Chapter 714: Short Encounter

"You are merely a newly ascended Seventh Tribulation realm expert." The Lord of Lihong stared coldly at Meng Chuan in the distance, not even bothering to glance at the approaching giant hand.

Centered on the Lord of Lihong, two massive, illusory grinding wheels, one black and one white, materialized in that space-time. The black and white wheels slowly rotated in opposite directions as they closed in, instantly crushing the shadowy giant hand Meng Chuan had conjured. They then threatened to obliterate Meng Chuan's primordial spirit avatar as well.

Meng Chuan also looked at the Lord of Lihong and unleashed a primordial spirit mystical art.

A pair of immense, dark eyes appeared in the Lord of Lihong's mind.

These shadowy eyes resembled bottomless abysses, tugging at his consciousness. The Lord of Lihong had to dedicate nearly half of his mental effort to resist.

"How can the Dark Eye possess such immense power?" The Lord of Lihong was somewhat surprised.

Having cultivated for countless years, the Lord of Lihong naturally placed great importance on cultivating his mind and will. He had traversed the Demonic Mountain Path for ninety-two thousand miles, which was considered an exceptionally high level among Seventh Tribulation physical body experts. Figures like the Demonic Eye Guild Master were still progressing along the Demonic Mountain Path, none having reached the summit.

Reaching ninety-two thousand miles signified an extremely strong mind and will, coupled with a Seventh Tribulation physical body to resist attacks. Logically, a primordial spirit mystical art from a newly ascended Seventh Tribulation expert should have been as gentle as a spring breeze to him. Yet, Meng Chuan's current mystical art demanded nearly half of his mental effort, which made his heart clench.

Unbeknownst to him, Meng Chuan's mind and will had also undergone a transformation after he created his own primordial spirit cultivation method. His comprehension of the Three Thousand Illusion Formations refined the structure of his primordial spirit world, further enhancing his mental fortitude.

Although he had not continued along the Demonic Mountain Path, his progress was clearly immense.

"His primordial spirit mystical art is second only to the Ancestor of Worlds, potentially on par with that individual from the Prime Realm," the Lord of Lihong concluded. The colossal black and white grinding wheels continued to crush the surrounding space-time.

"Whoosh."

The Dark Eye failed to engulf the Lord of Lihong.

However, immediately afterward, a vast grand formation enveloped the expansive space-time. Within this vast expanse, a staggering one hundred ninety-two dark chaotic holes slowly drifted. The power of these numerous chaotic holes coalesced, and their mere appearance caused the Lord of Lihong to feel a sudden weight pressing down on him. Had he been a newly ascended Seventh Tribulation realm expert, he might have been suppressed to only two or three tenths of his strength.

"His Myriad Tribulations Chaotic Hole Grand Formation has actually reached such a level?" The Lord of Lihong frowned slightly, a hint of shock at Meng Chuan's strength evident in his expression.

He was, of course, familiar with the Myriad Tribulations Chaotic Hole Grand Formation.

Logically, for a newly ascended Seventh Tribulation expert, condensing a hundred chaotic holes would already be remarkable. Yet, the number of dark chaotic holes Meng Chuan was currently manifesting was astounding.

Unbeknownst to him, in recent years, Meng Chuan had delved into the Three Thousand Illusion Formation scrolls, deciphering one hundred thirty-six of them. His understanding of formations had reached an astonishing level. He had mastered the rules of chaotic holes and possessed a profound comprehension of the opposing "Heaven-Opening Rules." It was this combination, along with his gains from the Three Thousand Illusion Formations, that allowed him to cultivate the Myriad Tribulations Chaotic Hole Grand Formation to its current realm.

"Rumble."

The black and white grinding wheels crushed the void, while the Myriad Tribulations Chaotic Hole Grand Formation strenuously resisted. Meng Chuan looked up at the massive grinding wheels. "What a powerful domain-type technique," he mused. "If my formation hadn't made such rapid progress, I fear it would have been utterly crushed."

The Lord of Lihong was different from the Seventh Tribulation forbidden creature, 'Barking Whisper.'

Barking Whisper relied on innate abilities.

The Lord of Lihong, however, had comprehended time and space to an exceptionally profound degree, integrating them into his own fundamental rules. The domain he unleashed was terrifyingly potent. Meng Chuan's Myriad Tribulations Chaotic Hole Grand Formation was currently at a disadvantage, but it still held firm, not collapsing.

"I originally intended to crush him directly with my domain, but it seems I'll need to engage in close combat," the Lord of Lihong silently decided.

As a Seventh Tribulation physical body expert, close combat was always his strongest suit.

"Perish."

The Lord of Lihong's pale finger gently pointed towards Meng Chuan.

Space-time distorted, and the vast distance rapidly closed!

Furthermore, the flow of time altered. Meng Chuan clearly saw a finger appear before him, but he had no time to dodge.

"Too fast."

A single fingertip was about to touch Meng Chuan's brow.

