Chapter 103: Formation Shattered-Press Onwards

The air was thick with tension as Jiang Feng and Ji Moran stood at the entrance behind everyone, observing the multi-colored formation. The two massive hills loomed before them, their crowns touching in an unnatural embrace, while the lake beyond the formation glistened with its dual nature—one side boiling with heat, the other frozen in an eternal chill. The two flames at the center of the lake pulsed with an otherworldly rhythm, their light casting long shadows across the landscape.

Around them, the younger generation cultivators from the six cities of the Obsidian Woodlands had gathered, their eyes fixed on the formation and the treasures it guarded. The atmosphere was electric, a volatile mix of anticipation and hostility. Everyone wanted the flames, but no one was willing to let the others have them.

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With a swift motion, Jiang Feng hurled the dagger at the formation. The blade cut through the air with a low hum, its weight and sharp edge slamming into the multi-colored barrier with a resounding **BOOM!** The formation shuddered, its lights flickering erratically, but it held firm.

"Again," Jiang Feng muttered, summoning the dagger back to his hand with a flick of his wrist. He could feel the weight of the blade, its celestial origins lending it an almost sentient quality. The runic lines glowed brighter as he prepared for the second strike. Grabbing Ji Moran by the hand, like a silent night the celestial dragged pulled his forward as bony vanished and reappeared near the formation.

"Who's there!!" Everyone shouted, their expressions one of rage and arrogance.

Before Jiang Feng could launch the dagger again, a voice cut through the silence. "Do you really think you can break the formation alone, Jiang Feng?" It was Zhen Ruyi, her tone dripping with mockery. She stepped forward, her movements graceful but calculated. Behind her, the other cultivators from Northern Moon City—Lan Xue, Zhao Tian, and the rest—watched with varying degrees of disdain.

Jiang Feng's eyes narrowed, but he didn't respond. Instead, he focused on the formation, hurling the dagger a second time. The impact was even more forceful than the first, and the formation's lights flickered violently. Cracks began to spread across its surface, but it still held.

"Enough of this, get out of here we found this place first!," Zhao Tian growled, stepping forward. His massive frame and imposing presence made him a stark contrast to Jiang Feng's lean, focused demeanor. "You're wasting time. Step aside and let those who know what they're doing handle this."

Jiang Feng ignored him, summoning the dagger back to his hand. But before he could strike again, a fiery tendril lashed out from Lan Xue's Thousand Hand Flame Seed, forcing him to dodge. The tendril struck the ground where he had been standing, leaving a smoldering crater.

"You're not the only one who wants those flames," Lan Xue said, her voice cold. "If you think you can take them for yourself, you're sorely mistaken. Ji Moran, when since did the Ji clan acted in such manner?." Jiang Feng recognize Lan Xue and Zhao Tian, but he knew that they didn't recognize him. Lan Xue's word seemed to have hit a mark on Ji Moran as she expression faltered before becoming firm again.

"It's none of your business" she spat, her sword in hand awaiting Jiang Feng's signal.

Jiang Feng's expression remained impassive, but his grip on the dagger tightened. Ji Moran stepped forward, her sword gleaming in the light of the formation. "If you want to fight, then fight," she said, her voice steady. "But don't expect us to back down." Since Jiang Feng wasn't a talkative person she might as well handle the talking for him.

Ignoring the growing tension, Jiang Feng hurled the dagger a third time. The impact was deafening, and the cracks in the formation widened further. The cultivators around them began to murmur, their unease growing. If Jiang Feng succeeded in breaking the formation, the battle for the flames would begin in earnest.

"Stop him!" someone shouted, and chaos erupted. Cultivators from Mist Ridge City and Obsidian Lake City moved to intercept Jiang Feng, their techniques creating barriers of water and poison. The healers of Verdant Sky City hung back, their hands glowing with restorative energy as well as lethal needles, while the thunder cultivators of Thunderclap City charged forward, their movements crackling with electricity.

Jiang Feng dodged a bolt of lightning, his movements fluid and precise. He summoned the dagger back to his hand and hurled it a fourth time. The formation shuddered violently, its lights flickering like a dying star.

The fifth strike sent shockwaves through the ground, causing several cultivators to lose their footing. The formation's cracks spread like a spiderweb, and its lights dimmed noticeably. Jiang Feng's breathing was heavy, but his focus never wavered as the Celestial Dagger pulled on his infernal energy. He could feel the weight of the dagger in his hand, its runic lines glowing brighter with each strike.

