[A few moments earlier]
Outside the formation, the world seemed to freeze the moment the last lightning bolt disappeared into the sky. A heavy silence fell over the area, as if the air itself was holding its breath.
Then,
BOOM!
A powerful shockwave burst outward from the peak where Xie Ren and Lan Yue had stood, shaking the ground violently.
The earth trembled beneath everyone's feet, and the cliffside cracked with a sharp groan. The shockwave spread like ripples on a lake, carrying with it an intense spiritual pressure that pressed against everything it touched.
Even cultivators standing hundreds of meters away were thrown off balance, stumbling backward to keep their footing.
The sudden force was so strong it felt like a wave of energy sweeping through the air, pushing and pressing against every soul nearby.
