Chapter 1076: 幻杀阵

“Red Leaf King, ranked second?” Zhang Xuan’s pupils contracted. Having witnessed the power of Jade Leaf King and Stone Leaf King, he had always been wary of this even higher-ranked expert. He just never expected to encounter him under such circumstances!

“Who’s there? Stop playing tricks and come out!” While the two conversed telepathically, Master Wu’s hawk-like eyes scanned the surroundings. As if pinpointing a location, he raised an eyebrow, let out a loud roar, and thrust his longsword forward. The magnificent sword qi, like a meteor, tore through the air and shot straight forward. Upon contact with the wall ahead, it instantly carved out a massive hole.

“So powerful…” It was Zhang Xuan’s first time witnessing Master Wu’s move, and he secretly nodded. Throughout their journey, this top-tier seven-star Master Teacher had either been injured or was on the verge of injury, making Zhang Xuan feel that his reputation didn’t quite match his actual strength. Only now, seeing him fight with full power, did he realize how formidable Master Wu truly was. Though not comparable to the Jade Leaf King at his peak, Master Wu was by no means weaker than the Stone Leaf King. In a real fight, it would be uncertain who would emerge victorious.

After piercing the wall, the sword qi suddenly exploded, causing a section of the building to immediately collapse. Smoke and dust billowed, but there was no sign of anyone. “No one?” Realizing his judgment was wrong, Master Wu’s expression darkened, and he quickly scanned the surroundings again.

“Haha, thinking of attacking me? You’re still too green.” Master Wu thrust his sword again. This time, his speed was even greater. The longsword transformed into a phantom, extending for hundreds of meters and cleaving straight down. The building before them split apart visibly, like tofu being cut, and an enormous gash appeared in the ground. However, just like before, there was no sign of anyone, as if the speaker simply didn't exist.

“Don't waste your efforts. Even if you tear this whole place down, you won't find me. Just enjoy it!” As if knowing his actions were futile, Red Leaf King sneered again. As his words ended, the previously collapsed building instantly restored itself, as if the recent attacks had all been illusions.

“This, this… How is this possible?” Their pupils contracted, and everyone was in disbelief. Master Wu’s previous sword strike had been powerful and full of overwhelming energy; the building before them had clearly collapsed. How could it have instantly restored itself? What’s more, it looked identical to when they first entered, with no difference whatsoever!

“We must have fallen into some powerful grand formation…” Master Wu’s eyes filled with vigilance, and he couldn't help but say. Everyone nodded.

“Could it be… an illusion array?” Wu Tianqiong asked. Although he had also taken up the profession of an auxiliary formation master, the current scene was simply too bizarre. Even he couldn't be sure.

“That’s right, it should be… an illusion array!” President Han nodded: “You guessed correctly. The moment we entered, we fell into it. This means… everything we see before us is fake! Any attack we make is useless!” “Useless?” “Yes, just like these buildings, whether they collapse or stand tall, they are all illusions. If we don’t find their true nature and the truth, we will be trapped here forever, living in falsehood, unable to escape…” President Han clenched his fists.

“This…” Everyone stiffened. If it truly was an illusion array, then everything before them seemed far too real. Most of them were Master Teachers, and discerning truth from falsehood, seeing through the essence of things, was their specialty. Yet, upon arriving here, they hadn't noticed anything amiss. Just how high-level was this formation? Such a realistic illusion, and with someone controlling it… escaping would be nearly impossible!

“This…” Zhang Xuan’s expression also changed. He had felt something was off the moment he arrived, yet he still hadn’t realized that this place was an illusion! He focused his mind, and countless intricate patterns appeared in his vision, yet the pavilions before him remained unchanged, just as they were before. “Is it not an illusion, then? Is all this real?” He couldn’t help but be taken aback. His Eye of Insight could see through truth and illusion. If it were truly an illusion, he should have easily seen through it. Why was there no change at all? “No, that’s not right. This formation must be too high-level, and my strength is too low; my Eye of Insight still can’t see through it…” He quickly understood. Although the Eye of Insight was powerful, his strength was unfortunately too low. When facing something far beyond his level, it became ineffective, just as he wouldn't be able to see through the disguise of an eight-star Master Teacher if the latter didn't want him to. The illusion array before them was clearly of this nature. “It’s probably like the Sea of Lightning… at least an eighth-level grand formation!” He was shocked internally. Only a grand formation of such a level could trap everyone without them realizing it in the slightest.

“Flaws!” Knowing the formation’s level was extremely high, Zhang Xuan dismissed his Eye of Insight, looked around, and whispered to himself. The Eye of Insight couldn't discern such a high-level formation, but it should still be possible to find its flaws. A book appeared. He hurriedly opened it.

