Hearing Litian's arrogant response, Zhang Yuhe felt a sharp pang of unease.
You definitely have more battle experience than me, he thought. But your cultivation is so far beyond mine—
Where does your confidence come from? Do you really think you can handle both the He and Li families in the city, plus the cultivators of the Hyacinth Tower?
And on top of that, there's the horned demon cultivator on the altar, whose strength we can't even gauge.
Shouldn't this situation require the entire Dao Saint Sect to mobilize?
How is it just one person—this arrogant, obnoxious guy?
How did Lu Mingfang even make you an elder? Isn't he afraid you'll ruin everything?
If we fail to destroy the altar and the demon army descends, wouldn't it spell disaster?
What Zhang Yuhe didn't realize was that the Tiangang Boundary Breaking Array laid by the Demon God Sect in Mirror Sky City wasn't as terrifying as he believed.
Even if the Demon God Sect succeeded, the opened passage would only allow low-level demons through. It wouldn't pose any real threat to Yu Fantian.
Just a minor fluctuation.
But Zhang Yuhe didn't know that. He still believed that once the passage opened, countless demon armies would flood in, recreating the catastrophe from 100,000 years ago.
In his mind, another centuries-long war was inevitable—and the Dao Holy Sect's victory far from guaranteed.
With this looming in his thoughts, Zhang Yuhe turned to Litian and warned:
"Senior Brother, there are many cultivators in the city. At least seven have reached the God Transformation stage. The master of the Hyacinth Mansion is even at the peak of that realm."
Hearing this, Litian paused, momentarily stunned.
He was confident in his strength, but facing that many God Transformation experts—especially someone at peak perfection—was beyond his ability to handle alone.
Still, his arrogance returned just as quickly. He had already spoken boldly; there was no walking it back now.
Litian's cold expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, "You handle the formation. I'll take care of the Demon God Sect's trash."
With that, he raised his fist and hurled it toward Mirror Sky City.
RUMBLE—
A massive flame-shaped fist surged through the sky, radiating blinding heat. It obliterated the surrounding warning formation in an instant.
The Flame Fist traveled thousands of miles in a heartbeat, slamming into the city walls of Mirror Sky City.
In response, a vast curtain of light shimmered into being, covering the city in a protective dome.
Nine massive python phantoms appeared across the light curtain, slowly undulating across its surface.
When the Flame Fist struck, the barrier rippled but held firm.
Mirror Sky City remained unharmed.
"The Nine-Python Forbidden Spirit Array…" Zhang Yuhe muttered, stunned.
He recognized the formation immediately. It was a seventh-grade array, renowned for its immense defensive capabilities.
Even ordinary God Transformation cultivators wouldn't be able to breach it easily. Without intimate knowledge of its mechanics, even higher-level cultivators would struggle to crack it.
Zhang Yuhe could dismantle it—but it would take time. And any interference would severely delay the process.
After watching the failed strike, Litian understood the situation.
If he were to rely on brute force alone, he might attack for half a month and still fail to break through.
And by then, it would be far too late.
"I didn't expect the Demon God Sect to have installed such a powerful formation ahead of time," Litian said grimly. He glanced at the city, then turned to Zhang Yuhe.
"Senior Brother… do you recognize this array?"
Zhang Yuhe nodded. "It's the Nine-Python Forbidden Spirit Array."
Litian's expression darkened.
He'd suspected as much. Though not skilled in formation techniques, he'd studied for nearly a millennium and wasn't entirely ignorant.
"The Nine-Python Forbidden Spirit Array... troublesome," he muttered.
The Dao Holy Sect had records describing the formation. Litian knew it well enough to understand it couldn't be broken quickly—not without preparation.
And time was exactly what they lacked.
But then, a thought struck him. If Zhang Yuhe knows the formation, maybe he knows how to dismantle it.
Litian turned to him quickly, urgency creeping into his voice. "Junior Brother, do you know how to break it?"
Zhang Yuhe nodded. "I do. But it will take time."
Litian breathed a small sigh of relief. For a moment, he'd feared they were out of options.
The city was already shrouded in black mist. It was clear the Demon God Sect had begun activating the Tiangang Boundary Breaking Array.
Even if they tried to call for help now, it would be too late.
The Dao Saint Sect was far away. Even with teleportation arrays, the elders wouldn't arrive in time.
It was up to the two of them.
Litian grinned. "Then break the formation. I'll handle the Demon God Sect's filth."
As he spoke, several streaks of light soared from the city, heading their way.
"Got it," Zhang Yuhe responded. "Be careful. I'll focus on breaking the array."
Without further words, he darted toward the city perimeter. With a flick of his wrist, formation flags shot out in all directions, embedding themselves around Mirror Sky City.
The Nine-Python Forbidden Spirit Array was no simple defense. Breaking it through brute force would take days.
But they didn't have days.
So Zhang Yuhe opted for another strategy—breaking the formation with a formation.
He would lay a high-grade offensive array around the city and use its concentrated power to shatter the defensive shield.
It wouldn't be easy.
He would need to continue placing formation nodes while simultaneously channeling energy to keep it active.
Worse, the defenders inside Mirror Sky City couldn't be allowed to interfere with the setup.
It sounded simple in theory.
In practice, it was a race against time.
And Zhang Yuhe had no other choice.
He worked quickly, planting flags and channeling power—all while glancing at the approaching battle.
Back in Mirror Sky City, as the light barrier activated, Concubine Mingyue and the others were startled.
"Already? Someone arrived this fast?"
"How did the Dao Holy Sect get wind of this? The passage hasn't even opened yet—there's been no sign."
"Let's head out."
"All God Transformation cultivators, come with me. The rest of you—guard the altar. Let no one disturb Lord Blackhorn!"
Though surprised, Concubine Mingyue responded swiftly.
She had to intercept the enemy outside the city. If they were allowed inside, any large-scale battle could destabilize the horned demon's ritual at the altar.
If that happened, their entire plan to open the rift between realms would fail.
Luckily, Mirror Sky City's defenses were already in place.
As long as the Dao Holy Sect hadn't sent a fusion-stage elder, there was no way they'd breach the Nine-Python Array quickly.
There weren't many fusion-stage elders in the Dao Holy Sect to begin with. Each held crucial responsibilities and rarely acted unless absolutely necessary.
Concubine Mingyue only needed to buy time.
Once the rift opened, her mission would be complete.
She could flee, and the Dao Holy Sect would never catch her.
Whatever consequences fell upon the He and Li families afterward weren't her concern.
She gathered the He and Li ancestors, along with four God Transformation cultivators from the Hyacinth Tower, and shot into the sky toward Litian's location.
Seeing them approach, Litian scoffed coldly.
"Hmph. Zhao Mingyue. You again. The Demon God Sect really is like a ghost—always lurking."