- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 227
Inside the Nine Demon Heavenly Xuanyin Formation, Leo was using Fiendfyre to fend off the Xuanyin Death Aura coming at him from all sides, but he still couldn’t find a way to escape the formation.
He tried flying out, but no matter which direction he went, he always ended up back where he started, as if he were caught in an endless loop.
He realized that the formation had a trapping mechanism, but his knowledge of formations was limited. Although Li Qingfeng’s memories contained some basic formation knowledge, it wasn’t enough to break through such a high-level formation.
So, Leo decided to use the simplest and most effective method to break the formation.
At its core, any trapping formation uses illusions to confuse the senses. More advanced ones could mislead hearing and even affect physical sensations. Higher-level formations would manipulate the Five Elements, space, or even natural laws.
However, all formations relied on controlling spiritual energy—essentially, manipulating the flow of energy. If the power you unleashed was strong enough to disrupt the energy flow of the formation, the formation itself would break.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator skilled in formations might set up a formation that could trap a Core Formation cultivator, but it would be impossible to trap a Nascent Soul cultivator. This was because a Nascent Soul cultivator’s energy output from a casual attack would be powerful enough to destroy the energy flow of a formation set by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Leo recalled this concept from Li Qingfeng’s memories and realized how he could break the formation.
“Second form, open! Eight Gates, Gate of Shock, open!”
With a roar, Leo activated the second form of his body and opened the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates, the Gate of Shock, unleashing an enormous amount of chakra.
Thanks to the perfect version of the Extremis virus, even without transforming, his body and chakra levels were nearly as powerful as when he transformed. Now, in his second form, his strength exploded.
Moreover, he had already mastered the Seventh Gate, the Gate of Shock, and the energy he unleashed in this state was several times stronger than what Guy had ever achieved.
The biggest advantage was that the Extremis virus’s healing abilities prevented him from suffering long-term damage, unlike Guy, who needed significant recovery time after using this technique.
In his tests, Leo found that he could maintain this form for about half an hour, and afterward, aside from a few hours of weakness, there were no serious side effects.
“Daytime Tiger!”
With the Seventh Gate open, Leo unleashed his ultimate technique. His body was enveloped by the massive form of a white tiger. He punched the ground, and instantly, the earth cracked open. Powerful shockwaves blasted in all directions, blowing away the Xuanyin Death Aura.
The immense energy from the Daytime Tiger caused the entire Xuanyin Formation to tremble, revealing the Xuanyin Sect elder, Nantong, and his disciple above.
With a powerful leap, Leo transformed into the white tiger and soared into the sky, throwing a punch directly at Nantong.
Sensing danger, Nantong quickly summoned his defensive magical treasure, positioning his luxurious palanquin in front of him. However, this palanquin, which could withstand attacks from peak Core Formation cultivators, crumbled like paper under Leo’s fist, shattering instantly.
“Die!”
Without hesitation, Leo’s punch continued toward Nantong, who was frantically trying to cast a spell to recall his Nine Demon Heavenly Xuanyin Banner. But Leo was too close, and his punch was too fast. Before Nantong could complete the spell, Leo’s fist connected, and Nantong’s body exploded on the spot.
Cultivators, who spent years absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, naturally had bodies stronger than ordinary humans. However, unless they were demon-beast cultivators or practiced special body-strengthening techniques, their physical bodies were no match for magical treasures.
Leo, in his Daytime Tiger form, could shatter defensive treasures belonging to Core Formation cultivators, so it was no surprise he could also obliterate their physical bodies.
“Five Elements Escape, Fire!”
Seeing his master killed, the short demonic cultivator was terrified and tried to escape using Fire Escape. But before he could even complete the spell, his body exploded just like his master’s.
“Thought you could escape again? Not this time.”
Leo retracted his fist, deactivated the Eight Gates, and calmly descended to the ground.
In the Core Formation stage, if a cultivator felt they couldn’t progress any further, they could choose to undergo voluntary body dissolution, leaving behind a trace of their soul to reincarnate and cultivate again. However, that process required significant preparation and was not something that could happen after a sudden death like Nantong’s.
Nantong had been killed without any preparation, meaning his soul wouldn’t survive. He would reincarnate like any ordinary person, without memories or any guarantee of becoming a cultivator again.
As for the short demonic cultivator, he was in the Foundation Establishment stage, which didn’t allow for body dissolution. Once dead, he was gone for good.
Thus, with two punches, Leo had thoroughly eliminated the evil master-disciple pair from the Xuanyin Sect.
With Nantong dead, the Nine Demon Heavenly Xuanyin Banner lost its master and returned to its original form, devoid of power.
Landing back on the ground, Leo summoned the banner using a Summoning Charm, stashing it into his small pouch along with the Blood Evil Banner and Blood Nails that had belonged to the short demonic cultivator.
He had experienced the power of the Nine Demon Heavenly Xuanyin Banner firsthand and knew it was a valuable treasure. After refining it, he could use it himself. Even if he couldn’t unleash its full potential, it would still be useful.
Meanwhile, the Seven Sons of the Cloud had just finished cutting down the eight demon soldiers, preparing to confront Nantong and save whoever was trapped in the formation.
But to their astonishment, they saw Leo, muscles bulging and enveloped by the white tiger aura, burst out of the formation. He shattered Nantong’s defensive treasure with a single punch, then killed both Nantong and his disciple with two swift strikes.
The sight was so shocking that all seven cultivators momentarily halted their sword techniques.
After all, Nantong, the Xuanyin Sect elder, was a well-known figure in the cultivation world, his reputation not far behind that of the Seven Sons themselves. While he didn’t have any record of defeating Nascent Soul cultivators, his Nine Demon Heavenly Xuanyin Formation had once forced a Nascent Soul cultivator to retreat, which was already a remarkable feat.
In the entire cultivation world, Nascent Soul cultivators were typically the leaders of major sects, not just small factions. Emei, as the largest righteous sect, had a few Nascent Soul cultivators, including the peak-level Nascent Soul cultivator, Li Yingqi, who commanded the Twin Thunder Swords, and Duan Lei, who wielded the Taiyi Splitting Light Sword.
Yet here was an unknown muscular cultivator who had single-handedly broken through the Nine Demon Heavenly Xuanyin Formation and swiftly killed Nantong. The Seven Sons were understandably stunned.