Prairie Fire Array

A touch of dread flickered across Xuan Ye's face. He glanced at Song Wen with envious eyes, whispering, "Brother Guo Tao is truly blessed with extraordinary talent. To think you possess such powerful divine sense."

Ignoring Xuan Ye's admiration, Song Wen asked, "But if we proceed this way, I will need to refine the formation flags. Will that interfere with your control over the formation?"

Xuan Ye shook his head, and a washbasin-sized formation disk appeared in his hands. "That won't be an issue," he explained. "You only need to use your divine sense to manipulate the formation flags, which requires nothing more than a preliminary refinement. Once the flags are driven into the formation nodes, the true control over the array remains with this formation disk in my hands. As long as you don't use your divine sense to move the flags afterward, which would disrupt my activation, it won't affect the formation's operation."

Song Wen nodded. "Excellent."

"Brother Guo Tao, please follow me," Xuan Ye said. "I will impart the layout of the Prairie Fire Array to you so you can easily deploy the flags."

"Very well. Let us do as you say," Song Wen agreed.

The next day, having prepared everything, the two men set their plan into motion.

The Goat-headed Ghost abruptly materialized at the edge of the snake lair, throwing its head back to unleash a shrill, piercing shriek.

The sound was incredibly sharp, like a demonic melody boring straight into the ears.

This sudden disturbance instantly enraged the Black Vipers, creatures accustomed to the dark, quiet depths.

The smaller Black Vipers began scurrying blindly in all directions, while the more cunning ones slithered into the nearest snake holes.

The larger Black Vipers gaped their jaws, exposing long, sharp fangs. Their crimson tongues flicked into the air, swaying restlessly from side to side in their agitation.

Coiling their tails, the massive serpents launched themselves forward like arrows shot from a bowstring. They lunged straight for the Goat-headed Ghost, determined to tear this invading spirit to shreds.

Even more large snakes began pouring out from the depths of the holes.

Right at that moment, eight formation flags descended from the sky. Caught up by the Goat-headed Ghost's distraction, the Black Vipers failed to react before the flags firmly embedded themselves into various corners of the lair.

"Array, rise!"

Xuan Ye's expression turned solemn as his hands rapidly wove incantation gestures. The formation disk floated before him, shimmering with brilliant, flowing colors.

Eight Spirit Stones, each the size of a infant's fist, erupted with dense spiritual Qi, pouring a steady stream of power into the formation disk and causing its light to flare blindingly.

Standing nearby, Song Wen's eyes widened in surprise.

Eight middle-grade Spirit Stones!

Xuan Ye had truly spent a fortune just to harvest the Snake Scale Fruit.

Not only had he paid to have an expensive formation crafted, but he was also using eight middle-grade Spirit Stones to drive it-the equivalent of eight hundred low-grade Spirit Stones.

Song Wen realized that the people who had joined him in these underground caverns of the Ancient Battlefield all seemed to possess extraordinary backgrounds, carrying a ridiculous abundance of Spirit Stones.

Yet, like him, every one of them had a desperate reason to venture deep into these caverns and risk their lives.

It seemed they had all exhausted their resources to make one final, death-defying gamble.

Above the snake lair, a fiery-red, translucent barrier suddenly materialized, enveloping the entire area.

Innumerable tongues of fire erupted from the earth, causing the temperature within the formation to skyrocket.

The heat sent the Black Vipers fleeing in panic, and the weaker ones were instantly reduced to charcoal.

The Prairie Fire Array securely trapped the serpents on the surface, while those still underground sensed the horrifying temperatures above. Driven by their inherent fear of fire, light, and Yang energy, the subterranean vipers fled deeper into the recesses of their tunnels.

Only a few massive snakes as thick as bowls managed to withstand the searing heat, though their flesh cracked and bled as countless scales sloughed off.

These giant serpents slithered to the edge of the barrier, slamming their bodies violently against the translucent shield.

The impacts caused the barrier to shudder and flicker wildly, looking as though it might shatter at any moment.

