound, akin to reciting sutras, rang out. A terrifying wave of power radiated from her.
“Mei Tianmo!” The Jin family members charging in were shocked. They hadn’t expected such a powerful spirit beast from a formidable race to be among the Zi family’s group.
“Lin Xiao, you two and the Blue Corpse Puppet, get ready to break that formation,” Zi Jinchen shouted.
“Alright!” Lin Xiao nodded with a shout, though his brows furrowed. The defensive formation was so strong that even the group couldn’t break it. Now, with just the two of them and the Blue Corpse Puppet, the task seemed daunting.
To be precise, their strength wouldn’t contribute much; it mainly depended on the Blue Corpse Puppet.
However, after the group’s earlier bombardment, cracks had appeared on the platform.
It seemed the defensive formation wasn’t entirely impregnable and could be broken.
It was a pity the Jin family’s powerhouses had arrived. Otherwise, with two Half-Step Martial Emperors and over a dozen ninth-level Martial Monarchs attacking, it wouldn’t have taken long to shatter the formation completely.
“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!”…
At that moment, the Jin family’s ninth-level Martial Monarchs charged in, clashing with the Zi family’s powerhouses.
The Zi family’s Guardian Battle Array wasn’t a true energy-based formation but one formed by people, working in unison to protect the central position. When enemies attacked from one direction, the others shifted accordingly to reinforce that side.
Though the Zi family had internal factions, their coordination in this battle array was seamless, preventing the Jin family’s powerhouses from breaking through immediately.
It was clear the Zi family elders had rehearsed this formation extensively.
Boom!
Mei Tianmo had reached the outer edge of the battle array, striking a Jin family ninth-level Martial Monarch with a palm. The Martial Monarch spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying far back.