“The one hundred seventy-second door, part of the grand formation, has eight flaws. The first is…” After quickly reading it, Zhang Xuan’s expression turned grim. The Library of Heaven’s Path was not limited by the formation’s level, but… this formation was too vast. They were trapped within it, and what they could see with their naked eyes was only a fraction. Just like the book indicated ‘the one hundred seventy-second door,’ meaning there were at least one hundred seventy-one similar doors before it… or perhaps even more. With so many doors, it would be fine if they were 'life doors,' but if they were 'death doors,' rashly entering would mean dying without even knowing how. “The formations we encountered before were all single entities, where touching one part affected the whole. But this one is composed of countless smaller formations. Whichever part we are trapped in is the part that operates. Even if the Library of Heaven's Path is powerful, it cannot know the overall situation…” Understanding this, he clenched his fists. Previous formations he encountered would all activate once they started operating. However, this grand formation was divided into an unknown number of doors. Even with the powerful Library of Heaven's Path, as long as he didn’t leave his current location, he couldn’t see through its essence and find the most suitable path. In other words… the Library of Heaven’s Path couldn't allow him to instantly find the flaws and easily escape as it used to!

These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. As he pondered what to do, he heard the sound of wind whistling from nearby again, and countless sword auras chopped down from all directions. It was like a rain of arrows fired by ten thousand soldiers, dense and inescapable from every direction. The slightest carelessness could result in being instantly impaled like a hedgehog. “Everyone, be careful! This isn’t just an illusion array; it’s an illusion-killing array!” President Han shouted. An illusion array could only disorient people, preventing them from finding an escape route, but posed no great danger to life. An illusion-killing array, however, was a fusion of a killing array and an illusion array. Not only did it confuse people, but it also launched various attacks, and one could easily die on the spot. “Illusion-killing array?” Everyone’s expressions changed, and they all unleashed their True Qi, preparing for battle. Zhang Xuan was also about to act when he heard Feng Xun from the side let out a long cry: “Combat Master Hall, Black Tortoise Sword Formation!” “Yes, sir!” The remaining nine members of the Combat Master Hall simultaneously stepped forward, forming a defensive perimeter around them, their longswords striking out in unison. The sword formation deployed, forming a circular shield of light like a tortoise shell. The sword auras struck the shield, like rain hitting a pavilion, producing violent tremors but unable to penetrate it. “What strong defense!” Seeing this, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. Although the Combat Masters’ individual strengths weren’t exceptional, their coordination was superb. This Black Tortoise Sword Formation blocked every single sword aura without letting one through, a feat even he couldn’t accomplish. The wave of sword auras ceased. The Combat Masters retracted their weapons, each vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

“This kind of attack can’t continue indefinitely; it must follow some pattern…” President Han said. No formation could sustain continuous attacks; if it did, the required energy would be impossible to supply. As his words ended, another wave of sword qi shot towards them. The Combat Masters formed their formation again, continuing to block the attacks. Witnessing this, Master Wu frowned, looked up, and his clear voice rang out: “You who spoke just now, aren’t you very powerful? Do you dare to fight me fairly?” They were currently in a passive state, with the enemy hidden and themselves exposed. If they could force their opponent to appear, whether they could kill him or not, they would be much safer. “Fairly? Heh heh, let’s see if you can even get out first…” The opponent simply laughed again, refusing to take the bait. The air tightened, and countless attacks assailed them again. This time, they were not sword auras but blade qi. The broad and powerful blade qi made their arms numb with the impact. However, the formidable sword formation created by the Combat Masters also managed to block these attacks. The blade auras attacked three times in succession before stopping. Soon after, a lingering zither melody began to play, swirling around their ears and invading their souls.

“It’s… demonic sound attack!” Everyone’s expressions changed. They had previously suffered demonic sound attacks in the Boundless Realm, which almost led to their complete annihilation. This place was even more dangerous; if such an attack came again, they might truly die here. “What do we do?” They discovered that closing their six senses, just like before, did not stop the sound. Everyone was filled with tension, their faces turning pale. To be honest, under these circumstances, the demonic sound attacks were far more effective than physical assaults. “Ah… I can’t take it anymore…” Suddenly, a Combat Master let out a long shriek, dashed forward, and wildly swung his longsword around, as if he had gone mad. “Hu Chen…” Seeing him charge out, Feng Xun urgently called his name. Just as he was about to pull him back, he heard the sound of whistling wind again. Again, countless sword auras shot towards them. Hu Chen, standing in front of the others, was pierced through instantly before he could even react, his body falling heavily to the ground. With one person missing from the Black Tortoise Sword Formation, a loophole appeared, and two Combat Masters were instantly wounded, their thighs pierced, blood gurgling out. “Everyone, fall back…” Shouting, Master Wu surged forward, his sword aura flashing as he cleaved down. All the surrounding sword lights were extinguished with a single strike. After doing this, he glanced back: “Quickly apply medicine… saving lives is paramount!” “Alright…” Feng Xun nodded quickly, anxiously bandaging his injured subordinates.