Chapter 184
Chapter 184: Capture
In the distance, a massive surge of star force gathered into a straight line, expanding rapidly before hurtling toward them with terrifying speed.
“Formation! Quick, move out!” someone shouted urgently.
Star force swept across the ground like a runaway train, roaring as it passed, leaving the air split in two. The ground collapsed, and many people collapsed, coughing up blood and losing consciousness. The air visibly parted as it rushed toward the horizon, splitting the earth itself. The landscape was instantly altered.
Wang Jie dropped to the ground, feeling the immense pressure as the star force passed above him, as if it might lift him off the earth.
He lifted his head, watching as the star force continued to condense and expand in the distance, sending out powerful waves in every direction. From above, it would look like countless lines made of star force stretching outward.
Is this the Gathering Tracks Formation?
The thought flashed in Wang Jie’s mind. He recognized the power of this formation: it was designed to forcibly condense the star force of an enemy. In other words, any star force attack launched by an enemy would be absorbed before it could travel too far, diminishing its power.
Setting up such a formation wasn’t difficult.
Before he could think more, a brilliant flash of light seared through his eyes.
He quickly shut his eyes and lowered his head—Light Banishing Array.
In the distance, at the center of the Gathering Tracks Formation, a furious shout echoed: “Wen Yuan! I know it’s you! No one else could have set up so many formations so quickly. You’re despicable! Coward! Come out!”
Darkness invaded, and the Light Banishing Array did what its name suggested, dispersing the light and plunging everything into shadow.
One move to gather tracks, one move to banish the light—this combination left the enemy unable to attack or escape.
“Brother Li, now that you know it’s me, you should understand that you can’t escape. They’ve been searching for that Wang Jie non-stop on Devour Star. I know every one of their positions. I’ve timed my strike perfectly. No one can help you. Surrender, give me the jade, and I’ll let you off with a little soup,” Wen Yuan’s voice rang out with icy clarity.
“Dream on! You think a mere formation can defeat me?” The figure of Li Cai was surrounded by crimson Heaven Thunder, and he thrust a long spear forward, trying to gauge Wen Yuan’s position with his attack.
However, the spear met only empty air.
Wen Yuan sighed. “Brother Li, are you really going to push this to the end?”
“With your formations? Break my Thunder Pattern and Stacking Heavenly Light first!” Li Cai sneered.
Wen Yuan smiled coldly. “Very well. Then let Brother Li teach me a lesson. Bewildering Star Array.”
One after another, Star Sealing Stones floated into the air, spreading outward. Wang Jie observed the stones overhead, feeling their strange star force. Strange star force, yes—this could indeed be used to set up formations.
Wen Yuan was truly terrifying. His speed in setting up formations was astonishing.
“Everyone, retreat! On one side, we have Li Cai, and on the other, Wen Yuan. Wen Yuan is the disciple of the most powerful formation daoist from Zhi Learning Valley. Who knows what strange formations he’s using? Stay out of it!” someone shouted, urging the others to flee.
Those who had not collapsed turned and ran, trying to get out of the Star Sealing Stone’s range.
“Brother Qiu, are you leaving?” someone called.
Wang Jie glanced at his personal terminal but did not respond.
“Brother Qiu? Brother Qiu?” the voice called again.
Wang Jie ignored it. He wasn’t planning to leave. Wen Yuan wanted the jade, but Wang Jie wanted it too. With the enemy visible and the situation ripe for action, it was the perfect time.
The others had all retreated.
No one dared approach the battlefield unless they were at the Wandering Star Realm.
In the sky, as the Star Sealing Stones released star force, the lines of star force crossed each other with meticulous precision. One star force line struck another, interrupting and disassembling it. In a split second, all the star force transformed into a sky full of fireflies, filling the heavens and the earth.
Wang Jie was within the Bewildering Star Array.
But he was not the target of the attack and felt no fear. He studied the floating star force, analyzing it with his unparalleled vision. Though the star force appeared small, like fireflies, it contained a complex array of star force combinations.
In the distance, the crimson Heaven Thunder shot into the sky, forming a Thunder Pattern that protected Li Cai.
