Nan Yingying's anger turned into delight as she swept her mocking gaze over Nie Rong and the others.
"You are celebrating too soon. The true fire my imperial brother wields was taken from one of the Thirty-Six Celestial Caves of the Spirit Realm, the Xuande Cave. It can burn even Mahayana cultivators to ashes, let alone destroy this crude so-called immortal formation in the lower realm!"
Xiao Rong panicked. "When is Boss coming back? That Xuande Cave sounds terrifying!"
Jiang Shengxiang instantly felt his backbone collapse, so he could only turn to Nie Rong for reassurance.
"Elder Nie, can that so-called true fire really burn through an immortal formation?"
Nie Rong held his breath, his expression solemn as he watched Nan Huoyu's blazing fire surge higher with pride. He could hear the rapid pounding of his own heart.
"No matter how strong an immortal formation's defenses are, against the scorching true fire taken from Xuande Cave, it will eventually be worn down and destroyed!"
Jiang Shengxiang collapsed weakly to the ground. Seeing the fire of anger in Nan Yingying's eyes, his lips trembled uncontrollably.
"Is there truly no other way?"
Xiao Rong's face turned as pale as paper.
"If I had known they could destroy an immortal formation, I would never have cursed them so badly earlier! Boss, save me, where are you, Boss!?"
"Only now you realize fear? Too late!"
Nan Yingying's gaze swept arrogantly over Xiao Rong and Jiang Shengxiang, her laughter unrestrained.
Terrified, Xiao Rong leapt onto Nie Rong's shoulder and clutched his neck tightly. "Old man Nie, do something! Didn't you say you're a Nascent Soul cultivator? Hurry up and drive them away!"
Nie Rong helplessly spread his hands and channeled a strand of spiritual power into the immortal formation. "My strength is like a cup of water against a raging inferno. I can only try to stabilize the formation a little. As for driving them away… unless this formation is an absolute killing formation, capable of striking them down, it won't be enough."
His gentle spiritual energy flowed into the immortal formation, faint ripples of silver light appearing across its barrier.
But a wave of scorching fire crashed down, devouring every ripple.
In that instant, it was as if both heaven and earth sank into a deathly silence.
Xiao Rong and Jiang Shengxiang forgot to breathe, their eyes wide.
Nie Rong poured all his qi into the formation, a single thought echoing in his mind.
Wait.
As long as Master returns, all of this will end!
Boom!
Explosive shockwaves rumbled endlessly in the air.
Nie Rong's qi was drained into the formation. A vortex appeared at the center, and the wall of fire vanished in an instant.
Nan Huoyu's smile froze on his lips. "Impossible… how?"
"Imperial Brother, did the immortal formation get broken so quickly?" Nan Yingying, seeing the flames vanish, grew excited and skipped to his side.
But then—something unexpected happened.
Nan Huoyu looked down, only to see silver threads spreading across the ground, winding up his legs. His expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Run! Do not come near me!"
Nan Yingying froze mid-step, startled. "Imperial Brother, what is happening?"
"This immortal formation conceals a killing array!"
Nan Huoyu turned and tried to flee, but the silver threads burrowed into his body like parasites gnawing at the bone.
Nan Yingying stared in horror as his flesh sloughed off before her eyes, like a snake shedding skin, leaving only stark white bones—and a struggling gray soul tightly bound by the silver threads.
"Run! Hurry! This must be their trap. The killing array within this immortal formation has already been triggered. We were tricked by those three!"
Nan Huoyu's soul still howled with rage.
Nan Yingying watched the silver threads devour his soul, icy fear spreading through every nerve. Her whole body went rigid.
"Imperial Brother, Ying Ying will surely find someone to avenge you!"
She tried to wrench herself free from his bony grasp, but the silver threads spread into her body, climbing up to her delicate face.
Xiao Rong, Jiang Shengxiang, and Nie Rong could only stare wide-eyed, frozen in shock.
"Are the two of them… going to die just like that?"
Xiao Rong swallowed hard. The sight before him felt like a dream.
Nie Rong's eyes widened in disbelief, his tense body relaxing at last. "Did Master foresee this all along? This formation was never like this before!"
"Yes, it was only a simple eighth-tier spiritual treasure, the Millennial Turtle Shell Shield." Jiang Shengxiang murmured in awe as he touched the glowing barrier.
"Ah, what is this? Imperial Brother, let me go, I am Ying Ying!"
Nan Yingying's eyes bulged in terror as dense silver threads spread beneath her skin. The spirit realm cultivators she brought with her recoiled in fright, retreating several zhang.
"What is this formation? Who exactly are these people?"
Those cultivators trembled violently, too terrified to move forward.
Nan Yingying reached a pale hand toward them, screaming, "Save me! Save me!"
"No, do not touch her!"
"If you touch her, the silver threads will devour you too. You'll end up just like them!"
The spirit realm cultivators who had descended with the Nan siblings shook their heads frantically. Not a single one dared approach her.
Nan Huoyu's fading soul could only watch helplessly as his sister's body was eaten away until nothing but bones remained.
He howled in fury. "Cowards! Once I escape, you will all pay dearly!"
"Imperial Brother, save me! Save me!"
Nan Yingying's soul writhed within the silver threads. Her voice carried endless terror as her spirit battered against the shining web, weakening at frightening speed.
The three inside the formation stared in shock.
"That was way too fast!"
"Yeah… and Boss hasn't even returned yet!"
"There wasn't even a need for the Xiānzhǔ to act!"
Jiang Shengxiang slapped his forehead in alarm. "Oh no, I shouldn't have sent Miss Tang to gather the villagers. These people cannot even break the formation, they were never a real threat!"
Xiao Rong and Nie Rong both nodded silently.
"Village Chief Jiang, that move was truly unnecessary."
Jiang Shengxiang sighed in regret. "Their tone was so arrogant, I thought they were truly powerful…
But in the end, they were nothing special!"
Planting his fists on his hips, Jiang Shengxiang finally let loose the laughter he had been suppressing.
"Hahaha! The immortal formation our Xiānzhǔ left behind— even experts of the Spirit Realm cannot break through it!"
"Imperial Brother!"
"Imperial Sister, stop resisting! The more you struggle, the more the silver threads will ravage your soul!"
As Jiang Shengxiang's laughter echoed, both Nan Huoyu and Nan Yingying wept.
"Imperial Brother, we plotted in the Spirit Realm for years. This is my first time descending to the lower realm… must I die here?"
"And this is also my first time descending. To think our first stop would be this barren Eastern Wilderness. Who would have guessed the villagers were cunning, protected by an immortal formation? We lost without even understanding how!"
Nan Huoyu's anguished soul roar pierced everyone's ears, reverberating in their minds.
He was unwilling. Utterly unwilling!