Yet, each collision only worsened the vipers' injuries, leaving the parts of their bodies that struck the shield charred black.

Alongside the Black Vipers, the Snake Scale Fruit tree and the Goat-headed Ghost were also subjected to the scorching flames.

The Goat-headed Ghost's once-solid form had begun to turn translucent.

It had been sprayed by several mouthfuls of venom earlier, which had dispersed a significant amount of its Yin Qi. Fortunately, the formation had been activated just in time to save it from a grim fate.

Now that the grand array was active, the Goat-headed Ghost pressed forward instead of retreating, charging straight toward the Snake Scale Fruit tree at the center of the lair.

The temperature inside the formation was too high; if it delayed, the medicinal efficacy of the fruit might be ruined.

By the time the ghost reached the tree, the leaves had already withered to a scorched yellow, and the branches closest to the ground were catching fire.

Fortunately, the three Snake Scale Fruits at the very top remained largely unaffected.

The Goat-headed Ghost delivered a heavy strike that snapped the tree trunk in half. It then channeled its ghostly Qi to wrap around the severed upper half and soared into the air.

Seeing their precious fruit tree destroyed, the surviving Black Vipers went entirely mad. Completely ignoring their grievous burns, they hurled themselves upward from the ground, snapping fiercely at the ghost in mid-air.

Just as the Goat-headed Ghost reached the ceiling of the formation, a small gap opened in the barrier, allowing it to slip through unscathed.

The gap sealed shut in the very next instant, blocking the pursuing Black Vipers.

Manipulating the barrier to create that escape route had taken a heavy toll on Xuan Ye.

His face drained of color, and large beads of sweat poured down his forehead, a clear sign of severe mental exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Song Wen was not idle.

A single massive Black Viper, whose strength was comparable to a cultivator at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation, had slipped through the net and avoided being trapped by the formation.

Twisting its long body, the serpent slithered straight toward the two men.

Song Wen glanced at Xuan Ye, who was exerting all his strength to maintain the formation disk, and suppressed his immediate urge to flee.

He still needed Xuan Ye to guide him out.

Slapping the Corpse-Raising Bag at his waist, Song Wen summoned his corpse puppet.

The puppet strode forward with large steps, intercepting the massive snake.

Seeing the puppet approach with bared fangs and claws, the Black Viper slowed down, coiling its tail before whipping it forward with immense force.

The corpse puppet was sent flying by the blow, but given its thick, iron-like hide, it suffered no real damage.

The moment the puppet was knocked away, a foot-long iron awl shot through the air, aiming directly for the serpent's left eye.

The Black Viper tilted its head, narrowly protecting its vulnerable eye, and slammed its hardened skull directly into the incoming weapon.

"Clang!"

The Soul Piercing Awl collided with the snake's head, producing a sharp sound like metal striking metal.

The awl was deflected backward.

However, a scale on the Black Viper's head shattered, leaving the flesh beneath crushed and bloody.

By then, the corpse puppet had lunged back into the fray, grabbing the serpent by the tail. Its muscles tensed as it attempted to hoist and swing the massive beast.

But the snake refused to be manipulated. It coiled its body tightly around the puppet's waist, opening its maw to spray a stream of corrosive venom.

The venom hissed as it splashed across the puppet's head, rapidly dissolving the flesh. The puppet's already hideous features rotted further, becoming utterly monstrous.

Driven into a frenzy by the attack, the corpse puppet sank its sharp fangs deep into the softest part of the serpent's underbelly.

Blood sprayed violently.

As the fangs pierced its hide, the snake thrashed in agony, flailing its body wildly.

With great effort, it finally managed to hurl the puppet away, though a large chunk of flesh was ripped from its belly in the process.

The corpse puppet swallowed the snake meat and prepared to charge once more, but it suddenly halted its advance and turned to retreat.

Behind it, the Goat-headed Ghost had already returned, safely carrying the Snake Scale Fruits.

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