I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

"We've been discovered."

In the darkness of night, a slender figure slowly emerged.

Ghostly Gentleman floated in mid-air, looking at Red Maple Valley below with a surprised expression.

He had originally planned to use the "Wandering Soul Devouring Technique" to kill the opponent silently. Unexpectedly, the person was quick-witted and actually detected the secret technique he was about to use.

Since that's the case, let's get started.

The next moment, the Ghost King opened his arms forward, his sleeves billowing out, and several black bone cones flew out, falling silently downwards.

These bone cones were no bigger than the palm of your hand, and each one was entangled with a large amount of blurry black mist.

Faintly, one could even hear faint, mournful cries.

boom--

The bone cone struck the array's light barrier.

A muffled thud was heard, but no violent explosion occurred.

Large wisps of black energy emanated from the bone cone, instantly enveloping the entire formation.

In an instant, a series of piercing, sizzling sounds erupted.

The array's protective light suddenly dimmed, and the originally stable spiritual energy began to sway and shake as if it had been polluted, impacting the array's foundation.

The entire Red Maple Valley trembled.

Under the formation.

Xu Zhou's face instantly darkened.

As the operator of the formation, he could clearly sense the terrifying corrosive power of the black energy within the Corrosive Formation.

Such chilling black energy, if it were to fall on a person, even with Xu Zhou's physique after cultivating the Five Thunder Golden Body, would definitely not be able to withstand it for long.

"This is no ordinary Foundation Establishment stage!"

He made this judgment immediately after just one strike.

Whether it was the previously silent murderous secret technique or the black bone cone that now shrouds the entire Red Maple Valley, it clearly shows that this person's methods are extremely powerful, far surpassing his own!

The great formation, which he had built over many years, became unstable after a single attack.

If the formation breaks, even if I rely on the Five Thunder Golden Body to avoid immediate death, I will definitely not be able to withstand the opponent's subsequent attacks.

At that point, they would have no choice but to abandon the grand formation they had painstakingly built and attempt to escape using the Thunderclap Escape Technique.

"Let's stabilize the formation first!"

As soon as the thought arose in Xu Zhou's mind, he immediately raised his hand and waved it.

The next moment, behind the wooden house, a huge spirit tree several meters tall rose from the ground.

The wood is entirely bluish-green with mottled bark, appearing quite ordinary.

However, after its appearance, the wood elemental energy in the entire Red Maple Valley suddenly became more active.

This wood was the first spiritual wood cultivated by Xu Zhou; it was originally just an ordinary first-grade mid-level Tongtian wood.

Over the decades, he would pour a little of the Wood Essence Liquid onto this spirit wood every time he refined it.

Over time, the spirit tree has grown to its current state. Although it has not yet broken through the limitations of its tree species, it is already comparable to ordinary second-tier spirit trees.

boom!

The moment the spirit wood was placed into the array's core, the entire Red Maple Valley trembled violently.

Like inserting the most important lever into a machine, the originally scattered array patterns connected in a few breaths, and a large area of ​​azure spiritual light spread rapidly along the valley.

The previously crumbling array of light suddenly shone brightly.

From a distance, the entire Red Maple Valley seemed to have transformed into a hazy blue glow.

Such a commotion could be clearly seen from the market area, even from a considerable distance.

Xu Zhou took a deep breath.

He knew very well that he was no match for this person.

But he doesn't need to be stronger than his opponent.

If you can hold out for half an incense stick's time, the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the market will come running upon hearing the news.

In time, this situation will resolve itself.

With this in mind, Xu Zhou didn't care about anything else.

With a flick of his sleeve, a large amount of spiritual liquid flew out and, guided by his divine sense, instantly spread throughout the entire valley.

In an instant, all the spiritual trees in the entire Red Maple Valley glowed with a green light.

The leaves swayed, and the wood elemental energy resonated with each other, directly merging into the entire formation.

The black energy that had been constantly eroding the light barrier was actually repelled by this surge of spiritual energy, making it no longer a threat to the barrier.

"The turtle shell is quite hard."

Upon seeing this, the Ghost King's expression darkened.

He immediately snorted coldly and took out a crimson-black talisman.

As soon as the talisman appeared, the surrounding temperature immediately rose, and even the air itself became slightly distorted.

The Ghost King didn't care at all. He poured a large amount of magic power into the talisman, and its surface immediately surged with dark red fire patterns, vaguely forming a mountain phantom.

Second-tier mid-grade talisman, Mountain-Swallowing Flame Talisman!

The Ghost Gentleman's gaze was cold and sinister.

He had intended to deal with this person quietly, but he hadn't expected that the other party still had some tricks up his sleeve.

Now that the commotion has already become so great, the only option left is to try to forcefully break through the formation.

If this attack succeeds, that would be ideal.

If it doesn't work out, he will immediately retreat far away, which would be a fair exchange for the 30,000 spirit stones from the Hu family.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator unleashed a second-tier talisman, instantly activating it completely.

