Chapter 21 Seven Ember Stars

The passage opened into a rough chamber. Various rocky outcrops jutted from the ground like nature's barricades, creating an uneven terrain that could either shelter or hinder movement. The chamber wasn't particularly large, perhaps a hundred paces across, but its irregular shape and stone structures made it feel like a natural earth arena.

At its center, two dozen cultivators moved in coordinated patterns around the [ELITE] [Twin-Horned Yellow Beetle]. What caught Zhao Lingfeng's attention wasn't the beast's impressive size or its lightning-charged horns, but rather the unexpected discipline in the cultivators' movements.

"Arrow Formation! Third Squad, pressure its left flank!" Qin Yi's voice cut through the chaos of battle.

These weren't the typical chaotic attacks of young cultivators. Tthese were military formations, albeit simple ones. Qin Yi had apparently studied more than just cultivation techniques.

This had surprised Zhao Lingfeng greatly went he first entered here.

Martial Formations were essentially the cultivation world's equivalent of tactical formations used in the military of his previous life. They were concepts not taught much in the Liuyun Sect, which placed far greater emphasis on cultivation than on strategy.

Six cultivators immediately shifted positions, attempting to create a pincer movement while others maintained pressure from the front.

The beetle, however, proved why such tactics were difficult against strong foes. Its natural speed and instincts allowed it to disrupt formation after formation before they could properly establish. Each time Qin Yi's group tried to encircle it, the beetle would unleash a burst of lightning or simply charge through their lines, forcing them to scatter.

Behind the beetle, clinging to the chamber's far wall, hung what they'd all come for. The Thunder Silk nest glowed like captured sunlight, its golden radiance casting dramatic shadows across the battlefield. The sight was enough to make any cultivator's heart race, but the beast's positioning made direct approaches suicide.

"Damn it!" Qin Yi's frustration was evident as another formation collapsed. "Reform ranks! Don't let it isolate anyone!"

Zhao Lingfeng studied the chamber's layout carefully. The rocky outcrops varied in height and thickness. Some barely reached his waist while others rose to as large as boulders. Near the walls, larger formations created shadowed alcoves and potential ambush points. The terrain around the nest was notably much clearer, probably from previous battles that had shattered any cover.

The Stone Claw Bear shifted beside him, drawing Tan Rei's attention. "Fellow Daoist Zhao Lingfeng, do you have any thoughts?"

They had been watching the battle for almost ten minutes, analyzing the battlefield. Though besides Tan Rei and Fan Wei, the others looked restless and uneasy.

Zhao Lingfeng nodded slowly, watching how the beetle erratically kept defending. Despite the chaotic movements of a beast, it still had an upper hand in maintaining its position.

It was just… there was something strange about it.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"I feel there is something strange about this beast's movements. But I can't pinpoint what this strangeness is. Do any of you guys have any idea?"

All of them shook their head.

Tan Rei frowned, posturing to a thinking pose. "I don't believe you're just commenting on how aggressive it is right?"

The beasts here were unusually aggressive. If one of these beast's had their nest attacked, no matter how timid it was, it would definitely defend its nest in an aggressively agitated manner. A typical behavior for spirit beasts.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it."

"I hope so."

Zhao Lingfeng suddenly clapped his hand, signalling everyone to attention.

"Alright, I think we have watched enough. Here's the plan."

***

The battle continued in the chamber, its irregular shape now seeming more like a cursed arena than a treasure ground. Qin Yi's martial formations, which had shown much promising success during their time in the secret realm, crumbled repeatedly before the beetle's frenzied assaults. The beast moved like a bolt of lightning made flesh, its horns crackling with enough electrical energy to numb limbs with near misses alone.

Three cultivators lay against the chamber walls, their robes scorched and bodies occasionally twitching from residual electrical energy. They were still conscious, but their spiritual energy fluctuated erratically, making further combat impossible. Others showed signs of fatigue, their movements growing slower with each dodge.

"Formation Four!" Qin Yi commanded, his voice carrying over the chaos. "Push it back from—"

The beetle suddenly charged through their half-formed formation, its horns leaving trails of lightning that forced cultivators to scatter. Even without the lightning, it's physical body alone was more than enough for those at the very front to hastily dodge.

"SSSHHHRRRRKKK!"

It thrashed about with an almost desperate intensity, enraged.

As Qin Yi readied another command, he caught sight of Tan Rei approaching through the chaos. A cold smile touched his lips.

"Well, if it isn't Brother Tan," Qin Yi's words dripped with sarcasm. "What happened to 'the risk isn't worth the reward'? Did all that talk of finding spiritual ore in the deeper passages lose its appeal?"

Tan Rei met the barbed words with composure, though a flicker of guilt crossed his features. Three cultivators lay slumped against the chamber walls, their bodies occasionally twitching from residual electrical energy.

Had they been here from the start...

"The circumstances have changed," Tan Rei replied evenly.

"Changed?" Qin Yi deflected a stray bolt of electricity with his Qi-infused sword, his voice bitter. "Three of my people can barely stand. This beast's movements are pure madness. If you and your group had joined from the beginning—"

"I wouldn't have joined then," Tan Rei cut in.

Qin Yi's eyes narrowed. "Hah? What's that supposed to mean?"

