Chapter 132: The Twelve Divine Fiend Formation of the Capital Heavens

When the Dragon Elder realized that his dragon breath had been blocked, his eyes involuntarily narrowed. Although he usually carried himself with great pride, this did not mean he was ignorant or lacked discernment. The reason he looked down upon other races was that the Dragon Clan was born with immense power; aside from the gods and demons, no other race could rival their innate advantage.

However, when facing truly formidable warriors from other races, the Dragon Clan would not dismiss their opponents simply because of their own natural gifts. After all, most gods and demons were cultivated from ordinary races. Even with the Dragons’ pride in their innate superiority, they had to admit that their overwhelming talent often dampened their ambition. Thus, despite their astounding potential, demi-god-level warriors were scarce among the Dragons, let alone true god-level experts.

Due to racial characteristics, the Dragons generally behaved arrogantly toward those weaker than themselves, openly disregarding others. Yet when confronted with equals, they became cautious and seldom initiated attacks recklessly.

At this moment, the Dragon Elder exhibited precisely such a demeanor. Unaware of the Eight Trigrams Binding Spirit Array, he did not realize that it took all of Zhou Tian’s soldiers working in unison just to barely withstand his assault—many of those soldiers suffered severe backlash in the process.

Had the Dragon Elder unleashed another breath of dragon fire, the capital would have faced genuine peril. Yet he refrained, mistaking the defense of the Eight Trigrams Binding Spirit Array for the work of a demi-god-level mage, thus missing the prime opportunity to breach the city walls.

The Dragon Elder lacked full understanding and chose to observe before reacting, whereas Zhou Tian had no such luxury.

Now, the real danger was to Zhou Tian’s side. Although the Dragon Elder had ceased his offensive, Zhou Tian could not entrust their safety to him. The absence of attack now did not guarantee peace later. If Zhou Tian did not seize this pause to distract the Dragon Elder’s attention, the next burst of dragon fire could still obliterate the capital. No matter how well prepared Zhou Tian was, losing the Dragon Elder would mean defeat in this battle.

Not waiting for any further moves from the Dragon Elder, fearful of another assault, Zhou Tian activated his second contingency plan.

A golden light flashed, and twelve colossal statues descended from the heavens, encircling the three giant dragons outside the capital.

Seeing the twelve statues, Zhou Tian felt a momentary relief, though pain flickered across his face.

Regarding formations, Zhou Tian’s system contained many, but only a few were truly formidable: the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation, the Zhou Tian Starry Array, and the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation.

The Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation was out of the question; not only did it require four powerful cultivators to form, but also the prerequisite of possessing the four Immortal-Slaying Swords, which Zhou Tian could not fulfill. If he could deploy this formation, even the world’s God Kings would find it impenetrable.

The Zhou Tian Starry Array was powerful but demanded numerous top-tier experts to assemble. Zhou Tian had only a handful of minor followers, barely able to set up the Eight Trigrams Binding Spirit Array, let alone such a complex formation.

Only the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation remained viable. Its miraculous power made it the best choice for someone like Zhou Tian. Back on Earth, the game designers might have created this formation as a premium feature for paying players.

“The Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation requires three million spiritual energy to learn. Its power depends on the statues used. Each statue costs ten thousand, one hundred thousand, one million, ten million, or one hundred million spiritual energy respectively. Notably, deploying the formation with ten-million-energy statues can summon the Thirteen Ancestral Witches; with one-hundred-million-energy statues, it can summon Pangu.”

Strictly speaking, this formation might not be the most powerful, but in the game, it could instantly annihilate any enemy if one was willing to spend the money. After all, in the Eastern system, even the Dao Ancestor Hongjun might struggle against the great god Pangu.

Currently, Zhou Tian could be considered a player who spent some spiritual energy, but not one who could afford unlimited investment in top-tier statues.

Learning from the limitations of the Eight Trigrams Binding Spirit Array, Zhou Tian chose to purchase the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation because its power depended solely on the statues, not on the skill of the deployer.

Of course, Zhou Tian couldn’t afford the top-tier statues costing tens or hundreds of millions. His previous expenditures had nearly bankrupted him. He settled for buying twelve statues priced at one hundred thousand spiritual energy each.

Though only one-hundred-thousand-energy statues, the formation still displayed impressive might, enough to startle the Dragon Elder.

The statues emitted only saint-level auras individually, but once arranged in formation and linked, they radiated a powerful demi-god-level presence.

Demi-gods vary in strength. Though the Dragon Elder had never fought them directly, he sensed that the combined aura of the twelve statues far surpassed his own. If his impression wasn’t a trick, he might truly be no match for them.

This realization shocked the Dragon Elder and made him regret his earlier carelessness.

Yet Zhou Tian gave him no time to ponder. As the Dragon Elder contemplated retreating to understand the statues, Zhou Tian had already activated the formation and launched an attack.

The twelve statues moved instantly as the formation began.

Zhou Tian did not fully understand how the original formation attacked, but in his system, the twelve statues carried out all the offense. As long as the statues remained intact, the formation would operate indefinitely; if any were damaged, the formation would be rendered useless.

The Dragon Elder did not expect the surrounding statues to suddenly attack him and was caught off guard.

Each statue threw a massive punch—twelve enormous fists striking simultaneously with the force of a demi-god’s full-strength blow—sending the Dragon Elder flying.

The formation did not halt but shifted its focus to the two young dragons.

Unlike humans, who can choose when to attack or stop, a formation operates autonomously. Anyone entering its attack range risks being struck, even its own master.

