Immortal of the Nine Realms-Chapter 1488: Demon Sword

Ye Qingqiu sighed faintly. "After this defeat, Xie Aman will probably lose some of her arrogance. She really thought she was invincible among the core disciples of Fangcun Realm."

The surrounding core disciples all smiled. Seeing the chief core disciple of the Enlightenment God Palace suffer a setback was, to them, rather delightful.

This trip had not been in vain. At the very least, they had learned that the Rulai Monastery's Shao Guangyin was no easy opponent. In future confrontations with the Rulai Monastery, they would need entirely new strategies. If they treated them as before, they were bound to suffer.

"The last one before this lost miserably. This final fighter must be another newly promoted core disciple. I doubt he can last even two or three moves."

"He's probably only here to broaden his horizons. Xie Aman likely never expected she'd have to send him in at all."

"That's true, but she's stubborn. Even with defeat certain, why send her junior brother to get hurt?"

Every gaze turned toward Fang Chen.

They were unfamiliar with him and had no interest in changing that. A new core disciple posed little threat for now. There were far more important figures in the Enlightenment God Palace worth paying attention to, like those just one step away from comprehending Formation Immortal Arts.

The young monk studied Fang Chen calmly, then asked, "Why come out to fight when you know you can't win?"

"Senior Sister said you were my whetstone. So I came to sharpen myself," Fang Chen replied with a faint smile.

Whetstone?

The monk and the cultivators within his formation laughed.

"This whetstone might just turn you into a broken sword," the young monk said softly.

A moment later, the Thousand Armed Formation exploded forward at terrifying speed, charging Fang Chen head-on in raw close combat. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Excellent, his immortal essence must be nearly spent! He can't possibly cast another Formation Immortal Art!"

Wang Xuan and the others brightened, feeding immortal energy into the formation.

With a single thought, Fang Chen activated all defensive formations, erecting a radiant barrier.

Boom!

The world quaked, and the light barrier shattered instantly.

With one strike, the young monk had wounded the Black Dragon Formation.

Ji Gang and the others turned pale, their blood roiling from the shock. Even the lazy Mi Yu woke abruptly, transforming into human form and channeling immortal essence frantically into the boats.

That last strike had consumed over half of their total essence. If a few more attacks like that landed before they could replenish it, the formation would collapse, and they would lose.

The Thousand Armed Formation struck again, forcing the Black Dragon into full defense.

"In both speed and strength, he's far beyond us," Fang Chen judged grimly.

The young monk commanded at least four thousand expedition teams, already far more than Fang Chen. And now, in his demonic state, his power was multiplied severalfold.

Against that, the Black Dragon Ship was like a child facing a grown warrior, utterly outmatched.

"Only by grasping Formation Immortal Art can I turn this around... Could it be that Senior Sister sent me here to force out my potential?"

That thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

The Black Dragon Formation dodged desperately, predicting every assault. But they still lagged far behind. Even if it could predict the opponent's attack routes, it could only barely protect its core.

Fang Chen's eyes glinted. "When I first bonded with the Formation Heart, my spiritual strength played a key role. That's why I succeeded so quickly. Perhaps Senior Sister believes that, if pushed to the brink of life and death, I might awaken that same insight and comprehend a Formation Immortal Art?"

Xie Aman was no fool. As an eighth-transformation Ancient Immortal, her perception and judgment ranked among the finest in all Nine Mortal Realms.

"If even she believes I have a chance... then maybe I really do."

Suddenly, the Black Dragon Formation shifted from evasion to assault, lunging forward.

The young monk hadn't expected that. Caught off guard, he was bitten cleanly by the dragon's jaws.

Crunch!

More than a dozen Immortal Boats were devoured whole, their cultivators slain before they could utter a final word.

"This guy's got guts! He dared to strike back, the monk didn't see that coming and took a hit..."

"Useless hit, though."

"Agreed. That won't cause any real damage to the Thousand Armed Formation."

"It doesn't need to. If he can hold out long enough, he might just turn this fight around."

"Impossible. He won't last long. The Rulai Monastery will finish this soon."

And indeed, they were right. Once the young monk recovered, the Black Dragon Formation couldn't land a second blow. To the watching crowd, it looked as if a black dragon were frantically biting at a serene Buddha statue, but every strike failed to leave a mark.

In contrast, each casual counter from the Thousand Hand Formation destroyed dozens of Fang Chen's boats.

Third Sister shook her head. "He's got spirit, but it won't help him now."

Meanwhile, the Thousand Armed Formation gathered a dreadful surge of energy, preparing one final strike.

But this time, that power was so overwhelming that if it hit, Fang Chen wouldn't merely lose. The Black Dragon Ship itself would be obliterated, and Fang Chen would die with it.

Senior Sister suddenly took a step forward in rage. "How dare you!"

From the beginning of the contest, both sides had followed an unspoken rule—fight for victory, not for lives. But now, for some reason, the young monk had abandoned that restraint, choosing a killing blow.

"That bald monk could still win despite his immortal essence being drained! Why is he trying to kill Fang Chen!?"

"He could've just conceded. There are still four core disciples left after him. The Rulai Monastery already has victory secured. If he's killing now, then Shao Guangyin..."

All eyes turned toward Shao Guangyin. He met their stares with a gentle smile, eyes serene and kind, but behind that flawless expression lurked the cold gleam of a serpent.

They were taking revenge!

The realization came too late.

Now all they could hope for was that Fang Chen could withstand the strike and protect the Black Dragon Ship.

As for those cultivators within it... they were already beyond saving.

Boom!

A blow comparable to that of an Ancient Immortal struck where the Black Dragon Formation had just been.

The instant after the impact, the young monk began to age rapidly. The demonic flames around him vanished. He was completely spent.

Everyone looked around in confusion. "Where's the Black Dragon Formation?"

They had seen it vanish from the void in the blink of an eye, gone without a trace. Had it been completely vaporized by the Thousand Armed Formation's power?

"Impossible," someone muttered. "Even an Ancient Immortal can't erase a Black Dragon Formation with sheer force alone."

Shao Guangyin slowly rose to his feet, a cold gleam flickering in his eyes.

In the shadows, Ji Gang and the others were stunned. That terrifying attack had clearly been aimed right at them, so why had it... passed straight through?

Ji Gang's heart thudded as he instinctively turned to look at Fang Chen. "Our immortal essence drain just spiked sharply. Could it be..."