I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mingfei glanced at him sideways: "Oh? What brilliant plan does Patriarch Zhao have?"

Zhao Wenxuan gave a sinister smile, his gaze sweeping across the distant mountains and forests: "Does Patriarch Chen still remember where Lin Che's wife came from?"

Chen Mingfei's eyes flickered: "You mean... the Wang family, who refused to submit to your Zhao family and instead formed a marriage alliance with the Lin family?"

"Exactly!" A ruthless glint flashed in Zhao Wenxuan's eyes.

"The Wang family and the Lin family are related by marriage and have a close relationship. If we send someone now to 'invite' the Wang family member here with swift and decisive action, and bring them to the front lines..."

"Tell me, can Wang Lingsu and the rest of the Lin family still hide inside the formation, clinging to life under its protection, while their relatives are on the verge of death outside?"

He paused, his tone becoming even more sinister: "Especially if we were to 'persuade' these members of the Wang family even slightly in front of them..."

"We're not worried that they won't ask for 'help' from within the formation. At that point, will the Lin family activate the formation to rescue them, or will they just watch their in-laws be wiped out?"

"Either option is enough to throw them into disarray!"

"If they dare to open their formation, it will play right into our hands; if they dare not, their morale will crumble and their fighting spirit will collapse! This is the best strategy to win hearts and minds!"

As Chen Mingfei listened, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

Although this plan is somewhat underhanded, all's fair in war. In the face of overwhelming power, any means that can accelerate victory and reduce losses are worth considering.

Especially now that the father himself tried to break the formation but failed instantly, if this could be used to distract the Lin family, it might really be twice as effective.

He nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "This matter will be handled by Patriarch Zhao. It must be done quickly, secretly, and most importantly... ensure that the person is brought to the front lines 'safely'."

He emphasized the word "intact".

Zhao Wenxuan was overjoyed, knowing this was another opportunity for him to prove himself. He quickly cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Don't worry, Patriarch Chen! I understand and will handle this matter perfectly!"

He immediately turned around and selected several Foundation Establishment experts from the Zhao family.

They also borrowed two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Chen family from Chen Mingfei.

The group quietly left the main battlefield and sped off towards the outer edge of Shattered Star Lake, in the direction of the Wang family's territory.

……

However, when Zhao Wenxuan and his group quietly made their way to the Wang family's ancestral land, nestled against a small hill and near a stream, the scene before them stunned them instantly.

Within the clan's territory, all was deathly silent.

Not only could they not sense any fluctuations in the aura of any cultivator.

There was no trace of the lively atmosphere of ordinary people's activities, or the sounds of children playing.

The houses and courtyards were neat and tidy, with clothes even drying in some places, and simple, unfinished meals on the tables, as if the owners had only left temporarily.

But there was no one there!

"Search! Search thoroughly! Dig three feet into the ground and find him!" Zhao Wenxuan's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water, and he shouted in a low voice.

The group quickly dispersed, using both their divine sense and physical eyes to thoroughly search the small clan territory.

The result remained the same—there was no sign of anyone, and hardly any living creatures were seen.

"Patriarch, there is indeed no one here, and judging from the traces, they didn't seem to have been gone for long, but they left very... calmly." A Zhao family cultivator returned to report, his tone uncertain.

Undeterred, Zhao Wenxuan immediately thought of another place.

"Chuyang City! Quickly, to Baiweizhai in Chuyang City! That's a property of the Lin family in the city; there must still be members of the Wang family working there!"

The group then headed straight for the street where Baiweizhai was located.

However, when they saw the tightly closed doors of Baiweizhai and the notice on the door that read "Closed for three days," their last glimmer of hope vanished.

Nearby shopkeepers confirmed that the Wang family members began leaving yesterday afternoon and closed their shops completely this morning, their whereabouts unknown.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Chen family who followed exchanged glances, their gazes towards Zhao Wenxuan carrying a hint of scrutiny and impatience.

They followed him out in a big fuss, only to find nothing; it felt like they'd been led astray.

Feeling the menacing gaze on his back, Zhao Wenxuan's face turned pale and then red.

His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and he felt a mixture of shame and anger, along with a sense of humiliation at being treated like a clown.

The Lin family... the Wang family... they were actually prepared all along!

They moved the people away in advance!

My whole plan has become a joke!

……

Meanwhile, inside the Lin family's territory, at the center of the formation.

Liu Qingxue's face was pale, and her forehead was soaked with sweat.

Continuously manipulating the third-order formation to resist the barrage of attacks from the Golden Core cultivators took a huge toll on her spiritual sense and energy.

The "Five Directions Thick Earth Formation" was nearing its limit under the relentless bombardment of the fiery dragons.

She decisively sent out a distress signal using a sound transmission talisman.

The old patriarch of the River-Overturning Crocodile Turtle clan, who had been waiting for orders, let out a low roar and immediately took action.

It quickly commanded the four strongest Foundation Establishment stage members of the Fujiang Crocodile Turtle clan to each rush to the five core array eyes of the "Five Directions Thick Earth Array" according to their pre-rehearsed positions.

After the five massive, heavily shelled alligator snapping turtles arrived at the center of the formation, they all let out a deep roar.

At the same time, it activated their most powerful defensive abilities—Immovable as a Mountain and Mysterious Water Heavy Armor!

A thick, earthy-yellow aura emanated from them, connecting them to the earth through the array's core.

It continuously infuses the crumbling formation with pure and stable earth-attribute spiritual power.

With its formidable physical defense and innate supernatural abilities, it directly shares some of the pressure on the formation!

