Layers of Formations

“Princess! Something terrible has happened --- powerful enemies are forcefully breaking into the mountain gate!”

Atop Luoxia Mountain, inside an ancient temple, a personal maid rushed up to report just as Margaret stepped out from the secret chamber.

“Who are they?” she asked calmly, as if she had already anticipated this.

“Judging by their appearance, they should be powerhouses from the Pantheon of the Gods --- possibly even God Kings!” the maid reported grimly.

The defensive formations arranged around the outer perimeter of Luoxia Mountain were no match for the two approaching figures.

Whether they were defensive or offensive arrays, they shattered the moment they were touched --- utterly ineffective.

Only beings at the level of a God King could achieve such a feat.

“They’re a bit faster than I expected,” Margaret murmured with a slight frown.

She didn’t need to see them to know who had come.

At such a critical time, the only ones who could trace Dustin’s whereabouts to Luoxia Mountain were God King Zeus and God Queen Hera.

She had been keeping close tabs on the situation in Stonia City.

Initially, she thought that with Li Juntang redirecting trouble their way, Zeus would clash with Li Guanglong’s faction in Stonia.

In that case, Zeus would be tied up and wouldn’t have time to target Dustin.

Unfortunately, things hadn’t unfolded as she had hoped.

Or perhaps Li Guanglong had successfully removed himself from the situation, dodging a major crisis.

Li Guanglong’s problem was resolved --- but it had now become her problem.

“Princess, the Pantheon of the Gods is still attacking the formations. Should we take action to stop them?” the maid asked.

“How many outer formations remain?” Margaret didn’t answer directly but countered with a question.

“Most have been destroyed. At this rate, the Pantheon of the Gods will reach the mountain summit in less than an hour,” the maid replied.

“No need to block them. Just focus on supplying energy to the formations. Stall them for as long as you can,” Margaret ordered without hesitation.

“Yes!” The maid bowed and quickly withdrew.

Margaret stepped alone into the courtyard and retrieved a small golden pagoda from within her robes.

The pagoda had seven levels and shimmered with golden light, clearly a rare treasure.

She began chanting a mantra, then tossed the pagoda into the air.

“Woom~!”

With a loud hum, the miniature pagoda grew rapidly in size as soon as it met the wind.

In just two breaths, it was already larger than a house.

Margaret continued chanting, and the golden pagoda expanded further and further.

Within a minute, the towering pagoda had become as majestic as a mountain.

“Fall!”

She made a sealing gesture with her fingers and gave a final incantation.

The enormous golden pagoda fell with great force, completely covering the summit of Luoxia Mountain.

In the next instant, the pagoda vanished --- as if it had never appeared at all.

“Whew…”

Margaret exhaled a heavy breath and murmured to herself, “Let’s hope the Seven-Treasure Glazed Pagoda can hold out.”

This was her life-bound treasure, focused on defense, said to be indestructible.

But even treasures had their limits.

If it were just one God King, it might suffice. But if Zeus and Hera attacked together, she wasn’t confident it would hold for long.

All she could hope for now was that Dustin would finish absorbing the Dragon Source Qi and break through.

Otherwise, if the formations failed and the pagoda couldn’t withstand the attack, everyone here would be in grave danger.

Margaret sat in the courtyard, made herself a pot of tea, and quietly waited.

From time to time, thunderous explosions echoed up from the mountain --- evidence that another formation had been broken.

She had made thorough preparations --- deploying dozens of formations, consuming vast resources and wealth.

Not only that, she had mobilized every force within her authorized reach, ready for a last-stand battle if necessary.

Everything that could be done, had been done.

What happened next was no longer in her hands.

To be precise, the key to everything now lay with Dustin.

Victory or defeat --- all depended on him.

---------

At that moment, at the foot of Luoxia Mountain ---

God King Zeus had just broken through one formation only to be ensnared by another.

This one wasn’t defensive, nor offensive --- but a powerful illusion formation.

Dense mist billowed in all directions, blocking the sun and obscuring the sky. There was no way to tell which way was forward.

Zeus was furious.

He had always favored brute force --- charging in, killing all who resisted. Simple, direct, and effective.

What he hated most was being delayed and bogged down.

Yet ever since he approached Luoxia Mountain, he had been obstructed by all sorts of strange and mysterious formations.

He had already destroyed many, but they just kept coming, seemingly endless.

“You damned rats of Dragonmarsh… how irritating you are!”

“When I catch you, I’ll tear you limb from limb!”

Zeus roared, his voice booming like thunder, echoing across the entire mountain.

In contrast, God Queen Hera --- who followed behind him --- remained calm and unhurried, showing no intention of taking action.

These minor traps and foot soldiers didn’t interest her.

She had only one target --- the man who had defeated Poseidon: Logan Rhys.

Only when she sees him would she strike. - Ton