CHAPTER 434: BREAKING THE FORMATION

Without a sound, the Dragon General burst from cover. Like a living battering ram, he swung his halberd, a massive earth-grade artifact, in a devastating arc, blowing wind and devastating spiritual energy.

Following that, he slammed the butt of his halberd onto the metallic ground. A shockwave of pure, physical force, infused with his peak Core Formation spiritual energy, erupted outwards.

"[Coiling Dragon Halberd Arts: Earth-Shaker Stomp]!"

However, the Decanus reacted with inhuman speed as soon as he sensed the overwhelming force. "Wall!"

The ten-man Legionary patrol reacted with a speed and unity that was unsettling. They took a single, synchronized step, causing their heavy boots to clank in perfect unison.

THOOM!

As their feet hit the ground, a shining hexagonal pattern of silver light flared to life on their armor. It was an invisible energy that linked them, flowing from one soldier to the next, with the crimson-plumed Decanus at their center acting as the undeniable core of the formation.

The shockwave from the Dragon General’s attack washed over them, and the linked energy field rippled, dispersing the force harmlessly across all ten soldiers. Not a single one of them was moved even an inch.

In an instant, the ten Legionaries moved, their shields locking together with a resounding CLANG. A shimmering, hexagonal energy field flared to life, linking all ten of them. The Dragon General’s halberd slammed into it.

BOOM!

"Incredible," Scholar Wei whispered from their hiding spot. "I can see it... Their linked field distributes all kinetic and spiritual impact equally among them. It was similar to most of our formations. To break one is to break all ten at once. The Decanus is the primary core, and each Legionary is a subordinate node."

Seeing his attack dispersed easily, the Dragon General growled with a mix of frustration and professional respect. He spun his halberd, causing its blade to be wreathed in the form of an ethereal, coiling dragon.

"[Coiling Dragon Halberd Arts: Dragon’s Fang Pierce]!"

His halberd became a streak of golden light aimed directly at the chest of the Decanus.

The Decanus waved his glaive and the two Legionaries at the center of the shield wall formation angled their tower shields, forming an interlocking wall.

The Dragon’s Fang slammed into the shields, and again, the hexagonal silver light flared. The force of a peak Core Formation expert’s focused attack was divided by ten, reducing it to a mere push that the three Vindicators absorbed without issue.

"Hmm... It seems there’s nothing special to it other than their quick activation," The Crown Prince Wu Tianlong transmitted.

As the prince of the Southern Wu Kingdom, he had studied and seen a lot of similar formations before. After all, most soldiers of their kingdom were not as talented as disciples of the cultivation sects. At most, they could practice the Body Forging techniques supplemented by martial arts, bringing their combat prowess similar to Spirit Gathering Stage cultivators.

"They can negate any attack that isn’t strong enough to overwhelm their entire collective threshold at once. A blow from a Spirit Severing Stage expert could shatter them, but for anyone below, it’s a battle of attrition on whoever could exert the most energy." Scholar Wei added.

Lin Mo listened to their analysis. Beside him, Liu Xiaoyu’s eyes were already filled with anticipation. If it were her, he wouldn’t be surprised if she could overpower that patrol group using all her techniques and spells.

"Boss, why don’t you use the noodle bomb again? I refuse to believe you didn’t bring any Demon King Chili noodles."

Wu Meiyu answered before Lin Mo could, "Sister Xiaoyu, I believe it has to do with how it’ll be like wasting a good meal. Furthermore, we are here to test their capabilities, not to simply defeat them. Using the... noodle bombs... would deny us valuable data."

Lin Mo nodded in agreement. "She’s right. That was a tactic for overwhelming a fortified army. We’re analyzing their techniques. We need to find a weakness that doesn’t rely on brute force or... unconventional tactics using our edible products. Scholar Wei, can you see the flow of Aether between them?"

Scholar Wei’s eyes, which were glowing with a faint golden light from his [All-Seeing Eye Scripture], narrowed in concentration. "Yes... I can. The energy flows from the Legionaries to the Decanus, who then redistributes it to reinforce the point of impact. The flow is... constant. But it’s not instantaneous. There’s a delay. A fraction of a second as the energy travels. And the connections are not equal. The two Legionaries closest to the Decanus are the primary channel. Their connection is thicker and more robust."

Lin Mo’s lips curved into a smile. "Mhm. That’s our opening. Sword Fairy, did you hear that?"

