"Luo Qing, are you out of your mind? Why activate the trapping formation now?" Duan Qingqing could no longer hold back and scolded him directly.
"I didn't activate the formation," Luo Qing replied, his voice filled with grievance.
"You didn't activate it? Then perhaps the formation activated itself?" Duan Qingqing retorted, her tone laced with sarcasm. She was deeply skeptical, for after all, Luo Qing was the only one from the Formation Peak here. No one else could have triggered this formation.
Luo Qing, completely baffled by the situation, was at a loss. However, as a member of the Formation Peak, he was trained not only to set up formations but also to dismantle them. He quickly sent spiritual seals into the formation, attempting to break it.
Typically, when these spiritual seals came into contact with the formation, it would immediately deactivate. But this time, to his astonishment, the seals shattered upon contact, leaving him completely stunned.
"I was wondering who it was, but it turns out it's the three of you," came a disdainful voice from behind them.
Luo Qing's carefully laid plan had been flawless up until now. It wasn't until Lin Tian stepped into the formation's range that Luo Qing realized something had gone awry. With his superior understanding of formations, Lin Tian had easily detected the trap, and even before Luo Qing could activate it, Lin Tian had already turned the tables, trapping them inside the formation instead.
Seeing Luo Qing and Yu Qingdi there was still understandable to Lin Tian, but when his gaze landed on Duan Qingqing, he felt puzzled. He had never seen this woman before and couldn't fathom why she was involved in this scheme against him.
However, at that moment, these thoughts seemed insignificant. Given Luo Qing's strength, and the lesson he had already taught the others, Lin Tian saw no reason to stay longer. While breaking the formation would take some time, it wasn't something that could stop him.
As he prepared to leave, a group of Rock Armored Snakes suddenly appeared, surrounding them. At a quick glance, he could count over ten of them. The trio was trapped in the formation and couldn't escape. If these snakes attacked, they would undoubtedly meet their end.
"How can there be so many Rock Armored Snakes? What should we do now?" Duan Qingqing panicked upon seeing the overwhelming number of snakes. With their current cultivation, they could easily deal with one, but against this many, they had no chance.
"Could it be that today is really the day I'm doomed?" Yu Qingdi's eyes reflected a hint of despair. He was no match for the Rock Armored Snakes, and with so many surrounding them, he feared this would be the end for him.
Luo Qing's clothes were drenched in sweat. He continued to release spiritual seals, desperately trying to break the formation, but the changes in the formation exceeded his expectations. To fully break it, he would need at least half an hour. Yet, given their current situation, they could barely last a few minutes, let alone half an incense stick's worth of time.
"What do we do now, Luo Qing?" Duan Qingqing was now thoroughly frantic.
"I don't know!" Luo Qing was equally desperate, continuing to send seals into the formation.
With a furious roar, several of the Rock Armored Snakes charged toward them. Duan Qingqing desperately hurled talismans, bracing for a fight to the death. But deep down, she knew that her chances of survival were virtually nonexistent.
Just as the snakes closed in, a flurry of spiritual needles shot out, landing on their thick scales. The distraction successfully diverted the snakes' attention.
"Are you three alright?" Lin Tian's voice came, tinged with resignation. Though their lives had little bearing on him, after a moment's reflection, he couldn't help but feel a sliver of camaraderie for his fellow disciples. Despite their previous intentions to deal with him, now that he was unharmed, he couldn't just ignore them.
"Lin Tian?" The trio gasped in surprise. They hadn't expected him to return.
At that moment, a gap appeared in the previously impenetrable trapping formation. Luo Qing's eyes lit up as he immediately sent spiritual seals toward the crack. The formation, which had seemed impossible to break, collapsed in an instant.
With the formation now deactivated, the three of them quickly rejoined Lin Tian. Freed from the trap's constraints, their full strength erupted, and with Lin Tian's cooperation, they managed to make the remaining Rock Armored Snakes flee.
"Lin Tian, thank you," Duan Qingqing said, her voice tinged with guilt after all that had happened. Originally, they had planned to teach Lin Tian a lesson, but in the end, it was he who saved them.
"You three, how did you get trapped by a formation?" Lin Tian asked, though his words carried a trace of displeasure. He had just saved them, but he couldn't help but feel a lingering annoyance toward their previous actions. The awkwardness in the air was palpable as the three exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.
After all, they had only just attempted to trap him. If they admitted that their intention was to ambush him, it would cast them in an unfavorable light, as if they were morally ambiguous.
What made the situation even worse was that their formation had not only failed to trap him but had instead ensnared them. This made the entire scenario even more awkward.
However, Lin Tian wasn't one to dwell on grudges. Seeing their embarrassed expressions, he simply chuckled and headed toward Xuanwu Sect. What they didn't know was that within the Formation Peak, a man clad in a flowing azure robe sat solemnly, his expression grim and intense.
The disciples of the Formation Peak stood alert, their gazes filled with caution. The man before them had reached the Golden Core stage.