Yet, just before it connected, Meng Chuan's primordial spirit avatar dissipated like a fleeting bubble.

Simultaneously, five more primordial spirit avatars appeared across the surrounding vast area. Clearly, the primordial spirit avatar located on Qianshan Star had immediately differentiated into five new ones.

Qianshan Star was Meng Chuan's dwelling in the outer void. As a Seventh Tribulation realm entity, he had long ago purchased a fixed formation of the Eighth Tribulation level from the Eternal Tower. Fixed formations were less valuable than portable Eighth Tribulation formations, requiring time to set up and being immovable. However, fixed formations typically possessed greater power due to their more complex construction.

To breach the dwelling of a Seventh Tribulation mighty expert, perhaps only the two Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm entities would stand a chance.

For instance, the Blood Phoenix Palace Master, a peak Seventh Tribulation expert, had arranged thirteen Eighth Tribulation level formations in her outer domain lair, making it impenetrable even to Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm entities.

Meng Chuan was not yet that powerful, but his Qianshan Star was sufficient to withstand any mighty expert below the Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm.

"Splitting your primordial spirit avatars? Then I shall seal off this space-time, preventing you from receiving support," the Lord of Lihong stated coldly. Simultaneously, a colossal formation diagram projection materialized, completely isolating the surrounding tens of billions of miles of space-time from the outside world. Qianshan Star was also encompassed within this tens of billions of miles.

"Hmm? It's gone."

"The Darkfiend Hall Master has sealed off that space-time."

"The Darkfiend Hall Master is truly furious."

Seventh Tribulation and Half-Step Seventh Tribulation realm experts, one by one, discovered that it was impossible to observe any further, even with the aid of secret treasures.

In terms of space-time mastery, the Darkfiend Hall Master was only one step away from the Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm. With the additional use of an Eighth Tribulation level formation diagram to seal space-time, it was indeed difficult to observe.

"It's invisible now," the Demonic Eye Guild Master frowned slightly. "The Lord of Lihong is focused on sealing space-time; I cannot breach it either."

In the current era, only the Myriad Star Heavenly Emperor and the White Bird Pavilion Master could breach it.

"Interesting," the White Bird Pavilion Master observed calmly.

"The Lord of Lihong has endured for so many years, and it's rare for him to display his full strength, only to encounter a formidable opponent," said an old farmer, casually discarding a fruit pit after eating the fruit. "The Lord of Lihong is much stronger than he was years ago. His comprehension of the rules of time should be just one last step away from a breakthrough. However, that step is the most difficult one, and it's likely he'll never achieve it in this lifetime."

The Myriad Star Heavenly Emperor had seen the Lord of Lihong's future, countless variations of it, and in none did he become a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm entity. The Myriad Star Heavenly Emperor also understood that the future had not yet occurred, and anything was subject to change.

However, the absence of a future where the Lord of Lihong attained the Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm indicated an extremely low probability of him breaking through. After all, having cultivated for over a hundred thousand years without a breakthrough, attempting to achieve it before his lifespan ends seemed highly improbable.

"Nonetheless, his close combat strength is quite formidable. With the integration of space and time, Meng Chuan can only take hits," the Myriad Star Heavenly Emperor observed. "Meng Chuan wants to strike him, but he can't even touch him."

"Hmm?" The Myriad Star Heavenly Emperor suddenly stared in surprise. "Last time, Meng Chuan merely deployed his killing moves simply. Now, he's integrated them into the Myriad Tribulations Chaotic Hole Grand Formation? His mastery of formations is truly impressive."

With the tens of billions of miles of space-time around Qianshan Star sealed off, the various Seventh Tribulation and Half-Step Seventh Tribulation experts could no longer observe, making them even more curious.

However, the seal lasted for only a little over ten breaths of time.

"BOOM!!!"

An unimaginably terrifying and ferocious power erupted, completely tearing apart the sealing formation. The tens of billions of miles of space-time were utterly pulverized into elementary particles, with only Qianshan Star remaining intact, protected by its formation.

Tens of billions of miles of space-time were reduced to elementary particles! The Lord of Lihong, naturally, had nowhere to hide.

"Hmph."

Crimson cracks appeared all over the Lord of Lihong's pale skin, and his face was covered in fissures, making him resemble a shattered porcelain doll, gruesome and hideous. These blood-red cracks rapidly healed and vanished. In mere moments, the Lord of Lihong had regained his handsome appearance.

"I truly underestimated you," the Lord of Lihong said, glancing at Meng Chuan. With a single step, he vanished, traversing space-time to return directly to the distant headquarters of the Darkfiend Hall.

Two of Meng Chuan's primordial spirit avatars remained standing there; the other three had been forced to dissipate.

At this moment, Meng Chuan's expression was also solemn.

"The gap is indeed significant. Besides that last move, none of my other techniques could even touch him," Meng Chuan reflected, acknowledging his shortcomings.