Daoist Competition
Chapter 175 - 57: The Flag of Corpse Smoke, Qi Piercing the Rainbow_2

Chapter 175: Chapter 57: The Flag of Corpse Smoke, Qi Piercing the Rainbow_2

Here is the line-by-line translation:

Seeing this scene, Li Weimin, hiding within the array, chuckled darkly and lifted the Main Banner in his hand. With a shake, the scattered smoke converged back together, reforming into a banner, firmly rooted in place.

Beneath the stone sands, he buried a "Gathering Essence Jade Plate," capable of continually absorbing Spiritual Energy from the surroundings to supply energy to this Dharma Treasure.

As long as the Main Banner remains undamaged and someone commands it, even if all the Vice Banners are destroyed, he can immediately condense them again.

Initially, when the banners were broken, the crowd aboard the Dragon Tooth Flying Boat cheered with joy. But unexpectedly, in mere moments, the banners were restored to their original state, and even the dense smoke that seemed to dissipate was suppressed again, remaining motionless.

Everyone furrowed their brows. Without dispersing the thick smoke, no one dared to boldly charge in, for who could anticipate what deadly traps might be hiding within?

As the time for the opening of the Sea Eye drew closer, the crowd couldn’t help but grow anxious.

Yet Zhang Yan remained composed as ever. He observed for a long while, his eyes reflecting deep contemplation. After a moment, he turned to Fang Zhen and asked, "Senior Brother Fang, based on what we’ve seen, if you exert your maximum effort, how many banners can you break in one strike?"

Fang Zhen froze for a moment, calculated, and then said, "There are a total of thirty-six banners. If I launch a full-force frontal assault, I should be able to destroy no fewer than eighteen banners."

"Which means you can break half of them?" Zhang Yan nodded with a smile and said, "That’s sufficient."

Xie Zongyuan detected underlying meaning in Zhang Yan’s words and couldn’t help but ask, "Brother Zhang, do you have a plan?"

Zhang Yan pointed downward and said, "Senior Brother Xie, when Senior Brother Fang penetrated a small crack in the smoke, I faintly saw someone at the center, standing on the Stone Platform with the Main Banner in hand, orchestrating the array. This person moved the banner to gather the smoke back together—surely, he is the key figure of this formation. We must figure out a way to eliminate him."

Fang Zhen’s face showed a trace of mockery as he said, "Brother Zhang, this individual resides deep within the dense smoke. If you want to go inside and kill him, you must first break through the smoke. If breaking it were that easy, why would we still be standing here?"

However, Liu Tao, noting that Zhang Yan would never make baseless claims, asked, "Brother Zhang, do you have a solution?"

Zhang Yan smiled and nodded, saying, "Indeed. I observed the smoke—it’s not entirely impenetrable. If Senior Brother Fang’s Divine Weapon Circle can break through once more, I can seize the moment before it closes and use sword escape to enter and strike him down!"

Fang Zhen froze briefly, then frowned and said, "Junior Brother Zhang, have you thought this through? If you fail to succeed inside, we won’t be able to rescue you."

Zhang Yan smiled lightly and said, "Of course, I’ve thoroughly considered it. At this moment, the Xuan Guang Realm practitioner is absent. If we don’t try boldly now, once he returns, we likely won’t even have this opportunity."

Fang Zhen burst into laughter and said, "Alright! Since Junior Brother Zhang has such courage, I, Fang Zhen, will not hold back. Today, I’ll let you all witness the true power of my Five Fire Divine Weapon Circle!"

Just then, a low rumbling noise suddenly arose from all directions, as if countless soldiers and horses were charging overhead, and beneath them, it roared like thunder, causing the entire Demon Cave to tremble.

Everyone turned to look and saw a river in the deep gorge below suddenly surge into life, rising like an enraged dragon, soaring straight into the sky, and cascading toward the entrance of the Demon Cave. Even the thick clouds couldn’t hide this awe-inspiring spectacle.

