Chapter 102: The Last Stand of a Trapped Beast

Yue Qi’s jaw nearly hit the ground. He watched in disbelief as an assortment of wild beasts—ranging from rabbits and pythons to fierce creatures he had never seen before—stood on the same side, united to combat the zombies! Beside them, the young woman hailed as their mistress had quietly planted a set of formation flags before sneaking away with a cunning air.

"How can this even happen?!" Yue Qi was momentarily stunned, and the five zombies almost seized the opportunity to catch him. Fortunately, he reacted just in time, rolling backward in a clumsy scramble to escape unscathed.

Yue Qi had not deciphered the formation Qin Luo had laid out. Although the old man had given him a handbook, Yue Qi had never meticulously studied the more profound formations, assuming that the basic ones were sufficient for dealing with zombies.

Qin Luo’s little companions were undeniably formidable. In a matter of moments, a zombie lay dead on the ground. It had been a Qi Refining level zombie, yet they had dispatched it at a rate far faster than Yue Qi himself!

Following that brief interlude, everything else seemed to proceed quite smoothly. Aside from Yue Qi being battered and bruised, he was in no immediate mortal danger.

On the city walls, the onlookers stood watching the scene unfold. Chen Yuanshan, in particular, kept his mouth agape, staring at Yue Qi’s display of magic. Reflecting on Yue Qi’s immense strength, it seemed that "cultivator" was the only explanation that made sense.

Qin Luo’s animal friends had vanished, leaving behind a large pool of blood—the remains of that Qi Refining zombie. The few zombies that had intended to surround Qin Luo now stood aimlessly, having lost their target. They seemed to want to return to Yue Qi but hesitated, trapped by uncertainty.

Suddenly, the scenery shifted, and Yue Qi felt a surge of overwhelming pressure!

"Is it ready?" Yue Qi felt a surge of joy. He scanned his surroundings, but while the landscape remained unchanged, the five zombies froze in place, ceasing their attacks.

"Starting from your current position, follow the Big Dipper in reverse!" Fearing that Yue Qi might not know the positions, Qin Luo shouted, "Yaoguang, Kaiyang, Yuheng, Tianquan, Tianji, Tianxuan, Tianshu! Quickly!"

Before Qin Luo had even finished speaking, Yue Qi was already moving. He didn’t know exactly what this formation was, but anything related to the Big Dipper could hardly be simple. Everything in the universe followed the "Dao," and the celestial bodies were no exception. Logically, a formation constructed upon the foundation of the universe’s wonders could not be weak.

Realizing that Yue Qi intended to escape, the five zombies reacted instantly, unleashing a barrage of spells. Yue Qi swung his sword to parry, but the sheer volume of attacks was overwhelming.

This was where the advantage of instant-cast spells became painfully clear. The Foundation Establishment zombies were using second-tier spells that Yue Qi dared not block head-on. Yet, he also dared not dodge too widely, for stepping out of the designated area would mean he had to restart the formation's sequence from scratch.

"Damn it!" Yue Qi felt a surge of anxiety. He barely dodged one spell, only for another to follow immediately. With no other choice, he leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the strike, but in doing so, he drifted away from the Kaiyang position.

"I can't go on like this..." With five Foundation Establishment zombies and about ten Qi Refining ones trapped in the formation, Yue Qi was stuck. Although Qin Luo wouldn't trigger the formation while he was inside, he couldn't leave either. His range of movement was restricted, making his situation precarious.

Suddenly, a powerful burst of spiritual energy emanated from Yue Qi. The zombies, preparing their next spells, paused and recoiled two steps! But Yue Qi was not about to give up. Since his range was limited, he would simply have to fight for his life!

He attempted to lock onto all the zombies with his mental energy. The Qi Refining ones were fine, as they were already at the edge of the formation and had nowhere to run, merely spinning in circles. However, the five Foundation Establishment zombies were a different matter; Yue Qi’s mental energy could not lock onto them, which meant his spells would not hit.

"If I go down, I’m taking you with me!" Yue Qi growled. His mental energy erupted again, causing a wave of dizziness to wash over him—a sign of overexertion.

Having finally locked onto two of the Foundation Establishment zombies, Yue Qi could hold back no longer. The "Thunder Dance" he had been chanting for some time finally descended.

