Ding Fan was momentarily shocked in his heart, feeling helpless in the face of this composite formation.

This was not a simple composite array eye, nor was it as easy to break as Ding Fan had imagined. Instead, it was the Nine Palaces Array Eye. Ding Fan had only heard of this Nine Palaces Array Eye before, and did not expect to encounter it here, especially at such a critical moment.

In simple terms, the Nine Palaces Array Eye means that these nine array eyes form another formation, a formation that protects these nine array eyes. Although this sounds simple, it's not an easy task to break it. But for Ding Fan, it's actually not that big of a challenge.

You just need to find the ultimate Great Formation Eye within these Nine Palaces Array Eyes and destroy it to break this Nine Palaces Array Eye. After all, this ancient formation has been around for too long, and although the level of the formation is very high, Ding Fan is still confident in finding this ultimate Great Formation Eye and destroying it.

But time was pressing, and the small defensive array he had set up for Wang Hu and the others could not hold out much longer. The Mysterious Thunder in the sky was relentlessly pounding on Ding Fan and the others. Although Ding Fan could resist the attacks of the Mysterious Thunder with his own cultivation, without the protection of an array, Wang Hu and the others certainly could not.

Rumble...

The Mysterious Thunder continued to strike with deafening roars. The once beautiful scenery was now left chaotic by the strikes of the Mysterious Thunder, further unsettling the mind.

Ding Fan was a bit flustered and anxious. He didn't expect to encounter this very rare Nine Palaces Array Eye in the formation at such a time. The more urgent he was, the more chaotic it became. Ding Fan had no time to think further. He directly released his Divine Sense and began scanning the positions of the Nine Palaces Array Eyes as quickly as possible.

The ultimate Great Formation Eye within these Nine Palaces Array Eyes was located within the range of these nine array eyes. Ding Fan scanned once with his Divine Sense—no discovery! The second scan—no discovery! The third scan—still nothing...

Sweat was already forming on Ding Fan's forehead. Time was life, and it was the lives of Wang Hu and so many Dayang Sect elders. How could Ding Fan not be anxious? He absolutely could not let anything happen to them, as these elders were the backbone of the Dayang Sect. If anything happened to them, it would be akin to destroying half of the Dayang Sect, and all previous efforts would be in vain.

Moreover, Ding Fan had developed deep feelings for them over time, including his brother Wang Hu. He absolutely would not allow anything to happen to them. But now Ding Fan found that, aside from being anxious, he had no other solution. He couldn't even find the ultimate Great Formation Eye.

No!

Ding Fan's face turned serious, and in his heart, he regained his composure. At this moment, anxiety would not help; it would only cause further chaos and make finding this ultimate Great Formation Eye more difficult. Taking a deep breath, Ding Fan calmed his emotions and once again began meticulously scanning for the ultimate Great Formation Eye within the Nine Palaces Array Eyes.

The fourth circle! Found it!

Ding Fan's gaze suddenly stopped at a position in the southeast corner of the Nine Palaces Array Eyes. There was no time to hesitate. Ding Fan immediately sent his Flying Sword crashing into that location...

Boom, boom, boom...

Wow!

In no time at all, a blue pillar of light suddenly burst from the location that Ding Fan had targeted, straight into the sky.

Rumble...

At the same time, a roaring rumble of thunder quickly followed. The defensive array Ding Fan set up above Wang Hu and others was instantly shattered by several bolts of Mysterious Thunder. The defensive array was destroyed, but the Mysterious Thunder showed no signs of stopping, still fiercely pounding towards Wang Hu and the others.

Wang Hu and the others immediately mobilized all their True Qi, with some elders unleashing their strongest attacks against the descending Mysterious Thunder. Even with cultivation at the Nascent Soul Late Stage or Spirit Severing Stage, they were no match for the Mysterious Thunder. To face such Mysterious Thunder head-on, at least a Spirit Severing Late Stage cultivator could barely manage.

Pu, pu...

The elder who attacked the Mysterious Thunder was instantly struck, a mouthful of blood spurted out, clearly heavily injured, his body feeling extremely hollow. The other elders and Wang Hu saw the elder who had been struck by the Mysterious Thunder and directly enveloped several people with their released True Qi Shield.

It was evident that everyone could now only take care of each other. Wang Hu watched this scene, feeling a wave of despair and frustration. He never imagined he would not die fighting desperately against the Wild Wolf Gang but would instead be killed by the Mysterious Thunder like this. It was utterly frustrating, and Wang Hu couldn't help but feel extremely reluctant.

At this moment, he looked at Ding Fan, who was quickly trying every means to destroy the formation, surrounded by a few still-glowing blue light pillars. In his heart, Wang Hu knew that his big brother might not be able to destroy the formation in time and that they couldn't withstand several more attacks from the Mysterious Thunder. Today, they were likely doomed.

Although Wang Hu believed that his big brother had never broken a promise, they were now facing the ancient Mysterious Thunder Formation, an extraordinary existence. Even a cultivator at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage might not be able to break this Mysterious Thunder Formation. Although the formation, as big brother said, had aged, weakening its attack power significantly.