The firefly-like star force quickly merged, spiraling through the void to form strange yet powerful attacks. The invisible assaults bypassed the Light Banishing Array, aiming at the Thunder Pattern.
The Thunder Pattern trembled violently. Li Cai’s roar could be heard continuously, as he was forced into a defensive position.
Meanwhile, Wen Yuan’s position remained a mystery.
Wang Jie’s gaze grew sharp as he moved across the ground. He couldn’t locate Wen Yuan, but he knew that he was neither inside the Light Banishing Array nor the target of any attack. That meant Wen Yuan was somewhere else, hidden from view.
Following the logic, the direction of the concentrated attacks should be where Wen Yuan was located. However, as a formation daoist, Wang Jie knew better. The key was to move in the opposite direction.
Across the battlefield, the star force turned into long spears, striking out in all directions, with the sound of thunder reverberating through the air.
But these star forces were forcibly absorbed by the Gathering Tracks Formation, weakening their power.
Wang Jie glanced upward, seeing countless thunderous spears being thrown. The Gathering Tracks Formation continually moved star force in all directions, creating a magnificent scene of grandeur and destruction.
He suppressed his presence, focusing his attention on one direction.
It was difficult—everything felt chaotic. The ground was being eroded layer by layer, and occasionally, a thunderous spear would graze him, forcing him to avoid it without making a sound, careful not to attract Wen Yuan’s attention.
Suddenly, the sky brightened.
Wang Jie looked up and saw the star force shining brightly, surrounding Li Cai in rings—Stacking Heavenly Light.
The appearance of the Stacking Heavenly Light destabilized the Light Banishing Array, causing the Star Sealing Stones to vibrate and risk shattering at any moment.
“Wen Yuan, don’t let me find you, or I’ll kill you!” Li Cai shouted angrily.
From all directions, Wen Yuan’s voice responded: “Brother Li, don’t you think this is all I’ve got to deal with you? You really underestimate your own genius.”
As he spoke, more Star Sealing Stones floated into the air, some reinforcing the Light Banishing Array, while others strengthened the Gathering Tracks Formation.
In an instant, the Stacking Heavenly Light dimmed.
Star methods were based on star force. If star force was absorbed, the power of the star method would naturally decrease.
As long as the Gathering Tracks Formation was strong enough, it could disperse the Stacking Heavenly Light.
Wen Yuan had set up many formations specifically to deal with Li Cai.
This was the essence of being a formation daoist.
Once trapped in a formation carefully designed by a formation daoist, escaping was nearly impossible.
“Coward! If you have the guts, fight me face to face!” Li Cai roared.
Wen Yuan chuckled. “Heh, I’m a formation daoist. When have you ever seen one fight someone head-on? Brother Li, you’d be better off surrendering.”
Suddenly, Wang Jie’s gaze fixed on one direction.
At the moment Wen Yuan had strengthened the formation, the energy in that direction had sharply increased—it was there.
He restrained his presence, lowered his breath, and approached.
The Stacking Heavenly Light continued to dim.
The frequency with which the Gathering Tracks Formation absorbed star force was increasing.
Li Cai’s Thunder Pattern began to crack, his body sinking, and countless attacks surged over him, crashing into both the Thunder Pattern and Stacking Heavenly Light, shaking him to the core.
Finally, with a soft sound, the Thunder Pattern shattered completely.
Li Cai was struck by a powerful blow and staggered back, spitting blood, as countless firefly-like star forces descended upon him, causing the earth to cave in and the sky to fall.
“Brother Li, you’ve lost,” Wen Yuan’s voice rang out mockingly.
Li Cai gritted his teeth, unwilling to admit defeat, but facing the overwhelming onslaught of the Bewildering Star Array, he could only throw out the jade stone, “Take it and leave.”
Wen Yuan smiled. “Brother Li, don’t be angry. When we return, I’ll buy you a drink.”
Li Cai, through clenched teeth, muttered, “Wen Yuan, if I ever get the chance…”
“Thank you for the reminder, Brother Li.” The jade stone flew through the Light Banishing Array, heading toward a particular direction—toward Wen Yuan… and toward Wang Jie.
