A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 208 Thousand Fiends Shaving Bones
Outside Skull Mountain, Jin Guang gave an order to Xuan Xin and his four generals. After receiving the order, the four each led a group of disciples to surround Skull Mountain from all four sides.

"Master, when the White Bone Soldiers are destroyed, you must break the evil formation and not give the White Bone True Lord any chance to breathe!"

"Sect Leader Jin Guang, please rest assured, I have already made all the necessary preparations."

After bowing respectfully, Master Tianyun departed with the disciples of Miaoyunque.

The four Xuanxin generals led their disciples forward from outside the mountain. At first, they encountered ordinary demon soldiers, which were easy to deal with. However, halfway there, they encountered the fearless skeleton soldiers.

Even if weapons and talismans are used, they only cause some minor damage, which will be completely healed in a few breaths.

With a single sword strike, Qinglong Xuan severed the head of the skeletal soldier. A flash of azure light appeared on the sword, and the white essence within the skull was immediately absorbed. With a whoosh, the entire skeleton shattered into pieces on the ground.

He could easily take down a few skeleton soldiers, but Qinglong Xuanjiang found that the skeleton soldiers in front of him were still endless. He could not fight them off by himself alone, so he immediately said to his disciples who were struggling, "Use the Thunder Pearls and aim for their heads!"

Upon hearing this, the Xuanxin disciples immediately made their moves to force back the bone soldiers. They all took out their Thunder Pearls and struck at the heads of the bone soldiers. With a series of loud explosions, dazzling orbs of light appeared on the east side of Skull Mountain.

"Qinglong has already started using the Thunder Pearl, so it seems that True Monarch White Bone is not incompetent after all."

Jin Guang's eyes narrowed slightly. Originally, he planned to use the Thunder Pearl after entering the inner circle. In this way, he could not only wipe out the bone soldiers, but also perhaps reduce the power of the "Thousand Fiends Bone-Shaving Formation" with the residual power of the Thunder Pearl. Now it seems that he is still a bit optimistic.

Shortly after Qinglong Xuanjiang used the Thunder Pearl, explosions also occurred from three other directions. The entire Skull Mountain was instantly covered by a ball of intense sunlight. At this moment, a pale white light shield rose from the Skull Mountain. The residual power of the intense sunlight struck it, causing only a few ripples before returning to normal.

"Now it all depends on whether Miaoyunque can break the formation in time."

Jin Guang received a message from Qinglong and the other three that ninety percent of the White Bone Soldiers had been destroyed and they had now reached the inner circle. As long as the "Thousand Fiends Bone-Shaving Formation" was broken, they could rush forward in one go.

At this moment, a glint flashed in the eyes of Master Tianyun, who was observing the formation from a nearby mountain peak. He waved his jade ruler and nodded to Master Xianyun, who bowed respectfully and immediately arranged the formation.

Before long, the seventy-two disciples formed a circular formation. In the center of the formation was a white jade altar about ten feet high, on which was planted a plain white cloud-patterned banner. Under the disciples' magical power, the clouds around the banner quickly gathered. With a command from True Person Tianyun, a flash of spiritual light appeared on the banner, and a white auspicious cloud quickly rose into the sky and then flew towards Skull Mountain.

Meanwhile, in Skull Mountain, the White Bone True Lord listened to the reports from below, and his heart sank. Although he knew that the casualties must be considerable, he did not expect that less than one-tenth of the thousands of White Bone soldiers would survive. This was the wealth he had accumulated over hundreds of years, and now it was being lost so badly. How could he not be furious?

"Understood. Go and take your positions immediately. With the formation protecting you, the Xuanxin Sect and Miaoyun Palace won't be able to break in for a while. If you hold out for three days, the Yinyue Dynasty will come to your aid."

Upon hearing this, everyone below felt relieved. If the Yin Yue Dynasty came to their aid, they could turn the tide. As for holding out for three days, that wouldn't be difficult for them either.

After everyone left, Bai Ying, the scholar in blue, changed his expression slightly and slowed his pace. Soon after, a disciple invited him inside.

"Bai Ying, there has been no reply from the Yin Yue Dynasty yet. We must hold on now. If Skull Mountain is breached, you must immediately take this item to White Cloud Mountain and give it to Yuan Shi Shangren."

The White Bone True Lord reached out and threw out a jade box. Bai Ying caught the jade box with both hands and looked at it closely. He saw that it had been sealed with a magic seal, and he could not see what it contained.

"Go."

The White Bone True Lord waved his hand, and Bai Ying bowed respectfully before retreating. Just then, a violent tremor suddenly occurred. The White Bone Palace seemed unable to bear the weight, and with a few cracking sounds, a wall split open. With a loud bang, half of the palace collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"What kind of magic weapon is this?"