From her concealed position on a rocky outcrop above the patrol, Jiang Jianxin’s calm voice came through the transmission. "Loud and clear, Shopkeeper.

On the field, the Dragon General continued his assault, his powerful blows served as the perfect distraction.

In Lin Mo’s eyes, he was filling the role of the tank, drawing the full attention, the aggro, of the Vindicator patrol squad.

The Decanus, having weathered two powerful attacks without flinching, made a decisive command.

"Advance! Neutralize the aggressor!"

The shield wall broke formation, transitioning into an aggressive phalanx with terrifying speed.

The Legionaries moved in sync once again. They lowered their glaives as their shields formed an overlapping wall of steel, advancing on the Dragon General. It was a textbook display of disciplined, offensive warfare.

The Dragon General braced himself, his halberd spinning to create a defensive whirlwind. He was a powerhouse, but even he would be ground down by this relentless, coordinated assault.

"Now," Lin Mo commanded.

From above, a streak of silver moonlight descended. A single, needle-thin beam of gentle and pure sword light.

Jiang Jianxin.

Her Golden Core pulsed, channeling her refined spiritual energy into a single, perfect strike, aimed directly at the space between them.

The beam of sword light struck the exact point where the Aetheric link between the Decanus and the left legionary was the thickest.

SHIING!

The silver hexagonal pattern that linked the two Vindicators flickered violently then faded.

The beam of light was like a diamond drill against a pane of glass.

It pierced through the stable connection and disrupted it, causing the flow of Aether to stutter for a fraction of a second.

It was an opening that lasted for less than a heartbeat. For a normal cultivator, it would have been an unperceivable anomaly.

For the Dragon General, it was an eternity.

With a battle roar, he ignored the advancing phalanx and focused his entire being into one final, explosive attack.

Like the Sword Fairy, he aimed for the now-vulnerable formation link.

"[Coiling Dragon Halberd Arts: Sundering Heaven’s Coil]!"

His halberd slammed into the shield of the Legionary whose connection had just been disrupted.

This time, there was no dispersion nor shared impact. The full unmitigated power of a peak Core Formation expert’s ultimate technique slammed into a single, isolated target.

CRACK! BOOM!

The Legionary’s tower shield shattered into a thousand silver fragments.

The halberd continued, its coiling dragon of spiritual energy tearing through the Vindicator’s Aether-forged armor as if it were parchment.

The soldier was thrown backward like a ragdoll, his body slamming into the stronghold wall fifty meters away with a sickening crunch. His silver light extinguished.

The perfect, ten-man formation was broken.

The nine remaining Vindicators froze but their discipline allowed them to react accordingly. The silver hexagonal pattern that linked them flickered but it didn’t shatter. Instead, it only weakened as the Decanus quickly switched his left-hand channel.

"Mhm. That’s to be expected. We just have to repeat it until they can’t hold on anymore," Lin Mo said calmly. "Their formation is now weaker, let’s go break it. Xiaoyu, Yan Wei, Zhou Rui. Your turn. Secure the Decanus alive. Neutralize the others. Swiftly."

His command was the breaking of a dam.

"Finally!" Yan Wei roared with glee, a miniature tornado already forming around his feet as he shot forward.

"Benefactor’s will be done!" Zhou Rui’s crimson aura flared as he charged from the other flank.

"Heh, don’t hog all the fun!" Xiaoyu laughed as her own form became like lightning as she aimed straight for the composed Decanus, her gauntlets crackling with power.

Lin Mo naturally didn’t stay idle as well. After looking at Liu Zhongzhu’s group, who immediately stormed into the stronghold that was alerted, he pulled out his weapon and activated his movement technique while his domain technique spread around him.

His target was the link at the right-hand channel, matching Jiang Jianxin as she twirled to follow up in severing the newly reformed link.

The [Stellar Domain] unfurled, an invisible field of absolute control that subtly warped the air around him.

Within it, the Aetheric Field of the Vindicators seemed to thin, the metallic zeal of their energy dampened by the serene, ancient power of the stars. The remaining Legionaries felt a strange, inexplicable sluggishness, their perfectly synchronized movements faltering for a crucial split-second.

Then, Lin Mo’s form blurred, his [Crimson Flow Phantom Steps] carrying him in a flowing, unpredictable arc, his spear pointed ready.