Translator: Cinder Translations
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Unable to bear the immense pressure, Daoist Qingyan had already knelt on the ground, gritting her teeth in anger.
"Su Qian, you despicable scoundrel! I came all this way to lend you a helping hand, and you actually disregard our years of friendship and scheme against me."
Su Qian laughed smugly.
"The world of cultivation is all about deceit and false pretenses. You're too focused on past relationships and too trusting of others—that's your own folly. I let you enter the eastern area of the Soul Devouring Formation to control the auxiliary formation plate, and you didn't suspect anything at all."
"Hahaha…"
Su Qian laughed arrogantly, not forgetting to maintain control over the formation.
Under his command, the blood serpent slithered toward Daoist Qingyan.
Just as the blood serpent was about to make contact with Daoist Qingyan, a huge black figure suddenly emerged not far from outside the Soul Devouring Formation, breaking through the ground.
It turned out to be a giant turtle over two zhang in size!
The giant turtle had a thick and solid shell, impervious to damage; its limbs were adorned with sharp claws; its gaping mouth was filled with sharp fangs; and its massive tail, covered in barbs, resembled a large spiked club.
The giant turtle shook off the dirt from its body, and all four limbs exerted force as it lunged toward the center of the formation, like a cannonball fired at high speed, crashing into Su Qian.
The sudden appearance of the giant turtle threw Su Qian into a panic, making it hard for him to believe what he was seeing.
He had witnessed the power of this giant turtle before; it was called the Ironback Turtle and had been raised by Daoist Qingyan for many years. The last time he saw it, it was at the peak of the second stage, and he did not know when it had formed its demon core and grown into a third-stage spiritual beast.
Su Qian hurriedly took to the air, evading the Ironback Turtle's charge. At the same time, he did not stop controlling the formation; the blood serpent continued to slither along the formation's patterns toward Daoist Qingyan.
As long as Daoist Qingyan died, the Ironback Turtle would become a wild spiritual beast, losing its threat.
The Ironback Turtle did not continue to attack Su Qian; speed was not its strong suit. Instead, it positioned itself beside Daoist Qingyan.
Its thick shell protected Daoist Qingyan, and the immense pressure that had enveloped her dissipated, transferring to the Ironback Turtle.
The Ironback Turtle's sturdy limbs trembled slightly but did not collapse, as its thick feet firmly anchored themselves to the ground, as if trying to shatter the ground beneath them.
"Roar!"
Seeing the blood serpent about to touch its forelimb, the Ironback Turtle let out a thunderous roar.
Its forelimbs quickly retreated half a step, but it did not attempt to crush the blood serpent.
With the pressure on her diminished, Daoist Qingyan stood up, grasping the edge of the turtle shell, and commanded, "Let's go!"
The Ironback Turtle took heavy steps, slowly backing away until it soon exited the range of the Soul Devouring Formation.
In mid-air, Su Qian could only watch as the Ironback Turtle carried Daoist Qingyan out of the formation step by step.
He was worried that if he attacked Daoist Qingyan, it would cause irreparable damage to the Soul Devouring Formation, undoing over a decade of his careful planning.
"Qingyan, I underestimated you. I always thought you were a straightforward person with no cunning, but it turns out you were hiding it so well," Su Qian said through gritted teeth.
Daoist Qingyan had clearly plotted to conceal herself underground near the formation, using the Ironback Turtle's powerful breathing technique to remain hidden.
Finally stepping out of the formation, Daoist Qingyan let out a long sigh of relief.
She was already seriously injured, and the pressure from the formation only exacerbated her injuries.
However, everything was worth it.
As Su Qian had said, she had come for the Soul Devouring Formation from the very beginning.
After she and Su Qian emerged alive from the Ancient Secret Realm's Hall of Longevity, she replicated the contents of the 'Longevity Token'.
Her earlier claim to Su Qian that she had not comprehended even the skin of the jade tablet was a lie.
Although she could not fully grasp the Soul Devouring Formation like Su Qian or set it up, she did glean some of its secrets from the jade tablet.
She understood that the Soul Devouring Formation could extend life and also help one enhance their cultivation.
Over a month ago, when she encountered three of the Su family cultivators trying to capture Song Wen outside Donghua Square, she learned from them that Su Qian had set up the Soul Devouring Formation. This piqued Qingyan's interest, and she was intent on seizing the opportunity to use the Soul Devouring Formation to enhance her cultivation.
Thus, when she received the message from the Su family asking her to assist Su Qian in extending life with the Soul Devouring Formation, she agreed without hesitation.
Two days prior, upon arriving at the Su family and seeing the Soul Devouring Formation, when Su Qian explained its control techniques and asked her to enter the eastern area of the formation to assist him, she knew that Su Qian had ulterior motives.
Regarding the control techniques of the Soul Devouring Formation, she believed she was not as proficient as Su Qian. To ensure the formation activated smoothly and to seize the vitality of the scattered cultivators, she pretended not to know anything and cooperated with Su Qian in their little act.
In the shadows, she had secretly concealed her spiritual beast, the Ironback Turtle, underground near the Soul Devouring Formation, relying on the Ironback Turtle's natural ability to hide its presence to successfully avoid Su Qian's detection.
"Su Qian, if you surrender and enter the formation, allowing me to absorb your cultivation, I can guarantee the Su family's stability for a hundred years. Otherwise, when I capture you and seize your cultivation, it will be the end of your Su family."
"Delusional! Who will win or lose is yet to be determined!" Su Qian shot back angrily.
As soon as he finished speaking, a flying sword erupted from Su Qian's mouth, its momentum fierce as it slashed down toward Daoist Qingyan.
Although Daoist Qingyan had the assistance of a third-stage spiritual beast, she was heavily injured, and Su Qian believed he still had the strength to fight.
Seeing the swift approach of the flying sword, Daoist Qingyan ducked beneath the Ironback Turtle.
"Clang!"
The flying sword struck the turtle's back, leaving a faint mark on the thick shell. However, the sword emitted a cry of distress as it seemed unable to withstand the recoil from the turtle's shell.
Su Qian's face turned grim; the Ironback Turtle's defense exceeded his expectations and was not something he, as a cultivator in the early stage of the Golden Core, could easily break through.
Since brute force was futile, he would have to resort to strategy.
Su Qian's gaze shifted, and after a moment, it seemed he had come up with a plan.
He cast a few spells at the main formation plate, temporarily sealing the Soul Devouring Formation to prevent the life force contained within the blood serpent from leaking away. He then placed the formation plate into the formation and turned to fly out above it.
He did this because he feared the ensuing battle might damage the Soul Devouring Formation.
Controlling the flying sword, he aimed it at the Ironback Turtle's exposed limbs.
At the same time, he transmitted a message to Su Xunshi, who was not far away.
"Control the Yin Yang Four Symbols Formation and trap this beast for me."
The Yin Yang Four Symbols Formation, set up in the valley, could be activated to resist external attacks, preventing enemies from invading; conversely, it could be reversed to contract the formation's range, effectively trapping and killing internal foes.
(End of the Chapter)
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