The White Bone True Lord's expression changed drastically. He looked up and saw a white auspicious cloud occupying half of the sky above Skull Mountain, pressing down on Skull Mountain like the sky was collapsing. The "Thousand Fiends Bone-Shaving Array" was squeezed and twisted, and the mountain shook uncontrollably, as if it was about to collapse!
Bai Ying was also terrified, her face turning pale. This overwhelming power was truly frightening.

Those who were guarding the formation were all affected by the backlash of the formation's power. Their blood and qi surged, their vital energy was in chaos, and the entire formation was weakened by one-third. Seeing this, the white clouds in the sky continued to move downwards, enveloping the entire Skull Mountain. The "Thousand Fiends Bone-Shaving Formation" flashed white light rapidly, and it looked like it was about to be broken.

Seeing this, the White Bone True Lord's eyes flashed with a fierce light. He flew out of the White Bone Palace, looked at the white clouds that were close at hand, pointed his finger, and a beam of dark light shot out and entered the white clouds.

Suddenly, a huge cloud vortex appeared in the white clouds that enveloped Skull Mountain, and wisps of cloud energy kept pouring into it. In a short while, the white clouds above the mountaintop thinned out considerably, and the "Thousand Fiends Bone-Shaving Formation" was given a moment of respite and immediately launched a counterattack.

Streams of white light shot towards the clouds directly above. Each time the light came into contact with the clouds, it would merge into them. As this accumulated, the huge cloud covering the mountaintop suddenly became heavy and its movement slowed down. Moreover, as time passed, the color of the cloud began to turn dark yellow, and then the cloud began to slowly dissipate.

"The Thousand Fiends Bone-Scraping Formation is no simple matter. It is difficult to exert pressure on it with just one change. Junior brother, have the disciples step back."

Master Tianyun's expression grew slightly solemn as he watched the dissipating clouds. Upon hearing this, Master Xianyun immediately instructed his disciples to stop operating the magic array. Then, Master Tianyun put away the jade ruler, reached out and summoned the Cloud Gathering Banner. With a burst of magical power, the treasure immediately shone brightly, emitting a pure white jade light.

Auspicious clouds emerged continuously amidst the jade light, and in a single turn, they rushed towards the "Thousand Fiends Bone-Shaving Formation".

Seeing the clouds dissipate, the White Bone True Lord felt not relief at all, but rather a heavy sense of oppression. So he ordered the person in charge of the formation to operate the formation with all their might.

Just then, the White Bone True Monarch noticed the auspicious clouds flying in from outside, and his heart sank. With his cultivation level, he could easily see the power contained within them.

"Even if the power of the formation can withstand it all, its power will be greatly reduced. Once this formation is broken, the people of the Xuanxin Sect will have no obstacles left."

With his mind racing, the White Bone True Lord chanted the incantation, and a white light appeared around him, with a jade-white umbrella landing in his hand.

This item is called the "White Bone Sun-Severing Umbrella," one of the three treasures of the White Bone True Lord. Once covered by this umbrella, one can be cut off from life. In addition, this item is also a superior protective magic weapon. By rotating it around the heavens, it can dissipate external forces. If it weren't for the concern about the exhaustion of the array's power, the White Bone True Lord would not have been willing to take this item out so quickly.

With a burst of magical power, the "White Bone Sun-Slaying Umbrella" soared into the sky, its canopy opening to unleash a blinding white light that enveloped the entire Skull Mountain.

The auspicious clouds crashed into the umbrella, immediately bursting into dazzling light, while explosions echoed continuously from Skull Mountain.

Tianyun Zhenren stood in the void, looking solemnly at the Skull Mountain in front of him. Just now, he used the Gathering Cloud Banner to perform the "Thousand Clouds Falling" technique. He thought that even if he could not break the great formation, he would at least disrupt the formation mechanism and provide an opportunity for the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect. However, in his perception, the "Thousand Fiends Bone-Shaving Formation" was still intact.

As the smoke and dust cleared, Master Tianyun looked at the white bone umbrella standing on the mountaintop and suddenly realized what was going on. He then sneered a few times, reached out and took the Gathering Cloud Banner in his hand. With a slight shake, streaks of white light shot out like rain, constantly crashing into the white bone umbrella, sparks flying at the point of impact.

"Let's see how long you can hold on!"

No matter how good a magical artifact is, it still needs its master to operate it. If it comes down to a contest of magical power, True Man Tianyun is quite confident that if this contest continues, it will be True Man Baigu who will eventually give up. Moreover, if he is delayed here, no one will be able to stop the golden light.

Thinking of this, Master Tianyun added more effort, and countless flying rays attacked Skull Mountain from all directions. In less than half an hour, the white bone umbrella was full of holes, and the auspicious clouds swirling outside took the opportunity to rush into the inner formation and exploded with a bang.

