These eight people were naturally the eight old Taoists who had crossed the river and gone north. Ni Daxing was a demon-possessed Great Demon with five or six thousand years of Dao Practice. To take him down, Bai Fei, Ye Yunsheng, and Feihong Ancestor joined forces with the Spirit Court’s Branch Director and the Xuanwei Divine Sect’s Altar Master.
Such a rare opportunity couldn’t be missed—letting it slip by would mean wasting a massive amount of Evil Qi! Since everyone could fly, they wouldn’t waste much time. The eight old Taoists made a rare collective move. Their Taoist True Qi naturally suppressed evil and destroyed demons, which was exactly why they managed to shatter the seals on Ni Daxing’s Luoxing Cave Mansion so quickly. Upon discovering the Demonic Qi hidden within the cave mansion, Ni Daxing’s identity as a Demon Cultivator was finally exposed.
"Blessed Infinite Celestial Venerable!"
The eight old Taoists soared into the sky. Wielding their Magical Treasures, they surrounded Ni Daxing in the center, naturally cutting off any possible escape route toward Luoxing Lake.
However, Ni Daxing didn’t spare them a glance. Instead, he locked his eyes on Feihong Ancestor.
"Yan Feihong!" Ni Daxing spat with pure hatred.
Feihong Ancestor remained expressionless, though a flicker of regret ultimately flashed through his eyes. "Brother Ni, why did you willingly let yourself fall so far?"
Instead of answering, Ni Daxing coldly declared, "Once I escape today, I will slaughter everyone on your Rainbow Mountain, from top to bottom."
With a wave of his hand, Feihong Ancestor summoned a Yanling Saber into his grasp. He floated slowly toward Ni Daxing. "In that case, Brother Ni, you should just stay right here."
At the same time, Shen Yingzhou thrust forward a Golden Spear. "Feihong Ancestor, let me help you!"
A guqin appeared in front of Bai Fei. Li Jue gripped a Red Banner, while golden light radiated from the back of Ye Yunsheng’s head, casting ray after ray of blinding gold over Ni Daxing. The five experts struck simultaneously. Other than Feihong Ancestor, who was on par with Ni Daxing, Bai Fei and Ye Yunsheng were slightly weaker, while Shen Yingzhou and Li Jue were a step further below. Even so, all of them possessed enough power to inflict real damage on Ni Daxing—not to mention the eight elders of the Daluo Palace standing guard on the perimeter.
"Set the Array!"
Taoist Yan Song took the southeast Xun Position, wielding the Taiyi Fan. Taoist Yi Hong took the due west Dui Position, wielding the Yanyue Saber. Taoist Ming Yu took the due east Zhen Position, wielding the Thunderwood Sword. Taoist Jing Feng took the southwest Kun Position, wielding the White Bone Lamp. Taoist Qingyuan took the due north Kan Position, wielding the Tai Chi Sword. Taoist Shen Hao took the due south Li Position, wielding the Flowing Gold Fire Bell. Taoist Jing Hong took the northwest Qian Position, wielding the Seven-Star Sword. Taoist Jing Fa took the northeast Gen Position, wielding the Seven-Star Sword.
The Eight Trigrams Array locked down the heavens and the earth. Although Gu Zhao wasn’t there to oversee the Central Palace, the current Dao Practice of these old Taoists was more than enough to stall Ni Daxing for a while. Moreover, the rampaging Taiyi Wind and Fire, the rumbling Five-Colored Thunderclouds, the flashing Tai Chi Sword Diagram, and the darting Li Huo Great Sun unleashed a combined might that rivaled the attacks of the experts inside the formation.
Having witnessed the power of the Eight Trigrams Array before, Bai Fei wasn’t surprised. However, the others were utterly astounded. Ye Yunsheng knew the elders of the Daluo Palace were formidable, but he had never imagined they were this powerful. "As expected of the Spirit Realm Upper Gods passing down the technique to establish a cultivation lineage for Mages!"
Shen Yingzhou and Li Jue, on the other hand, felt a mix of shock and fear. They realized that if they were the ones trapped inside this array, they wouldn’t stand the slightest chance of escaping!
After all, while their strength wasn’t at the absolute top of the pyramid, they were still rare experts in this world. There were many who could defeat them, but killing them would be monumentally difficult. If they truly couldn’t win, they could always flee toward the Central Province! But if they were trapped by this array, they wouldn’t be able to run anywhere.
"BOOM!"
