“Oh?”
Hearing this, Yuan Shu realized the formation’s difficulty must be extraordinary, far beyond what he could see.
But just how formidable it was, he had yet to grasp.
It wasn’t until he looked again at the formation gate and saw the scene within that he understood how terrifying this formation truly was.
From the collapsing earth, a colossal force surged skyward.
Though he couldn’t yet see what it was, the aura alone struck fear into his heart.
As Yuan Shu stared intently, something finally emerged from the depths of the ground.
It was seven massive statues.
Seven enormous statues, positioned in all directions, surrounding Chu Feng.
The statues rose swiftly from the earth, soon piercing the clouds.
When their full forms were revealed, Yuan Shu couldn’t help but gasp in awe.
The statues were so immense that even the vast clouds drifted only at their knees.
Their towering bodies seemed on the verge of leaving this world, reaching into the boundless cosmos beyond.
Though equal in height, each statue had a distinct form.
They depicted a demon, a devil, an immortal, a Buddha, a ghost, a beast, and an Asura—seven spirit entities.
The powerful aura Yuan Shu had sensed came from these seven spirit statues.
Suddenly, fierce winds roared in the void above, so strong they could devastate an entire realm.
The cause was the movement of the seven statues.
As they stirred, countless fragments of stone peeled from their bodies, falling like a meteor shower from the void.
As the stones fell away, real spirit entities emerged.
They weren’t mere statues but living beings.
Though Yuan Shu knew they were conjured by Master Tang Chen’s formation, within the formation, they were alive, godlike existences.
Even from outside, Yuan Shu could feel their overwhelming might, making him feel insignificant.
“Master, how is Brother Chu Feng supposed to break such a formation?” Yuan Shu asked his master.
He asked because he realized the seven spirits were hostile, targeting Chu Feng.
How could Chu Feng face such formidable beings?
It seemed like a confrontation doomed from the start.
“If it were easy to break, it wouldn’t be my masterpiece,” Master Tang Chen said.
“But… isn’t this a bit much?” Yuan Shu asked.
“Don’t worry. This formation won’t take his life, but if he can’t break it, a lesson is inevitable. It’s a chance to show Ox-Nose that I’m serious about this bet,” Master Tang Chen said, his face brimming with confidence.
His confidence in the formation suggested Chu Feng was destined to fail.
He was here to witness Chu Feng’s failure and admire his own creation.
“Sigh…” Yuan Shu sighed helplessly, unable to change anything.
He turned his gaze back to the formation.
Though he knew the seven spirits would attack Chu Feng, he wanted to see what would happen when they did.
Roar—
At that moment, all seven spirits opened their mouths.
As they did, the winds shifted, and space churned.
A tremendous suction force erupted from their mouths, directed at Chu Feng.
Under this force, Chu Feng began to change.
Not only did his robes flutter wildly, but a unique gas emerged from his body.
This gas, released from within, followed the suction force into the mouths of the seven spirits.
In this state, Chu Feng, eyes closed, frowned deeply, his face contorted with pain.
It was as if some vital force was being forcibly extracted from him.
“Master, what’s being drawn from Brother Chu Feng?” Yuan Shu asked, turning to his master with concern.
“Don’t panic. He’s Ox-Nose’s disciple. I wouldn’t kill him,” Master Tang Chen said.
“But that gas looks so much like a soul body,” Yuan Shu said.
“It’s not a soul body. It’s bloodline power,” Master Tang Chen replied.
“Bloodline?” Yuan Shu asked. “You mean the bloodline of his spiritist heritage?”
“Exactly,” Master Tang Chen confirmed.
“Hiss…” Yuan Shu gasped, then looked back at Chu Feng, his gaze complex.
Martial cultivators had bloodlines, but so did spiritists.
Not every spiritist possessed such a bloodline, but those who did were exceptionally talented.
It was an innate gift, marking them as destined to become remarkable spiritists.
Not everyone could become a spiritist.
As martial cultivators advanced, they could transfer mental power, allowing those not naturally suited to become spiritists.
For example, in a place like the Nine Provinces Continent, spiritists were revered because most people couldn’t become one.
In the Upper Realms, nearly everyone wielded spiritist techniques, differing only in strength.
But most weren’t born spiritists; they became so through transferred mental power.
Yuan Shu was chosen by Master Tang Chen because he possessed a rare, relatively pure spiritist bloodline.
Though he knew spiritist bloodlines existed, they were subtler than martial bloodlines.
Even Yuan Shu was seeing the form of a spiritist bloodline for the first time.
“So this is a spiritist’s bloodline. It’s as beautiful as a soul,” Yuan Shu said.
After learning Chu Feng’s life wasn’t in danger, he stopped worrying as much.
Instead, he gazed at the bloodline power emerging from Chu Feng, as if admiring it.
“It’s just a form, not the true bloodline. The real bloodline lies deep in his soul. How could I extract that?” Master Tang Chen said.
“If it’s not the true bloodline, why is Brother Chu Feng in such pain?” Yuan Shu asked.
“That’s the formation’s power. It tests talent, but talent needs to be awakened, and that process is naturally painful,” Master Tang Chen explained.
“Master, how can this formation be broken? Does Brother Chu Feng need to awaken his latent talent?” Yuan Shu asked.
“Broken?” Master Tang Chen gave a faint smile. “From the moment I created this formation, it was destined to be unbreakable.”
“What do you mean, Master?” Yuan Shu asked.
“I mean this formation is invincible,” Master Tang Chen said.
“So… you’re saying it’s an unbreakable formation, and Brother Chu Feng was doomed to fail from the start?” Yuan Shu asked.
Master Tang Chen didn’t reply, but his silence confirmed Yuan Shu’s words.
