Yet the accumulation of the weak overcoming the strong is equally a law of the Heavenly Dao.
When individual cultivators lack strength, they can employ this method of unity and concerted effort to fight against a formidable enemy.
Just like a Formation, where each stroke accumulates into Formation Patterns, forming a powerful Formation, and thus resulting in extraordinary might.
Human strength sometimes has its limits, but with enough people and a unified will, power can be endless and inexhaustible.
The fight to the death continued, and after several hours, the Taoist Soldiers started to suffer casualties, with Elder Yu and the others sustaining severe injuries.
But at last, the Patriarch of the Qian Family weakened, his Blood Qi unable to sustain him.
The Patriarch of the Qian Family attempted several times to break through the encirclement, but each time Elder Yu and the others desperately blocked him, while the Taoist Soldiers contained him, plunging him once more into a dire situation of being besieged on all sides.
The demeanor of the Qian Family’s Patriarch was no longer as relaxed as before, but rather grew more tyrannical, with increasingly dense Blood Qi surrounding him. His eyes, infused with a crimson ferocity, resembled that of a trapped beast fighting for its life.
Just when everyone thought that if the battle dragged on, they would be able to kill the Patriarch of the Qian Family, an unexpected change occurred.
A profound aura suddenly emerged from a corner of the Qian Family’s side and charged towards the battlefield.
Elder Yu recognized the newcomer and cried out in shock and anger, "Chief Elder!"
The arrival was none other than the Chief Elder of the Qian Family, also the Householder of the Black Mountain Stronghold!
The Qian Family was thrown into a commotion once again.
"Chief Elder?"
"Wasn’t the Chief Elder dead?"
"What exactly is going on?"
Only now did these Qian Family disciples realize that their Qian Family had so many secrets, and they, members of the Qian Family, were utterly oblivious.
Upon the appearance of the Chief Elder, the Patriarch of the Qian Family tried to seize the opportunity to flee.
He pushed back Leader Yang with a palm strike, dodged the long spears of the Taoist Soldiers, and with a backhand tear, horrifying bloody marks congealed, slicing through a group of Taoist Soldiers, killing several of them on the spot.
Leader Yang was beside himself with rage.
Although these Taoist Soldiers were his subordinates, they were also his brothers-in-arms.
"Old fool, die!"
Leader Yang exerted all his strength, channeling golden Spiritual Power into his long spear. The spear trembled, bursting with dazzling light and gathering a terrifying force.
The Patriarch of the Qian Family’s expression trembled, "High-grade Taoist Skill?"
He tried to escape, but another group of Taoist Soldiers tangled up with him, preventing his departure.
Moments later, Leader Yang’s Spiritual Power was fully amassed, his aura erupted, and then he merged with his spear, the spear striking like a dragon and, in an instant, reached the Patriarch of the Qian Family, the spear, carrying massive force, piercing straight through the Patriarch’s chest.
The golden light wrapped around the spear flickered on and off, constantly eroding the Patriarch’s Blood Qi and extinguishing his life force.
Just as the Patriarch of the Qian Family was on the brink of death under the spear.
At the critical moment, the Chief Elder’s expression darkened, he forcibly took a blade from Elder Yu and clashed with a palm strike against Old Master An, taking advantage of the force to retreat backward. Ignoring his own injuries, he charged at Leader Yang and used an eerie palm force to force back Leader Yang.
Leader Yang had no choice but to retract his move and withdraw.
The Patriarch of the Qian Family finally had a moment to breathe, swallowed two blood-red pills, and his chest flesh squirmed as his wounds gradually closed.
However, such pills were only a temporary fix and not a complete cure. If the fight dragged on, he would surely die!
He must escape...
The Patriarch of the Qian Family exerted all his strength to activate a bloody escape technique, seeking to break out and flee once again.
Leader Yang wanted to take action to keep the Patriarch down, but his prior use of the Taoist Skill had fully depleted his Spiritual Power.
That spear technique, named Radiant Golden Spear, was a secret spear technique of the Yang Family, also a high-grade second-rate Taoist Skill.
High-grade Taoist Skills are powerful but consume a lot of Spiritual Power and require a long charging time. One must seize the moment for a triumphant strike, or else they would either miss or be left in a vulnerable state due to the excessive depletion of Spiritual Power.
His earlier spear technique took advantage of the fact that the Patriarch of the Qian Family couldn’t escape, hitting him accurately.
However, since the Patriarch was at the Middle Phase of Foundation Building and had consumed Human Life Pills, enhancing his Blood Qi, he sustained severe injuries but did not die.
Elder Yu and others sought to stop the Patriarch, but they were halted by the Chief Elder’s intervention.
Other squads of first-rank Taoist Soldiers couldn’t stop the Patriarch either and could only try their best to thrust their spears, leaving more wounds on the Patriarch’s body.
As the Patriarch of the Qian Family broke through the encirclement, he turned back silently, his blood-red eyes glancing at the Chief Elder, taking in everyone present before, without a word, transforming into a bloody escape light and directly charging out through the gates of Tongxian City.
He fled towards Big Black Mountain!
Everyone was already exhausted from the prolonged battle, powerless to stop him, and could only let the Patriarch of the Qian Family escape.
But the Chief Elder of the Qian Family was left behind.
The Chief Elder had no intention of fleeing, instead fighting until he had nothing left, until his life force was completely drained, finally half-kneeling on the ground, blood spilling everywhere.
Elder Yu silently looked at him and sighed, "Was it worth it?"
The Chief Elder, expressionless, replied with self-mockery, "A man on the verge of death, who should have died long ago, whatever he does is worth it."
After he finished speaking, he slowly closed his eyes.
This Chief Elder of the Qian Family, who had "died" long ago, had now truly passed away.
The encirclement was thus concluded.
Many were badly injured, and some had even died at the hands of the Patriarch of the Qian Family.
Meanwhile, the Patriarch had escaped with severe injuries, heading towards Big Black Mountain.
Mo Hua sat cross-legged on the rooftop, watching all of this from a distance.
His heart felt both pity and sorrow.
Pity that they weren’t able to kill the Patriarch of the Qian Family, and sorrow for the bloodshed and sacrifices made in the encirclement attempt.
Mo Hua couldn’t help but think:
"If I were a second-rank Formation Master, could I have completely trapped the Patriarch of the Qian Family with a second-grade formation and avoided so many casualties?"
Mo Hua let out a small sigh.
It seemed that his abilities were still lacking, and his mastery of formations needed further enhancement.
The path of Tao Cultivation is long and arduous, formations profound and intricate; there is still so much to learn. As of now, I’m still not strong enough...