Across the desert, fierce winds howled, whipping up swirling sands that blotted out the sky. Though terrifying, this spectacle had become an unmissable feature of the wasteland.
Yet now, an even more astonishing sight dominated the scene.
A semi-transparent mass of light, cloud-like, floated in the void, stretching endlessly as if veiling the entire desert.
This was a formation.
And such a formidable formation had been created by a tiny figure amid the sands.
Compared to the vast array cloaking the heavens, this figure seemed no more than a speck of dust.
But it was precisely this figure who had brought the colossal formation into being.
The person was none other than the old cow-nosed Taoist.
After briefing Chu Feng on what to do inside the Dragon Vein Source, the old cow-nosed Taoist had begun setting up the formation.
The moment he acted, every Dragon Clan elder present, except Grandmaster Long Duan and Chu Feng, changed expression.
If earlier they had harboured doubts about his abilities, now they were starting to believe in his prowess.
The sky-obscuring formation was not just visually overwhelming. Its aura was breathtaking, making everyone feel its terrifying power.
One could say that, apart from Enlightenment Saint Venerables and the legendary Zhuge Yuankong of old, they had never seen anyone wield such a formidable formation.
Moreover, the unassuming, even somewhat ugly, old cow-nosed Taoist controlled it with astonishing ease.
This drove home to them that his reputation was well-earned.
“Master, truly extraordinary.”
Soon, a voice of praise rang out. Two figures descended. It was the Dragon Clan Chief and Long Xiaoxiao.
“Little benefactor, is this your master?”
Approaching, Long Xiaoxiao hurried to Chu Feng’s side.
Though surrounded by her own kin, her gaze towards Chu Feng was the gentlest.
“Yes, this is my master.”
Chu Feng said.
“So impressive.”
Long Xiaoxiao looked up at the formation overhead, then at the old cow-nosed Taoist, her eyes filled with admiration.
At any other time, even if impressed by his skill, she would never have shown such a look.
But learning that this elder had freed her mother changed everything. In her heart, his status was now entirely different.
“This young lady must be my disciple’s saviour, Princess Xiaoxiao?”
At that moment, the old cow-nosed Taoist turned his head towards Long Xiaoxiao.
Most astonishingly, though speaking to her, his hands continued forming seals.
The grand formation proceeded in perfect order, its speed utterly unaffected.
Such multitasking further demonstrated his masterful control over formations.
“This junior, Long Xiaoxiao, pays respects to the senior.”
Long Xiaoxiao promptly bowed, her obedient manner truly endearing.
“No wonder my disciple keeps mentioning you. A real beauty in the making.”
The old cow-nosed Taoist said.
“Does my little benefactor often speak of me?”
Long Xiaoxiao asked in surprise.
“Oh yes. He often talks in his sleep. ‘Xiaoxiao, you’re so beautiful. Can I hold you and kiss you?’ Things like that.”
The old cow-nosed Taoist said with a mischievous grin.
“This…”
His words left the Dragon Clan Chief and the Supreme Elders speechless.
Long Xiaoxiao’s cheeks flushed pink.
But if anyone felt truly exasperated, it was Chu Feng.
“Master, when have I ever said such things?”
“Princess Xiaoxiao has never appeared in my dreams.”
Chu Feng hurriedly explained.
“Hey, lad, a real man owns his actions. How can you do something yet deny it?”
The old cow-nosed Taoist shot Chu Feng a disdainful glance, then added, “Enough chatter. Don’t disturb your master while he works.”
“I bloody…”
Chu Feng nearly swore aloud.
What kind of master had he taken? Slandering his own disciple in public?
“It’s fine, little benefactor. I’m not someone who can’t take a joke.”
Long Xiaoxiao said with a beaming smile. Though she laughed openly, the apple-red flush on her cheeks revealed that the girl was not quite so unflappable.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
Suddenly, thunderous booms echoed from the void.
Looking up, everyone saw the desert-shrouding formation contracting inward, its boundless power growing ever more intense.
“Formation, activate!!”
Abruptly, the old cow-nosed Taoist raised an arm and brought it down.
A beam of light shot from the formation, enveloping the Dragon Vein Source.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
Beneath the formation’s cover, the Dragon Vein Source began to quake violently.
The tremors filled people with unease, as if the source might shatter at any moment.
This sight left the Dragon Clan members, including the Clan Chief, extremely tense.
The Dragon Vein Source was their clan’s most vital asset. According to ancestral teachings, it could determine their fate.
As the old cow-nosed Taoist’s formation clashed with it, they were gripped by worry.
They feared he might fail to breach it.
They also feared he might damage it.
Yet in the clash, neither prevailed. Apart from the violent shaking, nothing else happened.
For a time, the two forces stalemated, as if nothing more would occur soon.
“Pretty stubborn.”
But the old cow-nosed Taoist remained unfazed.
His left hand stayed still while his right pointed at the void.
Hum.
The formation overhead writhed. Forty-six glowing talisman papers, each over a hundred metres long and radiating powerful, mysterious energy, condensed within it.
The moment the massive luminous talismans formed, they descended in orderly fashion, landing precisely on the Dragon Vein Source.
With each talisman that fell, the source’s tremors eased.
When all forty-six had settled, the Dragon Vein Source stabilised completely.
Then the old cow-nosed Taoist’s hands shifted seals again. Palms overlapping, he shouted, “Formation, breach!”
Crack.
A sharp fracturing sound rang from the Dragon Vein Source.
Looking closely, a fissure had indeed appeared at its base.
Though only three metres high and less than one metre wide.
Against the enormous Dragon Vein Source, it seemed trivial.
Yet it left everyone wide-eyed in shock.
The old cow-nosed Taoist had kept his word.
He said he would open a crack in the Dragon Vein Source, and he had.
Though the Dragon Clan had believed he might succeed.
No one had expected him to do so in such a short time.
“World Spiritist Grandmaster, truly lives up to the name.”
At that moment, such exclamations rang out again.
But these words came not from ordinary folk.
They issued from the Dragon Clan Chief and the Supreme Elders, a group of pinnacle martial cultivators.