Wang Jie silently raised his hand, catching the jade stone as it drew nearer and ran off.
The formation stalled.
Just a few kilometers away, Wen Yuan’s expression changed, his previously easy smile replaced by anger. “A rat? Come out!” he bellowed, launching the Bewildering Star Array toward Wang Jie’s direction, not even waiting for it to reach full power.
Wang Jie’s feet flew through the Armor Eight Steps, dodging the incoming blows. He was not within the Light Banishing Array’s range.
In the sky, the Star Sealing Stones began to move toward Wang Jie.
Wang Jie flicked his fingers, striking the Star Sealing Stones in disbelief—It didn’t break? The hardness of these Star Sealing Stones was beyond imagination. Again, he combined his power, focusing his energy into his fingertips. This time, he shattered them one by one.
Wen Yuan was stunned. He can break my Star Sealing Stones?
For any formation daoist, the most important thing wasn’t just learning formations, but learning how to protect the Star Sealing Stones—how to make them tougher, more durable.
Otherwise, if the Star Sealing Stones were destroyed in battle, the formation would fall apart.
Every Star Sealing Stone Wen Yuan had used had been reinforced through various methods, able to withstand blows from combatants with two hundred thousand combat power. This man was no ordinary opponent—he was clearly a Wandering Star Realm expert. This was a problem. Wen Yuan had defeated Li Cai purely because he had trapped him in the formation. Without it, he wasn’t confident he could win.
Now, with this expert not trapped in his formations, and possessing a strong battle power of his own, stopping him would not be easy.
Wang Jie continued to run, shattering Star Sealing Stones without disrupting the formation that trapped Li Cai. If Li Cai were freed, it would only lead to another battle.
At this moment, Li Cai realized what was happening outside. His lips curled into a twisted smile, as if savoring the irony.
The jade could be discarded, but he wouldn’t give it to Wen Yuan, that despicable coward.
No matter who struck next, he would be pleased.
“Who are you?” Wang Jie’s voice was low, full of uncertainty, “Hiding in the shadows like this, it’s truly shameless.”
Wang Jie ran relentlessly, careful not to reveal his full strength, knowing that revealing his lock force would attract a group of experts to this position. The more scattered those experts were across the Devour Star, the better for his plans.
“You really think you can escape?” Wen Yuan’s anger erupted, and he stepped out, flinging Star Sealing Stones at Wang Jie.
In battle, the appearance of a formation daoist was always taboo.
But Wen Yuan didn’t care anymore.
This man had stolen his opportunity, and it was disgusting.
“Did you think I wasn’t prepared? This was originally for Li Cai, but now it’s for you.” As he spoke, Star Sealing Stones shot up from the earth, the area covered far exceeding the previous formations.
Wang Jie’s eyes widened in surprise—there were more formations.
How much had Wen Yuan set up just to deal with Li Cai?
Wen Yuan’s personal combat power wasn’t much higher than two hundred thousand, but these formations could easily handle enemies with thirty thousand or even stronger powers.
Wang Jie knew that the gap between Star Breaking Realm and Wandering Star Realm was immense, but some people could span great distances even within this gap.
The ability to shatter Li Cai’s Thunder Pattern, and the destructive power of the Bewildering Star Array, would certainly exceed thirty thousand combat power. That was a terrifying amount of destructive force, and if Wang Jie was hit, he’d be severely injured.
One after another, Star Sealing Stones released their star force, gradually forming a heavenly cage—the Lock Star Formation.
This was a simpler formation compared to the Eightfold Strong Lock Formation, but due to the diverse star force within the Star Sealing Stones, and the fact that Wen Yuan was also a Wandering Star Realm expert, it was powerful enough to trap a Wandering Star Realm expert.
Wang Jie studied the surrounding star force, looking up at the gaps above.
It wasn’t over yet.
There was a gap.
Sword Step.
From his storage ring, swords flew into the air, slashing toward the gap. With the Sword Form Technique, they shot straight toward the heavens.
On the earth, far in the distance, Wen Yuan finally realized. He saw Wang Jie’s disguised face—Qiu Chou—and his anger flared.