"Not good. It’s an Advanced Confinement Formation. Retreat quickly." Gong Mingyuan was experienced and instantly judged that the situation was extremely unfavorable. He roared and wanted to lead his subordinates to break out the way they came.

"Want to leave now? Too late!" Fang Hao’s figure, like a ghost, took a step out from the Chaos Grotto-Heaven and appeared directly behind Gong Mingyuan’s flank! He appeared without warning, as if manifesting out of thin air!

"Star Shattering Finger!" Fang Hao unleashed a killing move right from the start! His fingertip condensed highly compressed spiritual power, like a cold star, piercing straight at the vital point on Gong Mingyuan’s back! This finger strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless!

Gong Mingyuan was, after all, a Golden Core expert. Though startled, he was not flustered. Sensing the fierce wind of the finger strike attacking from behind, he forcefully twisted his body and struck out with a palm! The palm wind carried scorching fire spiritual power, meeting the finger wind!

Bang!

Finger and palm collided, emitting a muffled sound! Fang Hao was shaken, his blood and Qi surging, and he retreated several steps. After all, the gap in cultivation was there.

But Gong Mingyuan was not having an easy time either. The sharp aura contained within the finger force penetrated his palm wind, causing his entire arm to go numb, and he was even more horrified in his heart: "How is this brat’s finger technique so sharp?!"

Just with this delay, the power of the Nine Palaces Spirit Locking Formation completely erupted. Countless chains of Spiritual Qi extended from the ground and the Void Realm, entangling the five of them and greatly restricting their movements.

Under the suppression of the Formation, those four guards were in a panic, barely defending against the chains and the illusions constantly attacking from all around.

"Little bastard! It really is you!" Gong Mingyuan’s eyes turned red when he saw it was Fang Hao, old grudges and new hatred surging in his heart. "I didn’t butcher you at Heavenly Wolf Pass, but today you delivered yourself to my doorstep. It’s just right to use your head to sacrifice to my clan brother!"

He roared, forcefully driving his Golden Core. A deep blue poison-quenched short sword appeared in his hand, transforming into a blue light like a venomous snake, piercing through layers of chains, and striking straight at Fang Hao’s throat! The speed was incomparably fast!

Fang Hao dared not take it head-on. He pushed his Divine Spirit Steps to the limit, leaving trails of afterimages in the narrow canyon, narrowly avoiding the sword edge. At the same time, he flicked his hands repeatedly, and Dividing Light Sword Shadow whistled out. Dozens of sword lights, like swimming fish, attacked the vital points around Gong Mingyuan’s body, interfering with his attack.

"Insignificant tricks!" Gong Mingyuan sneered, waving his short sword, blue light flickering, shattering the sword shadows one after another.

But every time he exerted force, he felt the suppression of the Formation surging in like a tide, with consumption far greater than usual.

Fang Hao did not engage in close-quarters combat with him at all, relying instead on the Formation’s advantage and agile movement techniques to skirmish.

From time to time, he would trigger the Burst Flame Formation, detonating it suddenly under Gong Mingyuan’s feet or beside him, with flames shooting into the sky; or he would activate the Geng Metal Sword Formation, with countless Geng Metal Sword Qi shooting out from the cliff walls, carrying out indiscriminate covering attacks.

Gong Mingyuan was rendered utterly disheveled; despite having a cultivation base, he was oppressed by the Formation and felt incredibly stifled. The four guards he brought were even worse off. Under the Formation, illusions, and Fang Hao’s occasional sneak attacks, one guard at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage was soon pierced through the chest by a Geng Metal Sword Qi and died on the spot. The remaining three were also covered in wounds.

"Cannot drag this out any longer!" Gong Mingyuan was anxious, knowing he had to break the Formation as soon as possible, otherwise he might really capsize in the gutter. A ruthless look flashed in his eyes. He bit his tongue tip hard and sprayed a mouthful of essence blood onto the deep blue short sword!

"Blood Shadow Evasion Kill!"

