"Is it the Dragon Tail that's shaking? How is this possible! The Dragon Tail is at the farthest end of the Dragon Vein, and the Divine Emperor's remains are also nourished by the Dragon Vein's energy."
"Could it be..."
The leading elder spoke, his eyes suddenly widening.
"This is bad! There must be two groups! This is a conspiracy, damn it!"
The lead Onmyoji cursed.
He was so furious his entire body trembled.
Clearly, the Dragon Vein had been extracted to create a diversion, and their true target was the Divine Emperor's tomb!
"For a Divine Emperor's tomb, would someone really go to such lengths to seal the Dragon Vein of a great nation?"
An elder beside him asked.
"Longjing, regardless, those people not only sealed our Dragon Vein but also sent out dangerous signals towards the tomb of our previous Divine Emperor."
"We must deal with these people to protect the safety of our Great Fuji Empire."
The lead elder's voice held a hint of seriousness.
"But, how did they seal our Dragon Vein, and how did they know its precise location? We know nothing about who they are or what methods they possess."
Longjing spoke, his hoarse voice filled with urgency.
The leader, Guizhu, frowned slightly.
Although he was the leader, he valued the words of these elders.
Hearing Longjing's words, Guizhu fell into silence for a moment.
He had survived this long not because he was foolish; he could naturally discern the underlying issues.
Those capable of sealing a Dragon Vein on such a large scale were by no means ordinary people. Furthermore, being able to cause the Dragon Tail to collapse in such a short time indicated they were definitely organized.
"Here's what we'll do. We'll split into two groups. Longjing, you take some men to the collapsed area to investigate. I'll stay here for now and join you once I'm done."
"For now, everyone, let's break this formation. We'll deal with the other problem afterward."
"However, we will need to sacrifice three Onmyoji. Whoever is willing to offer their precious life for our Great Fuji Empire will be honored with the highest funeral rites."
Guizhu said, and a moment of silence fell as people exchanged glances. They were all old foxes, none eager to die.
"Lord Gui, I have three junior disciples. At this critical juncture, I believe we elders should be utilized in the most crucial way."
An old man spoke. Beside him, three middle-aged Fuji men looked pale, their expressions panicked as they gazed at Guizhu.
Beneath his black robe, Guizhu's eyes seemed to gleam faintly.
They had thought they were here to learn, only to end up as cannon fodder?
"Very well. Since only Onmyoji of a certain strength need to be sacrificed, I entrust these three to you."
Guizhu spoke, his face hidden by the black robe.
The three men's legs trembled with fear. As they were about to flee, Guizhu waved his hand, and an invisible force compelled them to walk forward involuntarily.
Then, two to three dozen Onmyoji, clad in black robes, surrounded the entire mountainous area.
"Begin the formation!"
With a command from Guizhu, the people around them all waved their hands, conjuring Yin-Yang arts.
When the spells touched Zhang Tian's formation, they were inexplicably repelled.
The casters also suffered a backlash.
"This, how is this possible? This formation can reflect our power?"
"Is there such a master in this world? Capable of setting up such a grand formation?"
Guizhu was filled with horror.
He was, after all, the most senior Onmyoji in Fuji, yet he had never encountered anything like this.
How powerful must the person who set up this formation be?
"What do we do now?"
Longjing looked over.
"Sacrifice!"
"Use souls to break through the shackles!"
"Even the strongest formation has a weakness when faced with living beings!"
Guizhu said coldly.
Sacrifice was their only option, and even with these three lives, Guizhu was unsure if he could break the formation.
At this point, Guizhu was beginning to feel a sense of fear towards the formation setter. This was the most formidable formation he had ever witnessed.
Indeed, it was jointly created by Zhang Tian, Zhang Qilin, and Hu Bayi. It would be strange if it could be easily broken.
"No, I don't want to die! Master, Master, I am the most talented disciple of our sect!"
The ones being sacrificed cried out.
Yet, their usually gentle master seemed not to hear their pleas, his movements becoming more fervent.
"Buzz."
The formation trembled.
The three men at the center of the formation were killed by the reflected power.
Their souls were then controlled by Guizhu and directed towards Zhang Tian's formation.
"Lin!"
The next moment, a colossal character, "Lin," appeared above the formation.
It almost blotted out the sky.
Behind the character "Lin," immense power surged from the formation, and faint roars of a Qilin could be heard.
"What, what is that sound!"
Longjing exclaimed in shock.
"It's a ghost, a monster is roaring!"
An old Onmyoji nearby also spoke in panic.
"Hold firm, it's just a minor trick. Brother Yuanye, step forward and pour all your power into it."
Guizhu looked at an elder beside him.
Yuanye hesitated and took a step forward.
"Die."
The next moment, Guizhu's expression changed as Yuanye's body instantly began to shatter.
"Guizhu, you!"
Before he could finish his sentence, he was dead.
"My apologies, this formation is too powerful, even enveloped by Qilin energy. For the sake of the empire, Elder Yuanye, you have sacrificed yourself."
Guizhu spoke, waving his hand, and Yuanye's soul also surged forward.
Indeed, as expected of an old Onmyoji, this soul's aura was several times stronger than the previous three.
The next moment, cracks actually began to appear on the formation.
The power of living beings was boundless, thus ordinary formations found it difficult to withstand such an assault.
Seeing the cracks appear, Guizhu knew he couldn't let them close. His eyes darted around.
At this point, the people around them had already begun to feel a sense of dread.
Subsequently, after sacrificing several more elders, Guizhu finally managed to break Zhang Tian's formation.
The dark clouds that had been enshrouding Jingdu City slowly dispersed.
As they watched the clouds vanish, the hearts of the people remained heavy.
They had lost six Onmyoji just to break a single formation.
If there were a few more such formations, they would all be depleted.
"Who are these people, to be so formidable?"
Guizhu's expression was grim.
He knew that this time, they had encountered an opponent of immense power.
"Then, Lord Gui, should we still go to the Dragon Tail..."
Longjing's confidence was wavering.
So many people had died to break the formation. If they faced the Dragon Tail directly, wouldn't even more perish?
"We will. I want to see who these gods are!"
Guizhu gritted his teeth and said with resolve.
At this moment, the hearts of everyone around were far from calm.
If they could flee, they would have done so without hesitation. Their strength was clearly on a different level.
Meanwhile, on Zhang Tian's side, Zhang Tian, who was cultivating, suddenly opened his eyes.
"Hmm? The formation is broken? That quickly."
Zhang Tian was somewhat surprised.
He looked towards the stars in the sky.
As expected, Fuji did have its experts. He needed to be cautious.