Chapter 723 - 730: The Bizarre Great Formation

A sudden chill ran down Tian Li’s spine.

He felt the boiling vital energy, the surging Spiritual Power, and even the fluctuations of his Divine Soul stagnate for a split second!

It was as if a moment in time had been forcibly stripped away from him!

This bizarre attack bypassed all defenses, striking directly at the very source of his life!

’Time and spatial attributes are truly difficult to deal with.’

A fierce glint flashed in Tian Li’s eyes. With a furious roar, the Evil Qi around him erupted.

The crimson glow of his long saber intensified, and a vast saber intent capable of incinerating all creation soared into the sky, forcefully shattering that strange, time-stripping power!

At the same time, his Bone-Eroding Umbrella contracted into a spear. A heart-stopping point of black light condensed at its tip, weaving with the long saber to create a crimson-and-black storm of destruction that swept toward Song Wanning like a meat grinder!

Song Wanning’s figure was ethereal, like a phantom weaving through the cracks in the storm.

At times, she would thrust her sword, creating layers upon layers of spatial folds before her to deflect the rampaging saber-light and umbrella-shadows.

At other times, she would teleport at the last possible second, narrowly avoiding a fatal strike.

Occasionally, her sword would flash past, leaving behind a region where the flow of time was abnormal, causing Tian Li’s lightning-fast movements to suddenly slow.

Her immortal power seemed endless. Every time she tore through space or manipulated time, she did so with ease, the expenditure appearing negligible.

Her sword light flowed with a cold, eternal dao rhythm.

Tian Li grew frustrated. ’My immortal power is rapidly depleting, yet Song Wanning is like a tireless war machine.’

’If this keeps up, she’ll wear me down and kill me.’

As Tian Li calculated his next move, his long saber swung wide and open, each slash containing the immense force to sunder mountains and cleave cliffs.

The Bone-Eroding Umbrella was even more versatile, serving for both offense and defense. It sometimes transformed into an indestructible barrier, other times into a sinister and cunning surprise weapon. Its strange, corrosive power continuously ate away at the spatial barriers and temporal fields Song Wanning created.

The fight between the two grew more intense. The surrounding cave trembled constantly, and countless rocks began to fall.

Sword light and saber aura clashed innumerable times. Space was repeatedly torn apart and healed, while the flow of time in localized areas became utterly chaotic.

Song Wanning’s sword grew faster and more ethereal. The two figures crisscrossed at high speed within the cave, clashing again and again. Each exchange triggered spatial tremors, the aftershocks of energy plowing deeper and wider fissures into the ground.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

The flower that had been on the verge of collapsing suddenly bloomed with a black light.

In the blink of an eye, it enveloped them both.

"Not good—"

Tian Li’s pupils contracted sharply. He paid Song Wanning no mind and immediately tried to escape.

But the strange light clung to him like a maggot on a bone, holding him fast.

Tian Li tried everything he could, swinging his saber to sever the light, but it was incredibly resilient and didn’t even budge.

Song Wanning was also rapidly trying to cut through it. The light gave her a very bad feeling.

It was as if something terrifying had targeted her, something far more dreadful than Tian Li.

Seeing that something was wrong, the little ones also came out to help.

Upon seeing the Bodhi Tree Spirit, the flower visibly recoiled, as if a natural suppression was constraining its power.

But after a moment of fear, the flower summoned its courage and continued to release its light.

As the light grew brighter and brighter, Song Wanning’s and Tian Li’s figures were soon completely submerged.

A moment later, the black light before them suddenly dissipated.

The two of them were no longer in the cave. They had arrived above the island.

Before them was an endless, churning sea, and surrounding them was an Array flickering with countless red lights.

Song Wanning’s heart jumped in shock. ’This is clearly an evil Array!’

Tian Li’s expression also changed, his previous composure gone.

He continuously tried to break through the Array, but he couldn’t even make a ripple.

"Alright, stop wasting your energy."

A sneer touched Song Wanning’s lips as she looked at him with eyes full of mockery. "Look at you. You tried everything you could to trap me for your so-called mission, but what’s the result?"

"This Array has trapped you right along with me."

"Tsk, tsk..."

’The situation is already crystal clear,’ she thought. ’They’re planning to use Tian Li as a sacrifice, too. Just moments ago, he was intent on fighting me to the death, and now this? It’s all a joke.’

Tian Li’s face was uglier than ever. He clenched his fists tightly and snorted coldly, "Don’t you spout nonsense!"

"Don’t think you can sow discord and get me to help you escape!"

"This Array is only meant to stop you! It won’t hurt me!"

A trace of disdain flashed across his face, but the veins bulging on his clenched fists were enough to show he was far from calm.

’Is this Array really only for Song Wanning?’

He wasn’t sure.

"Heh."

Song Wanning saw through his pretense and let out a soft laugh.

"Look at you, as naive as ever."

She crossed her arms, her expression growing colder.

Tian Li’s face grew even more tense, and an inexplicable tightness gripped his heart.

’What is the origin of this Array?’

His awakened consciousness contained no information about it; he hadn’t even known an Array existed here.

Now, this wanton evil power left him deeply unsettled. He had a feeling something bad was about to happen.

’Have I really been abandoned by the Wood Sculpture Realm?’

’Impossible!’

’This is absurd. I’m a highly valued asset to the Wood Sculpture Realm! In the future, I’m supposed to ascend to godhood and live as long as the universe itself...’

Song Wanning fell silent as well and began trying to break open the grand Array before them.

But this grand Array was mysterious and unfathomable. She had never seen it recorded in any text...

After studying it for a long time, she still came up with nothing.

The two of them each took a side and fell silent.

Now, neither of them knew what they were about to face.

...

They waited until nightfall.

When the moon hung high in the sky, a chill ran through both of them, and they looked toward the sky at almost the same time.

The cold moonlight pierced through the clouds and cascaded down.

The moment it landed on the Array, the previously calm formation suddenly began to surge.

Countless blood-red shapes filled the entire Array. Like human faces, they roared and lunged toward Song Wanning and Tian Li.

They appeared abruptly, carrying a strange and eerie aura.

The two were mentally prepared, but they were still startled by the sight of such dense Evil Qi.

The ferocious way it charged, making no exception for him, made Tian Li’s heart sink.

’Have I really been made a sacrifice?’

A flash of anger and deep unwillingness crossed Tian Li’s mind.

He would never become a sacrifice.

’Never!’

Filled with boundless fury, Tian Li said nothing more and charged toward the red Evil Qi.