If Zhou Tian truly possessed demi-god power, he might disdain attacking the two young dragons, but the formation knew no mercy. Once activated, it treated all three dragons as enemies to be eliminated. Even Zhou Tian himself would be targeted if he approached.

Thus, despite the targets being immature dragons, the twelve statues raised their massive fists, preparing to strike.

If the statues landed a hit, the two young dragons—no stronger than saint-level—would almost certainly perish.

However, just as the statues moved to attack, the Dragon Elder rushed to intervene.

“How dare you!” he roared, too injured from the previous assault to act freely, yet he stepped forward to shield the young dragons, confronting the twelve statues head-on.

His courage admirable, but the Dragon Elder was no match for the statues. After another clash, he was struck and sent flying again.

This time, with the two young dragons behind him, he used the opportunity to push them out of the formation, though he himself suffered multiple hits.

Witnessing this, Zhou Tian’s expression darkened.

The Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation was undeniably powerful, amplifying the statues’ strength a hundredfold or more to allow them to kill enemies beyond their level. But unless the formation summoned the Ancestral Witches or Pangu, the basic version had a significant weakness.

It protected only outwardly, not inwardly.

In other words, those inside the formation were vulnerable. Unless they broke the formation through direct combat, no trickery could dismantle it. This was true even for formation masters. Its attack style was close-quarters combat, differing greatly from typical formations.

Knowing this, Zhou Tian initially trapped the three dragons inside the formation. Yet he hadn’t expected the Dragon Elder to be so determined, fighting through injury to send the two young dragons outside.

Whether out of fear for their safety or recognizing the formation’s weakness, the Dragon Elder’s action immediately put Zhou Tian on high alert.

Now, Zhou Tian had no choice but to act.

The two young dragons had been pushed outside the formation’s boundary. If the formation were broken, Zhou Tian could not withstand the Dragon Elder’s assault alone. Therefore, he could not allow the formation to be destroyed before the Dragon Elder lost his ability to resist.

Though Zhou Tian reacted swiftly, the two young dragons had already made their move.

Regardless of whether they recognized the formation’s flaw, once outside with the Dragon Elder trapped inside, the young dragons had no choice but to fight for survival.

Almost at once, they unleashed two lesser but still potent blasts of dragon breath toward a nearby statue.

If the statues could move freely, these attacks would pose no threat. But as the formation was still in its basic state, the targeted statue reacted not at all and absorbed the blasts.

A loud explosion echoed through the air, eliciting mixed reactions.

The Dragon side rejoiced, thinking the formation’s weakness had been revealed. The capital’s defenders panicked, fearing the formation breaking would leave them vulnerable to a city-wide slaughter.

When the dust settled, Zhou Tian and his allies breathed easier.

The statue had not been destroyed.

Crafted from saint-level materials, the statues could endure sustained assaults from saint-level warriors. Coupled with the formation’s power, even these two young dragons could not easily shatter the statue.

Had the Dragon Elder been outside, his strength alone could have destroyed the formation swiftly. But the young dragons’ limited power meant it would take time to break through.

Still, Zhou Tian could not allow the attacks to continue unchecked.

Though the attacks had not stopped the formation, they had weakened it slightly, easing the Dragon Elder’s pressure.

If the young dragons persisted, coordinating with the Dragon Elder, they might indeed break the formation.

So, as the young dragons prepared to press their advantage, Zhou Tian acted swiftly.

He extended his hand and unleashed his magical artifact, the Binding Immortal Rope.

The rope flashed, lengthening dozens of times under Zhou Tian’s control. Before one young dragon could react, it was ensnared tightly.

Though the dragon was bound, Zhou Tian’s task was far from easy.

The Binding Immortal Rope not only restrained the target’s physical body but suppressed the spiritual energy within, preventing the use of divine abilities.

While difficult to escape once caught, binding an opponent consumes the user’s energy. If the captive resists, even more energy is required to maintain control. Should the user falter, the rope automatically releases and returns.

Against normal foes, even divine beings, Zhou Tian could manage with ease. But a young dragon’s raw physical strength made suppressing its resistance exhausting.

Nonetheless, with the rope’s aid, Zhou Tian subdued one young dragon, reducing the immediate threat inside the formation to just one.

Though newly saint-level, the remaining young dragon still posed a formidable challenge.

Unable to fight directly due to the rope’s energy drain, Zhou Tian directed all his forces to confront the dragon.

Led by Anna and Afra, a group of melee warriors recently recruited by Zhou Tian surged forward.

Previously, such orders might have been ignored, except by close allies like Anna and Afra. But after the earlier battles, Zhou Tian’s troops were fired up.

Never before had the Dragons been so humbled before officially clashing with the capital. Seeing the dragons’ plight, Zhou Tian’s followers had cast aside their fear, eager to witness or partake in this dragon slaying.

Fueled by passion, they rushed forward without hesitation, regardless of the young dragon’s strength.

But no matter how poor the dragon’s performance seemed, its power had not diminished. The overwhelming might of the formation and Binding Immortal Rope masked its true strength.

As soon as the dragon made contact, it reminded the frontline fighters of the Dragons’ terror.

A blast of dragon breath swept through, incinerating many who lacked the strength of Anna and Afra.

Yet after the breath, the young dragon faced a counterattack.

Anna was the first to move. Having modified her internal energy and supplemented by Zhou Tian’s abundant training materials, she had rapidly grown strong.

Using internal energy to wield her combat skills, Anna struck like a legendary Wind Sword Saint of the Light Church.

As the dragon’s breath subsided, Anna suddenly appeared at its vulnerable reverse scale, slashing with her sword.

Dragon’s blood spurted as Anna drenched herself in the foe’s crimson flow.