Because of the number of stone pillars, Zhang Tian could not break the formation quickly by himself and needed someone to assist him.
Hu Bayi was the only one among them who knew formations, making him the obvious choice.
"Fatty, Qilin, Young Master Wu, you guys assist us, help us fend off the surrounding stone pillars. And Old Hu, you'll help me break the formation. We'll break it together," Zhang Tian shouted while dodging attacks.
"Alright, boss!" Fatty yelled, smashing a stone pillar that emerged from the ground with a single punch.
"But, is this formation too high-level?" Hu Bayi worried. He hadn't practiced anything related to formations, and now Zhang Tian suddenly asked for his help, making him anxious about messing things up.
"Don't worry, just follow my lead." Zhang Tian was unfazed. The initial steps of breaking this formation weren't the crucial part. The key was the final move.
Hu Bayi didn't say anything further. He nodded seriously and then fixed his gaze on Zhang Tian, clearly ready.
"The Vermilion Bird is in the south. Three steps south of the star point, break at three steps!" Zhang Tian called out, and Hu Bayi continuously leaped. With every move, countless stone edge attacks rained down. Fatty and the others were reliable, constantly attacking the stone pillars before them.
Soon, with everyone's cooperation, one stone pillar after another fell. A Xuanwu Vermilion Bird formation gradually formed around Zhang Tian. Just as Zhang Tian thought it was broken, the gray sky suddenly changed. The overcast sky became exceptionally dull, and the oppressive feeling made it hard for everyone to breathe. Zhang Tian looked at the last stone pillar before him but found his feet wouldn't move.
"Boss, my feet feel so heavy, it's so strange," Fatty shouted, his legs trembling involuntarily and feeling incredibly heavy. Hu Bayi and the others also stopped, looking at each other with shock in their eyes. What was happening? Why couldn't they move? Even Zhang Qilin looked up at the sky.
Zhang Tian felt the surrounding pressure. "This isn't paralysis. It's the formation's pressure!" he said. "It's using the formation to create an anti-gravity effect. This must be why I can't fly!" His voice carried. In moments of crisis, Zhang Tian became even calmer.
"What do we do?" Fatty asked, bewildered. "We can't just stand here."
"Look at the sky!" Shirley Yang's voice rang out, her eyes filled with awe. Above them, stone edge pillars dozens of meters long slowly appeared. They looked like icicles hanging from eaves, sharp and terrifying. The spikes pointed at Zhang Tian and the others, ready to fall at any moment.
Zhang Tian frowned. This was no longer just about gravity; it involved offensive capabilities. "I can't even set up a formation like this," Zhang Tian muttered. He quickly opened his virtual space and threw out the armor. "Everyone put it on quickly," he shouted. He didn't know if the Starfall Iron could withstand it, but it was a glimmer of hope.
Seeing everyone put on the armor, Wu Tianzhen and Wang Banyue looked bewildered. "Well, they're the only ones who have it."
"Young Master Zhang, what about us?" Wang Banyue quickly called out. Zhang Tian glanced at Fatty.
"Damn it, Brother Banyue, your daddy is here!" Fatty exclaimed, gathering all his strength and charging towards Wang Banyue and the other. Soon, the two were protected beneath Fatty's turtle shell. After all, Star Iron was precious, and Wu Tianzhen hadn't made any substantial contributions, so Zhang Tian naturally wouldn't make armor for him.
"Ah, I feel safe now. Brother Kaixuan, you're amazing," Wang Banyue gave a thumbs-up. Fatty chuckled, saying nothing more.
"Brother Zhang, can this armor block it?" Shirley Yang worried.
"Don't worry, I'll break the formation as quickly as possible," Zhang Tian said. He then lifted his foot with effort. The weight beneath his foot felt like he was lifting an elephant, not something quantifiable in tons. Fortunately, Zhang Tian's cultivation had reached a certain level, and his foot slowly moved towards the last stone edge.
By now, the sky was densely covered with countless stone edges. Once the stone edges were fully formed, they fell towards the ground without hesitation, like rain.
"Bang bang bang!" The stone edges struck the armor, producing crisp sounds. After impact, they were shattered by the force.
"Oh ho ho, I'm completely fine! Fatty's armor is indeed the hardest." "Fatty is the strongest man!" Seeing the armor unharmed, Fatty's face filled with pride. The stone pillars had only caused slight dents in the armor, but not a single crack.
Even so, Zhang Tian became more aware of the formation's power. Zhang Tian and the others had put a lot of effort into this armor, and the fact that the formation could leave dents showed how formidable it was.
Zhang Tian arrived in front of the stone pillar. This pillar couldn't be directly shattered; it was the key to the final step. Zhang Tian's hand slowly moved towards the front of the pillar. Beneath the pillar were some sheep's bones, but as Zhang Tian's hand descended, the bones instantly turned to dust.
Simultaneously, a vision of a Xuanwu appeared in Zhang Tian's mind. Zhang Tian's eyes widened in surprise. He had never experienced formation illusions before when breaking formations, but now there was one. This surprised Zhang Tian. "Could it be that after awakening, my mind has also achieved a certain breakthrough?" he thought. The appearance of the Xuanwu in his mind clearly represented the unique position of this formation.
At the same time, a fiery red phoenix appeared before him. "Roar!" "Caw!" The two divine beasts made sounds, and countless formation energies began to intermingle. A Thunder Qilin also gradually appeared behind Zhang Tian. In the dark space, Zhang Tian watched the two divine beasts fight. His hands continuously unleashed formation energies, assisting the Vermilion Bird he had arranged in the battle. The Vermilion Bird generated fire, the Xuanwu generated Yin. They were naturally in a克制 (kèzhì - restraint/countering) relationship. As Zhang Tian intensified his efforts, the Vermilion Bird gained the upper hand.
"Boom!" Outside, a loud noise was heard. Following the sound, a shockwave erupted from the stone pillar next to Zhang Tian. With the shockwave, the surrounding standing stone pillars began to shake. "Crackling." With crisp sounds, the stone pillars were on the verge of shattering. Small fragments of stone began to appear on the ground.
In the sky, the gray and white sky gradually turned blue. The gravity beneath their feet and the stone edges in the sky disappeared. Zhang Tian slowly moved his hand away from the stone pillar.
"It's broken," Zhang Tian said, looking at his surroundings with surprise. This was the first time he had used such a method to break a formation, and it had been so simple. Zhang Tian felt as though he had discovered a new continent.