Just as the array took shape and the Five-Colored Thunderclouds gathered, Feihong Ancestor finally reached Ni Daxing and slashed downward with his saber.
Ni Daxing didn’t sway or dodge. In an instant, his frame expanded by seven feet, transforming him into a towering giant standing a full fifteen feet tall. With one Eight-Sided Bright Silver Hammer in each hand, he smashed them down at Feihong Ancestor. Feihong Ancestor didn’t meet the attack head-on. Deflecting his Yanling Saber against the edge of the silver hammer, he ducked down and instantly darted to the side.
Simultaneously, condensing Demon Power along his blade, he tore a gash into Ni Daxing’s Protective Demon Qi. A sharp aura mixed with Demon Power immediately swarmed through the breach. Ni Daxing’s left hammer had already lost its momentum, but his right hammer swung up from under his ribs, perfectly intercepting the Yanling Saber.
"CLANG!"
Upon impact, Ni Daxing remained completely motionless while Feihong Ancestor was forced back seven feet. Meanwhile, Shen Yingzhou’s Golden Spear thrust straight at the back of Ni Daxing’s heart, but the giant’s left hammer seamlessly swung around, smashing into the side of the spear.
"BAM!"
The Golden Spear was knocked off course, and a surge of Demon Power flooded through it. Unable to block the force, Shen Yingzhou retreated rapidly, his Golden Spear trembling violently. Fighting one against two, Ni Daxing wasn’t at a disadvantage in the slightest.
But the very moment he repelled Feihong Ancestor and Shen Yingzhou, the crisp, melodious strumming of a guqin entered his ears. No, it didn’t just enter his ears—it pierced directly into his Sea of Divine Soul Consciousness. Even if he sealed his hearing, he couldn’t block out the music. The lively, joyful melody involuntarily lifted his spirits. It made him want to relax, dance, and sing along to the tune. Ni Daxing naturally knew this was Bai Fei’s Magic, so he guarded his Divine Soul vigilantly and remained entirely unmoved.
However, as the music grew increasingly soaring, a wisp of red smoke appeared, steadily dissolving his mental focus. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have spared a second glance at this smoke. Li Jue’s Dao Practice Magical Power was vastly inferior to his own; a slight counterattack would be enough to make the red smoke backfire on its master. But right now, he faced the external threats of Feihong Ancestor and Shen Yingzhou, combined with the internal disruption of Bai Fei’s music. He temporarily had no way to deal with the red smoke. And with the red smoke interfering, Bai Fei’s melody became even harder for him to endure. As a result, he decided to first destroy Li Jue’s red smoke and block Bai Fei’s music, before breaking out of Feihong Ancestor and Shen Yingzhou’s encirclement to find an opportunity to shatter the array and escape. He would seek revenge later.
But just as he gathered his mental focus to strike at the red smoke, Ye Yunsheng’s golden light arrived. The golden light seeped in everywhere, suppressing mental strength and Magical Power, instantly weakening Ni Daxing’s newly formed Spiritual Attack by thirty percent. Li Jue let out a muffled groan. Although his movements in waving the Red Flag slowed down significantly, he remained uninjured.
"STRUM—"
Bai Fei’s fingers plucked rapidly. The music grew even more crisp, passionate, and exhilaratingly joyful. Feihong Ancestor and Shen Yingzhou’s attacks arrived once again. With Feihong Ancestor leading the charge and Shen Yingzhou supporting, they fiercely bombarded Ni Daxing. At the same time, the old Taoists weren’t standing idly by either.
A wisp of Taiyi Divine Fire condensed into a spark, nearly transforming into a streak of light as it struck squarely at the center of Ni Daxing’s back. It exploded into a burst of flames, making him stumble forward. The Five Directions Yang Thunder Spell arrived in the blink of an eye. It struck precisely whenever Ni Daxing knocked back the two attackers and tried to follow up, denying him any chance to pursue them. Taoist Qingyuan’s Tai Chi Sword Diagram was Gathering and Dispersing as Wished, appearing perfectly in the gaps between Ni Daxing’s moves, nearly wounding him several times. Struggling to fend off attacks from all sides, Ni Daxing gradually fell to a disadvantage.
"BREAK!"
Ni Daxing completely abandoned his plan to injure them before leaving; all he wanted now was to break the array and escape. However, Feihong Ancestor refused to let him go. Practically turning into a gust of clear wind, he tightly surrounded Ni Daxing. "Brother Ni, you are not leaving today! You have my word on that!"