The laughter from Li Yu died down and was swallowed by the oppressive silence of the void.

  Patriarch Cyrus stared at the boy—no, the monster—floating before him. The realization that negotiation was impossible settled over the group like a funeral shroud. The strong take. That was practically their hidden family motto across centuries.

  Now, Li Yu had decided he was the apex predator in this gray godless box. From what he just showed them, they were afraid. The six of them couldn’t even remember the last time they were afraid individually. Now all of them were at the same time.

  “He truly is a freak of nature. Someone that goes against the natural order of the world. There is no other way,” Cyrus gritted out, his voice vibrating through the spiritual link connecting them within the formation. “We kill him or we die here. Do not hold back. Unleash the beasts. Manifest your Martial Spirits. Burn your blood essence if you must. It is the only way!”

  “KILL!”

  The roar came from six throats simultaneously. The Crimson Blood Slaughter Formation flared to life. But they were not just relying on their own strength. The House of Crimson Fang was renowned for its beast taming and they would not fight alone.

  “Summon!”

  Space warped around each Elder and Cyrus as six massive spiritual beasts were released from their beast bags, adding their savage roars to the chaos. Li Yu's eyes widened not from shock but from greed. ‘Interesting…’

  Elder Brek, the burly defensive specialist, summoned an Obsidian War-Bear. The creature was covered in natural rock armor, standing two stories tall. Above Brek’s head, his Martial Spirit materialized: a Golden-Horned Rhino. The Rhino spirit let out a silent roar, merging its golden aura with Brek’s skin, turning him into an impenetrable fortress of iron and gold.

  Elder Varek, a hunchback whose robes concealed dozens of black iron chains, released a Twin-Headed Shadow Snake that coiled around him like a protective deity. Above him, his Martial Spirit, the Abyssal Python, floated like a ghost. Its eyes dripped with spiritual venom that corroded the very air.

  Elder Lumen, who controlled six spinning chakrams, was flanked by a Flash-Step Leopard. Its body crackled with static energy. His Martial Spirit, the Radiant Disc, spun behind his head like a halo of holy light. The disc increased the speed of his projectiles by threefold.

  Elder Jareth, wielding a serpent-headed spear, stood atop a Wind-Blade Wolf. The beast’s fur bristled like needles. Above him screeched his Martial Spirit, the Storm Hawk, summoning gale-force winds to buffet the void.

  Elder Vokin vanished into stealth and a Mist-Weaver Spider faded into the gray background with him. His Martial Spirit, the Shadow Mantis, granted him the ability to sever spiritual senses and hide even better.

  And beside Cyrus, a terrifying Blood-Horned Drake emerged. It was a massive and wingless dragon with scales the color of dried blood. Hovering above the Patriarch was his Martial Spirit, the Blood-Lightning Manticore, a creature of destructive energy that crackled with arcs of red lightning.

  Each beast was around the same level as their master with the exception of Cyrus. His drake was only at the 6th level of Soul Formation. Twelve entities. Six cultivators, six beasts, six spirits. All aimed at one boy.

  Twelve opponents against one but the six men did not feel that confident. Those two Nascent Souls scared them, as Soul Formation experts they understood all too well the power of a soul. No, it was more accurate to say they understood how weak and fragile the soul was. If Li Yu had some special attack with his souls, they were most likely done for.

  “Charge!” Elder Brek roared.

  He and his Obsidian War-Bear thundered forward as the vanguard. The formation funneled a torrent of energy into Brek, doubling his size. His skin turned the color of raw iron and he swung his hammer while the Bear swiped with claws that could tear through city walls.

  Li Yu didn’t flinch at the coming attack. He didn’t even try to dodge.

  He simply adjusted his grip on the black staff. The purple veins pulsing along the staff flared, syncing with the beating of his own heart.

  “First Form,” Li Yu thought internally. He was going to try out and use a slightly modified and adapted style of the “Drunken Monkey Destroying the World.” One that infused the essences of different laws he had learned.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Li Yu stepped forward at the incoming attack, meeting Brek and the Bear head-on.

  “The Mountain Collapse.”

  Li Yu didn’t use fancy footwork to engage them. He raised the staff high above his head and brought it down in a vertical smash that was terrifying in its simplicity. It was about weight. Li Yu had infused the laws of the void, destruction and lightning into this technique. It was about convincing the universe that the sky was truly falling.

  BOOOM!

  The staff collided with Brek’s hammer.

  There was no contest or suspense to speak of. The massive jagged hammer met the staff made from the shell of Khaos. An artifact that had been by the side of Brek for years simply folded upon impact. It crumpled like it was made of tin foil.