But their cultivation was still not enough to confront such a formation. Today, they probably couldn't escape their fate of dying...

At this moment, not only Wang Hu felt disheartened, but the rest of the elders also wore ashen faces. Some of the elders were already seriously injured, barely sustaining themselves with True Qi. Even when everyone was at peak state, they couldn't withstand the attack of that Mysterious Thunder. Now, it was even more impossible...

Boom!

After everyone had exhausted the last bit of their True Qi, another intense, unfeeling bolt of Mysterious Thunder struck down again. Seeing this, they were ready to leave this world. This strike of Mysterious Thunder was beyond what anyone could endure...

Crack!

Just as everyone had closed their eyes, ready to depart this world, a crisp sound suddenly came. They slowly opened their eyes, examined their bodies, and were pleasantly surprised to find themselves still alive. Unconsciously, they looked up and saw a solid, thick layer of ice protecting them.

In shock, they looked closely and found that the sturdy thick ice protection layer was still increasing in thickness. Time and time again, the Mysterious Thunder struck the thick ice layer, occasionally creating large ice pits and spider-web-like cracks.

Soon, the surface of the thick ice layer was shattered into pieces by the Mysterious Thunder. Yet, as additional layers formed, the intact ice layers internally replaced the fragmented outside ones. Even as the Mysterious Thunder struck tirelessly, the thick ice layer remained incredibly strong.

They followed the direction of the cold Qi and saw Ding Fan continually emitting cold Qi, instantly freezing the air above Wang Hu and others into layer upon layer of thick ice.

Witnessing this, their hearts were filled with gratitude to still be alive. They were deeply shocked by Sect Leader Ding Fan's unexpected method, admiring him immensely. However, the despair remained unchanged. They knew Ding Fan's face was growing increasingly pale despite utilizing such extraordinary techniques to temporarily save them.

But this was definitely not a long-term solution. After all, the Mysterious Thunder in the sky didn't tire, like a machine capable only of relentless attack. Obviously, Sect Leader Ding Fan couldn't outlast this Mysterious Thunder Formation...

"Sect Leader, don't worry about us. Our death doesn't matter, but Dayang Sect cannot be without you!"

"Right, Sect Leader, we, as elders of the Dayang Sect, even in death, will have no regrets. The task of revitalizing the Dayang Sect awaits you, so don't waste your True Qi..."

"Yes, Big Brother, being your brother in this life, I, Wang Hu, have no regrets!"

...

Even Wang Hu, feeling immense despair, advised Ding Fan. Wang Hu understood that they might all meet their end today, but the task of revitalizing Dayang Sect was yet to be completed, hence his insistence on his Big Brother surviving. The other elders also persuaded Ding Fan.

Ding Fan turned a deaf ear to everyone's words, his heart firm with belief, using all his Divine Vigor, desperately transmitting the Arctic Chill exhaled by Frost Toad to the thick ice layers above Wang Hu and others. Naturally, Ding Fan couldn't bear to watch his brothers perish this way, determined to save them at any cost.

"How much longer can you hold on?" Ding Fan's mind involuntarily questioned Frost Toad. Frost Toad hummed twice, seemingly already exerted and not having much strength to communicate with Ding Fan. Without an answer, Ding Fan could feel Frost Toad's struggle.

No matter how challenging, Ding Fan must go all out to rescue his brothers, refusing to watch them die from the Mysterious Thunder. Plus, he was merely steps away from breaking through the Mysterious Thunder Formation; Ding Fan couldn't give up now.

"Go!"

Ding Fan shouted fiercely. The flying sword in his other hand instantly shot towards the blue light pillar! His and everyone's lives depended on this strike. If he could shatter the blue light beam, the Nine Palaces Array would be broken, making the rest easier.

Bang!

Ding Fan's flying sword hit the blue light pillar like a ferocious beast in a flood. The blue light beam instantly disappeared, followed by the original nine red beams turning into a gentle yellow, their radiance significantly reduced.

Seeing this, Ding Fan felt a surge of joy, clearly the Nine Palaces Array had been broken. He then used Divine Vigor to maneuver the flying sword remotely toward the nine yellow beams, one by one disappearing quickly. In a short time, all the beams vanished.

Consequently, the Mysterious Thunder in the sky vanished too. The Dayang Sect disciples stationed at the crossroads witnessed the dissipating faint energy shield and the terrifying sound of Mysterious Thunder disappearing.

Finally, the hearts of everyone, lifted high in suspense, could ease a little. The Dayang Sect disciples knew Sect Leader and many elders were trapped in that formation, naturally worried. Now, the last of the squads had arrived, so clearly, all Dayang Sect disciples were together.

The earlier Mysterious Thunder Formation deeply troubled them, being so formidable, especially with many elders and the Sect Leader caught within. How could they not worry? Should Sect Leader and many elders meet misfortune, the impact on Dayang Sect would be more than just a small loss!

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