ACSP: Chapter 207: Establishing Might, Shattering the [Four Violet Flames Formation] with One Blade!
"If you insist on interpreting my hospitality that way, Little Brother Jiang Chen... then so be it."
Zhao Xuansu smiled faintly, his tone dripping with smooth satisfaction as he returned Jiang Chen's previous words to him verbatim.
The moment his eyes flared, the surrounding veteran enforcers received their silent signal and took immediate, violent action. Four high-level tactical elements of the Zhao family instantly blurred, flashing with extreme precision into the absolute North, South, East, and West cardinal positions around Jiang Chen, Ronan, and Li Dala.
The four of them landed in perfect unison, their fingers flipping rapidly into fluid, complex hand seals.
"—Ninjutsu: Four Violet Flames Formation!"
—BOOM!
In a fraction of a second, four massive beams of deep purple chakra rose violently from the ground, locking together in mid-air to form a transparent, impenetrable rectangular barrier! Incandescent purple flames slowly rippled across the surface of the walls, emitting a scorching, absolute heat that caused the surrounding air to distort heavily.
"It's actually the Four Violet Flames Formation..."
"I didn't expect Elder Xuansu to deploy this specific defensive formation right out of the gate!"
"Duh, use your brain! That Jiang Chen is a verified Super Kage-level Contractor. Even if he's young, Elder Xuansu isn't an amateur; he would never underestimate a monster like that."
"It's documented on the forums that this specific absolute barrier cannot be broken from the inside even by a max-level Kage-level Contractor. Although this Jiang Chen has a broken class template, his current character level simply hasn't caught up yet. It looks like he's going to suffer a severe, humiliating setback this time..."
"Serves him right. Who told him to be so blindly arrogant on our own dirt?"
"But then again... you have to admit the guy has incredible guts, actually trying to independently gather an armada to completely wipe out East Island."
"True. His speech was so heavy I was almost entirely convinced to pick up a blade myself just now."
"It's a pity that it's just rash, short-sighted bravery. If he truly drags the Great Xia Kingdom into a total war with East Island, when the international flames of war sweep over our borders, every single one of us will suffer along with him."
Seeing Jiang Chen completely trapped within the glowing walls of the [Four Violet Flames Formation], the young Zhao family members shook their heads in a mixture of awe and pity.
This particular technique was historically recognized as the absolute strongest barrier formation within the entire collective arsenal of the Zhao family. It strictly required four highly coordinated Contractors of at least Tokubetsu Jōnin rank working in perfect mathematical sync to anchor the matrix. Its defensive threshold was so immense that even standard, max-level Kage-level Contractors would exhaust their entire chakra pools trying to scratch the surface without making a dent.
Now that Jiang Chen's trio was completely sealed inside the burning perimeter, if Elder Zhao Xuansu didn't personally issue the administrative order to stand down the casting units, they would likely remain trapped inside until their resources withered away.
"Elder Xuansu! Jiang Chen is an elite guest I personally escorted through the gates! Please, show some mercy..." Zhao Bin ran up to the old man with a completely panicked expression, his voice shaking as he desperately pleaded for Jiang Chen and his companions.
Zhao Xuansu let out a cold, utterly indifferent snort upon hearing the plea, his eyes never leaving the purple barrier. "If I weren't already showing a massive amount of mercy, do you honestly think the three of them would merely be sitting comfortably inside the Four Violet Flames Formation right now without the heat actively cooking their flesh?"
The old fox was naturally, acutely aware of Jiang Chen's unprecedented strategic potential. He knew that killing a rising star of Great Xia would bring down the wrath of the regional authorities. But capturing him? Forcing him to sign a master-servant contract or utilizing him as a secret weapon to slaughter the other three pavilions?
That was just good business.
The value of a Super Kage-level Contractor was utterly immeasurable.
To be completely honest, if it weren't for the fact that Jiang Chen clearly intended to align himself with those other three stubborn old fogies, Zhao Xuansu wouldn't dream of making an enemy out of him. But as the absolute authority in charge of the Zhao Family's East Pavilion, how could he sit back and allow a young upstart to lead him by the nose?
If he simply bowed his head and allowed an outsider to freeload on the Zhao family's sacred, special secret realm, how would the other three rival branches view him? They would think the East Pavilion had grown soft.
Furthermore, this timing couldn't be more critical—this was the grand Zhao Family Patriarch Competition. What business did a total stranger have meddling in their sacred internal affairs? To make matters worse, this boy actually wanted to enter the arena and fight on behalf of that outcast, Zhao Shui!
Was this not a blatant insult? Was he openly declaring to the world that the East Pavilion was devoid of true talent?
"Then... Elder, when do you intend to release them?" Zhao Bin hesitated for a long moment, the anxiety clear in his voice as he ventured the question.
"Once the patriarch competition concludes in two days, I will personally deactivate the formation and release them," Zhao Xuansu replied coldly.
Then, raising his voice slightly, he added, "The barrier's membrane is laced with a condensed layer of high-temperature spiritual flames. If they foolishly attempt to force their way through, they will only be playing with fire and burning themselves to ash. You had best advise them to behave and dismiss any delusions of escape."
