Chapter 1840: Opening of the Battle

Xiao Wencheng's skill level was certainly higher than that of his junior disciples from the Illusion Sect, but Granny Zhu, undaunted, immediately challenged him to a duel!

This move was particularly sudden, catching Xiao Wencheng by surprise.

Then, the rotund body of the Cave Spider Queen filled his vision.

Granny Zhu's opening move was another handful of spider silk, aimed directly at his eyes.

Xiao Wencheng had witnessed Granny Zhu's fighting style and knew the Spider Queen's tactics. He casually pulled out a token and flicked it forward.

The moment the token left his hand, its engraved runes glowed red. After just two rotations, it transformed into a spinning shield over ten feet in both width and length, not only blocking all the spider silk but also aiming to smash Granny Zhu's face.

The Cave Spider Queen leaped up, easily evading the spinning shield, and lunged to embrace Xiao Wencheng's face.

Its leaping ability was astonishing. Its plump body was both swift and agile; its eight legs had barely spread out before it was already pressing against Xiao Wencheng's face.

How could Xiao Wencheng withstand such a powerful embrace? He shattered instantly.

He crumbled into a yellow paper figure, with cinnabar talismans on its back.

What a move! He had, at some unknown point, switched himself with an illusionary paper dummy!

Moreover, as the paper dummy shattered, it exploded into a cloud of yellow mist. Inside the mist, Granny Zhu's body became ten times heavier, and her movements slowed by several beats.

A slowing spell.

Granny Zhu immediately sensed trouble. The eye growing on the back of her head had already spotted a golden sword thrusting towards her.

This was no laughing matter; if Granny Zhu were struck, not only would she lose her eye, but her brain might also be pierced.

But she had plenty of tricks. With a whoosh, she vanished from the yellow mist.

Xiao Wencheng's golden sword struck empty air.

It wasn't just him observing Granny Zhu; the Spider Queen had also been secretly studying the fighting styles of every immortal.

She hadn't teleported away; instead, her body had suddenly shrunk to one-tenth its original size, becoming no larger than a grapefruit. Naturally, the golden sword missed.

After dropping out of the yellow mist, taking advantage of Xiao Wencheng's overextended move, Granny Zhu returned to her original form and once again sprayed spider silk at him.

The two became entangled in combat.

Xiao Wencheng possessed profound magic and exquisite Taoist arts, while Granny Zhu's attacks were fierce and she was rich in experience. For a time, it was hard to tell who had the upper hand.

In a lull in the fighting, he looked out through the gaps between the Spider Queen's spiky long legs and discovered that He Lingchuan was actually battling the Blood Fiend.

How did that kid get there?

To his perception, He Lingchuan had almost flashed past; one second he was in front of him, the next he was behind the Blood Fiend—

following his blade.

In fact, this was a new interpretation of the "Guaranteed Hit" ability of the Drifting Life Blade: wherever the treasured blade flew, He Lingchuan could appear, earning the moniker "Where the Blade Is, the Man Is."

Of course, it could only be used once every fifteen seconds, but it perfectly compensated for any lack of mobility.

The Blood Fiend nearly took a hit. Just as it successfully dodged, He Lingchuan appeared behind it, twisting the hilt, and unleashed a Full Moon Slash!

Since entering the Upside-Down Sea, he had deliberately avoided combat. Even during the battles against the Celestial Demons and Demon Immortals from the Heavenly Palace in the mine tunnels, Elder Liu had led the attack while He Lingchuan provided support.

He had kept his treasured blade sheathed, waiting for the moment to astonish everyone!

Wherever the blade passed, the red mist completely dissipated.

The Blood Fiend was almost cut in half. Before it could even shriek, it shrank backward. He Lingchuan followed like a shadow, delivering two more simple, unadorned strikes. The Blood Fiend desperately dodged, but still took a hit, feeling as if it were a sausage being chopped, the pain unbearable.

Most terrifyingly, faint black smoke emanated from the blade's edge. As soon as it touched the red mist, it instantly burst into flames, as if the Blood Fiend itself was the perfect fuel.