Xie Zongyuan rushed forward a few steps, leaning over the boat’s edge and shouting excitedly, "The Sea Eye’s gate has opened!"

Onboard the Dragon Tooth Flying Boat, everyone was filled with excitement. Liu Tao suddenly turned to Xie Zongyuan and said, "Senior Brother Xie, you’d better board the Chenxiang Boat now. What Brother Zhang intends to do surely holds certainty for success. Once the array is broken, don’t hesitate—charge into the water pillar with all your strength!"

Xie Zongyuan hesitated momentarily, then nodded resolutely, saying, "Alright!" He handed the Sea Sweeping Tablet in his hand to Liu Tao and said, "Senior Brother Liu, I leave this Dharma Treasure to you."

Liu Tao accepted it without hesitation, saying, "Brother, remember—opportunities are fleeting; do not hesitate when the moment comes!"

Xie Zongyuan solemnly clasped his hands in respect toward the crowd, then took out a token and waved it, unleashing the Chenxiang Boat. He signaled to Feng Ming and entered, closing the boat’s doors amid the complex gazes of the others, prepared to surge out of the Demon Cave through the torrent of water once the smoke dissipated.

Zhang Yan glanced at Fang Zhen and said, "Senior Brother Fang, begin."

Fang Zhen snorted lightly, stepped forward, took hold of the Five Fire Divine Weapon Circle, recited a mantra, and with a moment’s pause, cast the circle skyward. The circle grew larger and larger, eventually expanding to a span of ten zhang. The previously purple flames encircling the ring gradually transformed into a golden-red hue, and the inside of the ring was filled with roaring flames.

Suspended in the air, the circle gleamed like a radiant sun, emitting a low rumbling noise, seeming ready to unleash something, its aura incredibly intimidating.

Even Li Weimin below, seeing this display, grew visibly tense. He decided to sit down firmly on the Stone Platform, fully concentrating on controlling the banners to prepare against this strike.

Sweat was pouring down Fang Zhen’s forehead, yet he gritted his teeth and persevered. Finally, he roared, "Break!"

"Boom!"

A torrent of flames surged forth from the Divine Weapon Circle, forming a fiery sea and rushing forward in a flood.

Li Weimin shouted loudly and vigorously waved the Main Banner, causing all thirty-six banners to tremble and leap forward collectively to meet the fire.

Like moths drawn to a flame, the banners disintegrated into wisps of smoke with a "hiss" upon contact with the fire. The gathered smoke also thinned out slightly, showing signs of dispersal.

Li Weimin struggled desperately, waving the banners with all his might. As each banner was destroyed by the flames, he immediately reformed it, momentarily holding off the attack. The once unstable smoke below also began to close up again.

But at this moment, Zhang Yan remained motionless. As the smoke grew thinner, he fixed his gaze on Li Weimin’s figure, while the sword ball hovering by his side buzzed with faint trembling, ready to fly at any moment.

Just as the smoke was about to close completely, Zhang Yan’s eyes gleamed sharply. In a flash, his body and sword merged as one, streaking toward the target like a rainbow!

The instant he launched, a streak of Blood Light shot across the sky, racing quickly toward them.

Liu Tao saw this and exclaimed in alarm, "This is bad—the Xuan Guang Practitioner has returned!"

Li Weimin was still shaking the banner, nearly closing the smoke array, when someone called out, "Brother Li is back."

He turned his face and saw it was true, a wave of joy washing over him. "Elder Brother has returned," he exclaimed excitedly.

At this critical moment, no one noticed a long streak of light, like a celestial thread, cutting through the Void. It emerged from the crack in the smoke and charged straight toward its target.

Li Weimin vaguely sensed danger. But in the brief instant he turned his head, a dazzling and magnificent flash of light streaked past his eyes!

A head flew skyward!

...

...(To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets or monthly tickets. Your support is the greatest motivation for me!)