As the spell took effect, the entire formation turned a hazy grey. Several bolts of lightning struck, hitting all the Qi Refining zombies without exception, but the five Foundation Establishment zombies were not about to sit idle.

As Yue Qi cast his spell, the zombies responded with their own. The two targeted zombies, in particular, reacted violently. Once locked on, they moved erratically; as Yue Qi’s spell manifested, they unleashed their own—not at Yue Qi, but at the incoming lightning itself!

The collision of spells was not quite as cataclysmic as a comet hitting the earth, but the force was astonishing. With a series of thunderous bangs, the ground shook, and the formation above began to flicker, growing unstable.

"Now's the time!" Though still dizzy, Yue Qi bit his tongue to force himself awake and sprinted toward his original position.

"Yaoguang, Kaiyang, Yuheng! The handle is complete! Tianquan, Tianji, Tianxuan, Tianshu! The bowl! Hurry, hurry!" Yue Qi’s anxiety mounted, but his mind remained clear enough to remember the seven positions.

Seeing Yue Qi attempting to flee, the five zombies grew frantic. Three of them took the brunt of a lightning strike, leaving shallow, charred wounds that oozed blood.

Three spells, all of them second-tier, flew toward Yue Qi. The power of these instant-cast second-tier spells was terrifying. Yue Qi dared not block them, but he could not retreat, or his efforts would be in vain.

Gritting his teeth, he accelerated. He cleaved through an incoming fireball with his sword, but two fist-sized yellow earth orbs hurtled toward his chest.

"Oh no!" Yue Qi’s heart skipped a beat. With no time to think, he instantly cast two first-tier spells to deflect the stones.

It was too late. Two golden lights slammed into his chest. He felt a suffocating pressure and coughed up a mouthful of blood, yet he stood his ground, refusing to take a single step back.

"Tianxuan!" Yue Qi stepped forward and hurled two fireballs toward the five zombies. Even if he didn't know if they hit, delaying them for a fraction of a second was worth it.

"Bang!" Two zombies shrugged off his attack and, realizing the spells weren't as devastating as expected, lunged straight at him.

"Tianshu!" Yue Qi rolled across the ground. He had completed the seven-star sequence. As his vision blurred, he felt as if he had been transported to an entirely different scene.

"Little Junior Brother! Are you alright?" It was Qin Luo. Clearly, she had witnessed everything that had transpired within the formation.

"I'm fine..." Yue Qi lay on the ground, his tense expression finally softening. It had been such a close call; had he been a second slower, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

"Then I’m activating the formation..." Qin Luo nodded, forming a sword gesture with her fingers. She chanted something under her breath, and the formation before them roared to life.

The once-transparent barrier was now filled with thick mist. It was clear Qin Luo was showing off her skills, wanting Yue Qi to see exactly why she was called "Senior Sister."

Yue Qi still didn't fully understand the nature of this formation, but he was astonished by what he heard—the sounds of fierce combat and the enraged roars of zombies coming from within.

"Are they killing each other?" The thought crossed his mind. He had initially asked Qin Luo to set up the formation just to contain them, intending to finish them off himself once he had caught his breath.

But Qin Luo had clearly added some ingenious elements; the zombies were actually turning on one another—a sight completely unheard of.

"Little Junior Brother, watch and learn!" Qin Luo smiled proudly. As the controller of the formation, she could clearly see everything happening inside.

"Wait, tell me where the formation core is. Those things beat me up pretty badly..." Yue Qi gritted his teeth and stood up.

"It's right there, you can see it..." Sensing what Yue Qi intended to do, Qin Luo pouted, but she still pointed out the direction. Every formation had a core dedicated to offense. With a few minor adjustments by Yue Qi, the lethality of the formation would be completely transformed.

"Wind Blade Slash! Flame Dance!" Two second-tier spells struck into the formation. Yue Qi heard a roar as the wind fueled the fire. Amidst the violent inferno and the desperate bellows of the zombies, it was clear they were enjoying the feast Yue Qi had prepared for them.

Time passed. Eventually, the sounds within the formation ceased. Qin Luo was sadly playing with her animal companions; most of those that had bitten the zombies had died, save for the giant python with the black, shimmering scales.

"Are they all dead?" Yue Qi asked, walking over to see Qin Luo’s reluctant expression.

"Just about. Dismantle the formation yourself and return the flags to me..." Qin Luo said, sounding disgruntled as she looked down at her fallen companions.