1119 Hidden Formations
Before anyone could react to the Sword-Saint's sudden and unexpected interference, another unexpected event occurred, far more bewildering and shocking. As if triggered by the final rounds ending, hundreds of mysterious figures cloaked in black robes appeared in the air throughout the stadium, each having a cultivation in the World Expansion Realm or above.
The ten million spectators gasped in shock, then jumped in absolute fright as the viewing platform of the powerhouses exploded with a sharp and precise power, shaking the entire Yang-Dao Sphere like nothing before.
Boom!
Those near the Yang-Sovereign, the target of the attack, were blasted away by the remnant power of the attack. John and the two others in the arena looked up with startled confusion as well, not expecting such a sudden and chaotic situation to unfold.
Flash!
Before he could worry about Lilian being caught up in the explosion above, a flash of light appeared nearby, with Lilian emerging from the spatial void to appear right next to John. The two exchanged a quick glance before looking back up at the large viewing platform, hoping to see what exactly was going on.
On the platform, the Yang-Sovereign sat on his throne, his chin rested on a fist. A calm yet simmering cold expression on his face as he stared at the dagger frozen in the air directly in front of his face, not able to reach him due to a defensive formation enveloping his throne.
Crack!
A cracking sound rang out, loud enough for all to hear. A crack appeared a moment later on the Yang-Sovereign?s throne, then another, the cracks spreading like wildfire.
Bang!
The seat exploded into a thousand pieces, crumpling to the ground while the visible defensive formation faded away as well. The Yang- Sovereign landed gracefully on his feet, turning towards the one holding the dagger nearby, who had retreated ever so slightly after his surprise assassination attempt failed.
"What is the meaning of this, Prime Shadow?" the Yang-Sovereign asked coldly.
The Prime Shadow stood ten yards away, a grim expression on his face as he shifted his gaze momentarily to the now-destroyed throne. The remnant pieces revealed traces of a now-exhausted formation, one powerful enough to block a surprise attack from the Prime Shadow himself.
While that attack was not his full strength, as attacking with his full strength would have destroyed almost every living soul in the Yang- Dao Sphere, it was still a considerable portion of his power, all condensed into his blade. Had the defensive formation not existed, his attack would have been capable, at the very least, of greatly injuring the Yang-Sovereign.
"Explain yourselfl" the Yang-Sovereign's wife yelled, her face red with anger as she made her way back to her husband's side after being blasted away.
"What is going on here!" the nearby Netherfrost Beast leader asked as well, enraged as some of his weaker clansmen had been injured by the blast, saved only due to the timely interference of the Netherfrost Beast leader himself. They had been enjoying the chaos of the tournament as indifferent outside spectators, but now that this event had injured his own, his rage was ignited.
Flash!
Another figure appeared nearby like a ghost a moment later, a marble white sword brimming with awe-inspiring might pointing directly at the Prime Shadow. "Explain yourself, now!" the Sword-Saint demanded, his face a mixture of confusion and rage. "Have you gone mad?"
The Prime Shadow shot the Sword-Saint a quick, unconcerned glance, then looked back at the Yang-Sovereign.
"A hidden defensive formation built into your throne, almost as if you expected to be attacked during this tournament. And one profound enough to not only stop my attack, but also escape my detection. How many spirit crystals did you spend to create such a powerful formation?" the Prime Shadow asked coldly.
"One cannot be careful enough these days, as this event has shown," the Yang-Sovereign replied, his tone calm yet cold. "Now explain the meaning of these traitorous actions of yours. I treat you as a close friend for thousands of years, and this is how you repay my friendship? With betrayal?"
"Do not speak to me of betrayal," the Prime Shadow replied with a cold, murderous tone. "Not when you planned to betray every living soul here for your personal gain."
The Yang-Sovereigns relatively calm gaze narrowed in that instant, a cold, piercing expression appearing instead.
"Do you have any proof of these baseless lies?" the Yang-Sovereign's wife replied angrily, pointing a finger directly at the Prime Shadow. "Give us one good reason why we don't destroy you and your entire Guild for this treachery."
