Zhang Jingyun raised his head, and his gaze collided squarely with that of the Thunder Flood Dragon.
Anyone who loves to fight knows that whoever looks away first at a moment like this admits defeat. As a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator who could defeat even Divinity Separation Stage opponents at his peak, Zhang Jingyun naturally did not take the Thunder Flood Dragon seriously.
The Thunder Flood Dragon, however, could not sense the terrifying aura of Zhang Jingyun's Nascent Soul Stage at all (since he wasn't holding his sword). Seeing that Zhang Jingyun dared to meet its gaze, its anger flared even higher. It immediately let out a deafening roar, and the entire cave seemed to tremble with the sound.
Its massive body whipped around violently, kicking up a gale as it lunged at Zhang Jingyun.
Zhang Jingyun's gaze hardened. He crouched slightly, assuming a combat stance. As the Thunder Flood Dragon closed in, he nimbly sidestepped, dodging its frontal attack.
The Thunder Flood Dragon missed its target and angrily lashed out with its tail toward Zhang Jingyun. Seeing this, Zhang Jingyun leaped up, executed a flip in mid-air, and evaded the tail strike.
Upon landing, Zhang Jingyun did not hesitate for a moment and charged straight at the Thunder Flood Dragon. The Thunder Flood Dragon reacted with extreme speed, snapping its jaws shut as it lunged to bite him.
Unflustered, Zhang Jingyun sidestepped and simultaneously threw a casual punch at the beast's head.
Covered in scales, the Thunder Flood Dragon had originally thought nothing of Zhang Jingyun's puny punch. Never did it expect that single blow to nearly shatter its skull.
The Thunder Flood Dragon let out a painful roar that seemed to pierce straight through the entire mountain range.
The lightning radiance around its body suddenly surged. Streaks of electric arcs shot toward Zhang Jingyun like sharp swords, weaving through the cave to illuminate the darkness while a heavy scent of electricity filled the air.
Instead of being afraid, Zhang Jingyun seized the opportunity to channel his power and unleashed Star-Shattering Strike.
The moment the skill activated, a Body-Protecting Gale instantly welled up around him, spinning and flowing like an invisible barrier. When the electric arcs struck the Body-Protecting Gale, they made a sizzling sound and melted away like hot water on snow, causing him zero damage.
Finishing channeling his power, Zhang Jingyun shouted, "Star-Shattering Strike!"
He threw a punch that felt as though it could shatter the stars. The force of the punch whistled through the air, compressing it until it cracked with sonic booms.
The Thunder Flood Dragon could not dodge in time, and the dragon horns on its head were blown straight apart. A loud crash echoed through the cave, shaking loose a shower of stones from the walls.
The Thunder Flood Dragon stiffly turned its head, terror filling its eyes. It abruptly realized something was terribly wrong: this human cultivator might move as sluggishly as a snail, but his offensive power was utterly terrifying.
Just one ordinary punch had nearly crushed its skull, and after taking a skill, its hardest dragon horns were completely gone.
Faced with such a formidable enemy, the Thunder Flood Dragon decisively chose to run away. It made a nimble pivot and, just as Zhang Jingyun thought it was about to attack, charged forward like a wild boar, scrambling desperately toward the cave entrance.
Right there—once it escaped through the cave exit, this clumsy human would never be able to catch it again.
Zhang Jingyun was taken aback, never expecting the Thunder Flood Dragon to suddenly flee. He hurriedly gave chase, and the man and beast became locked in a fierce pursuit through the cave.
The Thunder Flood Dragon glanced back at Zhang Jingyun, fleeing in panic while using its tail to lash at the cave walls.
Boulders immediately rained down from the ceiling, forcing Zhang Jingyun to slow his pace to dodge the falling debris.
Just as the Thunder Flood Dragon rushed to the cave mouth, believing it had escaped into safety, it suddenly crashed into something and bounced right back.
The Thunder Flood Dragon froze for a moment, then flew into a rage. "You hateful human! You actually set up a formation at the exit!"
"What formation? I didn't set that up." Zhang Jingyun had no materials to set up a formation, and his heart was filled with confusion.
Realizing something was wrong, he tried to stop himself, but it was already too late.
The light of the formation at the cave entrance grew increasingly dazzling, and a powerful suction force surged out from it like an invisible whirlpool, forcefully dragging both the Thunder Flood Dragon and Zhang Jingyun inward.
The moment the man and beast were sucked into the formation, they were immediately engulfed by a frenzy of violent energy.
Wind, thunder, fire, and earth elemental attacks erupted simultaneously. The gale howled, slicing through everything around like sharp blades; lightning flashed, bursting continuously with an aura of destruction; raging fires burned with a searing heat that seemed capable of melting steel; earth and rock tumbled forward, crashing like a surging tide.
Beneath these terrifying attacks, despite its tough scales, the Thunder Flood Dragon lasted only a few seconds before crashing heavily to the ground.
Zhang Jingyun's eyes widened. "This is... the Four Symbols Formation?"
He clenched his teeth as a strong sense of crisis surged in his heart, instantly realizing that this formation was not meant for the Thunder Flood Dragon at all—it was specifically designed for him.
Zhang Jingyun released his skill, summoning the Body-Protecting Gale to wrap tightly around himself. The wind, thunder, fire, and earth elemental attacks continuously hammered against the Body-Protecting Gale, producing waves of thunderous roars.
Although the Body-Protecting Gale was powerful enough to nullify all attacks, under this relentless assault, Zhang Jingyun felt immense pressure.
The spiritual power of the Four Symbols Formation far exceeded Zhang Jingyun's. If this continued, his spiritual power would eventually be exhausted.
Between life and death, Zhang Jingyun's mind raced. He suddenly thought of the only possible solution: a full-power strike to shatter the core of the Four Symbols Formation.
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Jingyun channeled his spiritual power, gathering all his strength into his right hand, and roared, "Nine Dragons Break!"
The golden palm-force shot out like a cannonball, carrying a heaven-destroying momentum as it pierced through layers of obstacles and struck the core of the Four Symbols Formation with pinpoint accuracy.
When the core was hit, it burst into a blinding light, resembling the explosion of a small sun. A powerful shockwave rippled outward, causing the entire Four Symbols Formation to shake violently.
Under the impact of this mighty force, the Four Symbols Formation finally reached its breaking point and shattered completely.
The wind, thunder, fire, and earth elemental attacks vanished along with it, and the surroundings grew quiet once more.
Zhang Jingyun stood in place, panting heavily as he gazed at the debris left behind by the Four Symbols Formation.
As long as the materials were complete, even a Qi Condensation Stage cultivator could deploy the Four Symbols Formation, and its power was sufficient to wipe out a Nascent Soul Stage powerhouse.
However, it came with an extremely harsh condition: the formation master had to possess an extraordinarily sensitive perception of different elemental spiritual powers in order to properly harmonize the four elements within the formation.
Zhang Jingyun's pupils constricted as a person suddenly flashed into his mind. Didn't that maid who had escaped from him possess this exact rare talent?
Furthermore, back in the day, Zhang Jingyun had taught her the detailed layout of the Four Symbols Formation. That maid had been quite clever; she mastered it after just three attempts without wasting too many of his materials.
"Senior Brother, can I ask a favor of you?"
"I can't use my spiritual power lately, so I won't be able to go with Senior Brother. I'm sorry!"
"Senior Brother, have you ever tested anyone else's cultivation aptitude?"
In Zhang Jingyun's memory, the image of that maid continuously overlapped with Yun Zi'an, finally merging into one.
Having figured out what was really going on, he said with a gloomy expression, "So it was you!"