"That there are new factors at play." Tan Rei gestured subtly toward his group. "I now have confidence we can contribute meaningful strength to win this battle. Two of my companions are at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and—"

"Return!" Qin Yi cut him off, directing his people into another defensive pattern. The formation held for perhaps three breaths before the beetle's wild charge scattered them again. More cultivators stumbled back, their arms numbed by proximity to its electrical discharge.

Tan Rei watched with practiced calm as Qin Yi's expression grew increasingly frustrated. "Your formations would be much more effective with additional skilled cultivators to anchor the key positions."

"Why should I trust—" Qin Yi began, but something caught his eye. His gaze fixed on a ridiculous sight that nearly broke his commander's composure.

A massive Stone Claw Bear was attempting to 'hide' behind a boulder half its size.

The beast was practically folded in half, its rear end sticking out one side while its head poked out the other, looking for all the world like an oversized cat trying to fit into a tiny box. Its rider, seemingly unfazed by the absurdity, guided it to the next rocky outcrop where the bear immediately squeezed itself into an even more impossible position.

As the third son of a general, Qin Yi had been trained since childhood to maintain battlefield awareness. Years of military tactics and formation training had honed his ability to observe every detail of combat. Yet somehow, this enormous bear had been performing its bizarre stealth dance around the chamber's edge without anyone noticing.

"Is that..." he started, unable to keep the disbelief from his voice.

"Oooh?" Tan Rei's tone carried a hint of mockery, but it was a little stiff. "You've… only just noticed? And here I thought Brother Qin was renowned for his battlefield awareness."

"I've been occupied with leading the battle," Qin Yi snapped, though his eyes remained fixed on the bear as it somehow managed to make itself look even more ridiculous by trying to tiptoe between two rocks.

"…"

Qin Yi wanted to question why such a valuable asset was not joining the main battle, but perhaps because of his astuteness to the battlefield, he was starting to understand why.

The fact that this absurd display was actually working—that none of his other cultivators had noticed—was perhaps the most incredible part.

"You ask why circumstances have changed," Tan Rei said quietly. "Well, what do you think of that?"

"That beast tamer," Qin Yi said slowly, his pride wrestling with growing curiosity, "he seems... confident."

"Indeed. Though whether that confidence stems from greed or insight..." Tan Rei left the thought unfinished as the beetle screeched again, its horns blazing with intensified electrical energy.

Qin Yi's expression darkened as he watched another of his formations collapse. It was frustrating.

"So Brother Qin…"

"Hmph. Just stay there and watch," Qin Yi said coldly, turning away from Tan Rei. He decided to worry about that strange sight later. His eyes held the sharp focus of a veteran commander as he surveyed the battlefield.

"Seven Ember Stars!" he commanded. The words carried such authority that even Tan Rei found himself unconsciously straightening his posture. "Lee Huiliang, Wu Feng, rear guard. Those above the fifth level of Qi Refining, focus on spiritual support."

Seven cultivators, Qin Yi's personal underlings, moved like shadows in a dance, their positions shifting with practiced grace into a formation that resembled the Big Dipper constellation. Even through their fatigue, even with the chaos of battle, their movements flowed with the fiery order. 

The beetle charged, but Qin Yi didn't even blink. With a subtle hand gesture, his formation rippled like a living thing. Three cultivators stepped left, four stepped right, and the beast's massive form passed harmlessly between them. The maneuver was so precise it drew gasps of admiration from the spectators.

"Rising Sun."

Spiritual energy began to flow between the seven cultivators, creating threads of red light that pulsed in perfect rhythm. The beetle turned for another charge, but this time the formation didn't dodge. Instead, they moved as one, their steps leaving burning imprints on the stone floor. Each cultivator's sword rose in perfect unison, trailing flames that seemed to resemble soldiers charging into the flames of war.

The beast's lightning struck out, but wherever it touched the formation's defenses, it could not stop these men and woman from charging. Even if they were wounded, for their general, they let out roars to shake off the pain and endured!

Qin Yi stood at the heart of it all, his movements like living fire. Even when one cultivator stumbled briefly, Qin Yi's subtle adjustments and commands kept the formation's power unbroken.

"Blaze."

The chamber's temperature began to rise. The beetle's carapace, which had shrugged off all previous attacks, showed its first signs of stress. A network of hair-thin cracks appeared where the formation's combined flame techniques struck. Their success was evident; even Tan Rei found himself awed.

"He really is the rising genius of the Iron Ember Pavilion."

"Qin Yi truly is brilliant!"

"Those who doubted should feel ashamed!"

The performance made some of the supporting front line cheer.

Qin Yi swung like a raging fire leaving trails of deeper, more concentrated fire in its wake. Each strike found its mark. Despite the beetle's strong exoskeleton, the continued blows from seven people made it hard to endure, smoke arising. The beetle's movements grew more frantic, its lightning strikes becoming wild and desperate against this coordinated assault.

Spiritual energy swirled around him like a crimson tempest, far denser than anything he'd displayed before. His next words carried the certainty of victory, "Burning s—"

The beetle suddenly lurched sideways, its movement so abrupt and ungainly that it seemed almost like a stumble. But that awkward shift had achieved something crucial. It had repositioned both itself and by extension, Qin Yi's formation. The young commander's gathered power, his final series of strikes, would now surge directly toward the Thunder Silk nest on the wall.

That moment of hesitation was all it needed.

The beetle's horns sparked with intensity that turned the air white. Instead of its previous direct attacks, it struck the ground. The chamber floor erupted in a spray of electrified stone shards, each fragment carrying enough spiritual energy to shred through defensive techniques.