Chapter 90: Unfinished Battle (2)

Chapter 90: Unfinished Battle (2) The Celestial Fan of 108 Formations was an artifact, a Spirit Weapon Xu Tao had obtained after saving a famous Formation Master long ago. Although it looked simple, the eighteen ribs each held entirely different formations, allowing for a vast number of formation combinations. Also, compared to his other artifacts, this was one of his most frequently used tools. After all... it was a fan. When posing in events, with the fan’s high-class appearance, he’d usually take it out as an accessory to enhance his image—low-key flaunting his collection. Of course, the number of times he used it practically was limited. Probably countable on one hand, even. ’But now, I’m betting all my chips on this!’ The fan was all he had, and with it, he needed to either clear out the snake pit—or escape from it. The next moment, the latter became nearly impossible. Just like before, as soon as the flames struck the snakes, they reacted like a disturbed swarm of bees, rapidly filling the entire cavern. The ground, walls, and even the ceiling became swarming with them, leaving not an inch of escape! CRACK! Even the earthen platform Xu Tao created with the fan began to creak, faint cracking sounds emerging from underfoot—obviously weakening from the pressure of hundreds, if not thousands, of gigantic snake bodies pressing against it. There was no time to stand still! "Dial six, nine, eighteen!" Xu Tao folded the fan and selectively expanded certain ribs. A deliberate choice of formations created a familiar but deadly combination. "Explosive Trap Formation, activate!" With the fan in that configuration, he pointed its tips at various spots. In the next instant, those areas exploded, as if detonated by C4—sending a chaotic mix of flames, dust, and shockwaves across the cavern. Thankfully, those concentrated explosions were enough to rupture the snakes’ skulls, netting him some kills. The faint pinging of notifications echoed, but Xu Tao ignored it. He had no time to check his gained EXP or whether he leveled up. All he cared about was carving out a path—and making his escape. "...!" Just as he began to worry, the platform beneath them finally gave way. Xu Tao didn’t hesitate. Activating Cloud Steps, he darted midair—running on nothing, leaping from step to step with precision. Even so, he took care to use as little Qi as possible. Long tails whipped at him, and several snakes spat poison in his direction, but Xu Tao was light on his feet, dodging with efficient, minimal movements. While running, he pointed the fan at calculated angles, slaying more snakes and using their collapsing bodies to disrupt the swarm below. "Shit...!" But the chaos was intensifying. Provoked by the bloodshed, the snakes became frenzied—slithering faster, attacking smarter, and striking harder. The situation was quickly reaching a point where just dodging wouldn’t cut it. A giant maw lunged at him from above, threatening to swallow them whole. But Xu Tao wasn’t helpless. He quickly changed the fan’s configuration and generated a spherical barrier around his body while pulling Yifa’s small frame close against him. Due to the barrier’s size, the snake couldn’t swallow them—but the impact from the bite still sent them hurtling toward the center of the pit below. ’This is dangerous!’ Xu Tao immediately realized the risk. He adjusted the fan midair, folding one side to disable the barrier’s physical form temporarily—and used Cloud Steps to brake and hover. Meanwhile, the protective shell continued its descent, falling straight into the heart of the pit. "That’s not all...!" Without pause, he shifted the fan’s configuration again, folding some ribs while expanding others. The barrier’s shape morphed—becoming a massive spiked ball, like a curled-up porcupine. A spiked orb of celestial wrath, filled with mysterious Qi within. The "spikes," forged from refined Qi processed through complex formation scripts, were sharper than any sword Xu Tao currently owned. And that wasn’t the end. As the spiked ball landed amidst the squirming horde, Xu Tao folded the fan shut and aimed downward, shouting a single word: "Detonate!" His voice, charged with Qi, thundered like a Spirit Word—Yan Ling. Triggered by his command, the explosive Qi embedded in the barrier ignited. The orb detonated violently, sending razor-sharp spikes flying in every direction. Snakes were skewered like kebabs, instantly silenced. "Ugh...!" Of course, Xu Tao wasn’t spared. A few stray spikes shot toward him, forcing him to dodge and deflect—burning through his remaining Qi. After pouring over half of his reserve into that "spike trap," and some for his defense, he now had less than 10% left. Fortunately, they were a small target. Only a few spikes reached their vicinity. The damage on the snakes, however, was massive. Roughly half of them died on the spot—thick skulls pierced cleanly by spikes moving like bullets with infinite penetration. Another quarter were severely injured. The rest, untouched, coiled with renewed menace, a glint of vengeance in their reptilian eyes. But that... was enough. He now had the initiative! For a moment, Xu Tao stopped and hovered in the aftermath, watching the snake pit writhe with wounded bodies. Smoke trails curled and Qi marks burned around him like a battlefield painting. ’With this many kills...!’ He pulled open his Character Panel in a hurry, dumping all his bonus points into his two primary stats. [ Name: False Fisherman Level: 246 Stats: STR: 300 INT: 22 VIT: 22 AGI: 299 DEX: 22 Cultivation: 2200 Bonus Points: 0 Currency: Money: 48,700 Gold System Points: 29,284 Points ] Only then did he realize—his level had skyrocketed, nearly reaching 250! "Just that one blast... netted me this much EXP?!" If he finished off the remaining snakes, he could hit 250... or maybe even break into the 300s! "High risk, high return...!" Xu Tao grinned. Though he was low on Qi, his base stats had climbed dramatically. With his strength and agility each boosted by almost 50%, and the number of enemies reduced, the following clean-up would be simple. "Come to me, my long-missed Loot Boxes!!!" Reinvigorated, Xu Tao plunged into the pit. Running? No longer necessary. With fan in hand, he conjured seven Qi-forged shards shaped like swords—repurposed from the same material as the spike barrier—each sharp as broken glass and durable as steel. "Seven Swords Formation!" Using them in conjunction with sword techniques, his offense became unstoppable. The remaining few hundred snakes fell swiftly—like flies caught in insecticide spray. And then, ten minutes after his return... "...Finally, done." All the snake corpses vanished, replaced by a glimmering mountain of loot boxes. —The dangerous pit of level 300 monsters was safely cleared!