"He's going to break it!" someone shouted, panic evident in their voice.

Zhen Ruyi stepped forward, her hands moving in intricate patterns as she activated a series of talismans. Poisonous mist began to spread, forcing Jiang Feng and Ji Moran to retreat. But Jiang Feng wasn't deterred. With a roar, he hurled the dagger a sixth time, the impact so powerful that the ground beneath him cracked.

"Stay clear and safe, don't go too far from me" Jiang Feng shouted as he saw that Ji Moran Rippling Wave Sword Art was activated and that she wanted to attack Zhen Ruyi. Though he wanted to attack himself, he wanted to focus on the formation and didn't want to waste time, he could handle his business once it was broken.

The formation's lights flickered one last time before going dark. For a moment, there was silence. Then, with a deafening roar, the formation shattered when the Celestial Dagger slammed into it one final time.

"It's him, we must get that dagger and kill that kid once we get the chance?" Two persons could be seen standing in the shadows without anyone noticing, their eyes looked menacingly at the crowd a head and at Jiang Feng. Their bodies fit perfectly with the dark corners of the hills like a perfect backdrop.

The explosion of energy was unlike anything Jiang Feng had ever experienced. Waves of heat and cold blasted outward, their force sending cultivators flying. The air was filled with the sound of cracking ice and roaring flames, and the ground trembled as if the realm itself was reacting to the formation's destruction. Jiang Feng knew that the Celestial Dagger was a top treasure that this world couldn't house, after breaking apart the door that stored the Titan Ascendance Art, he knew that the dagger could very likely shatter this formation as well.

Jiang Feng shielded his face with his arm, his body buffeted by the shockwaves, forcing draconic scales to materialize on his arms as he covered Ji Moran who stood behind him. When the energy subsided, he lowered his arm and looked toward the lake. The two flames were brighter than ever, their light almost blinding. The stone platforms they rested on were intact, but the area around them was a chaotic mix of ice and fire.

The cultivators began to recover, their eyes fixed on the flames. The battle for the treasures would now begin, and Jiang Feng knew it would be a fight to the death because no one would standby and watch others take what could be theirs as well.

"Let's go!!!" Someone shouted and bolted towards the lake's crystal clear waters. As the cultivators surged forward, Jiang Feng and Ji Moran moved as one. The Celestial Dagger flashed in Jiang Feng's hand, its runic lines glowing with an otherworldly light. Ji Moran's sword danced through the air, her movements precise and deadly.

"Stay close," Jiang Feng said, his voice low. "We'll need to work together if we're going to make it out of this alive."

Ji Moran nodded, her expression grim. "I've got your back."

"Watering Slash" a Mist Ridge cultivator zoomed over, his sword pointed at Jiang Feng as waves of furiously spinning water came crashing down like a tidal wave. Jiang Feng and Ji Moran were the two closely to the lake's shores, and were the two that shattered the formation. Thus it was only natural that they would be targeted first.

"Ice Press" Ji Moran shouted and stepped forward as her sword caused the air to ripple and pressed forward unrelentingly, shards of ice accompanied her blade as she met the Mist Ridge cultivator head on.

Boom!!!

The two swords met in midair, causing the air to explode, water and ice raged while sparks flew. "Damn it she's good" the Mist Ridge Cultivator seeing that he didn't get the upper hand in his first encounter jumped backwards, trying to regroup with the others, but before his feet could touch the ground, a thunderous fist burning with heat slammed into his stomach like a mountain slamming into tofu.

"Dawn Breaker!" Jiang Feng's cold voice echoed as he slammed the cultivator into the ground causing rocks to fly out and cultivator to spit out blood and crushed organs losing his life in one exchange. "Let's go"

The two of them charged toward the flames, their determination unwavering. Around them, the other cultivators clashed, their techniques creating a chaotic symphony of elements. Water clashed with fire, lightning with poison, and the air was filled with the sounds of battle.

Jiang Feng's Skyforge Flame flared to life in front of him in the form of three blue vortex, they're blue inferno clashing with the yellow and blue flames of the lake that was crashing forward with brut force. The heat was intense, and the cold biting, but he pushed through, his focus solely on the treasures ahead.