Zhao Xuansu spoke with absolute certainty. He didn't say this for Zhao Bin's benefit; rather, he directed his voice straight into the formation, deliberately ensuring Jiang Chen and his companions heard every word. Despite the tension, he truly didn't want to see a rare, brilliant Super Shadow prospect from the Great Xia Kingdom ruined by his own hand.
However, Zhao Xuansu's profound ignorance was almost laughable. He had absolutely no idea that Jiang Chen and his team didn't take their precious [Four Violet Flames Formation] seriously at all.
"This Zhao family really knows how to look down on people. They actually expect to trap us with a third-rate, crappy barrier like this?" Ronan cast a lazy, dismissive glance at the towering walls of purple flame surrounding them, a playful, mocking smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Long before they even stepped foot into this courtyard, Ronan had already scattered several Flying Raijin formula kunai across the outer perimeter. If he wished to leave, he could bypass the barrier in a fraction of a second. In the absolute face of Space-Time Ninjutsu, any standard sealing barrier was nothing more than an expensive, glowing decoration.
"Why should we bother running?" Li Dala rubbed his clay-stained hands together with frantic excitement, a wild gleam in his eyes. He turned eagerly toward Jiang Chen. "Watch me mold a Garuda right now and detonate this pathetic barrier into cosmic dust! Boss, just give the word—what's the plan? These snobs from the East Pavilion clearly don't know how to treat guests. Why don't we just level this place to kill the chicken and warn the monkeys? Besides, even if we wipe the East Pavilion off the map, the South, North, and West Pavilions are still standing. We can always just force one of them to cooperate."
Jiang Chen kept his gaze fixed on Zhao Xuansu's retreating figure outside the barrier. His dark eyes flickered with a calculating, profound light as he raised a hand to calm his explosive teammate.
"There's no need to go through all that trouble," Jiang Chen said smoothly, his voice cool and steady. "The only reason these people from the East Pavilion trapped us is because they caught wind of our plans to meet with the other three Zhao elders. Notice that despite their arrogance, they haven't shown any genuine intent to kill. This proves they..."
"...also want to be on good terms with us, but they just don't know our specific strength yet, which is why they didn't consider my previous proposal."
Jiang Chen hit the nail squarely on the head, effortlessly exposing Zhao Xuansu's true intentions on the spot.
Hearing this, the realization immediately clicked for both Ronan and Li Dala.
"Since that is the case, I'll just blow this damn barrier sky-high and let them experience the true artistry of an explosion!" Li Dala said, his voice laced with manic excitement.
If these Zhao family snobs wanted to understand what the three of them were truly capable of, that was an easy fix. Wasn't the simplest solution just to beat them into submission?
"This barrier is completely enclosed. If you unleash your Explosion Release in a confined space like this, you'll only end up caught in the blast radius," Jiang Chen countered, decisively shutting down Li Dala's reckless suggestion. "I think you should save your Explosive Clay. Keep it ready so you can continue helping me rain it down on East Island tomorrow."
Although Li Dala's clay bombs were devastatingly powerful, the enclosed environment of the barrier made it a tactical nightmare. Triggering a detonation here risked turning the blast wave back onto themselves.
Li Dala scratched his hair awkwardly, laughing off the reprimand before continuing to press: "Then what do you suggest we do next, Boss? Are we seriously just going to sit tight and wait for them to voluntarily dismantle the barrier in two days? That would be way too embarrassing."
"Waiting around is definitely out of the question, but your Explosion Release is simply ill-suited for this specific occasion. Step back and let me handle it."
As the words left his mouth, Jiang Chen stepped forward until he was standing directly in front of the pulsing energy membrane.
Then, he snapped his eyes wide open.
His naturally pitch-black irises instantly bled into a terrifying, concentric blood-red.
"Mangekyo Sharingan, activate!"
"Susanoo: Fourth Form, activate!"
As a cataclysmic, suffocating surge of Ocular Power erupted from his core, a massive, ethereal purple giant towering several dozen zhang tall violently manifested, materializing right around Jiang Chen's body!
—Clang!
The spectral giant gripped the empty air with its bare hand. In the next heartbeat, a blinding blade of pure, condensed Chakra materialized into existence, which the colossus gripped tightly in its fist.
Without a moment's hesitation, the giant brought the colossal blade down, executing a savage, horizontal slash with earth-shattering force.
—Boom!
Accompanied by a crisp, deafening sound of shattering glass, the Four Violet Flames Formation—jointly sustained by four high-tier Jonin Contractors from the Zhao family—was instantly obliterated.
The reinforced membrane of the barrier fractured into a million pieces before completely dissolving into the atmosphere as fading fragments of crimson light.
Outside, the four Zhao family members who had been desperately channeling their energy to maintain the formation suffered a catastrophic backlash. The sudden destruction of the array tore through their networks, causing them to spray mouthfuls of fresh blood as they were violently blown backward, left severely crippled on the ground!
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