The Grand Five Peaks Prison Formation
Page (1/3) 009 The Grand Five Peaks Prison Array
After leaving the Antique Pavilion, Pang Yue visited several more shops before finally departing the market district.
These shops all shared one thing in common: each had powerful backing.
Take the Antique Pavilion, for instance. From the memories of the original host, Daoist Xu, Pang Yue knew that its patron was the Gu family, a Golden Core clan subordinate to the Demon Talisman Sect.
For the past five years, he had cultivated diligently. His cultivation had already reached the perfected third layer of the Dao Foundation stage, just a step away from the fourth layer.
Yet, he simply could not cross that threshold.
Neither the experience from his past life's games nor the Innate Primordial Tablet of this world seemed to help.
A cultivation bottleneck!
This had nothing to do with comprehension.
It was this damned aptitude!
The fourth layer of the Dao Foundation was a major hurdle; those who crossed it entered the mid-stage, while those who did not remained at the early stage forever.
Over the past five years, he had hunted countless Dao Foundation demonic beasts, refined all sorts of pills to boost his cultivation, and even consumed more than a dozen pills specifically designed for breakthroughs, yet he was still unable to advance.
Fortunately, hope was not lost!
After exhausting all manner of breakthrough pills, Pang Yue clearly felt the resistance of the bottleneck lessening. If he could find an even better method, perhaps he could break through in one fell swoop.
He spent the vast sum of spirit stones gained from hunting beasts on various cultivation resources.
Arrays, talismans, pills, secret manuals, magical treasures, celestial herbs and rare materials...
The good news was—
The Innate Primordial Tablet and the Demon-Refining Gourd’s nine seals were all perfected, elevating them to the status of supreme artifacts.
Leisurely, Pang Yue flew toward Dragon Scale Island, planning to slowly grind away at his bottleneck over the next five years in hopes of a breakthrough. If all else failed, he would return to the Demon Talisman Sect after five years and try dual cultivation with a cauldron furnace partner.
The sea and sky were vast, drifting clouds floating idly.
Three streaks of light chased from behind. One among them called out, “Fellow Daoist, please wait!”
Hearing this, Pang Yue swept his divine sense behind him, then halted mid-flight.
In the blink of an eye, the three cultivators surrounded Pang Yue in a triangular formation.
“What business do you three have with me?” Pang Yue asked with a faint smile.
So, he’d run into some robbers. Fortunately, their cultivation was ordinary: one at the fifth Dao Foundation layer, the other two at the third.
“Hand over your wealth or your life.”
One of them barked coldly.
Another snorted, “What’s the point of talking? Just kill him!”
Before the words were finished, he struck. A silver flying needle shot from his hand like lightning, aiming directly for Pang Yue’s left eye.
This high-grade artifact was best at sneak attacks. Once the needle entered the brain, it would unleash thunderbolts, blowing the target’s head apart.
Especially at such close range, it was nearly impossible to defend against.
Clang!
In a flash of light, a stream of spiritual brilliance appeared before Pang Yue’s left eye, intercepting the flying needle.
“Clarity of the Heart Sword—sword moves with the mind!”
The other two robbers paused, cursing their luck, and moved to attack together.
As robbers, the worst foes to meet were sword cultivators and insect tamers...
“You three are just in time. My newly acquired flying sword has yet to taste blood.”
Pang Yue laughed heartily. Before him, the Flame Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword trembled, transforming into a sky full of sword light, encircling the three assailants.
The sword light split and multiplied!
The trio felt as if both sky and earth were filled with strange red-and-white sword auras. As the light danced, a bizarre, scorching power spread, burning their souls and weakening their divine senses.
They had no time to cast spells, relying only on their defensive artifacts and spiritual shields.
The two at the third Dao Foundation layer lasted only a moment before thousands of sword lights pierced them through, shredding them as if by a thousand cuts.
The fifth-layer cultivator was somewhat stronger, but still couldn’t hold out; he cried desperately, “Spare me, Fellow Daoist! Spare me!”
