“Hongyue, it’s your turn.”
From within the breaking formation, Liangqiu Chengfeng’s voice rang out again, this time with a stern edge.
Clearly, he was far from pleased with the failure to break the array.
Liangqiu Lanyue quickly stepped back, and Liangqiu Hongyue took her place.
Buzz—
Light flared once more as the breaking formation roared back to life.
Immediately after, the array under Liangqiu Hongyue’s control began to hum with power.
The juniors inside poured every ounce of effort into fueling the formation.
The two arrays, working in tandem, once again sent the ancient ruin’s protective barrier into violent tremors, as if it were under a crushing assault.
Yet, half an hour passed in a flash, and the guardian barrier still stood firm, its crack widening only a fraction.
Worse, the expansion was even less than what Liangqiu Lanyue had achieved earlier.
“Useless! When Master secluded himself to teach you two spirit formation arts, is this all you’ve amounted to?”
A furious shout erupted—it was Liangqiu Chengfeng.
At his roar, the Chu Heavenly Clan Leader let out a knowing smile.
He’d long heard that Liangqiu Chengfeng was amiable, but grew impatient when breaking formations—today proved it true.
“Senior Brother, this guardian barrier’s just too sturdy, you can’t blame us!” Liangqiu Hongyue protested, though her rebuttal lacked conviction, tinged instead with grievance, revealing how even the haughty her feared this Liangqiu Chengfeng.
“This is the only viable way to break it, and… the formation I taught you two, paired with mine, can absolutely shatter it.”
“But you sisters can’t even control it, wasting the spirit power of all these young friends—what a disappointment,” Liangqiu Chengfeng said.
“Senior Brother, it’s clearly the barrier’s toughness, how can you pin this on our control?” Liangqiu Lanyue countered, evidently disagreeing with his assessment.
“No more excuses from you two, I’ll report this to Master as it is,” Liangqiu Chengfeng snapped, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
Faced with such wrath, even Liangqiu Hongyue and Lanyue didn’t dare argue further, and the others stayed silent, wary of riling this towering figure.
But just as Liangqiu Chengfeng’s anger peaked, his tone softened unexpectedly, addressing not the sisters but Wuma Shengjie.
“Young friend Wuma Shengjie, could you take control of this formation?” he asked.
His request surprised no one—it was anticipated.
Among the juniors, aside from the Liangqiu sisters, Wuma Shengjie was also an Insect Mark Honoured-cloak Spirit Formationist.
“Alright,” Wuma Shengjie agreed without hesitation, stepping forward to replace Liangqiu Hongyue.
Soon after, Liangqiu Chengfeng activated the breaking formation, and Wuma Shengjie powered the inner array, the dual assault resuming.
Another half-hour passed, and though it failed again, the crack doubled in size.
Now, not just the juniors but even the senior figures were visibly shocked, their surprise laced with delight.
At that moment, a shared thought crossed everyone’s minds.
Wuma Shengjie, the prophesied child, lived up to her name—such talent was extraordinary. At her young age, a Fourth Rank Martial Immortal, her strength was nearly unmatched among the Ancestral Martial Star Region’s juniors.
And now, in spirit formation arts, she’d outshone even Master Liangqiu’s prized disciples.
Her gifts were undeniable—given time, she might truly rival the region’s top genius, Linghu Hongfei.
While others marvelled, the Liangqiu sisters’ faces soured.
As Master Liangqiu’s youngest disciples, they’d always been the centre of attention wherever they went.
Here, too, at first, but… the prophecy made Wuma Shengjie the true star.
That alone irked them, and now, being outdone in spirit formation arts by her only deepened their displeasure.
In her frustration, Liangqiu Hongyue, almost impulsively, turned and called out to the array where Liangqiu Chengfeng stood, “Senior Brother, perhaps one person here can break this array.”
Her words puzzled many.
If anyone could break it, among the seniors it’d be Liangqiu Chengfeng, among the juniors, Wuma Shengjie—common knowledge. Why would Liangqiu Hongyue say this now?
“Oh? Who?” Liangqiu Chengfeng asked.
Curiosity gripped everyone—who could she mean?
Liangqiu Hongyue pointed toward the Chu Clan Leader’s side, declaring loudly, “Him… Chu Feng.”
“What? Him?”
Her announcement stunned the crowd, even Liangqiu Chengfeng was caught off guard—he hadn’t known she knew Chu Feng.
But now, it was clear she did.
The most shocked were the foreign clan juniors, who’d dismissed Chu Feng from the start, treating his earlier words as a joke.
They’d only held their tongues out of respect for the Chu Clan Leader.
Now, Liangqiu Hongyue claiming Chu Feng could break the array left them dumbfounded.
“Hongyue, why say he can do it?” Liangqiu Chengfeng asked, though he’d already sensed Chu Feng’s spirit formation skill surpassed the sisters—he wanted to know how she knew.
Facing his question, Liangqiu Hongyue’s face twisted with hesitation…
In that moment, she glanced at Wuma Shengjie, catching the smug arrogance on her face, and resolve hardened in her eyes.
She spoke again, seven words that left everyone reeling.
“Because… I once lost to him.”