The Prime Shadow's gaze shifted to the woman, his eyes becoming filled with cold, murderous rage. The woman, Seraphia, took a step back as she felt the murderous bloodlust oozing from the Prime-Shadow, her instincts warning her to flee from this lethal danger. Only the presence of her husband, the Yang-Sovereign, kept her somewhat calm in front of the world's most dangerous assassin.
Flash!
Another flash of light appeared as a figure materialized like a ghost, hovering in the air a short distance away. The Mage-Sovereign looked on with confusion and caution, arriving due to the sudden explosion of power she had felt. While she was not attending the grand final, she was still within the sect itself, and was able to arrive almost instantly.
The Prime Shadow gave her a quick glance, then ignored her as she seemed to not be taking any action yet, waiting for clarity on this unexpected manner.
"When did you plan on enacting your plan exactly?" The Prime Shadow ignored everyone else and asked the Yang-Sovereign.
"l have no idea what you are speaking of," the Yang-Sovereign replied coldly. "I ask again, what has-"
"Silence," the Prime Shadow sneered, cutting the Yang-Sovereign off. He then turned to look at Seraphia, his cold gaze as if he wanted to rip her apart at this very moment. "You ask for proof because you think I have none, and thus want to turn the world against me. I admit you two have been incredibly careful in your movements over the last few centuries, careful enough to evade my detection as well."
He then paused and raised his hand upwards, a small formation disk appearing a moment later. The Yang-Sovereign and his wife exchanged a quick glance, a small, almost hidden look of reassurance appearing on Seraphia's face, before the two looked back to the Prime Shadow.
A cold smile appeared on the Prime Shadows' face as he looked at them, then at the disk in his hand. The Yang-Sovereign's brows furrowed ever so slightly, his eyes turning from calm to a cold, piercing gaze, while Seraphia's expression remained cold yet calm, as if she had no worries about the Prime Shadow's next actions. The Prime Shadow smiled as he noticed her relaxed expression.
"But in all your perfect secrecy, you made one, singular mistake," he said, looking directly at Seraphia. "Your dealing with Grandmaster Darkcloud was meticulous, to a level that even I cannot help but be impressed. Even I couldn't find him, nor could any Guild member I sent to find him," the Prime Shadow said, the mere mention of Grandmaster Darkcloud causing the Yang-Sovereign's expression to darken, while his wife paled ever, her eyes widening slightly.
"When you captured Grandmaster Darkcloud, I'm sure you stripped him of everything, sound transmissions included," the Prime Shadow continued, his grip tight on the formation disk as if it were the most precious thing in the world to him at the moment. "But you missed one crucial thing."
No answer came from the two as they waited for the Prime Shadow to continue. They couldnt outright take action against him at the moment, as despite everything, he was the Prime Shadow. He was not someone that could be confronted easily, at least not through battle, as such a battle would destroy the entirety of the Yang-Dao Sect, a cost the Yang-Sovereign was unwilling to pay.
The Prime Shadow glanced at the Yang-Sovereigns destroyed throne for a moment, a small, sad smile on his face. "Much like the formation you hid within your throne, high ranking guild members of mine have hidden formations embedded into their body, or in this case, their heart, to use in times of grave necessity. A formation that can do many things, including record and transmit sound."
Seraphia's pale face whitened even further, a slight gasp coming from her mouth.
"The only way you would have discovered the formation within Grandmaster Darkcloud's heart, was if you knew of its existence beforehand. These hidden formations are inexorably linked to the heart, and the only way to activate them is through self-sacrifice, converting the entirety of one's essence into one last, brilliant burst of power," the Prime Shadow continued.
"Grandmaster Darkcloud's final action in this world was activating his hidden formation, which combined with his burning life-essence had the power to pierce through the most powerful of restriction formations, the one he was captured within included," the Prime Shadow said as he sent a surge of Qi into the formation disk, which activated with a burst of light. "With his last breath of life, Grandmaster Darkcloud sent me this, received only minutes ago."
The formation disk then activated, the voice of Grandmaster Darkcloud and Seraphia's conversation transmitting throughout the stadium for all to hear.