Abruptly, the sword lights drew back.
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A bone sword, striped in red and white, hovered before Pang Yue.
He had not moved a single step throughout.
“Forgive my blindness, sir. I’ll surrender all my possessions—just spare my worthless life!” The robber removed his storage pouch and offered it with both hands, then added, “There’s… there’s also a secret. I alone know of it.”
Pang Yue smiled, “What secret? Let’s hear it.”
The robber, reading Pang Yue’s mood, answered cautiously, “It concerns the Dragon Scale Fruit Tree... The fruit has wondrous effects for body cultivators. Taken long-term, it can endlessly strengthen the flesh. It’s said that in ancient times, some cultivators gained the strength of Golden Core experts simply by eating Dragon Scale Fruits.”
As Pang Yue listened, his expression gradually darkened.
The robber hurried on, “There’s a Dragon Scale Fruit Tree in the outer sea. Zheng Peng, a secret disciple of the Zheng family, has already learned of it and will soon come searching. If the news is spread and chaos ensues, perhaps one might seize it in the confusion...”
“You haven’t spread this news yet, have you?”
“No,” the robber shook his head.
“How did you learn of this?” Pang Yue asked curiously.
“My close friend, skilled in dream-infiltration arts, stole it from Zheng Peng and sold it to me.”
Pang Yue listened, then said, “Here’s the deal: if you can withstand a single punch from me, I’ll let you go. How about it?”
The robber’s eyes darted. He glanced in dread at the flying sword before Pang Yue, then finally nodded, “Alright, agreed!”
He quickly summoned three defensive artifacts.
A shield floated before him.
A tortoise shell guarded his chest.
Lastly, a small bronze pagoda hovered above his head, casting a protective radiance over him.
Pang Yue drew a deep breath; golden light shimmered over his skin and vanished. He threw a punch.
Boom!
The fist split the air. Golden light smashed into the shield.
An irresistible, overwhelming force exploded forth, erupting in thirty-three thunderous booms over the sea.
The robber’s eyes widened in shock as his shield and turtle shell were shattered like paper by the golden fist light.
The fist light then struck the protective radiance.
The bronze pagoda spun madly, trying to neutralize the force.
But the fist light contained thirty-three layers of might, surging forward in waves.
The pagoda blocked only the first three before the fourth wave crashed into the man himself.
His protective aura only lasted half a breath before shattering.
The next instant, his body was reduced to pulp, exploding into a cloud of blood and flesh in the sky.
Pang Yue collected the three men’s storage pouches, summoned his light, and sped off into the distance.
...
A courtyard paved with bluestone.
Pang Yue sat beneath the Dragon Scale Tree, beneath whose thick canopy clusters of young fruit had formed.
In five years, the fruits would ripen.
And the conspiracy seemed to be surfacing.
First, he was issued a compulsory mission and dispatched to a barren island in the outer sea, where spiritual energy was thin, stalling his cultivation for ten years.
Then, the secret of the Dragon Scale Fruit Tree’s location was leaked, ensuring his mission would fail, or even result in his death...
Seek help from the sect?
There might not be time...
Traveling back and forth from the market took time—if Zheng Peng arrived, all effort would be for naught.
Fortunately, in preparation for his five-year guardianship, Pang Yue had spent a fortune on an array, laying it around Dragon Scale Island.
The array covered ten miles around the island. Pang Yue was confident that unless a Golden Core expert arrived, none could leave the array alive.
This formation was called: The Grand Five Peaks Prison Array.
Once activated, it suppressed space, mana, and soul—no escape for any.
It had taken Pang Yue over a year to lay this array.
He’d also purchased a beast-taming secret art from the market and, using the Demon-Refining Gourd, subdued fifty Dao Foundation demonic beasts.
These beasts all had one thing in common: large size and abundant demonic power.
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Within the Grand Five Peaks Prison Array, every ten great demons suppressed one array node, ensuring maximum power.