If it didn't constantly shed parts of itself, it would be entirely incinerated in no time!

"Karma Fire! Karma Fire! Damn it!" Ignoring He Lingchuan's renewed swing, the Blood Fiend fled into the woods without looking back, shedding another portion of red mist.

It was an amalgamation of countless blood sins and naturally abhorred karmic forces! To be entangled by such a thing was like having its neck squeezed, making life unbearable.

Who could have imagined that Karma Fire could be wielded so casually by a cultivator?

Was this even logical?

Meanwhile, Elder Ning's flying wheel hadn't even struck Dong Rui's face when the latter, with a whoosh, burrowed into the ground.

Elder Ning couldn't help but be taken aback.

Wait, this was already the Celestial Venerable's territory; escape techniques were forbidden to outsiders!

How did Dong Rui manage to burrow down?

Of course, they didn't know that the horn powder of the Mirage Immortal had been made into other products, such as earth-burrowing talismans and passage talismans.

He Lingchuan had anticipated the journey to the Upside-Down Sea would be extremely perilous, and operating in the Mirage Immortal's territory, how could he not have prepared?

Elder Ning pointed his hand, and the flying wheel curved, chasing Dong Rui directly into the ground!

Did he think burrowing underground would make him safe? "I'll dig you out, even if it's seven feet deep!"

With a bang, the flying wheel descended along with "Excessive Courtesy Powder." After piercing the ground, a massive explosion followed, blasting a large crater into the earth.

If Dong Rui had only burrowed down that short distance, he would have been riddled with holes by now.

Dong Rui, riding his Snail Toad, burrowed over a hundred zhang underground when he suddenly sent a telepathic message to He Lingchuan:

"Damn it, I seem to be going in circles and can't get out of the barrier!"

Even though the Snail Toad was clearly moving in a straight line, it kept passing similar landmarks, such as a large yellow boulder buried deep underground, which Dong Rui had now seen twice.

This indicated he was circling, not leaving the barrier's range at all.

He Lingchuan frowned, unsurprised.

Qianhuan must have tried every means to keep him within the barrier; conjuring a few illusions would be effortless. Spells like "Ghost Wall" were mere child's play for the Mirage Immortal.

He Lingchuan was also certain that even if their group managed to shake off Xiao Wencheng's pursuit, it would likely be difficult to break out of the barrier's range, which was why not everyone had used earth-burrowing talismans.

However, the longer his side delayed, the more disadvantageous Qianhuan's situation in Solitary Dragon City would become.

"Head for Kidney Lake!" He Lingchuan decided. "If we can't find a way out, we'll go to the bottom of the lake and remove the formation's core!"

The Blue Divine Fire barrier was specifically designed to restrict the Boundless Golden Mirror. Its core was still at the bottom of Kidney Lake, specifically that iron lotus lamp. He Lingchuan hadn't dug it out previously because simply running out of the barrier's range was the easiest option.

Formations were static, but people were dynamic; people could move.

However, now the situation had changed, and he didn't mind trying a different approach.

"Good."

Just as Elder Ning was about to recall his flying wheel, he felt a gust of wind behind his head.

The Ghost Ape was swinging its club, aiming for his crown.

For the past two months, it had been subsisting on Imperial Nectar, and Dong Rui had modified it twice, making its physique progressively smaller. Now, it stood only eight feet tall, just a couple of sizes larger than a Black Armored Army soldier, and its muscles were taut, no longer resembling a small mountain.

Having followed He Lingchuan for a long time, Dong Rui had also become more pragmatic, no longer pursuing large, impractical, and flamboyant appearances.

Although its visual impact was less terrifying, the Ghost Ape's strength had actually increased, and its agility was astonishing. A single overhead swing of its club created the illusion of hundreds, even thousands, of blows raining down simultaneously, making even Elder Ning feel a suffocating wind pressing against him, as if he were being forcefully driven to the ground.

Even if the club didn't strike its target, the powerful winds it generated could flatten a person into a pancake.