The short sword emitted a sharp whistle, the blue light flaring up, instantly transforming into nine identical sword shadows. Each one exuded fierce killing intent, locking onto Fang Hao from different angles and covering all his evasion space! This was Gong Mingyuan’s life-saving killing move, consuming a great deal but with astonishing power!

Fang Hao’s pupils contracted, and he felt a fatal threat! Nine sword shadows, illusory and real, it was impossible to tell which one was real and which was fake!

At the critical moment, Fang Hao calmed down instead. He stopped dodging and slammed his hands onto the ground!

"Formation rise! Five Elements rotation, Thick Earth as shield!"

The ground of the canyon flared with a deep yellow light, and thick earth walls instantly rose from the ground, blocking in front of Fang Hao! At the same time, the power of the Small Five Elements Inversion Formation was driven to the limit, disrupting the energy fluctuations of the sword shadows!

Boom, boom, boom!

Seven consecutive sword shadows crashed into the earth walls and shattered; they were illusions! But the last two sword shadows were like a hot knife through butter, piercing through several earth walls in succession, stabbing straight at Fang Hao!

Fang Hao had long been prepared. He instantly sacrificed the empty clarity mirror. As the mirror light shone, the trajectory of one sword shadow shifted slightly, flying past his shoulder and bringing up a spray of blood. And the last one, the truly lethal sword shadow, had already reached his chest!

"Now!" A sharp light exploded in Fang Hao’s eyes. The last trump card he had been holding in his hand—a third-grade top-tier vajra talisman obtained from the ruins—was instantly activated!

Hum! A solid golden light shield enveloped him!

Clang! The main body of the deep blue short sword stabbed fiercely against the light shield, emitting a harsh, loud noise! The light shield fluctuated violently and cracks appeared, but it ultimately blocked this must-kill strike!

"What?!" Seeing that his must-kill move, which consumed his essence blood, was actually blocked, Gong Mingyuan’s mind was severely shaken, and he experienced a moment of distraction and weakness.

"Now! Explode!"

Fang Hao seized this fleeting opportunity. With a thought, the Burst Flame Formation and Geng Metal Sword Formation Plates that had long been buried under Gong Mingyuan’s feet and surroundings were simultaneously detonated by him!

Rumble!!!!

A terrifying explosion occurred in the narrow canyon. Firelight and golden Geng Metal Sword Qi instantly engulfed Gong Mingyuan and his three remaining guards! The screams were drowned out by the explosion!

After the explosion, the canyon was a mess, filled with smoke and dust. The three guards were already reduced to nothing. Gong Mingyuan’s clothes were tattered, his body charred black, and he knelt on the ground, barely supporting himself with the short sword stuck in the ground. His aura was withered to the extreme, clearly having suffered fatal injuries.

Fang Hao dissipated his protective light shield, his face also somewhat pale; the series of operations and defenses just now had consumed a great deal. He walked in front of Gong Mingyuan and looked at him coldly.

Gong Mingyuan raised his head, his eyes filled with unwillingness, resentment, and a trace of disbelief: "You... you actually... relying solely on the Formation..."

"That sword strike at Heavenly Wolf Pass, I’ve returned it to you." Fang Hao’s tone was calm, and a cold light flashed across the yitian sword in his hand.

The sword light swept past, Gong Mingyuan’s head fell to the ground, and the light in his eyes dimmed completely.

Fang Hao let out a long breath of turbid air. Looking at Gong Mingyuan’s corpse, there was not much joy in his heart, only a sense of relief and calm. He quickly cleaned up the battlefield, collected the spoils, wiped away all traces, and then hid back into the Chaos Grotto-Heaven, disappearing without a trace.

The Soul-Severing Gorge returned to silence, with only the wailing sound of the wind blowing through the canyon, as if recounting the thrilling Formation-based kill that had just occurred. The last Golden Core Elder of the Gongming Family active outside had fallen here. Fang Hao had used a beautiful Formation battle to prove his strength. The next targets were only that Nascent Soul Ancestor and the Family Head, Golden Core Great Perfection, left in the ancestral grounds. The real hard battle was still ahead.