At the same time, the Hellfire Tiger let out a violent roar.

A dark red, malevolent aura surged into the sky, transforming into condensed fireballs of malevolent energy that actively met some of the attacking fire dragons, colliding with and annihilating them in mid-air!

The Azure Sea Dragon stirred up towering waves, transforming them into resilient water curtains.

The flames are constantly being washed away, cooled, and weakened, thus reducing the burden on the formation.

With the full support of several Foundation Establishment stage spirit beasts, the "Five Directions Thick Earth Formation" that was on the verge of collapse miraculously stabilized again!

Although the light screen was still full of cracks and the light was dim.

However, with the continuous support of earth spirits and the external attacks being partially offset, it managed to maintain its structure and avoid complete collapse!

This bought Lin Che valuable time to make a breakthrough.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

High above the formation, Chen Dai, who had been bombarding the enemy for an hour, gradually looked rather grim.

Even with his Golden Core cultivation and abundant inner energy, he was able to quickly recover by communicating with heaven and earth.

Casting such powerful fire spells at such a high intensity and without interruption must consume a considerable amount of energy.

Most importantly, he had made that promise just an hour ago.

As a result, after being bombarded for a full hour, the pale yellow light screen, which seemed to be on the verge of shattering, still stubbornly remained!

This undoubtedly made him feel somewhat embarrassed.

His son, Chen Mingfei, had previously told him via telepathy that he had found a "good strategy to break the formation".

But there has been no news since, so it seems that the so-called "psychological warfare strategy" has probably failed.

"We can't delay any longer!"

A cold glint gathered in Chen Dai's eyes, and he made a decision in his heart.

If this stalemate continues, what will become of his reputation as a Golden Core cultivator?

What will those forces secretly watching in Chuyang City think?

We must act swiftly and decisively, crushing all obstacles with overwhelming force!

He focused his mind on his dantian, and the golden core with two markings suddenly began to spin faster, with one of the markings shining with a blood-red light!

A purer, hotter aura, seemingly containing a trace of the origin of the laws of fire, emanated from his body.

The next moment, he didn't even need to chant a lengthy incantation; he simply raised his hand and pointed to the sky!

"Buzz—!"

The sky suddenly changed color!

Centered on Chen Dai, a large area of ​​the sky above seemed to be painted by an invisible giant brush, instantly turning into a crimson red!

That wasn't a sunset, but a phantom of a surging sea of ​​flames made purely of violent fire elemental power!

The sea of ​​fire covered an area of ​​hundreds of feet in radius, and the scorching heat caused the lake water below to boil and evaporate, with white steam shooting into the sky.

Even the cultivators watching from afar felt their mouths dry, as if they were on the edge of a furnace!

A destructive pressure, several times more terrifying than all the previous fire dragons combined, firmly locked onto the Lin family's territory below!

"Divine Power—Burning the Heavens and Boiling the Seas!"

Chen Dai uttered four cold words.

As his divine sense covered the area, the illusory crimson sea of ​​fire suddenly pressed down.

It wasn't a scattered attack, but rather like a true heavenly furnace, engulfing the entire Lin family territory along with its defensive formations all at once!

"Sizzle sizzle—!"

The pale yellow "Five Directions Thick Earth Array" light screen emitted a teeth-grinding melting sound the moment it was engulfed by the sea of ​​fire!

The spiritual energy structure that constitutes the formation disintegrates and dissipates rapidly under this terrifyingly high temperature containing a trace of the power of law, just like spring snow meeting the sun!

The clouds surging from the inner layer of the "Nine Heavens Cloud Realm Array" attempted to use the same trick to interfere and resolve the situation.

But this time, when the clouds and mist came into contact with the crimson sea of ​​fire, instead of melting or deflecting the flames, they were like adding fuel to the fire, instantly ignited and swallowed up, turning into part of the sea of ​​fire!

Within the sea of ​​fire, non-fire-attribute spiritual energy of heaven and earth was domineeringly repelled, driven away, and even directly ignited!

The entire area covered by the formation seemed to have transformed into a separate and ever-shrinking fiery inferno!

"roar--!"

For the first time, the alligator snapping turtles, located at the five key positions of the formation, let out a roar of pain and unbearable strain!

The thick, earthy-yellow aura emanating from them dimmed rapidly under the scorching heat of the fire.

The armor formed by his innate divine power began to crack and peel off, and the connection with the earth was also violently interfered with and severed by the scorching fire elemental power!

Even the old patriarch in the late Foundation Establishment stage was now bleeding from his seven orifices, his massive body trembling violently, clearly having reached his limit!

"Crack! Boom—!"

Without its core support and external countermeasures, the "Five Directions Thick Earth Formation," which was already on the verge of collapse, finally crumbled completely under this heaven-burning and sea-boiling divine power!

The pale yellow light curtain transformed into countless points of light, which were instantly swallowed and annihilated by the crimson sea of ​​fire!

The Lin family's territory, having lost its outermost barrier, was directly exposed to the terrifying sea of ​​fire and Chen Dai's icy gaze!

Chen Dai hovered above the sea of ​​fire, his gray robe fluttering in the heat.

His gaze swept coldly over the Lin family's residence below, his voice carrying clearly through the crackling flames:

"The formation has been broken! Now, what can your Lin family use to stop me?"

Without the slightest hesitation, he activated his divine sense again.

The crimson sea of ​​fire that enveloped the heavens and the earth, with the momentum to incinerate all things, spread and devoured the Shattered Star Lake below!

The real crisis has arrived!