Under attack from both inside and outside, the White Bone Umbrella's spiritual light dimmed, and it could no longer hold on. It quickly shrank and fell into the hands of the White Bone True Lord. Just then, Bai Ying also sent a message.

“True Lord, the people of the Xuanxin Sect have already attacked. The formation has developed flaws. If we don’t fix them in time, the consequences will be unimaginable.”

Upon hearing this, True Monarch White Bone was startled. Only half a day had passed, and things had already reached this point. The formation absolutely could not be broken; the White Bone Soldiers could not be rebuilt in a short time. If the Xuanxin Sect attacked, he would have no choice but to personally lead the charge. "I will handle the formation. Tell all the elders to guard their positions and not to leave their posts without authorization. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

Hearing Zhenjun's cold words, Bai Ying felt a chill in her heart and immediately agreed.

"I never expected that I would have to resort to this tactic in the end. You forced me to do this."

The White Bone True Lord snorted coldly as he watched the ever-approaching swirling white clouds, and his figure flashed, arriving at a hidden cave.

Six short white bone towers were neatly arranged around the cave, each supporting an oval-shaped luminous pearl that emitted a pale light. In the center stood a white bone altar, where the White Bone True Lord was already seated, his hands forming a mudra and his mouth chanting incantations. At the same time, the white bone towers trembled, the luminous pearl on top brightened several degrees, and six beams of light shot towards the altar in the center.

Just after the six beams of light arrived, True Lord White Bone hurriedly guided the beams into the altar. The beams descended vertically and reached the earth veins dozens of feet below. Immediately, the earth vein's vital energy was attracted and flowed back up in an endless stream.

Sensing the immense earth energy being drawn up, the White Bone True Monarch's eyes sharpened. He grabbed the ball of spiritual earth energy, pressed his hand into a skull, and a soaring divine energy appeared on Skull Mountain.

"This is bad! The White Bone is trying to drain the earth's energy! Damn it!" Jin Guang, who was observing the formation, immediately changed his expression upon seeing this.

"Master Tianyun, the White Bone has already absorbed the earth's energy to stabilize its formation. We must hold it off for a moment."

While sending a message to True Person Tianyun, Jin Guang flew towards the mountains.

On the other side, Master Tianyun was displaying his divine power, using the Gathering Cloud Banner to completely surround the "Thousand Fiends Bone-Shaving Formation". If he were given another hour, he could completely destroy the formation.

Just then, he received a message from the golden light, and his face instantly turned ugly. Before he could think about it, the auspicious clouds surrounding the formation seemed to have been swallowed by a black hole and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Only the clouds three feet around him were still protecting him, but they were also shaken by the force of the formation.

As if things weren't going to go wrong, Tianyun Zhenren was humiliated by Baigu Zhenjun and was about to launch another attack with the Juyun Banner when the banner suddenly lost its spiritual light and could no longer be used. Tianyun Zhenren's expression changed repeatedly upon seeing this, but he reacted very quickly and summoned a white chain.

This treasure is the "Cloud Pattern Sky-Binding Lock" mentioned by Master Tianyun. The Sky-Binding Lock intertwines and wraps around the "Thousand Fiends Bone-Shaving Array" and quickly binds it firmly.

"The evil formation is based on the earth's energy, and the Cloud Pattern Sky Lock cannot hold out for long. I hope that Sect Master Jin Guang can break through it as soon as possible."

Master Tianyun sighed, put away the Gathering Cloud Banner, and focused all his attention on controlling the Heaven-Binding Lock, trying his best to buy time for the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect.

Just as the four Xuanxin generals were about to break through the formation and rush into the mountain, a sharp light suddenly flashed. The disciples were caught off guard and screamed in agony as their flesh and blood were devoured, leaving only a skeleton. The four Xuanxin generals' faces turned ashen at the sight.

"General Xuan, can the Blazing Sun Thunder Pearl break this formation?" a Xuanxin disciple asked softly.

Upon hearing this, Qinglong Xuanjiang shook his head and said, "This formation is different from the original one. The Thunder Pearl is not very effective and may even cause unpredictable consequences. The best way is to break the formation with one blow. Now it depends on the sect leader and the others."

The other three Xuan generals also stopped in their tracks, waiting for the sect leader's instructions.

Golden light soared through the void, looking down at the imposing magic array below. He took a deep breath, spread his right hand, and a ray of spiritual light appeared in his palm. Then, a square jade seal appeared. This item was the "Chongzheng Xuantian Seal," one of the three treasures of the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect.

"Heaven and Earth are boundless, the profound mind and righteous law are the essence of governance, and the emperor commands with authority!"