As for the Zheng family... they were a formidable cultivation clan, slightly weaker than the Demon Talisman Sect, but ranked among the Four Great Cultivation Clans of the East Sea.
Such families differed greatly from those subordinate to the sect. Not only were their heritages deep and ancient—some even predated many sects.
In the memories of Daoist Xu, the Zheng clan was famed for their body-tempering arts, their core legacy being the True Spirit Nine Transformations. Their ancestors had even produced Nascent Soul paragons.
...
Demon Talisman Sect.
Mount Zhuoguang.
Within a cave manor.
Zhuang Buxiu stood with hands at his sides, bowing respectfully as he watched a cultivator carving jade.
This cultivator appeared just over twenty, slender and severe in countenance, his white robe spotless and untainted.
His hands were long and nimble, and he was wholly absorbed in carving a jade figure—one that closely resembled the late Ning Daoyu.
Zhuang Buxiu smiled bitterly in his heart.
Five years had passed, and this man still could not let go... Only later did Zhuang Buxiu learn that during the contest between the Ning and Xu families, it was this very person who secretly manipulated events, ensuring Ning Daoyu’s victory without harm.
But, unfortunately...
After a long while, the white-robed cultivator asked coolly, “Have you made all the arrangements?”
“All has been arranged... Zheng Peng of the Zheng family, Long Ying’er of the Hehuan Sect, and the Eighth Prince of the Blood Dragon clan have all, by chance, obtained the location of the Dragon Scale Fruit Tree. Given their desire for the fruit, they will certainly seek to verify and pursue it.”
The white-robed cultivator made a noncommittal sound.
Zhuang Buxiu couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Brother Ning, doesn’t this mean the Dragon Scale Fruit Tree will fall into others’ hands?”
The white-robed cultivator replied flatly, “Losing a few fruits is nothing. The tree itself can’t be moved, or it would have been transplanted back to the sect long ago. Moreover, the ancestor’s mark remains on the tree—unless a late-stage Golden Core acts, no one can harm it. Otherwise, why would the sect assign inner disciples to guard it?”
Zhuang Buxiu lowered his head, “It is my own ignorance.”
The white-robed cultivator set down the jade, “That Xu Daoist concealed his strength for years, played the fool, and caused my younger brother’s death with a single misstep. If not for the old man of the Xu family, none of this trouble would be necessary... When this is done, take my letter to the Yuanmo Hall and retrieve the medicine from that person.”
Zhuang Buxiu’s expression shifted, gratitude in his voice, “Thank you, Senior Brother Ning.”
...
In the outer seas.
Beneath a translucent, domed canopy pressed against the ocean floor, luxurious palaces stretched endlessly.
Countless shrimp and crab soldiers patrolled in formation, exuding an imposing presence.
Within one palace, a golden-robed man suddenly burst into laughter, “Children, fetch me my weapon!”
After a chorus of responses, eight demonic soldiers carried forward a massive trident.
The golden-robed man seized the trident with one hand, then, his form turning into a streak of light, shot out of the palace and into the sea.
“Eighth Brother, where are you going in such a hurry?”
A melodious voice sounded. The man blinked, and a stunning young woman appeared before him, her figure graceful and alluring.
She wore a fitted golden dress, accentuating her exquisite curves.
Her skin was snowy white, her features breathtakingly beautiful, every expression brimming with charm.
“Third Sister, I have something to attend to.”
The golden-robed man seemed somewhat wary of her, speaking in a deep voice.
She smiled sweetly, “Since I’m free, why not accompany you?”
He quickly waved her off, “Third Sister, it’s a personal matter—I’ll go alone. You go on about your business, farewell!”
With that, he hurriedly turned into golden light, slipping through the dome and vanishing into the ocean depths.
The woman watched him go, her fingers idly twining invisible threads. She murmured to herself, “So mysterious... I’ll see Father first, then come find you later.”