C5 It's too Late to Leave Now!

The body of the elderly man from the Postnatal Ninth Layer was still bleeding profusely.

The sight was horrifying, and even the foremost experts of the Houtian Ninth Layer halted in their tracks.

"Could he be concealing his true cultivation level?"

The Houtian Ninth Layer experts murmured among themselves, no longer underestimating Lu Yu as they had initially.

The standoff was tense for a moment, but it was short-lived.

King Wei bellowed, "Don't just stand there, attack with me! I refuse to believe he's some kind of Divine Immortal. Everyone, charge!"

At King Wei's command, the Ninth Layer experts could no longer afford to hesitate.

"Nine Python Dragon Trapping Formation, activate!"

A youthful Houtian warrior called out, and the others quickly fell in line, surrounding Lu Yu with their purple true qi linking them together.

These were King Wei's protectors, clearly well-practiced in their coordination, evident in their seamless execution of the formation.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A whirlwind of sand arose from nowhere, and within it, the massive form of a python flickered in and out of sight.

A formidable presence echoed around them, the hissing of the python eerily clear to the ear.

The Houtian Ninth Layer youth roared, "Take him down!"

"Kill!"

Together, they chanted, channeling all their true qi into the formidable array.

Surrounded as if by an army, Lu Yu found himself encircled by the elite of the Houtian realm. Yet, his gaze remained fixed on King Wei, the chill in his eyes intensifying.

Had he arrived even a moment later, who knows what King Wei might have done.

In this life, Lu Yu cherished his rare kinship, his family, and he would not let anyone shatter it.

This man must die!

Swept by Lu Yu's icy stare, King Wei felt a cold dread rise within him.

He had no doubts—should Lu Yu reach him, death would be certain.

"It's impossible. He looks so young; even a peerless genius couldn't survive such an onslaught!" King Wei desperately reassured himself. But his pounding heart betrayed his terror.

The remaining staff members were even less capable. Most were utterly incompetent, only good for eating and drinking.

They were fine with bullying others under King Wei's influence, but in the face of real danger, they wouldn't dare come close, instead choosing to hide as far away as possible.

Standing at the heart of the grand formation, Lu Yu experienced a moment of clarity.

It was a scene reminiscent of one in the endless galaxy. Surrounded in the grand formation, hostile faces encircled him, ready to strike him down.

Now, the vast killing formation had taken shape around him.

The killing formation was directed at Lu Yu, with a python slowly materializing.

A lethal resolve flashed in Lu Yu's eyes. He struck swiftly and mercilessly, his every move intended to be fatal.

Lu Yu soared into the air and delivered a fierce kick to the edge of the killing formation. Accompanied by a chilling scream, a man was ejected from within.

The area engulfed by the killing formation was a maelstrom of wind and sand, a place ordinary people would avoid, but Lu Yu had already spotted its weaknesses.

This so-called killing formation was riddled with flaws.

"Hold the line! He must not escape!" someone shouted, as the true qi infused into the formation grew denser.

The hissing of the nine pythons within the formation signaled their full emergence.

Each python shimmered with a faint purple light, exuding an intimidating presence. Even from the sidelines, one could feel the chill of a cold wind.

"Kill!"

Amidst the resounding cries of the Houtian experts, the pythons opened their massive jaws and lunged at Lu Yu.

Though born from the formation, the pythons seemed as real as flesh and blood, their open maws exuding a faint, bloody scent.

With a cold, impassive face, Lu Yu didn't flinch as the python bore down on him, instead stepping forward to meet it.

"Heh, has he lost his mind from fear, walking straight into it?" mocked an aide with a sneer.

Yet in an instant, his smirk solidified, and his complexion turned deathly pale.

Lu Yu's fists suddenly tightened, and from each finger, a seemingly endless stream of white vapor surged forth. With a single punch, he unleashed a force akin to an enraged dragon's roar, slicing through the heavens.

Roar!

Before the astonished eyes of onlookers, the seemingly fragile Houtian First Level true qi, which appeared too weak to withstand even a minor strike, effortlessly shredded the python conjured by the grand formation, much like a long sword slicing through paper.

In an instant, one of the nine pythons vanished, yet the remaining eight relentlessly pursued Lu Yu, attacking from various angles.

Without turning, Lu Yu's white true qi morphed into a towering five-clawed black dragon that spiraled up around him.

"What? True qi transformed into a tangible form?"

"This is a Xiantian technique! He's merely a Houtian First Level youth. How could he possibly master such a skill?!"

Several Houtian Ninth Level masters were left speechless, struggling to keep the grand formation functioning.

While Houtian Ninth Level warriors were formidable, they could only wield true qi for basic martial techniques. To shape true qi into a solid entity required the collective power of many, channeled through a grand formation.

Take the Nine Python Dragon Trapping Formation, for example; it's impossible to execute by a lone individual.

But the Xiantian realm is a different story altogether. Xiantian masters can convert their true qi into a substantial force for attack. There have even been Xiantian masters who, despite losing an arm, used their true qi to reconnect the bones and continue battling.

The Houtian masters paused, a moment of realization dawning upon them. They were facing a Xiantian master in disguise, one who had feigned weakness at the Houtian First Level!

"Even if he is a Xiantian master, he shall not leave this place today!" bellowed a Houtian master, his body radiating an intensified purple glow.

The other Houtian masters joined in the cry, and the true qi python, previously dispersed by Lu Yu, was reanimated with renewed vigor.

The nine pythons roared furiously as they lunged at Lu Yu with their fangs bared.

Roar!

The black dragon, previously conjured by Lu Yu, responded with a thunderous roar and charged at the nine pythons with equal ferocity.

"Nine pythons are mere beasts after all. Did they truly believe they could stand against a True Dragon?"

Lu Yu exhaled softly, his essence merging with the black dragon, which in turn became even more formidable.

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

As the black dragons descended upon the nine pythons, it was like wolves tearing through a flock of sheep. One by one, the pythons were consumed by the black dragons.

The once formidable true qi pythons were dissolving at an alarming rate!

"The dragon is devouring my true qi!"

"I can't sustain this. Withdraw quickly!"

With the grand formation in shambles, the Houtian experts scrambled to retract their true qi. However, it was then that they heard Lu Yu's commanding voice, "Too late to escape now!"

Whoosh!

In an instant, Lu Yu withdrew the black dragon and stepped decisively out of the killing formation.