As Jin Guang chanted the incantation, the treasure seal trembled slightly, emitting a dazzling jade light that shone directly on the "Thousand Fiends Bone-Shaving Array." This array was already partially sealed by the Heavenly Lock, and now it had encountered the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect's supreme treasure. Even with a continuous supply of earth energy to replenish the array's power, it was difficult to withstand it.

The outward manifestation of the array power began to slowly dissolve, and the speed was getting faster and faster. In just a moment, the array power had been reduced by 30%, revealing the true scene inside Skull Mountain.

Jin Guang immediately sent a message to the Four Mysterious Generals, who then led their disciples to charge in. At the same time, True Man Tianyun also sent a message to his junior brother, True Man Xianyun, and together they led their disciples to charge in.

The elders who were guarding the formation were attacked by the backlash of the formation's power, suffering further injuries. Two of them died on the spot, and the rest of them all changed their expressions upon seeing this.

An elderly man with white hair said in a deep voice, "Everyone, the formation has been broken. We are now at a critical juncture of life and death. You should not hold back any tricks. Getting through this crisis is the most important thing."

The white-haired old man knew that everyone present still had some resources. If they used them all, they could hold off Xuanxin Zhengzong and Miaoyun Que for a day or two. As long as they could hold out until the Yinyue Dynasty arrived, they would be saved.

"Elder Shen is absolutely right. Everyone, the Skull Mountain foundation must not be destroyed like this. Otherwise, we will all become homeless dogs. Even if we manage to survive, the feeling of being dependent on others will be unbearable. I hope everyone will work together to overcome this difficulty!"

The other elders exchanged glances upon seeing this, and then all solemnly agreed. Subsequently, under Elder Shen's arrangement, everyone left to prepare to welcome the invading enemy.

"Elder Shen, will the Yin Yue Dynasty come?" the middle-aged man in blue who had just agreed with Elder Shen asked in a deep voice.

"It's about half and half. Since the True Lord has said so, then the matter must have been done. However, it's hard to say when the Yin Moon Dynasty will arrive. We can only try our best to buy some time."

Elder Shen patted the middle-aged man in blue on the shoulder and slowly left the formation. Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man in blue had a very complicated expression. He then sighed deeply and also left the formation.

Although the "Thousand Fiends Bone-Shaving Formation" was no longer being manipulated by the elders, its power was far less than at its peak. At this moment, with the White Bone True Monarch using the earth's energy to control it, it was running incredibly smoothly.

After receiving instructions from the sect leader, Qinglong Xuanjiang gathered the other three generals and then led his troops up the mountain. Along the way, they encountered the troops led by the elders, and the two sides immediately engaged in battle. The Skull Mountain side relied on the terrain advantage and firmly controlled the battle. At the same time, the broken "Thousand Fiends Bone-Shaving Formation" also released beams of fierce light that shot towards the Xuanxin disciples.

Despite the protection of the talisman, some disciples were still killed. Upon seeing this, Qinglong and his companions immediately unleashed the "Blazing Sun Thunder Pearl," and those complacent Skull Mountain disciples were instantly struck down. Even an elder was caught off guard and was blown to pieces.

With the four Azure Dragon Generals and one Thunder Pearl clearing the way, the disciples of Skull Mountain could hardly resist. In no time, a gap had been torn open on the eastern mountainside, and the forces of the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect were rapidly approaching the summit.

Meanwhile, under the leadership of Master Xianyun, the disciples of Miaoyunque clashed with the disciples of Skull Mountain. After a fierce battle, corpses were left on the mountainside, most of them belonging to disciples of Skull Mountain.

"Elder Shen, you should immediately lead your men to the east side and block the Xuanxin Sect's forces. As for the people from Miaoyun Pavilion, don't worry about them; I will make arrangements for them."

Upon hearing this, Elder Shen, who was fighting against Master Xianyun, had a slight glint in his eyes. He then unleashed several moves to force his opponent back, and with a shout, the remaining troops immediately retreated in an orderly fashion.

"Elder, is there a trap behind their retreat?" a kind-looking disciple whispered.

"Regardless of whether it's a trap or not, we must get to the top of this mountain. Give the order to be careful and not to wander around or touch anything recklessly."

Master Xianyun was also puzzled, but considering that his senior brother and Jin Guang had already brought the situation under control, he figured that Bai Gu wouldn't be able to pull any tricks.

The people of Miaoyun Palace rushed towards the mountaintop. As soon as they arrived at the mountaintop plaza, the sky suddenly darkened, and an obstacle pressed down. Master Xianyun's expression changed slightly. He shouted and swept his whisk, separating the disciples to both sides. At the same time, he swept his whisk again, and auspicious clouds surged into the sky, colliding with the force of the obstacle.

(End of this chapter)