"Be careful, Feng'er!"
Xuansu Chang instantly appeared before Shuofeng, her expression grave.
Meanwhile, Lu Xichan tried to contact the outside world immediately but found she couldn't connect at all.
"Insolent wretches! The Heavenly Venerate of Dharma Transmission is before you, why do you not kneel!"
Four voices, like claps of thunder, boomed in their ears.
In the dim sky, the true manifestation of a Heavenly Venerate seemed to appear. It stared down, radiating an imposing aura without needing to show anger.
Immense, invisible pressure suddenly descended, instantly reducing the bamboo building to dust. The entire ground rumbled, sinking several feet. Xuansu Chang and the other two were momentarily locked in place by this pressure, unable to move!
Before they could even struggle, five blood moons suddenly appeared in the shadow-obscured sky.
"Draw threads!"
A cold, emotionless voice echoed from the heavens. Thousands of threads descended from the blood moons. Like countless tentacles, they swiftly and silently coiled around them. The threads appeared invisible, but the moment they touched the women's bodies, a wave of weakness instantly rose from deep within them.
"Xichan!" Battle armor suddenly materialized around both Xuansu Chang and Shuofeng, yet it couldn't block the invisible threads.
Lu Xichan's situation was even worse; around her, silver symbols representing formations continuously appeared, only to vanish without a trace almost immediately. Cold sweat beaded on Lu Xichan's forehead. Her eyes first showed shock, then transformed into undisguised terror.
In the chaotic battle, others not well-versed in formations might not have understood what was happening to her. But Lu Xichan knew perfectly well: every time she attempted to set up a formation, an inexplicable force would instantly emerge and dismantle it. The formations were being shattered even before they could fully take shape! It was as if the opponent already knew exactly what formation she intended to deploy, breaking them with incredible, baffling speed.
At first, Lu Xichan thought a traitor within her Strategy Formation Hall had leaked all the formations she knew. Soon, however, even her most secret, last-resort formations met the same fate: instantaneous dismantling! Thus, an unstoppable terror began to spread in Lu Xichan's heart.
She felt as if she was back at the first time she met her master. Her master's formidable formation skills had astonished, captivated, and enthralled her, rendering her once-proud talent utterly insignificant in comparison. Yet now, the entities breaking her formations around her possessed skill far surpassing even her master's! It was a realm she couldn't even conceive of!
"Who on earth is this?"
Her pride as the Chief of the Myriad Immortals Alliance's Strategy Formation Hall shattered, Lu Xichan felt countless faces of her master emerge from the surrounding shadows.
"Xichan, you have truly disappointed your master!"
"From now on, do not tell anyone you are my disciple. I cannot bear such shame!"
"Lu Xichan, I cannot rest in peace!"
"No, Master, it's not like that..." Trapped in the illusion, Lu Xichan trembled uncontrollably. She completely lost all will to resist. The thick shadows around her completely enveloped her, and then she vanished into the bamboo forest.
Witnessing this, Xuansu Chang's face paled. But facing the Heavenly Venerate's manifestation above and the onslaught of countless threads, she herself was already overwhelmed.
"Brother Xingwang, I've temporarily sealed Lu Xichan. But just now..." Mo Rubing's voice came through, tinged with a hint of confusion.
"Heh heh, it was merely by chance that we exploited her mental weakness. Who would have thought that the renowned Chief of the Strategy Formation Hall would be such a coward, terrified of her master..." Li Fan replied with a sinister cackle.
"So that's it." The battle wasn't over, so Mo Rubing didn't dwell on the matter. "My remaining power is rapidly draining. I'm afraid it won't be enough to seal Xuansu Chang and Shuofeng..."
"No matter, they are already doomed."
While the two communicated briefly, their offensive remained deadly. With Tian Yang and the other two controlling the formation, Xuansu Chang, despite her battle armor, was as precarious as duckweed in the wind, teetering on the brink. A scarlet light protected her mind, yet it was constantly suppressed by the gaze of the Heavenly Venerate's manifestation in the sky. She had reached the limit of what she could endure.
At this point, Xuansu Chang also realized that the phantom above them was not a manifestation of the Dharma Transmission Heavenly Venerate at all. It was merely the optimal manifestation created to immediately unnerve her. After all, assisting the Heavenly Profound Mirror in producing a human clone violated the system established by the Dharma Transmission Heavenly Venerate.
It was impossible to say that Xuansu Chang felt no fear. Although it wasn't the true Heavenly Venerate manifestation, the pressure it exerted on Xuansu Chang was no less. Furthermore, the shadows around her, constantly emitting sinister cackles, caused Xuansu Chang to experience rampant illusions, making it difficult for her to resist. And the grey threads that had been coiling around her since the start of the battle were accumulating more and more. Her thoughts and movements, consequently, grew sluggish.
"Who exactly are they?"
Before losing consciousness, countless perplexing thoughts flashed through Xuansu Chang's mind.
With two Dao Integration cultivators already captured, the rest of the battle held no suspense. Shuofeng's avatar, possessing Spirit Transformation cultivation, was already unable to intervene. Under the combined mental suppression of four Dao Integration formations, he had long since fainted.
After suppressing all other cultivators from the Bamboo Sea Grotto in a separate dimension, Li Fan looked at the two unconscious female Dao Integration cultivators before him. Both possessed breathtaking beauty. Lu Xichan had a noble and dignified aura, while Xuansu Chang appeared like a young woman, as if her youthful innocence had yet to fade.
"Brother Xingwang, my power is about to dissipate. I'll leave things here to you."
The boundless shadows that enveloped the bamboo forest gathered, eventually coalescing into a blurred figure. He looked at Li Fan and slowly said, "If there's any news about the Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror's clone, contact me as soon as possible."
"The body I occupied has been completely destroyed. The next time we meet, remember to bring another one."
"Still in the hidden grotto from last time."
The voice, along with the shadows, slowly dissipated together.
"This battle went so smoothly; Mo Rubing's sky-obscuring shadows were instrumental."
"Even if he weren't an enemy, I would still faintly feel the pressure. In a trance, I even thought I saw the forms of the Celestial Doctor and Immortals of the Immortal Ruins in the darkness..."
"The Profound Heaven Sect... truly extraordinary."
These thoughts flashed through his mind, and Li Fan's attention refocused on Xuansu Chang and the other woman.
"Envoy, shall we withdraw now?" asked Daoist Hundred Flowers cautiously.
Li Fan pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Go to this bamboo forest and guard the entrance."
"I need to interrogate them here for information about the Heavenly Profound Mirror's clone."
The three acknowledged the order and departed.
Li Fan, meanwhile, took out two Truth-Inducing Fruits.
"Only these two remain. It seems it's time to ask the Council of Five Elders for more."
Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly wove a meticulous lie. After the Truth-Inducing Fruits emitted bursts of dazzling light, Li Fan fed them to the two.
[3 minutes ago] Chapter 957: Sniping
[10 minutes ago] Chapter 590: Slight Miscalculation
[11 minutes ago] Chapter 956: Masked Man
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