The next moment, the Ghost King raised his hand and pressed down.

He immediately retrieved the bone cone that had been deflected by the formation, and at the same time, the talisman in his hand shot out.

"Break it!"

With this shout, the entire talisman transformed into a tiny flame, which fell directly towards the great formation beneath his feet.

The seemingly tiny flame landed in the center of the great formation in the blink of an eye.

The entire valley suddenly fell silent for a moment.

next moment.

Boom boom boom boom boom!!!

The blinding red light suddenly expanded.

In an instant, the vast maple trees turned into a sea of ​​fire, and the crimson flames frantically attacked the formation, turning the entire night sky crimson.

The Red Maple Valley formation trembled violently.

Click.

A tiny crack quietly appeared.

Xu Zhou's face turned pale.

The moment the fire talisman exploded, he felt as if a giant hammer had struck his mind, and his divine sense controlling the formation was thrown into chaos.

He lightly bit the tip of his tongue, secretly practicing the calming method of the "Dream-Eating Heart Sutra" to desperately maintain his sanity.

The formation began to operate wildly under his control.

Large swaths of wood elemental energy continuously rolled, struggling to consume the terrifyingly high temperature and heat outside the formation.

I don't know how much time passed.

The flames gradually died down.

At this moment, Red Maple Valley was in complete disarray.

Outside the formation, large swathes of maple trees and spiritual plants were charred and broken.

The array's light barrier was extremely dim, and the spirit trees within it were showing signs of decay and withering. The outermost ones had been completely reduced to charcoal.

The entire formation seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

The Ghost Gentleman frowned slightly at this.

"What a pity."

Although the great formation had been reduced to such ruins, it still did not collapse in the end.

Ghostly Gentleman was naturally confident that he could completely tear the formation apart within a few strikes.

But he has dragged it out for too long.

Nearly half an incense stick's time has passed since Xu Zhou discovered him. By this time, the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the market area should have already realized what was happening and are rushing over here.

If this drags on any longer, and the pursuers catch up, I fear I won't be able to escape unscathed.

"Array masters are indeed troublesome."

He snorted coldly, his figure swayed slightly, and he was about to transform into a streak of light and escape.

At that very moment, a sudden change occurred.

The previously charred and broken spirit wood suddenly lit up one after another.

One plant.

Two plants.

In the blink of an eye, the spirit wood, which had been withered and turned to charcoal, shed its charcoal-like outer shell one after another, emitting a jade-like emerald glow.

At this moment, the entire Red Maple Valley seemed to be illuminated by countless green lanterns.

Countless spirit trees echoed each other, and a large amount of wood elemental energy frantically converged towards the array's core.

At the center of the formation, the enormous towering tree burst forth with an astonishing azure light.

The Thousand Trees Formation!

Xu Zhou slowly raised his head and gazed into the darkness.

Although the eyes cannot see, the divine sense has already accurately captured the other party's location.

"Trying to leave?"

His eyes were cold.

The valley fell silent for a moment.

A slender, green light silently pierced through the top of the enormous, towering tree at the heart of the formation.

The speed was so fast that the trajectory was almost invisible.

Ghostly Gentleman's expression changed drastically.

"Oops!"

He swayed and immediately used a profound escape technique to dodge this terrifying attack.

But at that very moment, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his mind.

It was as if something had tugged at his soul in that instant.

Although it didn't cause him to lose his composure immediately, it slowed down the escape light that was about to step out.

"not good!"

The Ghost King was horrified.

The next instant, the azure light shattered the protective aura and then passed right through the body.

puff!

Large amounts of blood splattered everywhere.

Ghost Gentleman's entire left arm was shattered on the spot.

His face turned deathly pale, and he let out a muffled groan, but dared not linger for even a moment longer.

In an instant, he transformed into a black shadow and fled in panic.

Only after his figure disappeared into the distance did Xu Zhou slowly breathe a sigh of relief.

The next moment, he himself swayed slightly and almost collapsed.

Xu Zhou forced himself to breathe deeply for a few breaths, trying to keep himself standing.

It's not time to feel at ease yet.

Just a few breaths later, several streaks of light finally appeared in the distance. Several Foundation Establishment auras were rapidly approaching.

A moment later, several Foundation Establishment cultivators landed outside the valley.

Looking at the mess on the ground, some people couldn't help but gasp.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, are you alright?"

The formation slowly activated.

Xu Zhou walked out of the valley step by step.

At this moment, his face was pale and his breathing was obviously weak.

But his eyes were frighteningly cold.

Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, he slowly spoke.

"A reward is offered for this person."

"Life and death are irrelevant."

"Who can bring him to me?"

"Once Mr. Xu's alchemy skills reach the second level, we can refine pills for him three times free of charge."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Foundation Establishment cultivators present changed slightly.

This was the first time they had ever sensed such a strong killing intent emanating from the usually gentle and unassuming Alchemist Xu.