  The staff didn’t stop either. Li Yu’s body was monstrous and Brek didn’t stand a chance. It drove the hammer back and down, smashing into Brek’s chest. The shockwave expanded outward and slammed into the Obsidian War-Bear next to him.

  “GAAAAH!”

  The Golden-Horned Rhino spirit above Brek flickered and shattered under the overwhelming weight.

  Brek’s eyes bulged from the pain but it was the mental impact that truly shook him. He had just lost completely in terms of strength. It was a part of his cultivation path that he had been proud of and this young boy just crushed him.

  Thankfully for Brek, the impact only broke his ribs. The amount of force shouldn’t have just broken his ribs though. It should have turned him into a paste. But the crimson web of the formation flared blindingly bright.

  CRACK-ZZZT!

  The force of the blow was instantly siphoned away, traveling down the red arteries. Behind Brek, Jareth, Varek, Vokin, Lumen and even Cyrus simultaneously groaned, a little bit of blood trickling from their mouth. They had shared the impact but were all stunned at the force at play. Even when split out it managed to hurt them.

  Brek was sent rocketing downward into the endless gray and was coughing up blood. He was in much worse shape than the others. The force could be split but it wasn’t completely even.

  His War-Bear was in even worse shape. It didn’t have the luxury of sharing the formation’s protection. Its stone armor shattered from the shockwave and it was flung away. It howled in pain with a crushed shoulder.

  “He’s strong!” Cyrus yelled out. His hands didn’t stop and were moving to create a blur of seals. “But he cannot overpower the formation and the beasts at once! Bind him!”

  Elder Varek cackled, throwing his arms wide. “You are fast, boy, but can you outrun the constrictor?”

  Hundreds of black chains erupted from Varek’s sleeves. His Twin-Headed Shadow Snake spat viscous venom. The Abyssal Python Martial Spirit projected a psychic binding field, attempting to paralyze Li Yu’s body and soul.

  At the same time, Elder Jareth thrust his spear. “Wind Viper Drill!”

  His Wind-Blade Wolf launched blades of compressed air and the Storm Hawk Martial Spirit flapped its wings, creating a vacuum lock around Li Yu to prevent him from dodging.

  “Sentry,” he said internally.

  The clone finally moved next to Li Yu. It had been waiting for when it was needed.

  The Sentry raised a hand and the surrounding void energy coalesced into a dense white sphere.

  Bang.

  The Sentry palmed the air. A shockwave of force exploded outward.

  The wind tornado shattered. The physical venom was blown back. The psychic pressure from the Abyssal Python Spirit was torn apart by the raw density of Li Yu’s Qi. The black chains were blown backward and ended up tangling with the Wind-Blade Wolf.

  “That’s not an illusion!” Varek gasped. “Does his technique have physical substance? It’s like a clone of himself. It can move and use techniques!”

  “Ignore the clone! Focus on the main body!” Cyrus commanded. “Martial Spirits! Unleash them all!”

  The gray void was bathed in a riot of colors as the remaining spirits attacked.

  “Die!” Cyrus roared.

  The Blood-Lightning Manticore Spirit opened its maw, firing a beam of red lightning. The Blood-Horned Drake spewed a river of fire. Simultaneously, the Flash-Step Leopard blurred, appearing behind Li Yu to bite at his neck.

  It was an omnidirectional apocalypse. Fire, lightning, wind, and teeth.

  Li Yu spun his staff at the incoming attacks.

  “Second Form: The Sweeping Tsunami.”

  He spun the weapon horizontally, his entire body becoming a blur. The force generated a vacuum, pulling the surrounding void mist into a vortex around him.

  WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM!

  The Flash-Step Leopard was swatted aside like a fly, its ribs cracking. The Storm Hawk Spirit was clipped by the staff’s end and exploded into motes of light. Its destruction sent a recoil to Elder Jareth.

  The Mist-Weaver Spider tried to shoot a web but the Sentry stomped on its thorax, pinning it to the floor before kicking the hidden Vokin in the face. What couldn’t Li Yu see within the void? Nothing. He was the master here.

  But Cyrus’s combined lightning and fire attack struck the spinning defense.

  BOOOOOM!

  Li Yu slid back three meters. Smoke rose from his staff.

  “Oh?” Li Yu looked at his staff. Smoke was coming off of it but it was completely undamaged. “That one actually had some heat and force to it. Good job, old man.”

  Cyrus didn’t celebrate. He was panting as he looked around him. He hadn’t been hit but the constant force from the formation was battering him. The battle had just begun but they were constantly losing.

  “Why won’t you die?!” Elder Lumen yelled.