At the center of the main hall, Jun Wu sat calmly, staring at the three intruders who had just entered. His enemies thought they could catch him off guard, but little did they know he had been waiting for their arrival.
Huh!
Upon sensing Jun Wu's gaze, the three intruders halted and stared at him for a moment before their faces twisted into evil grins.
They straightened their backs and walked confidently toward him.
"Young Master Wu, you seem to have been expecting us," the stoic man in the center said, dragging his long sword across the tiled floor.
The piercing sound of the sword against the tiles echoed through the hall, and a thick, tense atmosphere filled the room.
Although the three men didn't know how Jun Wu had detected them, they didn't care. As long as they completed their mission, everything would be fine.
"Who sent you?" Jun Wu asked calmly.
His father had many enemies, and Jun Wu couldn't be certain which clan the intruders came from. Before beginning his counterattack, he needed to know who was behind this.
"Why should we tell you?" one of them taunted with a chuckle.
Jun Wu shrugged. "Just curious. One way or another, I'll find out who sent you."
"Hahaha! I'm terrified! Young Master Wu is going to find out who sent us and kill us all!" the man at the center mocked, his face filled with ridicule.
"Enough nonsense! Get over here and hand your life over to us!" the stoic man shouted, his face radiating killing intent.
"Get him!"
Two of the men immediately rushed forward, baring their fangs and looking at Jun Wu as though he were already dead.
It was no secret that Jun Wu was once a retarded fool incapable of cultivating. Because of this, the men didn't see him as a threat. And that… was their first mistake.
Before the men could reach him, Jun Wu rose to his feet, his expression turning serious. Many of my enemies underestimate me, thinking I'm still my old self, he thought.
The corners of his lips curled upward into a cruel smile.
"Die!" he shouted, stomping his foot on the ground to activate the formation.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind appeared out of thin air, followed by a blinding blue light.
The men stopped in their tracks, shocked by the sudden light.
"What's this?!" they exclaimed, their faces filled with confusion as they looked around at the bluish glow.
"What trick are you playing?" the stoic man demanded, apprehension creeping into his voice.
Since the appearance of the blue light, his instincts had been screaming of impending danger—but from where? Apart from the blue light surrounding them, there seemed to be nothing else.
"Trick?" Jun Wu shook his head. Since discovering the Spirit Stone in the box, he had already planned how to use it.
Previously, when he activated formations, he used himself as the central node, providing the energy for them. But now, he no longer needed to worry about that.
A single Spirit Stone could power two to three formations for an hour or two.
The moment these men entered the hall, they had already fallen into his trap. As a formation master, Jun Wu didn't need to fight his enemies head-on. That would be a waste of his talent and advantage.
Thus, he had set up two formations to welcome his enemies: the Trapping Array Formation and the Burning Furnace Array Formation.
Looking at their overconfident grins, he chuckled. He couldn't wait to hear their miserable screams when he activated the Burning Furnace Array.
"You're in my formation now. Your fate is in my hands," he said slowly. "I know you don't believe me, and that's exactly what I want."
The stoic man grew upset at Jun Wu's calm demeanor. Formation? What's that? Could a mere formation stop them?
Scoffing internally, he shouted, "Kill him quickly!"
Bang! Bang!
The two men charged into the formation and were violently pushed back.
"What is this?!" they exclaimed, disbelief etched on their faces.
Fear crept into their minds. Is he telling the truth? They wondered.
The stoic man shook his head, dispelling their doubts. "Attack the barrier and destroy it! I don't believe it can withstand our combined strength!" he shouted, joining the other two in attacking the formation.
Bang!
The Trapping Array trembled violently but didn't break.
Seeing this, a bright smile spread across Jun Wu's face. Everything was going according to his plan. He was using these men to test the strength of his formation, and the results weren't bad.
With a Spirit Stone as the energy source, his Trapping Array could hold more than two First-Rated Martial Artists.
The three men were all First-Rated Martial Artists, with the stoic man at the Intermediate stage.
"I don't believe this! Attack again!"
Bang! Bang!
The formation trembled, and slight cracks appeared in it. Upon seeing this, a sinister grin spread across the stoic man's face.
"I'll destroy your toy and make you beg for death," he growled, his voice dripping with anger and frustration.
But his joy was short-lived.
The temperature inside the formation suddenly spiked, shocking the men. Before they could understand what was happening, they began to burn.
"Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!"
Their miserable screams filled the hall as they tried to escape the brutal flames. Unfortunately, there was no escape.
Within seconds, their skin charred, and smoke rose from their bodies.
"Release us now, and we won't kill anyone else! Ahhh!" the stoic man shouted.
Jun Wu stared at him coldly, as if looking at a fool. These men had fallen into his trap; why would he release them? Did they take him for an idiot?
"Tell me who sent you," Jun Wu demanded, ignoring their screams.
"Release us first!"
"Let's see how long you last," Jun Wu replied with a shrug, returning to his seat.
Terrified, the stoic man hesitated. He glanced at the two men writhing on the floor in pain. They were barely clinging to life, their vitality completely drained.
They now resembled charred logs, their bodies ruined beyond recognition. Only their Martial Artist constitution had delayed their deaths.
Still, they couldn't escape the flames.
Before the stoic man could decide, the two men succumbed to the fire. Their clothes turned to ash, and their flesh burned away, leaving only bones.
Terrified, the stoic man swallowed hard and shouted, "The Gao clan sent us! Please, release me! I don't want to die like this!"
His previous arrogance and pride had vanished into thin air. All he could think about was escaping this hell.
Unfortunately for him, there was no escape from hell.