Chapter 117: Commanding a Thousand Troops Alone (Part 1)

“Hurry up and move on, don’t bother me!” Ye Lang was very blunt with Zhen Xiaoyan. Back then, he had simply kicked her out without a second thought, so there was no way he would be gentle with her now.

At the same time, Ye Lang was puzzled by Feifan’s words. Clearly, he was the one who asked her to cook for him, so why did it now sound as if he had to eat her meals forever without escape? What was going on? He couldn’t quite make sense of it, but he had no time to dwell on it, so he quickly pushed the thought aside.

“Xiao Qi, why aren’t you saying anything?” The Seventh Princess had remained silent and quietly left, which made Ye Lang feel uneasy.

“What do you want me to say? If I tell you I want to stay and keep you company, would you agree?” The princess lowered her head and spoke softly.

“…You’d better not say anything,” Ye Lang replied bluntly.

With that, the group bade Ye Lang farewell and left him alone on the ground, where he began drawing an alchemical circle. Meanwhile, they hurriedly ran back, aiming to break free beyond ten miles in the shortest time possible. This was what Ye Lang wanted, and the only thing they could do.

From a distance of ten miles, everyone looked back at Ye Lang. On the ground where he stood appeared an alchemical circle about twenty meters in diameter, within which were smaller nested circles of varying sizes.

Scattered throughout the circle were magical crystals of different kinds—materials often used to enhance the alchemical process. The circle radiated an aura both mysterious and captivating.

At the same time, the vast army behind had arrived before Ye Lang. They were originally ten miles apart, but instead of closing in, they maintained a considerable distance.

The soldiers flowed like a river, encircling Ye Lang like a stone in the middle of a stream. The troops on the flanks also pressed forward relentlessly in pursuit.

Approaching an alchemist, especially one embedded within an alchemical circle, was absolutely unwise. Even if they did not know who Ye Lang was, the pursuers would not dare come closer—let alone knowing him personally.

“Young Master Shi, long time no see. Surrender now. We’ll guarantee your safety and ensure the Empress does you no harm!” To Ye Lang’s surprise, among the commanders was someone familiar—though Ye Lang did not recognize him.

From what he said, it was clear he would not allow Ye Lang to be killed by Zhao Yanie, and he was not alone in this. Ye Lang actually enjoyed considerable support.

In fact, even if Ye Lang were captured, nothing bad would happen to him. Many would stand up for him. This was something even Zhao Yarou might not expect—that Ye Lang had such a high level of backing and so many protecting him, despite having lost power and possibly having made mistakes.

“I believe you all, but I don’t trust that twisted woman. She’s capable of anything! Now that you’re within range, I’m sorry—I’ll have to keep you inside the circle for a while.” Ye Lang said this and pressed both hands to the ground.

His hands began to glow, and the alchemical circle slowly lit up. Starting from Ye Lang’s hands, the light flowed like water, illuminating the entire circle.

Then, as the whole circle brightened, its light seeped outward in a regular pattern—like drawing the alchemical circle itself—transforming the earth into a giant alchemical formation. This colossal circle swallowed all the soldiers within a ten-mile radius.

“What is this?” The soldiers panicked; they had never seen such a phenomenon before. When confronted with the unknown, fear naturally set in, especially while trapped within it.

“Rise!” Ye Lang’s sharp command caused the light to intensify, becoming blindingly bright.

Following the dazzling light, the ground trembled. Walls of earth and mounds rose from the ground one by one.

“Ah! Ah!” The soldiers were thrown into chaos by the sudden emergence of earthen walls and piles. What terrified them most was the possibility of further horrors to come—trapped in an abyss of despair.

Unexpectedly, nothing else happened after these walls rose, except that the earth walls continued to grow.

It seemed that, with his solo power, Ye Lang could only manage this.

Yet, even so, everyone admired Ye Lang’s alchemical prowess. Influencing the terrain over a ten-mile radius by oneself was nothing short of terrifying! Could it be that Ye Lang’s strength was limited, that he failed to unleash his full potential?

No, absolutely not. He would never misjudge his own strength or attempt the impossible. This was precisely the effect he wanted! The formation wasn’t just an alchemical circle—it was something else!

The regrouped soldiers resumed their pursuit, weaving through the earthen walls and mounds, avoiding new obstacles as they appeared. But no matter how far they pressed forward, they could not break free.

Eventually, someone guessed that Ye Lang was constructing a labyrinth. They tried breaking through the walls directly, only to find themselves trapped in another world—one from which they could never escape.

What was this? The situation resembled Zhuge Kongming’s Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams formation, the one that stymied hundreds of thousands of troops.

Indeed, this was a formation from the mysterious art of Qimen Dunjia—a Ba Gua formation designed to trap, not to kill.

Don’t forget, Ye Lang was not a mere alchemist; he had long integrated Qimen Dunjia into alchemy—or perhaps merged alchemy into Qimen Dunjia. His alchemy transformed the environment, bringing formations vividly to life!

Moreover, alchemy allowed better control over the formation, enabling the user to alter it at will—provided, of course, they possessed sufficient skill.

At the heart of the formation, Ye Lang controlled the formation’s core, protecting it from destruction. Bit by bit, he was devouring the massive pursuing army. This might become a new legend: a single man holding back hundreds of thousands of troops—perhaps, maybe even that many.

Such was the power of Ye Lang.